Tag: booklovers

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InstaNovels: The New York Public Library Is Bringing Classic Tales to Your Instagram Stories

This must be one of the most brilliant ideas of the last decade. ❤ ❤ ❤

 

According to Electric Literature, New York Public Library is redefining what a “story” is by making the Instagram stories more “readable” and “storytelling” which a service is called “InstaNovels.” Unlike the common usage of Instagram stories (people sharing their daily lives, dogs, birthdays, selfies, you name it), InstaNovels will bring classic literature to your Instagram stories. From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carol, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, to The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, you will start being able to read these classics on Instagram!

 

What make them surprisingly accessible is that each classic is GIF-illustrated by well-known artists: Magoz (@magoz) for Alice, Buck (@buck_design) for Wallpaper, and César Pelizer (@cesarpelizer) for Metamorphosis.

 

 

a

Image via electricliterature

 

From August 22nd, on NYPL’s IG account literature-lovers can check these stories out. Entering the story, first you will see the creative GIF illustration as the book cover; then, you tip the screen as you usually do to get to the next story where the content of the book is; after that, you are officially into the story.

 

Electric Literature suggests that the font, colors, and design elements of the story are optimized for a better reading experience: a beige background is good for eyes; the Georgia typeface makes the long text reading easier; on the right bottom there’s a place “Thumb here” by which you pause the page and read the text. One cute thing is: with the pages turned further, the “Thumb here” will gradually become a blue tiny cyclops! 

 

 

aa

Image via electricliterature

 

y

Image via NYPL

 

m

Image via NYPL

 

 

InstaNovels is actually an add-on idea to the original philosophy of Instagram’s story function. Corinna Falusi, the chief creative officer in Mother, the creative agency of this program, said in a press release:

 

Instagram unknowingly created the perfect bookshelf for this new kind of online novel. From the way you turn the pages, to where you rest your thumb while reading, the experience is already unmistakably like reading a paperback novel…We have to promote the value of reading, especially with today’s threats to American system of education.

 

 

 

 

Don’t you think this is a fantastically fabulous form of reading classic literature? While writing this article, I checked InstaNovel and was totally amazed by its cute story interface and creative core value. Go check it out and you’ll feel less guilty when you squander hours scrolling through Instagram “stories.”

 

 

Featured Image Via NYPL

5 of Your Favorite Bookworm Characters from Literature!

August 9th is Book Lovers Day! As a book-obsessed kid, I often found myself latching on to bookworms within the books themselves. It’s awesome to read a book and find your own passions reflected in a character. Here are a few amazing book lovers we find in our pages (and screens)!

 

 

 

 

 

Hermione Granger

(Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling)

hermione

Image Via Pintrest

 

[…] She was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.

“I never thought to look in here!” she whispered excitedly. “I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading.”

“Light?” said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet.

 

 

 

 

Matilda Wormwood

(Matilda by Roald Dahl)

matilda

Image Via Stylist

 

“So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.” 

 

 

 

 

Tyrion Lannister

(A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin)

tyrion

Image Via ThoughtCatalogue

 

“I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind… and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge. That’s why I read so much, Jon Snow.” 

 

 

 

 

Liesel Meminger

(The Book Thief by Markus Zusak)

liesel

Image Via Pintrest

 

“She said it out loud, the words distributed into a room that was full of cold air and books. Books everywhere! Each wall was armed with overcrowded yet immaculate shelving. It was barely possible to see paintwork. There were all different styles and sizes of lettering on the spines of the black, the red, the gray, the every-colored books. It was one of the most beautiful things Liesel Meminger had ever seen.

With wonder, she smiled.

That such a room existed!” 

 

 

 

 

Klaus Baudelaire

(A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket)

klaus

Image Via The UPOU Book Club

 

“Klaus sighed, and opened a book, and as at so many other times when the middle Baudelaire child did not want to think about his circumstances, he began to read.” 

