Looking for bookish hobbies for readers that go beyond just turning pages? You’ve come to the right place.
You love reading. That’s the easy part. Curling up with a book, getting lost in a story, staying up too late because you need to know what happens next—that all comes naturally. But if you’re looking for bookish hobbies for readers that go beyond just turning pages, you’ve come to the right place.
But here’s something nobody tells you. Loving books doesn’t mean you have to spend every free moment with your face buried in one! There’s a whole world of bookish hobbies for readers that let you engage with your favorite stories in completely different ways.
Whether you’re in a reading slump, looking for a creative outlet, or just want to connect with other people who love books as much as you do, these six hobbies are worth trying.
Let’s get into it.
1. Join a Book Club
Book clubs get a bad reputation sometimes. People imagine forced conversations, awkward silences, and that one person who somehow didn’t read the book but shows up anyway. But here’s the truth: a good book club is magic.
There’s something special about finishing a book and immediately having people to talk to about it. What did you think of the ending? Did you see that plot twist coming? Can we talk about that one character who made terrible decisions for the entire book?
If you have friends who already read, you can start your own club. Pick a book, pick a date, and keep it simple. Snacks help.
But if your friends aren’t readers or if you want to find people who love the same genres you do, you should try the Fable app. It’s basically a digital book club where you can join discussions, track what you’re reading, and connect with people from all over the world.
No awkward silences. No scheduling conflicts. Just conversations about books whenever you want them.
Reading might be a solo activity, but talking about reading doesn’t have to be.
2. Start a BookTok or Bookstagram
You’ve seen them. The perfectly lit bookshelves. The dramatic zooms on a particularly emotional page. The videos of someone crying over a book ending while holding the book up to the camera as if it personally betrayed them. That could be you!
Starting a BookTok or Bookstagram account is easier than you think. You don’t need fancy equipment or professional editing skills. You just need a phone, a book you genuinely love, and something to say about it.
BookTok isn’t about going viral. It’s about finding your people. There’s a massive online community of readers who just want to talk about books they love. They don’t care if your videos are polished. They care if you’re real.
Don’t know where to start? Try picking a book you recently finished, record a 30-second video talking about what you liked or didn’t like, post it, and that’s it. You don’t need a niche right away. You don’t need a content strategy. You just need to start.
And if you’re nervous? Remember that every single creator you follow once posted their first video with zero followers. Everyone starts somewhere.
3. Bling Out Book Covers
I’m sure you heard about this one–consider this your sign: bedazzle your book covers.
Think about it. You know those stunning book covers that already look beautiful? Now imagine them catching the light. Rhinestones, gems, and crystals— strategically placed to highlight specific parts of the cover art.
Here’s how it works. You get a pack of flat-back rhinestones (Amazon and craft stores have them for cheap). You grab some strong glue—E6000 or jewelry glue works best. Then you carefully place each stone onto the cover, following the design that’s already there.
You can go subtle—just a few stones on key details. Or you can go all out and cover the entire title in gems. There’s no wrong way to do it
The process is simple but satisfying. You sit down with a book, some stones, and a podcast or audiobook. You place each gem one by one. It’s meditative. It’s creative. And at the end, you have a book that looks like it belongs in a display case.
The best part? You’re transforming a mass-produced paperback into something completely unique. No one else will have a copy that looks like yours.
If you’re nervous about ruining a book you love, start with a cheap used copy from a thrift store. Practice on something you don’t care about first. Once you get the hang of it, move on to your favorites.
And here’s a hot tip: this makes an incredible gift. Bedazzle a copy of a friend’s favorite book for their birthday. They will lose their mind.
4. Create Custom Bookmarks
This one is for the crafty readers or for people who want to be crafty but don’t know where to start.
Custom bookmarks are surprisingly easy to make and genuinely useful. Every time you open your book, you’ll see something you created. That’s a good feeling.
