3 book genres that trended on BookTok in 2024
CBC Books social producer Bridget Raymundo shares popular reads with The Next Chapter
CBC Books social producer and BookToker Bridget Raymundo has her finger on the pulse of what the cool kids are reading these days.
On her TikTok account @bridgelikesbooks she keeps an eye on what books are currently trending on the Internet as well as what the next trends in literature are likely to be.
"I would say BookTok is entering into, I think, its fourth year of popularity now," she says. "It was a niche community of readers who were just finding like-minded people during the pandemic and finding books to read during that time. And it has quickly boomed into a marketing firestorm."
Raymundo sat down with The Next Chapter's Antonio Michael Downing to discuss the impact BookTok has had on the literature landscape and recommend three titles.
Collide by Bal Khabra
In the novel Collide, aspiring sports psychologist Summer Preston hates hockey, but when her thesis advisor gives her a research project, she's forced to work with the charming and confident team captain, Aiden Crawford. Summer's a no-fun type "A" with big goals and capital "P" plans — and Aiden's a laissez-faire jock who takes nothing seriously.
Could their assumptions about one another be wrong? Once their fighting turns flirtatious, they must face the fact that they were wrong about how right they are for each other.
I really loved that the main character was South Asian and had those cultural influences brought into the story.- Bridget Raymundo on Collide
Raymundo says Collide "confirmed my theory that you just have to try within any genre until you find something you like."
She also says she enjoyed the cultural references that are weaved into the story.
"I really loved that the main character was South Asian and had those cultural influences brought into the story. It made it different to me [than other hockey romances] as an Asian person."
Khabra is a Canadian writer, romance enthusiast and book lover currently based in British Columbia.
I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
I Was a Teenage Slasher puts the reader directly into the mind of a killer. Set in the late 1980s in small-town Texas, it's written from the perspective of Tolly, a young man who finds himself driven to kill by forces beyond his own understanding.
It's based on the small-town slasher archetype from an Indigenous lens.- Bridget Raymundo on I Was a Teenage Slasher
Raymundo says she liked that the book put a unique twist on the horror genre. "It's based on the small-town slasher archetype from an Indigenous lens. And that was what was interesting to me, really gory, but really, really funny as well. I was surprised that I was laughing."
Stephen Graham Jones is a New York Times bestselling Blackfeet Native American author who dabbles in sci-fi, as well as crime, horror and experimental fiction.
A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
A Sweet Sting of Salt is a historical novel set in the fictional town of Barquer's Bay, N.S., in the 19th century. Jean, the local midwife, lives an isolated simple life in her cottage but all is set awry when she finds a woman in labour by the sea. After Jean helps Muirin deliver her child, the two grow affectionate towards one another. But Jean is left with more questions after meeting Muirin's husband in this twist on the myth of The Selkie Wife.
It has that monster character, but she's not a monster. She's the loveliest creature ever.- Bridget Raymundo on A Sweet Sting of Salt
"A Sweet Sting of Salt is a really great take on a Celtic folktale," Raymundo said. "And it has that monster character, but she's not a monster. She's the loveliest creature ever. It's such a fun read, especially like in Nova Scotia in the 19th century. It's such a fun place to be in."
Sutherland is a Toronto-based writer, former patissier apprentice in France and occasional bartender. A Sweet Sting of Salt is her first novel.
Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
