The Bibliophile

Also me: *managed to devour 3 books in one month*

This is the first time I’ve ever been able to do this and write reviews for fun for each of them.

Bibliophile honesty: I finished my first book in months. Practically half a year. Utter disappointment within myself has been hanging above my head. That little voice saying “Seriously, you finally have time after graduating college and this is what you did?”

Usually people will tell you that you have to find that one book that will pull you out of such a reading slump. I rejected that. My mindset was “how can I make this fun again?” I became one of those people who let Goodreads and BookTok somewhat ruin my relationship to reading. Goodreads became like a calorie tracking app to me; I became focused on the numbers and not the journey. 

I wiped out most of my reading list and only kept books that I physically owned in my home on that list to keep me focused on reading those first. That was my first call to action. There needed to be something more that could let me really “brain dump” that didn’t involve a smartphone or a computer. 

Behold: a free navy blue moleskin journal I received from my job that brought me where I am today. 

Brain dumping in my personal journal is therapeutic for me as is. Now imagine that but right after reading 30-40 pages of a book you’re deep into. It has made me look forward to reading again. So much so that I’m actively going to libraries in the middle of the day again on my days off from work to enjoy my leisure time. 

The most crucial part of this experience is that it is getting me off my f*cking phone.

My screen-time has been too high for my liking. Social media has become a menace in my life, fanfiction is not what it used to be to thoroughly enjoy, and I have only so many YouTubers to enjoy with their niche content. I don’t even want to watch a new television show because I feel guilty that I’m not doing something better for myself. Solution: a journal where I can rant and express myself freely about a book I’m currently reading.