Hello, my friends! Let’s have a little catch-up and chat about some things I’ve been really loving lately. First off, I want to mention how much I’ve been loving creating again. I get such a buzz from it — I’m so glad I found my way back. I missed talking to you so much and can’t wait to hear your thoughts on all everything I’m sharing today.
Watercolour Painting in Cute Colouring Books
Cute colouring books and markers are so popular right now, and I love it! They make a nice change of pace from how “things for adults” are always just that little bit less fun — like the cute, easygoing, just-for-fun element gets quietly removed to make something feel more “professional” or “mature.” Well, feck that, I say! Cute cosy hobbies help me unwind better than any meditation app.
The only trouble is that they’re popular on social media, which can create moments of comparison, but I block it out as much as possible. It helps that I use watercolour in mine, which I haven’t seen anyone else doing — hard to compare yourself to someone who doesn’t exist! It would be fun to try other art mediums in the books too, which leads me nicely to the next thing I’ve been loving…
The 100 Days Project
The 100 Days Project is an online community art project that runs for — you guessed it — 100 days. It started on February 22nd this year, and I committed to doing a small bit of watercolour painting each day. A small goal felt right because 100 days is a long time, and I have some travel coming up. So far I’ve stuck to it, because I’m counting any small bit of effort. One day I just coloured in a mug; another day I finished an entire page. I’m not trying to improve myself here, just show up each day and do something I love.
Since it’s an online project, you can check out other participants who choose to share (there’s no pressure to post publicly) and it’s so inspiring to see how people express their creativity in completely different ways.
Hardcover Books
Stevie recently gave me a hardcover edition of Quicksilver by Callie Hart, and it completely reignited my interest in hardcover books. I had written them off as uncomfortable and too bulky to cart around, but I really enjoyed reading this romantasy in that format. It’s hard to describe, but holding a big, substantial book in my hands made the whole reading experience feel… more, somehow. A heightened experience. It might simply be the size and feel difference from my Kindle, but something about it just felt more immersive and intentional.
I also have Alchemised by Sen Lin Yu in hardcover, which is very chunky — so we’ll see how I feel after that one!
I don’t have a photo of me watching TV so here’s a photo of Frosty eyeing up my pizza while I watch TV. Hands up 🙌🧀 who else likes the cheese well done on pizza!
Rewatching Shows I Loved in My 20s
I turn 40 this year, which is genuinely insane to see written down! When the year rolled over into 2026, I started seeing posts on Instagram about 1986 babies turning 40 (thank you, Mr. Algorithm, I was already aware!), and it got me looking back on my life. A lot of my 30s were spent under a dark cloud — my mental health took a hit that I’m still working my way out of, but I can see the sun now. (Sidenote: I’m thinking of going into more detail about all of this in a future blog post — is that something you’d be interested in? Drop a ☁️ in the comments if so!)
But back to my 20s — I had so much fun back then. I was social, I didn’t hide my interests, and I wasn’t afraid to want more from life. Some of that is simply being in your 20s, that time of endless possibility, but some of what I lost in my 30s was just my spark. Thinking about that period had me revisiting the shows I watched back then: Supernatural (which I’d started rewatching for its 20th anniversary anyway), Lost Girl, and Stargate SG-1. You might say I was a bit of a nerd. I would say I was absolutely a nerd and completely happy about it.
Rewatching these has stirred up the most wonderful nostalgia, and offered a little glimpse into my younger self — how confident she was, how freely she enjoyed things. I didn’t expect this trip down memory lane to be part of my mental health journey, but here we are. Sometimes the things that help us most are the ones we least expect.
Scarlet Hollow Episode 5
Lastly, I have to shout out the amazing horror game Scarlet Hollow. It’s still in early access because the story isn’t finished yet, but Episode 5 just released after three years of waiting — and oh my goodness, it was excellent. All is forgiven, developers. All is forgiven.
Scarlet Hollow is a role-playing horror visual novel with a mysterious, creepy story and so many different paths to explore. I’m already planning to replay it about ten more times. If you enjoy horror and you’re looking to get into gaming (or back into it), I’d highly recommend it even in its incomplete state.
That’s it from me for now! I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of this. Do you read hardcover books, or do you just collect them for the aesthetic? Do you rewatch old favourites? And how disappointing were those last two seasons of Stargate SG-1? Let’s chat in the comments.
Hello, friends! I know I talk about Libro.fm frequently, but there’s a good reason: I genuinely love this service and want more people to know that Audible has real competition. Competition is healthy—monopolies benefit those at the top while leaving the rest of us with fewer choices and higher prices.
Libro.fm’s Recent Updates Make It Even Better
Libro.fm recently lowered their monthly subscription price to compete directly with Audible, and they just launched an annual subscription option. As a subscriber, you also get extra discounts on sale items—even books that are already discounted!
I highly recommend checking them out. The only limitation I’ve noticed is that their library isn’t quite as extensive as Audible’s, and they don’t carry Audible exclusives. But here’s the thing: you don’t have to choose just one. You can use both services depending on what you’re looking for. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Supporting Local Bookshops Through Your Audiobook Purchases
What I love most about Libro.fm is that you can support a local bookshop with every purchase. This means the world to me since I live on an island where small bookshops struggle to survive—they simply can’t compete with companies like Amazon on selection or pricing.
Fortunately, major international chain bookshops haven’t arrived here yet, but supporting local shops remains challenging, especially as more readers shift from print to audio. Libro.fm solves this problem beautifully: I can enjoy my audiobooks while putting a little something in my local bookshop’s tip jar. It feels wonderful to help them stay afloat.
My Libro.fm Journey and Recent Hauls
Enough about why Libro.fm is great—let’s talk about the books!
I joined Libro.fm a few months ago specifically to get the audiobook of The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert—a spicy, sweet, swoony friends-to-lovers contemporary romance. I’d been reading the ebook but wanted to play Two Point Campus while continuing the story. Being the multitasking hobbyist that I am, I decided the audiobook was the perfect solution.
Then Ali Hazelwood released an audio-only book, so naturally, I had to grab that. I dipped my toes into their sales and picked up a few more titles. After that, I let my credits accumulate for a few months before redeeming them for a bunch of wishlist items all at once.
I love doing this! I “window shop” by adding books to my wishlist, then treat myself to several at once when my credits build up. It gives me such a retail therapy buzz.
Those Sales Though!
The Libro.fm sales are fantastic and worth mentioning again. Recently, they offered several fantasy audiobooks completely free for Friends of Fantasy Day. Free! I picked up five books. There were more available, but I didn’t want to be greedy and clutter my library with books I wouldn’t actually listen to.
Full Disclosure
I should mention that I’m not sponsored by Libro.fm—they haven’t paid me to promote them in any way. I genuinely think the service is excellent. However, I do have an affiliate link with them, so if you sign up or purchase an audiobook through my link, I may earn a small commission.
You’d simply be supporting me in a small way, just as you’d be supporting your local bookstore. A little something in the tip jar that goes a long way.
Thank you so much for your support, even if it’s just reading this post! It means a lot that you chose to spend your time with me today.
Romance is weakness, and Jasmine Allen doesn’t have time for either. Lifelong cynic Jas is the queen of one-night things—until a plumbing disaster screws everything up and leaves her temporarily homeless. Luckily, she has someone to turn to: her best friend Rahul. For seven years, Rahul Khan has followed three simple rules. -Don’t touch Jasmine if you can help it. -Don’t look at her arse in that skirt. -And don’t ever—ever—tell her you love her. He should’ve added another rule: Do not, under any circumstances, let Jas move into your house. Now Rahul is living with the friend he can’t have, and it’s decimating his control. He knows their shared dinners aren’t dates, their late-night kisses are a mistake, and the tenderness in Jasmine’s gaze is only temporary. One wrong word could send his skittish best friend running. So why is he tempted to risk it all?
