A year ago exactly, I took the first picture that would become my “theme”. If you wonder what this turquoise cabinet is, I’ll lift the veil on this mystery: it actually is my Buddhist altar (which I make a mess of each time I need to post!😂). I had put my books there to express my gratitude and I thought “huh. This could work.” And turquoise obsessed I became.
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So today is my first anniversary as a bookstagrammer. I’m gonna go for: “it’s my “bookstagrammiversary” “ since no one agreed on 1 neologism. During this year, I’ve talked to people from the US, the UK, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, India, Singapore, Nigeria, Kenya, Argentina, Italy... I’ve had my first buddy reads with @sofia_reading , @readbynight and @bookbuddyreads. I’ve racked my brains to answer @theopenbookshelf‘s stimulating qotd. I’ve learnt more about notions such as intersectionality, racism, transphobia... than I had in my whole life (thank you @booksfightback, @rachel.cargle, @bookishsimon). I’ve tried my hand at nonfiction and loved it. I’m still under @mksreading’s orders to read more Rushdie but we decided to do a fave authors swap in 2019 so... it’s okay!
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I’ve read Russian lit and Italian essays thanks to @vapoursofthoughts’ #bookssansborders. I’ve read my first Atwood and my first Ali Smith (this one thanks to @canongatebooks), I’m discovering bell hooks thanks to @nonfirqtion’s enthusiasm. I’ve participated in #ourdaughtersdaughterssociety posts thanks to @sarahs89reads & @paperbacking. I’ve opened my blog! I’ve received books & presents (@bookish.soph, @booksonblue, @whatithriftedtoday, @paper.bag.reader ❤️), won giveaways (@booksthatmatter, @literandra_ ❤️❤️❤️).
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I’ve made friends.
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Thank you for accompanying me on this journey, for opening my eyes, my mind, for encouraging me to expand my comfort zone.
Some of you may receive a message asking for your address: that’s because I want to give back to you and I’ll send #hugpackages all around the world to thank you for being part of my life, however virtual this is.
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Much love to you all! ❤️❤️❤️
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—— #bookblogger #bloggingforbooks #bookfeatures #nonfiction #bellhooks #pachinko #alismith #margaretatwood #atonement
November is coming to an end and it’s been a difficult month for me. You may have noticed the total absence of book reviews and indeed, I find myself barely able to read. Writing is beyond my capacity at the moment. It’s difficult to accept but as I was saying to @bookbuddyreads, the best thing to do in such moments is embrace them because life brings us here for a reason.
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So, because I can’t really spend a month without reading, I tried several books and the only ones that worked were these graphic novels by @margauxmotin. If you’re learning French and want to be taught some badass slang, Margaux is for you! Through short anecdotes, no longer than one or two pages, she depicts her own life in a hilarious derogatory way. Her drawings are delightful, strongly expressive, almost alive, and along with the texts that accompany them, they make you burst out laughing (literally), or stupidly smile at your book. Her vision & representation of the world is full of poetry despite the language which is quite spicy, not to say sometimes frankly vulgar. But that’s also what makes these stories feel so real: Margaux speaks modern French, the French I speak, the French young people speak, not grammatically and politically correct French.
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This means that sometimes, her words can be disturbing. She regularly uses the word “pute”, meaning “slut”, and re-reading these books today, I felt the feminist in me being bothered by this. But then again, it’s how we speak and as I understand it, it’s not directed against prostitutes, it’s rather meant to be striking and provocative, but also humorous and again, self-derogatory. I really wonder what feminists would think about this use of language. It bothered me but it also made me laugh, and frankly, I did need a good laugh and a light read.
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Reproductions of her drawings are forbidden so I didn’t take any pictures but you can follow her IG account to get an idea of how talented an artist Margaux Motin is!
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—— #bookblogger #bookreviews #bookreviewers #bloggingforbooks #bookishfeature #bookfeatures #readwomen #graphicnovels #margauxmotin #feminism #smallandproudbookwrapups #graphicnovels #frenchbookstagram
~ GRATEFULNESS~
When I stumbled upon bookstagram about a year ago, little did I imagine how much this community would help me in my real life, and I never suspected that I would meet some of the kindest people I know, which is saying something because I’m part of a Buddhist organisation in which kindness is everybody’s motto.
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I discovered @booksandcoffeestains’ account about a year ago and since then, every-single-post of hers has left me in awe at her skilfulness and sensibility. She has a way of reading books and writing about them that is remarkable and worthy of the most accomplished academics.
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But most of all, Oni is an extraordinary young woman. She’s clever, she’s sensitive, she’s thoughtful and considerate. In her company, hours fly by like minutes and you’ll find yourself drinking bubble tea at midnight when you said that you’d only have a quick drink at 7pm — that was last summer.
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When a few days ago Oni asked if she could send me a postcard “in the old-fashioned way”, because she wanted to support me while I’m going through a tough time, I was touched by her intention. But when I received a package in which were all the delicacies that I photographed here, my heart filled with a gratitude too big to be contained in these few words. Oni went out of her way to send me goodies, beauties, sweet smells and even a literary tea! Where she found these gifts is a mystery to me but I like that she has these secrets, that makes her even more magical.
Oni, thank you for being you. You’re a gift in my life.
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Who are you grateful for on bookstagram? Who was a beautiful encounter for you, and why?
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On another note, I’m missing my bookish posts but I’m still unable to write. I need to give time to my brain to recover and this time I intend to do it right. .
