Beyond BookTok: Boston's Booksellers and Librarians on the Front Lines of Community Engagement

by Jessica A. Kent | July 10, 2026

BookTok. Celebrity book clubs. Newspaper book reviews. Literary influencers. It seems like there are too many voices contributing to the book conversation these days. But the local booksellers and librarians connecting readers to books, tracking trends, and building community every day are the ones we should be listening to.

On March 18, 2026, as part of the preview night of the Bow Market Book Fair, the Cambridge | Somerville Independent in partnership with the Somerville Media Center hosted "Getting the Story Out: Sellers and Librarians on How to Connect Readers and Books."

The panel discussion featured Christina Pascucci Ciampa, Founder and Owner at All She Wrote Books; Lara Hearn, Manager at Side Quest Books & Games; Brigid Black, Community Services Librarian at the Somerville Public Library; Zachary Bond, Program and Events Coordinator at the Cambridge Public Library; Kaliisha Cole, Manager at Porter Square Books; and Lily Rugo, Marketing Manager at Harvard Book Store. The discussion was moderated by Marc Levy from the Cambridge | Somerville Independent.

Here’s what they had to say.

State of Reading, Book Buying, and Book Borrowing

Despite the ongoing rumors that indie bookstores and libraries are dying and that no one reads anymore, the news from the front is actually encouraging: reading seems to be thriving. The librarians have seen a record number of holds, and the Cambridge Public Library hit a record daily check-out total the day before one of the Winter snowstorms. Check-out numbers have stayed constant, and library budgets have increased.

“We’re lucky that the city has supported us quite a bit,” said Black about the Somerville Public Library. “Our book budget has increased over the past several years. That represents both physical books, ebooks, ecollections, and our library of things. Every day, we see people who come in to look for things, who are looking for new experiences, and need to connect with books and reading. We have vibrant book clubs. We have a ton of holds. So I think libraries are doing very well.”

The booksellers reported similar trends, seeing steady foot traffic coming into their locations. Pascucci Ciampa reported on BookScan numbers that show book spending continues to rise, even with today’s economic challenges — something booksellers saw during the crash of 2008 as well. “This is something that is definitely on trend during economic downturns. Books still have the ability to thrive, and bookselling still has the opportunity to thrive, even though we are seeing serious issues in the economy,” said Pascucci Ciampa.

There are a few reasons behind these positive trends in reading and bookstore and library foot traffic. Rugo points to how reading has become the great trend in recent years, and how media has covered it: “What does it say that Dua Lipa is starting her own book club? What is Timothy Chalamet reading? What does it mean to do a selfie with a book? What is romantasy? Reading has become an internet trend.” Other trendy factors contributing to the rise of reading, according to Rugo, include exclusive and sprayed-edge hardcovers, and even simply the weariness of looking at screens.

One of those trends that drove more reading was Heated Rivalry. Black explained how the immense popularity of the show drove book holds that soared above 400 at one point for a book that initially only had two copies in the system. And while many probably read Heated Rivalry on ereaders, what was special about the surge in holds was that people wanted to read a print copy, to hold the book in their hands.

Another reason why reading may be so trendy is that more authors are connecting directly with their fans, fans are connecting with each other, and exclusive editions are giving those fans a way to feel part of a group. Books are also a way to connect with a community of readers.

Above all, “community partnerships are an essential thing that keep books in people's hands, keep books in people's minds,” said Bond. “We have to rely on each other, because the people in power might not want us to do this, but we can do it when we're together.”

How Readers Discover Bookstores and Libraries

But in order to buy or check out those books, you need your patrons to know about you and feel engaged with what you’re doing.

One of the ways bookstores and libraries are doing that is through newsletters. All She Wrote Books sends their newsletter out every Sunday evening, using it as a way to keep their community updated and engaged with what’s going on, and a vehicle for Pascucci Ciampa to write a note and extend a personal connection. Their social media is popular as well, but newsletters are a more direct and assured way to connect with the community when social media could change or go away any day.

For Harvard Book Store, it’s the print flyers that are more popular, with customers “demanding” the printed list of events when they run out. But location (Harvard Square) and longevity (established in 1932) are driving much of the traffic into their store. “The community aspect is different because it runs 94 years deep,” said Rugo. “We're also right across the street from the school, so we have a lot of students who come in. We have a lot of families who come in. Students will bring their parents, because it's a thing you do with your parents: go to this bookstore. … We have a much older tradition and much more entrenched community, which is really fun and a special aspect of our institution.”

Porter Square Books does similar, using newsletters (including their new Porter Square Review of Books) and social media to spread their news and keep their community engaged. They also maintain a presence on Bluesky as well. But Cole points out that their goal isn’t to go viral; it’s to be relevant to their community, saying “we're not looking to be the next trendy bookstore. We're promoting the books we love with our variety of booksellers and our events.”

