Welcome to the second instalment of Conversations, where I sit down (virtually) and talk with people from the bookstagram community.
Today, I am in conversation with Prerna Parashar from the page @preadsbooks .
Before we get into a fascinating dialogue with her, I would love to formally introduce her to the readers:
One of BuzzFeed's top 34 Indian Bookstagrammers, Prerna Parashar is a recent B.Tech Graduate from Delhi India. She describes herself as an ardent book lover and a passionate book hoarder.
A sincere and hardworking person, she is committed to not only reading books but to inspire others to read as well- and she does so in the form of reviews and recommendations.
Other than reading, she also writes poetry and paints.
With more than 4000+ followers, Prerna truly is a creative person, the pictures and her flair with words are a testament to that.
☕️ Grab yourselves a cup of your favourite beverage and enjoy this interview ☕️
- What made you want to start @preadsbooks?
I have always been an admirer of books and a huge bookworm among my friends.
Oftentimes I had some of my colleagues who would come up to me because they wanted
to try their hand at reading and I would talk without pausing. The oncoming of the
lockdown made me get back to my beloved books and read at a pace like never before.
Hence came the idea of preadsbooks. I really wanted to creatively express my love for
books and narrate to the world the learnings each one brought to me.
- You made your first post on April 4th, 2020. How has the journey been so far?
Ah, it has been phenomenal! Not only have I learnt how to click better pictures or write
better reviews, I have made some genuine companions within the community. I can now
talk about books and also open myself up to contrasting views which really enriches me.
So yes, the journey has been very educative as well.
- How many books do you manage to read in a year, and what’s the process of choosing
your books?
Honestly, I had never read as many books as I have read in 2020 so there is no definitive
pattern or yearly goal that I usually set. This year, I set a goal of reading 30 books on my
GoodReads account and surpassed that quickly, much to my surprise. Then I changed it
to 40 and then finally to 50. I crossed the count last month and now I don’t feel like
setting a number, really. I am having the best time picking up diverse reads and exploring
genres.
First of all, I read the blurb, if it appeals to me I pick that book right up. Ever since joining
Bookstagram there has been an addition to the process. I also get some amazing
recommendations and often go by them as well but mostly, I just pick one up based on
my gut feeling.
-You read a large variety of books in terms of genre. Which is your favourite genre and
why?
Fantasy! Hands down. I talk about it a lot on my page and can’t really stop talking about
it. Something about venturing mystical lands of magic and adventure really speaks to me.
Also, the fact that I can bring back lessons from those expeditions to my real life really
makes me love fantasy. Having said that, I also cannot forget poetry. It speaks to my soul
and nourishes it. I feel like it is a gift. So my favourite genres are fantasy and poetry.
-What do you do when you’re not reading?
When I am not reading, you can find me writing, posting on my food-blog (Yes, I have
one here as well, surprise!) and sometimes, painting as well. I also enjoy binge-watching
my favourite TV-shows.
-Do Check out her food page on instagram- @feistyandtasty
-Do you have a list of must-read books? Could give us a top 3 all-time favourites?
I understand that the books I love may not work for everyone else. Yet, I always
recommend You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay to everyone! Other than that book,
my all-time favourites are Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Rebecca by Daphne
Du Maurier.
-You co-hosted a Diaspora Author Readathon along with Japneet from @millenial_reader
and Jaskanwar from @justanotherbibliomaniac. What was the whole process
like, to conduct a readathon? And how has the response been?
It has been so fun, honestly! All of us have worked toward making the readathon what it
is today, from the posts to the recommendations and counting points, and all this has not
only been fun but very educative as well! The response has been so overwhelming.
Sometimes I can’t believe it. None of us expected so many people to join in and it is also
because of our beloved participants that our readathon is what it is today.
-You would have read quite a few books for the above-mentioned readathon? Which ones
were your favourites so far?
I loved reading The Lord of The Rings by J R.R. Tolkein that is one book. That is the one book I have
always wanted to read and thanks to the readathon, I finally got the opportunity to pick it
up. Also, The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri introduced me to Lahiri’s
writings and I loved it! Additionally, I re-read Love Looks Pretty On You by Lang Leav
as well which I absolutely adore from the core of my heart.
-You also started a story highlight series on your Instagram titled "Who Should". What
was the story behind it?
I had so many peers in the past who would come up to me and ask what they should read
to get into the habit. Now I understand that we’re all very different and thus can have
different preferences. Hence, I thought of starting the series so as to help and motivate
beginners or ardent readers such as myself to pick their next read. So that they can pick
up something that they’d enjoy and probably learn something from. While thinking of
this series I imagined how I’d feel if someone would just present to me a catalogue of
books to choose from, based on my reading preferences and that felt great! Hence, I
started the story series.
-As a bookstagrammer, do you sometimes feel the pressure to produce content almost
every day?
