Variety marks @booksmakemewhole from the rest. Her tastes reach to the far corners of almost every genre, which remains just as baffling as it is impressive.
Always with a cup of coffee topped with an island of patterned foam, thick black-framed glasses, or the classic warm brown backpack all covered in lush sprigs of greenery. The page feels rustic, but not in the faux worn overpriced furniture way; more like you’re reading under the cover of night in a tent or blanket fort with your closest friend.
The posts could easily be in any reader’s house, making Neelanjali’s page so relaxing and inviting to even those intimidated by the mountain of books found on so many accounts.
Her photos ooze the solitary comfort that most readers crave. You can envision yourself alone, with one of her numerous recommendations, reading the night away.
On the other hand, each image simultaneously gives off the energy of a reader on the go, taking a quick snapshot before they shuffle their novels to the next location, and the next. Keys, bookbag, glasses, coffee, oh! Almost forgot my book. Her love for travel and reading, and her tendency to blend the two, consistently shine through.
“Currently, I am trying out a warm and cozy vibe. I’ve changed themes a lot and I’ve mostly experimented with vibrant colorful aesthetics,” Neelanjali said. “I really don’t have any specific approach. I just post whatever, whenever I feel like it. I try to be as creative as I can be and I try to think from the perspective of my followers as to how they could benefit from my content.”
From Nashik, India (interestingly enough also known as the wine city of India), she’s posted to her account almost every day since December 2019 when she first began her Bookstagram, only taking the occasional break to rest.
Books do, indeed, seem to make Neelanjali whole as she can’t stick to one book, instead opting to read at least three or four at a time. Her preference for juggling multiple stories explains her extra-long favorites list, where just some— SOME—include:
- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
- Three Thousand Stitches by Sudha Murty
- Milk Teeth by Amrita Mahale
- The Stationery Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamli
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
- The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking
- The Guernsey LIterary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Heidi by Johanna Spyri
However, regarding authors, she’s partial to Sudha Murty, Kristin Hannah, Dan Brown, and Khalid Hosseini, and, not surprisingly, many others.
She makes sure to use her account to share her wide-reaching tastes for literature and fandoms, everything from Disney to the Vampire Diaries, Harry Potter to the Avengers, and Twilight. Her docket of fictional crushes reflects a similar love for a variety of genres. Who else do you know loves Peter Kavinsky, Augustus Waters, Edward Cullen, Mr. Darcy, Angel Clare, and Stefan Salvatore all at once?
Her TBR list offers something for all readers, new and old. Her list might as well be yours, especially if you’re new to reading or are just looking for your next literary adventure. To name a few—I really can’t stress a few enough—Neelanjali offers:
- Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
- The Mountains Sing by Que Mai Phan Nguyen
- The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
- In Search Of Heer by Manjul Bajaj
- Dopehri by Pankaj Kapoor
- The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
- A Long Petal Of The Sea by Isabel Allende
- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Given the chance, she might grab one, or two, three, or four, from Amazon, Bookish Santa, Crossword, or Readers Kart.
Neelanjali supports her fellow Bookstagrammers as well, saying she admires their own unique brands of brilliance and creativity, but @thebooksatchel, @frenchflaps_and_deckleedges, @james_trevino, @elizabeth_sagan, @bookbookowl, @theguywiththebook, @summaiya.books remain some of her go-tos. In regards to her own account, she cherishes the form of expression it provides and the direction it gives her in day-to-day life.
Bookstagram is a wonderful platform to showcase my love for books and to meet new people with similar tastes. It is my daily source of inspiration and entertainment,” Neeljanali said. “My only aim behind my bookstagram account is to make more readers out of non-readers and to suggest a book to every person out there that makes them fall in love with reading.”
In fact, Neelanjali considered herself a real Bookstagrammer only when other readers told her they read a recommendation of hers.
You might not be able to read multiple books at once, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start your own Bookstagram. If you decide to take that leap, Neelanjali recommends ignoring the numbers.
“Try to be as unique as possible in your content creation and experiment a lot. Have fun while doing all this, otherwise, there’s no point to it whatsoever,” Neelanjali said, “You don’t need to be perfect to ace the bookstagram game, you just need to have pure unadulterated love for reading!”
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FEATURED IMAGE VIA INSTAGRAM @BOOKSMAKEMEWHOLE