The Reading Room
Everything I actually use to make reading feel like a ritual — the candle burning on my desk, the journal I annotate in, the fairy lights making my corner look like a film set. If it's here, I love it.
✦ Some links are affiliate links. You pay the same price — I earn a small thank-you from Amazon. Everything listed is something I'd genuinely recommend.
Aesthetic Bundles
One vibe. One book. Everything you need to complete the experience. Pick your aesthetic and build the whole reading night.
The Dark Academia Night In
The Silent Patient + a leather journal + a dark amber candle + a warm reading lamp. The perfect setup for a night of psychological suspense and marginalia.
The Cosy Reading Weekend
Before the Coffee Gets Cold + a wide ceramic mug + a chunky throw blanket + warm fairy lights. Nowhere to be. Nothing to do. Just this.
The Romantasy Starter Kit
Once Upon a Broken Heart + pastel highlighters + a floral candle + a reading journal for your ships and theories. For your enemies-to-lovers era.
The Thinker's Toolkit
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant + a dot-grid notebook + colourful sticky notes + a small espresso mug. Think better. Write everything.
The Writing Tools
If you don't annotate, I can't trust your reviews. These are the pens, journals, and sticky tabs I reach for every single reading session.
Muji 0.5mm Gel Pen
My absolute go-to. Smooth ink, no bleed on most paper, fits perfectly in the hand for long annotation sessions. I have three at any time.
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Zebra Mildliner Highlighters
Pastel, dual-tip, won't bleed through pages. Pink for swoon moments, green for plot, yellow for lines worth memorising. Non-negotiable.
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Leuchtturm1917 Notebook
This is my reading journal. Dot grid, numbered pages, beautiful paper. I track every book I read, quotes I want to keep, thoughts I'm not done having yet.
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Pastel Sticky Tabs
For annotating without writing in the book. Different colours for different types of moments. These are the ones that don't fall out after a week.
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Leather Bookmark
A proper bookmark you're emotionally attached to makes you less likely to fold pages. A small piece of leather with your name on it. Worth it.
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Padded Book Sleeve
For commuting readers. Your cover stays pristine. Your spine doesn't crack against keys. I ruined too many books before I got one of these.
Find yours on Amazon →Set the Mood
Reading is a ritual. The right candle, the right light, the right scent — they tell your brain it's time to disappear into a book.
Sandalwood & Amber Candle
Warm, woody, slightly smoky. This is the scent of an old library, a worn leather chair, a rainy window. My default for thrillers and classics.
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Rose & Peony Candle
For romantasy and contemporary romance. Something that smells like a garden at dusk, which is exactly where your love interests would confess everything.
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Warm Fairy Lights
That golden bokeh you see in every cosy reading photo? This is how you get it. Drape above your nook and never turn the overhead light on again.
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Clip-On Reading Light
For reading in bed without waking anyone. The warm light one — the blue-white kind ruins sleep. This is the thing that made late-night reading sustainable.
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Essential Oil Diffuser
Lavender for slow-burn romance. Eucalyptus for non-fiction. Patchouli for classics. Your nose has opinions about what you're reading.
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Himalayan Salt Lamp
The warmest, most flattering light your reading corner will ever have. And you get to tell people your reading setup is mineral-lit, which is extremely cool.
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The physical setup matters. A corner you actually want to sit in is a corner where you'll actually read.
Chunky Knit Throw Blanket
Slightly too big, slightly too warm. You'll never leave. Get a neutral colour so it photographs well because you will absolutely be photographing it.
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Large Floor Cushion
For the readers who prefer floor-level. Pile two or three in a corner with fairy lights above. This is how reading nooks are actually built.
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Oversized Ceramic Mug
Wide, low, doesn't tip. The specific shape matters for armchair reading. Coffee or chai — both hit differently when you're reading and the world is shut out.
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Adjustable Book Stand
Hands-free reading. For eating while reading, note-taking while reading, or just the dignity of not holding a heavy hardback for two hours straight.
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The wall behind your reading corner should inspire you before you even open a book. Here's how I'd dress it.
Botanical Art Prints
A set of three in matching frames. Vintage illustrations of plants, mushrooms, moths — whatever suits your aesthetic. This is what makes a corner look intentional.
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Books should be on display, not hidden. A small floating shelf above a desk or beside the bed turns your most-loved spines into wall art.
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Your unread pile deserves to stand up straight. Get something beautiful — arched metal, carved wood — and your shelf becomes a composition, not a pile.
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Rattan Photo Frame Set
For your favourite quotes printed out and framed, your book-inspired illustrations, or the cover of the book that changed you. A gallery wall doesn't have to be expensive.
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