Hello again! Today’s bookstagrammer is Lucy/@the_bookish_astronaunt. Her content is cozy, soft, and perfect for the start of fall.

Why did you start your Bookstagram:

About 2 years ago, I was transitioning from being a full-time high school science teacher to being a stay-at-home mom, and I wanted to have a creative outlet of sorts. So one day I decided to create an Instagram account where I would share reviews of my favorite books. I didn’t even know that bookstagram existed as a sub-community on Instagram so it was a very pleasant surprise when a few lovely Bookstagrammers welcomed me and made me feel right at home.

Where are you from:

I was born in Ukraine. I immigrated to the US when I was 15 and lived in Brooklyn, NY. Recently we made a long-awaited move to New Jersey and being closer to nature has been amazing! I’m definitely more of a small-town person rather than a city girl.

What do you want your Instagram to bring to the world:

I want my bookstagram to be a place where everyone feels welcomed, warm, and cozy. I want to inspire people to read more Science Fiction and Fantasy. And I want people to feel relaxed and cozy while looking at my photos.

Fun Fact about you:

I watch The Office pretty much every day. Even if it’s just one episode. It is my ultimate feel-good show and never fails to make me relax! I even like having it on in the background when I’m alone. It makes me feel like I’m surrounded by friends.

image via @the_bookish_astronaut

Favorite Bookstagrammers:

There are so many that inspire me on a daily basis and in different ways. I talk to @starborn_reader on a daily basis, she’s my howler sister and has become a great friend! @Canxdancexreads is another friend I talk to all the time, she has a unique mermaid theme! Some of the other beautiful accounts that inspire me are @abookishknight, @for.fuctions.sake @thedarklingone, @lifeinlit, @myfriendsarefiction, and @_chelseareads…but honestly I could go on all day! Bookstagram is filled with amazing, talented, creative people!

Favorite Books and Authors:

The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown is my absolute favorite. I can talk about it for hours, just ask my family, friends, and followers. It is such a perfect blend of sci-fi and fantasy, with amazing world-building, character development, and plot. I cannot say enough good things about it. My other favorite is the Silo Saga by Hugh Howey. Anything by this author, really. I love his lyrical writing style and his ability to create amazing characters.

Fictional Crush:

Darrow of Lykos from Red Rising. This is a character that just speaks to me. There’s nothing better than a tortured soul struggling to make things right for those he loves.

image via @the_bookish_astronaut

TBR List:

Ah, the dreaded tbr list, I swear it keeps getting longer no matter how much I read. But the next few reads I am super excited to get to are Vicious by V.E. Schwab, Scythe by Neil Schusterman, and Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff.

What’s Your Special Approach to Content:

I try to post books that I love as well as books that are just beautiful to look at. I try to showcase each particular book and make sure it is not upstaged by anything else in the shot. Recently, I have also simplified my captions. This way they are much more relatable and give my friends a snippet of my daily life.

Aesthetic / Instagram page theme:

It took a bit of time to get to where I am now and to finally be happy with the content I’m putting out, but what I always wanted my photos to bring across is that cozy feeling of reading by a window on an overcast fall day. So my shots always have all the prerequisites for doing just that, a cozy blanket, some candles, a cup of cocoa/coffee, fairy lights, and, of course, a rain-splattered window.

image via @the_bookish_astronaut

How often do you post:

I try to post every single day. Of course, sometimes that isn’t possible, but I try my best to make sure I stop by at least once a day and share what I’ve been up to and check in on my bookstabuddies with a question of the day!

What does your Bookstagram mean to you:

My bookstagram is my safe space. It is a place where I can unplug from the hectic everyday life and chat with amazing people from all around the world about our mutual love of the fictional worlds. It is also my creative outlet and a place I get to share my passion for reading, photography, and being cozy!

Favorite Bookstore:

Most of the time I buy books online. My favorite is Book Depository, since I tend to find the UK editions of books to be so different and so pretty! But a trip to Barnes and Noble is always a great idea too!

image via @the_bookish_astronaut

Who would you have supply you with a lifetime of books:

Book Depository, for sure! Give me all the UK and special editions!!

Author to take a selfie with:

Pierce Brown for sure! Since that means I get to meet Howler One in person! (Awroooo)

Favorite book cover:

Vicious and Vengeful by V.E. Schwab. I just got the UK editions for my birthday and I cannot stop staring at them. They make my brain happy! Come to think of it, all of Schwab’s books are extremely aesthetically pleasing.

image via @the_bookish_astronaut

Book you have claimed to have read that you didn’t:

I have never claimed to have read a book I didn’t read. (Well maybe something for a college class! ) Other than that, I just don’t see the point, since if someone is asking if you’ve read a book they probably want to discuss it with you, and the lie would immediately come out!

When did you know you had made it as a Bookstagrammer:

I think to me that was in the first few months. By then I got comfortable and learned “the ways” of the community. I met some amazing people who shared my love for books, people obsessed with the same fandoms I was. To me, that was making it, since that was the reason I made the account in the first place!

Favorite fandoms:

Red Rising, of course. The Hunger Games is the OG obsession that got me into the dystopian genre. And I cannot forget Illuminae Files!

image via @the_bookish_astronaut

Advice for aspiring Bookstagrammers:

Be yourself. Share your love of books. Create meaningful connections with people who understand you. Don’t be too hard on yourself. There is no “right way” to bookstagram. We’re all here for the same reason, and that’s to laugh, cry, review, recommend, and connect. No matter how far apart we are, we have books to bring us together.

Additional bookishness:

Shortly after starting my bookstagram, I opened a small Etsy shop, Dream in a Bottle, where I sell handmade bookish keepsakes, bookmarks, and other bookish goodies! 

feature image via @the_bookish_astronaut