Our favorite part of the week is back, #bookstagrammer of the week! This week we spotlight @nerdytalksbookblog. Eunice is a lawyer during the day and bookstagrammer by night. Her dazzling aesthetic will surely make you want to pick up a book and read with a good cup of coffee. Without further ado, here is @nerdytalksbookblog!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAfwnmcDrPx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Why did you start your Bookstagram?
When I started posting book posts on Instagram back in 2014, it wasn’t called Bookstagram yet. There was hardly a community back then. I started posting photos to relieve my stress from reviewing for the Bar exams. I say it was my escape and it grew from there. I found friends that became real life ones that I could confide in.
Where are you from?
I am from the Philippines.
image via @nerdytalksbookblog
What do you want your Instagram to bring to the world?
I want my Instagram to show how amazing reading is. I want it to influence people, especially the younger generation, that there is so much beauty in reading. I want people to consume books like they consume any basic necessity.
Fun Fact about you:
When I was little I dreamt of being a dressmaker, I used to sew clothes for my dolls out of old t-shirts and scraps of clothes. But I guess taking a different path and being a lawyer ain’t so bad. Haha.
image via @nerdytalksbookblog
Favorite Bookstagrammers:
@cicivford
@krish.reads
@psy.kaoru
@thequeenreads
@jayne.vs.books
@theguywithabook
@kath.reads
@lookingforabura
@peacelovebooks
@remarkblylisa
@miss_mandrake
@fangirlshideout
Hahah I can go on forever. These are the accounts I engage with often.
Favorite Books and Authors:
Oh wow, I have tons of favorite books:
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
All The Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami
For fave authors:
Haruki Murakami, Laini Taylor, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Christina Lauren and Helen Hoang.
image via @nerdytalksbookblog
Fictional Crush:
I have only one, and no one has ever come close: Akiva from Daughter and Smoke and Bone Trilogy.
TBR List:
Oh my I have so many, but at the very top of my list:
Ask Again Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simons
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
image via @nerdytalksbookblog
What’s Your Special Approach to Content?
Hmm, I don’t think I have a special approach to content, but I always make sure I share my reviews be it over a book I adored or a book I loathed. Also I try to promote new books as much as possible, help out authors and publishers to get the word out even if I couldn’t review them immediately. I remember tweeting something about book bloggers who are known for a certain genre, like for an instance you already know which ones to seek for romance genre, or for fantasy you already know who are the hardcore fans and there I was with such varied reading preference that I couldn’t stick to one genre. I am such a mood reader, there’s always the need to satisfy whatever craving I have – and that’s what my feed shows, a little bit of something for everyone.
Aesthetic / Instagram page theme:
My theme is more relaxed with a bright white aesthetic, easy on the eyes. I love showcasing beautiful covers with mugs to match. I want to show that taking book photos shouldn’t be complicated and that everyone can do it.
image via @nerdytalksbookblog
How often do you post?
Once a day. It helps grow engagements. Lately I spent too much time on bookstagram, liking and saving beautiful photos. There are so many talented bookstagrammers out there, they have this well-curated feed that you just want to crawl inside it. If I am not able to post, I post stories asking questions or sharing other posts from accounts I adore.
What does your Bookstagram mean to you?
It has always been an escape, my happy place. I think that’s why I spend too much time there to cope up with the anxiety this pandemic has caused us. It’s like a retreat, whenever I am on bookstagram I tend to forget the reality even for just a little while.
Favorite Bookstore:
Fully Booked and National Book Store, these are the two major bookstores here in the Philippines and I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to visit one. Another fave is Booksale, it’s a popular secondhand book shop here which provides so much selection even hard to find books and super cheap too.
Who would you have supply you with a lifetime of books?
Berkley Publishing has some of the best books!
image via @nerdytalksbookblog
Author to take a selfie with:
Definitely Haruki Murakami. His book Norwegian Wood was the very first adult fiction I have read, and I think that’s a pivotal moment in my reading life.
Favorite book cover:
Lately I am really digging the cover of The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver. Loving the color, the font and the illustration. I am always drawn towards this kind of book cover.
image via @nerdytalksbookblog
Book you have claimed to have read that you didn’t:
Haha this is embarrassing, I used to have claimed to have read Pride and Prejudice before, this was pre-bookstagram. It wasn’t a required reading when I was in high school and I remembered I was assigned a different classic book back then.
When did you know you had made it as a Bookstagrammer:
When I was invited by National Bookstore for The Philippine Readers and Writers Festival for two consecutive years for a panel discussion on book blogging. It wasn’t much, but I felt like people really listened to what I was talking about. It made me feel seen and relevant in the book community.
image via @nerdytalksbookblog
Favorite fandoms:
The Harry Potter fandom always.
Harry Potter was my childhood, so it’s really close to my heart.
Advice for aspiring Bookstagrammers:
Be authentic and be patient. Know your style and know how to be more out there, to engage and gain new friends. Have the goal of widening your reading preference and widening your perspective. Free books and stuff are just bonuses, do not let this be the moving factor why you started your account. If it feels too overwhelming, take a step back and then come back when you’re ready. Do not be afraid to try new genres, you’ll never know what you’ll end up liking. There are so many books that I wouldn’t have picked up on my own if it weren’t for bookstagram. My reading preference has widened exponentially ever since joining bookstagram and that was my main take away.
image via @nerdytalksbookblog
Additional bookishness:
I could give a recommendation for any genre except Horror. I think that’s what being a mood reader gets you – you get to have a taste of all kinds of books, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. ☺
Thank you so much Eunice for being a part of #bookstagram! We love your passion and bright aesthetic. Come back next week to see more bookish photos, fun answers, and book recommendations!