What is BookTube? All About YouTube Reading Community and Book List (Exclusive)

Calling all book lovers—the BookTube community has some exciting news to share.

PEOPLE can exclusively reveal “BookTube’s Ultimate Reading List Over the Years,” a list of some of the most popular books that have appeared in book-focused YouTube videos since 2012. ) a series of novels and memoirs. What’s wrong with our planet to recent favorites, e.g. the missing half Britt Bennett and free By Prince Harry.

For years, book lovers have been sharing their thoughts on what they read and what’s going on in the literary world on YouTube. The community (called BookTube) has grown to become one of the longest-running communities on the social platform. According to a statement YouTube shared with PEOPLE, videos with “BookTube” in the title have been viewed more than 350 million times as of early 2024.

“BookTuber really fills a gap that we maybe didn’t even know existed, which is a more personal connection to learning how to decide what to read,” said YouTube Culture and Trends Manager Madeline Buxton. The company created the ultimate reading list to better Learn more about the most discussed books on the platform.

In an exclusive video shared with PEOPLE, two BookTube content creators, Cindy Pham (@withcindy) and Jack Edwards (@jack_edwards), reveal the titles and insights into how the BookTube community is growing.

Edwards originally started his YouTube channel to document his life as a first-generation college student. He told people he wanted to talk about the books he didn’t read for a literature degree, and he incorporated those videos into his channel.

Character Puzzle Crossword Puzzle is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

“Now, online creators can be somewhere between book fans and book reviewers, which democratizes the whole thing,” he said. Edwards is now famous online for his BookTube content, such as ratings of all the books Lisa Simpson has read The Simpsons and ranked whether they were appropriate for an 8-year-old or reading decorative books he purchased on Etsy (where Edwards later found a new favorite book).

“I think the weirder the better,” he said. His YouTube channel currently has over 1.3 million subscribers, earning him the nickname “The Internet’s Resident Librarian” and bringing him interviews with Dua Lipa (an avid YouTuber herself) readers) and host the prestigious Booker Prize live broadcast, among other opportunities.

“Being a digital creator and being able to get into these rooms…I feel very lucky to be able to do that because I’m not a book journalist and I’m not trained to do that,” Edwards said. “It’s just my raw passion for sharing online.”

Pham launched her YouTube channel in 2018. Lunar ChroniclesPham wanted a place to share her thoughts. She said YouTube not only became a platform for her to review what she read, but also introduced her to a larger community of book lovers.

“I really love how super creative all kinds of people are with the types of videos they make, whether it’s book reviews or other types of BookTube videos,” she said. Fan’s channel has grown along with her interests, ranging from vlogs to her thoughts on book adaptations to longer videos about scandals in the publishing industry. Through an online book community, she was invited into the Netflix writers’ room to come up with marketing ideas for a film adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s novel. Shadow and Bones series, interviewed David Sedaris and even met her girlfriend.

“This is a big deal for me,” Fan said. “Before joining the book community, I wasn’t even aware of queer people as socially aware and progressive.” BookTube as a whole is in a new era, she adds, with content from creators becoming more intentional and inclusive sex.

“I feel like we’re going to continue to move in this direction,” she said, adding, “Today, there’s a lot more awareness of who’s creating the work we’re reading and who’s creating the work we’re reading.” [we are] Select Amplify and Lift.

Although BookTube reading lists will end in 2023, new types of BookTube content are already being added. Buxton said silent book reviews are where readers share their thoughts on a book using only their own emotions, while more personal reading recommendations are popular. Creators also connect book recommendations to pop culture moments, such as the Charli xcx-inspired trend “Brat Summer.”

“I think we’re seeing BookTubers reading a wider variety of books than ever before,” Buxton said. “It may have originated in teen literature, but now you can find just about anything, and a lot of really targeted videos for specific interests.”

“The wonderful thing about books is that there are always new books to read and new books coming out,” Edwards said. “So there’s always something fresh to make content for.”

What about those who want to create their own BookTube channel? Fan has some suggestions.

“At the end of the day, you still have to do it because you love books so much, not because you want to make money from them or get sponsorships,” she said. “Because if that’s the case, you still have options… It’s driven by a passion for books in the first place.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to get the latest from PEOPLE, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

See below for BookTube’s ultimate reading list over the years:

2012
twilight by Stephenie Meyer
this harry potter JK Rowling Series
hunger games by Susan Collins