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—— #bookblogger #bookreviewers #bloggingforbooks #bookishfeature #bookfeatures #gratefulness #thankyou #bookstagram
💞THOU SHALL LOVE PINK. 💞
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Little girls’ ultimate commandment, more important than the ten others (which I never bothered to learn because I was too busy loving pink, plus I’m a Buddhist).
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If you’re a boy, you’ve probably been told that you couldn’t wear that pink shirt, use that pink bowl, play with that pink doll, because pink (and dolls, for that matter) is/are for girls. If you’re a girl, you’ve certainly been gifted pink clothes, pink toys (pardon my typo, pink dolls, pink tea sets...), pink accessories... And as you grew up, you either managed to shake yourself free from your pink shackles or, like me, you are still well under the effects of this powerful brainwashing and are the happy owner of pink books, pink nail polishes (#zoyabrandi and #zoyayana here), pink beads for your prayers, pink lipstick and even a pink iPhone.
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I used to be ashamed of loving pink so much. I thought I was too old for that, I should have grown up, love pink less and adopt suitable adult colours like black, grey or dark blue. I’m trying hard to choose other colours so that I don’t live in a pink doll’s house... But I do love pink, and I often wonder to what extent society’s conditioning is responsible for my condition.
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Truth be told, the only thing I have against pink now, is that pink items are more expensive than other ones: razors, skincare products, pain killers (yes painkillers!!)... and in the US, the difference in price averages to $1300 a year! Head to @nasdaily on YouTube and look at The Pink Tax video if you want to drive yourself crazy with rage.
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Or keep loving pink but wisely, not falling into marketing traps. And anyway, buying books, pink or not, is always wise.
#speakupphotochallenge - thank you @theopenbookshelf for inspiring me!
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—— #bookblogger #bookreviewers #bloggingforbooks #bookfeatures #bookflatlay #readwomen #penguinenglishlibrary #janeausten #alismith #pinktax #calligraphy
Bookstagram has been attacked, by @vulture and @guardian (no less!), and I cannot stand the fact that my happy and safe space be debased, stereotyped and caricatured like this.
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So I wrote a small piece to defend it which is now online on my blog. It is not perfect, but I wrote it with all the passion bookstagram kindled in me when I discovered this community. I mentioned many, many of you in this article but I also forgot many and I apologise for this.
However I hope the diversity of bookstagrammers I mentioned will show how rich our community is; I hope the loving descriptions I wrote will convince readers that bookstagram is not just about picturing mugs of coffee next to unread books and accompanying them with meaningless captions. I hope that my words will make them curious about us.
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Also, this was the occasion for me to realise how bookstagramming has helped me out a terrible lack of confidence about my reading and writing skills (not that I’m super confident now but at least, I write). It’s helped me to resume my love of reading (maybe a little bit too much since I’m on the verge of brain exhaustion again! 😂). And it’s made me meet so many, SO MANY kind, intelligent and wonderful people. For this, I am grateful to each and everyone of you who interacts with me, and that’s why I wrote a “little” piece in defence of bookstagram. #linkinbio .
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#bookstagram #bookstagrammers #bookblogger #bookreviews #bookreviewers #bloggingforbooks #bookishfeature #bookfeatures #literaryfiction #nonfiction #zadiesmith #renieddolodge #salmanrushdie #carylphillips #ayobamiadebayo #tonimorrison
@onemorestoryplease tagged me a few days ago to do the #skincarebooktag and given my present condition, this is the perfect moment for me to compose a sweet and pink picture, with soothing colours & a candle, and thinking of the books I love most, which I cannot read right now lest my brain decides to let me down.
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🌸CLEANSER (A book that made you feel like a new person): Half of a Yellow Sun since, hey, it led me to preparing a PhD.
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🌸EXFOLIATOR (A book that made you feel raw): definitely Homegoing.
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🌸 TONER (A book that changed your perspective about something): The Poor Christ of Bomba, when it all started: African lit, writers of colour, PhD research.
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🌸MOISTURIZER (A book that was a real treat): nobody will be surprised here to see me choosing On Beauty, and for the occasion I pictured my brand new signed copy offered by my darling @bookish.soph.
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🌸SERUM (A book that helped you through something tough): I know it is a controversial book and I’m aware of its racial bias now but at the time, its spiritual and healing effect saved me: Eat, Pray, Love (sorry @nonfirqtion, I promise I grew up, since!)
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🌸SHEET MASK (A book that restored you): Here is only an example but every book by my spiritual mentor Daisaku Ikeda is like a lighthouse in a dark night. His words go deep into my soul and help me believe in myself, my life and our world, and get up again when I fall. I have no words to express my gratitude for this incredibly wise man.
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🌸SUN LOTION (A book that must be protected at all cost): I was not sure how to interpret this so I went for Little Women which is my “Madeleine de Proust” but obviously books like 1984, Bad Feminist, The Handmaid’s Tale and other politically committed books must be protected.
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Feel free to join in and share your skin care book routine! 😁
#zoyapartnership: Nail polishes from L to R: #zoyaleia, #zoyadot #zoyagiegie .
—— #bookblogger #bookreviewers #bloggingforbooks #bookfeatures #literaryfiction #writersofcolour #blackliterature #zadiesmith #chimamandangoziadichie #homegoing #daisakuikeda #littlewomen #eatpraylove
