Fine, I admit it, I have bought a LOT of books in the last month or so since my no-buy at the start of 2026. Since my birthday, I've splurged! Firstly, intentionally, and then, it sort of just happened. Let me explain! I've visited charity shops a lot in April, due to my birthday, my… Continue reading Justifying book buying: owning more books than I’ll likely ever read
Tag: books
Reading Around the World: How Am I Doing?
Before you get overwhelmed, this is a LIFE-LONG challenge! No one is expecting you to read some 195 books this year, let alone one from every country. I want you to look at this as something you keep in mind every year until you can't read any longer! When thinking about your TBR or visiting… Continue reading Reading Around the World: How Am I Doing?
Book Review of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng: Masterclass in Social Storytelling
I don’t often do book reviews on here but this book deserved more than just a YouTube short or snippet review on my StoryGraph. This book was a unique read for me. I've come to understand that I like horror novels but not your typical horror (haunted house, slasher, demons) but horror that says something.… Continue reading Book Review of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng: Masterclass in Social Storytelling
Discovering My Reading Tastes ~ Literary Niches within Genres
I'm slowly but surely narrowing down my reading tastes so that I am able to source and read more books that are 4 stars or more, something I used to struggle with immensely. Defining my reading tastes has been pivotal and vital in my reading enjoyment. It's not enough to know you like a genre,… Continue reading Discovering My Reading Tastes ~ Literary Niches within Genres
Europe’s Largest Romance Bookstore: Thoughts on the genre, female friendship, and literary trends
The Spicy Librarian is the hottest new bookstore in Leamington Spa which had an outstanding opening weekend on Valentine's Day. It has been deemed Europe's Largest 18+ Romance Bookstore, which is incredible and speaks to a shift in the culture of reading. Being judged for reading romance I will admit that I have been a… Continue reading Europe’s Largest Romance Bookstore: Thoughts on the genre, female friendship, and literary trends
Get to Know Me: My Favourite Things / My Tastes
If you like these things too, we could be friends! Instant buy authors: (Not every book of theirs is a hit, but I trust them and will keep returning to their work) R. F. Kuang / Rebecca Kuang Olivie Blake Juno Dawson Taylor Jenkins Reid Sally Rooney Mona Awad NoViolet Bulawayo John Green Ava Reid… Continue reading Get to Know Me: My Favourite Things / My Tastes
My January Intentions ~ 2026
January has come around quickly, and I usually love this time of year for setting new goals, opening a new journal and planner, and visualising what I want to do with this gift of a blank slate. But last year, I did my January a little differently and I loved it. Here are my intentions… Continue reading My January Intentions ~ 2026
Gift-able Books: Book Recommendations for Gift-Giving This Season
Tis the season of gift-giving and my favourite thing to gift is books! There's just something so special about a book. You can gift it new or secondhand. You can give one of your own, even with your tabs or scribbles in the margins, sharing a piece of yourself with someone you care about. A… Continue reading Gift-able Books: Book Recommendations for Gift-Giving This Season
Black History Month TBR: Books to Read to Support Black Culture, History and Livelihood
Go find my other posts on books by black authors here I’ve done a few posts on black authors and book recommendations for black history month, but I wanted to share my black history curriculum! Books that I either own already and haven’t read yet or books I’m sourcing from my library that sound interesting… Continue reading Black History Month TBR: Books to Read to Support Black Culture, History and Livelihood
It’s Not All Doom and Gloom: Anti-Negative News
Hi everyone, I hope you are well. The world seems to be in a state of chaos right now and it's hard to hold onto hope when you're a minority, immigrant, or from a group that isn't the dominant in Western society. We feel pushed out. Villainised. Held responsible for a broken system that we… Continue reading It’s Not All Doom and Gloom: Anti-Negative News
S. R. Crawford 