This interview was originally conducted back in July of 2016, however due to my busy university schedule it is only being posted now. I apologize for the delay!

Hello lovely readers! As I’m sure some of you already know, last week I relaunched my Sunday Morning Book Chats series with an interview from the incredibly lovely Steph and this week, as promised, I’ve got another bookstagrammer for you. This week’s interviewee is Morgan from @literaryloveaffair_, who I can genuinely say is one of my favorite people in the entire boosktagram community. Morgan and I first started talking because we wanted to a buddy read a classic together (which we still have yet to do, shame on us!) and we instantly clicked. She is one of the kindest souls I have ever had the pleasure of encountering, and I truly treasure every conversation we have together. I’m sure you’ll love her and her boosktagram account as much as I do, so, without further ado, let’s hear from Morgan!

The General Questions

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself: where you’re from, how long you’ve been on bookstagram for, and what you like to do when you’re not reading books, photographing books, or just generally thinking about books.

Hi! I’m Morgan, the face behind @literaryloveaffair! Thank you so much for having me 😉 This is an awesome way to make the bookstagram community a little smaller and bring everyone together. I’m super excited about this series! So here it goes:

I’m a 21-year-old aspiring writer and the mommy of a perfect 2-year-old toddler named Cooper. Cooper thinks he is a ninja turtle and a superhero but is really just a human child. I study English and secondary education and will receive my degree in both next May. After graduation, I plan on teaching English and Literacy for a few years before applying to MFA programs for creative writing Beyond reading, my hobbies include perusing my shelves of five hundred unread books for something to read and then deciding I’ll go to the library or bookstore instead. I also enjoy sniffing books and writing stories, as well as traveling, spending time outside and with my family and friends. I’ve been on bookstagram for about two years now and have enjoyed my stay!

2. How did you discover the bookstagram community, and what you made you decide to start your own account?

I owe my bookstagram discovery to the controversial publishing of Harper Lee’s “Go Set A Watchman”. I was incredibly anxious about its release and when I received my copy, my fiancé snapped a pic of me nerding out. I posted it to my personal IG, added a couple hashtags and then clicked on those hashtags which led to other hashtags and  accounts upon accounts of beautiful pictures and captions and everything wonderful, so down the rabbit hole of bookstagram I fell. I couldn’t wait to be a part of the community. I made my account that night.

3. In all your time on bookstagram, are there any moments in particular that stand out to you or any experiences you’ve had because of bookstagram that you’re particularly grateful for?

I am so grateful for the book recommendations (of course) but I’m most thankful for the people I’ve met and the caring I’ve experienced while being a part of this cozy little fam. That being said, readathons are so fun because they bring people together and give them something to bond over. I invented/hosted an #InternationalReadathon last year where users around the world were paired with other users from countries they were interested in. Then each pair of participants read books from each others countries and learned about that country’s culture from their books and from conversations with their partners. The conversations I had through this event were invaluable. I learned things through the experiences of people who had experienced a way of life firsthand. It was something deeper than the general knowledge of a place or culture that you get from books. That was one of my most memorable experiences here. Oh, and that one time me and you (@reflectionsofareader) won that best friends give away of an Amazon gift card. 🙂

A Bit More Specific…

1. Are you the type of person who likes to read multiple books at a time, or do you like to pick up one book and stick with it until you’ve finished it?

One book at a time! I find myself getting so jumbled and confused when I read more than one at once. Sometimes I even have this problem reading books back-to-back too quickly. My inability to focus makes it impossible to split my concentration like that. Speaking of my inability to focus, I also can’t watch movies without rewinding them 1700 times throughout to figure out what I missed or who a character is. That’s why I like books. It’s easier to rewind.

2. What are you currently reading, and what books are you excited to start reading soon?

I’m currently reading Lilac Girls. I love World War 2 stories, so I think I’ll really love this one too. I am also excited to jump into a lot of the short story collections I have on my shelves. I’ve been writing short fiction more actively lately, and when it comes to writing, you are what you read. That being said, I read mostly novels and am therefore too long-winded for the short story format, so it’s time for me to study the craft a little more closely by observing the work of others

3. On a scale of 1-10, how intimidating is your TBR pile?

473

4. Who are your go-to authors?

I always find this question impossible to answer because though I read a ton, I don’t read a ton of books by the same author. I do love Margaret Atwood, and I aspire to write great speculative fiction like her’s one day. I also really enjoy reading Stephen King when I need a book that it is guaranteed to be a page turner. Other authors I like are Dickens, Kafka, and Capote.

5. You’re hosting a tea party and you can invite three famous people, either living or dead. Who do you invite and why?

Bernie Sanders, Charles Dickens and Abraham Lincoln. I admire all of these men and I think their ideas would make for one hell of an interesting political conversation… But if I were in the mood for a more leisurely conversation I would invite Lewis Carroll, George RR Martin and Peter Dinklage. Then we would just talk fantasy and nonsense and I would admire them all and pretend I was drooling over the tea and scones, not them.

6. Let’s talk about reading slumps: do you get them, and if you do, how do you get yourself out of them?

Yes! I do. I then force myself to read something light or YA. Easy breezy reads help me to feel less bogged down by books!

7. What are five books you think everyone should read and why?

• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

And a bonus four (because just five is never enough):

• 1984 by George Orwell
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

8. I know how bookstagrammers love a good quote, particularly for the captions of their photos, so can you share one of your favorite quotes with us?

Oh no. Only one?  Okay…. since I haven’t given Neil Gaiman a shoutout yet, how about a quote from his book, The Ocean at The End of the Lane: “Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. Truth is, there aren’t any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.” Oh, and speaking of Gaiman, add Coraline to the above list 🙂

Speed Round! What is your favorite…

Movie? The Sixth Sense? American Beauty? Juno? Arrival!

Color? Blue.

Reading spot? My bathtub with eucalyptus tea bubble bath from Bed Bath and Beyond and iced vanilla frappucino. 🙂

Ice cream flavor? Mmm good old fashioned chocolate 🙂 but I actually have an icecream problem and I’m currently like seriously obsessed with DQ Royal Reese’s Brownie blizzards without the brownie. It’s actually really unhealthy and not okay at all, and now that we’re talking about it, I think I’ll finish this up and make a pit stop through the DQ drive-thru. SOMEBODY STOP ME. (But seriously everybody try them.)

Song? Breathe by Anna Nalick.

Fictional character? My heart belongs to the one and only Tyrion Lannister of course. “A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone if it is to keep sharp.” 😉 Look at me breaking the rules and mentioning more than one book quote.

Thank you so much for joining us on Sunday Morning Book Chats! Before you go, do you have any tips for anyone looking to start their own bookstagram account?

Be personable and put yourself out there! Be honest and open and be yourself in the captions. Comment on everyone’s pictures to build relationships; a written response means so much more than a like! Don’t be afraid of making friends because people are so nice! And on a technical note– I’ve recently realized that the only way to go is to take your pictures in natural lighting. It will really brighten up your page and make it look more exciting and welcoming! But most importantly– just have fun and don’t worry about impressing anyone else. Post whatever it is that makes you happy! 🙂

Thanks for having me!

***

And that’s it for this week! Thanks again to Morgan from @literaryloveaffair_ for taking part, and make sure to check back next Sunday for an interview with Kelly from @biblio_boppity_boo. 🙂