Welcome to The Bookmarks ‘n Blankets Podcast
My name is Kelly Matsudaira (mat-sue-die-ruh), and I’m excited to share my thoughts and opinions with you about books, movies, and TV shows… but mostly books. I’m also obsessed with all things comfy cozy, self-care, and personal development.
My Story
I’ve wanted to start a podcast since 2015. I had many ideas but never followed through with any of them, either life got in the way, and I had to focus my attention elsewhere, or fear came up and held me back, or the timing wasn’t right. But then, in early March 2023, I was on YouTube, and a recommended video popped up in my feed – it was about cozy fantasy books. I thought it meant good fantasy books that you could curl up with a blanket and hot drink and get cozy with. But little did I know that this was actually a subgenre of books!
My mind was blown, and I went deep down a rabbit hole for about two weeks. Not only did I discover this new sub-genre of books, but there was this whole book world online that I never knew about – BookTube, BookTok, and Bookstagram. I had absolutely NO idea, and as someone who LOVES to read, I dove into this unknown territory head first.
Once I stumbled across the online book community, I knew this was the place for me. Instantly, I felt like I FINALLY had found my tribe and community. I’ve been an avid reader my entire life, but haven’t really been reading a lot of fiction for the past decade.
As I began exploring this bright, shiny new world via Instagram and YouTube, I knew immediately that this was my calling. This is where I wanted to express my creativity, opinions and share them with the world. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with this community and my new show. I haven’t been this happy or having this much fun in about 15 years! I feel SO invigorated with life again!!
I invite you to listen to the very first episode of this show to learn more about me.
About the Show
On this podcast, you’ll find book reviews, reading/book-related topics, recommended movies and TV series, cozy living topics, and a lot more! I do focus mainly on books, but that’s not all this show will be about. Mindfulness and self-care are also other passions of mine that I want to discuss.
I hope you will join me each week for some fun.
It’s also a chance for you to unwind, relax, and get cozy – afterall, that’s my aesthetics: coziness!
Happy Reading, my Book Lovers!!