Coffee Chat Friday: Back to School & Books 🎒☕

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Coffee Chat Friday: Back to School & Books 🎒☕

Published: August 28, 2026

There’s something about back-to-school season that feels like a fresh start.

New classes.

New notebooks.

New routines.

And of course...

Trying to figure out how I'm supposed to keep reading all my romance books when professors start assigning their own. 😂📚

I'm actually SO excited to go back to school this semester.

I can't wait, honestly.

But I also know from experience that once classes start, my reading life changes a little.

So grab your coffee, your current read, and maybe your backpack...

Let's talk about back-to-school & books. 🎒☕📚

The Semester Reading Struggle Is Real

Unfortunately...

My fun reading definitely slows down once school starts.

Between classes, assignments, studying, and all the reading I have to do for school, there are only so many words my brain can process in one day. 😂

But I don't stop reading for fun completely.

I try to break everything up so that reading never starts to feel like another assignment.

Because the second my romance books start feeling like homework?

We have a problem.

My Favorite Reading Time: The Commute

One of the easiest ways I keep reading during the semester is actually pretty simple...

My commute.

It's built-in reading time.

Instead of feeling like I need to find another hour somewhere in my schedule, I can pull out my current read and get through a few chapters while I'm already traveling.

I usually bring my physical book with me, but on days when my bag is already ridiculously heavy?

The iPad wins. 😂

I'm not carrying an entire library AND everything I need for class.

My Perfect Between-Class Moment

Give me...

A coffee.

My current read.

And a little bit of time before my next class.

I'm happy.

Sometimes I'll read before class, and sometimes I'll find a spot on the bridge between classes and sneak in a few pages.

Those little pockets of reading time might not seem like much...

But they add up.

And honestly?

Sometimes 20 minutes with a romance novel is exactly what my brain needs before going back into student mode.

My Own Little Bubble

This is probably the biggest reason I refuse to completely give up fun reading when school gets busy.

Romance books are like my own little bubble.

School can get stressful.

Life gets busy.

There is ALWAYS something that needs to be done.

But when I open my book?

For a little while, none of that matters.

I can disappear into somebody else's small town, love story, vacation, fake relationship, or ridiculously complicated romantic situation.

And sometimes that's exactly the break I need.

What's on My Semester Reading Menu?

During the semester, I have a feeling I'll gravitate toward books that are a little easier to fly through.

💕 Quick rom-coms

🎄 Holiday romances

🔪 Maybe a thriller here and there

🍂 And LOTS of cozy small-town reads

I'm especially ready for the small-town romances this fall.

Give me bookstores.

Coffee shops.

Pumpkin patches.

Fall festivals.

Cozy little towns where everybody somehow knows everybody else's business.

I want ALL of it. 😂🍁

What Happens to Romance in the Coffee Rings?

Hopefully...

Not much!

My goal is to keep Romance in the Coffee Rings going as much as I possibly can while I'm in school.

Will there be weeks when assignments have to come first?

Obviously.

But this blog is something I genuinely enjoy doing.

Reading, writing reviews, making graphics, talking about books...

It's fun for me.

So rather than treating the blog like one more thing on my school to-do list, I want it to remain something I look forward to.

Even if things occasionally have to slow down.

My Semester Goals

I have two pretty big goals going into this semester.

For school?

Keep up my GPA. 🎓

I've worked hard for it, and I want to keep that momentum going.

And for reading?

Finish my goal of 75 books this year. 📚

Will school make that slightly more challenging?

Absolutely. 😂

But we're going to try!

Most Important Question: What's the Back-to-School Coffee?

Do we even need to ask?

🎃 Pumpkin Spice.

Once pumpkin season starts, I'm committed.

Pumpkin spice and fall semester just belong together.

And I'll happily stay there...

Until Peppermint Mocha season. 🎄☕

Then all bets are off.

My College Survival Kit

If I could only put five essentials in my college survival kit?

☕ Coffee — obviously.

🎧 Headphones — absolutely necessary.

📚 My current read — because you never know when you'll get a few free minutes.

💋 Chapstick — non-negotiable.

💻 Laptop/iPad — because unfortunately I do eventually have to do actual schoolwork. 😂

Honestly?

Give me those five things, and I can probably survive the semester.

Final Thoughts

Going back to school definitely means less free time for reading.

But it doesn't mean giving it up.

If anything, I think those little reading moments become even more important when life gets busy.

A chapter on the commute.

A few pages before class.

A cozy romance after finishing an assignment.

A pumpkin spice latte and a book when I finally get a minute to myself.

That's how I plan to keep a little bit of Romance in the Coffee Rings with me throughout the semester. ☕📚💕

And I genuinely can't wait to see what this fall brings.

Let's Talk!

Are you heading back to school this fall?

Or maybe you're helping someone else get ready for a new school year?

Tell me...

📚 What's one book you'd HAVE to put in your back-to-school bag?

And, most importantly...

☕ What's your fall coffee order?

Until next time...

Happy reading, happy sipping, and don't forget the coffee. ☕💕

— Erica | Romance in the Coffee Rings

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