 

 

 

Belle

(Beauty and the Beast)

belle

Image Via Oh My Disney

 

“Look there she goes, that girl is so peculiar
I wonder if she’s feeling well
With a dreamy, far-off look
And her nose stuck in a book
What a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle…”

 

 

 

Featured Image Via Wattpad

moonrise kingdom

15 Book-Themed Instagrams to Enrich Your Feed

You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach as you’re nearing the end of a really good book; that growing sense of excitement to see how it all unfolds, that thrill of feeling so deeply invested in a life other than your own, and that impending, dark-cloud feeling of “oh no, what will I do after?” knowing that your time with these characters is drawing to an end?

 

I think we grow so close to the characters in the books we read because it’s the only time we are truly invited to enter the world of someone other than ourselves; we see their inner monologue, their every word, thought, and emotion, everything they want to say but choose to keep inside. Books allow us to see people in all of their full, vulnerable humanness. And, when it’s time to say goodbye to the strangers we now know as well as we know ourselves, a sort of mourning begins to take place. It can be tough to leave the worlds we spend so much time in; fiction and all.

 

However, thanks to social media, the goodbye doesn’t have to be complete; now you can scroll through the photos of your favorite book worlds to your heart’s content! 

 

Check out these fifteen Instagram accounts dedicated to your favorite books and authors!

 

1. A Little Life @alittlelifebook

 

 

#bookfacefriday by @dyahayuni #alittlelifebook

A post shared by A Little Life: A Novel (@alittlelifebook) on

 

 

2. Pride & Prejudice @pandp2005

 

 

 

3. Harry Potter @thepottercollector

 

 

 

4. Stephen King @jobis89

 

 

I have an important task for you all……. please help me choose my next audiobook! ? . The 12 books pictured are the 12 possible contenders! They’re books I read back near the beginning of my King journey, and are the ones that I feel open to revisiting right now (in that my memory is patchy ?) . So if you want, pick TWO books from those pictured and I’ll do a quick tally tomorrow before I embark on my run. I’ll be able to download and start listening to the most popular choice right away ?? . Choose wisely, Constant Readers. And God have mercy on the evil people who choose The Stand… 47 hours long!!! ? . . . . . . . . #stephenking #audiobook #audible #bookcollage #bookcover #hardback #firstedition #readersareleaders #bibliophile #bookstagram #reading #igreads #bookworm #booknerd #booklover #booklove #lovebooks #bookish #bookaddict #read #fiction

A post shared by Johann ? Stephen King Nerd ? (@jobis89) on

 

 

5. Sylvia Plath @sylviaplathpoetry

 

 

(cr. @her_love_for_words ♡)

A post shared by Sylvia Plath (@sylviaplathpoetry) on

 

 

6. Agatha Christie @officialagathachristie

 

 

 

7. Paulo Coelho @paulocoelhoquote

 

 

 

8. Virginia Woolf @virginiawoolfblog

 

 

Virginia Woolf sitting on a beach in Greece in 1932. #virginiawoolf

A post shared by Virginia Woolf Blog (@virginiawoolfblog) on

 

 

9. Jane Austen @janeofausten

 

 

…with your favourite Janeite teapot #jane #janeausten #janeausten #janeite #tea #teatime

A post shared by Jane Austen (@janeofausten) on

 

 

10. Edgar Allan Poe @edgar.allan.poe

 

 

Q: Why did Poe write such dark stories? • A: Poe wrote for magazines which demanded stories that would appeal to a mass audience, so he gave them what they wanted. In fact, he only wrote about fifteen horror stories out of a total of seventy tales. Poe actually produced far more comedies than terror tales. He also wrote science fiction, mysteries, adventure stories, scientific essays, and a book about seashells. Today’s readers tend to prefer his horror stories, but in Poe’s time, his audience liked the mysteries better. He last book of short stories, Tales of Edgar A. Poe (1845), only contained one horror story among a collection of mysteries and science fiction. Although he suffered bouts of depression after his wife’s death, Poe wasn’t a terribly morbid or melancholy person. • Mary Bronson, who, as a young girl, visited Poe with her father, later recalled, “We saw Mr. Poe walking in his yard, and most agreeably was I surprised to see a very handsome and elegant appearing gentleman, who welcomed us with a quiet, cordial, and graceful politeness that ill accorded with my imaginary sombre poet. I dare say I looked the surprise I felt, for I saw an amused look on his face as I raised my eyes a second time…” (LeDuc, Mary Elizabeth Bronson, “Recollections of Edgar A. Poe,” Home Journal, whole no. 754, July 21, 1860, p. 3) • #EdgarAllanPoe Photo by: @rebecca_ellix

