Welcome to my corner of the internet. I hope you are having a wonderful week. If it is summer where you are right now, I hope it has been pleasant rather than unbearably hot, and that there are no wildfires anywhere nearby.
We recently went to see Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Normally long films test my patience, but the opportunity to spend almost three hours in a cool, dark, air-conditioned cinema proved impossible to resist. “A great escape from the summer heat,” probably wasn’t the reaction Nolan was aiming for, but it certainly worked for us.
Sitting in that dark room brought back memories of reading Greek mythology as a child. I loved those ancient stories filled with peril, tension, inner conflict, snakes for hair, petty gods and ambitious inventors flying too close to the sun.
Are We Losing the Habit of Reading?
There was a striking article in The Atlantic recently regarding the decline of reading. The figures are eye-opening: fewer than half of all adults surveyed in 2022 had read a book of any kind that year, and only 38 per cent had read a novel or short story. Research tracking daily habits showed that the proportion of people reading for pleasure on any given day dropped from 28 per cent in 2004 to 16 per cent in 2023. Remarkably, gambling has now become a more common leisure activity than picking up a book.
Reading has brought so much joy to my life. Books have helped me pass long train journeys, ease insomnia, explore historical eras and escape into other worlds. I have read voraciously since childhood.
Yet, I understand how easy it is to lose that spark. During the pandemic, I went nearly a whole year without reading books, spending hours doom scrolling instead. It took Iain Banks’ Raw Spirit (a brilliant journey through Scottish whisky distilleries) and Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet to pull me back into the pages.
If you have lost your reading mojo, you might enjoy the Read On app created by London Libraries. It guides you through personalised book journeys, offers tailored reading challenges and helps you connect with local literary havens.
To help keep your reading stack full, here is a roundup of fantastic book offers, including bargains from fellow authors and updates on my latest releases.
Special Book Deals
Here are three wonderful romances from my fellow Vinci Books authors to add to your e-reader today:
A heartfelt second-chance romance about connection and the choices that change everything.
- Offer: FREE on Kindle (Ends 26 July 2026)
- One More Kiss by Cheryl Phipps
Book two in the Dreamers Bay series. A cosy small-town romance full of community, warmth and second chances.
- Offer: FREE on Kindle (27 July to 31 July 2026)
- A Longing for the Light by Belinda Benna
A moving, hopeful medical romance centered on human connection when it matters most.
- Offer: £0.99 on Kindle for a limited time
What’s New on My Bookshelf
If you are looking for your next romantic escape, here is what is currently happening with my own books:
Free Bonus Story
Want a quick bite-sized read? You can download my free reader magnet short story right here. It offers a glimpse into Jack McAllan’s point of view when he first meets Gaby.
Highland Proposal (Highland Books, #6)
My brand new Scottish romcom is available for pre-order, and ARC reader signups (ARC copies are free copies of the book in exchange for you writing a review on Amazon or Goodreads – although this isn’t obligatory) are officially open!
Here’s what the book’s about: Mhari Colquhoun loves her quiet life in Lochalshie, her pharmacy job and her low-commitment relationship with Lachlan Forrester. Then her rent goes up.
Meanwhile, Lachlan needs £50,000 fast, and his wealthy sister offers to pay up if he proves his relationship with Mhari is serious. A fake engagement seems simple enough, until the bet doubles, the whole village decides to help plan the wedding and real feelings start to get in the way.
- Special Offer: You can also pre-order Highland Christmas at Waterstones by Friday 24 July to get 25 per cent off.
High Heels & Pink Glitter
Pre-orders are also live for High Heels & Pink Glitter, a warm, witty celebration of grown-up women’s fiction perfect for fans of Marian Keyes and Beth O’Leary.
Follow Stephanie as she attempts to sort out her love life on her 42nd birthday, Nate as he launches a business while falling for the wrong woman, and Ryan as he embarks on a frantic search for his long-lost father. It is a story full of tangled romance, sharp humour and emotional depth.
Thank you for stopping by the blog, supporting indie authors and keeping the joy of reading alive!
Emma Baird is an award-winning writer, specialising in romcoms and fiction that focuses on relationships, and a type 1 diabetic. She is also the co-author of The Diabetes Diet, co-written with a doctor. Most importantly, she is the guardian of one very spoiled cat…
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Emma, I am not that surprised reading for pleasure has dropped off, but I am surprised it has dropped off to that extent if the research is to be believed. I have never been a big book reader, but have usually averaged a dozen or so read books a year, and continue to maintain that level. I don’t believe I have heard of the Read On app but will check it out. I will say our local Barnes & Noble book store looks busy when I visit it, so that remains an encouraging sign for book selling and reading alike.
I’m glad your local book store is usually busy when you visit it. My local library is currently undergoing a makeover, and I hope the local community takes advantage when it reopens in two weeks’ time!
Hi Emma. It’s too bad that book-reading is diminishing. Maybe somehow that trend will reverse. I’m reading a semi-autobiographical novel by Charles Bukowski now. It’s titled Hollywood. I read two other books by him this year.
I know, I’m very sad about it. I travel on trains a lot and last night, I happened to be sitting beside and opposite three other people who were all reading books, which quietly thrilled me. Hope you enjoy your book (if you’ve already read two other books by the same author, that suggests you will!)