Category Archives: General

My 2024 Reading Journal (+Free Bookshelf PDF)

This is the fourth year I’ve been using a reading journal, and once again I’ve kept quite a few of the same pages, but I’ve also added more pages than I’ve ever had before, though I’ve tried to keep most of them very simple. I wanted to fill out more space in my journal and do more to track my reading in a more personalised way.

Should Adults Read Young Adult Fiction?

I’ve been pondering this question for a while now, watching as each year passes and I’m pushed further and further out of the suggested age range. Every time I read a young adult book that makes me cringe too much or reminds me that I’m getting too old to relate, it comes back to me as I struggle to rate it. Is there a point in passing judgement on a book that was not written for me? Should adults be reading young adult fiction, anyway?

My Reading Routine (or lack thereof)

I’m always curious about how and when people read, especially when they read a dozen or more books a month, but generally too. Do you have a set time to read? A dedicated reading nook? Does most of your reading happen on your commute? Have you often lost sleep for a good book? I want to share my answers to these questions and more in this post.

What I Like About Gaming (As a Reader)

Many readers spend all their free time with their eyes on a book and don’t even question it. If you dedicate most of your time to reading, it might be your only hobby, or it might be your primary hobby, and you would not think twice when you have a spare moment before reaching for your latest read. Unless you’re like me, and reading is just one of your hobbies among many. Reading and writing may be my most consistent hobbies and the ones I am most devoted to, but I have a few other hobbies that require my attention every now and again, one of which is gaming.

5 Ways to Write More

Whether for a challenge or a personal deadline, writing more and writing quickly can be greatly beneficial. While you will obviously make more progress with your writing by working faster and writing more, you also might feel more inspired by dedicating extra time and attention to your current project and also find that by organising your time, you have more of it than you thought you did.

Are Creative Writing Challenges Ruining your Writing?

Every once in a while, writers are tempted into taking on a challenge to test themselves, to find their limits, and to have fun. But sometimes, these creative writing challenges aren’t as enjoyable as promised. By creative writing challenges, I mean using things like prompts, restrictive word counts, certain emotions, or generally having something veryContinue reading “Are Creative Writing Challenges Ruining your Writing?”

When to Get Rid of Books

Thanks to Book Tok, reading a lot is once again mega-trendy. Not that it ever goes out of style entirely. While reading being a popular pastime is far from bad, excessive consumption of anything—especially when that thing has a direct environmental impact—is not a good look. I’m guilty of this, especially since the rate atContinue reading “When to Get Rid of Books”

10 Reading Goals for 2023

New year, new goals. Or in some cases the same goals with a better plan to reach them! This year, I’ve decided to spell out exactly what I want my year of reading to look like and share it for some accountability, and maybe inspire you to make some goals too. I feel the need to begin by making it clear that I’m not trying to control my reading but prioritise it because I sometimes forget just how much I enjoy reading in all the excitement and stress of everyday life, and just how good it is to quiet my mind.

How I Wrote 50,000 Words in a Month (and What I Learned)

I did it. I won. I reached my Nanowrimo goal. I wrote 50,000 words of potential rubbish in November. 50,550 to be precise. Now, I am that many words closer to having a completed first draft of an entire story and, I must admit, it feels great… But I’m not quite at my final goal yet.