What is bookstagram?

Over 22 million photos on Instagram have been tagged #bookstagram — bringing together readers from all around the world, and helping us to consume books in a different kind of way.

If you aren’t familiar with what Bookstagram is, it is a hashtag that was created for book lovers to share their book related photos. Bookstagram images vary from profile to profile, and while they are often highly curated scenes, the theme of each bookstagram account is always an incredibly authentic look into the personality of the person sharing their reads. For any reader, you are transported to a different kind of world when you view these photos, because you know how special those moments are.

That is why bookstagram is an aspirational dream world for so many. When you’re scrolling through the hashtag, you see a plethora of extremely aesthetic snaps. From crisp, white sheets with a single, vibrant book on them, to a little reading nook in the corner of someones light filled home, to a plant filled bedroom with a cup of coffee, warm blankets, and an organized library — whatever your reading heaven looks like, you will be able to find someone who shares that with you.

Finding that kind of community online is also something that is encouraging for a lot of readers. Larger accounts often get sent books, or have extensive reviews written in their posts, in order to provide more content and more insight for those who may be looking to pick up a new read. While the hashtag is extremely aspirational, it is within this that it become inspirational. It adds a new element of beauty to them. It offers a seal of approval from someone you can relate to and identify with, and that makes reading even more accessible and interesting than it already was.

Because we are creatives, and we love visuals of our favorite books, we rounded up the most aesthetically pleasing bookstagram images below to help and inspire you to sit down and read today.

1. Your Soul Is A River by thomreads

We love the minimalistic approach Thom took when photographing Nikita Gill’s Your Soul Is A River. By focusing on the graphics within the book, one of our favorite aspects of YSIAR was able to shine without being overpowered by text or other additions.

2. She Who Destroys the Light by newleafwriter

Sarah’s (AKA NewLeafWriter) photo of Shahida Arabi‘s She Who Destroys The Light makes us immediately think about our favorite fairy tales. It’s an artful way of setting up the tone of the book, and every little detail within the photo is relative to the fantasy world the book itself represents.

3. Seeds Planted in Concrete by imjustahuman

Can we just talk about how stunning this photo is? Bianca Sparacino’s Seeds Planted In Concrete is perfectly showcased here, with a little graphic snippet, a cup of coffee, and beautifully bright, vibrant color that jump off the screen. The crispness and tonality Anna has managed to illustrate in this photo reminds us of reading a poetry book by the window in a cozy little cabin. Sign us up.

4. Bloodline by polly.florence

By focusing on one of the most impactful poems in Ari Eastman’s Bloodline, Polly not only showcases the beautiful poetry within the book, but she also captures the stunning illustrations. This whole photo makes us want to pick up the book, and the editing gives us some serious fall vibes that only add to that impulse.

5.  Somewhere On A Highway / 101 Essays That Will Change Your Life / All The Words I Should Have Said by Rachandbooks

We love this photo because it reminds us of those afternoons where we sit down with a few of our favorite books and paw through them, looking for them to inspire within us all that we know they can. Rachel nails the composition, and the added touches feel soft, and relaxing. From the succulents, to the marble, to the coffee, to the brightness and the pop of color — this photo is an all around beautiful image to look at.

6. Your Soul Is A River by elathebookworm

Ela’s photograph of Your Soul Is A River focuses on one of our favorite poems in the book, 93 Percent Stardust, and it manages to perfectly showcase the words, while keeping the shot artful and inspiring. It’s very difficult to creatively capture text within a book, and Ela nailed it.

7. But Before You Leave by nikkiinwanderland

This photo of Kirsten Corlely’s book But Before You Leave is one of our favorites because it is so unique. A lot of photos in the bookstagram community are very vibrant, or very muted — which is wonderful. However, we rarely see a photo that is darker, and filled with this kind of emotion. From the grain, to the depth of shadow, Nikki manages to make us look twice when staring at this photograph. It feels like the old, second hand bookstores we often find ourselves huddled within.

