A different kind of love letter

Thursday, October 16th, 11:14 p.m.

I’m sipping my chamomile tea in front of my iPad, now down to 19%.

The keyboard is ready, a blank page open in Notes, and the need to put these few lines in black and white.

The sight of the tissue I just used to wipe my tears makes me smile.

No, they weren’t bitter tears.

Out of curiosity, I typed into Google: “What is Bookstagram?”

The AI Overview reads:

“The term ‘Bookstagram’ refers to the community and practice of creating book-related content on Instagram, combining the words ‘book’ and ‘Instagram.’ Bookstagrammers share reviews, artistic photos of books, reading suggestions, and discussions, using the hashtag #bookstagram to connect with other book lovers. This phenomenon has created a new marketing channel for publishers, influencing sales charts and helping new titles to be discovered.”

Among the main features listed, one in particular caught my attention:

Community.

“It’s a global community of readers who support and interact with each other through comments, shares, and hashtags.”

It’s accurate, precise even, yet something is missing.

From my personal experience

When people talk about Bookstagram—about support and interactions—they usually refer only to the literary side of things, in whatever genre or form it takes.

But they constantly forget the most important thing: the people.

And for you, who might experience it only as a spectator, that’s fine—it’s enough.

But for me, for us, who live it every day, it’s something much more.

Where the algorithm sees a book review, we see the person behind those words.

Where you leave a heart on a photo you like, we support the work and dedication of the person bringing it to your screen.

Where you count likes and comments, we know there are interactions that go far beyond the book itself.

Earlier tonight, while scrolling through stories, I saw one from J. about one of her projects.

We’ve exchanged a few messages over the years—nothing constant—but there’s always been this quiet, mutual respect and warmth in every chat.

I replied to her story with a question that might have seemed too personal to some, and maybe it was.

From there, a real conversation bloomed—just a few long messages, full of honesty, shared experiences, support, and hope.

A tissue to dry tears filled with gratitude.

Once again, Bookstagram—my Bookstagram—gave me the chance to connect with someone who, on a sad and restless night, took care of me in the best way only we readers know: through words.

I could write for hours about the people this space has given me.

People who have become essential to my life, who have made, make, and will continue to make a difference.

People whose presence is now necessary for my well-being.

But they already know that.

When people talk about Bookstagram, they always do it with numbers in hand.

The community turns into a constant and frantic follower count.

Success becomes a measurable threshold that, if reached (by their standards), lets you attend events for free or maybe receive books from big publishers.

And from a marketing point of view, that’s fine—though not as fine as it seems (but that’s another story).

But if you look at it truly, if you go beyond the books and everything around them, you’ll find the real meaning of this much-discussed world—one that, thankfully, has spread across different platforms over the years.

The true (and personal) definition of Bookstagram

So, allow me to give you my personal and lived overview of Bookstagram:

The term “Bookstagram” refers to the collection of countless small and large communities born from an individual need—to share one’s passion and love for reading with people, whether similar or different, who can truly understand that for most of us, it’s not just a hobby.

To the practice of creating book-themed content on Instagram—sharing reviews, artistic book photos, reading suggestions, and discussions—it adds the beautiful possibility, through time, consistency, love, and dedication, of creating bonds that go beyond the pages of the books we read.

This phenomenon embodies one of the most beloved tropes in literature: the found family.

A “found family” is a group of people who, though not related by blood, form a deep and lasting bond built on mutual support, love, and acceptance.

Yes, Bookstagram has also created a new marketing channel for publishers, influencing sales and helping readers discover new titles.

But ever since I understood all this, I stopped measuring my success through numbers (even though, of course, every new follower still makes me smile).

My personal measure of success is the love, support, and acceptance I receive every day from my small, welcoming found family.

To you who live it, I wish you the same love and even more.

To you who are outside of it, I invite you to look at every post, every interaction, with different eyes.

I never thought I’d reach this kind of success.

And I’m endlessly grateful for it.