Angela’s instagram page, @readingwithang_ , invites book lovers into her world of aesthetically lined up books, mugs, candles, and scenic landscapes.
Being from Wallingford, Connecticut, Angela spends much of her time enjoying her surroundings, “I love to travel & spend time outdoors! I spent the summer of 2018 traveling to all the state parks in Connecticut.”
She started a Bookstagram right after getting hooked on reading, “I knew I needed an outlet to talk about books. When I saw a friend of mine post about her bookstagram I immediately created my account & fell in love with the community.”
Her oceanic page is not only beautiful but socially built on the notion of helping book enthusiasts connect to the books she’s reading, as well as to the people writing and talking about them in the literary community.
In response to the question of what she hopes to achieve with her page, she said, “My goal with my bookstagram was always to bring light and positivity to the world. Life is so crazy sometimes, my hope is that when people go to my page they will smile even if it’s only for a minute.”
Navigating the world of social media is hard as it is, but it’s comforting to know that there are always people out there who are willing to share their wisdom with the rest of us.
For Angela, the inspiration and guidance come from other bookstagram pages she’s connected with. “@livforreading is a page that inspires me to be the best version of myself; she is such a bright light in this community. @bookish_ell is one of my closest friends on booksta and I get so much joy from seeing all her book adventures. @bookedin_ohio is my booksta bestie and I adore her page because she truly creates a safe space for everyone to speak.“
When asked about her favorite books and authors, Angela responded with quite a range, “Colleen Hoover, Angie Thompson, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Taylor Jenkins Reid. My favorite books are changing constantly, but recently I loved Verity, The Song of Achilles, Clap When You Land, and All Boys Aren’t Blue.”
Moving onto the topic of TBR lists, she gave a very relatable answer. “It feels like my tbr is endless which I’m not mad about! As far as my physical tbr I have around 100 books in my at-home library that need to be read. Being on bookstagram, booktok, and GoodReads forces me to add new books to my tbr every day!” The struggle is truly real.
Moreover, keeping up with a public, community-focused, creative page can be difficult at times. Angela’s special approach to content is one worth taking note of: “My approach is to create a welcoming environment for everyone and be authentically myself always. I love to highlight Etsy shops, new authors & independent bookstores on my page as well!” No surprise there given how fun and bright her page is. Not to mention, she normally posts 4-5 times a week, demonstrating her dedication to the book community.
We asked Angela what drives her passion for books and what Bookstagram means to her, her response was more than heartwarming and encouraging. “Bookstagram is my safe space. I’ve met so many amazing people through this platform. I look forward to logging on and chatting every day. It is just such a fabulous community.”
It’s out of these “fabulous” communities that wonderful bookstores are born, and you obviously can’t be a book lover if you don’t have at least one favorite bookstore. Angela’s favorite bookstore is called, “Books and Company in Hamden, CT. Not only is it a lovely used bookstore, but they have a coffee shop attached that makes the best chai!”
In addition, Angela revealed several fun facts about herself, allowing her shining personality to come through. She would take a selfie with the author Collen Hoover (“I’d be fangirling for sure! “); her favorite book cover is “Firekeeper’s Daughter” by Angeline Boulley; and her top 3 favorite fandoms are Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and Alice in Wonderland.
Finally, we asked Angela when she knew she had made it as a bookstagrammer. “I think the first major thing for me was getting an Advanced Reader Copy of a super popular book! I thought oh wow they want to send it to me!”
Pretty cool if you ask us, and clearly a little bit of dedication, support, and love goes a long way. In response to the question of giving advice, Angela was direct and honest. “My biggest piece of advice is to focus on creating genuine connections instead of gaining popularity. Growing and striving to be better is always great but you will miss so many amazing aspects of booksta if you only focus on the numbers!”
And there you go folks, if you’re looking to be cheered up or need help navigating the book community, you should absolutely follow her account!
Like what you see? Check out more of our Bookstagrammer of the Week articles here!