Chapters and Cravings

Is there anything cozier than a book trend that lets us be a little extra honest about our reading quirks, and maybe even laugh at ourselves along the way? The Seven Deadly Sins trend has wandered through the bookish world more than once, but instead of teaching us lessons, it’s really just a gentle nudge to confess the habits our bookshelves have been quietly witnessing for ages.

There are the books bought entirely because the cover was beautiful. The unread titles that have been sitting on the shelf long enough to qualify as permanent residents. The favourites we want everybody to read…but also feel strangely possessive over. And, of course, the books that awakened a level of rage usually reserved for missing parcels and discovering someone has finished the good snacks.

The more I mulled over my answers, the more I realised this trend uncovers more than just a handful of favourite titles. It’s a little window into how easily I’m wooed by a pretty cover, which books have truly tested my patience, and just how long some unread purchases have been quietly side-eyeing me from their spot on the shelf.

So here it is: my own, slightly more revealing take on The Seven Deadly Sins, but with a bookish twist. Let’s settle in and share some bookshelf confessions together.

Sometimes, the cover really does feel like the book’s whole personality showing up to say hello. We’ve all heard that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. It’s sweet advice, but honestly, how am I supposed to follow it when publishers keep making covers that look like little works of art?

I promise, I care about the story inside—truly. But I can’t help loving books as beautiful objects too: the colours, the typography, the feel of the paper, a hint of foiling or those dreamy sprayed edges. Sometimes, just holding a book with a gorgeous cover sets the mood before I’ve even peeked at the first page. Honestly, there are days when that little spark of atmosphere is all it takes for a book to jump straight into my basket.

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

This cover is autumn wrapped in a cardigan. Crunchy leaves, warm orange tones, cosy romance, and cinnamon-latte energy—it looks like a one-way ticket to Stars Hollow, only with slightly more spice.

Did I buy it for the vibes? Yes. Do I regret it? Absolutely not.

My Dark Romeo by Parker S. Huntington and L.J. Shen

Those cherubs. That drama. That slightly unhinged classical energy. The cover looks as though it belongs in a museum and on a morally grey romance shelf at exactly the same time. It didn’t quietly ask for my attention; it demanded it. Immediate add-to-basket behaviour.

Phantom by Greer Rivers

The mask. The roses. The darkness. If a cover whispers, “gothic, but make it romantic,” I’m already emotionally invested.

Cover buying can be risky because a beautiful design can create expectations the story may not meet. But I don’t think choosing a physical book partly because it’s lovely is automatically shallow. The cover is part of the experience, especially for somebody who enjoys collecting books as much as reading them. The more useful question is whether I’m interested in anything beyond the artwork—or whether I’m buying a very expensive shelf decoration. Sometimes the honest answer is: a bit of both.

Some books really do ask a lot of us, don’t they? Sometimes it’s our patience, sometimes it’s our emotions, and sometimes it’s just our sheer determination to keep turning the pages while quietly wondering, how did I end up here?

Finishing a tough book doesn’t always feel like a victory. There’s no shiny medal for slogging through a story that just isn’t clicking. But every now and then, a book is tricky for all the right reasons. Maybe it’s the way the chapters twist and turn, or the jumble of voices, or the kind of heavy themes that linger long after you’ve closed the cover. Sometimes, it’s even just one unforgettable scene that changes the way you look at ice cream forever.

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

Phenomenal. Truly. But that ice cream chapter? I will never be the same. If you know, you know. If you don’t, please enjoy your innocence while it lasts.

This wasn’t difficult because I disliked the book. It was difficult because dark comedy occasionally asks you to discover where your personal line is—and then dances very enthusiastically near it.

Close Your Eyes by Nicci Cloke

The multiple points of view had me flipping backwards and forwards as though I were training for the Reading Olympics. The concept was interesting, but keeping track of everybody required more concentration than I expected. My brain definitely needed a lie-down halfway through.

Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh

Beautiful. Emotional. Devastating. The heavier themes meant I occasionally needed to pause, breathe, and return when I felt ready. That wasn’t a weakness in the story—it was me recognising that an emotional reading experience sometimes needs space around it.

That’s one of the biggest changes in my reading life: I no longer see pausing as failing. A difficult book doesn’t need to be raced through to prove I can handle it. Taking a break can be the reason I eventually finish it.

My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Bought because it looked adorable. Still unread. Still judging me.

The Figurine by Victoria Hislop

A book given with love always feels like a promise I fully mean to keep—just maybe not right away. There’s a funny sort of pressure that comes with gifted books, isn’t there? Someone picked it out just for you, so letting it gather dust feels a bit like you’re letting them down, even if your heart just hasn’t lined up with the story yet.

The Trails of Sin Series by Pam Godwin

This time, it’s not just one lonely book gathering dust, but a whole trio: Knotted, Buckled, and Booted. I blame a particularly convincing Instagram post for that little shopping spree. The dark-cowboy-romance mood I thought would sweep me off my feet never really arrived, so these three have been quietly waiting on my shelf, still untouched, like guests who showed up early to a party I haven’t quite started.

I’ve learned that a long-standing TBR isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes a book still gives me that little spark of curiosity, so I let it hang around, just in case its moment is still on the horizon. But if all it does is make me feel a bit guilty every time I spot it, maybe it’s kinder to let it go and find a new home. Not every book is meant to wait forever for its turn in the spotlight.