Bound by Ali Hazelwood
Romance
A reluctant con artist and a professor with too many secrets are bound together in Ali Hazelwood’s intoxicating new dark academia romance—available only in audio!
Veronica “Vero” Mercer grew up with grifters for parents, and she knows her way around a con. When grad school bills pile up and her friends are in trouble, she turns her art history skills into a forgery side hustle.
It’s supposed to be a short term deal, but her work draws the attention of Dr. Viktor Ashworth, a reserved, very British professor. Instead of turning her in, Ashworth kidnaps her—politely—and makes an unusual offer: forge a mysterious ancient manuscript for him.
Soon Vero finds herself spending long nights with Viktor, bent over rare vellum samples and obscure inks. But as the con grows riskier, Vero has to wonder: what does Viktor really want, and why can’t she stay away?
A sister looking for answers. A brother with secrets to hide…
Three days before Christmas, I travel to Midwinter Manor in Norfolk through a worsening snowstorm to meet Daniel, the brother I never knew existed. He has reluctantly granted me an hour of his precious time.
The welcome I receive is frosty. Daniel is cold, intimidating and unfriendly, while his wife, Rose, is polite, but tense. From the moment I step through the door of this imposing manor house, I sense I’m not welcome.
When I go to leave, the snowy blizzard prevents me. Then there’s a power cut and I can’t let anyone know where I am. I realise I am trapped.
Something feels wrong in this house. The way Daniel and Rose speak in whispers behind closed doors suggests something’s amiss. As cracks start to form in their stories, I wonder what it is they are hiding.
Midwinter Manor is a house full of secrets, and some of them are dangerously deadly.
Devolution by Max Brooks
Horror
As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined . . . until now.
But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing – and too earth-shattering in its implications – to be forgotten.
In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the beasts behind it, once thought legendary but now known to be terrifyingly real.
Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and inevitably, of savagery and death.
Yet it is also far more than that.
Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us – and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.
Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it – and like none you’ve ever read before.
Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good. Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor trying to take a break from both his life and his constant desire to fix things. But somehow fate finds Ben trapped by a blanket of snow at Kira’s farm, and, despite her Grinchiest first impressions, with the glow of the fairy lights twinkling in the trees, and the promise of a warming hot chocolate, maybe, just maybe, these two lost souls will have a Christmas they’ll remember forever…
The Angela Carter BBC Radio Drama Collection
Fiction
Angela Carter was one of the most important writers of the 20th Century. A pioneer of British magical realism, her work was described by Salman Rushdie as ‘without rival and without equal’. Her radical, inventive novels influenced countless writers, while her dark, sensual short fiction turned traditional fables inside out, giving women the power over their desires and fates.
Susannah Clapp, Angela Carter’s literary executor and friend, introduces the productions and offers fascinating insights into Angela Carter’s life and work.
This landmark collection includes five new dramatisation of stories from her iconic collection of fairytales retold, The Bloody Chamber. Alongside the title story are ‘The Erl-King’, ‘Wolf-Alice’, ‘The Tiger’s Bride’ and ‘The Company of Wolves’, with casts including Sophie Cookson, Ariyon Bakare, Lily Lesser, Hannah Genesius and Adjoa Andoh. A sixth tale from The Bloody Chamber, ‘Puss in Boots’, is adapted by Carter herself and stars Andrew Sachs as Puss.
Also included is an adaptation of Carter’s award-winning Nights at the Circus, starring Roisin Conaty as Cockney trapeze artist Sophie Fevvers, and the world premiere of her unproduced screenplay The Christchurch Murder. Based on the real-life story of two New Zealand schoolgirls who killed for love, it was an inspiration for the Peter Jackson film Heavenly Creatures, and stars Fiona Shaw, Nancy Carroll and James Wilby.
Accompanying these are three thrilling radio plays: the Gothic Vampirella (starring Jessica Raine and Anton Lesser); the hallucinatory drama-documentary Come Unto These Yellow Sands (featuring James Anthony Rose as patricidal painter Richard Dadd); and an exploration of the life of Ronald Firbank, A Self-Made Man (with Lewis Fiander as Firbank).
Finally, Liza Ross reads the short story ‘Lizzie’s Tiger’, originally commissioned for radio, in which the four-year-old Lizzie Borden has an extraordinary encounter at the circus.
A bonus documentary, Third Ear: Angela Carter, comprises Paul Bailey’s lively interview with the author, recorded shortly before her death in 1992. In it, she discusses her novel Wise Children, and examines the impact of Britishness, politics, and the oral tradition on her subversive writing.
Contents 1 Introduction 2 The Bloody Chamber 3 The Erl-King 4 Wolf-Alice 5 The Tiger’s Bride 6 The Company of Wolves 7 The Christchurch Murder 8-9 Nights at the Circus (in two parts) 10 Vampirella 11 Come Unto These Yellow Sands 12 Puss in Boots 13 A Self-Made Man 14 Lizzie’s Tiger 15 Third Ear: An Interview with Angela Carter
Daphne du Maurier was one of the 20th century’s most popular writers. Extraordinarily prolific, she produced a string of bestsellers, many of which were adapted as award-winning films. From romance and adventure yarns to psychological thrillers and supernatural tales, the breadth and imaginative variety of her storytelling continues to thrill us today.
This bumper collection features her most famous works and some lesser-known gems, beginning with full-cast adaptations of seven of her much-loved novels – Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, Frenchman’s Creek, The King’s General, My Cousin Rachel, The Scapegoat and The House on the Strand. With settings ranging from the 19th century to the English Civil War and the Black Death of 1349, these thrilling tales take us from the wilds of Cornwall to Monte Carlo, Italy and northwestern France. Among the star casts are Susannah Corbett, Christopher Cazenove, Lorna Heilbron, Cathryn Harrison, Adam Godley, Hugh Burden and Ian Richardson.
Next up are two of her acclaimed plays, The Years Between, set in the 1940s and telling the story of a woman whose MP husband is reported killed in action, and September Tide, a bittersweet love story centred around a mother, her newly-married daughter and her artist son-in-law. Diana Quick, Roger Allam, Paula Wilcox, Jonathan Firth and Alice Hart star in these twisty, subversive dramas.
We conclude with a selection of Daphne du Maurier’s short fiction. Dramatised by Melissa Murray, ‘The Birds’ stars Neil Dudgeon and Nicola Walker. It is followed by ‘The Blue Lenses’ and ‘The Little Photographer’, starring Bethany Muir and Lucy Boynton respectively; and ‘The Apple Tree’, starring Charles Gray. Also included are full-cast adaptations of ‘Panic’ (starring Dinsdale Landen and Maureen O’Brien), ‘The Chamois’ (starring Christopher Cazenove and Anna Cropper), ‘The Alibi’ (starring Tony Britton and Sarah Badel), ‘Ganymede’ (starring John Le Mesurier and Anthony Daniels) and ‘Don’t Look Now’ (starring Jamie Parker and Aisling Loftus).
Please note that the pieces in this collection range from vintage 1970s productions to modern adaptations, and the sound quality reflects the age of the recordings.
Contents Jamaica Inn Rebecca Frenchman’s Creek The King’s General My Cousin Rachel The Scapegoat The House on the Strand The Years Between September Tide ‘The Birds’ ‘The Blue Lenses’ ‘The Little Photographer’ ‘The Apple Tree’ ‘Panic’ ‘The Chamois’ ‘The Alibi’ ‘Ganymede’ ‘Don’t Look Now’
Hagstone by Sinead Gleeson
Literary Fiction
The haunting debut novel from acclaimed, Irish no. 1 bestselling author, Sinéad Gleeson.
The sea is steady for now. The land readies itself. What can be done with the women on the cliff?
