Three months into 2025, I feel like the rug is being pulled from under me. Every year, I reflect on my hopes and aspirations for expanding this blog. This is the first year that I realized, due to unforeseen circumstances, that I had to simplify aspects of my life. Without going into detail, I am heavily affected by current world events. I had to sit by myself and make adult decision.
I have to give up a few things to ensure I can support myself in the coming months. I am 100% confident that I will be fine and land on my feet. Additionally, I believe this is the ideal time to opt out of participating in corporate greed. Why am I writing about all of this? As I mentioned earlier, life has become complicated, and sometimes you have to let go of things you love.
To stay prepared for the changing times, I will cancel my Kindle and Audible subscriptions by the close of March 31, 2025, and extend this to April. Even if I can afford and cover these luxuries, I haven’t utilized all the available options to the best of my ability. Additionally, Kindle has removed the option to download books for use on other e-readers or save them to your computer. That rubbed me the wrong way it felt very much like you don’t own a damn thing and we have the right to control books. It gave me dystopian vibes, and I stopped providing my peasley $10, $13, $20 a month. I want to say that back in 2023, I had intended to do this, and I had chosen to focus on my blog, to potentially transition it into a business that would cover the subscription fee. Now, taking a good look at my life, I realize that it is not an option this year; I would instead do the right thing now, not later.
I have researched other options and will obtain my library card as soon as possible. I still use Google Books and independent digital book sellers. I am holding on to Spotify because I use it for Trivia, which gives me access to Audible Books via Spotify, even though I also have a complaint about Spotify. Of course, good old-fashioned paperback books. I will still read cause reading is knowledge and helps in more ways than anyone can count. Reading helps with stress relief, as well as researching, learning, and avoiding distractions.
Another way the blog will change is that I will downgrade it to a basic format. This option will not occur until June 2025, and it will depend entirely on where my life is at that time. If I am gainfully employed and the US does not implode, that may not happen. If you see a more basic outlay and fewer options available, I had to downgrade the blog. I still want to write and talk about books and wine. I must be honest, and again, the theme of this blog is a difficult decision. Funny, in 2023, I read several books about young women whose lives were uprooted and who had to start over. You can find the link to the reviews below:
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Until Next Time,
Che Michelle
Che-Michelle Tales 
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