Featured #Bookstagrammer Serena!

Today we have Serena Agusto-Cox, aka @SAgustoCox on Instagram. Although a veteran book blogger at Savvy Verse and Wit and the owner of Poetic Book Tours, Serena only joined Instagram recently. What does she think of the platform? Read on to find out!

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Tell us about yourself! Where do you work/play? What books do you like to read? Do you have any non-bookish hobbies? Any pets? What's your one great ambition?

I read a wide variety of books, though most readers know I love poetry. I work from home in a position that allows me to telecommute and take care of my 4-yr-old daughter. I love taking photos, scrapbooking (though I haven't done much of that, and talking books. I have one dog, Sonia, she's a rescue husky mix (with what we don't know), and she's really the family dog. My ambition is to not only get Poetic Book Tours of the ground and profitable, but also to finish my own poetry collection and get it published.

How did you get started blogging on IG? How long ago?

I just started in February 2015. I saw that a bunch of other book bloggers were on Instagram. Everyone said they loved it, so I decided I'd try it out since I could post about books through my favorite hobby, photography.

What do you like about IG in comparison to other platforms or more traditional blogging?

I love the instant nature of it and the photos. What is there not to love.

Do you have favorite filters or settings you like to use? Is there a particular reason you use them?

No. I like them all. But I also haven't played with them much.

What are some tips you would give someone who was thinking of joining IG or had just joined?

Tips, boy I don't really have any. But if you have tips for me, I'd gladly take them.

Hashtags: What are some of your favorites? Do you have any "rules" when it comes to using hashtags?

#foodporn is one of my favorites. I love taking pictures and posting them of the food we eat at home and out.

What are some NON-bookish things you love posting?

Food, my daughter having fun, the garden

What are some things that surprised you about IG?

That the people I follow don't post that much or at least as much as I seem to. Maybe that's because I'm relatively new to it.

What's one place, person, or thing you think has appeared most often in your photos?

Gardening stuff or my daughter

Selfies: Yes or meh?

NO

They say a picture's worth 1000 words. What story does your Instagram feed tell about you? Do you think it's accurate?

That I love my daughter, my garden, and books; that's a far cry from 1,000 words.

What are some tips you'd give people for photographing their books?

Make sure you have good lighting so people can see the title and cover clearly. But make sure that the light is not directly above the cover when you are taking a picture because you'll either have a glare or see your own shadow.

If you could add/remove one thing in Instagram, what would it be?

Nothing fits this question...yet.

How do you integrate IG with your blog? Or do you?

Instagram automatically posts to the Facebook page of Savvy Verse & Wit. That makes it easy for me.

Blogging's more fun with friends! Who are three people on IG you think are must-follows?

• @Stillunfinished
• @Estrella05azul
• @Swetavikram

What are four of your best or favorite photos/videos that you've posted in the past year?

Nana stopped by checking on my garden again

A photo posted by Serena Agusto-Cox (@sagustocox) on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:43pm PDT

All my lovely ladies @fran_1616 @sarahmmccoy @erikarobuck and Anna who needs Instagram!

A photo posted by Serena Agusto-Cox (@sagustocox) on May 18, 2015 at 11:57am PDT

Superstar

A photo posted by Serena Agusto-Cox (@sagustocox) on May 18, 2015 at 11:58am PDT

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Thanks, Serena! Be sure to follow Serena on Instagram and her blog, and check her out on Twitter @SavvyVerseWit and Facebook.

February Firsts: Serena - For the Love of Poetry

Today, please welcome Serena, from Savvy Verse & Wit, and Poetic Book Tours!

For the Love of Poetry

By: Serena M. Agusto-Cox

Reading is most often a family affair.  Families sit together, curled under blankets with open books.  Young kids are read to, on an almost nightly basis, and kids are reading to their parents as they age.  My own parents may have read, but I never saw it as a kid.  Now, looking back, I wonder how I’ve become the reader I am, not to mention a great lover of poetry, a form many readers are fearful of trying in the first place.

I suppose it was my Nana, my homework sounding board, who introduced me to the classics, like Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and Gaston Leroux.  She was a petite woman, who would quietly steer you in the right direction, and her gentle nudging was almost imperceptible.  The first collection of poems she gave me, Best Loved Poems to Read Again & Again compiled by Mary Sanford Laurence, came on Valentine’s Day.  I was 15 and had been writing my own poems since age 12.  Nana had been the only one who knew.

It’s a great starter collection of poems, including some of the greats from Percy Bysshe Shelley, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Oscar Wilde.  Imagine reading these poems as a teen, reading how the fountains and rivers mingle in Shelley’s “Love’s Philosophy.”  I remember reading this poem, which is in the “Affection” section of the book, and thinking how everything in the world is connected!  And even though it’s all connected, there are still differences that make the world and us stand out – the mountains are tall and the rivers are winding.  And yet, while this poem appears to be about affection, it also presents a desire to be loved, and don’t we all want that?

