Bookstagrammer Feature @LiteraryHypeWoman

One thing I’ve wanted to do to make this blog unique is to feature not just authors, but bookstagrammers as well! I’ve made so many friends in this community over the past couple of years and I love how we all come together and support each other. We may have a lot in common, we may not. But one thing that brings us together is BOOKS! Everyone’s platform is different and unique to that individual which is what makes the bookstagram community such a special place!

If you aren’t familiar with what bookstagram is- It’s an Instagram platform where book lovers and authors discuss & review their favorite books! Just search the hashtag: #bookstagram and you will find thousands of people to follow and keep up with the latest reads!

Today, I am SO EXCITED to feature Stephanie @literaryhypewoman on the blog! Check out our Q&A!

1. Tell us how you got started on bookstagram! Do you have a particular niche?

I got started with bookstagram in March 2021. I’d worked as a bookseller for 7.5 years and didn’t transfer stores when I moved, so I missed talking to people about books all the time. It seemed like a fun way to blab about what I was reading to people who might be more interested in it than my coworkers and family.

2. What books did you grow up reading?

I read pretty much anything I could get my hands on as a kid. I was that kid who would press themselves against the window to use every last second of sunlight when my parents said I could read until dark. I plowed through every Henry and Mudge, Amelia Bedelia, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and American Girl book I could get my hands on. I also loved the Dear America series so much, I’m currently trying to collect all of them.

3. What’s your favorite/least favorite part about the bookstagram community?

My favorite part of bookstagram is the community itself. I’ve always enjoyed book festivals and pop culture conventions for the instant friends you make while waiting in line. Bookstagram is like that, but on a more broad scope, without angry feet. My least favorite part is the unfollowers. We all see it happening and know who is doing it, but it doesn’t make it any less irritating when it happens.

4. Tell us your top 5 books of 2021 so far!

Oh geez. This is hard. The ones that stand out to me, in no particular order: The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon, Steelstriker by Marie Lu, The Sinful Lives of Trophy Wives by Kristin Miller, The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang, and for a little non-fiction, Everybody Fights by Penn and Kim Holderness. Oh! And The Soulmate Equation! And It Happened One Summer! And Heart And Seoul! Five is such a small number. It’s impossible. Lol.

5. I saw that you recently went to YALLFest (young adult book festival). Tell us who you got to meet so we can be jealous!

YALLFest was a BLAST. My main focus for that weekend was to get my boxed ARC of “Red Queen” signed by Victoria Aveyard, and that was successful. I now have all of her books signed, which makes me quite happy, but forgot to have her sign my festival poster, so that was a fail. I also met: Chloe Gong, Marie Lu, Tracy Deonn, E. Lockhart, Jordan Ifueko, Melissa De La Cruz, Grady Hendrix, David Levithan, Jonny Garza Villa, Dustin Thao, Stephanie Garber, Kwame Mbalia, Claribel A. Ortega, Neal Shusterman, Gayle Foreman, Eric Smith, and Rachel Lippincott. I met Ayana Gray and Lauren Blackwood while running to the bathroom, and they were so gracious with my interruption of their chill time. I’m also really pumped about getting to meet some YA authors who will debut in 2022. Susan Lee, Anna Gracia, and Naz Kutub, aka the MASTERS of book promotion. I’m so glad we saw the tweet and went to hang out with them. They are wonderfully fun people and I cannot wait to get my hands on their books!

6. Who are some of your favorite bookstagrammers that we should follow?

I must shout out the friend that got me to finally start a bookstagram, @WhimsicalNarratives first. She’s a real life friend from a book convention line and she’s wonderful. I love my Missouri squad: @literallybookedsolid, @kayckay_bookreviews, @alphabetsandaudiobooks, and @nomomstayandread. I also love the chats with @_toreadingandbeyond.

7. What’s your favorite time of day to read?

I work overnights and a second job during the day, so there’s no real set time. It’s usually during the day, whenever I’m not working and can keep my eyes open for more than a couple minutes.

8. How do you feel about cliffhangers?

It’s a love/hate relationship. When done well, I love them, but also hate them because I NEED ANSWERS. The longer I have to wait to know what’s next, the more annoying cliffhangers become. 

9. What’s your favorite book to movie/tv adaption?

Oh geez. I’m currently wearing a Gone Girl t-shirt, so I’ll go with that. I thoroughly enjoyed watching my friends react to the twist since they hadn’t read the book.

10. Tell us something about yourself that we wouldn’t know by looking at your bookstagram!

I think I’ve alluded to my career in TV news on bookstagram, but I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I’m a four-time Emmy winner for it.

It was so fun connecting with Stephanie and hearing her answers! I feel like I have so many follow up questions now, haha! Congratulations for your awards in bookstagram TV news, that is amazing! You have a fantastic account and I appreciate you taking the time to chat and giving us a peek into the person behind @literaryhypewoman! Click here to follow Stephanie on IG!

Stay tuned for more Q&As coming up from my blog! Subscribe so you don’t miss one!

XoXo,

Kristyn