Sometimes I catch myself wishing for a magical reset button, just for a handful of books. Not because I want to let them go, but because I’d love to stumble into their worlds for the very first time again. Imagine being surprised by every twist, meeting those characters as if they’re strangers, and feeling all those favourite moments land with that first, heart-skipping spark.

Rereading is its own kind of comfort, but nothing quite matches that first dive in, when you’re still guessing who to trust, which friendships will tug at your heart, or what’s quietly waiting just out of sight. If someone ever invents bookish amnesia, you’ll find me at the front of the queue, ready for my turn.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

If I could bottle up that feeling of reading Fourth Wing for the very first time, I absolutely would. There’s something about those dragons, the edge-of-your-seat danger, and all the tangled loyalties that makes you question everyone’s motives. Stepping into Basgiath with no idea what’s around the corner, not knowing who will make it or which twist will leave you reeling, is a kind of magic you only get once.

Sure, I can always go back and reread, fall in love with the world all over again, and get swept up in the story. But nothing quite matches that first time, discovering every secret and surprise right alongside Violet. If someone ever figures out how to give us book amnesia on demand, you can bet this one will be my first request.

Her Elemental Dragons by Elizabeth Briggs

This is the kind of reverse-harem fantasy that feels like curling up in a blanket made of pure escapism.

There’s magic, dragons, and those deliciously tangled romantic dynamics, all wrapped up in a world I could happily lose myself in for days. I like to think I’d absolutely thrive there, at least until someone handed me a wand and expected results. Let’s just say my magical skills might be more ‘spectator’ than ‘star performer’.

If I could, I’d love to meet these characters all over again, with no idea where their hearts (or the dragons) might lead. There’s something so special about that first journey through all the magic and mayhem, and I’d give anything to experience it again with fresh eyes.

Nanny for the Neighbours by Lily Gold

There’s something about the whirlwind of messy feelings and sparkling chemistry in a good story that just pulls you in, isn’t there? If I could, I’d go right back to page one and let myself fall for all those tangled relationships and slow-burn attachments all over again, blissfully unaware of what’s coming next.

The only trouble with falling in love with a book is that, while you can always revisit the pages, you never really get to meet those characters for the very first time again. Honestly, a bit unfair if you ask me.

Every reader has opinions. Mine occasionally arrive with a little fire. Not enjoying a popular book can feel strangely risky online, but reading is personal. A story can be beautifully written, widely loved, and still not work for me. That doesn’t make it a bad book—it simply makes us incompatible.

Highest Bidder by Lauren Landish and Willow Winters

I went in with genuine curiosity and, for a while, I was happy to let the story lead me along. But somewhere around the 60% mark, I found myself more tangled up in frustration than fun. Sometimes, curiosity can only take you so far before you realise you’re not really enjoying the ride anymore—and that’s exactly where I landed.

If Love Had a Price by Ana Huang

I have to admit, the main character and I just couldn’t quite find our rhythm together. For me, especially when it comes to romance, feeling that spark of connection is everything. When I spend more time feeling a bit prickly than genuinely drawn in, even the most intriguing story can have a hard time winning me over.

Saving 6 by Chloe Walsh

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Boys of Tommen books, so I wanted to love this one too—but by the 44% mark, I just wasn’t enjoying it. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is set a book aside instead of pushing through out of loyalty to a series. Maybe I’ll try again someday, but for now, it’s found a cozy spot on my unfinished shelf—and that’s perfectly fine.

What started as a lighthearted trend turned into a little window into my reading life. I realised I’m not just a reader, but a bit of a collector too. There’s something about a beautiful edition that makes my heart do a happy little skip, even though it’s always the story inside that matters most. I’ve noticed I can be stubborn about finishing books, but I’m slowly learning that reading shouldn’t feel like a chore. My TBR pile? It’s not a mountain of guilt, but a stack of possibilities.

When I recommend a book, it’s equal parts excitement and a hopeful whisper that you’ll love it just as much as I do. And I’m finally giving myself permission to DNF without guilt—sometimes I’ll come back, sometimes I won’t, and that’s perfectly fine. Rereading, audiobooks, picking up a book just because it feels comforting—they all count, and I’m leaning into that more than ever.

I’m not promising perfect behaviour. That would be unrealistic and, frankly, rather boring.

The Seven Deadly Sins trend is funny because every reader can interpret it differently.

One person’s Lust choice is another person’s Wrath. A book gathering dust on my Sloth shelf might be somebody else’s Gluttony reread. The fictional world I envy might send a more sensible reader running in the opposite direction.

That’s the magic of reading, isn’t it?

Books hold every version of us—the cosy, the chaotic, the romantic, the curious, the emotional and the occasionally unhinged.

Our shelves preserve passing obsessions, changing tastes and stories we haven’t grown into yet. They don’t need to be perfectly curated, completely read or easily explained to anybody else.

And if the Seven Deadly Sins want to organise my bookshelf?

I’m absolutely letting them.

Now it’s your turn to confess…

Which book did you buy entirely because of its cover?

What title has been living unread on your shelf for the longest?

Which popular book simply didn’t work for you—and which fictional world would you move into immediately, provided somebody removed the danger first?

Tell me your seven bookish sins in the comments. I promise this is a judgement-free space…although I may add several of your answers to my TBR. 🤍📚