As a beginner, I did feel the pressure. Often we get caught up in the number game of
likes and reach and what not and we let them govern our worthiness. But having spent
some time here and consuming content from some really talented bookstagrammers, I
have realised that it is very important to remind ourselves why we became
bookstagrammers in the first place, to remind ourselves that we’re all doing the best we
can and with patience, the desired numbers and audience will come. So ever since that
realisation, I do what I love. I talk about books and my opinions openly and honestly and
just focus on being me. I think that is really important. So ever since I have made my
intention to express my truest self, I have felt zero pressure.
-It’s no secret that I love your page and your pictures- they are simple yet effective. I
always have wondered what might be your process of taking such beautiful pictures? Do you have any tips for aspiring book lovers- for example, props, lighting, the kind of camera etc.?
Thank you! Your kind words make me happy. One advice that I can give other book bloggers is to be patient and creative. Because with time our pictures do get better, well, only if we’re open to creative new inspiring ideas. Also, I look for photo inspiration from other very talented bookstagrammers. So many of them have put up videos on their whole photography and editing process and they have helped me immensely. Another advice, natural lighting works wonders like no other. Trust me. I don’t use a special kind of camera, just my phone's. Also, I try to take one picture from multiple angles. That works for me as well. Another thing that I have learnt through trial and error is that often we get caught up in too many props, so much so that the focus shifts from our books,
which nullifies the whole purpose of the picture. So I would say, stay creative and when
in doubt, keep it simple. Always works.
-Your reviews are apt and detailed, which makes us (the followers) want to pick up the
books you recommend. How much time does it take for you to write up a review? How
do you decide which part of the book to highlight?
Honestly, there is no definitive time. I try to write a review the minute I finish reading,
or a time closer to that. Sometimes, I also write down the points that I like and dislike
while I am reading. I tend to speak most about those aspects of a book which were the
most educative, fascinating or just unique. The one thing that I keep in mind while
writing reviews or any other write-up is to narrate my honest experience, insights and
findings. Sometimes, I can spend hours contemplating the right adjectives to describe my
reading experience and sometimes it can take seconds to pour everything out. I also
believe that a good book can write itself a good review. Apart from all this, I do try to
highlight the plot and the type of writing.
- How does Prerna deal with a reading slump? Do you have any tricks and tips to suggest?
I read poetry. It just flows like water and I feel it can wash any obstacle away. Even a
reading slump. Also, short stories can help. Apart from these, I try to read something that
is new to me or a genre I have never tried before, that can turn out to be a blissful
surprise. If none of this works, I tell myself that maybe I need a break and it is absolutely
okay.
- You have almost 4000 followers on your bookstagram. Have you had any interactions
with your followers that are memorable? Would you like to share them?
Definitely! The best part about being on bookstagram is the varying perspectives and insightful interactions. There are so many, I can’t seem to choose one but I hosted a
book discussion for Circe by Madeline Miller once. That was a great experience. Also,
someone DMed me a picture of their superb Agatha Christie collection when I talked
about her on one of my posts. It was phenomenal. I have also had interactions about
Jeffery Archer and some awesome books have been recommended to me, through them
as well.
(ps. I know she currently has more than 4000 followers but when I reached out to her with the interview questions, she had almost 4000 followers- to maintain the authenticity of her answer, I haven't edited the question.)
- You also got featured in an important article- top 34 Indian Bookstagrammers on
BuzzFeed? What was your initial reaction to the article?
It was unbelievable! I couldn’t believe I was mentioned there, with thirty-three super
talented bookstagrammers, most of whom, I look up to with great admiration and respect.
I had to open the link and check multiple times. It still feels surreal. And it also felt really
great to be recognised for the efforts I put in to create preadsbooks. It added to my self-esteem and just took me to cloud nine!
- What is the best advice could you give to the newbies on bookstagram?
I only have two because I believe I have a lot to learn still. One: be you! Make your page
your own. Let your followers get a peek into your personality via the books you post and
your perspective on them. You’re unique in your own way and you should let it show on
your page.
Second would be to always be consistent. This doesn’t mean that you have to post
every day, no. It means to select a couple of days that are comfortable to your schedule-
even if it is two days a week, and to be consistent with those. Trust me, consistency can
go a long, long way.
- Which book do you credit your love for reading to?
I don’t think I have that one book that I can give all the credit to. I feel it is a multitude
of them and the takeaways I learnt from each. The whole experience of losing and finding
myself is what I believe makes me love reading. So, not one book but the essence of
reading. The journey is what I would like to give credit to.
- What can we expect from @preadsbooks in the future? Any exciting projects you’d like
to share?
I along with Japneet recently started a read along with the aim of encouraging our fellow
readers to pick up partition literature. I believe it's a great idea and can really push us to try diverse reads and get a peek into our history.
Also, you can expect some honest reviews, recommendations and a lot more bookish rants from me.
I would like to say that I loved the whole experience. I really liked how well researched and curated your questions were. Looking out for such fun things in the future as well till then I'll be ranting about books and creating flatlays as usual!
Thank you Prerna, for agreeing to do this and talking with me. You are kind and supportive, and a role model. You were on board with the whole idea instantly. I wish you the very best in every adventure ahead.
Do check her Instagram page- her content is truly amazing. She herself is so inspirational.
☕️I hope you guys enjoyed this conversation🧡
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