I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines until my early teenage years when my entire family immigrated to the True North that is, Canada. There are many places that I call home as I’ve moved around during my young adult years. But as of right now, home is Toronto, Canada.

During my childhood, my reading palate entails The Babysitters Club (particularly the Little Sister series), Sweet Valley Kids, and Nancy Drew. But it wasn’t until I started reading the Harry Potter series when I realized how much I enjoy reading. I loved the imaginative world that JK Rowling created. I felt so connected with the characters and basically grew up with them throughout the 7 books & movie adaptations that followed.

To me, reading is a form of escape. As I grew older, I leaned into my hobby of reading to give me a temporary escape from the harshness of the real world. As dramatic as that sounds, I still remember how lonely it was when I first moved to Canada. It was difficult to fit in and I didn’t have that many friends who I could relate to. So on my way home from school, I would typically stop by the public library and borrow a stack of books to take home and read. Between homework and chores, you can usually find me reading. I read a variety of books by authors like Mitch Albom, Paulo Coelho, Dan Brown and Stephanie Meyer (shamelessly, the Twilight series). 

As I started my undergraduate degree, I didn’t have a lot of time for leisurely reading. And five years later when I graduated, I started working full time as a Software Developer. Life got pretty busy and I was in the longest reading slump. I would maybe read 1 book a year and that’s it. 

Fast forward to 2021, I decided to pick up reading again and I’ve been obsessed since then. I started taking photos of my books and my favourite reading spots at home, and at some cool cafes in the city. I showed the photos to my boyfriend one day and he suggested this amazing idea of starting an Instagram account so I can share these photos to the world. I didn’t even know about the existence of Bookstagram then. But ever since I found the amazing online community of #Bookstagram, I have found so many new books & authors that I am excited about. I have been reading non-stop since then, and my shelf is also now out of control and is overflowing with books.

I am so happy to have rekindled my love for reading again. With the pandemic on it’s 3rd year now, reading continues to be a form of escape for me. It has been a nice distraction from the daily drill. Reading has kept me sane and it’s something that I am truly excited about each day. Through this blog, I want to share that same love & enthusiasm and I hope you’ll find something here that will also spark your interest in reading!

– Kat

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If you want to know why this blog is named The Boundless Reader, then read this: