November has always been my favorite of the ’ber months. 🍂

There's something about this time of year that makes me want to slow down a little. The weather FINALLY starts cooling off here in South Carolina, there's good food, even better company, and everything just feels a little cozier. It's usually a quieter month for me, and honestly? I love that.

But lately, I've also been thinking a lot about community.

A little while ago, I received some pretty insanely hateful comments on YouTube. And while I know putting yourself on the internet means opening yourself up to criticism, there's a big difference between disagreeing with someone's opinion about a book and being downright cruel.

When I shared what happened on Instagram, I was absolutely overwhelmed by the love and support I received. People took time out of their days to send kind messages, share their own experiences, and remind me why I started talking about books on the internet in the first place.

And THAT is what I've been thinking about.

Because at the end of the day, I don't want to just recommend books. I want to build a space where people genuinely enjoy talking about them. Where we can have wildly different opinions about the same story and still have a fantastic conversation. Where we celebrate each other's reading wins, help each other through reading slumps, and enthusiastically convince complete strangers to add another 15 books to their TBRs. 😂

That's what I want The Reading Room to be.

I've been a little quiet here lately, but I've also been rethinking what I want this space to look like moving forward. And I've realized I don't want Bindery to be just another place where I share content you can already find on Instagram or YouTube.

I want it to feel like an actual community. A place where we can pull up a chair, grab our favorite drink, and dish about BOOKS. All the books. Across every genre.

So here's what you can expect moving forward:

📖 The Reading Journal: More candid updates about what I'm reading, what I'm loving, what's disappointing me, and everything in between. Think less polished review and more chatting with a friend.

💬 Between the Pages: Bookish discussions, unpopular opinions, reading habits, trope debates, and all those questions that deserve more than a quick Instagram comment.

📚 The TBR Table: A place to swap recommendations, discover hidden gems, and help each other figure out what to read next.

🎙️ Beyond the Episode: I'll still share some of my YouTube videos and author interviews here, but I want to take those conversations even further. Let's discuss the books, the authors, and the ideas that stick with us long after the episode ends.

☕ The Reading Room Roundtable: Monthly check-ins where we can share our favorite reads, biggest surprises, reading plans, and whatever else is happening in our bookish lives.

And here's the most important part: This community will ALWAYS be free. No paywalls, no pressure, and absolutely no reading requirements.

Whether you read 200 books a year or you're struggling to finish your first, whether you're a fantasy fanatic, a romance lover, a horror enthusiast, or someone who reads a little bit of everything, you belong here.

I want this to be a place where we can disagree without being disrespectful, get excited about the stories we love, and remember that reading is supposed to be FUN.

So, consider this our official welcome back to The Reading Room. 🖤

Let's start with a little catch-up: What are you reading right now, and how has your reading year been treating you?

I want to hear ALL about it. The five-star favorites, the disappointing reads, the unexpected discoveries, and everything in between.

I'm so glad you're here. 🖤