Hey guys! This time of year is always a good time for reflecting. Last year, I really dove into the world of beta-reading. For those who don’t know, basically a beta-reader reads a book before it has been published. Different authors have different goals that they want to achieve with beta-readers and ways of doing it. For instance, a couple of times, I’ve filled out beta reports (basically feeling nostalgic because it felt like filling out a book report—one that I wanted to!) You can find authors who need beta-readers anywhere, really.

Life is all about balance. Last week, I wrote about my Top Reads of 2025. So, to bring in balance, it just felt right to write about my Worst Reads of 2025. The title might be a bit overkill and overdramatic, but sometimes, you just read books that you don’t vibe with. Hopefully you put it down (sooner rather than later) because life is meant to be enjoyed. Reading terrible books…isn’t enjoyable. Unless of course, you make a game out of it. I have compiled a list of books that just didn’t quite make the mark.

Hi guys! Happy New Year! Last year was one full of amazing reads, and I hope it will continue in 2026. For now, here are my top five of 2025! (Note: In no particular order! I wouldn’t be able to pick. Please don’t make me.) Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid The amount of adrenaline that was pumping through my body as I went on this emotional roller coaster had me so drained that all I could do was stare at the wall. All of the characters were amazing (except, once again, for you, Barbara) and I wish that more of them had been able to survive.

2025 was a trying year for me. However, one constant was that I was consistent with reading! So, because of that, I thought it would be fitting to do this tag. I’m not sure if she created it, but I found these prompts from Bria Murphy’s YouTube channel! Go watch her video: Favorite new character: I realized I had to put my new favorite couples. Originally, I had just put the women as my favorite characters, but then realized I also really enjoyed their counterparts. So here are my favorite new couples: …

Hey guys! Welcome back to another blog about the most wonderful time of the year. This week, I wanna talk about holiday books. I won’t lie, I find most of them to be super repetitive, so because of that, I like to read short ones. As in ones that are 200 pages or shorter. Otherwise, I think they just drag on. I tried to make a varied list that way everyone will hopefully find something they enjoy! With that, let’s get started! Recommendations: Lovelight Farms and Good Spirits by B. K.

Hey guys! Welcome back to another blog!  This week I’m gonna talk about some ideas of gifts for any of the bookworms in your life. Most of them can be personalized towards the person you’re shopping for, or they can just be kind of generic. Either way, these are presents that they'll love! (And if they don't, then take it back and I'll take it... I kid, I kid. Unless...) Let’s get started! Subscriptions: - Kindle Unlimited: Y’all have heard me talk about this before. Kindle Unlimited is one of my favorite subscription services to exist.

This week’s blog is dedicated to none other than my father. It’s his birthday today and he turned 71! So first and foremost, I just want to say: Happy Birthday, Dad! I do have other things I want to say; these are things I should say more often than I actually do. I’m sorry for that. I hope you know how much I love you and how much I appreciate you. I know the last year (even more than that) haven’t been easy, but I love you. Thank you for always being there.

Hey guys! Welcome back to another blog. This week’s blog is something I’m a little embarrassed by. But I also think that I’m putting too much pressure on myself and in the grand scheme of things, there are worse things I could do. Or not do. That being said: I barely participated in this year’s NaNoWriMo. I had a really good seven day streak at the beginning, and then I fell off, almost completely. Most of my “writing” was still brainstorming; so if I had somehow made the 50,000 word goal, I would’ve felt like I had cheated. 

Hey, guys! Happy Saturday! I've been thinking lately about how sometimes all it takes is one book for an author to go viral. Especially with social media like BookTok. Most of those authors have books that aren't talked about as much as the ones that threw them into the spotlight. And sometimes the less talked about ones are the better ones! So, without further ado, here are four underrated books by some well-known authors. The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica Picture from Amazon. This author is talked about a lot, however, it’s always about…

Hey guys! Welcome back to another blog! This week is gonna be focused on the different brands of e-readers. With Black Friday sales coming up, you never know what deals you might find! Maybe there will be some on e-readers and maybe you have a friend (or you, I don't judge!) who wants one.  Also, just want to include that any pricing I include are the regular every day prices. I’m not sure if any of these are going to actually be on sale. So, let’s get started with the comparison of the popular e-reader brands!

Hey guys! Welcome to a new blog! With November being the month all about writing, I decided it would be a great idea to share some books on writing that I love. This post primarily focuses on nonfiction books about the craft of writing, but I know every so often we all need a break, so I also included a few fiction books to read during downtime! Let’s get started! The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing (3rd edition) by Writer’s Digest Picture from Amazon This is one of the first books I ever bought dedicated to the craft of writing.

Hi guys! Happy November! (WHAT?) November has always been an important month for writers out there. It used to be called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) but it has been changed over the last year or so. The general goal of NaNoWriMo is to finish a rough draft of whatever manuscript you’re working on. Your goal doesn’t have to be exactly that, but that’s what most writers strive for. NaNoWriMo itself was an organization that shut down this year. To keep it brief, they shut down due to financial issues, but people stopped supporting them in general when they had made a statement about the use of AI.

