It's not an overstatement to say that BookTok revolutionized the book industry, including everything from the publishing process to marketing and book sales. And while a huge part of the online community involves creators and audience members sharing their favorite reads, books aren't the only thing BookTokkers are buying. Yes, there are e-readers, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. SEE ALSO: BookTok made reading cool again — but it also turned authors into content creators That's why we caught up with BookTok creators and book lovers at VidCon's 2026 BookTok Meetup last month to ask about the products they can't read without. They shared everything from speed-reading apps and e-reader accessories to their favorite places to discover their next great read. Check out the full list of BookTok-approved essentials below.A place to source their next readBookTokker Ashley Duke immediately called out GoodReads as her favorite place to get a little more information on potential next reads. "You can look at any type of reviews so that you can become a better buyer and not just like what most of us do, where we absolutely judge a book by its cover," she shared. "We're like, 'It looks cool, I'm going to buy it!' And then it's like, 'That was the worst book I've ever read.'" SEE ALSO: The 15 most popular books of 2026, determined by Goodreads members Goodreads isn't the only site for finding reviews and keeping track of your books. Kobo owners, in particular, may want to check out Storygraph, which recently launched an integration with the e-reader brand. Opens in a new window Credit: Goodreads Goodreads   Learn More An ergonomic Kindle upgrade E-reader users know that, as convenient as the device can be, it can also be more dangerous than you'd expect. "One time, I really thought I broke my nose by the way that it came down," creator Marijose said, the classic experience of dropping your e-reader while reading in bed.Her favorite solution? The Strapsicle (it's one of our favorites, too). She called out the crossed straps on the back, saying it's basically impossible to drop your e-reader while your hand is strapped in. Opens in a new window Credit: Strapsicle Strapsicle $19.99   Shop Now For speed readersPatrick Khanna is neither a BookTok creator nor a viewer — he simply loves to read, which is why he stopped by the meetup. It showed with his favorite reading tool: Accelareader. Accelareader is a free online tool that lets users copy and paste text from the site using a feature called "Rapid Serial Visual Presentation." Users can adjust how many words per minute they're aiming to read. Khanna shared that it legitimately helps him read faster. Opens in a new window Credit: Accelareader Accelareader   Learn More A bookmark with personalityIsaiah, who posts under the handle Zayintune, appreciates a little personality when marking the pages in his books. "Instead of bookmarks, I like to use little crocheted thongs on the book," he said, adding with a laugh, "I only use them for my smut books." Though you can find these bookmarks on Etsy or Amazon, Isaiah grabs the bookmarks from Downtowne Bookstore in Riverside, California, saying of the store, "They're very POC and LGBT-friendly. They're kind of hidden, as in not a lot of people know about them, so I always like to shout them out." Opens in a new window Credit: Tifairy Crochet Thong Bookmark $17 at Etsy   Shop Now Some sort of e-readerNaturally, e-readers came up when I talked to the group of BookTokkers. Many used Kindle, some shouting out the affordability of the base model, while others preferred the Kindle Paperwhite for its light adjustment and storage (the Paperwhite is also Mashable's favorite Kindle overall). A couple of folks even use the Kindle app on their phone instead of a dedicated e-reader. Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Kindle Paperwhite $159.99 at Amazon   Get Deal A Kindle remote Marijose made sure I didn't miss out on one of her most-used accessories: a page-turning remote. "I swear by this," she said, deadly serious. The model she showed me costs less than $20, comes in seven different colors, and can even be used with iPhones and iPads. Kobo users: the Mashable team loves the bespoke Kobo Bluetooth remote. Opens in a new window Credit: HIGHGO HIGHGO Remote page turner $15.99 at Amazon   Shop Now Convenience in a booklightE-reader accessories get a lot of love on BookTok, but one of the most OG companions for bookish people is a good book light. Isaiah shared his favorite book light with me: it's a clip-on, less than $10, and rechargeable, so you don't have to mess around with batteries. "It's nice, cheap, easy, and it does the job," he said. And at the end of the day, that's all you need — and a good book, of course. Opens in a new window Credit: Hionxmga Hionxmga Rechargeable Book Light $9.99 at Amazon   Shop Now

