Coming to university, I had only ever had two people to discuss books with. One was a friend from school with whom I lost contact, and the other was my Mum. Bonding with my mother through our shared love of reading is amazing – and not something everyone gets to experience.
Nowadays, we read many of the same books and get to talk through theories and our favourite parts. Still, having a friend you can talk about the nitty gritty with is even better. There are some things in books you avoid talking about to your mother. And so, when I came to university and eventually found my forever friends, I was so thrilled when we discovered that reading was a mutual interest. And so, literary friendships blossomed. During first year, we would take regular trips to Waterstones just to look at all of the books and point out the ones we had read. We would go to a café, and each of us sat there and read a book. We would talk about the books on our Goodreads lists, and it felt like our own little book club. One of my favourite memories was convincing one of my friends to read Caraval, a book that I had loved when I was 13. Showing her my beaten up copy of the book and then watching her read it healed something in my inner child, who had nobody to talk about her favourite book with.
Now, I live with these girls, and we are in our final year at university. Having spent the summer with them reading books by the pool in Spain, it is safe to say that reading connected us all. Even when we were swamped with uni work or in a reading slump, sitting down and recommending each other books is always a great way to pass the time. As well as adding all of them on Goodreads and getting to see the differences in our goals for the year. I set mine at a very achievable 15, whereas my housemate pushes herself to a 40 or 50. Coming to university thinking that I would never have friends to talk to about books and being met with a group of girls who love the same literature I do has been one of the best gifts of my experience. Sharing hobbies bonded us in ways that I never thought imaginable. We are currently planning on going to Waterstones for the release of Sunrise on the Reaping. If you had told 17-year-old me that I’d have people to go to that with, she would be shocked that I was even going. Bonding through literature has given me many more opportunities to have fun in my life. This has made reading a little bit less of a needed escape from reality to something I can’t wait to talk to my friends about.
Words by Ava Hicks
Love and connection are not just confined to romantic relationships; they extend through friendships, too. I have come to realise that the best way to deepen these relationships with friends is through a shared love for literature. The experience of reading is often carried out in solitary, sometimes creating a sense of loneliness. Yet, when shared with others, it becomes a fun activity that stimulates meaningful relationships.
I have personally found a deeper friendship through a shared love of literature, especially through the Fourth Wing fantasy book series by Rebecca Yarros. Before being introduced to this series, I never envisioned myself being engrossed in a vast fantasy world. However, after repeatedly being encouraged to read the series by a friend, I finally surrendered and thought I would give it a go. It was from that moment I became captivated by the whirlwind of the fantasy and romance genre and the enemies-to-lovers storyline between Xaden and Violet. Nonetheless, I came to notice that our shared enthusiasm for the story strengthened our friendship. Our love for the Fourth Wing and the Empyrean series led to many special moments together. We schedule coffee dates where we read side by side, discussing plot twists and character arcs in between sips of our favourite drinks. After a long day of university work, there’s nothing we look forward to more than coming home and unwinding together in preparation for a reading session.
Last weekend, we spent the whole of Saturday shopping for cute pyjama sets, fairy lights and candles to create a more relaxed environment for when we immerse ourselves into the fantastical world of Basgaith. Our passion for this book series had cultivated a deeper friendship outside of the fantasy series, one where we spent all day shopping and nattering about the enchanting world of literature. The Fourth Wing fandom itself has become a huge phenomenon, with two more books expected in the series. The latest book fan discussion across multiple platforms.
I found TikTok, in particular, a great space where readers from around the world used this space to connect and create a sense of community through their shared love of literature. Once I recognised that my passion for this series is shared throughout different geographical boundaries, I began to use TikTok as a way to foster connections, share theories and analyse characters and plot. Through this online community, I have made new digital friends who share my enthusiasm for fantasy novels. Engaging with these people has allowed me to find meaningful friendships based purely on our common interests in literature. For me, the Fourth Wing series has been more than just an incredible fantasy story. It has become a bridge that has bonded me more deeply with my friends and allowed me to step outside my comfort zone and become involved in a community of readers globally.
Words by Isabelle Breaker
Featured image courtesy of Andrej Lišakov via Unsplash. No changes have been made to the image.