BookTok has taken over, Black literature is thriving, and social reading is more popular than ever. If you’re looking for your next great read, we’ve got you covered! Social reading is back, with more people in their twenties taking an interest in books and joining social clubs. Terms like BookTok and Black Reads are trending, so here is all the literary works by Black authors or books featuring characters from the UK, US, and Black stories everywhere the global African diaspora has touched.
So, what is BookTok?
BookTok is a vibrant community on TikTok where young people, mostly Gen Z, share their love for books in creative and emotional short videos. Whether it’s dramatic reactions, aesthetic edits, or quickfire recommendations, BookTok has made reading cool again. The platform has helped launch debut authors to stardom, revive older titles, and spotlight diverse stories-all in under a minute.
For Black readers and creators, BookTok has also become a space to uplift stories that centre Blackness in all its forms: joy, love, resistance, imagination, and community.
In this blog, we’ve kindly pulled together some of the best books around. Whether you’re picking up a good habit, reading on your commute, or adding to your growing To Be Read pile, there’s something here for you.
This entry comes just a month after World Book Day , you may have even seen a TikTok with BLAM staff posting to the ‘me then vs me now’ trend including childhood pictures with children’s books they loved reading and recent pictures with books they read now. We will also be exploring recommendations from book clubs like TNSReads, BookTok creators such as John Paul, and other sources of must-read books by Black authors. Let’s dive straight in.
Click here for our full reading list:
BLAM UK CIC 