The Search for Free Time
Now that summer’s officially over, does anyone else feel like there’s not a second of time for self-care, personal health, or even a small mental break?
I seem to never be able to find time for myself anymore, whether I’m busy going to class, tackling homework, working, going to extracurricular activities, or even all of the above. Although I enjoy my classes, extracurriculars, and other activities guided towards reaching professional goals, I feel like the requirements and responsibilities that come with these interests to build a career often turns my feelings of passion into ones of obligation. I’m often pulling myself in every direction to “do everything” that I forget the most important part is checking on my mental/physical health and well-being. Even further, I realize that almost all of my passions and hobbies that I care so much about usually end up being thrown to the back burner until the next summer.
I hear many college students (myself included) attempting to “balance” our academic, professional, social, and personal lives so much; however, in my experience, I end up prioritizing every other aspect of my life except for the things that actually bring me peace and joy.
This past year, in my attempt to break from this becoming a cycle, one way I’ve tried to reintroduce myself to my hobbies is by starting to read again!
Falling in Love with Reading Again
Reading was one of my favorite hobbies from childhood through grade school, and, looking back now, I can see that it has been a form of self-care for me. Unfortunately, I think largely due to stress and other priorities, I was on a complete book hiatus from 2022 to 2024. Last year, I had planned to pick up reading again; however, adjusting to new class schedules and college in general meant that all four books I brought to school with me were left collecting dust in the corner for the entire year…
Noticing that at the start of 2025 really made me realize how much I’ve missed reading; however, I also recognized that I simply didn’t have the extra time to drop everything I was doing to start and stay consistent with reading a new book. Because there’s always something to do in college, I needed to make time for myself in the same way I was planning time for classes, meetings, events, and extracurriculars.
That’s when I discovered audiobooks. I will say, I was originally pretty skeptical about how much I would enjoy listening to audiobooks. I’ve always loved the ability to hold a physical book, make annotations, and write commentary, which is not possible with audiobooks. However, I very quickly fell in love with being able to listen to audiobooks while doing my skin care, making dinner, doing the dishes, or simply decompressing before bed. It became a way for me to intentionally set aside time for myself, even if I was doing other things simultaneously, and find enjoyment in an activity that was solely for me. I was also introduced to how comforting it feels to hear the narrator’s voice drawing me into whatever book I’m reading, which creates a special space for me to disconnect from my life for a couple minutes a day, especially when weeks can get very stressful.
The Top 3 Books That Changed My 2025
I was a little hesitant when I first started reading again, because I wasn’t entirely sure where to start. I had to do a good bit of digging through old genres I’ve read, discover some new ones, and use the help of many BookTok recommendations. So if you’re looking for some new books (or audiobooks!) to try, I have listed three books I listened to throughout 2025 that have honestly changed my life in so many ways. They are books that helped me think about the world from new perspectives, do some research of my own, inspired me to pursue new hobbies and passions, and absolutely had me hooked until the very end. Even better still, I feel so uplifted by the amazing women, both the authors and the characters, who helped to make these books the top of my list!
Title: Legendborn
Author: Tracy Deonn
Genre: Fantasy
I feel as though it’s very recently that we are starting to see more and more diversity in the novel and writing industry, both in authors and in main characters, so I was ecstatic to finally get the chance to read Legendborn.
The novel centers around a young Black girl drawn into a secret magical society as she’s determined to find answers and discover her truth, however she must fight against mistrust, exclusivity, elitism, and the present and underlying history of racism in society.
I loved how Tracy Deonn was able to create this world of fantasy and magic while still addressing the directly rooted context of our real, often brutal history of the US, incorporating these incredibly rich connections between history and today’s society. It was an absolutely phenomenal read, especially being able to see a Black woman presented in such an unapologetically powerful way in predominantly white spaces, yet readers still get to witness the comedy, side-quests, friendships, and self-discovery along her journey. I found it so interesting to read about aspects of American history in the South, and make connections such as nuances between Southern hospitality and slavery, and their long-lasting impacts on current society.
I have always admired authors who write such strong female leads that are independent and fight stereotypes, and I really enjoyed following this story while being able to reflect on my own life and society as well. Legendborn is the first book in what is currently an ongoing series, and it has easily become one of my favorite books/book series I’ve read in my life thus far!
Title: More Myself: A Journey
Author: Alicia Keys
Genre: Autobiography
I have a deeply ingrained love of music from my childhood, especially growing up listening to Alicia Keys, so her autobiography only served to expand my curiosity and appreciation for artists who have created music for themselves and to help change their communities. I had such a fun time hearing Alicia Keys’ journey, not only the ups and downs and crazy moments in her music career, but also her navigating through all the different changes in her personal life as well. While I was reading, I was incredibly drawn to the power of one woman determined to find her way into the music industry while maintaining her own voice, creating absolute masterpieces on the piano and writing her own lyrics. There’s something refreshing about hearing the life of an artist (or public figures in general) in their own words, and learning that there’s so much behind the scenes that we don’t see and would never know unless we’re told. I find it interesting to learn that even people who “make it big” still deal with stress, big decisions, and uncertainty throughout each new stage in their life and career, and took away a nice reminder we don’t need to have everything in our interests, careers, lives, etc figured out right now.
Side note: I never realized until I listened to Alicia’s audiobook that not only does she have an amazing singing voice, but the sound of her voice was also so soothing as she was speaking throughout the audiobook. While her audiobook already made me feel like I was right there next to her in each chapter, her voice genuinely felt like I was listening to a comforting, warm hug!
Title: The Rose Code
Author: Kate Quinn
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Rose Code is a war-time novel following three women from completely different backgrounds who find camaraderie while working at a secret estate decoding encrypted German letters during World War II.
As a history enthusiast myself who also loves hearing exciting and dramatized mysteries, I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book, consistently in shock because of betrayal, tragedy, code-breaking, and insane plot-twists.
Along with this, I was amazed that so many women during WWII were breaking barriers by leaps and bounds despite being overworked, underpaid, and underestimated. I found such joy in learning the ways in which women of the past, especially through changes in social structures during the world wars, have paved the way for the women of today to experience greater equality and job opportunity. The novel provides a very different view of what jobs women were able to get into during wartime and how that impacted society’s expectations of women’s roles moving forward. I also gained even more respect for Kate Quinn as an author by the end, because I learned that many pieces of the novel I’d previously assumed to be fiction were actually very very real people and events. That made me so appreciative of the research and effort it takes to not only create an amazing novel, but also give credit and do justice to the real people whose lives and stories are the main influence and bring the novel to life.
I hope you enjoy these book recs to help you get started on your own journey into reading (or listening to audiobooks) again! If reading isn’t the hobby for you, I hope this can still be a guide to making time for our hobbies amongst busy schedules, even if that means finding new methods or even new hobbies all together.
There will always be academics, jobs, or other events that take priority in our lives, however our passions are who we are, and we should make sure to find time to enjoy those too!