About Me

Moderating the panel at A Romantic Evening of Books by the Riverina Readers Festival. Panel included (L to R); Brooke Hill; Emma Grey; Karina May; & Clare Fletcher.

Interviewing award winning crime fiction author, Sulari Gentill, at One Book One Temora

Bookselling during Covid of 2021

Hi, I’m Mel 👋🏼

I fell in love with reading around the age of 15. I discovered ‘BookTube’ and started to follow avid teenage readers such as Regan at Peruse Project and Sasha at abookutopia. These girls who were around my age opened my eyes to a world I had never explored – fantasy reading ⚔️🛡

From here I made my very first Booktopia order … Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. I was head over heels with this book and my reading took off!

7 years on and I have been a bookseller and bookstore manager. I am a qualified Social Worker and I work in my local community. I also run an online book club via bookclubs.com where we meet once a month through Google Meet to discuss our favourite bookish tropes, plots and characters.

In 2023, I’ve taken on the challenge of bringing a Readers Festival to my home region of the Riverina, NSW. We are called The Riverina Readers Festival and our committee is in the early stages of planning, pulling off micro events and growing our team.

I have multiple passions, hobbies and loves but books keep coming first (I’m definitely not mad about this).

My current reading genres still include the good old YA fantasy but tastes in contemporary romance, early Australian fiction, historical fiction romances and Japanese literature have grown. My Social Work brain also comes out in favoured non-fiction themes of privilege, consent, male patriarchy and mental health.

Oh, and if you’re wondering who that little pussa cat is in my logo – that’s Peach 🍑 She’s a domestic long-haired cat and absolutely rules the house but makes the BEST reading companion!