Side Quest Books and Games said it’s really their Eventbrite page, filled with literary and gaming events, that keeps their community updated on what’s happening. They also engage with their community on a Boston gamers Discord. Because they’ve built such a specific identity to their store, who they are and what they offer inherently attracts the right people and builds the community. Hearn explains that by “being a loudly values-driven store, you know exactly where we stand. I do find that that is effective in finding our people. More than just finding people that come in the door and have a browse, maybe buy a book and leave, it's people that come and stay, and that is what we're after.”

And that’s another reason why people continue to frequent bookstores and libraries: community. They’re able to connect with other readers, sure, but they’re also able to go to a space that’s welcoming and where they feel cared for. Libraries become a safe refuge for anyone in the community with no monetary ask upon them, and bookstores are a place to find booksellers promoting stories and ideas during a time when the ability to even read books is under attack.

The Challenge with Today’s Book Media Coverage

Bookstores and libraries are fostering their own systems for engaging with their communities, whether it be through newsletters, social media, print flyers, or simply talking at the desk. But readers today are also being impacted and influenced by book coverage in traditional media and by influencers. Despite traditional journalism cutting down on their books section, it seems like there’s more book news than ever, with the rise of independent newsletters, and BookTok and Bookstagram influencers showcasing their TBR piles and recent reads.

But is this book coverage helpful? According to these booksellers and librarians, who interact with readers every day, not necessarily. The general consensus that book mass media has become quite homogeneous, talking about the same books over and over again, the same writers, pushing the same trends. Hearn notes that fantasy coverage is few and far between, and mainstream fantasy doesn’t drive traffic to their store, which focuses on carrying underrepresented authors in the space.

Book coverage feels impersonal today as well. Bond encouraged book reviewers to “champion books that are interesting and that you have a personal relationship with. So much of mass media feels like it's depersonalized. We know there are people who are working on those articles, but they don't shine through. And if they did, we would feel them more, and we would want to read what they're reading.”

The idea of personalization and personal connection brought the booksellers back to the practice of handselling: giving a customer personalized recommendations based on what they’re looking for, but also recommendations they might not otherwise have picked up. Pascucci Ciampa explained that “how I handsell — I compare it to baseball. I give you two pitches for the book that I'm keenly listening to you about and that you want. Then I give you a third, and it's a curve ball. The curve ball is meant to surprise you and give you something to think through. And nine times out of ten, I usually see people pick the curve ball.” Pascucci Ciampa went on to explain that “when people rely on [an algorithm], they're missing out. They're missing out on the experience of having that interpersonal connection of me talking to you and actually listening to what you're saying, what you're looking for.”

So what can book media, especially local media, do to be better stewards and informers of literary culture?

Go beyond standard book lists: Build recommendations that are personal, niche, and representative. Hearn encouraged mass book media to “challenge the idea of a hegemonic taste maker. I would love to see BIPOC reviewers and marginalized creators in the conversation actively building what we consider good literature, because that's what a lot of these publications were historically missing. And I think that’s just bare minimum.”

Examine hyperlocal tastes: Look at hyperlocal tastes to see what people are reading and what’s trending, even down to the neighborhood level. “National taste is national taste, and there is very different taste in Davis Square. There's very different taste in Union Square,” said Black. “What people are reading in the greater Boston area is more interesting to me than some nebulous ‘what people are reading’ list from the world.”

Leverage staff picks: Every bookstore has their staff picks, books that booksellers fall in love with and want you to read that are often different from national bestseller lists. Booksellers are happy to share those picks with media, and customers should seek them out when they visit a store.

Leverage local wisdom: Boston is a city full of authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians, indie presses, academics, historians, and experts who have lots of literary wisdom. Panelists encouraged book media to mine that wisdom for their coverage.

Building the Boston Literary Community One Reader at a Time

Throughout the discussion, one word kept coming up: community. Community engagement, serving our community, book trends at the community level, connecting with literary community over love of books, buying books in the local community, supporting each other’s businesses in the local community. Putting a book in someone’s hand is literally a community connection. Bookstores and libraries are at the frontlines of community-building — and we shouldn’t forget that in coverage, in support, and with our dollars.

If there was one lesson from the evening, it was that literary communities are built person by person, recommendation by recommendation, conversation by conversation. In an era of both national and tech-driven book discovery — both of which can run impersonal — the local knowledge held by booksellers and librarians may be more valuable than ever.

“We're very human businesses,” said Cole. “People depend so much on us, and at the same time, we also depend on people. As long as people continue to need us for various reasons, we will overcome whatever comes our way because we have done that.”