Back to Blogging | Lessons from this Past Year

Now… you’re probably thinking one of two things: who is this blogger that has magically reappeared onto my feed and why can’t she spell “plenty” right??! Those are two very valid thoughts, and I think it’s best to first start with an introduction.

Hi there! My name is Taylor and welcome to my blog, Planty of Pages. Yes it is a nudge at the lovely houseplants I own… and yes… they are all currently struggling to survive (sadly I was not gifted the precious green thumb that comes with plant parenting 😓). I haven’t posted on here in almost a year and, as crazy as that sounds, a LOT has been going on.

The main thing that had my blog on pause, was the fact that I wasn’t reading to the standards that I wished I was. Now I’ve come to the realization that it’s not about the number of books you read in a week or a month. I got sick of how I would be so concerned about the next book I’d be picking up when I was only a chapter into my current read. I’ve learned this summer especially, that the experience of reading each individual book is much greater than having a giant pile on my monthly wrap up full of books that weren’t memorable at all.

I’ve also… kind of gone through a bit of a book-life crisis. For over 6 years Young Adult novels have been essential to my reading each month, but I’ve lost that sense of joy, finding that some YA books just weren’t cutting it for me anymore. I went through a romance phase for a bit, but then felt guilty because I thought that if I wasn’t reading fantasy or important contemporary topics, then I wasn’t actually “reading”. It sounds stupid now because no matter the genre or age category or format: reading is reading. I guess it just took me a while to understand that.

To make a long story short, I Marie Kondo’d the F**K out of my bookshelf, unhauling books that I no longer felt any attachment to. I realized that a lot of them consisted of Young Adult books that I no longer felt represented in. My bookshelf is still about 60% YA, but the change in itself was bittersweet. I felt nostalgic for the past, but also excited about my reading journey for the future!

Besides my reading crisis, this past year has also consisted of lots and lots of stress over my college senior thesis. The terrifying 25+ pages that I will have to construct during my final semester this fall has been looming over me all year, but I’m staying positive, plus… having that #escapism in books has definitely been a nice distraction.

one of my favorite reads from this summer + my first ever typewriter that I purchased in july!

I’ve also embarked on new hobbies since I’ve last posted. I started penpaling back in July of 2020, and having a creative outlet like letter-writing has been such a joy. It’s definitely a lot to think of: going back to college and keeping up with reading, writing, and my thesis. It will be a challenge, but nothing makes me happier than writing about the things I love to people who understand me most.

I’ve redesigned my site (third times a charm! ✨), and I am so thrilled to just write and engage with this incredible community of lovely readers! There’s truly no other community that I feel the most in touch with, and I hope that this can continue to be a safe place for bookish and life conversations for every person that crosses my little bit of the internet! 😊🌷💕

It’s been a while, so let me know what books/shows/movies you’ve enjoyed lately!

Here’s some stuff I’ve been obsessed with:

• Emily Henry Romances
• DAISY JONES AND THE FREAKING SIX
• rom coms, rom coms, and… rom coms
• Buying books off of DePop
• Sprinting …reading sprints, of course
• Restoring and Collecting typewriters with my boyfriend!!
• Why Women Kill (Show)
• LUCA AKA THE MOST PRECIOUS MOVIE EVER *:･ﾟ✧;♡*♥

Aaaand… that’s about it for now! Until next time, happy reading ❤