‘Robyn Reads’ spreads her love of books to North Bellmore

Robyn Bonavita, a North Bellmore book reviewer, was looking for connection like many others during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. She decided to start a book Instagram, or “Bookstagram,” to connect with other readers. Over the past four years, she has garnered over 17,000 followers on her Instagram page, @robyn_reads1.

What started as a way to build community turned into Bonavita receiving books from publishers to review for her thousands of followers.

This is not Bonavita’s first time reviewing books — she was a book reviewer many years ago for print magazines and websites before she let the hobby fall to the wayside when she went to work as a teacher. Now, a stay at home mom, she has been able to reignite her love for book reviewing.

“It was totally for fun,” Bonavita said. “I didn’t know that it would kind of take off the way it did. I got very lucky in the way that my friends and family were so supportive, and they were always telling people ‘Oh, my person is a bookstagramer, you should follow her if you love to read.’”

Eventually, when she gained enough traction, publishers started sharing her page as well.

Bonavita’s love for reading soon spread beyond sharing her current reads on her Instagram page. She decided she wanted to open a Little Free Library.

Little Free Library is a nonprofit based in St. Paul, Minnesota, that provides free access to books for the community. The global network of volunteer-led Little Free Library book boxes are placed in communities around the world where people can come take a book and leave a book at any time. The goal is to provide greater access to books and empower all people to read.

“Not everybody could afford books,” Bonavita said. “And sometimes you just want to find something new, and I get so many books from the publishers that I would love to share with people.”

Enlisting her husband to build the book box, in its customary house-like design, she registered to have the Little Free Library right in North Bellmore. Now, the box is open and stands proud, even crafted with siding to match their own home.

“I truly feel like when you share books, you’re sharing a different message to each person because everybody looks at books differently,” she said. “Everybody will take a different message from the same book— and you never know if you’re giving someone just an escape or a relief or just even happiness. So, every time you share a book, you’re just sharing your happiness.”

Visit LittleFreeLibrary.org/map/ to find a Little Free Library in the area, including Bonavita’s.