Reading Must-Haves (From a Shopaholic)

Welcome back, friends.

In today’s episode of “Bullied Into Writing a Blog Post at the Last Minute” (although it should be noted that I absolutely was given multiple weeks’ notice and copious reminders, and it still took me like a month and a half to finish this), we will be once again exploring two of Ashley’s very favorite things- 

Reading & Online Shopping.

Obviously the two go hand-in-hand, right? Okay, maybe not… but trust me when I say, I can make anything work in combination with online shopping (just ask Braden… or maybe don’t). 

I’ll be the first to admit I may have the tiniest online shopping addiction. Amazon has not yet listed a product that I couldn’t imagine purchasing- couldn’t imagine a perfect use for in my home- and they have some truly outlandish sh*t (am I allowed to swear in blog posts??). With that being said, I also don’t actually do much of anything aside from spend time at home with my family, work two jobs, care for a myriad of animals I literally had to adopt, and sleep. Lots of sleep. In my spare time (it’s likely a myth, honestly), though, I am an avid reader.

I’ve been a reader™ since the first grade, when my super cool, elderly, Russian neighbor lady introduced me to Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone. I blew through this first real story at her house, armed with a dictionary and a notepad. Every time I ran across a word I didn’t understand- which was often-, she would make me find it in the dictionary. More often than not, I also struggled with the definitions because- let’s be real- I was six. When this happened, Sam would stop what she was doing (ie. watching daytime soaps and chain smoking those long, Cruella Deville cigarettes) to explain it to me in context. By the time I’d finished Book 1, I was hooked.

From that point on, I’ve always made time to read. Probably too much time at some points in my life, sacrificing sleep and a social life to escape into worlds nested between beaten covers. I’m a dog ear-ing, book in the bathtub kind of reader. One who's always felt that the more cracks on a book’s spine, the more loved it is. What I’ve never been though, is an aesthetic reader. All of us here at LCB leave the cozy and cutesy to Brea, obviously. 

That’s not to say I’m not practical, though. While I’ve often made do- reading wherever and whenever I have a spare minute- as I’ve grown older (and my back and knees have dramatically declined with the rapid approach of thirty), I’ve come to appreciate comfort. Nearly two decades of friendship with Brea were bound to leave a mark and I’ve noticed a dramatic increase in my reading prep to maintain the proper vibe. When possible, I like to prepare myself and my space to ensure the max level of relaxation (only to have it quickly shattered by the pack of feral wolves I call my children or the cutting words of authors like KDP as they happily slice away at my favorite characters). 

And that, my friends, is where this circles back to online shopping. How do I prep for a top-tier reading sesh? With things and stuff, DUH. And where do we find things and stuff? Online, in shops and sites that are just begging for me to overspend my allowance.

After an entire page of my half-asleep ramblings, we have arrived at the point of this post- my favorite online shopping finds, things I personally own and love and utilize regularly when reading. 

One of my very favorite reading-adjacent items was actually an accidental discovery- Shokz OpenRun Pro 2s. I actually purchased these headphones to be used as intended, for running. They’re bone conduction headphones with a back band that hold them snugly in place while exercising. Oddly enough, that band also keeps them pretty secure as I turn slowly in my bed like a rotisserie chicken, always seeking the comfiest position. 

It should be noted that I do still use them to run, but I use them far more often to read (because obviously, reading > running, every time). With these headphones in, you can still hear the world around you in case you need to referee a wrestling match between kids or listen to your dogs alerting to the sound of a squirrel sneezing four blocks away. They don’t actually sit inside your ear hole (is there a technical name for this?), but instead just in front, saving you from ear fatigue with long use. The battery life is also insanely good.

I can’t listen to lyrics while reading due to a truly alarming level of ADHD, but I have found a few alternatives that work perfectly for maintaining the vibe. This of course, leads me into my next must-have:

A good playlist. 

I’m counting this as an online shopping purchase because either you’re old AF, still buying digital albums circa 2008, or you’re paying a subscription to access music. My personal favorite comes from an absolute godsend- Iris- on Spotify. Iris is clearly all about the vibe and has more than a dozen aptly named playlists (“Middle School Emo Phase”, “Hot Girl Shit”, and “Growing up is Scary and IDK What to do” to name a few). The real MVP of the page though, is “Studying in a Castle Library.”