Please don't kill me for this post. Thank you. Hey guys! Welcome back to another blog! This week is going to be a little different. I wanna preface this by saying that reading is subjective and that's the beauty of it. Some people aren’t going to like your favorite book or author—and that’s okay! (As long as people are respectful about it, obviously.) I’ve noticed several people lately saying that they can’t take BookTok recommendations seriously. It’s not their taste, etc. I have also been let down in the past by books that have become popular due to BookTok.

Hey guys! Welcome back to a new blog! Last week, I recommended some thriller and horror books. However, I know some people don’t like scary. So this week, I have some recommendations on books that aren’t necessarily scary, but will still put you in a fall mood!  This Spells Love by Kate Robb Admittedly, I don’t think I would’ve read this book on my own. I was subscribed to a monthly book box called Book of the Month for a while and this was one of the options. I remember not really caring for the other ones, but I wanted a new book that month, which led me to picking this one.

Happy spooky season, everyone! This week I decided to write about books that fall into the genres of thriller and horror! I also listed some books that I plan on reading this year for the first time as well. Let's get started! THRILLERS: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden This was the first book I ever read by Freida McFadden. I think most people have said the same thing. Videos I've watched have recommended to start with this one, especially if you're newer to the genre, like I was when I first read this book.

Hey guys! Happy October (wow that felt crazy to say!) This week I decided to do a tag all about some of my favorite books. Feel free to answer these yourself (or simply judge my taste). I found this "tag" from a blog called Zeezee With Books. They stated they found it here. Also, just wanna include that any pictures I have included are screenshots of covers from Amazon's website (besides the one from Back Roads Literary Review!) With all of that being said, let's get started!

(Note: Has nothing to do with the teachers themselves! Just the curriculum they were forced to teach.) Hey guys! Happy Saturday and welcome back to another blog. Back in August, I had posted a reflection on my Full Sail University journey. Between writing that and seeing everyone going back to school, I’ve been thinking back on my earlier educational journey. More specifically, my English classes. I wish I could say that English had always been my favorite subject. However, that would be a lie. It was one of my least favorite subjects.

Battle of the Library Apps Hey guys! Remember libraries? They still exist! And they also now have apps that you can use to check out digital products. There are plenty more than the ones I’m going to talk about, but I have the most experience with Hoopla and Libby. Some of the apps are only available on certain devices, but I think it’s worth looking into them. After all, they’re free, so what do you have to lose? Libby Available on both Android & iOS devices Libby is my personal favorite, but I think I’m also just biased.

“Listening to an audiobook doesn’t count as reading.” - Someone who takes their reading goal too seriously, probably. Hey guys! Welcome to this week's blog. It's kind of all over the place, but that's how my mind was this week. Anyway, this week's post is all about, you guessed it: audiobooks! My general thoughts on Audiobooks: I think it’s crazy when people get mad at others for listening to an audiobook and counting that towards their yearly reading goal. I know that some in the bookish community take their goals very seriously; it’s great, to an extent.

Original Short Story Huge shoutout to Back Roads Literary Review for publishing this short story this year! View their website here. Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com Rebecca Sterling got into the elevator, laughing to herself. How she started talking to this man to begin with, she’ll never know. It was a fluke. Well, she knew that wasn’t entirely true. She had made it happen, with a different outcome in mind. She didn’t mind the change in plans; she relished them, actually. Her phone vibrated with their first picture together popping up on her screen.

A Beowulf Adaptation My rise to becoming king was not noble, I’ll be the first to admit. So long as you’re willing to admit that it was clever. It all began when I was young, when Beowulf was known as the hero. Beowulf, you’ve heard of him. Everyone has. Anyway, Beowulf is my uncle. Or was. He would be your great uncle. Except there is nothing that great about him.  Anyway, this story is all about my rise to the top. However, I unfortunately can’t leave him out of it. I must give credit to where credit is due.

A Short Story Sasha paced back and forth, pausing to look at the door. He was supposed to be back by now. There was work that needed to be done. She was growing tired of his need for breaks that just never seemed to end. She wasn’t even sure what he did when he was working. The click of the door revealed a Donovan who wore a shit-eating grin. One that he wore often. He sauntered into the room as Sasha threw him a glare. “What’s wrong?” Donovan asked. “You said you needed a ten-minute break.

Hey guys! For this week’s blog post, I decided I wanted to write about my very favorite device: the Kindle Paperwhite (Signature Edition). I purchased one a few years ago and it’s still working just fine and I haven’t noticed any signs of decline or anything that you see in a lot of technology these days. The Colorsoft just came out not too long ago, but I don’t have any plans to ditch my Paperwhite for it. And let me tell you why. The Paperwhite is definitely the better option if you don’t want to spend…

With school right around the corner, it’s given me time to reflect on my most recent educational experience. Last summer, I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in creative writing. I attended a school called Full Sail University and pursued my degree completely online. I know there are a few people that I went to school with who aren’t the biggest fans of Full Sail; maybe I’m one of the few that really enjoyed my experience. I tried to make the most out of it, even though I was attending online. I decided this week I wanted to put my two cents out there and maybe that would help someone!

Hey guys! This week I thought it would be fun to share my list of goals that I have. Ones that are mostly writing-centered. This blog post is a little bit shorter compared to ones I’ve written in the past, but hey, sometimes that’s okay! Most of my goals are similar to ones other writers have; I think it’s great that we all share the same goals but have different journeys to get there. I will say, sometimes it stresses me out knowing there isn’t just one “right” (or… write… way….