The Fault Is Not Mine

I don’t usually make loud New Year’s resolutions, especially when it comes to reading. Reading has always been one of the most natural, comforting parts of my life, and I’m very aware of how easily it can start to feel like work if I let it.

So this year, instead of goals and pressure, I’m choosing a small bookish reset — a few quiet intentions that bring me back to why I read in the first place.

Using the Library I Love

One thing I really want to be more mindful of is making proper use of my local library. It’s right there, full of stories waiting to be discovered, and I don’t want it to be an afterthought.

Borrowing books feels different to buying them — lighter somehow, less committal, more curious. This year I want to lean into that: more library visits, more spontaneous picks, more “let’s just try this and see.”

Making the Most of Kindle Unlimited

I’m also determined to get better value out of my Kindle Unlimited subscription. I tend to forget about it, then remember in bursts, then forget again — which feels like a waste when there’s so much available.

I’d love to explore more backlist titles, comfort reads, and maybe even a few genres I wouldn’t normally prioritise. Low pressure, no guilt if something doesn’t work — just reading for the sake of it.

Playing Along with StoryGraph Challenges

This is the year I finally want to lean into StoryGraph reading challenges properly. Not as rigid rules, but as gentle prompts — nudges toward books I might not otherwise pick up.

I like the idea of structure without force, and StoryGraph feels much more aligned with how I actually read: moods, themes, curiosity, and changeable energy levels all welcome.

Stepping Away from Social Media Reading Pressure

This is probably the biggest shift for me.

I’ve realised that content creation and social media have started to change how I approach reading — what I pick up, how fast I read, and even how I think about books while I’m still inside them. And I don’t like that feeling.

So this year, I’m letting that go.

I’ll still write — blog posts, reaction pieces, reviews — but only here, in long-form, where I can take my time and say what I actually mean. No chasing trends, no reading “for content,” no pressure to perform my reading life for an algorithm.

Just books. Just thoughts. Just me.

Reading, Reclaimed

If there’s a theme to all of this, it’s intention. Slower reading. Kinder choices. Letting reading be something that fills me up instead of something I manage.

That feels like a very good way to begin the year.

Honestly, I can’t think of many things that beat either scenario. On a sunny day, it’s the kind of iced coffee that beads with condensation before you’ve even taken the first sip, paired with the satisfying creak of an old bookshop door. The sunlight filters through high windows, catching in the dust motes and making the spines on the shelves gleam like a rainbow of well-loved treasures. There’s a lightness to it—a sense of possibility—that maybe today you’ll discover that book, the one you didn’t even know you needed.

Rainy-day bookshop visits are an entirely different kind of bliss. The air is rich with the scent of wet pavement and freshly brewed coffee, the rain pattering against the windows as you wrap your hands around a warm mug. The world outside might be grey and hurried, but inside, time slows. You linger over hardbacks you’ll never quite convince yourself to buy, stroke the covers of new releases, and tuck yourself into a corner chair to read the first few pages of something that just feels right.

I’ve always thought of bookshops as the perfect in-between place—somewhere between adventure and sanctuary. And whether the coffee is iced or hot, the magic is the same: you walk in carrying the day’s weather with you, and you leave with a little more than you came for. Usually in the form of a paper bag and a slightly lighter bank account.

So tell me—are you a sunshine-and-iced-coffee reader, or do you live for the rainy-day-hot-coffee kind of bookstore bliss?

Hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer

Hey everyone! I didn’t manage to post anything on the blog this week because, well… I’ve been in Monte Carlo soaking up sunshine, sea air, and seriously good tennis. It’s been a blur of match days, long walks back to the hotel, and collapsing into bed too exhausted to even think about writing. But I’ve started using my Instagram again a little (baby steps!), so that’s something!

✨ Last Week on the Blog
Let’s be honest: not a lot happened blog-wise. But I’ve got a backlog of thoughts percolating and some posts lined up for next week (fingers crossed the Barcelona sun lets me sit still long enough to write them).

📚 What I’m Reading
✅ Finished: Interview with the Vampire — moody, brooding, and yes, a little theatrical in all the best ways
📘 Almost done: You and Me on Vacation — soft and sweet and hitting all the right romcom notes
🧛 Next up: The Vampire Lestat — because clearly I’m having a bit of a moment with long-haired immortals right now

📆 Coming Up This Week (…maybe)
A review of Interview With the Vampire
A review of You and Me on Vacation
Maybe a little “Meet the Blogger” post
And possibly: My Unpopular Bookish Opinions – which is bound to ruffle a few covers!

🎾 Tennis Talk
Monte Carlo has been everything. Nothing compares to watching live tennis—the atmosphere, the tension, the ridiculous beauty of that centre court against the sea.

There were a few upsets this week that properly got to me (Dimitrov’s quarterfinal still stings), but it’s all part of the thrill. And—this was unexpected—I ran into Darren Cahill. I’ve met him a handful of times over the years, but I wasn’t expecting to see him in Monte Carlo, so it felt like such a lovely surprise. He’s always exactly what I need him to be: steady, kind, and so much more real than you’d ever guess from the commentary box. That moment will be tucked away in the highlight reel for sure.

💬 Life Lately
Life has mostly been sunshine, good food, and beautiful backhands. I made friends with a lovely Spanish couple while watching a match and—because life sometimes writes a better story than I can—I’ll be heading with them to Spain after today’s final for an unexpected little adventure to the Barcelona Open.

Sometimes, you just have to say yes.