As part of our weekly newsletter, we’ll be interviewing and chatting to one of international contributors each week to learn more about them and their nerdiness! This week we chat to Australian contributor Jayse Smith about being a librarian, what books he’s loved so far in 2019, and what Australian authors he would recommend!
Hi Jayse! We’re so glad to have you on The Nerd Daily team! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hey! I am beyond excited to be part of the wonderful Nerd Daily Team, it’s been a fabulous experience. I’m Jayse, a librarian, budding author, father, husband, bookstagrammer, booktuber, and total book nerd from regional Victoria, Australia.
Where do you think your “nerdiness” came from?
At primary school I really struggled with reading, but there was an amazing, passionate teacher librarian at our primary school who really ignited my love for reading and creative writing. Also, growing up with a steady diet of Disney and Saturday morning cartoons forged my love of all things TV and film which has continued into adulthood.
Can you tell us what’s involved with working in a library?
Working in a library is CRAZY, not only do you need to have extensive knowledge of books and your collection, but we are on our feet for 7 hours. Customer service is a major part of what we do and we also need to be technology trouble shooters as more and more people are coming to us with tech problems/issues.
What has been your favourite read of 2019 so far and why?
Gosh, there have been so many this year. I have loved Aurora Rising, the characters and sass were amazing. We Set The Dark On Fire had so many elements I loved: action, passion, romance, espionage, and LGBT representation. Storm and Fury for the amazing storyline and uniqueness. I’m also burning my way through The Medoran Chronicles by Lynette Noni, which I am so in love with.
If you could only read one author for the rest of your life, who would it be?
It would have to be one of my recently discovered love, Nora Roberts.
Are there any Australian authors you’d recommend?
MARIA LEWIS!! I freaking love that woman – are you following her on Instagram? her stories are hilarious! I love her books, I love her personality, shes legit amazing. But also Thalia Kalkipsakis, Lynette Noni, A B Endacott, Lili Wilkinson just to name a few.
Do you have any recommendations for our readers whether it be books, movies, TV shows, or something else?
You need to read Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte, watch the movie Stardust, binge the Wentworth TV series, and play Infamous First Light.
And there you have it! Be sure to check out Jayse’s articles and follow him on Twitter, Instagram, his blog, and Goodreads!
