Booklover Brooke Michie explains Bookstagram

Brooke is the quintessential booklover. She’s worked as a bookseller, in libraries and is currently one of Australia’s top influencers on Bookstagram. Besides devouring a staggering 20-25 books a month, she also reviews them. To find out more about life as a Bookstagrammer, read on…

Can you please give us Brooke in a nutshell: career, family, hobbies?

I’ve always loved books from when I was very small. I grew up in a household of readers and still share the books I love with my Mum and sister. Unfortunately, high school English with its focus on analysis and rereading texts for exams put me off reading for a good few years, but I returned to it eventually.

After a university Science degree, majoring in Physiology, and a short stint as a massage therapist, I worked as a bookseller for Angus and Robertson. Bookselling was an amazing experience! Finding the right book for a customer and being surrounded by all those words was good for my bookish soul.

Eventually I had to say goodbye so I could travel the world, and I set off backpacking around Europe for a few years.

After a couple of other jobs and then being a stay-at-home mum to my two boys, I applied to be a Library Officer at my local public library, and I’ve been there for the past five years. I’m a big believer that libraries can change lives. I love that amazing feeling of making someone’s day better, whether through helping them to find information or use technology, or by providing them with social connection.

Around six months after commencing my role, I came across an article about Bookstagram, and I was intrigued.

For the uninitiated, can you explain what Bookstagram is?

Bookstagram is the booklovers’ corner of Instagram. Bookstagrammers are passionate about all things books and love nothing more than sharing their recommendations and reviews accompanied by aesthetically pleasing photos and videos. It’s a social media app so the whole idea is to make connections with like-minded people. I’ve met lots of bookworms from all over the world and have been grateful to make some fabulous real-life friends.

Bookstagram is also a wonderful place to connect with authors. I love it when I post a review or something about a book and the author comments and shares it. As well as being a great feeling for me, it generates more interest in the post and hence the book. I’ve had several authors tell me how my reviews have helped get their book in front of potential readers, which is such a lovely thing to hear.

How did you figure out what to post?

My first post four and a half years ago, was an out-of-frame photo of Claire Bowditch’s memoir, Your Own Kind Of Girl. At that stage I didn’t actually write reviews, I gave more of a one-line comment.

Six months later, during the pandemic lockdowns, I put a bit more into each post, and that slowly evolved into writing proper reviews and focusing on supporting Australian authors.

Since the world has opened up again, I now attend as many book launches and author events as I can. I love hearing authors talk about their stories, writing process and journey to publication. Meeting authors whose books I’ve loved is joyful. I make sure to take plenty of photos to share on my Bookstagram.

These days people are complaining that photos aren’t viewed as much as videos, so I figured if I do more reels, I might get more people looking at them. I’ve watched other videos to see what catches my attention. Insta likes you to use audio others have used and do your own thing with it, so I’m trying that.

How do you get books to review? Do you get approached by authors or publishers?

Some publishers have a list of influencers. They send us a newsletter of new releases, and we can request whichever ones take our fancy. In other cases, the author contacts me directly.

How do you decide which books to review? Do you have a preferred genre?

I’ve always been a fan of fantasy as well as crime and mystery. I grew up reading The Famous Five, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and later, the Obernewtyn Chronicles, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, then books like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

As an adult, my absolute favourite genre is rural crime thrillers, especially when the story is set in Australia. Since finding Bookstagram, I’ve branched out into romance, historical fiction and contemporary, but I’m open to trying any genre.

When choosing books to read and ultimately review, I prioritise Aussie authors, especially debut or second novel releases.

For an author wanting exposure on Bookstagram, what is your advice?

If you have a publisher, they might contact reviewers for you. If not, go directly to Bookstagrammers who review books in your genre. If you’ve been reviewed before, go back to those people.

I am staggered by how many books you post about. How quickly do you read? How much time do you spend reading?

My family would probably say I’m addicted to reading and I confess I can often be found reading rather than adulting. I am a fast reader, so I get through about 20-25 books a month, but I also listen to a lot of audiobooks, which means I can ‘read’ while driving, walking or doing household chores. I listen on double speed, as I find my mind wanders otherwise.

My favourite time of day to read is when the rest of the family has gone to bed, and I can immerse myself in the story without any interruptions.

What are you looking for in a book to take you from a good rating to a five-star review?

For me, a five-star read has to really stand out. The story must grab my attention from the very first chapter, either with an original premise, well-written characters and dialogue, or perfect pacing. I walk away from reading it still thinking about it and wanting to tell everyone to read it. Sometimes a book will get close, but I didn’t quite buy into a character’s motivations, or the ending wrapped up too quickly. Now I know what I like, most of my reads get at least four stars, with a couple of five stars each month.

Do you ever give a bad review? How do you balance honesty with kindness to the author?

Occasionally I read a book that just doesn’t work for me, and I think it’s important that I share these reviews too, although it’s easier said than done. I don’t want to only post positive reviews as my followers will no longer trust my opinion. No one can love every book, no matter how much they want to. I would never be nasty because I understand that not every book is for every reader, but that the author has poured their heart and soul into writing it.

I don’t review books I didn’t finish as I don’t feel I can comment on something I DNF. However, if I finish but didn’t enjoy it, I try to be balanced and include what I did like as well as what I didn’t. I make a point of saying it wasn’t for me, rather than that it was a bad book, as there have been plenty of books others have loved that I have not.

If I’m posting a review on Instagram, I won’t tag the author as I feel it’s in poor taste to point out a negative review.

Do you make any money from Bookstagramming?

No, there’s no money in it. We get free books and do it for the love of it.

Do you post book reviews anywhere outside Instagram?

A few authors have asked me to post on Goodreads and Amazon. I repost on those sites so they can be seen by people who aren’t on Insta.

I’ve also written reviews for Better Reading and Good Reading Magazine. The first time I was asked to write a review for Better Reading, I had no idea where to start. I didn’t have confidence in my writing, or that anyone would particularly care what I had to say. After reading lots of other reviews and just giving it a go, my confidence grew. This has been a great experience, and it’s nice to see my words in a magazine.

It’s also made me more accountable in my ratings. The editor has come back to me a couple of times to question my star rating, which is one of the reasons I don’t include a star rating on my Bookstagram reviews. I struggle to put a number to how I felt about a book.

Do you have aspirations to write your own novel?

No, I don’t have any such aspirations. Reviews and Instagram posts are the extent of my writing. I’ll leave the novel writing to those who have a better way with words.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Bookstagram is a brilliant resource for discovering new books and authors and it’s a wonderful way for authors and publishers to market their books and connect with their readers. It’s a super friendly and welcoming community and I adore being a part of it.

You can follow Brooke on:
Instagram: @bmichie31
Facebook: readingaussiefiction
Threads: @bmichie31

Next time: a specialized post about How to Get Your Book into an Australian Library
Next time: an interview with Paul Flavel on Capturing Memories of John Martin’s