“I started my account about two years ago because I wanted a place to chat about the books I was reading and the pies I was baking, but I didn’t actually start playing around with the “book pies” until about a year later,” she says. “I saw the cover of a book I wanted to review and thought, ‘That would make a really cool pie.’ And I’ve been in love with creating bookish pies ever since.” In a normal week, Hockersmith reads between 3-4 books and makes 4-5 book-themed pies. Everything she bakes is gluten-free, and she uses food dye and extra dough to create the intricate designs that top each pie. “It has been such a fun process to match the pie dough to the exact colors of a book cover, and I’m always so excited when it comes out exactly as I had hoped,” she told us. Since she does book reviews and makes recommendations from her Instagram account, it’s important to Hockersmith to choose a book that’s as beautiful as it is meaningful. And while the cover art is normally a large part of how she chooses which books to feature, she says she’ll only promote books she actually loved. “I made a promise to myself to try to only feature books that I’m genuinely excited or passionate about,” she says. “I tend to pick which books to feature based on how much I loved it, or if it’s an author or topic that I want to give more exposure to. The more I love the book, the more inspired I am while making the pie.” Her favorite pies to decorate have been of the books The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré ($15, Barnes & Noble), In Five Years by Rebecca Serle ($15, Barnes & Noble), and Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid ($10, Target), which we’ve already added to our summer reading list. All of her edible creations are intricately created with elements found in the book’s cover art, but Hockersmith says some are more time-consuming than others. She told me the most difficult pie she’s created so far was her take on the cover of Glennon Doyle’s Untamed ($21, Barnes & Noble), which features dozens of colorful discs and feather shapes made from bright pie crust. If you’re wondering, the book is as fantastic as the pie: I finished reading Untamed just before catching up with Hockersmith and highly recommend it. “That pie took me hours to perfect, but I am so in love with how it turned out,” she says. Since Hockersmith reads and bakes so much, she typically has several pies in her home. And while that quite honestly sounds like a dream come true, she said she actually gives most of the desserts to family and friends who are always happy to take them off her hands. And as for her hobby-turned-viral Instagram account, Hockersmith is grateful for all the support she’s received. “Learning to create beautiful and delicious gluten-free pies has been a dream come true,” she says. “I am so honored to have the opportunity to be able to do what I love every day.” To see more of her work and keep up with the latest book recommendations, follow @PieLadyBooks on Instagram, or follow along on her Facebook page.
