Hello, I am back! My posting has been inconsistent over the last few months, but I do feel I am back into a good rhythm with my work-life balance now, allowing me more time to read and not feel so guilty doing so.

While I would love to commit myself to Series September or Standalone September, I think the better, more Anna-friendly way to make reading fun this September is to do a simple Settling Back in September: reading whatever and building up my storage of reviews and good book content for myself. I miss my steady reading time throughout the week and being able to finish a book in one sitting. Yes, for some that is a bit of a shock, but it is just how I know I have been engaged in my reading and enjoyed the process of reading immensely. Limited distractions pulling me away from the books, not to mention a steady environment to remain deeply entrenched in the reading, make for creative sparks and the happy thrum of mental satisfaction.

I have already started posting reviews for September with How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division, a nonfiction text that I absolutely gelled with from start to finish. I have also written up my review for a book I finished yesterday in one sitting, the first one-sitting read I think I have had in over a month! It truly has been so rewarding getting back into reading mentally and emotionally, and I feel that it will be a big reason I am able to get through the waves of data analysis for the rest of the year. I have already split my time to be data work in the morning and reading in the afternoon, throwing whatever else I feel like in the gaps and getting back to a constant state of stimulated growth and enjoyment.

My forecasted reading is going to be a mix of a lot of things, and I am excited to see what new reads and 2026 favourites I come across. I was reminded today that bookshelves are menus not to do lists, and it may not seem like much, but it has been one of the little things that has reshaped how I think about my reading, especially when it comes to my physical tbr titles. I have been so happy to support local authors and buy their books over the last year, and reading their works shouldn’t shift into a weight to be shed or task that needs to be completed. I have them, and I will get to them when the time is right – often, that is when I find myself loving the reads even more.