Aadya Reads is 6!

Hi everyone!

It's truly hard to believe but this year marks six years since I first started Aadya Reads. What began as a passion project to help kids my age find books they're truly interested in has grown into something so meaningful—over the years, roughly 150 books have been reviewed and loved and shared. The original goal I had when I was just nine years old was simple: to share a love of reading, and I'm so happy that, six years later, the same goal holds strong.

Over the past few years, I'll admit that I haven't been posting as frequently. I did lose a bit of motivation but I've recently realized that the intention behind starting this blog was to share the joy I got from reading with others and that even if only a handful of people see my recommendations, that still makes a difference. With more time to read again this summer, I hope that I'll be able to return to reviewing more books, just like I used to.

Writing a review isn't always the easiest thing for me to do. The hardest part of that whole process is actually trying to formulate my thoughts as honestly, thoughtfully and "from the heart" as I can, so that you guys can (hopefully!) feel that same excitement that I do about whatever book it is. When I first started, my reviews were not like that at all: they were pretty short and a lot more basic. But over time, I realized that the reviews I trust the most are where someone explains why a book mattered to them or made an impact on their perspective—or didn't. That became my goal too. And in the practice of taking the jumble of thoughts I had about whichever book and articulating in a way that others could make sense of, I discovered how much I loved to write.

Running this blog has taught me far more than I ever thought it would—not just about books, but writing, consistency, staying motivated, and what it means to share something so meaningful with others. To anyone who has ever read a post, shared a review, or looked for a book because of this blog: thank you! I hope that Aadya Reads has helped you see that reading can be fun—you just have to find the right book to start!

If you ever have any questions, feedback or book recommendations (always appreciated!), please reach me at contact@aadyareads.com.

– Aadya