Issue 8 · Week of October 26, 2026
Lake Bluff native Meghan (Rees) Ganzer finds a creative outlet and community through @booktalkwithmeghan
Meghan (Rees) Ganzer has been losing sleep over books for most of her life. Growing up in Lake Bluff, she regularly stayed awake reading until her mom came in and told her to turn off the light. Her childhood favorites included The Baby-Sitters Club, Goosebumps, Junie B. Jones, the American Girl books and the Ramona and Beezus stories. Years later, during COVID, the habit returned. “My husband would wake up at 2 a.m. and find me in the guest room reading,” Ganzer said. “It was a flashback to when I was a kid. I always tell him I could have way worse hobbies.” Today, Ganzer is a global marketing manager and the mother of three children, ages 5, 3 and 1. After moving between work and “mom mode” each day, she began to realize she needed something creative that belonged entirely to her. She had been sharing book ratings on her personal Instagram account for years. Friends responded with questions, recommendations and requests to talk about what they were reading. Many encouraged her to create a separate account devoted to books.
“I can be pretty shy, and I care too much about what people think, so I never took the leap,” she said. This year, she finally did, launching @booktalkwithmeghan. “I decided to let it fly,” Ganzer said. “It’s not perfect, it’s not beautiful, but it’s mine.” The account, which is climbing to nearly 5,000 followers, is unpolished, in the best sense of the word. It’s a mix of reviews, recommendations, hot takes and bookish humor. Ganzer does not follow a posting schedule, adhere to a super curated, fixed visual identity or spend much time studying the rules of Instagram. “I think what works for me is that I’m authentic and real and imperfect at a time when a lot of what we see on Instagram is overly produced, perfect images and unrealistic lifestyles,” she said. “I don’t overanalyze it, and I’m not a perfectionist.” There is, however, no shortage of material. “I would post so much more if I didn’t think it would make me lose so many followers,” she joked. “I have so many ideas all the time just pouring out of me.” The spontaneity of the account reflects the sincerity behind it. “It all comes from the fact that I genuinely love reading and talking about books,” she said. That enthusiasm has also carried Ganzer beyond the screen. Through the account, she has met fellow readers online and in person, discovered author events across the North Shore and formed new “bookish” friendships. “I’ve loved meeting so many new people through this page,” she said. “It has helped me get outside my comfort zone and just do me.”
One of the places where those connections come to life is Lake Forest Book Store. Ganzer grew up visiting the store and has developed a deeper appreciation for it as an adult. “It’s a community where we can come together, discover new perspectives, connect with authors and share in the joy of reading,” she wrote in a recent essay about the store. Ganzer has attended everything from free in-store appearances to author luncheons. At one event, she discovered Midwestern author Marisa Walz, purchased her novel that evening and stayed awake much later than planned because she could not put it down. She has also heard Liane Moriarty discuss her writing process and attended Elin Hilderbrand’s recent visit to Lake Forest. “For me, the magic of these events goes beyond discovering a great new book,” Ganzer wrote. “There’s something special about hearing an author talk about the inspiration behind a story, the experiences that shaped it and the person behind the pages.” She often attends events alone and encourages other readers to do the same. “You leave not only with a new book to read, but often with a new perspective, a great story of your own to tell and a stronger connection to the literary world,” she wrote.
At home, Ganzer is building another generation of readers. She reads with her children - Emma (5), Benson (3), Colin (1) every night and takes them to libraries, book fairs, book sales and Lake Forest Book Store. Her husband supports what she calls her “slight obsession,” by appearing in videos, helping her film, driving out of the way for book sales and managing bedtime when she attends book clubs and author events. “He is such a good sport,” she said. Ganzer’s page may have begun as something she needed for herself, but it has become a way to share the pleasure that has followed her from childhood nights to 2 a.m. reading sessions as an adult. As she wrote of Lake Forest Book Store, books have the power to bring people together, spark curiosity and remind us why reading is such a joy. Through @booktalkwithmeghan, she is doing the same.
Meghan’s List: 10 Fall Books
