Summer Spotlight Series: Mel

Hi all,

Time for our next blogger! I had a great time interviewing Mel @ A Cosy Reader ! She is super fun and I seriously recommend that you all give her blog a follow and get to know her.

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Let’s start with an introduction: Tell me a little bit about yourself!

Oh man general about me’s are so hard I never know what to say! 😛

I’m Mel, a 20-something year old and I’ve lived in Sydney, Australia my whole life (except for a year I spent in Dublin, and I returned from there with my current partner haha).

I’ve always loved reading, my aunt is an author and my mum is an avid reader too so they’ve kept my spark fore reading alive through my childhood and into adulthood! Genre wise I mostly enjoy contemporary fiction (adult and YA), dystopian, light sci-fi, but I’ll happily pick up anything that comes really highly recommended even if it’s outside my normal genre

Outside of reading, I like to crochet, hike/bushwalk, hang out with my boy and our cat, play boardgames and card games, and I’ve also played Ultimate Frisbee for the last 8 years (and represented Aus in 2013 for it :-P)

Can you tell me more about your blog and how/why you started it?

I started my blog about 2 months after joining the bookstagram community as a way to be able to write longer reviews and connect with more readers.

For over a year now I’ve also been posting a “coffee and a book” round up on my personal Instagram of books I read during the month, and friends had started asking for actual reviews so this is a way for me to do that too!

My blog so far is mostly a space for reviews, but I’ve also started a Top 3 Thursday meme for book related lists (e.g. top recommendations, or top 3 characters I’d be roomies with!), and I’m hoping to expand to more bookish chat rather than just reviews as I start to make more connections in the blogging world (and maybe when work quiets down so I can plan properly! Haha)

How did you end up joining bookstagram, and how has that experience been so far?

I joined bookstagram after one of my workmates discovered it and made an account. We had previously shared our love of books and after she was on it for about a month I decided to take the jump and join in too! I still love the community and it has definitely kept my reading inspiration alive and kicking, and pushed me to read a lot more than I had been in years previous (which was partly why I joined!).

Unfortunately all this ‘algorithm’ nonsense that Instagram/Facebook are doing has decreased engagement a bit for myself and I think everyone else in the community, which is a bit of a bummer because it means I don’t get to talk to as many people about books and all things bookish. Overall though, I’m still enjoying being part of the community and finding connections and conversations about books where I can!

I totally agree. The algorithm thing is awful! I’m not sure who’s idea that was but it really makes me hate using instagram.

What inspired you to create Top 3 Thursday?

Argh I know right! Instagram strugglessss haha

I wanted to start blogging more regularly (rather than every 1 or 2 weeks when I had a review in my head), so I started Top 3 Thursday as a way of forcing myself to do that.

I had a look at other blogging memes out there and while I loved the premise of a lot of them, I found that for me they were either lists that were too long (Top 10 lists would, for me, by a top 3-5 and then just fillers I could think of) or things that I didn’t really have the ability to answer (e.g. Waiting on Wednesday…I find it hard to get through my ever growing TBR so I don’t eagerly anticipate anything much on a weekly basis! haha).

I’m lucky enough to have a few bloggers who regulary join in with me on T3T, and a bunch more who join in occassionally when it’s a slow blogging week or they really like the topic. I’d love to see more people joining in though 😉 haha

I actually may join you! I love the concept but like you said 10 is a lot and I could never think of enough. 3 is definitely more manageable for me!

This is sort of a strange question but how do you compile your TBR? (Do you take recommendations? Do you look for new releases or specific authors? Do you read them in any particular order?)

There is no method to my TBR madness, I’m afraid!

I have a never ending list (which I’m sure most readers do!) So usually when I finish a book, I see what I’m in the mood to read next.

That said, anything I’ve borrowed from friends, or received from publishers for review, usually jump to the top of the list 🙂

About how long is your TBR?

Oh my goodness…according to goodreads it’s sitting at 46, but we all know that’s a filthy lie. I have piles of books sitting on my shelves that went straight from store/publisher/giveaway to TBR without even having glanced at my goodreads “Want to Read” list along the way. Maybe I should update that!

At a guess I’d say I’m closer to the 70-80 mark but that is just too overwhelming to think about! *laughs nervously*

Hahaha that’s definitely not accurate lol. I have like a “Master TBR” typed up on my computer that I use to form my yearly TBR and it’s 15 pages. I feel like that’s excessive but I constantly get recommendations so I write ALL of it down!

You mentioned earlier that you started a “coffee and a book” feature on instagram. Do you have a favorite blend or brand of coffee? And how do you drink yours? (Black, with flavored creamer, milk, etc)

I’m an Aussie so we don’t really do filter/percolator coffee as much here.

My order is usually a skim Mocha  However, I’m a tea drinker at heart, I have about 3-4 cups of tea a day, but only one coffee every day or two.

So how do you make your coffee? (This originally was just for my own curiosity but if you’re American, it’s sort of a fun fact!)

What kind of tea do you like? I’m new to the loose leaf tea game but now I understand what I’ve been missing.

Haha that’s okay!

We have a coffee machine (a home version of a cafe one), so it has a built in grinder that grinds the beans, then you put that in a different part which extracts through the water, then you steam the milk with the steam wand seperately 😀

I’m a black-tea kina gal, so any breakfast teas, chai teas, earl grey etc. are my game (with milk and 1/2 a sugar :P). So many people who know me know I love tea, but often get my herbal teas when I’m abit more picky about!! Haha

Oh nice, that sounds amazing!

I love black tea, all for the breakfast teas. For some reason I don’t like chai and I think its so weird because I love all of the spices in it and the way it smells. I guess I just don’t like the flavor combination of all of those things together..I dont know.

Did you set a reading goal on Goodreads?

Ooh maybe just they way they all blend??

I did set a Goodreads goal! I originally set it at 40 for the year (I read 30 books last year before joining bookstagram). BUT I’m currently sitting at 28 books read for the year so I increased my Goodreads goal to 45 on the weekend 🙂

I’m looking forward to trying to beat it!

28! That’s great, Mel! Are there any books that you are REALLY looking forward to reading this year? Maybe one you keep saying you’ll read or that is being released later this year?

Hmm, that’s a hard one! Like choosing a favourite child!  I was recently loaned Illuminae so I’m excited to read that and see what all the hype is about 🙂

Same! But I’m waiting for the last one to be released in paperback so that I can have all of them!

Mel, we have reached the end of our interview and I just want to say thank you again for doing this. Anything else that you’d like to add about yourself or your blog?

Thanks so much Rae!

Nothing else really, just that I love chatting books so pop by and say hi!!

I can’t wait to read all the other interviews you’ve done, this was so fun so thank you thank you again for running it ️:)

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Want to learn more about Mel? In addition to her blog you can also check out her Etsy shop and Instagram!