Tastemaker Salon: An interview with Nikki Ramirez (@poetry.and.plot.twists)
The beauty of reading without pressure, crafting a 'to-read' list for quality over quantity, and bookstagram as creative outlet
Nikki is a rad bookstagrammer whose aesthetic makes me want to curl up and drink some rosehip tea while I crack into the latest thriller. (Check out her page and you’ll see what I mean!) She’s celebrating three years on Bookstagram, and 15,000 followers (!!) this week, so drop her a congrats in the comments!
What’s your bookstagram handle?
My bookstagram handle is @poetry.and.plot.twists
How long have you been on bookstagram?
I started my bookstagram summer of 2021 and will be celebrating 3 years this August!
What are your favorite genres to read? How would you describe your bookstagram aesthetic?
My favorite genres are thrillers and mysteries, fantasy, and romance! However, thrillers are my preferred genre first and foremost! I do read and feature all genres though on my account. My aesthetic has always been bright and colorful with elements of florals, candles, and beads.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
My favorite authors include Ashley Winstead, Riley Sager, Emily Henry, Sarah J. Maas.
What books do you wish got more love on bookstagram?
A book that I love that I don’t see often enough is Where the Crawdads Sing, The Invisible Hour, and Weyward!
How do you decide which books to read?
I decide which books to read based on my mood, but also based on pub dates if they’re arcs! I feature books in a variety of ways to appeal to all types of readers/genres. For example, I’ll post book features (no review but full synopsis), book reviews, book mail (typically ARCs I’m sent), book challenges with a variety of book recs, author spotlights, series spotlights, etc.!
How many books do you read a year?
I try not to set a goal each year for how many books I want to read. As a mom of 4, I just don’t want that added pressure to reach a certain goal, so I try to just be content with wherever I land come the end of the year. I’m a big believer in quantity over quality and don’t want to just fly through books for the sake of adding to my number. I’d rather take my time and really absorb each book. The most I’ve read in a year though was 90 books. [Editor’s note: Truly incredible, especially considering four kids!! Wow!]
How did you get started in the bookstagram community?
I started my bookstagram because I would post book reviews on my personal account and no one really engaged except Alana (@wellred.bookclub), who had a book club booksta account at the time and convinced me to make my own. Now it’s become such an important part of my identity. Taking my book pictures and creating my post content has become my aesthetic and creative outlet. It’s become something I have just for myself while incorporating my favorite hobby of reading. I’m so proud of the space I’ve built and the friendships I’ve made in this community through my account!
Backlist beauties
Recommending: The Bridesmaid by Ruth Rendell
Year published: 1989
Ruth Rendell is a must-read for thriller fans—she was incredibly prolific and also wrote under the name Barbara Vine. She’s famous for her Inspector Wexford series, but I prefer her standalones, which are sharply insightful psychological suspense novels and thrillers. And Rendell is British, so her novels all have this plummy, British feel to them—truly a whole vibe.
In The Bridesmaid, a man falls in love with a statue and then meets the woman who looks like the statue—only the woman might also be an unhinged murderess. That is more or less the plot in a nutshell, but along the way it’s also a brilliant examination of psychology, class mores, and gender dynamics in relationships. Truly delicious. I can’t wait to watch the French film adaptation by Claude Chabrol.