Interview with a Bookstagrammer - August 2021
August saw us chat to the wonderful Hetta from @inkanddynamite. Hetta's account is BEAUTIFUL; great photos and brilliant book chat. We also get a sneak peek into her life as an English student at Oxford. What a dream! Thanks so much for chatting with us, Hetta.
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How did you first become involved with the Bookstagram community? Can you remember the moment you decided to create your account?
I don’t remember the precise moment I decided to create my account because I’ve actually had a few bookstagram accounts over the years, none of which I’d stuck with this until this one. But in my latest iteration, the pandemic was beginning to snowball and, stuck at home, I was reading more than I had for years, I just knew it was something I wanted to document through creative photos and reviews capturing my thoughts on what I was reading, as I was reading it!
What’s your favourite part of the Bookstagram community and why is it so important to you?
Without a doubt, it’s the people I’ve virtually met. There are so many kind hearted souls here who are so generous and lovely and I am lucky to say I’ve made some genuine friends through this online community. It’s so important to me because I don’t have many IRL friends I can connect with about literature, but through my bookstagram friends, I’ve also found people I can talk to about any and everything.
Do you think your content has evolved over the years, if so tell us more about that!
I think it definitely has. Even from the start of this account last year to now, there’s been a distinct change in the content I create. Before this account, there had never been a cohesive theme for me, which is fine, but I love that I’ve found my ‘aesthetic’ and feel my content has not only evolved to be more me but has come together nicely enough to be something I’m proud of and enjoy putting out there.
Do you have any other hobbies alongside books and reading? We’d love to hear more about them!
I love writing, which I think is closely aligned to reading. I edit the literature section for a student magazine but also enjoy writing articles for them and creatively writing too. I also love film and tv; if my head isn’t stuck in a book, it’s in front of the telly!
Have you always loved books? Tell us the book that cemented your love of reading! Any particular author who’s a huge inspiration?
Reading has genuinely always been a part of my life and I really love that. My mum definitely raised a reader; from books that I still own (because I’m a sentimentalist) that I loved as a young child, such as Laura’s Star, to books I’ve come to love as an adult, I’ve definitely led a very bookish life. Authors who have been inspirations to me include people such as Angie Thomas, Leigh Bardugo and Zora Neale Hurston.
So you’ve told us about your favourite writers, let’s talk about favourite characters! You can invite three fictional characters from literature to a dinner party, who are they and why did you choose them?
Daisy Jones from Daisy Jones and the Six would have a wealth of amazing stories to tell from her life (and would provide some no doubt incredible music to set the atmosphere). Jesper Fahey from the Grishaverse would provide all the humour to break the ice and a mean trick or two. Emira from Such a Fun Age because I feel like we could talk until the early hours and still have so much to say.
What book are you most excited to read this year?
I’m hugely excited to read The Poppy War trilogy. They’ve been sat on my shelf for a few months now and I feel in my bones it’s a series I will absolutely adore!
Tell us your favourite account to follow. What do you love about it?
@ellenshelf and @pinnefant (sorry, I can’t pick just one!) combine truly beautiful pictures with wonderfully thoughtful captions and, what’s better, is that the people behind both accounts are so lovely.
Okay final hard hitting question… Dog ear or bookmark?
Never in my life will I dog ear a book.
Anything else you’d like to add or tell us about?
Thank you for the opportunity to further share my love of reading! It’s been a pleasure answering these questions and if anyone out there is thinking of joining bookstagram or getting into reading, do it and do it because you think you’ll love it!
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HETTA'S FAVOURITES
Use the code INK10 to get ten percent off Hetta's favourite products until 24th September.
May Your Shelves Overflow with Books Watercolour Print
Obstinate Headstrong Girl Sweatshirt
I Incite this Meeting to Rebellion Tote Bag
Wonderland Literary Location Candle
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