Immersing yourself in a book is a brilliant feeling! It can feel like the characters are your friends and you’re living in their world with them. There are times that I genuinely hate coming to the end of a book, because I don’t want the story to ever end, I don’t want to leave this inspiring world behind. But every book has to end, and I find that one of the best ways to cheer myself up is to talk people who feel as strongly as I do.
Reddit is a great way of finding like minded people. It is a massive site, made up of countless subreddits. Each subreddit (or “sub”) is a community, created to bring people together over a certain topic. Now, because reddit is so big, it can be quite challenging to actually find the right subreddits, and it can take time to find the right ones for you. Not to mention it can be a bit daunting trying to use the reddit search engine or understand the “in-speak” of the reddit community.
So, we here at bookspry have curated a list of subreddits that you’re sure to love if you want to be part of a community of readers.
First, there are the obvious book related subreddits, the big ones with the names that are clearly going to be interesting to people who love books. I bring you…
The Big Dogs
/r/Books: ~15,300,000 subscribers
This is a massive subreddit! There’s plenty of activity and all kinds of lively topics of conversation. I would recommend that everyone subscribe to this! The only downside is that, because it is so big, and there are so many people in here, that there is a lack of cohesion. I love that there are so many book lovers in the world, but I’d recommend searching for other, smaller subs that can reflect more specialised interests.
/r/Literature ~385,000 subscribers
This subreddit is about discussing the deeper meaning of certain books. It does tend more towards older books, which is unfortunate but this is still one of the most popular book related subs on reddit and is a great place to dig a little deeper into some classic books.
The Specialists
But there’s a world of other, smaller subreddits that cater to specific book genres that are worth exploring as well. Smaller subs can offer a greater sense of community because you’re talking to the same people and you can really get to know them as you bond over your love of your favorite genre. It also means you know you’re reading comments and recommendations from like minded people, which is really one on the main strengths of reddit in the first place.
/r/Horror Lit ~21,000 subscribers
For those who love to be horrified.
/r/Dystopian Books ~5,000 subscribers
For all your dystopian needs!
/r/Romance Books ~1,500 subscribers
I wish this sub was bigger and more active, but there’s still enough happening here that it’s worth joining. There are weekly discussions about what you are reading, and what your favorite romance tropes are.
/r/Zombie Lit ~200 subscribers
Yes this subreddit is tiny…but I love zombies, so I want to recommend this to everyone!
/r/Short Story A Day ~3,600 subscribers
This is a small but vibrant sub! If you like short classic stories then you should subscribe! Most of the short stories that are recommended are in the public domain and you can access for free. This sub will link you to the right page on Project Gutenberg, which is very handy. Personally, I find these stories can be a little hit or miss. The stories can come from any genre and, as they are mostly public domain, are older. I still think it’s a great way to be introduced to a new book, and worth subbing.
The Bubble Breakers
Instead of just sticking with the genre that you usually read, it’s worth embracing the community aspect of reddit and asking for advice on what you should read next. These following subs are all about fellow redditors recommending books to you:
/r/Suggest me a book ~294,000 subscribers
This is a surprisingly large sub! The premise of this community is that you start a new post, saying what kind of books you’re interested in, or the title of a book you recently read and loved, and asking for other people to suggest another book, that they think you might like. I really love the communal spirit of this sub.
/r/Book Suggestions ~105,000 subscribers
This sub has a similar theme to Suggest Me a Book, but I really like both. Although they are based on the same principle, this sub is less about specifics.When you ask for a book recommendation here you don’t need to say what you’ve recently read. Instead you can be much more relaxed. Perhaps you want to start reading non-fiction books, and you don’t know where to start. Or there’s an historical era that you interested in learning about and you’d like some help getting started.
/r/Book Lists ~12,000 subscribers
Have you ever wanted to really delve into a topic or genre, but you just weren’t sure where to start? You read one book in a genre, and you’re hungry for more but you’re not sure what else is out there? Then this is the sub for you!
This is a surprisingly active sub, with people submitting book lists on all sorts of topics every day. This is a subreddit you have to try if you want to understand the value.
/r/Currently Reading ~4,000 subscribers
This is a smaller subreddit, and it isn’t as active as I think it should be! This is a place for you to talk about the book that you are reading at the moment, and let the world know whether you’re enjoying it, what you think of the story so far.
/r/What to Read When ~2,400 subscribers
This is another smaller, less active sub, but I just love the idea of it so much that I had to put it in here! This is the place where people say what they are going through in their life right now, and ask for book suggestions to help them with their situation. The top post at the moment is from someone saying that they’re at a difficult point in life and want something comforting to read. While I’m sorry that person is going through a rough time, I do love the idea of fellow readers helping each out with book recommendations.
/r/First Page ~2,000 subscribers
Have you ever been really unsure if you should start reading a book? You’re not sure if you should even buy it, and you’re not ready to commit the time and money to reading it. This sub can really help you out. Posters write out the first page of a book, letting you read it and see if you like it. Sure it’s just a small taste, but it’s enough to get a taste of the prose style, and sometimes even enough to hook you. The only downside to this sub is that they don’t have more books on here!
/r/What’s That Book ~16,800subscribers
Have you ever got that feeling, where you can kind of remember the plot of a book, but you don’t remember the name of the book? Or what the characters were called? Or how it ended? But you remember that you enjoyed it, and that you’d kind of like to read it again. Well, then this is the sub you need! Here you can post whatever details you remember and someone is sure to come along and tell you the title of the book. I have to say, it is amazing how often these guys can work out what books people are trying to remember!
Do you want to read more books this year? I know that I do! There are some subreddits that are all about community support and encouragement as we all try and read more books over the course of a year:
/r/52 Book ~28,000 subscribers
This is for anyone who wants to read more! The name of the community is 52 books, but your aim can be higher or lower. It doesn’t matter what books you’re reading. This is a great place to keep you on track with your reading goals.
/r/52 in 52 ~9,000 subscribers
This sounds like it’s related to the previous subreddit, but it is actually quite different. 52 in 52 is a book club, where you can read a particular book every week and then discuss it together at the end of the week. Every week you have a choice of three books, so you’re not forced to read anything you don’t want to.
If you’re an avid reader then you can probably appreciate a good looking book. Here are some subreddits dedicated to the beauty of books.
/r/Book Shelf ~23,400 subscribers
This isn’t about just one beautiful book, it’s about a whole shelf of them! If you’re anything like me then one of the first things you do when you’re at a friend’s house is to look and see what is on their bookshelf. On this sub people post pictures of their bookshelves and I get to look at them.
/r/Book Haul ~9,400 subscribers
This the place where people boast about their recent book purchases! They post pictures of their most recent shopping spree. Is that weird? Maybe, but I love looking to see what books other people have just bought! There’s a vicarious thrill to it that I find addictive, and I think you will too!
/r/Book Collecting ~5,800 subscribers
This is the sub where all aspiring book collectors -wait, isn’t that all of us!?! – can post pictures of the start of their collection. I can’t get enough of these subs that let me see what other people are reading!
There it is! Reddit for book lovers! This list should give you a great starting point for anyone looking to use Reddit to get great book recommendations and reviews, but let us know if you have any questions or think we missed anything!
Until next time. The bookspry team.