Why I still can't quit Book Twitter

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

I have always been a voracious reader. So much so, my mum took me to the doctor at a very early age as she was worried about the fact I was reading too much and not sleeping enough. I still remember the doctor smiling wryly at her and saying, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever had someone with this complaint, and I prescribe more of the reading, and maybe some warm milk at bedtime to help with the sleep.’

Reading, for me, is how I self-soothe. I find it almost impossible to fall asleep without a book, and it is where I find my joy and solace (even when reading the darkest of murder stories). Little wonder I became a writer. Before I did though, for much of my life reading was something I rarely discussed with anyone else, apart from a handful of friends throughout the years who were bookworms too. For the most part, reading just wasn’t a thing among the people I spent time with.

All that changed a few years ago - just before my dream of being a writer had transferred from my nine-year-old self to the adult version of me - when I discovered Book Twitter. Here was a place where people posted about, raved about and generally geeked out about books, and I realised I had found my people. Over time, all my book recommendations came from Book Twitter, and as I got to know individuals and their tastes, I found myself being encouraged to read outside of my comfort zone and widen my perspective outside of my favoured genres and types.

But something else happened too. After a while I began to get to know people, and alongside the book recommendations got a slice of their lives, humanity and vulnerability. I began to share more of my own, which led to actual friendships with people I now know IRL too.

During the pandemic, this community I’d found came into its own. As I live alone, the daily connection, the daily reading updates, the daily sharing of our lives kept me sane during those strange, anxious months of lockdown. Live tweeting Strictly Come Dancing on Twitter with

Marian Keyes

was a weekly highlight; imagine a HUGE sofa filled with a crossover of Book Twitter/Strictly fans all chatting over each other about Bill Baileys cha-cha-cha while munching snacks. Heaven.

By then I had started writing my own novel and it was thanks to Book Twitter that I found my agent (Nelle Andrew) and realised she was ‘the one.’ The glimpses her tweets gave me into her character and way of working meant that when we met, I had no hesitation in signing with her (a decision I am thankful for daily). Many U.K. literary agents and editors are (or were) on Twitter and seeing them talk about books/authors/the industry was SUCH an insight into a world that can seem opaque. I learned a lot about publishing from Book Twitter, and that knowledge has served me in excellent stead. It’s also where I ‘met’ the women in my writerly group chat that I talked about on here a couple of weeks ago.

Something magical happened too. When my book deal was announced, my Book Twitter friends were the first to congratulate me. The book bloggers* I had come to know came out in force to support The List of Suspicious Things in ways I could not possibly have foreseen. Even as I write this I feel tearful, as I remember Colin (The Bookshop Man) making his first video to express his love for the novel, and Bookaholic Bex’s review where she said it was an ‘exceptionally crafted, beautifully written book’ and how nervous I was about Clare (Years of Reading) and Jules (The Reading Paramedic) reviews as I LOVE their book recommendations so much (thankfully they loved it)**. When the novel made it into the Sunday Times Top 10, a particularly emotional moment was when Bookaholic Bex (again) said it felt as though it was a shared moment for all of Book Twitter, and I felt the same way too. Equally though, when my dog Rocco died, a couple of years ago, I felt supported and held in my sadness by the same group of people, whose lives I have similarly followed too.

This might go some way to explain (excuse?) why I am still active on Twitter (I will never EVER call it ‘X’ - what even is that?!). I know all the arguments about why I shouldn’t be and have (and still do) wrestle with them. But I miss my people.

I want to know how Jackie is getting on now she’s out of hospital. And how Peter’s interview went. And whether Angelica decided to write the book or not. And how Sally’s anxiety is today. Only yesterday I tweeted about my love for A Prayer for Owen Meany, which I am reading for the first time in thirty-five years for a thing. At my last look, the tweet had 27k views, 600 likes and 112 comments (it’s still going) with everyone sharing their love for John Irving’s masterpiece, reminiscing about when they first read it, talking about their favourite scenes, and recommending similar. It’s one of those hugely connecting moments amidst the awfulness (not just of Twitter).

My hope is that post-election, Musk will sell it off at a loss and leave us alone.

I am growing into Substack, but I haven’t been here long, and it still sometimes feels (for me) like a celebrity member’s club where the entrance is only for those ‘in the know’ and once I’m in I’m worried I’m not wearing the right outfit or that I talk too loudly. Maybe that’s true of all new places (and it definitely says something about me!) and the non-shoutiness is something I value, as is the access to brilliant writing, and every single person who takes the time to read what I write. Maybe in time I will find what I love about Book Twitter here and will finally give the old place up.

Until then, Twitter feels a bit like going to meet friends at the local pub that’s changed hands and gone to seed. Yes, I have to weave my way round rowdy drinkers who want to shout their opinions in my face, and sometimes challenge me to a fight, but eventually I can spot my group, at a table in the back, quietly talking about books, and life, and I am always happy to see them.

*Book bloggers don’t get paid for reviewing books. In fact, there is very little incentive to them doing so (apart from the occasional free proof). This is a community who does it for the love of reading and books and I find that so SO inspiring.

**There are so many individuals I want to name here, Tilly, Mia, Jude, Shona, Laura, Tash, Elizabeth, Sarah, Rich, Fran, the list could go on and on forever and I would STILL miss someone out.