A Bookish Corner’s Beginning

By the end of 2022, I found myself feeling quite bored with life in Germany. It had only been six months in this new country, and I was yet to fall in love with it.

There was no social life, no library visits, books felt exorbitantly priced, and my Kindle was left back home. Even Netflix couldn’t keep me entertained anymore—how long can one really watch TV?

Slowly, a kind of laziness crept in. My eyes would droop, not out of tiredness, but from doing nothing meaningful. For someone who once enjoyed a vibrant social life, this phase felt incredibly lonely.  

I still don’t know where my courage went—I just couldn’t bring myself to make new connections.

That’s when I realized—it was time to do something.

A small thought popped up: why not write about books?  

Maybe it would help me connect with like-minded people.

And that’s how the Instagram handle @abookishcorners was born.

I had seen many such pages and thought—it’s going to be fun. Maybe I’ll do well. Maybe, along the way, I’ll even receive books from publishers for reviews.  

Yes, I had my fair share of dreams.

On 1st January 2023, I posted for the first time.

I still remember how nervous I was. Full of doubts.  

Will it get any likes at all?

I told myself not to worry about likes and instead focus on building something authentic. But honestly, that’s easier said than done.

It got 5 likes 😀.  

And I was happy. It pushed me to post more.

I wasn’t very regular, but I showed up. Looking back now, those early posts feel a bit cliché.

With time, I realized how difficult it is to hold on to authenticity in this space. Follower count, likes, reshares, comments—they slowly pull you in, making you crave that validation.

At some point, the numbers started putting pressure on me.

I also began noticing patterns. Some reviews felt like rewrites of the blurb rather than real opinions. There were follower chains—people following each other without meaningful engagement. There are even marketing groups where micro bookstagrammers are paid small amounts to review books, often with an expectation around ratings.

It left me feeling confused—and a little unhappy.

For a while, I stopped posting. I didn’t know what I wanted this page to be.

I won’t deny it—I was tempted by the rewards. But something about it didn’t sit right. I also found myself falling into trends, and reading started to feel forced rather than enjoyable.

My TBR kept growing. Unread books piled up. I was buying books, but not really reading them.

After about a year, I realized I needed to pause and rethink what I wanted this space to represent.

By then, I had also come across some genuinely wonderful people—readers who loved books deeply and shared honest, thoughtful reviews. I made a few real connections.

That changed things for me.

I decided I would post only when I truly felt like it. I want to look back at this page years later and feel proud of it.I want this space to make someone fall in love with reading—not through perfect reviews, but through honest thoughts and feelings.

Today, instead of chasing likes or followers, I post what feels right. My page has slowly become a reading journal—a space where I share what I read, how it made me feel, why I picked it up, and the thoughts that stayed with me.

I’ve also realized that reading—and reviewing—is deeply subjective. It depends on mood, timing, and where you are in life.

This space has been kind to me. I’ve made good friends, discovered great books, and found a rhythm that works for me.

Maybe I’ve also learned to focus more on what I enjoy, rather than everything else around it.

I’m not judging anyone—this is simply my journey on Instagram over the past three years.

Do you have a bookstagram page? How has your journey been? I would love to explore your handles. Please do share in the comments below.

This little corner started out of loneliness—but today, it feels like a part of me.

This post is a part of BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2026

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