A Full Life Is Better Than a Full TBR

For a long time, I measured a reading month by one thing: how many books I finished.

Three books? That would have felt disappointing.

Now, looking back at June, I don’t see a disappointing month at all. I see one that felt balanced in a way I haven’t always been very good at allowing.

📊 June by the Numbers

• 📚 Books finished: 3
• 📖 Pages read: 1,005
• ⭐ Average rating: 3.67

The books themselves were a lovely mix.

• Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke ★★★★☆
• Deadline by Mira Grant ★★★★☆
• Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes ★★★☆☆

There wasn’t a runaway five-star favourite, but both Cherry Cheesecake Murder and Deadline reminded me why I enjoy dipping between completely different genres. One gave me cosy mystery comfort complete with small-town charm and murder. The other scratched my long-standing love of outbreak fiction and medical thrillers.

Reading Wasn’t the Only Story

If you’d asked me at the beginning of the year what success looked like, I probably would have answered with reading goals.
June quietly reminded me that success can look different.

I finished another year of university.
I spent far too many happy hours watching tennis (with absolutely no regrets).
I rediscovered how much joy Palia brings me, and suddenly found myself looking forward to logging in each evening.
Perhaps most importantly, I started writing fanfiction again.

That last one deserves its own celebration.

Writing has always been one of the ways I process the world, and after a long stretch where the words didn’t seem to come quite so easily, finding that spark again felt incredibly special.

A Different Kind of Productivity

One thing I’m slowly learning this year is that I don’t have to optimise every hobby.

Reading doesn’t have to compete with gaming.
Writing doesn’t have to compete with university.
Watching tennis isn’t “wasted” time.
They’re all things that make me feel like myself.

June wasn’t a month of maximum output.
It was a month of reconnecting with the things that make me happy

Honestly, I’ll take that every time.