Bookstagram (n.)—a place people can go to geek out about their favorite books and not be judged.
After looking in like a kid outside a candy store on a world with perfectly crafted feeds of flat lays, stacks, and bookshelves, with aesthetics ranging from minimalist to dark academia, I decided that I wanted access to all the behind the scenes happenings of this magical world.
I am so glad I did.
I posted my first photo of a heavily filtered Circe by Madeline Miller thrown on my wrinkled bedsheet on December 30, 2020, and still got about twenty-seven comments welcoming me to bookstagram. A little over a year, I now have 500 friends who are as crazy about reading as I am.
Where else could I post a million cast pictures of Shadow and Bone and talk about Dramione fanfic and not get blocked? The same place where I once got a birthday letter from a character in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas from a fellow bookstagrammer.
I’ve had conversations with people in my same book fandoms who obsess just as much as me, posted amateur photos that I’m still so proud of because they showcase my lovely books, and gotten to know so many people with amazing book recommendations and even more amazing feeds. I’m telling you I could scroll through book flat lays for hours. Another benefit to bookstagram is that you can post your reading progress throughout the year. It’s helped me stay accountable for my reading goal. There is so much support and likeness to bookstagram that it’s impossible not to feel at home.
Now, you might be reading this thinking, “Wow, what a nerd!” But, if you love reading as much as I do and want to join a community where all reading is accepted, I encourage you to make an account and post a crappy photo of your favorite book. You’ll be surprised how many people welcome you.
And if Instagram isn’t for you, there is also Booktok and Booktwt. How awesome is that by the way? Bookish people are the best.
The Spellbinding Shelf 