The Story Behind the Musings
"Not all those who wander are lost — some are just looking for the right shelf."
"Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house." — Henry Ward Beecher
Reading isn't something I do — it's something I am. As essential as breathing, as automatic as a heartbeat, books have been my constant companion for as long as I can remember. That love was handed to me like a gift by my grandmother, who believed that the right book at the right moment could change everything — and she was right.
Some obsessions find you gradually. Others arrive all at once, like a house dropping out of the sky into a land of color. For me, Oz was the latter. L. Frank Baum's world captured my imagination as a child — the books, the film, the whole magnificent universe of it — and never really let go. Today that love lives on in a growing collection of Oz treasures that would make any Munchkin envious.
But Oz is just the beginning. I'm the kind of person who falls headfirst into the things I love — whether that's traveling through time and space with a certain Doctor, standing beside an Amazonian princess who reminds us what we're capable of, or tracking down that one piece that finally completes a collection. Fandoms aren't just hobbies here. They're a way of life.
And if there's one thing I love almost as much as reading, it's talking about reading. The kind of conversation that starts with "have you read this?" and somehow ends two hours later. Musings was born from exactly that impulse — a place to share thoughts, obsessions, and genuine enthusiasm for the things that make life richer. The books. The fandoms. The collections. All of it.
So pull up a chair. You'll fit right in.
Not just favorites. Turning points.
It started with the book. Then the movie. Then the realization that neither was ever quite enough. The Wizard of Oz has been a constant since childhood — read under covers, watched until the tape wore thin, talked about with anyone who would listen. I was a Wizard of Oz kid before I knew what that meant, and I never really grew out of it. Every version, every adaptation, every reimagining. Still the first thing I put on when I need to go somewhere familiar.
The collecting came later, but it was always inevitable. Each book, movie, collected item a thread back to that first time Dorothy opened a door to color. Multiple dedicated shelves, a YouTube & TikTok pages, and ready anytime anyone is willing to talk Oz with me.
Explore the Collection →Yes — I welcome ARCs and finished copies from publishers, publicists, and authors. I review honestly regardless of how a book came to me, and I always disclose. You can reach me via the contact link below.
Primarily literary fiction, historical fiction, thriller, and horror — though I'll pick up anything with gorgeous prose and a story that earns its ending. I have a soft spot for gothic atmosphere and unreliable narrators.
I don't use a star system — I think numbers flatten nuance. Instead every review has a written verdict that I stand behind. A book can be beautifully written and still not for me. Those two things are not the same.
Everywhere. Estate sales, eBay, specialist dealers, Etsy, antique markets, the occasional very lucky charity shop find. The hunt is genuinely half the joy.
Always. My TBR is already a natural disaster but I welcome every addition. Drop it in the community section or find me on Instagram — I read every message.
Selectively, yes. Book clubs, literary events, author Q&As, and select brand partnerships that genuinely fit the world of this site. Reach out and let's talk.
Where the reading continues between posts.