Here are a few simple ways to make bookmarks:
Paper bookmarks: Cut cardstock into rectangles. Decorate with stickers, drawings, or pressed flowers. Laminate with clear tape to make them last longer.
Paint swatch bookmarks: Grab free paint sample cards from a hardware store. They’re already the perfect shape. Write a favorite quote on one and use it as a bookmark.
Fabric or ribbon bookmarks: If you have basic sewing skills (or even just fabric glue), you can make tasseled bookmarks that look expensive but cost almost nothing.
Photo bookmarks: Print small photos of your book art or favorite characters. Glue them onto cardstock. Instant personalized bookmark
You can also make them as gifts for reader friends. A handmade bookmark costs pennies to make but feels thoughtful in a way that store-bought never does.
5. Start a Book Journal
Maybe you’re a bit camera-shy. Maybe you’re not sure how to start a BookTok or what you would even post. That’s completely okay. Not every bookish hobby needs to be public. Book journaling might be the thing for you.
Here’s the thing. Sometimes you finish a book, and you have so many thoughts. But your friends aren’t readers. Or they haven’t read that specific book. Or you just want to process what you felt before you try to explain it to anyone else.
That’s where a book journal comes in. You can keep it simple. While you’re reading, jot down thoughts as they come. This can be chapter by chapter, or just whenever something strikes you. Write down quotes that hit different. Note down predictions you have about where the story is going. Complain about a character who made a stupid decision.
The point isn’t to be organized. The point is to capture how you felt in the moment because let’s be real—we forget what we read almost immediately. You finish a book, close the cover, and two weeks later, someone asks what you thought, and you say, “It was good?” A book journal can fix that.
Here are a few ways to structure yours:
Ratings and reviews: After finishing a book, rate it out of five stars. Then write a few sentences about why. Did the pacing work? Were the characters believable? Would you recommend it to a friend?
Fancasting: This is a fun one. Create your dream cast for the book. Who would play the main characters in a movie adaptation? You can just write names, or you can go all out—print pictures, glue them in, and make a visual spread.
Quotes collection: Keep a running list of lines that stopped you in your tracks.
Reading tracker: List every book you read in a month or year. It’s satisfying to see them all in one place.
Journaling is fantastic when your brain feels busy. It helps to arrange your thoughts on paper. Your brain is full of thoughts about every book you read. A journal gives those thoughts somewhere to live.
You don’t need a fancy notebook. Grab any blank book you have lying around. Start with the book you’re reading right now. Write one sentence about how you feel twenty pages in. That’s it. You’ve started.
6. Collect Special Editions
This hobby is dangerous for your wallet but incredible for your bookshelf.
Special edition books are exactly what they sound like: versions of books that are fancier than the standard release. Think sprayed edges (those painted page edges you see all over BookTok), exclusive cover art, ribbon bookmarks, signed pages, or even illustrations inside. Why collect them? Two reasons.
First, they look amazing. A shelf full of special editions is genuinely beautiful to look at. It turns your bookshelf into room decor that also happens to be full of stories you love.
Second, they feel special. There’s something satisfying about owning a beautiful version of a book that meant something to you. It’s like a trophy for your reading life.
If you’re just starting, focus on your all-time favorites. The books you’ve reread multiple times. The ones that changed something in you. Those are worth the splurge.
You can find special editions through independent book boxes, author direct sales, resale sites like Bookoutlets, Worldofbooks, and Pangobooks, or local bookstores that host signed copy events.
Start small. One special edition of your absolute favorite book. See how it makes you feel. Then decide if you want to go deeper.
One Last Thing
You can join a club and talk about books. You can post about them online. You can decorate their covers, mark your place with something you made, write down your thoughts, or collect beautiful versions to display on your shelf.
None of these hobbies requires you to be “good” at them. They just require you to show up and enjoy yourself. You might discover that loving books isn’t just about reading them. It’s about everything else, too.
