The Challenges and Growth of Reading

Being able to read this semester has really changed me a lot, especially since it felt almost impossible to read over the summer. During those months, I had a pretty chaotic internship schedule that took over most of my free time. By the time I got home, I was exhausted and the thought of picking up a book just felt like another task on my to-do list. I had loved reading before, but at this point, I started to lose my spark. I ended up reading way less than I have in years past, which honestly really upset me. I went into the year with this huge goal of reading more books than I did last year and by July it was clear that wasn’t happening. It felt like I was letting myself down, not because of the number itself, but because reading has always been something that fuels me and I missed that version of myself.

But this semester completely flipped that feeling around. Reading became something I looked forward to again. It gave me a break from stress, a chance to breathe and a moment where I wasn’t thinking about deadlines, assignments or any of the noise that comes with being a college student. I started listening to audiobooks while I was in the car which honestly has become one of the best habits I’ve created and whenever I had a few extra minutes between classes or before bed, I’d pick up my current physical book. It wasn’t forced. It wasn’t part of a challenge. It was just enjoyable.

I also finally jumped into series that have been sitting on my reading list for literally years. Some of them I had been saving for the right time, but then I realized there is no perfect time, so why not just start? I continued some of my favorite series too, the ones that feel like coming home when you open them. It reminded me why I fell in love with reading in the first place. The stories, the escape, the feeling of getting attached to characters who don’t even exist. Yes, sometimes I do get a little too attached to characters and have a hard time letting them go.

Somewhere in this process, I started slowing down in general. Not just in school, but in life. Taking that intentional time to enjoy something I love helped me understand my own boundaries better. I learned not to overload myself the way I did in the summer and I learned that it’s okay to step back and recharge. I even pushed myself to expand my taste in books, trying genres I normally would’ve ignored.

And the best part? I read more this semester than I have the entire rest of the year combined. It feels like I finally got a piece of myself back and honestly, I’m proud of that.

A Modern Mermaid Tale I Couldn’t Put Down

Now we all know the original story of The Little Mermaid. This book was another one of those where the story became more modern day. Ariel del Mar has been a singer who wants a different lifestyle and just so happens to meet her Prince Charming. I loved how much this romance story felt so real and how much it followed the tale it was based on. 

Ariel del Mar is one of the most famous singers in the world. She and her sisters—together, known as the band Siren Seven—have been a pop culture phenomenon since they were kids. On stage, wearing her iconic red wig and sequined costumes, staring out at a sea of fans, is where she shines. Anyone would think she’s the girl who has everything. 

But lately, she wants more. Siren Seven is wrapping up their farewell tour and Ariel can’t wait to spend the summer just living a normal life—part of a world she’s only ever seen from the outside. But her father, the head of Atlantica Records, has other plans: begin her breakout solo career immediately, starting with a splashy announcement on a morning talk show. 

The night before, Ariel and her sisters sneak out of their Manhattan penthouse for a night of incognito fun at a rock concert in Brooklyn. It’s there that Ariel crosses paths with Eric Reyes, dreamy lead singer of an up-and-coming band. Unaware of her true identity, Eric spontaneously invites her on the road for the summer. And for the first time in her life, Ariel disobeys her father—and goes with him. 

Caught between the world she longs for and the one she’s left behind, can Ariel follow her dreams, fall in love and, somehow, find her own voice?

I love the idea that it was more transparent that Ariel ran away from her father. Not only because she had fallen in love, but also because she was sick of him sheltering her. It gave a spin in which her father is the bad guy of the story, which can also be interpreted in The Little Mermaid. Overall I really loved this book and its events and this series has been the best I've read in a while.