I still have this great collection. It sits on the top shelf of my poetry cabinet.  I still have all the little scraps of paper stuck in the pages of poems that I love.  I’ve never removed them, even as I return to the book and read the poems again and again. 

It is the book that first introduced me to Byron and Blake, propelling me to search for books that contained their other poems.  Many of these poems I bookmarked as a lovesick teen, I now find them sappy.  But they still hold a warm place in my heart because of who gave me the book.

The collection may be without its dust jacket, thanks to several moves after leaving my parents’ house behind after college, but it is in well-preserved condition.  Where does that love of poetry begin?  It begins in the first poem you read and connect with – maybe because someone you love gave you the poem, or maybe because it reminds you of someone you love.  It doesn’t matter where the love of poetry begins, but that it does.

Thank you for sharing, Serena!

Please leave Serena a comment below!

Lady Vowell Smith from The Snail on the Wall

Today please welcome Lady Vowell Smith, 

who blogs at The Snail on the Wall.

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What's the meaning behind the name of your book blog?

The Snail on the Wall comes from Virginia Woolf's essay "Mark on the Wall." In the essay, the narrator sees something on the wall of her drawing room and then lets her mind wander on all the possibilities of what it could be: a leaf, a nail hole, or a crack. And this makes her reflect on some serious subjects, from war to history to life. At the end, the mark turns out to be nothing more than a snail. So, basically, one small snail on the wall can inspire some unexpected thought and conversation.

Tell us a bit about your book blog. What makes it unique?

I used to teach literature and writing to college students, so blogging is an outlet for the teacher in me. I use my blog as a place to share ideas about literature, from contemporary fiction to classics and poetry, and I hope it opens mental or emotional doors for people who may not have read a particular book, or may have even read something and not liked it. Rather than doing book reviews, I tend to explore personal or cultural connections with what I'm reading and writing about.

What genres do you write about most, and why?

When it comes to genres, I don't discriminate. One day, I might be writing about Modernist poetry, and another I might be posting about my kindergartener's favorite picture book. As a longtime student of literature and a former professor, I love what we've come to call the classics. So I can't resist trying to get people to share my passion for Victorian novels, the Romantic poets, or Elizabethan drama. But I mix it up at The Snail—you never know where the discussion might lead.

What's your earliest memory of reading?

I can remember reading my mother's cookbooks while she made dinner, and I wrote in the margins then as much as I do now!

What was the first book you read over and over, or the book you've reread the most?

The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. From my first reading in college, the ambiguity of the ending hooked me: in drowning, does Edna accidentally let herself slip from life to death, or does she selfishly choose to leave her family behind and willfully commit suicide? I love that several different people can read this book, and have several different opinions. And I love that even the same person could read it at different stages of life and reach different conclusions.

Writing in books: Yes or hell to the no?

Absolutely yes—I believe books are meant to study and interact with. But I do practice more restraint these days. When I look back to my copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein from my days as an undergrad, about half of the text is underlined. There's such a thing as too much.

Do you have any reading accessories you can't do without?

Sticky notes and a pen. I know I've enjoyed a book when it ends up a colorful mess of sticky notes on important passages that I want to return to, reread, and write about.

Finish the sentence: My bookshelves are...

Embarrassingly organized. I keep my books in sections by geographical region (British, American, world), some by genre (poetry has its own section, as do anthologies), and, of course, alphabetical within each section. I confess to being type A, below!

My TBR pile is...

Big and growing bigger all the time. Now that I've entered the blog world, I spend my time reading many, many other book blogs, which means I discover books I never would have known about before. Thanks, fellow bloggers!

What's a book that's changed your life?

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. It's been on the bestseller list for a while now, and for good reason: it's a validating book for the one-third of us who are introverts, who feel like we spend much of our lives swimming upstream in an extroverted culture. (It's worthwhile reading for extroverts, too, because it will help you understand all those quiet people in your life.)

One book you like that no one else seems to, or vice versa?

Anything by Henry James: Portrait of a Lady, The Ambassadors, etc. Most people don't like his style of using 100 words when you could use 10, but I feel love to get lost in his long, convoluted sentences.

To DNF or not to DNF?

Until recently, my type-A personality always made me a book finisher; even while hating a book, I would insist on finishing it so that I could offer educated reasons about my opinion. But after I hit the age milestone of 40 a few years ago, I've noticed that I can put a book down in the middle. That old cliché about life being too short is true.

If you could go to any literary destination, where would you go?

