First Steps
Taking the leap of starting a blog sounds like a small one, but for me it’s a tiny victory. Over the last four years of running Madeline’s Book Club on Instagram, my energy, motivation and drive have been inconsistent at best, nonexistent at worst. The last four years have brought change, both great and terrible. This “book club” started as a small passion project, and turned into strangers and friends alike sharing ideas and recommendations. And no, it’s not technically a book club…..but give me a break, every other catchy Instagram username was taken. I also know myself, and I read what I feel or I won’t read at all. The few book clubs I’ve joined, I stray immediately. So really, this is Madeline’s Book Reviews…and miscellaneous travel and list content. What I’m really looking to tap into is the social aspect of book clubs. There is so much beauty in a group of people meeting to discuss a book, and shooting off into other topics and life experiences. For example, I was discussing T. Kingfisher’s “The Twisted Ones” with a friend and the main character’s dog, Bongo, is a prominent figure in the story. We both found ourselves comparing our own dogs to Bongo, talking about our furry buddies, and I was recommended stair treads by my friend to help with my elderly dog’s mobility. His quality of life has improved tremendously, and I have “The Twisted Ones” to thank. Shared knowledge is a small but powerful gesture.
As a small introduction, I’m Madeline Yankey and I’m from central Kentucky. I graduated high school in 2016, completed my BA from WKU in 2020, and finished my master’s from NKU Chase Law in 2022. I sound a lot smarter than I feel. If you can’t tell, I identify as my degrees because I (however vain and untrue) feel that they’re all I bring to the table. Hopefully this passion project changes that!
Graduate school made recreational reading near impossible. Getting an office downtown and working outside of home also put a dent in my considerably fast reading timeline during the work-from-home phase of lockdown.
Something I look for in reviewers and book-tubers is relatability in scheduling…most of my favorite creators are so good at what they do, they don’t need a full-time job. It’s hard to be a twenty-something working all day and still have time to be social, keep up with hobbies, clean your space and clean yourself at night. I stare at my screen, envious and longing for a job where reading and reviewing is all I need to do. Longing for a life where traveling, experiencing, and sharing is what I do full-time.
Let me be clear. This is not what I’m expecting from this page. I’m not expecting a million clicks, an overnight virality that launches me into my dream world. What I’m hoping for is mainly a creative outlet, but also a way to share how I manage the intersection between a career and creative hobbies. Not that I have it nailed down, or even remotely figured out. I still grapple with burn out, overwhelm, and the typical existential barriers that come with the young corporate experience. I’m hoping this blog reads as an in-person book club might flow. Books, maybe a tangent about a personal experience, sharing non-book recommendations with the group, back to the book, here’s a soap box I just thought of, oh you’re going on vacation? Me too! Let’s share restaurant ideas, wait weren’t we talking about a book? That sporadic stream of consciousness that everyone can follow and stems from the shared knowledge within the community (without seeming exclusive or holier-than-thou).
With all of that word vomit out of the way, if you’re interested in following along, I’m ever so grateful and I look forward to sharing my not-so-young adult life and anecdotes with an open and safe community.
For the first time and until next time,
Maddie