This playlist is f*cking magic (there I go again with the potty mouth). It’s heavy on the piano instrumentals and not a single song has words to jumble in my head and tear my focus away from my book. If you don’t have Spotify (like me six months ago, who held onto my Apple Music subscription far too long with no regard to its clear inferiority), get it ASAP. Once you do, look up this magical, sublime, downright ethereal playlist and you’re set.

Next up, we have my favorite purchase of 2024 (and trust me, there have been a lot)-

THE J-shaped Pregnancy Pillow.

Am I currently pregnant? No. Did I buy this while pregnant? Also no. But I remembered how much I loved my old one when I was, and that led me back to Amazon.

This pillow is amazing. Truly, it does everything. It can be folded up and used behind your back to sit up, but obviously it’s intended purpose is the best option. Laying down, head supported on the curved top portion, and legs wrapped around the bottom. When laying in bed, flopping around like the aforementioned rotisserie chicken, this thing adds comfort in any position. 

It’s fluffy, but still firm enough to give support. It’s also wide enough to help hold your book, phone, or Kindle and save your (read: my) weak little noodle arms when they get tired. Seriously, don’t sleep on this must-have (or do… ya know, cuz it’s a pillow).

Speaking of Kindles (see that totally casual segue there?)-

I bought my Kindle Scribe this year and LOVE IT. I’m a woman who loves lists and also reads late at night without my glasses, making this device two for two. It has a notebook feature where you can hold multiple notebooks in multiple folders to organize all your many to-do lists and vaguely-coherent ramblings. The pen writes like a dream, giving the real tactile feel of a pencil on notebook paper. It’s also large enough to easily read your books without having to squint yourself into a headache if you take your glasses off. 

The negative to this is that it’s harder to hold than a phone would be. I purchased a case that can prop up and has a handle on the back (an elastic strap that your hand slides into), and this has helped immensely. If you’re more of a compact Kindle girly, one of my friends also recently introduced me to the newer, smaller Kindle (in the color Matcha which is honestly so cute). It’s essentially palm sized and if I wasn’t buying Christmas presents for four hooligans rn and didn’t already have another Kindle I love, I’d buy this one too. In fact, I probably will anyways.

The final thing I swear by is a good drinky. This of course, is whatever you want it to be, because we all have different tastes. For example, I’d rather die than drink coffee or tea. But I always have a water bottle nearby, and I can chug Lotus (plant-based energy drink concentrate that you mix with syrups, sort of like Italian soda’s tastier, energizing cousin) like nobody’s business. 

For the purpose of introducing things I love and think you should also try, I’m going to focus on Lotus. We simply do not have time to fall down the “what water is the best water?” rabbit hole (hint: it’s Smart Water). 

Lotus is a staple in the drive-thru coffee stands in my small town, but I’ve started making them at home to save time and money. You can buy the concentrated syrup, added flavors, and a pump, then mix whatever you’d like. Plus the big bottles last FOREVER (we’re talking like 6+ months). My very favorite is blue Lotus with sugar free blue raspberry & lime. It tastes so similar to a blue raspberry jolly rancher. Cue the drooling. Brea likes the skinny gold Lotus with blackberry & peach, and Kendall mixes it up. I would advise sticking to Torani syrups- they have the best flavors and are most concentrated in my experience. 

Lotus itself is a cool product. It’s got enough caffeine to replace a traditional energy drink, but it’s plant-based and supports gut health and immune defense. If you go to their website, you can see a ton of info about why it’s a much healthier alternative to the chemical caffeine you might be drinking right now. Their website also offers a 20% off code for first time buyers, too. 

Okay, okay. It’s probably time to stop recommending random items to you (before your partners all blow up our admin email when they see the Amazon account this month). Honestly though, if you’re past the age of 25 and still not reading in comfort, make some changes. You deserve it. Hell, even if you’re younger, do your future self a favor and get cozy. I know my back would’ve appreciated less time spent reading on the floor of the bleachers in a high school auditorium. 

Signing off sarcastically,

Ashley

Links to products:

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Headphones- https://amzn.to/4iUgdUb

J Shaped Pregnancy Pillow- https://amzn.to/3VYpm40

Kindle Scribe- https://amzn.to/3PiZMmU 

Kindle Scribe Case- https://amzn.to/3Phz3Hi 

New Kindle- https://amzn.to/4iTkA1D 

Lotus- https://lotusenergydrinks.com/