Although I spent a year in Dublin studying Irish literature, I didn't have the chance to visit England. British literature is my specialty and my passion, so I have a whole host of sites in England to visit, from London to the Lakes District.

How about non-book related hobbies? What do you do when you don't feel like reading?

Singing, playing the piano, listening to music of all kinds, acting (only occasionally), cooking, eating, raising my three kids, being active in my community.

What are 3 of your must-read blogs?

The Millions 
Book Riot
Bookslut
Fuse #8

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Thank you for joining us today, Lady Vowell Smith! Remember to check out Lady Vowell Smith's blog, The Snail on the Wall, and leave a comment or question.

Alice from ofBooks

Please welcome Alice, who blogs at ofBooks!

Questions:


NAME OF MY BOOK BLOG(S):
ofBooks – http://ofbooks.org

I HAVE BEEN BLOGGING SINCE:
January 2012.


GENRES COVERED MOST ON MY BLOG:
Literary Fiction/Classics, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction,  Poetry, General Fiction, Fantasy and Dystopians.


MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF READING:
I didn't read much as a child, most of my memories are of me in my early twenties guzzling book after book rather than anything specific.
I do remember a period in my early teens when I loved Louisa May Alcott books – Little Women and Eight Cousins – I really craved that sort of upbringing, no idea why.


THE BOOK I HAVE RE-READ THE MOST TIMES:
I tend not to re-read books, I have never felt the desire; I am always after the next adventure, always wanting to crawl into the next world. I would say that Harry Potter series is probably the only occasion where I have re-read anything – my sister and I used to re-read the series before each book came out to remind ourselves of the plot. Once we devoured the newest book in a matter of days, the prospect of years ahead of us before we could revisit Harry, Hermione and Ron again was devastating.

MY MUST-HAVE READING ACCESSORIES:
A bookmark, a pen and my laptop.

This may horrify the majority of you, but I am a book scribbler. I should invest in some post-it notes  to jot on, but currently I will write notes all over a book. You should see my copy of 1984, angry and 'huzzah!' scribbles all over it.

My laptop is always at hand too, so I can get down thoughts which surpass scribbling length.

MY BOOKSHELVES ARE:
Overflowing! They are split into three sections; books to read, favourite books read, and  everything else. I do not organise by any method; author, alphabetically, colour, height – for convenience sake I probably should.

MY TBR LIST/PILE IS:
Huge! I recently did an internship with a publishing house in London and came away with two boxes of books, all of which have been piled op top of an already towering TBR pile – the three I have out at the moment are:

Witness the Night by Kishwar Desai
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
Soldaten by Sonke Neitzel and Harald Welzer


A BOOK THAT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE IN SOME WAY:
The Reader by Bernard Schlink
It taught me to think outside the box – it is easy to herd a population under the title of 'extremist', 'fascist' or 'Nazi', when life is more complicated. Should blame be placed on people who have little understanding of what they have done? Can we punish the individual for a group's crime?
It blew my mind; now I consider all factors of an event, not just the winner's.


A BOOK I LIKE THAT NO ONE ELSE SEEMS TO:
I can't really think of one. Not to say that I have marvellous taste; I find it tends to be a friend or two that disagrees with my opinion, as opposed to a group of people – I have never been in a situation where I appear to be the only advocate.


A BOOK I DON’T LIKE THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO LOVE:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak– it was okay, but did not move me in the same way it did for anyone else I have spoken to about it.

A BOOK THAT INTIMIDATES ME:
Most of Shakespeare – I feel like there is constantly something I am not understanding, and the language, though beautiful, is lost on me.


IF I COULD GO TO ANY LITERARY DESTINATION I WOULD CHOOSE:
Any location Poirot visits, Agatha Christie gave her sleuths the best adventures. I would particularly love to travel down the Nile in the 20s/30s, oh the glamour!

MY FAVORITE NON-BOOKISH ACTIVITY:
I really would love to list something here that would imply that I am in some way active, but really, aside from reading I just enjoy seeing friends and having a natter. Books are my introvert tool of joy, however, on occasion I need human interaction. Seeing, or speaking to, some of my favourite people occupies my spare time and keeps me happy.


MY MUST-READ BLOGS (PLEASE LIMIT TO 3):
Charlie @ The Worm Hole [http://wormhole.carnelianvalley.com/]; because we have similar tastes in books, and sometimes I think she can read my mind.
Emily @ Emily Books [https://emilybooks.wordpress.com/]; because we have utterly different tastes in books, and her blog introduces me to books I would never find on my own.
Manda @ Break the Sky [http://breakthesky.net/]; because she is one of the most interesting 'life' bloggers I know.


Thank you for joining us today, Alice! Remember to check out Alices's blog, ofBooks, and leave a comment or question.