On a wild and rugged island cut off and isolated to some, artist Nell feels the island is her home. It is the source of inspiration for her art, rooted in landscape, folklore and the feminine. The mysterious Iníons, a commune of women who have travelled there from all over the world, consider it a place of refuge and safety, of solace in nature. All the islanders live alongside the strange murmurings that seem to emanate from within the depths of the island, a sound that is almost supernatural – a Summoning as the Iníons call it. One day, a letter arrives at Nell’s door from the reclusive Iníons who invite Nell into the commune for a commission to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history. In its creation, Nell will discover things about the community and about herself that will challenge everything she thought she knew. Beautifully written and gripping, Sinéad Gleeson’s debut novel takes in the darker side of human nature and the mysteries of faith and the natural world. Perfect for readers of Margaret Atwood and Sarah Moss.
The first in a sparkling new 1950s seaside mystery series, featuring sharp-eyed former nun Nora Breen.
In a house like Gulls Nest, curiosity might prove fatal . . .
After thirty years in a convent, Nora Breen has thrown off her habit. Her fellow sister Frieda has gone missing and it’s up to Nora to find her. Nora’s only clue is that Frieda was last seen at Gulls Nest boarding house. So she travels down to the seaside town of Gore-on-Sea, takes a room and settles in to watch and listen. Over dubious – and sometimes downright inedible – dinners, Nora gathers evidence about the other lodgers. At long last, she has found an outlet for her powers of observation and, well, nosiness.
When one of the lodgers is found dead, Nora decides she must find the murderer. Not least because she suspects the victim knew Frieda. Could solving this mystery help her to understand what has happened to her friend?
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Fantasy
This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada. A young girl grows up wild and wily – her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.
This is a story about love.
1827. London. A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow – but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.
This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston. College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.
This is a story about life . . . how it ends, and how it starts again.
Utterly unmissable, this is a twisting, gothic tale of immortality and hunger. From the bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
Anita Blake is small, dark and dangerous. Her turf is the city of St Louis. Her job – re-animating the dead and killing the undead who take things too far. But when the city’s most powerful vampire asks her to solve a series of vicious slayings, Anita must confront her greatest fear – her undeniable attraction to master vampire Jean-Claude, one of the creatures she is sworn to destroy …
The Anatomy of Songs by Megan White
Fantasy
Bestowed the Songs of both Life and Death, Kasira Severen spends her days as a Daughter of Silba, curing the Lowtown of their ailments. When the sun sets, however, she becomes the city’s most notorious assassin. Now, under her father’s command, she’s hunting her biggest target yet.
Veridian Erris is the Crown Prince of Livadha, and he fears his whisky-fuelled life is about to end. With the bodies of soldiers piling up on the northern borders and nobles turning up dead on the docks, he has no choice but to try and broker peace with the exiled Queen – as long as he survives the attempts on his life before they arrive.
With dark twisting conspiracies, treacherous ancestors and a hair-raising night watcher stalking the streets, the two fated enemies have far more to be wary of than each other.
She has lived only in shadows, but now she must step into the light.
Born and raised by the Baleful, an assassin guild spoken of only in hushed rumours, Zinha is chosen for a dangerous assignment – a game of seduction with a deadly goal that will test everything she’s trained for. The King wishes to invade the neighbouring country of Maetora, but he must first neutralise their ruler – and her dangerous magic.
Zinha infiltrates The Trial of Power, a magical competition during which the Maetorian Heir chooses his consort. She must seduce the Heir, uncover his mother’s secrets and topple their kingdom from within. But Heir Reyher is not what she expected and neither are the Maetorians. Especially Mateo, a fellow contestant with his own secrets.
As Zinha gains more distance from the darkness of her previous life, doubts begin to surface about everything she’s been told. When rumours of a rival assassin threaten her success – and the lives of the people she has come to love – Zinha is forced to choose between the powerful bonds of her past and the fragile hope of an unexpected future. Because time is running out, and the Baleful live by only one rule – succeed or die.
The First by Kipjo K. Ewers
Science Fiction
After spending four years on death row for the brutal murder of her husband, Sophia Dennison takes her final walk in the Mountain View Facility in Gatesville and is put to death by lethal injection at 12:00 a.m. Several hours after Sophia’s execution, FBI agent Mark Armitage is called to investigate a serious disturbance at the prison.
Upon arriving he finds the place a war zone. After being debriefed by his friend and partner, Dustin Mercer, he views the videotapes and learns that the source of the destruction is Sophia. Footage reveals that seven minutes after her execution, she miraculously resurrected, breaking free of her bonds and overpowering several guards. Sophia Dennison has escaped and is now on the run…
If a fairy godmother can get one sister into a marriage, getting another out of one should be easy…
Lady Theodosia Balfour has certainly gotten the short end of the stick—her stepsister, the newly crowned Princess Beatrice, is telling everyone in polite society that Theo, her sister, and their mother are evil, wicked, and horrid people who treated her like a slave. Though Theo knows this isn’t exactly true, it seems her life is thoroughly ruined by the rumor. With the Balfour family estate on the verge of bankruptcy, Theo’s only path forward is a forced betrothal to the Duke of Snowbell, a foul-tempered geezer who wishes only to use her as a brood mare for spare heirs.
Desperate for help, Theo clings to the only thing that might save her: the rumor of a fairy godmother, one that supposedly helped her stepsister secure a prince. After discovering a way to summon a fairy in Beatrice’s old room, Theo thinks her prayers have been answered. But the fairy she meets isn’t at all what she imagined. Drop-dead gorgeous, incredibly cunning, and slightly devious, Cecily of the Ash Fairies is much more interested in gathering powerful favors and smoking her pipe than providing charitable magic for humans in a bind.
Before she receives magical assistance, Cecily sets Theo to three tasks, seemingly to prove that Theo is a selfless and kind person. Helping her along the way are Cecily’s familiars, the flirty human-turned-mockingbird Phineas and the aloof Kasra, a fox shapeshifter who should not be as handsome as he is for someone with such cutting remarks. As Theo works on her tasks, she shockingly finds kinship with the magical creatures she’s helping, and starts to wonder if a continued life among her human peers is what she really wants after all.
For many, March is the month of Irishness. It’s the time when our little island’s culture is celebrated in so many places across the world. This tradition grew out of Ireland’s turbulent past, which makes it all the more wonderful that we get to experience such joy and pride now.
Every March, Words of Clover and Leanne Rose host The Irish Readathon on YouTube. They put together a list of six prompts — the easiest of which is simply to read a book with a green cover — so it’s very accessible. But really, the main goal is to read Irish books. If you’re joining The Irish Readathon or just looking for some great Irish books, there will be something for you here.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for Libro.fm and Bookshop.org. Both platforms let you shop for books online while supporting your local bookshop — something that means a lot to me. Living somewhere fairly remote, it’s not always easy to get my hands on the books I want without defaulting to Amazon, so these are services I genuinely use and believe in. If you make a purchase through a link I’ve provided, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the blog and your local bookshop.
Shop This Post
Browse all the books mentioned in this post — plus some extra Irish reads I think you’ll love — on my Bookshop.org list. For audiobooks, I’ve selected two Libro.fm playlists: Audiobooks by Irish Authors and the Irish Book Awards Shortlist, that have an excellent selection of contemporary Irish literature worth exploring.
Flurry – the best quality control manager
Free Irish Bookmark Printables
To celebrate the Irish Readathon I’ve designed a free set of Irish-themed bookmarks for you to download and print at home! The download is a single A4 page with two bookmarks and pockets — just print, cut, and tuck them into your March reads. They’re completely free and my gift to you.
Murder at Gull’s Nest by Jess Kidd | Listen on Libro.fm A charming seaside murder mystery narrated by Siobhán McSweeney of Derry Girls. This is at the top of my list for audio. Set in the 1950s, it follows an ex-nun on the search for her missing friend.
Hagstone by Sinéad Gleeson | Listen on Libro.fm Described as haunting, wild, and atmospheric, Hagstone sounds like the kind of book that burrows into your mind and influences you in ways you don’t anticipate.
