About

Reading, Writing, and Me is a home for bookworms looking for the next story to get utterly lost in regardless of whether it comes from literary fiction, romance, YA, nonfiction, or something else entirely.  

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The Story

Welcome to Reading, Writing, and Me, my name is Lanie, and I've been running this blog for nearly 5 years now. I started it as a 14 year old who had just picked up her first YA book and was absolutely in awe of the stakes, emotional depth, and story of these two teens who were just a few years older than I was. It opened a whole new world of books for me, and I wanted to share every thought I had about every wonderful, new book I picked up as I explored this section of the library. And because I didn't have a book club or a group of friends who loved reading, I turned to blogging to find other readers that loved these stories in the same way that I did. I set out with a mission to chronicle my own reading journey but also to review YA books as a teenager the same age as the protagonists who I was reading about. Teen voices were so underrepresented when it came to those talking about YA, and that's still true. I hope one day that starts to change. I had an amazing time talking about the YA I loved, interviewing authors who were gracious enough to give me their time, and showing love to books that absolutely defined my life and who I am today. 
Now, writing a review of every book I read is second nature. It would be strange not to share all the thoughts that swirled around my head while reading. This blog has defined by teen years and is now a diary of my entire journey with YA. But I'm also truly a young adult now, and my reading tastes have started to change. Reading, Writing, and Me is embarking on a new chapter, just as I am. When I was 14, I made the logo for the blog books with mountains in the background, reflective of my home at the time and my life as a teen. Now, I'm living in LA, attending college, and starting to explore genres outside of the YA world. YA will always be my home, and I absolutely adore the community and hope I can always be a part of it in some capacity. But I've started to realize that "YA recommendations for teens by a teen" no longer quite fits my mission with the blog.
I want to leave the 4.5 years of history here, written on the about page and all over this blog to honor an era of the blog that means the absolute world to me. I am who I am today because of the experiences this YA book blog brought to me. 
But in this new chapter, I want to fully embrace 18 year old Lanie who is still figuring out what it means to be an adult while still very much feeling like a kid. Who is exploring a brand new city and life on a college campus. Who is trying to figure out where she belongs in the reading world now that high schoolers don't fit my needs all the time. It's about not putting limits on what kind of reader I am or where my tastes lie. 
Reading, Writing, and Me is a blog about bookworms and the stories that redefine your entire worldview. It's about books that are your best friend and make sure you never feel lonely. And it's also about me. I hope you enjoy it. 
-Lanie 

Support The Blog 

Since the blog content is totally free to access and also ad free, the best way to show your love and gratitude (besides resharing my content online which is amazing!) for the blog is purchasing your latest reads through my affiliate Bookshop.org link. Bookshop is a way to support indie bookstores online and is a great Amazon alternative! Each of my posts has an affiliate link directly to the book I'm reviewing's page for easy access. I also have a Bookshop storefront for you to find inspiration from with my current TBR and 5 Star recommendations. By using the link, I will get a small commission for your sale at no extra cost to you. 

Connect 

Chat with me in the comments about the books you're excited for! I do reply :)

Other Projects 

If you're interested, aside from book blogging, I have a couple other projects from a pop music sister blog and a YouTube channel about music, college life, and more. Here's all the links to go explore.

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