8. Various Thought Catalog Books by areaderunderthesea

Karina’s photo of Your Soul Is A River and 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think is one of our favorites because it is so creative. From the map, to the globe, to the familiar tones throughout the whole piece, this photo reminds us of the books we read while we travel, and that is a beautiful emotion for an image to stir up.

9. Luminescence by therusticwindow

Photographing a photography book is difficult, but Cici has managed to photograph Brandon Woelfel’s Luminescence in a way that doesn’t take away from the photos within it. The composition of this post is beautiful, and it makes us want to see more of the book, which is a difficult feat to accomplish.

10. Seeds Planted In Concrete by nikkiinwanderland

Nikki coupled the strong cover of Seeds Planted In Concrete with her own art, which is incredible. Not only do we see a beautiful composition in this photo, we also get a glimpse into the poetry in a very artful way.

11. Luminescence by woodlandspirits

Linh floored us with this photo. Everything about it is perfect — from the composition, to the tonal editing, to the unique way in which she photographed Luminescence from a POV perspective. This is one of our absolute favorite photos because it feels nostalgic and makes us want to create.

12. Seeds Planted In Concrete by lookingforabura

We love Abeer’s photograph of Seeds Planted In Concrete because it makes us want to cozy up in bed with our favorite poetry book. The editing of Abeer’s photos are unparalleled as well — she always manages to create the perfect look based on whatever book she is getting creative with.

13. Your Soul Is A River by theravenqueeen

This photo is one of our favorites for a very simple reason — Tringa photographed Your Soul Is A River in a way that reminds us so deeply of a rainy Sunday morning, and the books we read when we are cozied up while it storms outside. Nothing is better than those moments.

14. 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by stefiereads

Stefie is all of us when we travel — we want our bag to forever be filled with a notebook, fresh flowers, and an inspiring book like Brianna Wiest’s 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think. We love this photo because it is all of us bookworms, stowing away a good book in our bags just in case a moment arises in the day when we can immerse ourselves in a different world.

15. Somewhere In Nostalgia by woodlandspirit

Linh’s photo of Drew Wilson’s Somewhere In Nostalgia represents exactly that — a moment in time that feels comfortable, warm, and relative to what we have all experienced before. This photo has killer editing, and it is a scene so many of us can relate to — digesting our favorite book, listening to music, and writing reflections.

16. Your Soul Is A River by thebookranter

Emilie managed to make Nikita Gill’s Your Soul Is A River, an already magical book, even more magical. Everywhere we look in this photo we see something that we can feast our eyes on. The layers of color, texture and content make us want to read, and we love photos that have the ability to inspire that within us.

17. This Is Me Letting You Go by kath_reads

Kath perfectly depicts how we want all of our mornings to start — with a good book that encourages our hearts, and a warm cup of frothy coffee. Coffee and books just belong together, and Kath simply, and perfectly, captured that with her photo of Heidi Priebe’s This Is Me Letting You Go.

Bookstagram hashtags?

If you’re looking for the best bookstagram hashtags, here are some of them to use on your own account.

#acatalogofbooks #culturetripbooks #becauseofreading #bookblogger #booksph #bookishfeatures #bookstagramfeature #booklover #greatbooks #bookstagram #writerstag #acatalogofbooks #soulwork #spilledink #wordporn #poetrycommunity #wordswithqueens #poetrygram #thecreative #ilovebooks #bestbooks #booknerd #quotecatalog #amwriting #amediting #writersofig #writersofinstagram #poem #poetry #writing #quotes.

Bookstagram Tips

If you want to start your own bookstagram, the best tip is to just follow a bunch of accounts that are a regular part of the bookstagram community. To find someone to follow, just look again at all the images we have above and then look up the accounts for your photos that we featured.

Let us know if you have any other tips or #bookstagram insights by emailing us at hello@shopcatalog.com. We’d love to hear from you!