Frankie by Graham Norton | Listen on Libro.fm I love Graham Norton but have yet to read any of his books. Frankie sounds like the type of Irish story that has been told many times before, but I’m interested to see how Norton tells it. He’s a very charismatic person who seems to understand people deeply, and I’m curious to see how he brings characters to life on the page.
Physical Books
Wrong Women by Caroline West | Find it on Bookshop.org This is a nonfiction book about a part of Ireland’s history I knew nothing about. It covers an area in Dublin called Monto, which was Europe’s largest red-light district for a time, home to over 1,500 sex workers. This will likely be a darker read, but I’m interested in learning what happened to these women and acknowledging this part of Irish history. There is plenty of darkness in our past, and women seem to have consistently borne the brunt of it.
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney | Find it on Bookshop.org I’ve read so little Sally Rooney — just one short story — I’m almost ashamed of myself! I’m expecting this to be a very character-focused exploration of everyday life and relationships.
Almost Love by Louise O’Neill Louise O’Neill packs a punch! I’m expecting this book to be emotional — one of those stories that shines a light on the parts of ourselves we’d rather not see. I’ve had it since it came out in 2018 and keep putting it off because I’m expecting it to hit hard. But maybe it won’t. We’ll just have to see.
The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill | Find it on Bookshop.org This is a feminist retelling of The Little Mermaid. I’m interested to see what O’Neill does with the story. It’s YA, so I’m not expecting it to be too heavy, but I still anticipate an emotional journey.
The Morrigan by Kim Curran I actually won a copy of this book from a bookshop on Bluesky! The Morrigan is a fascinating figure from Irish mythology — probably one of the better-known ones. She’s a shapeshifter, the goddess of war and battle, and sometimes depicted as a trio of goddesses. This book is described as a witchy fantasy retelling, so it might be a really enjoyable read.
eBooks
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue | Find it on Bookshop.org I’ve heard great things about this book but have been putting it off because it’s described as a coming-of-age story about messy friendships, and those aren’t really my thing. But people seem to love it, so I suppose it’s worth a try.
Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard | Find it on Bookshop.org I really want to check out some Catherine Ryan Howard! I’ve been getting more into thrillers lately, and her books have always intrigued me. With her novel 56 Days now airing on Prime, this feels like the perfect time to give her a go.
My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes | Find it on Bookshop.org Marian Keyes’ books are what really got me into reading — they’re where the reading bug came from. I haven’t read anything of hers in years, which just isn’t right! With her Walsh Sisters series being adapted and Grown Ups coming to Netflix soon, now is the perfect time to get reacquainted with her writing.
Great Irish Books to Read
These aren’t books I’m planning to read this month, but if you’re looking to expand your Irish reading, these are ones I’d enthusiastically point you towards.
Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin | Find it on Bookshop.org — A bit like a more serious version of Little Shop of Horrors: a sentient plant, the urge to consume what we love, and the desire to become a unified being — together always.
So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan | Find it on Bookshop.org — Claire Keegan’s writing will completely envelope you and show you things you thought you already understood. She has a way of tilting the world just enough to reveal what you’d been looking over all along.
Knock Knock, Open Wide by Neil Sharpson | Find it on Bookshop.org — So far, my favourite Irish horror book. It brilliantly blends Irish folklore with contemporary Ireland and offers a striking look into the Irish cultural mindset before the 2000s.
Dracula by Bram Stoker | Find it on Bookshop.org — Worth reading for its influence on popular culture alone. If you only know Dracula as a pop culture or horror icon, this book will likely surprise you.
I wish I could read all of these in March, but I’ll probably only manage two or three given that I’m a slow mood reader. I’m most excited for the audio of Murder at Cull’s Nest by Jess Kidd and Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard. I’d also really love to read Wrong Women by Caroline West, though I think it will be a heavier read, so it may well take me longer than a month.
What Irish books would you recommend? I really want to expand my Irish reading, so please leave your suggestions in the comments below! And don’t forget to check out my Bookshop.org list for even more Irish recommendations beyond what’s here.
I’m planning lots of lovely Irish-themed content this month — an Irish comfort foods vlog, a reading vlog for the Irish Readathon, and a look at how I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. And completely unrelated to Ireland, I’m also heading to Spain for a few days this month, so there’ll be a vlog for that too. You can follow along by subscribing below.
Thank you so much for joining me today, my friend. Until next time.
I have such mixed feelings about the analogue trend. On one hand, it seems genuinely positive that people are stepping back from their phones — doom scrolling is a creativity killer, and being constantly glued to a screen means being constantly advertised to and fed a narrow, often misleading view of the world.
On the other hand, I’ve watched this trend quietly become another shopping trend. People buy flip phones, alarm clocks, and screenless cameras, only to discover these things don’t quite meet their needs, and they end up as more clutter. There’s also something a little ironic about the analogue trend being so prominent online — I’m not on TikTok, but I’d bet it’s thriving there. Trends that originate on social media tend to attract influencers who cover them simply because they get views, not because they genuinely care about the underlying reasoning. They buy more things, create more content, and keep feeding the very machine the trend is supposedly pushing back against. Our screens know we want distance from them, so they show us an attainable, happy version of ourselves doing just that.
That said, I’m absolutely in favour of going more analogue when those options are genuinely more enjoyable. Painting with real paint is more fun than painting digitally. Writing by hand feels different to typing — in a good way. But I’m completely against all-or-nothing thinking. Both can coexist! It’s easier and cheaper to use a streaming service than to maintain a DVD library, but if physical media brings you joy, go for it. Just be honest with yourself about whether you’ll actually use it, or whether it’ll gather dust.
This brings me to books, which are the reason I started this blog and my YouTube channel way back when. For a long time, my Kindle was my best friend — lightweight, compact, holds an enormous number of books, and always with me. But when I started spending more time in the online book community, I found myself envying the gorgeous libraries behind creators in their videos. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in this, because the rise of BookTok and BookTube has coincided with an explosion of special editions, limited editions, and bookish merchandise.
I fell into the trap of buying print books even when it wasn’t practical for me — particularly from a storage perspective — and often ended up reading the ebook anyway. Eventually I realised that many of the creators I admired were doing something similar: listening to audiobooks while using beautiful hardcover editions (often sent to them for free) as video backdrops or props. I felt a little deflated by that realisation, though I had to remind myself it makes complete sense — they create visual content, so of course they curate a visually appealing scene, and of course they receive books, that’s just how the industry works. But it still struck me as wasteful. All these books being produced not to be read. I don’t hear much conversation about the environmental impact of book printing, but paper comes from trees, and we’re cutting down a great many of them. Maybe digital is better in that sense — though there’s also nothing quite like reading a physical book. As with most things, the answer is probably balance: read some books digitally, some in print, and resist the urge to own multiple copies of everything unless it’s something you truly love.
For many of us, the real issue is simply screen time — and honestly, you probably don’t need to buy anything to fix it. Most phones have built-in tools that let you block specific apps at certain times or set daily limits. If yours doesn’t, I’ve seen a lot of people recommend the Bricky as a useful solution. Personally, I have notification blocks set throughout the day — 9am to 1pm, 2pm to 5pm, 6pm to 11pm, and midnight to 9am. That might sound excessive, but it’s about creating balance rather than going cold turkey. Blocking notifications entirely didn’t work for me because I kept checking apps out of anxiety that I was missing something. Allowing them at regular intervals meant I knew I’d find out about anything important soon enough, so I could actually relax in between.
My favourite part of the analogue trend is the renewed interest in analogue hobbies — and I think that part is genuinely wonderful. I’m so grateful for my own analogue hobbies and love discovering new ones. Journaling, scrapbooking, and colouring are constants for me, and I dip in and out of things like Lego depending on my mood. Finding what works takes some trial and error, but I’d encourage anyone to start exploring. There’s a rich world out there waiting for you.
And digital hobbies absolutely count too. Gaming, for example, is an incredible way to switch off from everything else. An hour of Planet Zoo is almost meditative for me — I come out of a session feeling completely reset.
