I’m participating in Bookending Spring this year, hosted by Sam and Clo, and you can find the challenge info here!

I’m on time today!!!

Check out Lauren’s post as the host here!

Prompt

Discuss how you bring life to your (book) photos for blog posts or instagram! You can talk about your focus on composition, how you edit, or stay inspired, etc.

Hiiii!! I am so excited for this prompt and I have been WAITING to post it because I love it so much. One of the things I started last July was a bookstagram to go along with my blog. I expected it to be just a fun little diversion, but by December I was really into it, and it became a focal point of my day. As I got more into it, I started to enjoy seeing other people’s themes. Mine still isn’t perfect, but I’m starting to get it, and find something that works for me. I think the hardest part is sticking with something. I like change, so changing things up makes me happy.

In December I got a whole bunch of pinecones, and thus started my pinecone obsession. In almost every photo I use a pinecone. Usually my shelfies don’t have one in it, or one off photos, but most do. I really enjoy using them.

One of the hardest things (and something I am still learning) is composition and angles. I am trying to put more variety in, and learn what works. Sometimes I like something for a few days, and then after that I hate it. I still don’t know how it all works. The other thing that I learned is filters have to look good on EVERYTHING not just one or two photos.

I edit mostly in adobe lightroom, but I also use google photos and photoshop at times if there are touchups I need to do. All my pictures of my kindle are edited with the book cover being pasted on and manipulated.

I take quite a few photos all at one time. Of different books but also of the same book and setup at different angles, and then from those I pick the ones I liked the best.

I’ve changed my theme look several times, the last one had a purple tone to it, but I missed seeing all the beautiful book covers and their true colors.

My new theme is one of brightness. I’ve upped the whites in it, and the brightness, but removed the purple tone. I am liking it a lot better because I feel the images are much more cohesive together.

I often lose inspiration, so I often go days without doing any of them. I also queue up ahead of time, so my captions sound funny at times. Now I’m only queuing a week at a time, and of course, sometimes I’ll randomly post something because it inspired me in that moment. Of course, this always happens at night when it is dark and the quality is much worse.

So that’s how I bookstagram!! I’ve recently reached 1k followers, so I am no expert on this, however, I do feel like I have learned A LOT through trial and error.

Almost all the photos on my blog are pulled from my instagram.

Do you instagram?

I’m participating in Bookending Spring this year, and you can find the challenge info here!

Yesterday’s prompt (because I fell asleep at 7pm) is being posted today.

Check out Sam’s post as the host here!

Prompt

Old books creating cobwebs and dust on your TBR? Create a list of backlists books you are attempting to finally get off your TBR this spring!

This prompt was knock-off to knock books off your TBR, but because I seem to have read through most of them (I wrote this like a week ago, and now I have something like 12 new books to read, but I still want to reread books so…I’m leaving it), I’m changing it up to books I want to reread! These are books that I read and either a) loved or b) just liked. These are books I want to read for enjoyment, but also to see if my opinion has changed. (and so I can write reviews…haha.)

Without further ado, here is the list…

Priory of the Orange Tree. This thing was intimidating the first time, and I keep putting off rereading it, because even for me it is hella long.

Grishaverse Trilogy. I want to reread the original trilogy. It’s been a bit…and I just feel like every time I read it, I like it a little bit more.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone series. I rushed through this the first time and flat out gave the entire series three stars. I feel like I’d like it more if I went back and reread it. I do own them all, after all.

Ember in the Ashes. I need to reread this series…! I liked it the first time I read it, and do not remember why I only gave Torch two stars?

Of Fire and Stars. Again, I plan on buying the sequel at some point, so I need to reread this one.

Strange Grace. Seriously loved the audiobook, but I feel I need to read this to get ALLL the details.

Heart of Thorns. Same as Strange Grace.

Anyways, it is a lot of books, but I feel that with sufficient time and energy I can get through all these. Maybe.

What are you looking at reading this spring?