As you guys know, I am in a war with social media. Which is ironic given my brand. But I'm trying my best to limit the amount of time I am on social media, and one way I'm doing that is through my book journal, like I told you all before.

This year, I stopped using Goodreads the way I used to and started tracking my reading in a physical book journal instead. It feels good to track things in an analog way.

I do try to journal creatively, looking up Pinterest inspo and trying to recreate it in my own style. But I’m not going to lie… it’s not super aesthetic. Well, not all of it.

Some pages are creative, feel like me, and are super pretty. Other pages are… flops. And it’s okay.

The picture above is one of my favorites.

I’m learning to just accept it and move on instead of trying to make everything perfect. I’m taking the layouts I don’t like as learning curves and trying to do better next time.

Currently, I think I finally found a layout that works for me. But more than that… I’ve found joy and peace in slowing down and just getting my thoughts out on the page.

I don’t know how to explain it, but sitting at my table, cutting papers and picking out different colors, printing images I think would go well on the spread… it’s healing something in me.

And after I finish decorating and journaling, I feel calm. Like… really calm.

And I’m lowkey proud of myself for creating something with my hands again. It feels like my own little masterpiece. Both the nice aesthetic spreads and the not-so-nice ones.

This year I've read 17 books far.

This is for the those who feel a little… disconnected from themselves lately. Not fully lost. But not fully you either.

These books helped me reconnect in different ways 🤍

Only for the Week — Only for the Week by Natasha Bishop
Janelle is a BIG people pleaser who never puts herself first. But with the help of Rome, she starts learning how to center herself and prioritize her own needs. Rome is gentle but still authoritative… literally exactly what she needs.

Sweet Heat — Sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola
This is book two, and we find Kiki in a completely different headspace than she was in college. Life has happened. She’s more unsure, a little lost, trying to figure out her path. Kiki feels like a fully realized, complex person here, and Malakai reminds her that she’s Kiki Banjo… she can do anything she puts her mind to. This book lives in my rent free.

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store — The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
Our girl is the manager of a cozy bookstore and a complete bookaholic… but she’s not really living her life. That changes when she meets fisherman Noah, who shows her that life is bigger than books, and a little spicier too. I really enjoyed this one.

Restore Me — Restore Me by L. J. Segars
Our main character has been touch-deprived for years after losing her husband.
She hasn’t allowed herself to open up to love again. But her late husband’s best friend helps her remember what it feels like to be touched… and eventually, to be loved again.(This book is super messy, but healing.)

If You Stayed — If You Stayed by Brittainy Cherry
Kierra is someone who has accepted that life doesn't have to be amazing. Just good enough. On the outside, her life looks perfect. But inside, her marriage lacks warmth, and she’s weighed down by guilt from her past. Then someone she thought wanted nothing to do with her comes back into her life… and helps her realize she deserves the world, not just what she’s been settling for.

My May hopefuls… and by hopefuls, I mean we’ll see because I’m a mood reader 😭

I’ve said before that TBRs are basically a crime against humanity… and yet here I am making one anyway.

• The Neighbor Favor by Christina Forest
  This has been on my list for a while, so I really want to get to it.

• The Rite of Starling by Devney Perry (Book 2)
  I need to continue this series, like… it’s time.

• Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen
  This just feels like the perfect seasonal read.

• Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
  I already know this one is going to be emotional… I just need to be in the right mood.

Will I read all of these?
Who knows.

Will I randomly pick up something completely different instead?
Also yes.

I just finished If You Stayed, and I’m not even going to lie… this book had me in TEARS. 😭

Like, it was so emotional, but in a way that actually sticks with you. I kept thinking about it days later.

Definitely check your trigger warnings, because there is some domestic violence and themes of grief, but it was amazing.

I think what got me the most is how much I’m moved by character growth. Seeing someone truly do better? That will get me every single time.

And Kierra… she was really just living on autopilot until Gabriel came back into her life and kind of woke her up in a way.

I loved the pacing too. This was one of those books I could not put down. It moves fast, but still gives you everything you need.

And there are SO many plot lines in this book. Everything is woven in so nicely. But somehow, she wraps everything up so neatly.

I know some people might say it wrapped up too nicely, but honestly? I loved that. No loose ends, no confusion, just a complete story.

Also, the way the tension is built??? Because you know Kierra caused something in Gabriel’s life, but you don’t get the full story until later. And those flashbacks mixed with present day???

Yeah… chef’s kiss.

And the writing is less on the flowery side, but it still hits emotionally.

This was such a good read for me. Easily one of those books that reminds me why I love reading in the first place.

Is anyone else a little hungover after finishing the last season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians… or is it just me? 🥲

Like I love it, but why does it feel like it’s moving sooo slow??

