What am I even doing? What is my goal? What do I hope to achieve here? Why am I doing this?

Since returning to Literary Weaponry earlier this year, I’ve been struggling, I thought I could tumble back into this world of blogging and social media bookish interaction like no time had passed and I would integrate back in smoothly.

As with so often in life, expectations did not equal reality.

Before my nearly three year hiatus, finding my way through the online book community was such a part of my daily life that it felt like breathing. I knew what books were upcoming, what the hottest new releases were, could easily pick out trope trends, and overall this was a place I felt comfortable navigating. Now, none of those things are true and I’m feeling a little lost.

Nearly all of my previous contacts have moved on to new positions or left publishing all together, several of the authors that were once hot commodities have fallen out of the public conscience due to scandals or a series of poorly performing releases, social media platforms themselves have shifted, and some of the tropes that were up and coming have had their time in the spotlight and have already fallen away. That is in addition to changes in myself which have affected my taste in reading, how often I read, and my general quantity of book consumption.

In hindsight, it was ridiculous to think that coming back would be easy.

In the end, I still enjoy reading and want to be a part of this community. Accepting that it has changed and I have changed has been more difficult to come to terms with. This is a place I want to be, a group I want to participate in, and a part of my life that I don’t want to give up on.

For those of you coming with me on this journey of relearning something I once loved and navigating the challenges that come with it, thank you. I appreciate every word you read and everything you post that I spend my time combing through.

Never give up on the things that you love. Happy reading. 🖤