Theresa’s Bookstagram page, @bookstoshelves, is an absolute delight!
Her photos are bright, welcoming, and of course, filled with fantastic bookshelves. Theresa’s bookish account is sure to appeal to anyone on Bookstagram, and you might even want to follow her after seeing her cat join in on the fun!
Read our latest Bookstagrammer of the Week feature as we talk all things bookish with Theresa!
Why did you start your Bookstagram account?
I started my Bookstagram because I wanted a place where I could post about my love of books with other fellow book lovers! I didn’t have many friends who were readers/read the same kinds of books that I did, so I started my Bookstagram as a way to join the book community the summer before I went to college.
Where are you from?
I’m originally from a pretty small town in central New Jersey right by the ocean, but I went to school in Boston and now I’m living in Florida!
What do you want your Bookstagram account to bring to the world?
Oh wow, a deep question! I think I just want my account to spread a love for reading! If even one person picks up a book at their local bookstore because of something they saw on my page then my job is done.
Give us a fun fact about you!
I’m a quadruplet! So it’s me, my two sisters, and my brother.
Who are your favorite Bookstagrammers?
Oh there are so many! Emily from @blueeyedbiblio is really who inspired me to start my Bookstagram and I still love her page! I also have to mention Sasha @sashaalsberg! She’s got a great page and she was my first roommate/friend in college! A few others are Mara @bookmarauder, Jessi @novelheartbeat, Danny @thebookorder, Hikari @foldedpagesdistillery, Jill @booknerd_reads, and Brittany @bookswrotemystory just to name a few! There are so many great Bookstagrammers out there!
Share some of your favorite books and/or authors!
One of my OG favorite authors, who I love to this day, is Alexandra Bracken. The Darkest Minds is really the book series that propelled me into reading and the book community (and it doesn’t hurt that it’s a great series!). I’ve read all her books since then and loved them all, and Lore, her newest book, is AMAZING. I also LOVE Leigh Bardugo. She is such a master at her craft and any time I read one of her books I am astounded at how amazing a writer she is. Six of Crows is my all-time favorite book I have ever read, and I’ve read a lot of books!
So they’re definitely two of my autobuy authors, along with Ruta Sepetys, who writes beautiful YA historical fiction and Morgan Matson, the queen of summer contemporary! I also love The Glass Hotel by Emily Mandel, the Wolf by Wolf duology by Ryan Graudin, the Caraval trilogy by Stephanie Garber, and The Gilded Wolves series by Roshani Chokshi! I also just finished Legendborn by Tracy Deonn and I cannot stop thinking about it. I could go on and on. It’s so hard to only choose a couple of books and authors!
Do you have a fictional crush?
My ride or die fictional crush will always be Liam from The Darkest Minds. I mean, what a guy. I’m sure I’ve got more but he’s always the first one that comes to mind.
I know it’s a lot, but can you name some books on your TBR list?
Oh, I don’t think there’s enough time for me to list every book on my TBR right now. A couple that are high on the list for me currently are Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Renegades by Marissa Meyer, Dustborn by Erin Bowman, The Bronzed Beasts by Roshani Chokshi, The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch, and Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner!
Do you have a favorite bookstore?
I’ve got to say Thunder Road Books in Spring Lake, NJ! They just opened right before I moved to Florida. They’re a new independent bookstore in my town and their store is SO beautiful! I also just went to an independent bookstore in Winter Garden, Florida called Writer’s Block which is also a great small spot!
Your Bookstagram feed is beautiful! What’s your special approach to content creation?
I’m not sure if I have any kind of special approach. I think for me the main thing is that whatever I’m posting or creating is fun for me to film or photograph etc. Because as long as I’m having fun doing it then I think it shows in my feed!
How would you describe your Instagram aesthetic?
When I think of my theme I think light, bright, and colorful. I like to enhance colors and brighten up my photographs when I edit. I’m super into creating reels right now so to keep my page looking interesting I’ll mix it up every other post with photos and reels, and then I’ll do three photos in a row to break it up so when everything lines up and those three photos are straight across I think it looks pretty nice!
How often do you post?
I try to post every day between 11-12ish EST but sometimes if I’m busy or haven’t had the time to draft up any posts it may be every other day.
What does Bookstragram mean to you?
It means a lot to me! It reminds me everyday of the joy of reading and allows me to connect with so many different people. It’s a creative outlet for me but even beyond that I like to think it’s a safe space for people to discuss their love of books or drop recs. Sometimes it can be hard on Bookstagram, especially when you see people who read upwards of ten books in a month to think that you’re not doing enough, but I want to change that! Sometimes I’m lucky if I read two books in a month, and sometimes I’ll only read one and that’s okay! As long as you’re reading that’s all that matters and I want my Bookstagram to reflect that, especially when I share my monthly wrap ups.
Name an author you’d love to have a selfie with.
Oh Leigh Bardugo, definitely! I’d love to meet her someday!
Do you have a favorite book cover?
That’s so tough! Caraval is so beautiful and so is King of Scars. Down Comes The Night by Allison Saft also has a gorgeous cover along with The House In The Cerulean Sea! I’m also in love with the special editions of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.
What’s a book you claim to have read, but haven’t?
I’ve only been guilty of this one time but it’s Percy Jackson! I can’t remember who it was but I was talking to someone about the books and we were way to far into it for me to tell them that I actually hadn’t read any of them. Sorry!! Won’t happen again!
When did you know you had “made it” as a Bookstagrammer?
That’s kind of hard to say, I’m not sure if I’ll ever really feel like I’ve “made it” because at the end of the day I’m running this account for me. That’s how it started and that’s the way I intend to keep it. That being said, the first time a marketing team reached out to me to send me books was pretty surreal. I was sent the whole Lunar Chronicles series and I will never forget that moment! I’m so thankful for all the connections I’ve made since then. I also think that whenever I see people commenting on my posts it makes me feel like I’ve made it somehow. It always feels so great to be able to recommend books to people and discuss them, or have them recommend books to you!
Do you have any advice for aspiring Bookstagrammers? We’d love to hear it!
Just do it! Don’t worry about followers, or likes, or engagement. If you really want to start a Bookstagram make sure you’re doing it for yourself before anyone else. If you’ve got a love for books and a smartphone camera you will be good to go! And don’t compare yourself to the other people you see online. I know that can be hard but try your best to focus on you and your own bookish content!
That’s awesome! Any additional bookishness you’d like to share?
I’m currently reading Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon and I only just got my first big Ikea bookshelves last month! They are now my pride and joy. I’m a sucker for a good map at the front of a book and I’d rather read/buy paperbacks than hardcover.
Thanks so much for joining us, Theresa!
If you’d like to check out more of our Bookstagrammer interviews, we’ve got you covered!