CYCLONE GIRL

I READ NOW, FUCK YEAH

🔈CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS BLOG IN AUDIO FORM🔈

Hey all, what’s new? What’s happening?

First of all, a massive thank you to everyone who read my blog last week and sent me messages. I was genuinely overwhelmed by the response, from both men and women. Men collectively apologising on behalf of their gender (as they should) and countless women relating to my struggles. It’s an absolutely feral world out there for single people, so while it’s nice to know I’m not alone, it’s also... horrifying.

In other news, I now exist on Spotify in two different ways. First, I’ve recorded all my previous blogs into audio form, which you can find by searching ‘Cyclone Girl’ on Spotify. I acknowledge that some people simply do not have the energy to read and find it an exhausting mental task, so I’m out here doing the lord’s work. Second, my band Chloe Marks & The Mayhem is now on all streaming platforms with our debut single “Carolina.” If you’re into country music, check it out and pretend you discovered us before we were famous.

🔈CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CYCLONE GIRL ON SPOTIFY🔈

đŸŽ”đŸ€ CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO CAROLINAđŸ€ đŸŽ”

I’m also working on the possibility of translating my blogs into Auslan for some of my Deaf friends. I asked on my Instagram if that’s something that they would want and a handful of Deaf people said yes so I will have to work out the logistics of finding time to do that but just know, it’s on my radar!

On The Topic of People Who Don’t Read
 That Was Me

For most of my life, I was a proud member of the I Hate Reading club. Books? Monotonous. Boring. A massive, insurmountable task. I convinced myself I didn’t have the time to read, but in reality, I just never found a book interesting enough to make time for.

In high school, I actively rebelled against assigned reading. I don’t think I ever actually finished a single book we were meant to write an essay on. I survived purely off Spark Notes and, in a stunning display of academic fraud, the recycled assignments my sister had written the year before. And given that I went to a prestigious Catholic all-girls school, the teachers were too busy telling us not to wear makeup or have sex with boys to notice. Priorities.

Meanwhile, my sister was a reading prodigy. I distinctly remember walking past her room when she was about 13 and seeing her devouring The Chronicles of Narnia, a book that, to my untrained eye, had phone book energy with its 767 pages. She finished it in a week. I was both disgusted and jealous. How could someone be so invested in sitting still and reading for that long? And why didn’t I have that same urge? A lifelong internal battle.

She was so obsessed with reading that my parents had to confiscate her books at bedtime, because left to her own devices, she would stay up all night under the covers like a Harry Potter character with a fucking lantern. Meanwhile, I was staring at the ceiling wondering why I wasn’t one of those people.

Every Few Years, I Tried Again. Every Few Years, I Failed.

I would attempt to read, get three pages in, and immediately lose the will to live. I even tried immersion reading (reading the physical book while listening to the audiobook), which briefly worked, but buying the same book twice? Felt like a scam. So, I gave up again.

Then, as my regular readers will know, I started medication in January for depression and ADD. And what do you know? I have now read five books this year and am halfway through my sixth. Who am I?? Not only am I reading books, but I’m LOVING it. I am now the person losing sleep over “just one more page.” How lame


However, I’ve established a strict 50-page rule: if a book hasn’t hooked me by then, it’s out. I refuse to ruin my newfound hobby by forcing myself to endure mediocrity. So far, Boy Swallows Universe and Fahrenheit 451 have met their untimely demise.

Books I’ve Read So Far in 2025:

  1. Daisy Jones & The Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid

I devoured this book and immediately watched the TV show adaptation. I now fully understand why book nerds either rejoice or combust when their favourite stories are adapted.

  1. The Housemaid – Freida McFadden

A thriller-ish read that had me hooked, and now I’m impatiently waiting for the film adaptation.

  1. Figuring Out Thirty – Bridget Hustwaite

This book spoke to my entire soul. Every single existential crisis I’ve had about turning 30 was laid bare in these pages.

  1. From Here to the Great Unknown – Lisa Marie Presley & Riley Keough

As a massive Elvis fan, this book had me crying and laughing, two crucial ingredients for a great memoir.

  1. Animal Farm – George Orwell

I decided to revisit a book I was supposed to read in high school to finally experience the sense of accomplishment I robbed myself of as a teenager. Mission accomplished. (Although, I do mourn the fact that my 16-year-old self didn’t have the brain capacity to appreciate it.)

Currently Reading: Tender Is The Flesh – Agustina Bazterrica

A dystopian novel where a virus contaminates all animal meat, forcing humans to legalise cannibalism. Wild. And gross. And absolutely fascinating.

When Do I Read? (Because I’m Still Not That Person Who Can Read Anywhere, Anytime)

  1. While Working from Home

I work as an Auslan interpreter for an agency that facilitates phone calls for Deaf people and between calls, I now read. There is something deeply motivating about being paid to read.

  1. On Planes

I travel a fair bit for both work and pleasure and reading has become the only way I pass the time. It’s perfect, no distractions, no notifications, and my phone is literally physically incapable of interrupting me in flight mode.

  1. On the Loo


Need I say more?

  1. Between Jobs

When I have gaps between on site interpreting gigs, instead of scrolling TikTok in my car, I now read. Revolutionary.

  1. On My Lunch Break

Usually, I eat alone, so instead of mindlessly consuming media, I now consume actual stories while I shovel food into my gob.

  1. Before Bed

Much like my sister back in the day, I now use reading as a bedtime wind-down. It’s infinitely better than the endless doom-scrolling cycle.

Final Thoughts: Who Even Am I?

At the start of the year, I made a cute little 2025 bingo sheet with things I wanted to accomplish. One of the tiles? Read four books. Not only have I surpassed that, but I did it in the first two months of the year. I am truly an evolved human.

So, if you have any life-changing book recommendations, drop them in the comments (or my DMs, or carrier pigeon them to me). I do have a massive stack of unread books taunting me, but honestly
 What's one or two more?

Wishing you all an exceptional week, or perhaps just an average one. Average is perfectly fine.

Song recommendation of the week: 'Carolina' by Chloe Marks & The Mayhem

đŸŽ”CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MY SONG OF THE WEEKđŸŽ”

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG