The Soft Week Menu: The Art of Revisiting Old Favorites

Hi Besties, Have you ever noticed how much energy we spend chasing the next thing? The next book, hobby, recipe, show, planner, or the next version of ourselves. There is absolutely nothing wrong with discovering something new, but lately I’ve been wondering if we’re overlooking something just as valuable: returning to the things we already know we love. After last week’s conversation about giving ourselves a mid-year permission slip, I realized another permission slip might be just as important. Permission to revisit. To reread the series that’s still sitting in the back of your mind. To pull out the hobby you’ve neglected because it no longer feels new. To bake the recipe that never disappoints. To stop feeling like every week has to introduce something different in order to be meaningful. This week’s Soft Week Menu is all about returning to familiar comforts, because sometimes the things we’ve loved all along are exactly what we need. Your soft week starts here.

This Week’s Menu

Reading

The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk (still patiently waiting for me)
Prince of Swords by Elise Kova

Hobby

Coloring pages, celebrating the launch of Cozy Reading, and baking banana bread

This Week’s Focus

Returning to old favorites

Ritual

Choosing familiar comforts without feeling guilty

Reset

Letting go of the pressure to always discover something new

Question to Carry

What comfort have I been overlooking because it’s familiar?

Reading: Sometimes the Right Book Is One You’ve Been Meaning to Read

I still haven’t started my reread of The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk. At this point, I almost laugh every time I write it into my Soft Week Menu because it keeps patiently waiting for me. But instead of feeling guilty about it, I’ve realized something. Sometimes a book stays on our minds because the timing isn’t quite right yet. And that’s okay. Another book that’s caught my attention this week is Prince of Swords by Elise Kova, the second book in the Arcana Academy series. I absolutely loved Arcana Academy! Tarot magic, fantasy, romance, academic intrigue; it checked so many of my favorite boxes that continuing the series feels less like starting something new and more like returning to a world I was excited to spend more time in. That’s something I’ve been embracing lately. Not every reading experience has to introduce me to a brand-new author or a completely different genre. Sometimes continuing a favorite series or revisiting a beloved author is exactly the reading mood I’m in. So if you’re building your own Soft Week Menu this week, maybe ask yourself whether there’s a book, or even a favorite author, you’ve been meaning to return to.

Hobby: Returning to Coloring in the Best Way

Coloring has officially become one of my forever hobbies. Every week I think it might disappear from these menus, and every week it finds its way back. And honestly, I think that’s the whole point of this week’s theme. We don’t outgrow the things that bring us peace simply because we’ve done them before. This week feels especially exciting because I finally get to celebrate something I’ve been quietly working toward. My coloring book collaboration, Cozy Reading: Bold and Easy Coloring Book for Adults, Teens and Seniors, is officially live and now yours.

You can get a copy of Cozy Reading Bold and Easy Coloring Book for Adults on Amazon.

Seeing this project out in the world has been such a surreal moment because it combines two things I genuinely love: books and cozy creativity. When we were creating it, I kept thinking about the kind of coloring book I would actually want to reach for after a long day. Something relaxing, approachable, and something that celebrates the reading life without feeling complicated. That’s exactly what we created. It’s filled with cozy reading nooks, steaming mugs, stacks of books, candles, blankets, and all the little details that make reading feel like an experience instead of just an activity. And yes, I’ll probably be coloring in my own coloring book this week. I honestly can’t think of a better way to celebrate its launch.

I’m also still eyeing that jigsaw puzzle I haven’t started yet. Apparently I’m building quite a collection of hobbies that patiently wait for me. And since I have several overripe bananas sitting on the counter, I’m planning to bake my Spiced Olive Oil Banana Bread this week too. Some recipes become favorites for a reason. This one has earned its permanent place in my kitchen.

This Week’s Focus: Familiar Doesn’t Mean Less Valuable

I think we sometimes confuse familiarity with boredom. If we’ve already read the series, made the recipe, worked on the puzzle, or colored the page, we assume it’s time to move on. But the older I get, the more I appreciate having things I can reliably return to. Favorite authors, hobbies, recipes, and rituals, they remove decision fatigue, remind us who we are, and they create little anchors throughout our weeks. There’s something deeply comforting about knowing exactly what makes you feel at home. That’s what I’m leaning into this week. Not novelty, but familiarity.

Ritual: Creating a Personal Comfort List

One ritual I’m starting this week is making a list of my personal favorites. Not the “best” books, or the most impressive hobbies. Just the things that consistently make my days better. Authors I always enjoy, recipes I never regret making, creative hobbies I naturally return to, comfort shows, favorite walks, or little rituals. I think having a list like that makes it easier to create a soft week because when life feels overwhelming, you don’t have to wonder what might help. You already know.

Reset: You Don’t Have to Keep Reinventing Yourself

Somewhere along the way, we started believing that growth always means moving forward. But sometimes growth looks like recognizing what already works. It looks like rereading a favorite book. Making the same banana bread you’ve made a dozen times. Picking up your markers or colored pencils again. Building a puzzle one piece at a time. There is wisdom in returning. This week, I’m letting go of the pressure to constantly reinvent myself and embracing the comfort of what already feels like home.

The Question We’re Carrying This Week

What comfort have I been overlooking because it’s familiar?
Maybe it’s an author you haven’t revisited in years, a recipe tucked inside an old cookbook, a hobby you’ve convinced yourself you’ve outgrown, or maybe it’s simply an hour with a cup of tea and a coloring page. Whatever comes to mind, consider bringing it back into your week. Sometimes our old favorites become favorites for a very good reason.

Final Thoughts

This week’s Soft Week Menu feels like a celebration of the things that quietly stay with us. The books we still think about years later. The hobbies we always return to. The recipes that fill the house with familiar smells. The creative projects that remind us why we started. This week, I’m celebrating a coloring book launch, planning to spend time with fantasy romance, baking banana bread, and giving myself permission to revisit the things I already know I love. Because not everything valuable has to be new. Sometimes the softest week is built from the comforts you’ve been carrying with you all along. I’d love to know what’s on your Soft Week Menu this week. What’s one book, hobby, recipe, or tradition you’ve been meaning to revisit? Let me know in the comments.