Hey, I'm Maddy!
I thought that the beginning of a book blog (cue nervous pee) might be a lovely opportunity to introduce myself.
I'm 24 years old and live in Melbourne with my partner, Brandon, and little sister, Claire. I'm mid-way through my Master of Publishing and Communications, which is basically a degree about publishing and editing books that takes a little dive into the Australian book industry. So yeah, it's a good time.
A stack of Shakespeare's works rests in Maddy's arms in front of her bookshelf. Photo: Madeleine Corbel, 2021.
I am a huge fan of words. I always have been. Like so many others, I spent most of my childhood at Hogwarts; I remember one of my teachers even getting a little cross with me for not choosing something (anything!) else to read during class.
Books bring me a lot of happiness. I've always wanted to join a community of fellow book-lovers so that I could search for recs, talk about love triangles and basically just absorb as much bookish content as I could. This led me to create a Bookstagram account a couple of years ago and I have LOVED it ever since. It became a beautiful escape from the pandemic lockdown and evolved into a safe safe space for learning and discussion. Connecting with other readers, discovering new releases and hearing about books that have altered trajectories and changed lives – wowee, that was what I loved about the online community.
Some of my favourite Bookstagrammers have been @jordynlightyear (for her colourful photos and gorgeous baby content), @sophies.little.library (for those bookshelves – to DIE for) and @maddiereads_ (for her honesty, transparency and cats, of course).
My favourite BookTubers are Christy Anne Jones, Paperback Dreams and Uncarley. Seriously, go check them out if you love bookish rants, literary raves and cozy culture.
Christy Anne Jones talks through her book collection and bookshelf arrangement. Video: Christy Anne Jones on YouTube, 2022.
So I decided that I would love to connect more, read more, write more and think more. Maybe even share an idea or two in a list or review.
Aside from reading, I'm a very big fan of playing piano, watching AFL, cross-stitching and drinking a bucket-load of tea!
Thanks a whole bunch for reading with me.
Mads x