Meet ‘Bookstagrammer’ Swetha Nisthala
Over the past one-and-a-half years, the youngster from Hyderabad took to Instagram to elevate her passion for reading to the next level
Hyderabad: A passion for reading, an urge to connect with bibliographers and bursting creativity is what led Swetha Nisthala, a chemistry researcher to become an active bookstagrammer. Over the past one-and-a-half years, the youngster from Hyderabad took to Instagram to elevate her passion for reading to the next level.
“Growing up, I was the only one in my entire circle who was an avid reader. Later in life, I earned two Master’s degrees in India and abroad, but I always craved an outlet for my creativity. One day I just decided to click a picture of the book I was reading and posted it on social media with a review. That is how Booksqueaks — my page began,” shares Swetha. About the simplicity of the beginning, she says, “I didn’t even think of what the picture should look like. I just clicked it in my backyard and posted it.”
This simplicity reflects in her posts, as all the books are clicked with props that are common in any house. “Book bloggers usually use a lot of different props for their posts but in my case, it is always the same bedsheet, one of my chunnis and a few other things I find in my house. I just open the windows and click pictures in natural light,” shares Swetha, adding, “I want my page to have a cohesive feeling so every post has the same background. I also focus on uniformity and don’t bother connecting the props to the theme of the book.”
On the thought process that went behind naming the page, she explains, “I knew I would do it for years and I wanted a name that is catchy and cute, representing the mood of the page. I speak or rather squeak about books and hence the name ‘Booksqueaks’.”
If there’s one thing she wants to pick to set her reviews apart, it is the personal touch that she adds. “My strength is writing and I write reviews charged with emotions. I approach every review of mine as if it is my only chance to talk about the book and I write about what the book made me experience. Every review has a piece of me in it,” says the bookstagrammer who prefers reviewing contemporary literary fiction as of now.
As a result of this, Swetha only looks at passionate readers as her target audience. “My page and my reviews are not geared at making non-readers read,” says the MS Chemistry graduate from Michigan University. With 160 reviews so far, her Instagram page even landed her a job as a content writer at a city firm. “I am from a core sciences background but my page got me a job as a writer,” she shares.
Like every book blogger who aspires for publishers and writers to send them books to review, Swetha also aspired and achieved the same. “In one of my first reviews, I tagged the author and connected with her. We became friends later. As I did more reviews, publishers started sending me books to review and for me, this was the milestone I wanted to achieve,” she concludes.
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