27 Thoughtful Ways to Romanticize Your Life This Spring, Bookish Edition
Photo by Nine Koepfer on Unsplash
There’s something beautiful about slowing things down and romanticizing your life a bit, especially when we’ve got so many things stressing us out these days. Inflation. Layoffs. A potential TikTok ban. It doesn’t mean you’re ignoring everything going on around you, it just means you’re inserting some moments for yourself. And that’s ok. So if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the real world like I am, try one or all of these to bring a little light (and whimsy) into your life. Make your mental health a priority, and take time for the little literary things that bring you joy. Go ahead, romanticize your life…but make it bookish.
1. Add reading to your ‘slow morning’ routine. Maybe you do stretching, or write morning pages, but take 20-30 minutes to snuggle up with your morning coffee or tea and read a few chapters before you get your day started.
2. Do you have a reading nook or favorite spot to read? Create a cozy spot for yourself with blankets and soft lighting. Ambiance is everything, so make a spot solely for you to be immersed in whatever world you’re reading about. No distractions.
3. Consider keeping a gratitude journal. I’ve been doing the Five Minute Journal this year after it sat collecting dust on my shelf for a couple years, and it’s been a beautiful, brief exercise every morning and night, and includes a gratitude section. It really does only take five minutes.
4. Get a bookish candle, and set the mood. This can be a $5.99 TJ Maxx or Marshall’s or Home Goods candle that reminds you of the smell of one of your favorite characters (cough…balsam fir for me), or maybe you just love the smell of books. OR you can find incredible character specific candles from some small businesses like Briarwick, August Alchemy, and Novel Candle Co.
5. Keep a notebook or notes page of your favorite quotes from reading. Take it to the next level? Create some fun graphics in Canva of your favorite quotes and share them to the ‘gram.
6. Make room on your shelves for new favorite stories. Spring is a great time to go through your owned books (BTW, need something to organize all your owned books? I’ve got you.) and donate a stack to a Little Free Library, or your local thrift shop. You’ll feel lighter, your home will feel more open, and you’ve just freed up space for those new editions you’ve been eyeing.
7. Keep a list of words you’ve learned from reading. My AP Calculus teacher in high school used to give us vocab tests every week (crazy, I know), and all of the words were ones he chose from the books he was reading. To this day, when I see one of those words, it’s a ‘Mr. Johnson word’. But I also picked up the habit, and keep track of cool new words I learn when I’m reading and their quick definition.
8. Take a literary pilgrimage. This can be a few things: either a place you’ve read about and always wanted to visit; a city that a fictional place was inspired by; or it could be a place where you know you’ll be able to relax and enjoy a great read.
9. Write a letter to your favorite author and share how their work has impacted your life. You’ll get to make someone’s day, and feel amazing for having expressed gratitude. If they’re no longer with us, consider doing it anyway, and keep it in a journal, or drop it in the fireplace to send it out into the ether.
10. Participate in a Silent Book Club. You meet up with friends or strangers at a cafe or coffee shop. Grab a drink, and share what you’ll be reading (it’s BYOB). Read for an hour, and then have social time, if you prefer, at the end.
11. Visit a literary city with endless bookstores to peruse. Get lost wandering.
12. Create a literary-inspired herb garden with flowers and herbs mentioned in your favorite books. If you’re in a city, make it a rooftop garden, or some pretty pots on your windowsill. ProTip: Trader Joe’s has some amazing, affordable organic herb plants–I’ve had fresh sweet Basil for over a year, and use it in pastas and pesto constantly. It was $2.99.
13. Stay in and watch one of your favorite book to film/TV adaptations. For me, that usually means The Lord of the Rings extended editions or Pride and Prejudice–both the ‘95 and ‘05 versions.
14. Get some house clothes and cozy slippers to lounge and read in. If you don’t have house clothes, think…a dressing gown, or a perfect PJ set. Something you wouldn’t wear out, but you still feel beautiful in. Basically, something besides the ratty college tee you wear to bed.
15. Make literary themed cocktails with your friends. It could be related to a specific book and characters (each friend picks a character to create a drink around), or each person picks a book to create a literary cocktail for. I see these all the time on Booktok, and it looks so fun!
16. Take a couple hours of your Saturday and go visit some thrift shops or used bookstores. You can have some specific books in mind you’d love to find–the hunt is always so fun. But also consider going with no other intent than to be surprised, and see what gems might be hidden on sad shelves. As anyone who thrifts books knows, you are, of course, rescuing these reads.
17. Write a love letter to your significant other inspired by romantic passages from your favorite book boyfriends/book girlfriends.
18. Treat yourself to a book subscription. There are so many…Illumicrate, Fairyloot, Owl Crate, The Bookish Box, The Broken Binding, Goldsboro, Satisfaction Box (ok, fine, I’ll work on putting together a list of them all), but you get the picture. Find one that sends books or bookish things important to you, whether that’s diverse authors, or beautiful sprayed edges–though these are not mutually exclusive, of course. 🙂
19. If you haven’t done it yet, this is your sign…create a Booktok, Bookstagram, Booktube, or whatever platform you prefer, and just… Start. Posting. Share your favorite reads, take beautiful pictures, or bare your soul. I promise you, someone will love it.
20. Join a bookish community (like mine) and connect with other readers. We focus primarily on fantasy reads with low spice or no spice, but there are so many communities out there if this isn’t your jam. The point is to find your bookish third place. And book friends make the best friends.
21. Create a bookish themed playlist. Or listen to this one full of epic soundtracks that’ll make you feel like you’re the main character of a fantasy novel.
22. And speaking of main character energy, do something you’ve been scared to do. Start writing that novel you’ve been dreaming about for years, take a drawing class so you can put to paper the characters you see in your head, or it could be something as simple as setting a boundary with your family and carving out some reading time each day with no interruptions. Choose yourself for once.
23. If you’re more of an audiobook reader, draw yourself a bubble bath, turn on a diffuser with lavender or eucalyptus essential oil, turn the lights low, and listen to your book while relaxing. Or you can brave the water and take a physical book with you. Living on the edge, I see.
24. Have kids? Make a cozy fort with pillows and blankets and couch cushions (or get this epic one), and have storytime in the fort. You can even get some flameless candles and have a little ‘campfire’ for the ambiance. You’ll create a core memory for sure.
Photo by Nguyen Thu Hoai on Unsplash
25. If it’s a nice day, pack yourself an alfresco lunch or snack, and head to the park with your book and blanket for a picnic and read. There’s something about sitting out in nature and hearing the hum of the birds, buzzing of bees, and feeling the heat of the sun (or snagging some shade). Don’t forget the sunscreen though!
26. If you’re the camping or glamping type, don’t forget to bring a great read with you. Snuggle up with your blankets and enjoy a beautiful view while you read. Bonus points if there’s a real campfire you’re cooking your meal on.
27. Treat yourself to some little literary luxuries and get some subtle bookish merch. Maybe it’s a bookish poster from The Literary Loft, or a gorgeous ring from Between the Pages Jewelry, or a cozy, premium shirt, sweatshirt, or jacket from Valor & Lore (yes, that’s my bookish shop of both general bookish and officially licensed book collections!).
Books bring a lot of joy into my life, and if you’re reading this, they probably do for you as well. I hope this gave you a little inspiration to start living that cozy, literary life. Have something you love to do, and think it should be added to the list? Drop a comment! And as always, happy reading.
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