Mood Reading: The Ultimate Freedom (And Why I’ll Never Go Back)
Ditch the TBR guilt. Embrace the chaos. Read what you love.
Hey book besties, welcome to Bookish Brunch! A mid-week break to catch up. Grab your favorite drink, get comfy, and let's dive into what I’ve been reading, what I’ve been loving and a sprinkle of fun. Share with me in the comments or chat what you’ve been up to!
📢 Romanceopoly Winter Market Square Readathon Update!
Our Romanceopoly Winter Market Square Readathon is in full swing this week, and we’ve been reading together live on Substack! ❄️✨
📖 Missed the live reading sprints? No worries! You can still hang out and read with us by catching the replays here:
And the fun isn’t over yet! Join us live for another reading sprint on Substack this Wednesday Feb 26 at 12 PM EST. Grab your book, your favorite cozy drink, and come read with us!
Mood Reading: The Ultimate Freedom (And Why I’ll Never Go Back)
You ever stare at your bookshelf like it personally offended you? Like, technically you have hundreds of books to read, but none of them feel right? That’s mood reading, besties. And if you’ve ever found yourself scrolling through your Kindle, your library app, or your physical TBR like it’s a restaurant menu when you already know you’re craving sushi, congratulations—you are one of us.
I used to fight it. I tried to be the girl with a carefully curated monthly TBR, color-coded in Notion, prepped for every reading challenge. I told myself I had to finish every book I started. I signed up for ARCs (advance review copies), convinced I’d read them in the exact order they were released. And you know what happened? I hit the worst reading slump of my life. I-didn’t-read-for-two-years level slump.
Here’s what finally broke me free: I gave myself permission to mood read. No rules. No guilt. Just vibes. And it changed everything.
The Highs and Lows of Mood Reading
Mood Reader Wins:
✅ Picking the perfect book for your current mood and absolutely devouring it.
✅ Letting a TV show, movie, or even a random song dictate your next read (Bridgerton → 12 Regency romances in a row? Valid).
✅ Finding an author who magically fits all your moods and bingeing their entire backlist.
Mood Reader Struggles:
❌ Staring at your bookshelves with existential dread because nothing feels right.
❌ Starting five books and committing to none of them.
❌ Hyperfixating on a niche subgenre (orc romances, anyone?) and realizing your TBR has zero books that match the vibe.
Why Tropes Are a Mood Reader’s Best Friend
One of the best tools for mood readers? Tropes. Instead of struggling to figure out what to read next, match your mood to a trope and instantly narrow down your choices. Here’s how:
Feeling cozy? → Grumpy/sunshine romance, small-town settings, or cozy fantasy with sentient teapots.
Need a rush of adrenaline? → High-stakes thriller, enemies-to-lovers with knife-to-throat tension, or a zombie apocalypse road trip.
Want magic? → Fantasy romances with fae, witches, or time loops (pretend you’re the main character stuck reliving Tuesday).
Just finished watching the Super Bowl? → Suddenly need a football sports romance where the QB has hidden emotional depth.
Pro tip: Keep a list of tropes you love (and ones you’re avoiding—looking at you, secret baby). If you subscribe, you’ll get my Book Trope Guide (400+ tropes across romance, fantasy, and thrillers).
How to Embrace Mood Reading Without the Guilt
A little structure can make mood reading even more fun. Here’s what saved me:
1️⃣ Tag your TBR by vibe: Use Notion, Goodreads, or a Notes app to track books you want to read with tags like “cottagecore” or “angsty slow burn.”
2️⃣ Screenshot ALL the recs: Save TikTok/Instagram book suggestions to “Mood Menu” albums for when you’re stuck.
3️⃣ Kindle Unlimited is your BFF: No guilt DNFs—return that meh book and grab a monster romance instead.
4️⃣ Read 3 books at once: Audiobook for chores, ebook for bedtime, physical copy for aesthetic couch lounging.
5️⃣ DNF like a pro: Life’s too short for books that don’t spark joy. (My Survival Kit includes a sassy “I Quit” certificate for your reading journal!)
Upgrade to paid for my Mood Reading Survival Kit and a No-Guilt DNF Diaries Certificate for your reading journal. If you’ve ever rage-quit a book and immediately started a cozy comfort reread… this kit is for you.