Meet Bookstagrammer Sarah Coquillat, also known as Bookish and Black to her followers on Instagram and Twitter. Sarah is also a book club leader, avid reader, and new mother! In honor of Women’s History Month, all month long we’ve been highlighting woman-led book clubs, books by fantastic women authors, and now we are shining a light on a woman from the Bookclubs community who is making a difference through reading.
We got to catch up with Sarah and learn about what her day-to-day looks like now as she balances child care, her love for reading, and her professional career. Read on for tips to grow your Bookstagram, Sarah’s current reads, and to learn who her favorite woman author is and why.
- 6:30 AM - Wake up and feed the baby. Either a) fall back asleep or read on my phone
- 8 AM - Baby wakes up for the day and we get ready for the day (shower, get dressed, coffee and food for me, more milk for her).
- 9:30 AM - Time for a nap!
- 10:15 AM - We play and practice tummy time.
- 11:30 AM - The baby goes down again.
- 12:30 PM - Time for lunch (usually something quick like pasta, leftovers, or Emily Mariko’s famous salmon rice).
- 1 PM - The baby is awake. After eating and burping, I buckle her up in the stroller and we head out for a walk. Sometimes through the neighborhood, sometimes we walk to Trader Joe’s, and other times we head to Starbucks and then sit outside.
- 2:30 PM - Time for another nap! I read some more. During this time I prep for book club (looking up links/interviews with the author, reviews, etc. to share with the book club members).
- 3:30 PM - She's awake! We do our touring (eat/diaper change/play).
- 5 PM - Ready to nap again!
- 6:30 PM - She’s awake! We do a bath, story, and dinner for us both.
- 8 PM - Down for the night. This is when she goes down and I try to watch a show. A lot of the time I just go to bed myself!
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What book is on your nightstand?
Miss Me With That by Rachel Lindsay (my book club’s March selection), Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson and The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin.
Favorite Bookclubs app feature?
The scheduling function. I thrive on organization and being able to input each meeting for the year with time/links/etc. and see who has RSVP’d is amazing!
Favorite woman author? and Why?
Toni Morrison because she is the blueprint. The way she can tell a story still leaves me speechless.
What inspired you to start your bookstagram account?
I was in grad school and had turned to reading for fun as an outlet. One day I stumbled upon a bookstagram photo on my FYP and decided it sounded like something I wanted to try out!
What are the challenges and benefits you've experienced in your work as a bookstagrammer/content creator?
Benefits - I’ve read and discovered books and authors I never would’ve on my own. I’ve also met some of my now closest friends through Bookstagram.
Challenges - Books aren’t the sexy corner of content creation so there aren’t as many fun opportunities available as there are for other types of content creators.
Any advice or pro-tips for aspiring Bookstagrammers?
- Connect with people: like, comment, do reading challenges. It’ll help you “meet” people.
- Have an open mind and try new books and authors but also know what is for you- don’t just read something because you have FOMO.
- Remember that it’s for fun and not a competition about reading the most books, or the most intellectual books.
Join your favorite Bookstagram or Booktok book club today! You can see what they’re reading via our public Join A Book Club page and when they’re meeting on our community events calendar.
We’ll be highlighting women’s stories, voices, and book clubs all month long via our blog, social media, and newsletter so if you enjoyed this feature, subscribe to our blog and create a Bookclubs account to access more reading and club inspiration! Already have an account? Rate and review the books above that you've read, and recommend your favorites to friends.