Meet The Bookstagrammer: @beardbetweenthelines

Article contributed by Johanna H

João Ribeiro is the 36-year-old behind the great bookstagram @beardbetweenthelines. If you don’t already follow João you can expect a lot of book recommendations and pictures of coffee, but also great tips on writing. As an avid reader and writer, he has some great hacks to share and while you might think that he is a writer for his occupation, but no, he is a lawyer! Get to know this smart and creative bookstagrammer in our interview below!

Why did you start your book Instagram?

I always loved reading and writing and I started taking it more seriously about ten years ago. But I don’t have many friends who like reading and writing like I do, so I thought it was interesting to find those people on social media. I used to follow book feeds in my personal account on Instagram and I always felt like sharing my readings and my writing in an account of my own. So after thinking about it, I created my account. Then it became my daily writing exercise and a good habit, and I’m doing it ever since.

You have a great feed. How did you find your style?

Thank you. I really love how it turned out. It was hard in the beginning; I didn’t know what I was doing. But then I started thinking of my account as my personal brand. So I started working on elements that I wanted for my photos (like the coffee that I always drink, the book, the tablet I use to write my stuff, a wooden table). Then I started playing with editing apps to get the same “branding” result with colors and editing. After experimenting a lot I finally found a style that I loved and started using it on all my photos.

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What book genre do you prefer reading?

I really like any well written book, but I’m more into literary fiction than genre. I like books that are worth it for their literary merit, and that don’t follow a formula. But I do love any kind of good book.

When you aren’t reading, what do you spend your time doing?

Everything else. *laugh* Writing, creating content, watching movies and series, listening to music, being a father and a husband. Sometimes I’m working, I’m a full-time lawyer, and I have to spend a lot of time on that too. And I also play a lot of chess and pool too.

Is there any book or books that you are looking forward to reading in 2021?

In 2021, I decided to dedicate myself to a reading project to read Brazilian classics. I’ve made a list of the best classics I should read or reread, I’m definitely looking forward to it.

If you could grab a coffee with any author, dead or alive, who would it be?

Hemingway, Machado de Assis, or Umberto Eco. Any of them would be amazing.