Why Are We Obsessed with Copying Celebrity Reading Habits?
All book recommendations are equal, but some are more equal than others
Who are you more likely to accept a reading recommendation from, me or Barack Obama?
Nine times out of ten, it will probably be from Obama. In this instance, I don't blame you. The man’s got pretty good taste in books.
But for over a week, my feed has been drowned in articles concerning the reading recommendations of celebrities or public figures. Most notably, Elon Musk, Emma Watson and Bill Gates.
Although I don’t doubt these recommendations come from a good place, I naturally worry people will read them solely because a celebrity has recommended them.
What does that mean for people who write about books on the internet like me? Or even booksellers who try to recommend books to strangers?
I love a good book recommendation as much as the next person, but I feel sad that ones from celebrities or well-known figures get more traction. Depending on who they come from, some naturally have more weight than others.
Book recommendations are not on an equal playing field. I hope you got my attempt at a literary reference in the subtitle (hint: it comes from a well-known novel called…
