Article contributed by Johanna H
When scrolling on Instagram you sometimes come across the people with gorgeous and well thought out feeds. Why can’t I be like that, you might think and an account you probably are jealous of is @book_believer. Great colour scheme, cute props, and pretty books, but who is the person behind this great bookstagram? McKenna is the 21-year-old bookstagrammer living in the US and in her feed, you can see her two cute and orange dogs together with loads of fantastic books. As an aspiring writer, it is not far-fetched that she is a true booklover. We have interviewed McKenna to get to know her even more and to find out how she is planning her feed.
We are loving your feed; you are so good at using props! When taking a photo of a book, what do you think about? The cover or the plot of the book?
I started @book_believer when I was 15 years old, and for the first few years I heavily considered the plot of the book or the cover when I was staging my photos. I also enjoyed getting friends together occasionally and recreating covers! However, as I started to discover my style, I started to find my aesthetic and started to prioritize the look of my feed over individual photos, so I started to be a little more conservative with my ‘plot-matching’ props so that everything would fit well and still look cozy.
Why and when did you start your book Instagram?
As I said, I started my bookstagram in 2015 when I was 15 years old. I started it because I loved books and I wanted to share my favourite reads! At the time I didn’t even know that bookstagram was a thing – but I quickly found it and became obsessed. Almost six years later, and I’m still here and loving it!
You seem to read a lot of YA books with a fantasy touch. Would you say that is your favourite genre?
While I do read and enjoy practically any YA genre, I would say that YA fantasy is probably my favourite genre. I am especially partial to urban fantasy – and am not generally a fan of epic fantasy.
When you aren’t reading, what do you spend your time with?
When I’m not reading or taking bookstagram pictures, I’m usually renovating RV campers with my mom (@nomad.pines), planning post-COVID road trips with my husband, or listening to Hamilton.
If you could invite any five author or character (dead or alive) to a dinner party, who would you invite and why?
Ooh this is a good question. I would want to invite so many people, but if I had to pick five – President Snow from the Hunger Games, because after reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes I have a LOT of questions. Besides, he is such an interesting and well-rounded villain, and I need to have one villain at the dinner party. Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses because he is a badass and really hot. Katy Swartz from Lux because I’m 99% positive we would be best friends. And last but DEFINITELY not least, Magnus Bane and Will Herondale from the Shadowhunters universe. Magnus because he is so flamboyant and hilarious, and Will because… well… I’m in love with him.
Lastly; Where do you find most of your inspiration for new books?
Most of the inspiration that I get for finding new reads is from bookstagram itself, and sometimes from Goodreads. If ever you don’t know what to read next though, all you need to do is follow a couple of good bookstagram accounts and you will have a HUGE TBR.
Make sure to follow McKenna at @book_believer for amazing tips on fantasy YA and great inspiration for your own Instagram feed!