At the end of the day, the goal isn’t to go analogue or stay digital — it’s to be intentional about how you spend your time, and to fill it with things that actually bring you joy. If you’re feeling the pull of the analogue trend, my advice is to ignore the aesthetic and just ask yourself what genuinely sounds fun. Start there, and don’t buy anything until you’re sure.
The discourse around the new Wuthering Heights movie is annoying the shite out of me. I’m not going to tell anyone to get over it, but maybe chill out a little?
Here’s where I stand: I do think it would have been great if they’d cast a person of colour as Heathcliff. He’s described as dark-skinned in the book, and of all the adaptations made so far, only one has actually cast a Black actor in the role. When I read it as a teenager I pictured him as having Spanish colouring — my sixteen-year-old self couldn’t imagine people of colour living in old-timey England. I know better now.
When this adaptation was announced I wasn’t thrilled with the casting, but I also wasn’t particularly bothered. I view every adaptation and remake as fanfiction. The original still exists no matter what anyone does with it, so I can’t bring myself to care too much about any one interpretation. It just doesn’t matter that much to me.
I’m also not going to pull the “we have more important things to worry about” card, because I don’t believe that. We should always be affected by art — especially now, when capitalism is doing its level best to swallow creativity whole and spit out profit. Discourse is good. Me being annoyed by it is just my own little contribution to the discourse.
And honestly? This film is doing some genuinely good things. It has people picking up Wuthering Heights in droves — it’s constantly popping up on my reading apps. More people reading classics will hopefully lead to more reading in general. It’s also reignited conversations about race and whitewashing in media, which will likely push people toward seeking out work that actually represents them.
As a white woman who grew up in the back arse of nowhere in Ireland — I can literally remember the first time I saw a Black person in real life — I’m not going to pretend I fully grasp all the complexities here. But I hear them, and I think they matter.
What actually gets on my nerves is the despair over this not being a faithful adaptation. There are already plenty of adaptations — go watch one of those! We don’t need another straight retelling. Why not lean into the fanfic spirit of it: what if this happened instead? Why not do something genuinely different?
Wuthering Heights 2026 (The Guardian)
I haven’t seen it yet, and it might well be terrible. The poster — very much giving Johanna Lindsey paperback romance — suggests it’ll prioritise aesthetics over story. And honestly? I’m fine with that. I’m hoping for something like the recent Nosferatu remake: visually striking, full of atmosphere, unafraid to be its own thing.
Because here’s what I actually believe: no two people read the same book. Everyone brings their own feelings, beliefs, and lived experience to whatever they’re consuming, and that shapes what they take from it. Something that brings one person relief can bring another person dread. So much of art is open to interpretation regardless of what the creator intended — and once we’ve taken it in, it becomes part of us, filtered through who we are.
So I’m fine with this new Wuthering Heights existing, whether it turns out to be for me or not. It might not resonate with me at all, but it might mean everything to someone else. They’ve made some questionable choices with this one, sure — but it won’t be the last adaptation, and the book isn’t going anywhere.
Because there’s no better time to fall head-first into a magical world.
✨ Why Friends of Fantasy Day Is a Big Deal
Hello, my friends! If you love fantasy books, independent bookstores, or discovering your next favourite audiobook, you’re going to want to mark your calendar for this one.
Friends of Fantasy Day is a celebration of the fantasy genre — and this year, Libro.fm is marking the occasion with a fantastic fantasy audiobook sale. Think epic worlds, powerful magic, unforgettable characters… for a steal.
👉 Friends of Fantasy Day takes place on January 31, so now is the perfect time to browse, wishlist, and treat yourself.
🧙♀️ What Is Friends of Fantasy Day?
Friends of Fantasy Day was created by Rachel Randolph as a way for independent bookstores to encourage readers of all ages to explore the fantasy genre — from epic high fantasy to dark fairy tales and everything in between.
It’s all about:
Supporting indie bookshops
Celebrating fantasy in all its forms
Encouraging readers to try something magical and new
Of course, you can always pop into your local bookstore for a new fantasy read — and you absolutely should. But if you’re in the mood for an audiobook, I can’t recommend Libro.fm enough.
Here’s why I love them:
🎧 Audiobook subscriptions like Audible — but better
🏪 Supports independent bookstores
📍 You get to choose which local bookshop your purchases support
📱 Works on all the usual devices and apps
So when you’re listening to an epic fantasy adventure, you’re also doing some real-world good. Win-win.
affiliate link
With so many of us looking for ways to divest from Amazon, @librofm is making it easier than ever. The Audible alternative shares profits with indie bookshops, and their brand new annual plan comes with plenty of perks!
When you become an annual member, you receive 12 credits upfront, 30% off additional purchases (including sale), and access to member-only sales. And, for a limited time, new annual plan members will receive a 13th audiobook credit free!
*this post is not sponsored but contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the blog 🩷
📚 NEW: Libro.fm Annual Plan (With a Free Bonus Credit!)
What would you make if the algorithm didn’t exist?
❤️🩹TL;DR
After years of letting hustle culture drain the joy from my YouTube channel, I’m returning to vlogging on my own terms. My new cosy living vlog series focuses on gentle, joyful moments instead of trending topics and analytics. I’ve been experimenting with filming formats and finally found what works and I’m loving the authentic connections it’s creating. Watch the series here
I have that DSLR over 10 years now. That’s pretty good for a digital camera!
Hello, my friends!
This summer marks 10 years of blogging. Ten years! Isn’t that both insane and amazing? I’m genuinely shocked it’s been that long—it really doesn’t feel like it. I’ll dive deeper into that milestone when my actual anniversary rolls around, but today I want to talk about something that’s been brewing: my return to vlogging, and why it feels different this time.
When Hustle Culture Hijacked My Creative Joy
I started BookTube around 2018, not long after launching my blog. But being honest, I’ve been pretty unfaithful to it.
In a previous post, I opened up about how hustle culture sunk its claws into me, and it completely destroyed my relationship with YouTube. What started as a fun creative outlet became an exhausting checklist of “shoulds”:
I should post consistently
I should follow trending topics
I should review buzzy books
I should optimize for the algorithm
It completely sucked out the joy and creativity. Replaced by pressure, comparison, and that nagging voice telling me I wasn’t doing enough.
I still wrestle with these thoughts, but I’m fighting back—and slowly winning.
My New Approach: Vlogging for Joy, Not Metrics
So here’s what’s changed: I’m back to vlogging purely for the joy of it.
I’m actively ignoring:
❌ Analytics dashboards
❌ Trending topics
❌ Algorithm optimization tactics
❌ The “buzzing books” everyone’s talking about
Instead, I’m focusing on what feels fun.
Let me tell you—ignoring those analytics is feckin difficult. YouTube desperately wants you to see them, constantly dangling numbers in your face to get you creating more content for their machine. But I’m trying my best, and that’s all I can do.
Frosty. The best vlogging assistant.
“I’m seeking out the moments that bring joy—be they big or small. I especially love the small moments because you can build them up.”
Introducing: My Cosy Living Vlog Series
In December, I launched a new vlog series centered around cosy living—those little moments that feel like a gentle exhale.
What “Cosy Living” Means to Me
Now, I’m not saying I’m living in constant serenity. Trust me, I’m still a bag of anxiety and doubts. But I’m intentionally filling my life with more moments that quiet that nagging voice in my head and let me just be.
Cosy living is about seeking out moments of joy—big or small—and savouring them. And those small moments? They’re my favourite because you can stack them, build on them, create a life textured with tiny pockets of loveliness.
Pure cosiness 💝
Finding My Filming Format (Through Trial and Error)
I’ve uploaded three cosy vlogs so far, and each one has been an experiment in finding what feels comfortable.
