Welcome to my BOOKSTAGRAMMER SPOTLIGHT, where I show some love to our fellow Bloggers, Bookstagrammers and common Romance Readers. I started this because while there might be a lot of us out there, each of us is different and unique in not just reading, photography, books…everything! A fun way to show some love & learn a little more about the romance community members!! Today’s feature is a very beautiful woman who not only loves books but also is Bosnia a town called Mostar, we don’t only share the language or background but also a story I am sure she went through just like I did during the war of 1995. That’s another story but I hope you ENJOY!
Name: Jasna Vegar
About Me: I am 37 years old and I come from a beautiful little town of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) which is located in the heart of Europe. I was born in this town, but during my life, I have lived in Sweden for almost 4 years, and 5 years I lived in Sarajevo (capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina) where I studied English literature. I am professor of English by profession, but I work as a translator. I am happily married for 10 years now (we are actually celebrating our 10th anniversary on June 20) and I have a daughter (8 years old), for whom I hope that will love reading and books as much as I do. Besides reading, which is everyone’s hobby here in the bookstagram world, I really like to travel. I am especially excited for the road trips that I go on with my family. Our family goal regarding travelling is to annually visit two countries where we haven’t been before. I am born in January, which means that my zodiac sign is Aquarius; a fun fact is that both my husband and daughter are the same zodiac sign as I am, and we function very well. Spring and summer are my two favorite seasons and I like to spend as much time as I can outdoors in the nature or by the seaside.
BOOKSTAGRAM
Logo/IG name? JV_readinglist
How/Why did you come up with it? When I decided that I would like to try bookstagramming, my inspiration was on a very low level, but I thought that I will usually post about the books I am reading or would love to read, so basically the IG name means Jasna Vegar’s reading list. Regarding the logo, because I am not yet very good with graphics, I had a little help by @bobi_book_ero, @mimi.dekoracije and the latest one is made by @hopeless.romance.readaholic. So thank you guys so much ☺ I love them all!
When did you start Bookstagramming? What was the first thing you did? I started my bookstagram account not so long ago, actually on February 7 this year. The first thing I posted was a picture of a book that I was reading at the time just and I started my account.
Why did you start what you started? Influence? I have had my private IG account for years, and lately (before I started bookstagram), I used to post photos of books and different giveaways, and there were some people that used to say I should start my own bookstagram account because I love to read so much ☺
Did you have any help at the beginning or winged it? At the beginning I wanted to try by myself, and I managed to figure out most of the things, but on the way I had little help from my dear bookish friends @bobi_book_ero and @hopeless.romance.readaholic and my dear colleague and friend @xenaratnica.
What is your favorite part about BOOKSTAGRAMMING and why? I simply love this bookstagram world because in these couple of months that I have been active everyone along the way has been so helpful, and I am very proud of this community and the people that are part of it. I have met people and authors from all over the world, and everyone has been so supportive and helpful. So thank you all for being so amazing!
What platforms do you use (this is meant for APP’s mainly, things like Canva and so forth.) I have just started using Canva, and I am still getting used to it. Regarding photos I am using Pixlr, Fotor, and Photo Editor.
What social media’s are you on? And do you have a favorite? I have private accounts both on Facebook and Instagram, and I must say that Instagram is my favorite.
Do you have any tips and tricks about blogging? Being a pioneer in this blogging world perhaps the best tip is to just be yourself, the more you are yourself the more will people appreciate you.
Have you had any bad/negative experiences on Bookstagram? I haven’t had any negative experiences so far, and hopefully it will stay that way.
What have you learned from blogging on a public platform like? The answer is the same as on the previous question. It is very important to be yourself. The world is full of different people but everyone has some kind of a sparkle that will shine bright one day.
Do you have any goals that you haven’t yet been able to get to, concerning your account? I am pretty happy with how things are going right now but who knows, maybe I become inspired soon.
What are some highlights or special moments that have happened, concerning your book blogging career? I was really happy when some authors contacted me and were willing to send me their books for a review. I really had no idea that things like that were happening in this bookstagram world.
Do you think Bookstagram is an effective platform to express your opinion on books? Yes, I think it definitely is.
What do you use camera vise when taking book photography? I simply use the camera on my phone – Huawei Mate 20 Lite ds
Do you use your own props? Is there a fun or MAGICAL way you set it all up? (loc, props…) Yes I do use my own props, usually searching my home for new ideas, and natural light is very important too, so I try to take photos during daytime.
