bookstagrammers

In India, Bookstagram has become increasingly popular. Indian reader communities have begun to thrive in this buzzing space and have managed to garner an active, engaged and interactive audience. Indian bookstagrammers have started to make the most of this captive audience by writing book reviews spanning various genres, using aesthetic images and asking questions that get you thinking. In this collection, 7 bookstagrammers talk about their bookstagram journey and the books they love. Follow them on Instagram for great book recommendations.

(Image via @bookworm_tigress)

01

@bookworm_tigress

bookworm_tigress started her Instagram page simply to avoid going mad and to recover from the crazy hours in the IT industry. Planning her feed gives her a sense of calm and control and has proved to be therapeutic. Bookstagram has helped her explore genres and read books she may never have done otherwise and also to evolve as not just a reader but also a person. She likes books that have a coming-of-age element, books that make her uncomfortable, which question stereotypes and those that make her look at things in a different light. Her favorite writers are Gillian Flynn, J K Rowling, and Anuja Chauhan. Since she joined bookstagram, she feels her choice of books has improved as she has not only learnt more about literature but also met people who have been very kind with their suggestions.

A book that made her cry: The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.
A book that made her think: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.
A book or series that she reads again and again: Harry Potter series by J K Rowling.

Find her here.

02

@ecstatic_yet_chaotic

Mridula aims to provide concise book reviews on books across a variety of genres. Her comfort genres are historical fiction, adult fantasy and contemporary romance. But she could gobble anything up as long as it interests her. Authors she swears by would be K R Meera, Katherine Arden, Leigh Bardugo and Riley Sager.

A book that made her cry : When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.
A book that made her think : The Vegetarian by Han Kang.
A book she most wants to read again : The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden.

Find her here.

(Image via @thebooksatchel)

03

@thebooksatchel

Resh Susan started her Instagram as a distraction during a not-so-pleasant period in her life. Instagram turned out to be a rabbit hole, or rather a Wonderland. She was happy to discover so many people like herself, with varied tastes, all bursting with excellent book recommendations. She was learning something new every day — discovering favourite publishers (Persephone, Slightly Foxed, New Directions), reading new authors ( Dunya Mikhael, Eileen Chang, Dacia Maraini), discovering underrated books, exchanging ideas and even getting nostalgic over childhood favourites (St. Clare series, Nancy Drew, Anne Of Green Gables). She reads across genres — magical realism (being a favourite), dystopian, literary fiction, and also loves short stories and translated literature.

Being on Instagram has been a fruitful journey for her — be it learning how to take a decent picture or having an intellectual discussion or simply having fun. Over the years, it has evolved from a distraction to being her happy place.

A book that made her cry: Someone At A Distance by Dorothy Whipple.
A book that made her think: Latitudes Of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup.
A book that she wants to read again: Normal People by Sally Rooney.

Find her here.

(Image via @thebookishtales)

04

@thebookishtales

Padmaja chose to start her account because she wanted to meet like-minded people who love books as much as she does. She has a soft corner for translated literature. Her favourite authors are Haruki Murakami, Sudha Murty, Arupa Patangia Kalita, Perumal Murugan, PL Deshpande, Nadia Hashimi and Fredrik Backman. She reads books in English, Marathi and Hindi.

A book that made her cry: The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa.
A book which made her think: Bottled Goods by Sophie Van Llewellyn.
A book she most wants to read again: Latitudes Of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup.

Find her here.

(Image via @booxoul)

05

@booxoul

Neelam Sharma and Apoorv Sharma (no, they are not related), have a passion for reading — the mere sight of books makes them happy. They truly believe in the transformative power of reading and its ability to elevate and transport a person to the magical realm of words. It’s been almost two years since they started Booxoul. The amount of experiences they have gained and the friends they have made through bookstagram is invaluable.

A book that made them cry: A Thousand Splendid Sun by Khaled Hosseini (Apoorv), Knife by Jo Nesbo (Neelam).
A book which made them think: Atomic Habits by James Clear (Apoorv), When The Haboob Sings by Nejoud Al-Yagout (Neelam).
A book they most want to read again: The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau (Apoorv), There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon (Neelam).

Find them here.

06

@belladonnaoflavender

Shalini Singh says her instagram handle ‘Belladonna of lavender’ is a moniker which was devised when she was in school and all because it’s an interesting plant with a deadly trait. Her page doesn’t follow any theme and is as different as her username. She features books, thoughts, poetry, memes, quotes and everything to not only impress but also inspire you.

A book that made her cry: Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl and Autobiography Of A Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda.
A book which made her think: The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris.
A book she most wants to read again: The Runaway Jury by John Grisham and Laws Of The Spirit World by Khorshed Bhavnagri.

Find her here.

(Image via @khubaibliophile)

07

@khubaibliophile

Mir Khubaib started his page randomly when bookstagram wasn’t such a huge thing. Now he enjoys interacting with readers from all over the world and getting different opinions. His page is a collection of books he wants to read, latest acquisitions, favourite reads, and current reads. He started reading non-fiction and slowly moved to fiction. He enjoys reading contemporary literary fiction the most but will read practically everything from sport anthologies to political ideologies to romance. He reads mostly in English but can also read in Hindi and Urdu. He has read everything written by Arundhati Roy, Agatha Christie, JK Rowling (and Robert Galbraith), Dan Brown, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Orhan Pamuk, Jeffrey Archer and Khaled Hosseini. Lately he has been reading authors like Margaret Atwood, Elif Shafak and Ismail Kadare.

A book that made him cry: Pyre by Perumal Murugan.
A book which made him think: How Facism Works by Jason Stanley and Good Talk by Mira Jacob.
A book he most wants to read again: Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl.

Find him here.