A post shared by Edgar Allan Poe (@edgar.allan.poe) on

 

 

11. The Brontë Sisters @bronteforever

 

 

The Great American Read on PBS has started and they are featuring 100 of the most beloved books, and choosing one final winner. Please vote for the top one! Please go to @greatamericanreadpbs and click on the link in their bio to vote for either Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. I’m so glad both Bronte sisters were featured on this list of world renown novels. __________________________________________ #bronte #brontes #thebrontes #brontesisters #bronteforever #emilybronte #charlottebronte #annebronte #bookaddicts #epicreads #janeeyre #mustread #bookworm #booknerd #books #booklover #bookstagram #bookish #literature #instabook #igread #wutheringheights #victorian #classicnovels #brontësisters #greatreadpbs #readinggoals #votejaneeyre

A post shared by ??The Bronte Sisters ? (@bronteforever) on

 

 

12. Charles Dickens @dickensmuseum

 

 

 

13. Alice in Wonderland @alice_in_wonderland_books

 

 

 

14. Haruki Murakami @harukimurakamiquotes

 

 

 

15. Infinite Jest @drawinginfinitejest

 

 

 

 

Featured Image Via Twitter

 

Hiding behind a book

The Honest Confessions of a Bookworm

It’s National Honesty Day, and as such, the bookworms here at Bookstr have decided to give you some full transparency. And by that, I mean, here are five of our worst bookish habits. And by “our,” I mean my.

 

1. I dog-ear my pages more often than not.

 

Listen, I bought the book, it’s mine to destroy as I wish. I’ve finally stopped dropping my books in the bathtub, but considering most of my sci-fi paperbacks are water damaged, a dog-eared page here or there isn’t the end of the world to me. 

 

2. Piggybacking off that, I have a terrible habit of dropping my paperbacks in the bathtub. 

 

Have you ever lent, or been lent, a book that looks like it’s been submerged in the depths of the ocean for the past year or so? Probably, because reading in the bathtub is one of the most relaxing things in the world. At the end of the day, if it’s still a readable book, I don’t see an issue. If anything, I should be praised for reading as much as possible.

 

Or, that’s what I tell myself, at least.

 

Water-damaged book

Image via ServiceMaster Restore

 

3. Since moving to New York, my “To Read” pile has surpassed my “Read” pile.

 

To be fair, when I moved, I probably brought only 10% of my books. Books are heavy, and I shipped most of my belongings. I brought one medium sized Home Depot box full of books, and it weighed over 50lbs. So if you ask me, I think I brought a decent amount. However, I moved a year ago, and since then, the number of books in my very small box of an apartment has at least doubled, potentially tripled. I’ve read probably four of my new books. I’m mildly embarrassed, but whatever.

 

4. I find myself re-reading favorites before reaching for anything in my pile of books-to-be-read.

 

There’s something comforting about my well-loved copy of Michael Crichton’s Sphere, or Chuck Palahniuk’s Rant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey, or George Saunders’ Tenth of December. Maybe it’s because each time I read them, I get something new out of them. Maybe it’s because each of my paperback copies can conveniently fit in my pockets, but only when I wear thosee one specific pair of pants I have that can fit a paperback in the back pocket. 

 

5. I don’t read nearly as much as I’d like to.

 

Growing up, I always had a book on me. My childhood bedroom had two massive bookshelves that were overflowing. I spent all my allowance on books. But as an adult, it’s hard to find time to read as much as I’d like to. Life gets in the way. It’s not a good excuse, so that’s why this is a confession.

 

Featured Image via FreeImages. 

Love Letters

Grab a Tissue and Read These Love Letters to and From Famous Writers!

