She started Bookety Book Books in her home after the first Covid lockdown, and now Mandy from Bookety Book Books is changing the business and adding in a new book swap, all to help create community and spread joy among book lovers around Aotearoa. Who says you can’t change the world, one book at a time?
If you are an enthusiastic reader, there is simply no greater gift you can receive than a book recommendation from someone you trust. And in the past five years, Mandy Myles from Bookety Book Books has become something of a Patron Saint of Reading across Aotearoa. And now, she’s taking that magical skill and amping up the sense of community that already exists within book readers, by introducing a book swap.
Earlier this year, she posted on Instagram about starting up the book swap – like a pen-pal, but for adults, and including a book recommendation.
The response was immediate, and overwhelmingly positive.
“It completely took me by surprise,” she tells Capsule. “I thought I might get 10 people signing up, but when the first round hit 160, I had to close registrations and knew it would be something I would open up again at a later date.
“Since then, I’ve run another round with 60 people, and I’m currently in the process of matching another 60. I’ve definitely gotten smarter about keeping the rounds smaller going forward!”
For a small, solo business that runs out of Mandy’s Wanaka home, the impact of Bookety Book Books is huge. From the beginning, Mandy’s branding stood out: the books are beautifully wrapped, her outfits were gloriously bright, and the recommendations were plentiful, and genuine. At a time when so many of our local book shops are struggling due to soulless behemoths like Amazon, people are desperate for authenticity – and connection.
“I’m always thinking about ways to connect readers far and wide, and I really love the reach that being online gives me,” Mandy says. “Last year, I hosted a book swap at the QT in Auckland and it was such a fun time. At first, I thought I’d simply organise another big swap. But then I remembered the book clubs I helped bring together through a post I made last year – some of which are still going strong! That sparked a new idea: what if I matched people with a pen pal, with the hope that it might blossom into an ongoing book-sharing friendship?”
The initial premise of the Bookey Book Books book swap was simple and cute-as-hell. Pay a small fee, write a letter about yourself, a book you would recommend and get matched with a fellow book lover like yourself. There was a wide range of people who signed up – doctors, teachers, librarians, lawyers, a zoo keeper, students and more. All here to make friends and share the books they love.
“I just loved the idea of receiving a letter from someone you didn’t know,” Mandy says. “It felt like such a simple, powerful way to spark connection through a form of communication we’ve largely lost as a society.”
As you would imagine from the Bookety Book Books clientele, people have very much leaned into the creative side of the swap. “I was genuinely blown away by the effort and generosity people put into their packages – so many added personal touches and thoughtful treats.”
It comes at an interesting time for Mandy’s overall business, where she’s currently changing up the model for how Bookety Book Books will run in the future.
“With the economic pressures on small businesses in recent years, I’ve been thinking a lot about the best path forward for BBB. And that lead me to thinking about what we do best – recommendations.”
Over the last five years, Mandy says, Bookety Book Books has become a hub for readers looking for thoughtful book recommendations – both through our business and on social media. “So, starting in May, I’ll be focusing mainly on curating book subscriptions. I’ve got seven different options lined up, and I can’t wait to share more about them on my socials over the next few weeks.”
If you’re someone who, likes me, has an overwhelming bedside book pile (currently it’s actually three piles, to be honest), then you’ll see why a curated source of books – and recommendations – by someone with impeccable taste is so appealing.
“I think we’re all so busy and overwhelmed by the endless stream of content that a recommendation from a trusted source is the best way to cut through the noise and skip the impersonal algorithms – you know you’re heading straight to something good.”
The current book that Mandy can’t stop talking about is Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. “It’s set on this remote island near Antarctica, where the Salt family is living in complete isolation after rising sea levels forced everyone else to leave – until a mysterious woman washes ashore and everything shifts. The setting is so intensely visceral, and McConaghy’s writing just pulls you in. I tore through the last 100 pages with my heart pounding.”
Being whisked away into a tale like that perfectly sums up the ‘joy and connection’ that Mandy believes reading a book brings to the world. “Stories connect us,” she says. “Books invite us into other worlds, but they also help us better understand our own – and each other’s. They spark conversation, build empathy, and remind us that we’re not alone.”
