Keyword – Books
Trefwoorden – Books, Culture, TikTok, Dating, Life and style
Title – Booksmaxxing: how reading became sexy | Books | The Guardian
Author – Guardian Staff
Link – Booksmaxxing: how reading became sexy | Books | The Guardian
Publish date – 2026-06-17T16:08:39.000Z
Category – Culture
URL – https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jun/17/booksmaxxing-how-reading-became-sexy
Name: Booksmaxxing.
Age: The next big thing.
Appearance: Thoughtful, intelligent, well-versed and highly desirable.
Are you about to tell me that reading is now fashionable? Not just fashionable – being a big reader is considered sexy.
You haven’t seen me in my reading glasses. Tinder claims that mentions of books in dating bios are up 29% overall, and up 41% for women. The dating app’s relationship expert told HuffPost that “reading is clearly having a moment”.
A moment? Really? According to research from book summary app Headway, 75% of people “find partners who read or indicate that they are well-read more attractive”.
Yes, but that’s just a thing people say to make themselves seem more attractive. Nevertheless, books are huge. See the growing BookTok community, who post reviews, discussions and recommendations about favourite books.
Looking at T ikToks about reading isn’t reading. Meanwhile, book club participation has been rising steadily in the UK. Between 2022 and 2023, book club listings on Eventbrite rose by 41%.
Book clubs aren’t fashionable. They’re for nerds. Are you kidding? Dua Lipa has a book club, Service 95. And her romance with new husband Callum Turner was sparked when they discovered they were both reading the same book.
Don’t get me wrong: I like reading books , I just don’t like talking about reading books. In that case you might be interested in a reading retreat.
Where do I have to go? Any location that gives you the time and space to read and reflect – a “bookcation”, if you will.
Are you trying to sell me on the idea that reading on holiday is now a thing? Because it was already a thing. What’s new is a holiday that whisks you to the locale of a favourite novel. According to Skyscanner, 55% of travellers had booked – or would consider booking – a holiday inspired by a particular tome.
So reading the book isn’t enough – you now have to go where it’s set ? There are also overseas literary festivals, resort book clubs and hotels with libraries.
This is beginning to sound a trifle insane. That’s booksmaxxing!
Isn’t this all coming at a time when book reading is actually in decline? Overall, yes. Since 2003 the number of Americans reading for pleasure has dropped by 40%.
So booksmaxxing is a niche trend cocooned within a much larger trend that’s heading in the opposite direction ? That’s what makes it cool.
Wrong – that’s what makes it an entirely performative exercise aimed at convincing the world you are intelligent and possess an attention span. What’s that? Sorry, I wasn’t listening. *Performatively flicks page of book*
Do say: “If anything gets people reading – even pretending to like reading – then it can only be a good thing.”
Don’t say: “Great! Now take a picture of me holding Middlemarch.”
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