Do you have advice for new bookstagrammers on how to start, be, and do? Just be yourself and you will be surprised how many similar people to yourself you will meet.
Do you have any favorite Instagram accounts that you follow for books, inspiration, ideas…? There are so many beautiful accounts that are my daily inspiration such as: @abooklover73, @bookishlife.123, @knjigesuumodi, @love2read_, @kayloo.reads, @cassidyreads, @milicasbookshelf, all those I mentioned in previous questions that have been very helpful and of course @theguidetoromancenovels.
What was the first book you officially bookstagrammer, how about the first book you reviewed and posted on Instagram? The first book with which I officially started my bookstagram was To All the Boys I Loved Before, because I was currently reading that book. And the first two books that I officially reviewed were Bad Saint by Monica James and The Best Kind of Mistake by Jasmin Miller.
LET’S TALK ABOUT BOOKS!
Tell us, do you know the exact amount of paperback you own? How about ebooks? (I suggest not to count because I did & I regretted it) The last time I counted my paperbacks there were approximately 250 books and regarding ebooks there are about 100 books on my kindle app.
Do you prefer paper or kindle? I prefer paperbacks, but regarding the fact that the publishers in my country and neighboring countries (we speak the same language ☺) are very slow in translating new books, lately I am reading more ebooks in English.
Do you know your first paperback/ebook? If I remember correctly I think that my first paperback besides the obligatory school books was some book by Danielle Steele and my first ebook was I think On Dublin Street by Samantha Young.
Do you remember your very first read? My very first read was probably some fairytale such as Cinderella or The Little Mermaid ☺
What is it that draws you to a book? (picture, blurb, author..or all?) There are some authors whose books I buy without even reading the blurb, then I really love to see beautiful covers and at the first sight it is the cover that attracts me, and also there are recommendations by the people with whom I have similar taste in books.
Do you have a favorite genre you read? And which one? I really love to read contemporary romance, new adult and historical romance, but sometimes when I want to take a break from those books I like to read drama or books that are set in WW2.
What is your ideal bookboyfriend like? (looks, actions…) I don’t know, perhaps someone like Braden Carmichael from On Dublin Street ☺
Do you have a real life bookboyfriend? If he is a celeb, book model and so forth, care to share a photo of who? I have a real life book husband if that counts ☺
What is your favorite part about a story? (the beginning get to know each other, the sexy scenes, the middle right before the peak…) I like the beginning of the story whether it is enemies to lovers or friends to lovers, but I like to see the flow of the story from the beginning.
What book are you currently reading? A Pizza My Heart by Teagan Hunter and I am loving it.
Do You have a favorite book quotes from any recent or previously read books you’d like to share? Here are two quotes from Slammed, my favorite Colleen Hoover book: “Don’t take life too seriously. Punch it in the face when it needs a good hit. Laugh at it.” “Push your boundaries, that’s what they are there for.”
How long does it take you to read an average book? Usually it takes me 3-4 days sometimes even longer depending on my work schedule.
How many reads per week do you think you read on an average? I believe that 1-2 books are my weekly average.
Have you ever considered writing a book? If so, why, how, when and who?! Actually I have never considered writing a book, by I have been thinking about establishing a publishing house, but after I have seen how complicated it is to set up a business in my country, for now I have dropped that idea.
Who is your favorite author and why? (you’re welcome for this one *smirk*) My favorite author is definitely Colleen Hoover. I simply love how she writes. Her books are all different and yet they are all amazing. I even read her latest book Verity which is totally different from her other books, and I loved it.
Now, the real important question -> What is your favorite book & why! My all-time favorite book is (surprisingly it is not a romance) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I love it because it is not an ordinary book, the narrator is very unfamiliar and it is a very sad story of a young girl’s life during the WW2.
Do you have any magical words for everyone out there?! I believe that it is very important to be true to yourself and believe in yourself. I am a very positive person, and to me the glass is always half full, not half empty. My life moto is “Always look on the bright side of life”.
STALK THE BOOKSTAGRAMMER
That concludes another great SPOTLIGHT interview. If you’re just now reading this for the first time. I started the BOOKSTAGRAMMER SPOTLIGHT in a form of #followfriday that we do for out fellow bookstagrammers. This way you get a chance to get to know the person behind the @ name, as well as put a face to a name!! I hope you enjoyed & many more to come, stay tuned!!