Brooke Riley's Blog

I was mulling this over last night, trying to decide if this is truly the direction I want to go. And I think it’s not about what I want, but what I need.

I have written countless posts (okay drama queen, we could count them actually, but it’s been quite a few!) of the way social media has drained me. I’ve gone back and forth on being on hiatus from it, to then scrolling endlessly.

I think there is a way to have a healthy relationship with it. I think that involves staying away from it.

I have fall...

I was truly on board in 2020 when everyone was slowing down and taking time to read again. I was on board when people were also taking time to get outside and go on walks. (Because despite the attempts to keep people locked away in their homes, people did still go outside.)

I was on board with sharing about reading. BookTube really popped off and then so did BookTok. (And no, this isn’t a hate post on BookTok. I think BookTok has really changed, but we’ll get there in a minute.)

I enjoyed the cont...

The first quarter of the year is over already. It’s kind of crazy to think about.

Now, I’m not a super fast or consistent reader. I think that’s why I struggle so intensely lately with writing anything. I’ve been in a bit of a creative drought.

But, today, I want to talk about the books I’ve read in the first quarter of the year. Maybe you’ll find something you want to pick up.

People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

This is the first book I read this year, thanks to the Libby app. It is not my f...

DISCLAIMER: This post was drafted in ye olde 2025. So some of the information I give in this post about my social media usage is no longer relevant as I have currently been staying off social media. However, I found that this post still rings true to me about where I am in life, so please take that as you will. I also know this trend happened months ago, so now it’s no longer relevant. But finding things that help us manage day to day ...

It is no secret to anyone who has followed me for any amount of time that I am obsessed with the Dystopian genre. However, it has come to my attention that there is a movement to ban books that appear to be specifically dystopian.

I could discuss book bans today, but that’s not what we’re here for. (Don’t worry—I will discuss that topic soon enough!)

Today, I want to r...

DISCLAIMER: ALL opinions in this post are just that: opinions. We don’t have to agree about any of these things. However, I will never stand for AI usage anywhere near the creative field, and at this point, I am against ALL AI use. So, if for some reason you are following me and you like AI, please note you will not like this post.

I'm not too fond of the get-rich-quick schemes. As one does on a typical Sunday evening, I was researching ebook formatting a...

Journaling is a great way to document your life and leave an imprint. A physical way to say, “I was here.”

While I hope no one ever reads the things I’ve written, I’ve kept a journal from a young age. When I was young, I drew pictures because I didn’t know exactly what or how to write in a journal. As I got older, journaling was just something that came natural to me.

Sometimes, I just swatch new pens and markers or washi tape. But when I want to write something, I recently found myself strugglin...

A lot of people love to read about the strong main character. They love to see someone who can fight their way out of any situation. It teaches strength and resilience in a world where we may feel defeated.

I’ve loved many a novel where there were badass women who could fight just as good as the men, maybe even better. Or books where she’s educated and not afraid to use her brain to outsmart everyone.

But, there is an overlooked archetype of female main character that feels almost forgotten or set...

Let me start off by saying I am a hypocrite.

Despite being a self-published author, I don’t read a lot of self-published fiction. I don’t often trust it.

It’s nothing against the authors who are writing it, but I just see far too many authors say that an editor is optional, that a good book cover is optional, and that speaks volumes to me.

No hate and no shade. It’s a very expensive world out there.

But, if you aren’t willing to put in the effort to make your book the best it could possibly be, why ...

I haven’t done a personal essay that has no meaning besides to spill my opinions on a topic that really has no consequence on anyone in a hot minute, so here I am doing that.

I’ve seen a lot of posts where people talk about the analog life and not filling in the silence when they eat or silence when they go on walks. Leave the silence there, they say. Consuming while doing something else is overconsumption, they say.

And I get that some of it is.

Truly, scrolling social media while going to the bat...