Hi all!
The You’ll Read Too Bookclub has officially come to an end. I want to share why I made this decision after five years, as well as list some of my favourite book discoveries from that time period. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
THE END OF AN ERA
Initially, I decided to end my bookclub because it felt like it had run its course. I launched it in 2020 and in the years that followed, I watched members come and go. By 2024, we had all become quite close as a community of approximately 25. However, after taking a month off in January, I realised I was also very tired. Juggling a bookclub, plus my other forms of social media, a day job, being a parent etc, takes up a lot of time. I wanted to start the new year fresh – just for me. This meant reading books I wanted to, without any time limit on them. As a moderator, you have to read the bookclub picks (even if some of them are not resonating). You have to pay attention, in order to explore the plot, form discussion topics and even pose trivia questions. There were times when life got so busy, I had to force myself to prioritise a bookclub pick before the month was up, and then felt sad when I couldn’t read for leisure.
Stretching my mind back, I haven’t read purely for myself in almost 7 years. From 2022-2024, I completed The Ultimate Reading Challenge. Before that and the bookclub, I was doing a segment on my blog where I read one classic literature novel a month. That restriction meant other books fell by the wayside. The year before that, I was accepting every single ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) that came my way. I had to read and review them for deadlines – boxing me in once again. The last several years of my life have sapped the joy of casual reading, due to the constant pressure to finish a book within a certain time-frame. To be clear, no one is to blame. It was all self-inflicted, but it has been so long since I placed zero reading limitations on myself. Now that there are none, I feel so free!
WHAT’S NEXT?
This year, I just want to read whatever I want. I am excited to complete Emily Henry and Riley Sager’s entire bibliography. I plan to devour Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Swept Away by Beth O’Leary and anything by Darcy Coates. There will be no more bookclubs (run by me or by someone else), bookish challenges, proofreading etc. 2025 and the foreseeable future, will be all about books that make me the most excited and happy to read them.
THE YOU’LL READ TOO BOOKCLUB – TOP 5
I made a collage of all 50 books we read during the time the bookclub was running. It was hard to narrow down to just five, but I did! Here were my absolute favourites:
1.) The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
2.) Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel
3.) The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
4.) The Carrow Haunt by Darcy Coates
5.) We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
Thank you so much for supporting me during this time! I will always hold my bookclub in such high regard. It was a wonderful five years that I don’t regret in the slightest.
Peace & Love xoxo
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