But it got me thinking… there are actually SO many Greek mythology books out there that hit just as good as Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

So I put together a full list on my blog with book recs for when you’re craving that same chaos, humor, and mythology energy.

If you’re not ready to leave that world yet (because same), this is for you:

New Blog Post: Books to Read If You’re Hungover After Watching Percy Jackson

Let me know if you’ve read any good mythology books lately because I’m always adding to my TBR 🤭📖

Okay… I know. It’s been a minute since my last Bindery update 😭 but life has been lifing.

Per usual... 🙄

If you know anything about springtime + kids, just know they start acting like the rules never existed in the first place. On top of that, people have been out sick left and right… so I've basically been holding it down in the classroom by myself for the past month. So yeah, I've been tired.

But also… I've been really intentional about being gentle with myself this April. I'm not forcing anything. I’m not rushing through books just to say I finished them. I'm just reading because I actually want to.

Right now, I’m reading Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood, and honestly… she’s one of my comfort authors at this point. Like her, Meg Cabot, Simone Elkeles, and Kennedy Ryan… they are authors where I already know I’m going to enjoy the ride no matter what.

This book feels very much like a palette cleanser. It’s light, a little nerdy, a little funny, and the jokes are definitely giving "punny" in the best way. It’s been a really easy read to come back to after long days, which is exactly what I needed.

Next up, I’m deciding between No Ordinary Love or When I Think of You by Myah Ariel. Both of them feel like they’re going to hit in different ways, so we’ll see what mood I’m in when I finish this one.

Have you read either of these, comment down below!

And for my non-fiction read this month, I’m planning to pick up Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey… which honestly feels very on-brand for where I am right now.

We’ll see if I actually finish all of these, but this is the plan for now 🤍

I just finished book three of the Halfling Saga and I’m about to start the fourth book, and I went down the rabbit hole of reading reviews. A lot of people are upset about the direction of the male lead, saying that in the last book he basically becomes a “lap dog” for the main character and loses his edge.

And TBH… I’m confused by that criticism.

To me, Riven/Killian never felt like a traditional shadow daddy character in the first place. Yes, he’s powerful and mysterious at times, but once you really get to know him he feels much more like a soft but strong type of character. Loyal, protective, a little emotionally vulnerable, and very centered around the main character.

So seeing people complain that he isn’t dominating the story or acting like the classic morally gray alpha male is interesting to me. I feel like some readers expected one archetype and got another.

And i got me to thinking about my own reading preferences.

I actually like two very different types of male leads:

Soft & steady – the loyal, emotionally grounded characters who support the heroine and let her shine. They’re strong but not performative about it.

Think:

• Peeta from Hunger Games

• David from Uglies

• River from the Halfling series

Shadow daddies – the dark, morally gray, intimidating characters who carry power and danger with them.

Think:

• Xaden from Fourth Wing

• Caz from Vicious Bonds

Both can be great, but I don’t necessarily think every fantasy series needs the second one.

Now I’m curious where everyone else falls.

When you’re reading fantasy or romantasy, which type of male character do you prefer?

The soft and steady ones…
or the shadow daddies?

So I know that a lot of you from TikTok joined my Bindery hoping for Deep Reading Tips, and I am finally delivering.

I started a reading journal and I am loving the journey. It allows me to slow down and rate books at my own pace. I also really enjoy the process of decorating and journaling, using different colors and textures in my notebook, and figuring out a layout that feels like me. It's not super aesthetic but it's mine and I feel pride in creating something.

I used to use Goodreads for my reviews and I still will, but having my own catalog of books I’ve read, with my own handwritten thoughts that I can flip through at any time, is just really appealing.

Especially since I’ve also decided that doom scrolling is my new enemy.

Like actually.

I also started verbally annotating in my notes app. Nothing fancy, just my thoughts. Sometimes it is literally, “This book is so boring.” But even that tells me something. Maybe the pacing is slow. Maybe I am not in the mood for this genre. Maybe I just do not connect with the writing.

Other times it is me noticing something small. A repeated image. A line that feels too specific to be random. A moment that feels like it is setting something up. I love catching foreshadowing before it fully happens. It makes me feel like I am actually in conversation with the story instead of just watching it unfold.

The biggest change though is that I let myself pause.

How I deep read and think about books is a little unique to me because of my lived experiences. The connections I make come from that. And the connections you make will be unique to you because of yours. That’s why book clubs are fun. You get to talk about the different things you felt or experienced while reading.

So one last tip for deep reading is to join a book club.

So yeah, this may not be a typical “how to deep read” post. But I hope it helps someone get started and stop worrying about doing things the right way or not feeling smart enough to deep read.

Start with writing down your thoughts.

And make it fun for you.