Jeanne of Necromancy Never Pays

Please welcome Jeanne, who blogs at Necromancy Never Pays. 

NAME OF MY BOOK BLOG: 

Necromancy Never Pays. I started on Blogger and am now at Wordpress. There’s also a Necromancy Never Pays on Tumblr, but it’s less about books and more about Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock (Superwholock).  I can also be found on Twitter.

  

I HAVE BEEN BLOGGING SINCE: 

February 2008, when I had my knee replaced and my family played a game of  "Would You Rather." When one of us got a card asking whether we'd rather have three questions answered or be able to resurrect someone, the kids and I immediately went for the three questions, but Ron was hesitating over resurrection. "Oh come on," I said, "necromancy never pays; literature shows us this over and over."

"Oh yeah," Ron said, "The Monkey's Paw."

And then we went on to the next card. Some things are just clear, once you remember all the stuff you've read about them.

The Wordpress version of NNP has been less of a commonplace book—a place to write down all the stuff a person has read—and more of a series of essays and meditations on literature.  Like any blogger who has been at it for more than five years, I’m looking for a new direction. I think it must be a little like writing a second novel—all the stuff I most wanted to write about, I have written about already, so there’s less sense of urgency.

GENRES COVERED MOST ON MY BLOG: 

Poetry, science fiction and fantasy, literary fiction. The blogger version had a lot of YA reviews, but as my kids have grown up, I’m not reading as much YA.  Some of it is splendid, but we feel ready to discuss bigger issues with larger vocabularies.

FIRST BOOK I READ OVER AND OVER: 

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. It was one of the only books I had with me the summer I turned 11, the summer we spent on Oahu while my parents were taking classes at the University of Hawaii.  Another book I read over and over was the book I kept in the car for reading on trips the summer I turned 13, Gone With the Wind.  Since then I’ve been continuously re-reading Lord Of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and I often find myself re-reading Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (Anne Tyler) because I’m thinking of a phrase from it and have to go back and read the whole thing.

THE BOOK I HAVE RE-READ THE MOST TIMES: 

I don’t know if it’s The Two Towers (J.R.R. Tolkien) or The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Douglas Adams).  I do tend to bounce back and forth from the sublime to the ridiculous.

MY MUST-HAVE READING ACCESSORIES: 

I have to use reading glasses now, and the good part of that is that it creates a little world for the book; I don’t try to look up and notice what’s going on around me as much (and with four inside/outside cats, there’s always something going on around me).  The bad part of that is I can’t read as much in odd moments, because I not only have to pull a book out, I have to pull the glasses out, too.

MY BOOKSHELVES ARE: 

Restored (after the flood of March 2012), in a new order that I don’t know as well, and mostly double-stacked.

A BOOK THAT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE IN SOME WAY: 

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway; I could never read the same way again after finding out the secrets of this book.

IF I COULD GO TO ANY LITERARY DESTINATION I WOULD CHOOSE: 

The moon of Robert Heinlein’s “The Menace from Earth” and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.  I’ve made several literary pilgrimages to England--on the most recent, we visited Oxford, Stratford, the Lake District, Haworth and the moor, and then, of course—because as Samuel Johnson says, if you’re tired of it, you’re tired of life--London.

MY FAVORITE NON-BOOKISH ACTIVITY: 

I used to spend a lot of time captioning pictures in photo albums, and now do something similar on Tumblr. I will swim anywhere there’s a body of water both bigger and only slightly cooler than I am. Most of all, I love traveling to fictional places—we went to Hill Valley on a tour of Universal Studios, and to Hogwarts via the Orlando facsimile.  We wanted to go to New Zealand while some of the LOTR and Hobbit tours were still being offered, but it is beyond the means of a family of four with two in college and the other two working at one.

MY FAVORITE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION: 

Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. They’re not perfect adaptations (the portrayal of Faramir and Denethor makes me particularly angry), but it was wonderful to see them on screen, and to see so many people discover the story.  Same with the Harry Potter movies—things had to be left out, but it was fun to see some of the details, and to see more people get pulled into reading the books. 

One of the movies made from a book that I love the most is The Princess Bride—the movie is good in a different way from the book. 

I like both the book and the movie of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and visited the house where the events took place when we went through Savannah last summer.

Not that you asked, but the movie I like the least that is made from a book I love is To Kill a Mockingbird. I know a lot of people really like Gregory Peck as Atticus, but the movie pretty much left me cold when I saw it in my forties, after three decades of reading and re-reading the book.

I’ve seen a few movies that I thought were as good or better than the book--Cloud Atlas was at least as good, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower was better.

Thank you for joining us today, Jeanne! Remember to check out Jeanne's blog, Necromancy Never Pays, and leave a comment or question.