thecozyspookyreader

[thecozyspookyreader]

Here, it is still spring.

[thecozyspookyreader]

When your father has to find you a husband in Victorian England so he provides you with a list of men who would be willing to share their libraries and who have a copy of your favorite book. How sweet 😭😭

[thecozyspookyreader]

Sleepy Hollow, 1999

Ichabod Crane literally doodling about how Katrina is the sun in his journal. [Just a small detail in the movie I never noticed that is making me sob this morning]

[thecozyspookyreader]

This morning, I’m remembering Oxford and how my heart felt when it was there.

[thecozyspookyreader]

Light Academia Book Review: Romanticize Your Life

I've been fascinated by the idea of "romanticizing my life" for awhile now, and most of that interest, of course, started with social media. Like many people, I find it comforting to watch videos of my favorite influencers looking for and creating romance in their every day lives, whether that's by doing something relaxing (like taking a solo, aesthetic picnic in the park), or adventurous (like trying to cook a new, complex recipe from another culture). The idea of these videos is to remind people that there is beauty in the every day- that all the things we're looking for in life can be found in practicing intentionality and mindfulness, even in the moments that feel mundane. Prior to this book, I was a passive consumer of the "romantic lifestyle." After reading, I feel inspired to see how these practices can potentially change my own life.

Romanticize Your Life is a guide offering a year's worth of thoughtful activities and reflections you can do to find the beauty in the every day. Like I did, you can finish this book in a few hours and leave with empowering reflection prompts, tools, and quotes to add into your everyday life. However (speaking of romantic, whimsical practices): my personal recommendation is to DATE this book. Go on walks with it. Have morning conversations with it. Take notes with it and take note of the questions that it brings up in you.

Believe me- there are so many reasons why you would want to date this book. For one, it is the definition of a light academia read, from the aesthetic to the content. Inside the book, each daily reflection is paired with creative practices for romanticization, as well as playful, Victorian art pieces showing various characters resting, reflecting, and trying out some of the mentioned tools (aside: I appreciated the racial diversity in these pictures!). 

If you're a history nerd like I am, you'll enjoy the various informative passages about the Romantic movement's history and origins, complete with a reference list at the back with additional resources to check out. I left this book with a long list of things to look up, reflect on, and apply going forward, which is refreshing seeing as how I read a LOT of self help books and sometimes it feels like they're saying the same thing. I have definitely never thought about some of the ideas mentioned before, which was refreshing! Finally, I really enjoyed the way the suggested habits built on top of each other in each new reflection. It supplied me with a sense of progress that made me want to keep thinking up new and better ways to use some of these practices. 

All that being said- what a delightful read. Perfect thing to add to your light academia book lists <3

[thecozyspookyreader]

Welcome to The Cozy Spooky Reader!

Hi there! If you're reading this, you must have it to my page which is wild because its very new and I have no friends lol

BUT the hope is that this page will be a place where I can make friends, talk about books, process my own reading, and hear about yours too!

So, here is my version of the #bookblr intro tag!

Page Name: The CozySpookyReader

Profile: Black, Queer, ENFJ, Aquarius, Witchy, Studied English Literature, Creative Writing & Africana Studies in college. My personality in a picture below...

What can you expect on my blog? Book recs, of course, usually of the queer, cozy, and/or spooky variety. Meditations on reading, bookstores, book minimalism, annotating books, upcoming books I'm excited for, etc. Occasional Content: Thoughts on movies, magic, travel, and scrapbooking/journaling

What do I like to read? Cozy and spooky reads lol no, but seriously: I fluctuate between needing fast paced academic thrillers that I can't put down to needing something that feels like a warm cup of tea. In a given week, I can start by reading a racial psychological thriller by Tiffany D Jackson and end by reading a cozy witchy mystery like In the Company of Witches by Aurora Lee

Favorite recent books? Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G Summers, The Baker's Man by Jennifer Moorman and Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park (more info on these books will be in an upcoming #midyearfreakoutbooktag post)

Physical Books or E-books? E-books... HEAR ME OUT. I prefer physical books but I have a goal to mostly read Kindle books for a year in order to limit addictive book consumption. I am committed to only buying books that I've read and loved and NEED to own. I'm attempting to become a #kindlegirlie. Upcoming posts on that process later!

Currently Reading: The Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux

Interests outside of reading: Travel, Language Study- I am currently learning Korean & Japanese, KPop, Personal Development, Scrapbooking, Witchy things- crystals, tarot, etc.

Favorite Fandoms: Kpop- NCT, P1Harmony, Ateez; KDramas- Hometown ChaChaCha, Semantic Error; Over the Garden Wall, Coraline, Studio Ghibli, Cottagecore, Dark/Light Academia

That's about it! Looking forward to this new space and joining #bookblr. Can't wait <3