Welcome Back to Me
Oh, hello! It's been a while!
I started this blog as some way to keep track of all the books I've read...and I've read a lot! But, sometimes life throws you curve balls and you need to evaluate what in your life is causing stress, what can be released for a while, and what needs to stay. Thus the four year long break.
Between 2018 and now, I've had a lot happen. The most pressing reason I put this blog on hold was burnout coupled with a nice healthy dose of depression. In 2018 I started a job that did nothing for my health. I came home exhausted and the longer I was there, the more depressed I became. I quit that job in Spring 2019, allowing myself the time to take a break before the stress of finding a new job swallowed me up again. Eventually, I found a place I actually enjoy working at. A place I don't feel utterly spent at the end of the day, allowing me the space to pick up my various hobbies I've put on hold for the sake of my mental health.
So, here I am, a few day until the end of 2021, picking up this blog that I never forgot about.
I don't really have a plan for it. I'm going to read books. I'm going to share them with all two of you who stumble across this space. I'm going to give myself the space and room to enjoy (or DNF) books without worrying about how many posts per week I write. I want this to be a fun, sustainable project for me to enjoy and, hopefully, a few of you to find and enjoy as well.
As I start this back up, I'll be changing a few things. Most notably, the "NSFM" Rating System. Instead of rating this "Not Safe For Mom", I'm going to keep it simple and keep it SPICY. Why? Simply because more people understand the word "spice" in the context of books than NSFM. I know spice level is very subjective to each specific reader, so, I'll go into more detail of the spice system on that page.
You also might not see too many 1 or 2 star reviewed books. DNFs, certainly. Let me tell you why. I have limited time. If I am not enjoying something, I am not going to give it my time or space. I'm going to Marie Kondo that shit. Does it spark joy? No? Then it's out. And that's why I'll keep reviewing DNFs. I'm going to tell you why I DNFed a book.
I also might start a WDB TikTok account. The BookTok community is VAST and amazing and I may throw my hat into that ring. Give it a shot and see how I feel. I'll let you know when that happens.
In many ways this feels like opening up a house that's been closed for years. Picking things up, dusting them off, airing thing out, and sprucing things up. But in the meantime, it's good to be back.