Reading is Inevitable

Hello everyone! How fitting it is that this year's anniversary of same-sex marriage being legalized in the U.S. falls on Monday, one of my posting days! (And if you didn't know that it was the two-year anniversary, well I guess you know now!) Last year I made a list of some good books with LGBTQ representation, and I will include a list at the end of this post, but to shake things up a bit I thought I'd quickly discuss why representation is important in the media, specifically in books. After all, this is a mainly bookish blog. (If you would like to view last year's post, click here .) First of all, what is  representation? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. It's the inclusion of people with sexualities and/or genders outside of heterosexuality and the gender binary. It's having a gay character or a trans* character and showing readers that, "hey, LGBTQ people do exist" and "hey, not being cisgender or 'straight' is okay...

In my more recent Navigating Bookstagram posts, I discussed SFS's, one way that you can increase the amount of attention your page gets. But another really helpful way to do so is to get featured on a bookstagram feature account. I know, I know: it sounds impossible, but it's worth it. A bookstagram feature account is exactly what it sounds like. It's an account that's sole purpose is to feature other bookstagrammer's work (I say other because, usually, these accounts are run by other bookstagrammers). There are a lot of accounts out there, and they pick pictures/accounts to feature based off of the pictures. Some accounts have certain themes such as outdoor pictures or flatlays. Accounts like these are not only a good way for you to get your content put out there, but also a great way for you to potentially find other accounts with content you like. How to Participate Okay. So how do you get featured on one of these feature accounts? Usually there are in...

On the fourth of February, Em and I made another trip to Barnes & Noble, and I thought I would share what we got! Together, we got a total of three books and two little blind boxes! Looking around the store, it was a bit difficult to pick exactly what it was I wanted. I mean, there’s such a large selection! Sure, I’ve seen most of the books before, but there’s always ones that I’m thinking about reading later. And then there’s the question of if I want to buy the book, or give it a try first with my library’s copy of it. (If they even have it!) There were some sections I knew I could skip over. That’s the first step towards progress. For me, that was skipping the usual fantasy-action-“I must save the world” type of teen book. (Sorry. They’re just not my thing.) I also could pass by this table of popular teen books, which mostly had those type of books. On my book-searching journey, there was also books that I have read, such as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. W...

As you, my fellow bookstagramers know, bookstagram can be a pretty tough place to gain attention. While we all love books a great deal (after all, we did dedicate a whole account just to the art of being a bookworm), in the end, popularity might boil down to what you've read or your picture quality. Tough stuff right there. I mean, we all love books, so why should it matter which ones we read? So what if we don't read the most popular books on bookstagram? Those dystopian YA books with futuristic societies or tons of action? Who ever said that classic books were bad? And, no, I'm not just talking about those Puffin classics with the beautiful covers - but the ones with less visually appealing covers, too. Who said that our pictures necessarily had to be good? I mean, sure - this is Instagram we're talking about, a social media network built upon pictures - but when did we let that get in the way of what we came here to do? When did we let a less popular style or ...

I forgot to say this in my last post, but happy May everyone! Since it's the first Friday of the month, you know what that means: A monthly reflection! (Yayy.) Okay, so maybe that doesn't sound all that exciting. "It's just a way for them to look over their statistics for the month", you might say, and, yes, this is true, but this can also be helpful for you, too! You might be interested in this post because... you want to compare to your own blog or bookstagram to ours you'd like to see how we do it you are honestly interested in how we're doing (thank you ♡) you want to laugh at how much I probably failed my goals (it's okay: let it out) you want to know what's coming up for the blog and bookstagram Whatever the reason may be, I hope you enjoy this post! For those of you who are very confused right now because you don't really know what this post is , allow me to explain. In these posts, I not only reflect on the past month for o...

All the way back in the beginning of April, I published a post on shoutout-for-shoutout sessions (SFS's) in the bookstagram community, specifically entering  them. Now, I will - after promising to do so back in my first SFS post - finally discuss hosting your own SFS. Em and I have done two shoutout-for-shoutout sessions in the past: one on our own when we hit 1,000 followers, and one with a group of bookstagrammers in honor of the then-new year, 2017. Therefore, shoutout-for-shoutout sessions can be hosted by one account or a group of accounts. As mentioned in my previous post, besides single and group shoutout sessions, there are now two types of SFS's. These two types are post SFS's and story SFS's , the latter available due to the relatively recent addition of Instagram Stories. Basic Guidelines for All SFS's No matter the format of your SFS, there are some basic guidelines that most bookstagrammers follow when hosting a shoutout session. To start, s...

Series: Wake Trilogy  Author: Lisa McMann  Genre: YA fiction, romance, crime, mystery, suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Reviewer: Em Wake. Fade. Gone. I. Don’t. Know. What. To. Say. This trilogy was somehow amazing and disappointing all in one? I have very mixed feelings about this trilogy. First off, I finished it in two days over my spring break, and it was a great read. Took me about 4-5 hours to finish each book, which is not too bad. It kept me interested and made me go into a rut of reading after not reading for the longest time! First, I will share my individual feelings on each the book and then my evaluation on the whole series, in which I have huge opinions and conflicting thoughts. ,0[This is going to be long, so stay with me. There’s going to be quite a rant at the end. NO MAJOR SPOILERS (only what it says in the book description) Wake Wake was a great book! I thought it introduced the topic very well. It started off my explaining...