Why The Reading Nook became my favourite place to breathe, read, and ramble.
Now that we’re stepping into a brand new year, I’ve had one of those “sit back, breathe, and take stock” moments… the kind that hits right before you dive headfirst into another busy year of school runs, work shifts, dinner planning, and the never-ending juggle of real life.
And honestly? Looking back at this blog — this little corner of the internet I built — might be one of my favourite surprises of the year.
I only started The Reading Nook at the end of July. At first, it was meant to be simple: a quiet place to talk about books, audiobooks, and the stories that kept me company. No big plan. No pressure. Just somewhere to pour my thoughts when a book lingered in my head a little too long.
But like most things in my life…
It grew.
And grew.
And then grew a bit more.
Now it’s a cosy jumble of everything I love — audiobook adventures, reading wrap-ups, book hauls, family moments, baking chaos, themed nights, random life rambles, and those “it’s 11pm and I need to talk about this book now” thoughts.
Basically?
It’s my diary.
My scrapbook.
My safe little reading corner.
🌿 Why a Blog… and Not Social Media?
Even though I do have Instagram, I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to turn reading into a performance.
The pressure.
The algorithms.
The “post at the right time.”
The trends.
The reels.
My brain said: bestie, absolutely not. 😂
I didn’t want to curate perfection.
I didn’t want to worry about aesthetics over honesty.
I didn’t want to shrink my excitement into something “grid-friendly.”
Snapchat is about as far as I go — fleeting, low-pressure, chatty. A place where things don’t have to be perfect to be shared.
A blog felt like freedom.
No algorithm.
No rules.
No stress.
Just me, typing into a box about books that made me swoon, spiral, cry, or stay up far too late.
And honestly? I never expected anyone to read it. I still don’t. But hitting publish feels like a cosy exhale every single time.
Halfway through writing here, I realised this was exactly the energy I needed — not a picture-perfect version of reading, but the real, warm, slightly chaotic version I actually live.
📚 What Sparked It All
Truthfully? I didn’t have many people in my life who wanted to talk about the books I genuinely love.
My family mostly leans toward historical sagas — the kind with cobbled streets, long skirts, and tragic romances set in Liverpool in the 1800s or early 1900s. And listen… I respect it.
But my nan and grandma would absolutely faint if they saw the spicy fantasy, morally grey men, and chaotic fae drama I read. 😭
And the way books fit into my life — audiobooks playing while I cook, clean, walk, or just need an escape — it’s such a huge part of me. But it’s not always easy to explain that excitement out loud without feeling a bit silly.
So instead… I came here.
To a space where I can ramble freely.
Where getting emotional over fictional characters is normal.
Where book joy isn’t dismissed or minimised.
Here, all my interests finally fit together — stories, moods, comfort reads, chaos reads, and everything in between.
💛 A Place Where I Can Actually Be… Me
I didn’t realise how much I needed a space like this until I made it.
Somewhere to write freely.
Somewhere to document the silly and the sentimental.
Somewhere that doesn’t judge my book taste, my audiobook obsession, or the fact that I cried over a fictional man.
This blog has become the place where all the versions of me can exist without being questioned.
As the months passed, I realised I wasn’t just writing posts — I was writing memories. Little snapshots of a season of life that might otherwise blur together.
Future me will look back at these posts and remember exactly how it felt to be here — chaotic, comfort-seeking, book-obsessed, and very, very human.
✨ Before I Get Teary, I’ll Wrap This Up
Because let’s be honest — it doesn’t take much to make me cry.
Cute animal video? Tears.
Emotional book ending? Devastation.
Finding a new comfort read? Fully undone.
So before I lose it completely over the keyboard…
Thank you.
To anyone who’s ever read a post, left a kind comment, or quietly lurked.
And thank you, future me, for starting this blog when you needed it most.
Here’s to another year of stories, audiobooks, snacks, comfort reads, emotional damage (the good kind), and cosy little moments worth writing down. ✨
The Reading Nook 