Bookish Discord: A Booknerd's Experience

So what is discord? Discord is a place where you can chat and hangout with your friends and in varying communities. I have been a part of both gaming and bookish communities on discord but in this post I will be focusing on my discord experiences.

I've been a part of a fair few communities on discord since joining the book community around the beginning of 2020. I started with joining some of my favourite [popular] booktubers communities after signing up for their patreons. At first I was just overjoyed at being apart of it all but then I soon realised that it was quite hard to get a word in if you were new to the server and to make friends as a lot of them seemed very close knit already and it didn't feel like they were open to newer members, not saying they were mean or bitchy or anything like that, they were all nice enough it's just how I started to feel after a while and while you might say that the discord is so you can support and be a part of that booktubers community, it doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to make new friends while you are there. I soon found myself only lurking in those servers and eventually not evening looking at them. So I left, content to just enjoy the booktubers videos.

After that I didn't really join discords unless it was for readathons and even then I would only lurk and not really join because I didn't have the confidence or felt like I would be accpeted.

Then at the beginning of October 2021, I found what must be on of the most wholesome and genuine book communities on discord. Bookish Reality.

I was taking part in a october readathon in a different server and noticed a post about Bookish Reality holding their own Haunted Mansion readathon! So of course I had to find out more! SPOILER: I got trapped in the manison on going through it again whoops! Might find my way out next year or haunt some friends!

I don't think I have ever felt more welcome or connected with so many people in such a short space of time [at the time of writing and posting this I have only been there about a month]. I have made so many new friends since joining and I feel like I have so many genuine connections with them all. It has a positive and uplifiting atmosphere, everyone there is super supportive so even if you're having a bad day, this group is always there to help in whatever way they can. I have also gotten A LOT of recommendations and joined many many buddy reads, so many that I am in fact fully booked up until February 2022.

Being a part of this server has helped me personally in so many ways that they don't even know about. My confidence in my myself and socially has sky rocketed, I used to be and still am a pretty shy person especially in real life but on this server I am usually there on a day to day basis chatting, having a laugh and giving in to the temptation of joining another readathon [I'm taking part in 7 in November] or buddy read [8 in novemeber] and occasionally staying up till 3am having wacky and crazy conversations. Everyone there has made me feel right at home and I definitely feel like I've finally found the place I belong in the entire book community. So to anyone from that server reading this, thank you for being amazing!

Bookish reality is also super interactive which has definitely made me love being a part of this server. There are chats for all sorts of things, not just books, there's a level up system which is a great motivator to get to get you to talk more [100% worked on me] and so much more! However, that is all I shall say for now because if you like the sound of everything I've said then you should definitely come and check out the rest for yourself and see what a wonderful community awaits you!

I shall leave you with this, the link to Bookish Reality: https://discord.gg/axq4eZPXHf

If you feel a bit lost when you get there just shout HESU in the main chat!