Minnie's Fiction Addiction

A month ago, I hit “publish” on my first blog post with shaking hands and a racing heart. Today, as Minnie’s Fiction Addiction turns one month old, I want to share the real reason I started this blog, and it’s messier and more personal than I ever planned to admit.

The Books That Saved Me

I’ve always been a reader, but there was a period in my life when books became something more than entertainment. They became lifelines. Whether I was dealing with personal struggles, feeling isolated, or simply trying to figure out who I was supposed to be, I could disappear into someone else’s story and find pieces of myself I didn’t even know were missing.

But here’s the thing about loving books the way I do—it can be incredibly lonely. You finish an amazing novel at 2 AM, your heart still pounding from the plot twist, tears on your cheeks from that devastating ending, and there’s no one to call. No one to grab by the shoulders and shake while shouting, “Did you READ that part? How are we supposed to sleep after THAT?”

The Silence After the Last Page

I started keeping a reading journal years ago, scribbling down quotes and reactions, but it felt like shouting into the void. I’d discover an author who completely rewrote my understanding of what fiction could do, and I’d have nowhere to put all that excitement, that gratitude, that desperate need to discuss every single detail with someone who understood.

Social media felt too fleeting, a quick star rating, a photo of a book cover, maybe a sentence or two before the algorithm buried it forever. I wanted space to really dig into why a book mattered, to explore the way certain characters lived in my head for weeks after I closed the cover, to examine why some stories hit differently at different stages of life.

The Fear of Not Being Enough

I’ll be honest, I almost didn’t start this blog a dozen times. Who was I to think my opinions mattered? There are already so many brilliant book bloggers out there, people with literature degrees and decades of reading experience. What could I possibly add to the conversation?

But then I realized I was asking the wrong question. It wasn’t about whether I was qualified enough or smart enough or well-read enough. It was about whether I could find my people, the readers who stay up too late because they “just need to finish this chapter,” who have strong opinions about book-to-movie adaptations, who understand that fictional characters can feel as real as family.

Building Something Real

Every time I write a review now, I imagine I’m talking to a friend who asked, “So, what did you think?” I try to be honest about what worked for me and what didn’t, about the books that changed me and the ones that left me cold. I want to create the kind of space I was looking for when I finished those life-changing novels with no one to call.

Some days I wonder if anyone is really reading, if these words are making their way to people who need them. But then I remember that even if this blog only ever connects me with one other person who feels the same way about books, who understands that reading isn’t just a hobby but a way of being alive in the world, then it’s worth every vulnerable word.

What Comes Next

This blog is my attempt to build community around the thing I love most. It’s my way of saying: here are the stories that matter to me, here’s why they matter, and I hope they might matter to you too. It’s my invitation to anyone who has ever felt changed by a book to come sit with me and talk about it.

So thank you for being here, for reading along, for caring about stories the way I do. Whether you’ve been here since day one or you’re just discovering this little corner of the internet, you’re part of what makes this space feel less like shouting into the void and more like having the best kind of conversation, the kind that goes on for hours and leaves you feeling less alone in the world.

Here’s to month two, and to all the books still waiting to be discovered.

What’s the book that made you feel less alone? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.