Use This Visualization Mapped: The U.S. States Registering the Most New Cars See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources. Key Takeaways Oklahoma records nearly twice as many new vehicle registrations per resident as any other state, largely due to commercial fleet registrations. Tax policies help push states such as New Hampshire and Montana toward the top of the ranking. The map tracks where new vehicles are titled, not necessarily where Americans are buying the most cars. The states registering the most new vehicles are not always the country’s largest auto markets. Fleet activity, tax policies, and state registration rules can significantly influence where newly sold vehicles are titled, producing some surprising results. This map shows new vehicle registrations per 1,000 residents across all 50 U.S. states in 2025. The data comes from S&P Global Mobility via F&I Tools, with population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Why Oklahoma Tops the Ranking Oklahoma records 148.1 new vehicle registrations per 1,000 residents, nearly double the rate of second-place Vermont and more than four times California’s rate. The gap shows how registration policies can outweigh underlying consumer demand. RankStateNew vehicle registrations per 1,000 residents (2025) 1Oklahoma148.1 2Vermont76.2 3New Hampshire71.6 4Florida63.6 5Montana60.6 6Michigan57.8 7New Jersey55.2 8North Dakota55.1 9Missouri52.6 10Arizona52.2 11Rhode Island51.3 12Texas50.4 13Delaware48.5 14Massachusetts48.3 15Nevada48.2 16Louisiana47.3 17Ohio47.1 18Georgia46.7 19Hawaii46.5 20Maine46.5 21California45.9 22Tennessee45.7 23Illinois45.5 24Pennsylvania45.2 25West Virginia45.1 26New York44.9 27Alaska44.5 28Arkansas43.7 29Alabama43.2 30North Carolina43.1 31Minnesota43.1 32Nebraska42.7 33Wisconsin42.5 34South Carolina42.2 35Utah41.9 36Wyoming41.9 37Virginia41.5 38Connecticut41.1 39Iowa39.9 40Idaho39.6 41Mississippi38.4 42New Mexico38.2 43Oregon37.5 44South Dakota37.5 45Colorado37 46Indiana36.9 47Maryland36.3 48Washington36 49Kansas35 50Kentucky33.9 Oklahoma’s ranking is largely explained by its vehicle registration system, which charges a flat, age-based fee instead of a value-based property tax. This makes the state attractive to commercial fleets looking to title vehicles, substantially increasing the number of new vehicles registered there each year. Tax Policies Shape the Leaderboard Oklahoma is not the only outlier. Several other highly ranked states have policies that make them attractive places to register vehicles, including lower taxes, fewer fees, or specialized registration rules. New Hampshire, which ranks third, has no statewide sales tax, reducing the upfront cost of purchasing a vehicle. Montana has become well known for Limited Liability Company (LLC) structures that allow owners of luxury vehicles and RVs to register them without paying sales tax. Florida, meanwhile, combines a lack of mandatory vehicle safety inspections with a large rental car industry and a sizable retiree population, helping it rank fourth nationally. New Registrations Are Different From Vehicles Per Capita These rankings capture one year of new registrations rather than the total number of vehicles on the road. States with favorable registration policies can therefore rank much higher than their underlying consumer demand might suggest. For a broader view of vehicle ownership, see our previous graphic on America’s vehicles per capita. Learn More on the Voronoi App If you enjoyed today’s post, explore how electric vehicles accounted for one in four cars sold worldwide in 2025 on Voronoi.

A lot of this week’s trouble starts with something that looks close enough. A familiar repo. A useful installer. A harmless sync setting. Then the handoff goes bad, the box starts talking to someone else, and the damage moves faster than the explanation. Old bugs are back, weak defaults are earning their keep, and some attack paths are so plain they barely feel like research. Here’s the mess.