Every week we feature a favorite bookstagrammer, and every week we are blown away. This week is no different with the bookstagrammer, @Deebiblioplilia! She is a down-to-earth mom and successful business woman that started her own bookish clothing line (which is adorable). Her instagram feed jumps off the screen with a clean aesthetic, featuring honest reviews and bright photos. We love her crisp photos (that are usually accompanied by a great cup of coffee), and we think you will love her too, especially after reading this interview!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGgGCGAJYM/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Where are you from?
Vancouver, BC.
Why did you start your Bookstagram?
I have been reading and recommending books for years, but found it difficult to retrieve titles and authors from months back, if not years. How could I possibly recommend a favorite if I couldn’t even remember what I read last month? Then I came across the bookstagram community. It was a giant, online book club, with active dialogue, engaged members, and a shocking amount of non mainstream books and recommendations. It was the perfect platform to share books I loved, showcase my creativity, and dabble in photography and photo editing (which I have missed from my undergrad).
What do you want your Instagram to bring to the world?
To bring back a love of reading! My sole reason for sharing amazing books is to encourage people to read for enjoyment and not just meaning, to immerse yourself in a story, to disconnect from the busyness, and to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. My favourite messages are those that share that my account has inspired them to pick up a book again, that they’re finally enjoying reading, and that they’re swapping TV time for a novel.
What is a Fun Fact about you?
I lived in a castle for 3 months when I was travelling in England, I’m obsessed with cheesy, 90’s romcom movies like Clueless and She’s All That, and I just recently started a children’s apparel line called Novel Collective with my friend.
image via Deebibliophilia
Who are your favorite Bookstagrammers?
I have so many, especially because each account brings a different point of view, different genres and aesthetic. A few off the top of my head that I often search out if they don’t come up on my feed: @literaryrunner @scaredstraightreads @prose_and_palate
Favorite Books and Authors:
This is a difficult question…because there’s honestly so many. Kate Morton will always have a place in my heart, and some of the only historical fiction pieces I will read and savour. I love Roz Nay, and think she’s brilliant, plus she’s Canadian and resides here in BC. Gillian Flynn (hello…Gone Girl!), Delia Owen (Where the Crawdads Sing will forever stay with me), Katherine Center (the queen of courtship and romance), Kristin Hannah (wrecks me…every…single…time), Riley Sager and Karin Slaughter (both no-brainers in the thriller genre).
image via deebibliophilia
Fictional Crush?
Tate from Where The Crawdads Sing…our entire book club agrees, Jonah from The Simple Wild, and Jaxon from The Happy Ever After Playlist. I spent the entire time I read that book grinning from ear to ear.
What is on your TBR List?
I can’t even begin to write out my TBR list because on Goodreads it’s about 250 deep. But to narrow it down to what I’ll be attempting to read this month: The Guest List by Lucy Foley, Summer Darlings by Brooke Lea Foster, and Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis.
What’s Your Special Approach to Content?
I like to mix it up in terms of book staging, while keeping with my brand. Lots of white marble, white comforter shots, and white accents for my flat-lays and portrait modes. It’s important that when people are scrolling through your feed, and they come across your photo, that they immediately connect that aesthetic with your handle. I like really bright and white, crisp photos, that accent coffee (Nespresso!), my daughter (if she sits still), and a good pair of jeans.
Aesthetic / Instagram page theme:
This took awhile to develop, and when I scroll back to my feed back in 2016, it’s notably evolved. Bright and white is my go-to – accompanied by coffee and my hand, and if you’re lucky, a feature of Joelle, but she’s getting more and more difficult to keep still. I also like the books to be the focus, so that’s something I focus on. They’re never in the background or out of focus. I also RARELY post photos of myself, or feature myself in my stories. I am just not about the selfies.
image via deebibliophilia
How often do you post?
I try to post every day, but it’s impossible with an 8 month old. I always tell myself I’ll take loads of pictures and have content pre-saved on my phone, but I end up busy with the baby and prefer to read or sleep when she’s napping. However, I will actively post to my story, sharing the audiobooks I’m listening to, the bookmail I’m receiving, and updates on where I’m at in different books, and whether I’m struggling to finish, or can’t put down.
What does your Bookstagram mean to you?
It means a lot! It’s a hobby, it’s a creative outlet, it was a stepping stone to get my small company started, it’s a community of people who share similar interests and passions, and it’s a present dialogue of all things books. Bookstagram is what inspired me to start a children’s apparel line with my good friend Shnane – Novel Collective. Had I never taken that one photo that went viral, I wouldn’t have been inspired to start something like this, and step outside of my comfort zone. It’s also opened doors for me and given me a chance to appear on Global News to share tips on inspiring young readers and adults to start reading, and featuring my most anticipated new books by Canadian authors.
image via Deebibliophilia
Favorite Bookstore
Chapters Indigo. I know I should pick a small indie store or independent book store, but this is literally one of my favourite places. I can get lost in here. On a rainy day, you’ll find me here, strolling through the aisles, with a Starbucks, a stack of books, and buying mugs that I do not need, but that look so good in bookstagram photos.
Who would you have supply you with a lifetime of books?
What author would you want to take a selfie with?
Reese Witherspoon! I don’t so much care about the selfie photo, but to be that close and then talk about all things Hello Sunshine and the books she’s turning into movies/TV. I am blown away by this woman!
Favorite book cover:
Pretty Things by Janelle Brown
image via Deebibliophilia
Book you have claimed to have read that you didn’t:
hah! I love this question. I’ve always said I love Harry Potter when it’s brought up in conversation, and people share that it’s their favourite book series ever, or so nostalgic of their childhood, and then I realize that they’re not talking about the movies, and I just pretend that I’ve read them. I have read one and a half…then I gave up. I cannot watch a movie and go back to the book. It’s just not the same as reading a book, visualizing, and then seeing it from someone else’s point of view on the big screen.
When did you know you had made it as a Bookstagrammer?
When I had a publisher contact me to send me a book for review. It was The River at Night, and I remember just grinning from ear to ear when it came in the mail with a personalized note. This was huge! I am still amazed and blown away by the books I am sent, asked to review, and especially when an author reaches out to you personally. Recently Danielle Trussoni messaged me about sending me a copy of her newest book, and I fangirled so hard. Angelology is still one of my favourite books of all time from back in 2010.
Advice for aspiring Bookstagrammers:
Be true to yourself! Don’t compare yourself to other bookstagrammers and try to adjust your content. We all have our own niche, and people will gravitate to your feed because you make it special! Be honest in your reviews, interact with your followers, share when books are gifted, and don’t tag authors on negative reviews.