Hello!

It’s been a couple of weeks since I had the energy and/or time and/or inclination to write a blog post and it’s really nice to get back to the format that has always felt most comfortable to me. I’ve loved writing since I was 12 and I wrote my first fanfiction before I knew what fanfiction was (it was based on BBC Merlin and I told my nan with the utmost sincerity that I was going to send it to the BBC) so sitting at my desk with my keyboard and the opportunity to yap for what will almost inevitably be a couple of thousand words is actually making my chest feel tight (in a good way) (emotions are tough).

I really liked the weekly wrap up post I did at the end of June and whilst I proposed it as a potential weekly segment (I even entertained the thought of posting twice a week again!), I’m currently thinking a lot about cutting back on the time I spend making content because with my health and my limited energy, I’ve got to prioritise some things over others (remembering to end a sentence should perhaps be a higher priority!). If I had it my way I would spend all day every day making content, particularly bookish content, but I’m really trying to save for a house at the moment and unfortunately that doesn’t come from unpaid work so that’s where my priorities have to be.

That was a long ramble I don’t think any of us needed, so let’s get on to the fun bit!

This is the week I really feel like I got my mojo back – I’ve finished three books as I’m writing this and I’m hoping that tomorrow I can binge read a short book I just got in from the library so I might even make it four!

Rose In Chains is a book I pre-ordered somewhat blind – I was taken aback by the gorgeous cover and the sprayed edges on the Waterstones special edition, but also I knew of Julie Soto from her contemporary romance works. Have I read any of them? No, but I had decided I liked her writing style and apparently that counted for something.

I didn’t find out till after I finished reading that this story was originally Dramione Harry Potter fanfiction – I’ve never been a Dramione girl and I haven’t read a lot of the ‘famous’ fanfictions (I was too busy writing my mediocre ones), but I actually appreciate the book more since finding out it’s origins.

I really enjoyed it, but I think there’s a lot of plot to go in what will be the rest of the trilogy. I’m almost disappointed I read it so soon after it came out because I will now have to wait so long for the next instalment! But I am simultaneously glad I’m actually reading the books I pre-order!

I then finished the audiobook for one of the books from my 25 in 2025 and I must say I thought this was an American knock-off of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman – there are many elements to this story that just lose the charm that Osman’s series has and I found I didn’t really care for any of the characters and the cruise mentioned in the summary doesn’t feature anywhere near as much as I’d been hoping it would.

I was going to say ‘I’m glad I read it’ but I don’t even know if I am, I think the best thing about this book is that it’s helped me work on cutting down my physical TBR!

Yet another new release that I’m actually reading in a reasonable time span since I received it – I actually got my copy of Holly Jackson’s adult debut two days early (thank you Waterstones!) and I actually made the most of that time. I conveniently finished Rose In Chains the same day this was delivered so I dove straight in and I very reluctantly came back up for air in the days since.

I love Holly Jackson’s writing style, I love that she doesn’t feel like she has to make her characters likeable yet they’re endearing anyway, the stakes and the tension in this one were higher than any of her other books and the sprinkling of romance that Holly puts into most of her books? This one wins. Billy Finney is the first character I would wholeheartedly say I have a book-boyfriend-crush on – I’m obsessed, I love him and this book is the closest I’ve come to crying over a book this year. Your honour, I love him.

(there were parts I found a little bit predictable, particularly as someone who actively doesn’t try to figure out whodunnit, but to the credit of the protagonist, she does have a life-threatening brain injury)

Normally I only read two books at a time, but I am hoping to do that little binge read I mentioned so I thought I’d include it here too.

My next audiobook is The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson, the sequel to Her Majesty’s Royal Coven and the middle book I need to read before I dive into the freshly released conclusion to the trilogy Human Rites (fingers crossed I can finish them both by the end of the month).

As I’m writing this, I only finished reading Not Quite Dead Yet this morning so I plan to start Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi in bed tonight and I’m nervous! This series has had so much hype and I think it’s going to be very YA when I’m very much no longer in the YA age range so I think I will either love it or hate it, but I’m kind of hoping for love because I also own a further four books in the series.

Only You Can Save Mankind is a novella by Terry Pratchett that I found the audiobook for at my library, so my hold for that came in and as it’s only 4 hours (and I tend to listen at 1.5 speed anyway) I would love to be able to dedicate an afternoon to reading it in one sitting. I’m unsure currently as to whether I’d want to immersive read it with the physical copy at the same time or if I’d rather work on my cross stitch project while I listen, but if you’d like to know send me a message on Insta and I’ll put it on my stories!

Last week I was absolutely terrible – not only did I skip writing a blog post but I didn’t make or post anything. Long story short (and not too depressing) I got hit by a deer when I was driving home from a dance class I teach and whilst fortunately I am fine, my car is not. The number plate was lost and the front bumper needs to be replaced so the rest of the week was a bit of a struggle!

But this week I am on it – I’ve posted on Instagram every day, my YouTube video should go out tomorrow and I’ve posted a bunch of tiktoks too! Please have a watch of anything you’re interested in!

Monday – Weekly Reading Wrap Up

Tuesday – Mid-Month TBR Check In

Wednesday – Gaps in the Reading Challenges in my Book Journal

Thursday – Favourite Book from each Month of the Year So Far!

Friday – Things You DON’T NEED to be a Book Content Creator

Saturday – What Order I Use Audiobook Apps

And a little bonus from Friday night, I posted a Get Ready With Me for my ballet class – not bookish, but ballet and dancing is another one of my special interests and I fancied sharing so I did!

With the aforementioned car troubles, my anxiety has been sky high at the moment and it’s taken a not-so-surprising physical toll on my body, especially considering my husband has been away on a longer job and my co-dependent ass misses him.

But I’ve spent some lovely time with my cat, I’ve been allowing myself to have some rest and recovery time and do some reading from the sofa rather than from my bed, and I’ve just finished my first year teaching dance in one of my classes and whilst some days I feel like I have no future ahead of me and I’m never going to be able to work full time again, sometimes I feel like I’ve found something I really enjoy and even though it’s not moving particularly quickly, it is moving! Progress is not linear but progress is progress and I’m trying to remember that.

Because I may have only been a cat mum for a few months, but like every other cat mum I think my cat is the cutest cat to ever exist, so here’s my excuse to share pictures of her.

She was in the hammock on her cat tree and I couldn’t cope with how tiny and cute she looked. She’s gotten into a habit of putting herself in corners and considering I frequently refer to her as the problem child it kind of fits. Then she set herself up on my photo album like I was getting a performance review (I think I failed) and last but not least – back in the corner, but she crawled under a radiator to get there.

And a bonus!

We tried to take our first family photo and she, quite clearly, doesn’t want to be there.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks! I’ve been so stressed I’ve been physically unwell, but I’ve come back from it doing better than before I think – I’m trying to get some answers as to how I can better manage my energy levels and it’s definitely a challenge, but the fact I’ve finished three books this week says a lot – if the book mojo can just make it’s way to other areas of my life that would be fantastic!

Thank you so much for reading,

Sophie xx