Love can throw you in a thousand directions. Some people mellow out completely, some people go a little crazy, and some people start out mellow and then go crazy. The first love will probably be the hardest to lose, and after that, it’s safe to say that they get better with age and experience, just like a fine wine or cheese. We have compiled a list of the eight sauciest love notes exchanged by literary all-stars.

 

The Aristocats

Via Metro

 

Zelda Fitzgerald to F. Scott Fitzgerald:

 

I look down the tracks and see you coming—and out of every haze & mist your darling rumpled trousers are hurrying to me—Without you, dearest dearest I couldn’t see or hear or feel or think—or live—I love you so and I’m never in all our lives going to let us be apart another night. It’s like begging for mercy of a storm or killing Beauty or growing old, without you. I want to kiss you so—and in the back where your dear hair starts and your chest—I love you—and I can’t tell you how much—To think that I’ll die without your knowing—Goofo, you’ve got to try to feel how much I do—how inanimate I am when you’re gone.

 

Héloïse d’Argenteuil To Peter Abélard:

 

I have your picture in my room. I never pass by it without stopping to look at it; and yet when you were present with me, I scare ever cast my eyes upon it. If a picture which is but a mute representation of an object can give such pleasure, what cannot letters inspire? They have souls, they can speak, they have in them all that force which expresses the transport of the heart; they have all the fire of our passions….

 

Honoré de Balzac to Countess Ewelina Haska, June 1835:

 

I grasp you, I kiss you, I caress you, a thousand of the most amorous caresses take possession of me. As for my heart, there you will always be — very much so. I have a delicious sense of you there. But my God, what is to become of me, if you have deprived me of my reason? This is a monomania which, this morning, terrifies me. I rise up every moment say to myself, ‘Come, I am going there!’ Then I sit down again, moved by the sense of my obligations. There is a frightful conflict. This is not a life. I have never before been like that. You have devoured everything. I feel foolish and happy as soon as I let myself think of you. I whirl round in a delicious dream in which in one instant I live a thousand years. What a horrible situation! Overcome with love, feeling love in every pore, living only for love, and seeing oneself consumed by griefs, and caught in a thousand spiders’ threads.

 

Frida Kahlo in a letter to Diego Riviera:

 

I’d like to paint you, but there are no colors, because there are so many, in my confusion, the tangible form of my great love.

 

English poet Vita Sackville-West to Virginia Woolf:

 

…I am reduced to a thing that wants Virginia. I composed a beautiful letter to you in the sleepless nightmare hours of the night, and it has all gone: I just miss you, in a quite simple desperate human way. You, with all your undumb letters, would never write so elementary a phrase as that; perhaps you wouldn’t even feel it.

 

Jean-Paul Sartre to Simone de Beauvoir:

 

Tonight I love you in a way that you have not known in me: I am neither worn down by travels nor wrapped up in the desire for your presence. I am mastering my love for you and turning it inwards as a constituent element of myself. This happens much more often than I admit to you, but seldom when I’m writing to you. Try to understand me: I love you while paying attention to external things. At Toulouse I simply loved you. Tonight I love you on a spring evening. I love you with the window open. You are mine, and things are mine, and my love alters the things around me and the things around me alter my love.

 

Lord Byron to Teresa Guiccioli:

 

In that word, beautiful in all languages, but most so in yours–Amor mio–is comprised my existence here and hereafter. I feel I exist here, and I feel I shall exist hereafter,–to what purpose you will decide; my destiny rests with you, and you are a woman, eighteen years of age, and two out of a convent. I love you, and you love me,–at least, you say so, and act as if you did so, which last is a great consolation in all events. But I more than love you, and cannot cease to love you. Think of me, sometimes, when the Alps and ocean divide us, –but they never will, unless you wish it.

 

Zelda Fitzgerald to F. Scott Fitzgerald (round two):

 

Darling – I love these velvet nights. I’ve never been able to decide … whether I love you most in the eternal classic half-lights where it blends with day or in the full religious fan-fare of mid-night or perhaps in the lux of noon. Anyway, I love you most and you ’phoned me just because you phoned me tonight – I walked on those telephone wires for two hours after holding your love like a parasol to balance me.

 

 

spongebob

Via Giphy

 

 

Feature Image Via Pinterest.