I love reading, and it's no secret. Reading calms me down, and it takes me away from reality and lets me explore different worlds. It is a great stress reliever and it has helped me so much throughout my life. Part of the reason I read so much is that of BookTube. Let me explain it from the beginning.

I grew up with a love for reading. It is something that I still love to do, but around the time I was in sixth or seventh grade, I didn't read much and then stopped reading completely. I didn't realize that I stopped reading until I was so stressed out and couldn't sleep much. It seems odd to be stressed out because of not reading, but the way I see it is that something that I love to do was stripped away from my schedule and filled with other things to do, like homework. I just didn't have the time or couldn't make time, which took a huge toll on me. Reading was such a big part of my life that when I stopped, I just changed completely. It's hard to explain, but the best way I can put it is it felt like something important was missing.

I dealt with it for two years. I read one or two books here and there, but I had a difficult time getting back into reading. It was hard for me to finish a book. I would pick one up and read the first few pages but then not finish it because it was so hard. I knew that I needed and wanted to read, but my brain hadn't processed it yet and wouldn't let me focus. But then, in eighth grade, I discovered BookTube, a platform where YouTubers posted videos about books, and it just went uphill from there. A lot of people would think that BookTube is a waste of time, but to me, it was a like a safe house where I could listen to what other people think of the books they read and could sometimes express my opinion on books. It became a form of comfort for me because I have a lot of friends who don't read as much as I do or don't read the books I read, so I can't talk about this with them.

The first video that I watched was from the YouTuber Jessethereader. It was labeled with "Recommended for you," so I clicked on it. That was how I was launched into the world of BookTube. From his channel, I discovered other BookTubers, but I found four channels where I could relate to them in reading style: A Clockwork Reader, Hailey in Bookland, Jessethereader and PeruseProject. There are many more out there that I enjoy watching, but for me, these four just clicked. These four have helped me go through my reading slumps, my inability to read for two years and so many other problems. When I started watching them, I formed a TBR — to be read — list that I'm always updating. This is how I started getting back into reading.

Not only did I gain an endless list of books that I wanted to read, I ended up exploring new genres of books that I've never read or heard of. My eyes were opened to another world. For example, Hailey (from Hailey in Bookland) loves historical fiction. Me, not so much. But she's always recommending books in that genre and I thought to give it try. It turns out, even though I'm still not a big fan, there were a few books that I enjoyed from that genre. It was the different book recommendations from different genres that made me create a very a long list, which in turn slowly made me an avid reader.

There were many times that I would go into a reading slump, and what helped most was watching these four YouTubers. It gave me a nice break and relaxed me enough where I could get started on a new book. They didn't just help me through reading slumps. If I was feeling stressed out or just not feeling well, I would open up YouTube and watch some bookish videos. If I wanted to laugh, I would watch Jesse. If I wanted to watch someone do a bookish tag, I would watch Hannah or A Clockwork Reader. If I wanted to watch vlogs, I would go to Reagan's channel or PeruseProject. If I ever need a book recommendation, I would watch Hailey's videos.

They all serve a purpose to me, and I'm glad that I discovered these YouTubers because, without them, I don't think I would be reading as much as I am today. I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. These BookTubers have helped me through so much and I'm thankful for that.