Hello! It’s been a while since I last typed up a post . . . And by that I mean almost 4 years. Oh how time flies! However, I’ve recently felt a pull towards books and blogging again and am excited to share it all with you. In today’s post, I wanted to briefly update you all regarding my *lengthy* hiatus, what I have been reading, and what my plans are for 2022!
WHERE HAVE I BEEN?
Prior to writing this post, I checked when my last upload was. 2018. Wow.
I never had the intention to take a break, but after multiple years of reading book after book after book, my brain needed a mental break. I fell into a slump where no book truly interested me. As books by my favorite authors were released, I felt no pull towards reading them. Until now.
The last time my followers read from me was in 2018, when I was a junior in high school. Today, I am a sophomore in university studying sciences. During these past four years, the only books I’ve picked up were textbooks. And let’s just say that a calculus or chemistry textbook is in no way enjoyable. This past term of university was exceptionally difficult for me mentally, and I found myself needing some sort of . . . escape. That’s where books come back in.
I was never someone who could just lay back and binge watch a Netflix series. (A) I suck at committing to a series and (B) I never found a sense of success in finishing a series. With books, the sense of success you feel when finishing 500 pages is amazing! And, there are so many more amazing stories to read compared to shows to watch.
I also need some sort of outlet to talk about the books I read! None of my close friends of family are avid readers, or would even touch any of the books I read. That’s the whole reason behind starting to blog in the beginning: to share my love of reading to others! I debated only going back to Goodreads (less time commitment), but you truly can’t get out everything you need to say in a small Goodreads review. So here I am, back and ready to blog 🙂
WHAT HAVE I BEEN READING?
Before about 2 weeks ago, nothing. This past term was exceptionally difficult for me balancing courses like organic chemistry, microbiology and biochemistry. All the things you need to lock into your brain for a final exam in these courses really does lead to burn out. So, once my finals ended, I went to Chapters to see if any books were on sale, and found 3 gems. All three of them were read within this past week, and each were amazing in their own way! Below are the 3 books that reignited my love for reading (in the order I read them).
- Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
Ever since seeing Colleen Hoover’s books blow up on TikTok, I have been really intrigued. Although I had previously read mainly young adult novels, I was excited to test the waters with an adult romance. And this one definitely did not disappoint! From the first chapter, I fell in love with Miles and Tate’s twisted and troublesome romance. Their romance is so problematic, but Colleen Hoover’s storytelling keeps you wanting more! I devoured this standalone romance in a few sittings and could not wait to dive into another Hoover story (hence the next book).
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
I won’t be the first to say that everyone raved about It Ends With Us when it was first released. I didn’t even know who Colleen Hoover was back then, but I’ve kept my eyes on this book ever since. And holy, the readers were not lying. For someone who has not read in the longest time, I finished this book in less than a day. I barely even did that back in 2016/2017! But this book was so intense that once you got into it, you could not put it down. Colleen Hoover takes you into the world of Lily Bloom, an aspiring florist with a dark family past. After the introduction of Ryle Kincaid (hunky neurosurgeon oooh) and a childhood friend, the memories are reignited. This book definitely has several triggering subject matters (e.g. sexual assault), but anyone comfortable reading these subjects should give it a go!
- The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Umm, this one was definitely not on my TBR for this winter break. But, I saw it on sale and felt the need to dive back into the Lux universe. For those who have not previously read my blog, the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout is my favorite series of all time, and was the reason I got into reading and blogging. I loved Luc’s character in that series and was super excited when I found out that JLA was writing a series based around his character. And let’s just say, IT. DID. NOT. DISAPPOINT. I loved Luc and Evie’s romance in this novel, and JLA throws such amazing cliffhangers! This was another book that I read within one day, and have since purchased the sequels, which I cannot wait to read!
HOW IS 2022 SHAPING UP FOR ME?
I’m honestly quite excited for this year! I’m not one to write down a bunch of resolutions and goals, but I am excited to lay down a clean slate and start fresh. I’m heading into my 4th semester of university (second term of sophomore year), and am pretty excited about it! Although science courses kill my brain (memorization overload), I love it! I’m taking one less course this coming term, so that I can hopefully regain some of my motivation and avoid another horrible burnout. Besides that, I also plan to do a summer research internship this summer and volunteer throughout the year.
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH “AN INFINITE BOOK WORLD?”
When the thought of starting this blog back up first crossed my mind, I had 10 dozen ideas. But thinking through it, that many ideas would NEVER get written and posted. As a full time student who works and volunteers, my free time is limited. But nonetheless, I still want to post!
Although I won’t be able to write fun posts like Teaser Tuesdays and WWW Wednesdays like I did in the past, I still plan to post book reviews and update you all with what I am reading. The first few months might be a little rocky as I adapt to squeezing reading back into my life and managing this blog, but bear with me!
I am so excited to share everything with you all and I can’t wait to see where this blog takes me!
Happy Reading!
An Infinite Book World 