Launching the start of the Meet the Aussie Bookstagrammer series is @littlemissstar55! She has an amazing bookstagram feed and is one of the kindest people on the platform. We’re so lucky able to get to know her more, from gushing about One Last Stop and doing crossword puzzles, to her passion for queer and #LoveOzYA books!
Hey Star! Thanks for taking the time to chat! Please tell us about yourself!
Hi! Thank you for having me! I am an Aussie from a town in rural SA, I’m in my 30s, and that is a petrifying thought. I’m a lesbian, whose main passion is queer books, and, of course, #LoveOzYA books, too (the combo is even better to me!).
In my spare time (lol, what is that?) I like to do crossword puzzles, but my main ‘hobby’ is reading. Legend has it that I was born with a book in my hand, but you’d have to ask my mum 😂
How long have you been on bookstagram, and what’s your favourite part of it?
I’ve been here for 6 years, but I started being a lot more active around the start of 2019. I love making friends for the first time in my life. It’s wonderful finding other book enthusiasts to talk about books we love – or even ones we don’t. I’ve found so many amazing people, and so many amazing book recommendations through bookstagram!
What’s a book you’ve recently read, and can you describe it in a couple of sentences?
(Just one?) I recently read (and loved) Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley. It’s about two magical girls who come together to try and end a plague that is sweeping over their town. One was outcast from her coven for the magic she did in the past, and the other has hidden her magic her entire life. It was so whimsical and wonderful. I loved it.
If you could only choose one book to recommend to others, what would you choose, and why?
That’s easy – One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. Yes it isn’t out until the 1st of June, but I was lucky enough to read an early copy, and it is literally my most perfect book ever. It has a hint of speculative feelings, drag queens, so many amazing queer characters, and a romance that is so swoon worthy I find myself thinking about it so often it isn’t funny. I’ve pre-ordered three copies – that is how excited I am for it.
Do you have a favourite bookish pet peeve?
Does stickers on books count? Or the stickers that aren’t stickers but are actually printed on covers? I hate that a lot. Also mismatched heights in book series – what’s up with that?
Lastly, what’s your favourite way to read?
Lately it’s via audio book. If you had told me of this time last year that I’d be reading about 85% of my books via audio book I would’ve wondered what the heck you were on about. But things change, and I changed, and now audio books is literally my favourite way to read a book. I’ve read so many books on my back list like this, as well as many amazing new releases (the audio book of One Last Stop is a pre-order of mine, too). I’ve found I have enjoyed many books in ways I may not have if I had read them with my eyes rather than my ears.
Plus, there’s just something awesome about having someone read to you.
