The Fault Is Not Mine

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.

My lockscreen? It’s a photo I snapped at sunset on a clay court in Barcelona. Not even during a tournament—just a quiet, golden evening when the lines were still a bit scuffed from the last match, and the court was empty except for a single ball nestled against the fence. The sky had that dreamy pink-orange blend that only lasts for about three minutes before it slips into blue. There’s something about it that just settles me.

It’s not just about the aesthetics, though it is a pretty picture. That court, that moment, reminds me why I love tennis—not just the matches, the drama, the sweat and strategy—but the quiet parts. The in-betweens. The way the game lingers even after the players leave.

And sure, sometimes I’ll swap it out for a picture of someone I’m low-key obsessed with (no names, but you know who you are, Aussie legend with the best coaching brain in the business). Or something chaotic and silly, like the time I briefly had a meme of a cat wearing a headband and holding a racquet. But I always come back to that clay court at sunset. It’s my anchor.

So what about you? What’s the first thing you see when you pick up your phone? A loved one’s face? A mantra? Something goofy that makes you smile?

There’s no wrong answer—just stories waiting to be told.