A Week of Stories – On Paper and Off : Reading and Life log

Hello readers! If you’re here for a neat little weekly wrap-up…well, it’s not the normal wrap up. I decided to do something different and came up with A Week of Stories- On Paper and Off that is basically a journal like entry including reading and life log. So, let’s dive in.

Monday

I picked up A Charming Touch of Tarot, the second book in The Gin & Tarot Club series that I’d started the previous week. Honestly, I thought I’d finish it over the weekend, but weekends are sacred—family, Netflix, and this time, Rakhi festivities took over. By Monday, I was already halfway through.

Of course, Mondays aren’t just about books. They’re a juggle of blog posts, blog hopping, Instagram updates, drafting ideas, and editing/uploading YouTube videos. I spend way too much time scrolling for “inspo” and jotting down random ideas I may or may not use. I recorded videos, but editing—my nemesis—took forever. So, reading wasn’t done much. I barely managed 15% of the book. That means I finished 65% of A Charming Touch of Tarot.

Tuesday

Determined to finish A Charming Touch of Tarot, I went full-on MIA from all platforms. (I do that—disappear when the reading bug bites.) But I did it. Book finished by the end of the day.

Wednesday

I wasn’t planning on posting to the blog (lately I’ve been posting only once or twice a week), but then I remembered I’d promised an author that my review would be up by end of July/early August. It’s mid-August, I couldn’t delay any longer.

I’d already written the draft, but my posting schedule is as moody as my reading habits. On top of that, I recorded YouTube videos for both Gin & Tarot books—cue hours of retakes, clearing my mind, and finally getting into the “okay, fine, let’s do this” mood. Half my day gone. We also went to my mom’s. Normally it’s our Saturday routine but as my husband was on leave and my kid insisted we spent evening there and no surprise, I didn’t touch a single page.

Thursday

Started rereading Catching Fire! I’m buddy-reading this with an Instagram group… except they finished the book on Sunday (on 11th). Yeah, I’m that kind of group reader—terrible. Since this was a reread, I didn’t mind going at my own pace. With weekends usually being reading black holes, I decided not to pick anything new that would just end up paused. Instead, I stuck to Catching Fire—switching between my library copy and an audiobook I found on YouTube and surprisingly I finished 60% of the book.

Friday (Independence Day)

I declared independence from chores. Spent the day in bed, guilt-free, working on blog posts, prepping for our Saturday trip, and finishing Catching Fire. It was a glorious day.

Saturday

We went on a day trip to Pavagadh, where the Mahakali Temple sits 2,697 feet above sea level. Sounds lovely, right? Wrong.

We reached late. The ropeway line was three hours long. My family wasn’t up for climbing the stairs, but I convinced them—it would still take less time. That means 2,100 stair steps of pure misery. Even though I exercise regularly, my legs were jelly halfway through. Add in no wind, humid, crowd, garbage-strewn steps, and one grumpy kid who didn’t want to walk in such mess. Ironically, she ended up being the fittest of us all—practically dragging us uphill while we collapsed on the steps.

By the time we reached the top, we were drenched in sweat, starving, and cranky. Since we were nearby, we visited her before finally heading home, dead tired. We reached home late, ate like zombies, and passed out.

Sunday

My kid, the mountain goat, woke up full of energy while the rest of us limped around complaining about stiff legs. We spent the day resting, chatting, and dreading Monday’s return to routine.

And that wraps up my week—books finished, promises (almost) kept, and legs that may never forgive me. If only reading burned as many calories as climbing temple stairs, I’d be unstoppable.

Video Shared on YouTube

How was your week in reading in life?
What did you read last week or plan to read this week?

Just in case you missed,,,

• The Best and Worst Books of 2025
• The Holiday Fakers (Hideaway Harbor #2) by Evie Alexander – fun and cozy holiday romance
• Fantasy as Literature- Why I Will Always Take Fantasy Seriously

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