About BookmarQ

Helping Readers Get Lost & Found

the back of a woman browsing books at a bookstore

Who We Are

Hi! I’m Emily, the creator around BookmarQ, a literary lifestyle blog that encourages readers to look beyond the pages of their favorite reads and find bookish inspiration in every aspect of their life. BookmarQ started during lockdown of the pandemic after a friend expressed her frustrations at the books she was reading. I offered to send her reviews from my library to narrow her interests. This turned into posting TikToks for other struggling readers, and BookmarQ was born.

Where We’ve Been

After making content for nearly two years, I started writing reviews for non-TikTok users. I also diversified my content beyond reading recaps and tapping into other interests. Before the pandemic, my main hobby was traveling – visiting around 20 countries and nearly 40 states. This love for travel was born out of my early professional career as a big tech consultant. I would spend 4 to 5 days on the road each week visiting customers. Being alone in an unfamiliar city without ties to home, I sought out places that felt the most comfortable, inviting, and safe. Most evenings, I found myself nestled in the corner of a bookstore I found when researching the new city.

a woman in front of the starfield library in Seoul, South Korea

a book, a bottle of wine, and a wine glass

Where We Are

At this point the world had opened back up. We could re-engage with our passions, hobbies, and interests in a more socially acceptable way. Now that we were back to traveling, I decided that the next phase of my content creation journey would highlight all of the independent bookstores that I would frequently visit during my travels. This snowballed into booking international trips that revolved solely around literary ideas. I visited cafes in Paris, France where Hemingway, Stein, and Hugo wrote classic after classic. In n Porto, Portugal, I explored the bookstore that inspired the moving staircases at Hogwarts. Pinterest made a dream come true at the Starfield Library in Seoul South Korea. All of these exploits shaped where BookmarQ is today – finding literary adventures in our daily lives.

Where We’re Going

I hope that my blog will continue to push people to read outside of their comfort zones. I aim to build community through books and explore all that the world has to offer beyond the page. To read any of the articles I’ve written where I share my experience, check out the blog here! BookmarQ is all about getting lost in your favorite read, while finding a piece of yourself you never knew existed.