About

Who is The Pen Not The Sword?

Hi everyone! I am Charlotte and I am the book blogger behind The Pen Not The Sword. I started this blog on a whim whilst at university, which turned into an absolute passion and took off again during the COVID pandemic!

I wanted to create this blog as a way to share my love of reading, gain new recommendations, as well as to find likeminded book lovers and reviewers, who I could engage with and meet! I don’t have many people in my life who read, so this has allowed me to grow my network of book lovers!

I am a data analyst by day, and an avid book reader, buyer and lover by night. I have an undergraduate degree in English Language and English Literature and masters (MRes) in Literary Studies, specialising in Victorian Literature!

I am what I love to call an eclectic reader, reading anything from romance and fantasy, to classics and thrillers! As a result, the reviews and discussions on my blog span across many different genres and all kinds of topics! I am definitely a mood reader, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I want this space to be a safe space for all, just like the book community and I hope you enjoy my little slice of bookish escapism!

Let me share a little more about myself!

I am a 27 year old book blogger, living in London (UK), who tries to fit books into a busy schedule, whilst finding new things to do, new places to explore, and share as many books as I can with anyone interested in potentially picking up a book.

Meet the Book Blogger:

 📚Bookish things:📚
✨ My favourite genres are fantasy, romance and thriller – but I will read any genre as long as the story keeps me HOOKED!
✨ My physical TBR is currently at about 160
✨ I rarely read books when they are first published – I fear the hype!
✨ I am a massive mood reader, so usually I just pick books at complete random!
✨ I always try and go into a book as blind as possible – hate spoilers and being disappointed!
✨ I track my books on Goodreads and StoryGraph, but have built my own spreadsheet so I can track what I want to track!

🎞️Non-Bookish Things:🎞️
✨ As well as books, I am an eclectic music listener – loving all genres from country and pop to emo and opera!
✨ I love to travel and have been trying to visit more new places in the past couple of years!
✨ I am obsessed with musicals – I try and see at least 5 a year (time depending!)

My goal for my blog was and always is to create a place for me to be able to share my love of reading with all of you lovely readers, who may share my bookish opinions, or may open my mind up to new book thoughts, book recommendations and book appreciation.

This blog is all about honesty. Honesty about myself, honesty about my reading and honesty about my reviews. Readers should be able to read all genres and authors without judgement and fear of being bullied. Reviews should be honest- otherwise why write and read them! Be you, read what you want, and feel what you want to feel! Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments, send me emails through the contact section of the website – I love to hear from you all!

If you are interested in following along with the many bookish ramblings I share as The Pen Not The Sword:

On my website, you will find all of my posts in the Blog Feed at the top of the page, as well as my Rating System and Review Policy in the About section drop down. Do contact me if you have any queries or questions!