This week’s Bookstagrammer feature is the one and only Ashley Lauren of @ash.readit! Sharing with us fabulous gothic book recommendations enjoyed alongside the shimmering shores of Miami. From timeless classics to new fiction on literature bookshelves. Ashley shares her path in the book-loving community and her first steps toward creating one herself. Let us start, shall we!
Ashley Lauren, @ash.readit
Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in New Jersey, but Miami has been home for the past 10 years.
What is your favorite indie bookstore, and where is it located?
Bookleggers Library! Miami’s first free bookstore. They accept donated books and give them a chance to find new readers. I love browsing the used books across different genres, but what means the most to me is what they stand for: making books accessible and welcoming everyone into a community of readers. A place that encourages people to discover a love of reading, without cost being a barrier, is something special.
Why did you start your Bookstagram, and what does it mean to you?
I started my Bookstagram because I wanted something that was mine and a space to share something I naturally loved and see what could grow from it. I’ve always been a reader, but I never saw myself as a creator. Having this space has encouraged me to show more of myself and grow as both a person and a reader. I’m picking up books I would never have reached for before and opening my mind to possibilities I hadn’t imagined for myself. The community that has come from it has honestly been the most rewarding part.
Who are your five favorite bookstagrammers?
- Matteo, @theliterarycyph
- Tuhkyjuh, @tuhkyjuhslife
- Mora, @marabookaholics
- Leek, @leekreads
- Cheik, @cheikh_readspeak
What are your five favorite books?
- Educated by Tara Westover – This book changed how I felt about memoirs. I was so immersed that I sometimes forgot it was someone’s real-life story. It opened me up to a genre I had previously overlooked.
- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – My favorite book and my top read of the year. It made me think deeply about relationships, mental health, and how we care for one another, and it still sits with me today.
- Nocticadia by Keri Lake – The atmosphere was perfect for me. Dark academia, haunting secrets, and a forbidden relationship. It was an immersive read I didn’t want to end.
- Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu – This very short classic brings together so much of what I love: vampires, sapphic desire, a haunting atmosphere, and what I read as feminine rage! It sparked my desire to explore more classics.
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab – Its atmosphere, compelling characters, and what-ifs made me question what I would sacrifice for the life I wanted. I was so fascinated by Schwab’s writing that I read several of her books in one month.
What are five books on your TBR you can’t wait to read?
- The Disappearers by Marlon James
- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
- Babel by R.F. Kuang
Who are your favorite fictional characters?
Two of my favorite fictional characters are Victor and Eli from V. E. Schwab’s Villains series. Their rivalry was so brilliantly written that I kept questioning who I was rooting for. It feels like good versus evil! But then you start wondering whether they’re both evil. Schwab created such a compelling duo.
What are your bookish hot take(s) or unpopular opinion(s)?
Classics deserve better marketing to readers!
So many of us still associate them with required reading in school, and that can make them intimidating before we even open the book. But the drama, politics, scheming, and complicated relationships? Some of these stories are practically soap operas. If we talked about them that way, I think more adults would pick them up and discover what they mean to them now without an assignment due.
What’s an immediate DNF for you if you encounter it in a book?
I don’t have one absolute rule, but extremely long chapters paired with a slow-moving story can lose me. I like to feel that the story is moving somewhere. I’m also not drawn to overly explicit scenes. I enjoy dark romance and my fair share of spice, but I don’t need every detail!
What’s something in a synopsis or book cover that will make you immediately buy it?
Give me a dark, Gothic setting, secrets, and betrayal, and you have my attention. Dark academia is one of my favorite settings, and I’m drawn to family dramas, too. If the cover or synopsis hints at that atmosphere and those complicated relationships, I already want to read it.
Which author or publisher would you like to supply you with a lifetime of books?
Tor Books or Penguin Random House, then I wouldn’t have to choose just one author! I read across genres, so a lifetime of books from either would give me plenty to explore. I’d feel incredibly fortunate to receive that.
If you could have a coffee date with any author, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I would choose Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the author of The Yellow Wallpaper. I’d love to hear about her experiences and thought process while writing it. As a woman who had my own postpartum struggles that I tried hard to overlook, I found the story deeply affecting. I’d want to talk about how her experiences shaped her writing and whether she ever imagined this piece would still resonate with so many women today.
What’s a memorable or favorite interaction you’ve had with an author?
My most memorable author interaction was meeting and interviewing H. M. Wolfe, the author of Daggermouth. It was my first time hosting a conversation like that, and I felt incredibly fortunate to sit down with her in a room full of readers to discuss a book that had become one of my own favorites. We talked about the story, her writing process, and the thought behind it all. What stayed with me most was how kind, relatable, and encouraging she was. She took an interest in my goals within the reading community, and that meant so much to me. Meeting her gave me the confidence to put myself out there and pursue more events. I walked away thinking, “I can do this.”
A huge thank you to the wonderful Ashley Lauren for sharing her literature page-turner recommendations with us. The moments that have stayed with her longer after the book was placed on her reading shelf to rest. Offering us a glimpse into what books can offer to expand in a deeper, connected way.
Find more Bookstagrammers to follow here.
You can find all the books mentioned above, as well as those from previous BOTWs, on our Bookshop shelf!
