Legends, Librarians, and Sir Reginald: Finding Joyful Community in Your Reading Life

Why You Should Make Art, Read More, and Share It With Others

This week I’m living for the way reading has completely cracked open my creativity, especially the kind that’s shown up in fandom spaces lately. My reading life is spinning out all this energy, and it’s turning into real-world projects, joy, and small acts of rebellion. Books aren’t just for reading…they’re fuel for investing back into my own creative work, whether that means making cross-stitches, designing weird t-shirts, or putting together this very podcast. I’ve been thinking a lot about how making art (whatever “art” looks like for you) can be an anchor. The Amy McNee book I picked up this week kind of handed me a whole permission slip to create for the sake of it, and it landed hard. It reminded me there’s no “right way” - your version of art can be silly, small, or something you never even share. But for me, making things has always been how I carve out a little more space for joy, and I want the same for you! There’s a wild, giddy magic in being part of an online fandom where people are just constantly making things for each other… AO3 fics, threads, edits, cross-stitches, shirts, fan art - if you want proof that the world isn’t totally broken, scroll around and see how much pure, feral joy comes from us just deciding to make something for no other reason than that it feels good. It’s not about being the best or impressing everyone. It’s about connection, community, and giving yourself permission to create something, even if nobody but you ever sees it. Bringing it back to being wild and feral, please check out the amazing artwork that riris_drawings [https://www.instagram.com/riris_drawings/] is sharing with the world over on Instagram…all my fellow long-haired Shane enthusiasts [https://www.instagram.com/p/DZp406loh7u/], gird yourselves because you will not be disappointed! 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * We Need Your Art [https://amzn.to/4vU1xu4] by Amie McNee * Beep [https://amzn.to/448cNHm] by Bill Roorbach * It Lasts Forever And Then It’s Over [https://amzn.to/4eSFi0r] by Anne de Marcken * Big Magic [https://amzn.to/4atVdB5] by Elizabeth Gilbert * Black Dog [https://archiveofourown.org/works/82952601/chapters/218425056] by delagauchetiere (fan fic on AO3) 💬 Let’s Chat So if you’re sitting on a creative urge and don’t know where to start, take this as your sign. Go make something, even if it’s messy, silly, or smaller than you hoped. Honestly, what’s the last thing you made purely for the joy of making it? 👕 Like the shirt? Get yours here! [https://ren-reads-too-much-pop-up.printify.me/] Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe [https://renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Burnout Survival Mode: Reading What Brings Joy When Life Gets Hard

This month was a crash course in burnout, resilience, and remembering how important it is to let books and small routines take care of you when real life feels a little too real. I’m not going to sugarcoat it: between family changes, tough conversations, and the general chaos that seems to come with June, my energy for showing up in any “official” capacity bottomed out. But you know what? That’s okay. Old Ren would have called it failing; this Ren can actually see the growth in knowing when to rest instead of pushing through. What helped the most wasn’t new releases, productivity, or keeping up with The Discourse on social media...so much discourse! It was building intentional pockets of joy…reading comfort books, reaching for fanfic, spending time crafting, and accepting support from both the online and IRL communities that have somehow managed to make even hard weeks feel a little less lonely. Sometimes you just need stories to wash over you, without expectations. I’ve been leaning into books that make me feel good, fanfics written purely for joy, and remembering that reading what I like (even if it’s a spicy AO3 chapter or the tenth ReReid) is not something I need to justify to anyone. A little joy, or even a momentary distraction, is enough in a season where you’re just putting one foot in front of the other. 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * Heated Rivalry [https://amzn.to/4fejIVt] https://amzn.to/4fejIVtby Rachel Reid * Time to Shine [https://amzn.to/4vC0y1z] by Rachel Reid * We Need Your Art [https://amzn.to/4oVIyg5] by Amy McNee 💬 Let’s Chat If you’ve ever found yourself relying on old favorites or communal stories to get through a tough week, I’m right there with you. So let’s be honest: when was the last time your reading life felt like pure self-care and not something you had to perform for anyone else? 👕 Like the shirt? Get yours here! [https://ren-reads-too-much-pop-up.printify.me] Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe [https://renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Magic of Parallel Perspectives in Series Like Game Changers and Twilight

This week, my brain latched onto something it really loves: books that happen on the same timeline and let you see a story from multiple angles. There’s something so deeply satisfying about seeing a favorite story or scene play out in a different character’s head. It scratches an itch for context, for nuance, for that little thrill of knowing more than you did the first time. I talked about this in the context of Rachel Reid’s books, how reading Role Model and The Long Game back to back (a second time) changed everything for me. All those tiny hints and offhand moments that didn’t land fully on my first speed read to the finish? Suddenly, they’re loaded with meaning. There’s a kind of magic in going back and filling in the gaps, and I realized how much I crave that as a reader. Sometimes you don’t want the Big New Thing; you want layers and echoes in a world you already love. But of course, not every book needs to beat you over the head with lessons (or trauma) to feel meaningful. For me, these stories let me choose joy and comfort and still find depth if I want it. I get to pick what I take from them, and that’s a relief, honestly, in a world where everything feels a little extra sometimes. My TBR just keeps growing with books that let me revisit, explore, and understand characters all over again. 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * Twilight [https://amzn.to/4oApEvj] by Stephenie Meyer * Midnight Sun [https://amzn.to/43MG61T] by Stephenie Meyer * Role Model [https://amzn.to/4xCmcUL] by Rachel Reid * The Long Game [https://amzn.to/4oC8Dk4] by Rachel Reid So...let’s talk Do you have a book duo where seeing the same story from another perspective just made your whole reading brain light up? Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe [https://renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

