By Lauren Slattery

In the last year or so it seems like reading has become a “new” wave. So many people are raving about the new book they just read, and people I never thought would so much as glance at a book outside of a classroom are asking for recommendations. 

This isn’t some new thing. It is no secret that reading has always been a known hobby, a cherished ability, and something I've loved since I was a kid. But this new found interest in reading is one of my favorite “trends” of the year.

My favorite days at school were always library days. The endless books stacked up above my head; the smell of an old book and the crack of the seam when opened. I loved everything about it, the new worlds, the characters and the stories. I loved reading, and there was no denying that. What started as Little House on the Prairie turned into Junie B Jones and the Magic Tree House, and before long Harry Potter took over. Then one day I woke up and reading became a task to check off my homework sheet. There was no time to read for fun, there was only reading for a grade. 

Most of us spend hours on our phones in a day. We scroll aimlessly for what seems like only a minute before realizing it’s been an hour, and we live vicariously through the unattainable lives we see. TikTok has become a place we go to lose ourselves in our phones, but it also has become the place so many of us found our best book recommendations.

If you have found yourself in Barnes and Noble in the last year there’s a really good chance you’ve been there to grab a book, or two, by Colleen Hoover, or maybe you stumble on the BookTok section. I'll be the first to admit I have. 

You may even hear a reading obsessed person, or a book snob, let you know there’s better books out there. Sure they may be right. Though who cares, read the popular books with the cheesy meet cutes and love them just as much as everyone else, or hate them! Your choice. 

We are so obsessed with phones and blue light that I can’t help but believe it’s no coincidence that so many of us turned to reading this year. Opening a book allows for the same time warped effect as scrolling through Instagram with none of the consequences. For three hundred pages you get to watch a story unravel and anticipate an ending you could never have imagined, or maybe you guessed it from the start. No matter what got you to read or what you’re reading, I hope you continue.