Vlog #1: Single Day Format
What I did: Filmed an entire single day How it felt: Exhausting Lesson learned: Too intense, too much pressure to film
Vlog #2: Multi-Day Compilation
What I did: Filmed clips over several days How it felt: Confusing and disjointed Lesson learned: Lost narrative thread
Vlog #3: The 2pm-to-2pm Sweet Spot ✨
What I did: Filmed from 2pm one day to 2pm the next How it felt: It clicked! The result: My favourite vlog so far—comfortable energy, authentic vibe, though I ended up with tons of footage and a longer video
Key takeaway: The 2pm-to-2pm timeframe works really well for my energy levels and lifestyle, but I need to be more selective with what I film next time.
Why This Feels Different: Connection Over Views
Watch the Series
This is honestly the most I’ve enjoyed making videos in years. And when people interact with these vlogs, the connection feels different—deeper, somehow.
It’s like viewers are seeing me, not just the thing I’m talking about. Which, yes, feels vulnerable but connection is what I’m craving. Not views, not subscriber counts, not watch time percentages.
A New Creative Outlet That Feels Right
I’m genuinely excited about this series as a creative hobby. Vlogging allows me to express myself in a different, more personal way than junk journaling or scrapbooking.
I feel way less pressure to make things look pretty and aesthetic. These vlogs aren’t meant to be perfect—they’re an expression of joy and gratitude, not another pretty thing to put on a shelf.
Join Me on This Journey
If this resonates with you—if you’re also trying to untangle yourself from hustle culture and find more joy in the everyday—I’d love for you to join me.
Subscribe to my YouTube channelfor more cosy living vlogs, and let’s chat about intention, joy, and those gentle exhale moments we all need more of.
Thanks for being here and for joining me on this journey, my friends. Here’s to creating for joy, not metrics.
When did reading – the thing we do for pleasure – become another item on our productivity checklist?
📚 TL;DR
After an introspective 2025, I’m done with hustle culture in my reading life. My goals: read just 24 books (my lowest ever), complete Bookopoly for fun, read more Irish authors (especially Sally Rooney and Catherine Ryan Howard), ignore the hype, create healthier boundaries with online book culture, and finally annotate Pride and Prejudice. Bottom line: no more grinding. Just plain old living and loving books again.
Why I’m Done Chasing Reading Goals
Hello, my friends! Happy 2026! I am absolutely buzzing for this year – I have such a good feeling about it.
I had a very introspective 2025. I put serious work into my mental health through journaling and made many discoveries about myself, which will be reflected in this year’s goals.
2026 is all about enjoyment and giving myself space to just be. Not every moment has to be productive – and they shouldn’t be! Reading and other hobbies don’t have to be about grinding to reach targets or to be the best YOU you can be. They do this naturally anyway. We don’t need to force it!
So, on that note, my first goal for 2026 is to read less!
My 2026 Reading Goals
📖 Lower Reading Goal: 24 Books
Reading is my favourite hobby, but it’s not my only hobby, and I don’t want the guilt of that reading goal number hanging over me when I don’t feel like reading.
I know audiobooks are always an option. I could easily listen while I’m colouring or scrapbooking, but to be honest, I prefer listening to the sounds around me. I like the gentle sounds of my house – the clocks ticking, the floors creaking, the cats stretching and playing. It’s so soothing to just be in the moment and not try to fill the silence.
Plus, I’m a firm believer that we need variety in our lives and multiple ways to reduce stress. Different activities give us different perspectives and help us grow creatively. You might be surprised how one hobby can affect your thinking about something completely unrelated.
I’m not saying I won’t listen to audiobooks or that I’m going to stop myself reading – just that I’m not going to chase a quantity of books. You might be wondering why I don’t scrap the reading goal altogether and that’s because I don’t like all or nothing thinking. There’s room for nuance and enjoyable targets.
🎲 Complete Bookopoly (For Fun!)
Now, I realise I just said I wasn’t going to chase a number of books, but I do want to complete a reading challenge this year.
I made Bookopoly a few years ago (templates are free here on my blog) and mostly finished it in 2023, but this year I actually want to play it. My plan is to do one circuit of the board, so pretty low stakes.
I’m going to play the digital version I made with my Book Tracker Spreadsheetthat you can get [here] if you want. It has the new and improved version of the tracker with Bookopoly added to make everything nice and cohesive.
☘️ Read More Irish Books
I had this goal in my head for 2025 as well, but of my 37 books read, only 6 were by Irish authors. That is way too low!
Top of my list are Sally Rooney (because everyone seems to be mad about her) and Catherine Ryan Howard (because I want to read more thrillers).
This goal kind of leads into my next one, which is…
🚫 Ignore the Hype
The majority of books I’ve read have been by American authors—specifically white lady American authors. The romance genre seems to be saturated by them, and since that’s what I read most, they’re who I’ve read.
Their books get hyped so freaking much on social media it’s insane, and they do not always deserve the hype. With some of these books, it feels like it’s just marketing.
Whatever is going on with the hype train, I am almost always disappointed. And when I say ignore the hype, I mean ignoring books that people gush over in general. I recently picked up a book because several people were gushing over it on Discord, and then it turned out to be so terribly written I suspected these people were plants trying some sort of guerrilla marketing.
So yeah, I’m going to be more careful with the books I pick now.
🛡️ Creating Boundaries
On the subject of ignoring online chatter, one thing I really need in 2026 is boundaries.
Thanks to the great and powerful algorithm, I am bombarded with opinions all the time. I know the algorithm learns from my behavior, but geez, could it chill out a bit?
I have so much depressing news and opinions flying at me all the time I feel like I need to police myself and everyone else constantly! Which isn’t realistic for day-to-day life. I can’t attack my dentist for his opinions on a situation in a country we don’t live in. I do not want to debate my uncle for his beliefs despite how offensive I find them.
I want to make my world smaller, more intimate – at least online. I can’t fight everyone else’s battles, and I can’t carry the weight of them in my head. It stresses me the feck out!
✍️ Annotate Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
And finally, my last goal is a fun one!
I have a cheap edition of Pride and Prejudice that I bought specifically for annotating, but I’ve only gotten as far as tabbing it. I have a little annotation kit I put together especially for this project, but I’ve barely used it.
It’s been sitting in my hobby basket, watching me tackle other projects all the time. I have a collection of ephemera to add to the book as well (similar to what I did with my edition of Emma) but I want to do so much more with Pride and Prejudice because I love it so much.
Just Plain Old Living
So, those are my goals for 2026. To be honest, all I really want is to enjoy what I read.
This is just a list of things I’d like to achieve, but if it’s December 10th and I’ve only read 16 books, you’re not going to see me sprinting toward my reading goal with short books and novellas. Whatever will be, will be. That’s the vibe I’m taking into 2026.
No more grinding, no more hustle, no more aesthetics!
It might sound like I’m embracing slow living or something, but nope. Just plain old living.
Over to You
Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope you have a wonderful start to the year and wish you all the luck with your goals, whatever they may be.
Are you scaling back your reading goals this year, or going full steam ahead? What books are on your radar? Drop a comment below—I’d especially love to hear your Irish author recommendations!
When Your Favourite Magazine’s Persona Isn’t Real: My Complicated Relationship with Daphne’s Diary
TL;DR
Daphne’s Diary is a beautiful craft and lifestyle magazine, but its fictional mascot persona makes me uncomfortable in our AI-saturated world. While brand personas like Betty Crocker have existed for decades, the rise of AI-generated content has changed how I feel about fake people being presented as real. I still love the magazine’s authentic content—I’m just choosing to skip the fictional narrative bits.
The Magic That First Drew Me In
I’ve always been captivated by Daphne’s Diary magazine. The aesthetic is beautiful—those gorgeous craft projects, the pretty pastel papers, the thoughtfully curated articles about artists and beautiful destinations. Everything about it speaks to my creative heart.
It didn’t take long to realise that Daphne isn’t a real person—she’s an invented persona for the magazine. And honestly? I understood the strategy. They’re targeting a specific audience: creative people seeking community and connection, folks who want to feel like they’re on a creative journey with someone, not just consuming content alone.
