#meetthebookstagrammer interview with @christinastephaniereads

Christina (@christinastephaniereads) was incredibly welcoming to me when The StoryGraph first started on #bookstagram. In fact, it’s something she does regularly — searching for and welcoming the newest accounts. She’s a great example of why Bookstagram is a special place to be. I was so happy that she could join me for one of my live shows. Read on to find out how Christina got into Bookstagram, why she’s so in love with Toronto, and what her life is like as a buyer for a natural food distributor:

Nadia: You’re in Toronto, Canada, right? What’s your favourite thing about Toronto?

Christina: It’s a city of acceptance and multiculturalism. I love that. It’s a very inviting place. I know that a lot of people think that it’s just another city. For me, it really represents inclusivity. I love to travel, but I always love to come back to Toronto, home. The feeling is hard to explain.

Nadia: How did you feel about the results of the NBA Championships?

Christina: My husband I were just talking about it. We’re still in shock. It was unbelievable. It’s so great for the city. Great to see businesses, restaurants, FedEx — everyone representing the Raptors, even on their homes. I’m so proud of the city and the team. I watched every game with my whole family, which is important to me.

Nadia: What brought you to Bookstagram? How did you get started?

Christina: I was following a couple of Bookstagrammers on my personal account for a couple of years. I didn’t even know the extent to which something like this existed. Whenever I hear people talking about books, I’m always like: what are you reading? What’s your favourite book? I ask an abundance of questions. So when I saw there was a community of people doing this all the time, it seemed like a great fit for me. So, I decided to make my account in January 2018 and it’s been so fun. It’s been great learning and getting to talk to other readers and find new books to read, books I would have never even considered.

Nadia: You started something called the #bigbookbuddyread. Can you tell us about that?

Christina: Angela (@angelareadsbooks) and I were talking one day. I think I posted a picture of a book. She said: “oh, I own that book too!”. From that, we decided to start a book club to read that very book. And it’s evolved from there. We only used to read big books because I know a lot of people are a little frightful and intimated by the big books. Now we read whatever we want, but we kept the same hashtag.

Nadia: And how can others get involved?

Christina: Every month we post what book we’re reading on our feeds or in our stories, and you can either comment on the post or DM us. Then we create a group. Tomorrow we’re doing a live Q&A in one of our groups with Angie Kim, the author of ‘Miracle Creek’. She’s so lovely and sweet.

Nadia: Oh wow, that’s amazing. I really want to read that book. How did you get her involved?

Christina: So, we posted that our book club was reading that book, and she commented on it and said: “let me know if you want me to do a Q&A”, and I was like: “what? yes! That’s amazing”. And so she’s doing that for us.

Nadia: That’s very cool. So, outside of Bookstagram, you are a buyer for a natural food distributor, right? What’s your day-to-day like?

Christina: I essentially go to trade shows to meet with vendors that have brands that are more specific to organic, natural, gluten-free, and alternative-to-dairy products. We list them and we help the brand get into major superstores and independent groceries. My thing is helping the brand to build their brand. Prior to that I was a health and beauty buyer for a drug retailer, where I’d list products, do the planograms, and produce the flyers. My current role is different since I’m now closer to the manufacturer and in the middle of the vendor and the retailer.

Nadia: And how did you transition from drugs to food?

Christina: I had worked at the drug retailer through high school and university. I was really looking for a change. I knew a few people that worked at my current place of employment, so it was a nice transition to something that was similar but different. I always want to keep learning in my career, and this move allowed me to do that.

Nadia: What makes a brand or product stand out to you at these trade shows?

Christina: A little bit of everything. Their marketing, their price point, the taste profile, packaging, the need for it in the market: is it niche?

Nadia: All right. Let’s get onto our fun quickfire round. Are you ready?

Christina: Yep!

Nadia: One book at a time or multiple?

Christina: Multiple.

Nadia: Mood reader or strict TBR follower?

Christina: Mood.

Nadia: Fiction or non-fiction?

Christina: Fiction.

Nadia: Print, digital or audio?

Christina: Print and digital.

Nadia: Favourite light-hearted book?

Christina: Recently, ‘The Unhoneymooners’.

Nadia: Favourite heavy/emotional book?

Christina: ‘The Bluest Eye’.

Nadia: Favourite unexpected favourite?

Christina: ‘A Ladder to the Sky’ by John Boyne. I went in not knowing what to expect. I hated almost all of the characters so so much, and I gave it five stars.

Nadia: Why?

Christina: Because it was so well-written and the main character was just so manipulative. It was so good. If I can go through a book and hate everyone, then you deserve all the stars.

Nadia: All-time favourite book?

Christina: ‘A Prayer For Owen Meany’ by John Irving.

Nadia: Why?

Christina: I read it in high school and we spent a lot of time on it. It was a story that I still think about. I just loved the whole concept and the relationships between the characters. I really want to reread it.

Nadia: If you could have any career in books or publishing, what would you do?

Christina: Reviewing.

Nadia: Favourite thing to do outside of books or reading?

Christina: Watch TV.

Nadia: And now three shoutouts. A book?

Christina: ‘A Prayer For Owen Meany’.

Nadia: A Bookstagram account?

Christina: Oh, there’s so many! Umm…@never_withouta_book, Anna. She’s awesome.

Nadia: Something non-book related?

Christina: ‘When They See Us’. I just watched it this weekend on Netflix. It’s based on the true story of something that happened in New York in the 90s. Made me cry for hours and hours. Please watch it.

Nadia: Well, thank you so much, Christina. This was a great interview.

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