Are Booktokers really literature lovers? Row erupts after influencers say they skip the 'big paragraphs' and 'only read the dialogue'

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  • It’s up for debate whether Gen Z genuinely enjoy the books they’re promoting
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A BookTok row has erupted after an influencer admitted she ‘skips’ reading ‘big paragraphs’. 

Miranda from the US, who is known as @probablyoffreading online, sparked huge debate after posting the now-deleted TikTok video. 

BookTok is a subsection of TikTok that has been credited with ‘making reading cool again’ – but whether or not Gen Z genuinely enjoy the books they’re promoting is a matter up for debate. 

The book influencer, who has 328,000 followers and mainly reads romance and thriller books, said: ‘If there’s a paragraph this big, I’m skipping it, I’m skipping it.’

She added in the caption of the video that ‘I can’t be the only one’ – and others on TikTok have even admitted that they ‘only read the dialogue’ in books. 

Miranda from the US sparked a huge BookTok debate this week after admitting she skips reading 'big paragraphs'

Miranda from the US sparked a huge BookTok debate this week after admitting she skips reading ‘big paragraphs’

The book influencer, who has 328,000 followers and mainly reads romance and thriller books, said: 'If there's a paragraph this big, I'm skipping it, I'm skipping it'

The book influencer, who has 328,000 followers and mainly reads romance and thriller books, said: ‘If there’s a paragraph this big, I’m skipping it, I’m skipping it’

This week, Miranda’s video attracted a huge backlash online, with some even suggesting that those on BookTok actually ‘hate’ reading.  

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However, it appears she is not alone, as another BookToker @lalysbooktalk, said she also ‘skips the big paragraphs’ to only ‘read the dialogue’. 

And @sydnie.reads revealed that when she starts finding a book ‘boring’ – referring to Emily Henry’s popular novel Book Lovers – she will begin ‘skipping half the paragraphs on a page’. 

Beth, who posts under the username @thecool_table, even posted a guide on how to ‘skip filler paragraphs when reading’. 

She said a teacher had taught her a ‘speed reading trick’ when she was younger, explaining: ‘I really wanted to read a certain amount of books by a certain date. 

‘She said that if you slant your eye across the page in a diagonal instead of reading line by line, your eye will pick up more words… and you’ll be able to tell what is upcoming faster.’ 

Another, @itsmjprice admitted that they’d ended up ‘missing important information’ and ‘getting confused’ after skimming over multiple paragraphs in a book they were reading.  

BookToker @lalysbooktalk said she also 'skips the big paragraphs' to only 'read the dialogue'

BookToker @lalysbooktalk said she also ‘skips the big paragraphs’ to only ‘read the dialogue’

@sydnie.reads revealed that when she starts finding a book 'boring' - referring to Emily Henry's popular novel Book Lovers - she will begin 'skipping half the paragraphs on a page'

@sydnie.reads revealed that when she starts finding a book ‘boring’ – referring to Emily Henry’s popular novel Book Lovers – she will begin ‘skipping half the paragraphs on a page’

Beth, who posts under the username @thecool_table, even posted a guide on how to 'skip filler paragraphs when reading'

Beth, who posts under the username @thecool_table, even posted a guide on how to ‘skip filler paragraphs when reading’

The phenomenon has sparked much debate online, with one person even saying ‘booktok is about hating reading, writing and books’. 

Another said: ‘SURELY NOT?? how are you skipping paragraphs while reading?? you might miss important things.

‘Is this a known thing to do? i don’t think i’ve met a person who does this. please let me know if it’s a common thing.’

Others wrote: ‘They’re more into purchasing books than actually reading them’; 

‘This is such a weird take, because how does the reading part bother you when… reading?!?!?’;

‘If you’re skipping whole paragraphs consistently, you’re simply not reading the book at all’;

‘Instead of attacking people who listen to audiobooks and people who read 100+ books a year we should be attacking those who only read dialogue because wtf you’re literally skipping half the book’;

‘Is someone FORCING her to read like? does she even enjoy it.’

Another, @itsmjprice admitted that they'd ended up 'missing important information' and 'getting confused' after skimming over multiple paragraphs in a book they were reading

Another, @itsmjprice admitted that they’d ended up ‘missing important information’ and ‘getting confused’ after skimming over multiple paragraphs in a book they were reading

It comes just a month after BookTok was thrown into chaos after an influencer complained that the novel she was reading had ‘too many words’. 

Yana from California took to TikTok to review Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, expressing her irritation that ‘every page’ contained ‘so many words’. 

The video, posted by @yannareads, has now been deleted but has still racked up 36 million views when reposted on X, formerly Twitter. 

Many were quick to take aim at BookTok itself, with some saying it has ‘lost the plot’, while other claimed influencers only view reading as a ‘status symbol’. 

Yana said she’d been recommended Young Adult fantasy Six Of Crows by some of her followers – but after reaching page 34, she was less than impressed. 

Speaking to her 284,000 followers, she said: ‘Can we talk about something real quick though? Can I just like, talk s*** for a second?

‘Why the f*** is this book? First of all, the writing is so tiny. And why are the pages so filled with so many words? What the f***?

‘I like pages that aren’t filled with this many words. Like literally every page! Like look at this, are you f***ing kidding me?’

The phenomenon has sparked much debate online, with one person even saying 'booktok is about hating reading, writing and books'

The phenomenon has sparked much debate online, with one person even saying ‘booktok is about hating reading, writing and books’

Filming the video with her large book collection in the background, Yana said she would continue reading until page 100 before giving up. 

She continued: ‘Convince me otherwise because this book is so f***ing difficult for my brain to follow. 

‘Like I’m only two chapters in, I understand. But all these words? Like I have no idea what’s going on.’

Yana read an excerpt from the book aloud with a baffled look on her face, referencing some of the names and locations in the book’s fantasy setting – including Big Bolliger, Elzinger and Ketterdam, one of the series’ main locations. 

‘Am I drunk? Or is this book drunk? Because what the f*** yall, how are you all following this. I’m scared,’ Yana said. 

After admitting she was ‘completely lost’, she showed her followers three maps at the start of the book to explain the fantasy world. 

‘There are like maps that I have to learn that I can’t read all the names,’ she explained. 

Later on, in an update, she shared that she’d given up with the book, even after switching to reading it on her Kindle in an effort to make the font bigger. 

The owners of Notting Hill bookshop previously told MailOnline how TikTok has contributed in a rise of Gen Z customers

The owners of Notting Hill bookshop previously told MailOnline how TikTok has contributed in a rise of Gen Z customers

Brighton-born Jack Edwards is one of the biggest names in the BookTok community, and reviews books he's read

Brighton-born Jack Edwards is one of the biggest names in the BookTok community, and reviews books he’s read 

BookTok has been largely credited in the resurgence of reading as a popular hobby among young people with more than 32 million posts. 

A book’s popularity on TikTok can now be make-or-break for how many sales it achieves. 

Popular BookTok books often feature the ‘romantasy’ genre – a combination of romance and fantasy – such as books by Sarah J. Maas. 

Previously, the owners of Notting Hill Bookshop in London said their sales were up ‘100 per cent’ since the pandemic – which they attributed to social media. 

With over 167 billion views on TikTok, reviews and recommendations in the global BookTok community have inspired Gen Zs to ditch their screens in favour of a good old-fashioned book.

BookTok has gained such a momentum in recent times that TikTok launched its first  book awards in the UK and Ireland last year, with thousands voting for their favourite books, authors, and bookshops of 2023.

Popular creators include Ayman Chaudary and Jack Edwards – part of a crowd of creators seeking to make reading cool again.