A few (fun?) facts I'm often asked...
I typically read 80 - 100 book per year. Last year (2022) I read 102.
My all-time favorite book is The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. If you're not familiar with the book, it's an exquisitely written fiction book that follows a poor Shepard boy as he journeys from his home in Spain to the pyramids of Egypt in an attempt find a hidden treasure and thus fulfill his "personal legend." A close second would be Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - a dystopian fiction book that takes place in post-apocalyptic America.
In addition to Bookmarkparty, I also run HLG Creative - a freelance creative design agency that specializes in branding, graphic design and website design.
Founded in 2020
About Bookmarkparty
Hi, I’m Hannah and I'm the face behind Bookmarkparty. I started Bookmarkparty at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as a little Instagram account to share book reviews and recommendations with friends and family. What started as a little passion project / creative outlet - one I’ve found so much joy in creating - has grown into a full-blown business. Now a book blog, e-commerce store and social community, Bookmarkparty has over 40,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok.
In April of 2022, I launched the Bookmarkparty Shop, which features my hand-drawn literary-themed art and other merchandise designed specifically with book lovers in mind. From coffee mugs and art prints to hats and more, my hope is that these products bring joy to fellow book lovers and help further promote books that have inspired, entertained and educated me. While the shop is still in its infancy, I'm excited to see how it evolves along with the rest of the brand.
My main goal with Bookmarkparty is first and foremost to encourage people to read more books (especially books that may fall outside of their comfort zone). Secondly, I've found myself in a unique position to lift up authors and start conversations about books that speak to me. While my reading tastes are rather eclectic - I love a good literary fiction book as much as an epic sci-fi thriller or informative nonfiction book - I do my best to share diverse literature... especially books that highlights important issues or shine a light on marginalized communities.
One of my favorite things about reading is the ability to inhabit another person’s perspective on life – whether through fiction or nonfiction – especially when a character or author has completely different life experiences, cultural heritage and/or identity than do I. I genuinely believe that if more people were avid readers, the world would be a much more compassionate place. It’s easy to feel afraid of the unknown… afraid of people or places that are different from what you know and understand. However, reading enables us to travel through books – to different countries, time periods and communities. And when we experience things for ourselves (even through words on a page), it’s difficult not to feel more open-minded and compassionate towards people and places that once felt foreign and un-relatable.