This week’s wonderful Bookstagrammer is Haley, @spoonie.reads! As a nonbinary and disabled reader, Haley uses their platform to uplift diverse literary voices and highlight the importance of authentic representation in books. Their feed is a colorful collage of their favorite reads, including everything from enchanting queer romance to eerie speculative horror to eye-opening nonfiction. In this interview, Haley reveals their fictional crush, their favorite authors, their advice for aspiring Bookstagrammers, and so much more!
Haley of @spoonie.reads
Instagram | TikTok
Thank you for joining us! Let’s start the interview!
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Atlanta, GA, but I now live in the Midwest USA.
Why did you start your Bookstagram?
Though I was a major reader as a kid, I burnt myself out during college by reading so many academic texts. When I started my Bookstagram page, I was trying to fall in love with reading again and, by meeting so many great friends on Booksta, it worked! I’ve been reading every day ever since.
What do you want your Instagram to bring to the world?
I want to emphasize how important it is to read diversely. Books serve as both mirrors and windows to the world, and seeing ourselves represented in books can be a truly eye-opening and educational experience — as well as a very rewarding one!
Who are your favorite Bookstagrammers?
I love Nathan (@schizophrenicreads), Ailey (@bisexualbookshelf), Star (@littlemissstar55), and so many more!
What are your favorite books, and who are your favorite authors?
I read basically every genre, so my favorites represent some nostalgic picks from childhood as well as more modern discoveries. A few faves are The Demon’s Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan, The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones, The Fealty of Monsters by Ladz, and The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu!
Who is your fictional crush?
My fictional crush isn’t actually from a book — it’s Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer! He inspired my obsession with vampires from a young age, and it definitely shows in the abundance of vampire books that are piling up on my TBR…
What’s on your TBR List?
I’m terrible at sticking to a TBR; I’m such a mood reader! However, there are a bunch of books that I desperately want to read but haven’t had the perfect moment for yet: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, Interesting Facts about Space by Emily Austin, She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran, and The Stradivarius by Rae Knowles to name a few.
What’s your aesthetic / Instagram page theme?
I don’t have a theme! Sticking to any particular aesthetic has always made Bookstagram feel too much like a job for me. I work full-time, care for a cat, and deal with chronic illness on a daily basis, so Bookstagram is a place for me to let go of rigidity and have a lot of fun.
What does your Bookstagram mean to you?
It represents parts of myself that I hid for a long time. I was always called a nerd and a geek as a kid, and it made me embarrassed to always have my head stuck in a book. Now, I embrace it! My Bookstagram is a way for me to share my passion for diverse literature with the world.
Do you have any advice for aspiring Bookstagrammers?
Don’t pick books by what would make “good content.” Read books you love, and the content will follow! It’s so easy to get caught up in analytics and the algorithm, but you’ll get burnt out and start to dread posting. Instead, focus on why you started Booksta in the first place — because you love to read!
Thanks to Haley for telling us all about their beautiful Bookstagram. Be sure to follow them on Instagram and TikTok for more about queerness, disability, and all things literary!
Check out another amazing Bookstagrammer here!
To browse Haley’s recommendations and more on Bookshop, click here!