For years, this didn’t bother me at all.
When AI Changed Everything
But something shifted recently.
With the rise of AI chatbots and fake personas flooding every corner of the internet—pretending to be everything from children to therapists, all in the name of corporate profit—I’ve become disillusioned with the idea of Daphne.
Now when I come across her diary entries talking about her pets, her husband, and her children’s antics, I feel unsettled. None of these people exist. None of these moments happened.
“Why doesn’t this person exist when a real person could fill this role?”
Real Creators Are Everywhere—So Why the Facade?
Here’s what really gets me: there are countless amazing creators on YouTube (and other platforms) producing content exactly like what’s in Daphne’s Diary. They share craft tutorials, lifestyle content, printables, and products through their online shops—just like Daphne does.
But they’re real people. With real lives, real stories, real creative journeys.
So why is Daphne fake? Her style isn’t unique. Her stories aren’t groundbreaking. Why wasn’t an actual person hired for this role?
I suppose most lifestyle magazines don’t typically feature a single person at the forefront. It’s the only lifestyle publication I regularly read, so I don’t have much comparison.
The Magazine Mascot Precedent
My husband pointed out that White Dwarf magazine features a persona—a creature from the Warhammer universe—as their “white dwarf” mascot. So maybe this isn’t unusual in niche magazine publishing. My previous magazine experience (cooking publications, music magazines, Cosmopolitan) never included this kind of brand personification, so it’s unfamiliar territory for me.
The Stock Photo Incident That Broke My Trust
What triggered this reflection was a piece in the recent Christmas edition of Daphne’s Diary about the “hardworking ladies of Christmas.”
The feature included photos of women in uniforms or with other obvious job markers, along with their names and quotes about working during the Christmas season. The problem? These photos were so obviously stock images it felt ridiculous.
Surely it would be easy—and more meaningful—to actually interview real women about their Christmas work experiences. It would create authentic human connection and give voice to real people’s stories.
Maybe I’m judging too harshly. Perhaps the photos weren’t real, but the quotes were. Maybe the women they interviewed wanted their identities protected. Maybe their actual photos didn’t meet Daphne’s aesthetic standards, so they opted for stock images instead.
But it raises the question: Why are there so many fake people in this magazine?
And Now: AI-Generated Artwork That Looks… Bad
Here’s where things get worse. I just noticed that the same Christmas edition includes a page of Christmas gift tags—and they’re very obviously generated by AI.
Let me be clear: I use generative AI myself. I create clipart and assets with AI tools for my own projects. I have zero problem with AI-generated content when it’s done well. AI is a tool, and like any tool, it can produce beautiful results when used thoughtfully.
But what I’m not okay with is a business expecting paying customers to accept artwork that looks this poorly executed. This isn’t about the technology—it’s about the effort (or lack thereof).
Several of these Christmas tag images don’t even make sense—they’re just a mesh of wintery colours with possibly a Santa-shaped blob. Some of them are fine, sure, but the ones that aren’t make the magazine seem like it has minimal quality control or, worse, that they simply don’t care about what they’re publishing or whether their readers deserve better.
This is a magazine known for its beautiful aesthetic. They feature real artists in their pages. They showcase gorgeous photography and carefully curated design. So why are they publishing AI-generated gift tags that look like they were created with a free generator, zero refinement, and absolutely no quality review?
It feels lazy. It feels like they thought, “AI is fast and cheap (sometimes free), our readers probably won’t notice or care.” But we do notice. And we do care.
When I use AI to create clipart, I refine it, I regenerate until it’s right. I make sure it actually looks good and makes visual sense and if it doesn’t, I thrash it. I also only use it to create clipart and assets. Never a finished piece. That’s the bare minimum when you’re asking people to use something you’ve created—especially when they’ve paid for it.
This isn’t about AI versus human artists. That’s a whole other and very valid argument. It’s about standards. If you’re going to use AI-generated content in a premium craft magazine, at least make sure it meets the quality bar you’ve set everywhere else. The disconnect between the beautiful, thoughtful content and these rushed AI images is jarring and honestly feels disrespectful to readers who expect better.
What’s Real vs. What’s Fabricated
To be fair, much of Daphne’s Diary content appears to be authentic:
The artist profiles feature real people
The recipes are genuine
The craft projects are real and replicable
The travel destinations actually exist
The artwork is mostly from real artists (as far as I can tell)
The magazine isn’t bad by any means. It’s real at its core. But the cracks are showing. Between the fictional personas, stock photo “interviews,” and now low-quality AI-generated printables, I’m seeing a pattern of choosing convenient shortcuts over authentic quality.
I just feel uncomfortable with fake people being presented as real, especially with the introduction in our world of artificial personas like Tilly Norwood.
Brand Personas in the Age of AI
Creating a brand persona isn’t new—think Betty Crocker, Mr. Muscle, or countless other mascot marketing examples. But we’re living in a time when companies can use technology to make fictional people seem incredibly real and relatable, all to monetize our desire for human connection.
I don’t want to see photos and videos of Daphne, Rob, Anne, Barney, Mr. Bear, and Aunty Cat pop up on my screen knowing none of them exist. They didn’t do any of the things or say any of the words attributed to them in their anecdotes.
“The real issue? The magazine isn’t transparent about these characters being narrative devices.”
This lack of transparency feels particularly problematic in our current landscape, where distinguishing real from artificial is increasingly difficult.
My Fear: The Loss of Human Connection and Quality Standards
Here’s my deeper concern: I’m afraid of losing real human connection in a world where it’s increasingly easy to create and profit from fake personas.
It’s not fun if we’re all interacting with robots designed solely to funnel our money to their human owners. The authentic relationships that make life meaningful can’t be replicated by fabricated personalities, no matter how charming.
But there’s another issue emerging: the acceptance of low-quality AI content as “good enough.” When a magazine known for its beautiful aesthetic starts including menial AI-generated images that don’t even make visual sense, it signals something troubling.
Are we lowering our standards because AI makes it easy to fill pages? Are publishers banking on readers not noticing—or not caring—that they’ve skipped the refinement process entirely?
I care. If I’m paying for a premium craft magazine, I expect premium content throughout. Not a mix of gorgeous real artwork and half-baked AI outputs thrown in because they were quick, cheap, and “good enough.” It’s not that they used AI—it’s that they clearly didn’t care enough to make sure what they used was actually good. That lack of care for their readers is what stings.
So… Am I Overthinking This?
Am I being nihilistic over a cosy, fun magazine? Probably a little.
I still genuinely love Daphne’s Diary. It remains the only craft and lifestyle magazine that truly suits my interests. At its heart, I’m fine with a magazine having a persona that tells a story—that’s part of the charm.
I’m just not sure why those “working ladies” needed to be fake too. And why are we getting AI-generated gift tags that look unfinished? In this era when creating and profiting from fictional personas and low-effort AI content has never been easier, I’d like to keep real people real and quality standards high.
My Solution: Love the Magazine, Skip the Mascot (and the AI Tags)
Moving forward, I’ll continue enjoying Daphne’s Diary—I’ll just be ignoring Daphne herself and those AI-generated pages. I’ll appreciate the authentic content: the real artists, the tested recipes, the genuine travel recommendations, and the beautiful craft projects.
But the fictional diary entries? The obviously fake interviews? The rushed AI artwork? I’ll be skipping those from now on.
What Do You Think?
Have you noticed similar fictional personas in your magazines? Do AI and fake online personas change how you feel about traditional brand mascots? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
You Can Monetize Your Hobbies Without Destroying Them—Here’s How
“You should sell that!” If you’ve heard this phrase even once, you know the trap I’m about to describe. After years of letting hustle culture drain every ounce of joy from my creative hobbies, I finally learned the boundaries I wish I’d followed from day one. Here’s what I’ve learned: you can enjoy your hobbies without monetizing them—they don’t need validation. But you can monetize them too—just don’t let it destroy them.
