Opinion

What Your Bookish Tote Says About You

Holly Genovese

Staff Writer

Holly Genovese is a Ph.D student in American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also completing graduate portfolio programs in African and African Diaspora studies, as well as Women's and Gender Studies. Her writing has been published in Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, Electric Literature, The La Review of Books, Literary Hub, Hello Giggles, and many other places.

Tote bag are a status symbol, which has solicited tons of articles about the trend on sites ranging from the Wall Street Journal to Man Repeller. But here I will discuss a specific subset: the bookish tote bag.

The Strand Tote

I had to start here. In New York it pegs you as a tourist, but in cities and small towns around the country it says that you love books and shopping local and are cool enough to do your local book shopping in New York. Bonus points if you get the John Waters one (which I once bought and hid from my mother). It might also say you walked in and bought so many books you needed the bag to carry them.

The New Yorker tote

The obvious assumption would be that you read the New Yorker, but  it’s more like you paid for the 12 dollar trial deal to get the bag and canceled (you can read as many articles as you want in incognito mode, anyway). You are intellectual, but also want people to know you are intellectual (I have one of these, too: it’s currently a dingy beige, filled with loose change and holes in the bottom, because I haven’t replaced it yet).

The Books are Magic tote in pink

You actually live in Brooklyn (or just know what’s up). You still aren’t over millennial pink.

The Literary Hub Joan Didion Tote

You go to things like Book Expo and are well connected in the book world. Or you want this thing enough that you enter giveaways on social media and stalk e-bay for them. Honestly, I wouldn’t blame you.

The Obvious State tote

Tote bags usually aren’t your thing (you prefer a structured tote), but these are so magical you made an exception.

The Barnes and Noble tote

You don’t care what people think about your tote, it carries  your books. You might live in the suburbs. You appreciate the valuable service Barnes and Noble provides.

 

Looking for more?

Find your next bookish tote to carry your book haul, and you totes need these literary totes.