From the Pivot Year to Game Changers: Why Some Books Just Feel Right This Week

This week was a strange one for my reading life…total hodgepodge energy, hopping genres and moods by the day. I tried (and gave up on) a Booker Prize winner, finally admitted defeat on The Hobbit for now, and dipped in and out of a handful of books that felt exactly right for this moment, even if I’ve picked them up before. Sometimes when I reread something I thought I knew, it just hits totally different because, shocker, I’m not the same person I was the last time. Old favorites like Common Goal surprised me all over again. It’s wild how a book can morph in your memory, then land in a whole new way just because you’re carrying different stuff into it this time. I’m starting to think that’s why I love revisiting certain stories so much - not just comfort or nostalgia, but that feeling of “whoa, is this secretly deeper than I realized?” You should never feel bad about rereading; sometimes it’s exactly what your brain or your life needs. And this week, I’m trying to really honor that. No guilt about not finishing, no shame about chasing comfort reads, no pressure to turn my reading life into a checklist. I’m learning to let my reading follow my energy, not the other way around… Audiobooks while I knit, stories that remind me what I want out of life, and letting myself change my mind as often as I need. 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * Heart Lamp [https://amzn.to/43YOSK7] by Banu Mushtaq — A total wildcard, picked up for the library’s Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge. Booker Prize winner, halfway through, new perspectives unlocked. (00:35) * The Hobbit [https://amzn.to/4urInKy] by JRR Tolkien — Officially “not happening” for homeschool this week, and that’s okay. We don’t shame the unfinished books here. Permission to DNF, granted. (01:02) * The Pivot Year [https://amzn.to/49StLwA] by Brianna Wiest — Ongoing all year, but this week’s entries kept hitting right when needed. Serendipity in book form. (01:38) * The Mountain Is You [https://amzn.to/4vaMCM4] by Brianna Wiest — Attempt #4, but this time I’m determined to finally finish. Sometimes the right book only lands when you’re ready for it. (02:02) * Common Goal [https://amzn.to/4velrj6] (Game Changers Universe) — Resurfacing for reread, now with post-Wolfbird fanfic feels and a much different impact than the first go-round. Reading at a different age? The book feels different. Always magic. (02:30) * This is Happiness [https://amzn.to/4v6Pqts]by Niall Williams — Audiobook + crafting = perfect combo. Rich language, soothing narration, and pure comfort. Let’s Talk! Has a book ever landed completely differently the second (or third, or fourth) time around, for better or worse? Tell me your stories! Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe [https://renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Dopamine, Smut, and Self-Help: Curating a Reading Life That Feels Good

This week, I leaned in hard to that belief that the book you need always finds you, right when you need it. My reading life has been shifting alongside everything else. Does anyone else feel like 2026 is just this nonstop transformation party that they never even RSVP’d to, but find themselves stuck in? The books on my shelf are suddenly fitting perfectly into what I’m working through in real time. It’s funny how that works, right? Something you’ve ignored for ages suddenly cracks you wide open because you were finally ready for it. There’s something about incorporating new stories, fresh perspectives, or even just taking the time to notice what a book is revealing about your own patterns. That has been huge for me, especially as everything in life (family, work, being a lady in my 40s…ahem) is moving under my feet like I’m on a funhouse floor. Some books go down easy for pure dopamine (and I fully support those smutty, comfort reads). Yet sometimes, it’s the pulling-back-the-curtain books that make you look right at yourself that are the ones that hit hardest. And I think there’s room for both in our lives and on our shelves. One concept I keep coming back to is gratitude, especially for the hard stuff. Having a daily practice and focusing on seeing the progress, tiny joys, and things people do for you or themselves, makes it possible to reframe the tough moments and notice which books (or people) are kicking you forward in the best possible way. Sometimes it’s about releasing grip on the stuff you can’t control, taking responsibility for your own responses, and letting go of your old stories and assumptions that keep you small. Watching the pod and like the shirt? Get it in the Ren Reads Too Much Pop Up Shop! [https://ren-reads-too-much-pop-up.printify.me/] 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * The Pivot Year [https://amzn.to/4x7TATl]by Brianne Wiest * The Mountain Is You [https://amzn.to/4dR5KZi] by Brianna Weist * Heated Rivalry [https://amzn.to/4dR66PC] by Rachel Reid Let’s Talk I want to know: Have you ever had a book that sat on your shelf forever, only to change everything at exactly the right moment? Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe [https://renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]