Sadly, it took me years to figure this out. Let me save you the burnout.
TL;DR
Started with joyful hobbies: blogging, BookTube, junk journaling
Opened an Etsy shop after all the “you should sell this!” comments
Hustle culture consumed everything—every post, photo, and video became a sales pitch
Lost all joy, went silent on platforms, stopped creating entirely
Hit breaking point, closed shop for a month, and rebranded
Now I have clear boundaries that let me create AND earn without burnout
Key lesson: You can monetize hobbies—just don’t let monetization become your why
Practical boundaries: no checking stats, create when inspired, “so what?” to content pressure
How It Started: When Creating Was Still Fun
I started blogging about 10 years ago when blogs were in their heyday. I chatted about food, all the paper flowers I was making for our wedding, and then I started to lean more into books. I eventually started a Bookstagram and a BookTube and was having so much fun creating and exploring.
It was a creatively vibrant world full of people who were passionate about the same things as me. It was fun and felt full of possibilities.
Then Everything Changed
And with those possibilities came influencers and content creators. The online world started to change. Everything was SEO, followers, views, algorithm, yadda yadda yadda. Hustle culture took over.
I’m a big fan of hobbies. I think they’re great for your mind. Blogging was a hobby that led to BookTube, which led to junk journaling, which led me to creating an Etsy shop. When I start something new, the first thing I do is learn about it. I look up tutorials, I read blogs, I follow creators who talk about it.
But that was where everything went wrong for me.
The “You Should Sell This” Trap
I started my Etsy shop because I really enjoyed making digital downloads to use in my journals. It wasn’t exactly that I wanted to share them with people—it was more that people always tell me I should sell the things I make.
At our wedding, when people saw all of the paper flowers I made, the first thing they said was “you should sell these!”
And I’m sure you’ve heard this yourself if you’re a crafter. If you knit socks or crochet bags, it’s likely been suggested to you that you set up a stall at a craft fair or an Etsy shop.
The Dream That Becomes a Nightmare
And it sounds so lovely, doesn’t it? I mean, why not sell your crafts? They’re lovely and they’re so much fun to make! Wouldn’t it be amazing if this was your job? You could:
Work from home on your own schedule
Only make the things you want to make
Work part-time until you’re able to call this your full-time job
Doesn’t it just sound lovely?
So that’s the trap I fell into. The dream of running my Etsy shop full-time, spending my days creatively, making pretty journaling supplies and engaging with other journaling enthusiasts. It sounds so pleasant and easy. So why not give it a shot?
When Everything Became Content (And Nothing Was Fun)
Well, I did give it a shot. I have an Etsy shop that sells digital downloads of junk journal and planner kits. Creating the kits was fun, but to run a shop you can’t just create, pop it on the site, and carry on your merry way.
The Hustle Culture Reality
You have to do the keyword research, the SEO stuff, have listing titles that make sense but are also stuffed with search terms. You have to hustle.
When I started my shop, I got so caught up in hustle culture I honestly did not have a clue what I was doing. Everything became about my shop:
If I wanted to write a blog post, I had to make sure it was relevant to what I’m selling so I could plug my shop
If I wanted to post on Instagram, I had to make sure something from my shop was somewhere in the photo
If I wanted to make a YouTube video, I might as well make it a Journal with Me using my products
I was spending my time looking up search terms and keywords and making content based on anything relevant to my products. Everything had to be productive and on-brand.
“And it sucked the joy out of everything. My hobbies were no longer my hobbies. The things I used to do for fun and my mental health became side hustles. I couldn’t even read a book without thinking about how it could become content.”
The Breaking Point: When I Went Silent
My hobbies no longer served the purpose of what a hobby is supposed to. The things I used to do for fun and my mental health became side hustles.
My Etsy shop was profitable back in my hustle culture days before my brain got completely fried and I had to stop everything. In fact, I got so caught up in the idea that everything had to lead to my Etsy shop that I stopped creating altogether.
I went silent on all platforms for quite a while.
It just wasn’t fun anymore.
The Rebrand: Separating My Shop from My Identity
This past summer, I made the decision to close my Etsy shop for a month and rebrand it completely. I didn’t want to fully close because I truly do enjoy creating the kits and running a shop. I rebranded it because I needed to separate it from my identity.
It isn’t a part of me—it’s just something I like to do, and it’s just one thing that I like to do. Closing it and changing the name is part of me trying to find the joy in my hobbies again.
The Truth About Hobbies and Money
Hobbies do not need to be monetized. There is joy in them just as they are. Even in unfinished projects, because the process—the work we do to create—is what’s really important.
I fully believe the value of having a hobby like crafting or blogging lies in the creating more than the completed piece. But I also do sell items on Etsy. I make money from advertising and affiliates on my blog. None of these things make much money, but they are monetized.
Living with the Paradox
I’m trying now to separate everything, but it’s really hard because I love my Etsy shop. It’s difficult for me to reconcile my belief that hobbies don’t need to be monetized when I’m monetizing myself!
It almost feels like I’m telling people not to try—not to reach for their dreams—because I’m trying to limit my competition! I’m not! I guess it’s kind of like an author or an artist wanting to earn money for their work. I’m not saying I’m that creative or talented, but is it wrong to want to earn a living this way?
“I’m not anti-monetization. I’m anti-letting monetization hijack your why.”
What Changed: The Boundaries That Saved My Creativity
When I first started all of this, I got bombarded by hustle culture while trying to learn. Maybe I should have just learned by doing, but I looked for help and I got content trees, growth hacks, algorithm strategies that just sucked the creativity out of me.
I still want to create content, but I don’t want to grind. I want to make things I enjoy for the joy of making them—not for the end result or for a reward.
But this doesn’t mean I’m turning off my affiliates or closing my Etsy shop (these things only make about €20 a month, to be honest), and this is where I still struggle with myself. It feels disingenuous to create for the joy of creating and write about it online and have my content monetized. But I’m learning the balance between them.
I’m not actually charging you for access to anything here. Anything I earn is just a bonus. Like a tip. And if you decide you want to create a similar project to me, well, the kit is in my Etsy shop to buy or available for free on my Ko-fi. The emphasis is still on the joy of creating.
My Boundaries Now
Here’s what actually works for me:
1. I do not check stats or analytics. This is harder than it sounds because all of these websites push your stats in your face. It’s hard not to glance at them, but I make sure not to click on the stats or analytics tabs.
2. I create what I feel like when I feel like it because that was the entire reason I started any of this!
3. I’ve learned to reply “so what?” to content pressure. I do still get the little nagging voice in my head telling me I don’t have a post for this week, but I’ve learned to reply “so what?” and just carry on with my life.
These boundaries let me keep earning passively while creating primarily for joy. That’s the difference—joy first, income second instead of the other way around.
Where I Am Now: Creating Simply and Joyfully
I don’t know if I have this all figured out. This isn’t my career. I’m making only a small amount of money from this, but I’ve come a long way from where I started.
I’m no longer being pulled by the content train.
Right now, I’m creating for the joy of creating. It may be messy, it may be pointless, it may interest no one other than me—but it will be real and it will just be. Simply and joyfully.
Where Are You in Your Creative Journey?
I wish I had some profound advice to give you about leaving hustle culture behind, but I have none. I didn’t even realise I was being influenced by it until the stress got too much.
I’m learning to find joy in how I spend my time again. I hope that’s something you already have, and if not, I hope you can find your way to it. We all deserve our little moments of joy.
Share your story in the comments—I’d love to hear where you are and what boundaries have (or haven’t) worked for you.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need validation for your hobbies. You don’t need to monetize them. You don’t need to turn every beautiful thing you make into a business. You don’t even need to complete your projects!
But if you do want to earn from your creativity, you can—just set boundaries first.
This week, create one thing with zero thought about posting, selling, or optimizing it. Make it messy. Make it just for you. Remember what it feels like to create for the pure joy of it.
Elaine Howlin 