Time for Bookstagrammer of the Week! If you are looking for incredible book photos, book reviews, and recommendations, we’ve got you covered. This week we are featuring bookstagrammer @tattooedbibliophile. On a mission to get readers to check out different genres, her Instagram feed is full of a rainbow of colors with black and skulls thrown in to create her witch rainbows aesthetic. Check out our full interview with her below!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQtbLW5LjOZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Why did you start your Bookstagram?
I don’t have any friends who are big readers and really never have! I started my Bookstagram page as an outlet for all of the thoughts and feelings that books give me that need to come out!
Where are you from?
I’m from Birmingham, Alabama. Yes, we are literate here!
What do you want your Instagram to bring to the world?
I read across many genres. So much of reader social media is YA, and while I love YA, I also love sci-fi, horror, fantasy, NA, and some classics too! Even some children’s books that I read to my kids! I hope that I introduce YA readers to different genres to broaden their horizons, and I hope to speak to other readers who cannot find people who read what they read. Especially sci-fi! Sci-fi has been saturated with white male authors and readers for so long, and that needs to change!
Fun Fact about you:
I work in the construction industry, and I’m a working mom of three boys, so the most I ever get to interact with women is on my Bookstagram and Booktok pages!
Favorite Bookstagrammers:
@bluestockingbookshelf inspired me to build my bookshelves, hers are so lovely! @thebookboy has amazing book recommendations that broaden my horizons, and @_prod_squad_books is the best source of inside info on the publishing process, which is so interesting!
Favorite Books and Authors:
I’m a collector of Jane Austen, particularly rare editions of Pride and Prejudice. It’s what started my collection!
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is a classic in the making.
I have a thing for sarcastic protagonists, and Jay Kristoff never disappoints!
I think VE Schwab’s Villains series is the most underrated of her works, the moral ambiguity is absolute perfection.
The best sci-fi series has to go to Red Rising by Pierce Brown.
I’ve recently discovered Evan Winter’s The Burning series and highly recommend it to any high fantasy fan!
Fictional Crush:
I’ve got a total girl crush on Victra au Julii, she embodies everything I love about badass women in books.
TBR List:
I am anti-TBR! It’s not a list of things I have to do, it’s something I love and enjoy doing. To me I am building a home library, not adding to an endless to-do list. I have enough stress in my life without stressing about my hobby!
What’s your special approach to content?
I love to highlight underrated and indie authors and books alongside the popular hype books – I’m hoping to bring attention to the many amazing authors out there who don’t get as much publicity.
Aesthetic / Instagram page theme:
I’d describe my aesthetic as “witchy rainbows.” Everything bold and bright mixed with black and skulls! I’m a total cover slut, and if it has a skull or rainbow I’m buying it!
How often do you post?
On Instagram, I generally post a picture a day and a reel a day that I pull from my Booktok. On Tiktok? There is no rhyme or reason!
What does your Bookstagram mean to you?
I have spoken with many people I never would have outside Bookstagram, and read so many books people have recommended to me that I may not have picked up otherwise. @read_with_starlight encouraged me to read Red Rising – she knew I would adore it. And I am SO thankful because it’s now one of my all-time favorites!
Favorite Bookstore:
I’ve got a BAM by my office and I love to shop there. The employees are all readers and always chat about books with me.
Who would you have supply you with a lifetime of books?
Goldsboro! I’m a hardcover fan and they make the most stunning special editions. Plus their packing is so thoughtful! They treat their books like I treat mine, like delicate little babies being sent to their new homes!
Author to take a selfie with:
VE Schwab. Hands down, if I could be friends with one author, it would be her. She posts pretty often about impostor syndrome, and I’d love to be “that friend” who calls her when she’s down and yells “Who’s a bad bitch?” at her until I build her back up!
Favorite book cover:
Oh, that’s so hard! There are so many gorgeous ones, but if my house was on fire and I could only grab one, it would be the 2008 White’s Fine Edition of Pride & Prejudice.
Book you have claimed to have read that you didn’t:
I am always honest about my opinion of books. If I want one thing – it’s for anyone who follows me to trust that I’m telling the truth, that I’m not hyping up a book that I didn’t like. So I would never say I’d read something I haven’t!
When did you know you had made it as a Bookstagrammer?
First, it was when I got my first troll! I know that sounds silly, but if I had a big enough following for someone to justify calling me out for hating a book they liked, I thought I’d made it here. But the true feeling came just recently when I was approved for an Advanced Reader Copy of a very popular up-and-coming book (Hint: you droogs are going to love it!) The publisher has confidence that I will give the book its proper due – a fair and honest review. THAT made me feel like Queen Bitch!!!
Favorite fandoms:
Red Rising, Jane Austen, Alice in Wonderland, and Throne of Glass. I’m still waiting for the Rage of Dragons fandom to show up though! I figure if I keep shouting about the book for long enough it has to!
Advice for aspiring Bookstagrammers:
My biggest advice is not to stress out over it. Be who you are, post what you want, don’t be afraid to have an opinion contrary to the popular one. Genuinely interact with people. This platform is for open discussion of books, and if we all agree then there’s not much to discuss and it’s not as fun! So don’t be afraid to be you – weird, wild, or nerdy, we will love you here!
It definitely doesn’t hurt to stick to a theme or filter though!
Additional bookishness:
People often ask me how I read so many books when I’m a busy working mom. I’m a huge fan of audiobooks! I have a long commute and I listen to them both to utilize my time how I want and to decompress after a crazy day. I highly recommend it!
Featured Image via @tattooedbibliophile