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Welcome to Sparked My Interest: August 2026! I’ve decided to try my hand at expanding my blog to include more than just books. In this type of post, I’ll be sharing articles, podcasts, etc. that sparked my interest. I hope they catch your attention as well!
Table of Contents
Finch: Self-Care Pet
I downloaded the Finch app on my phone almost a year ago and I love it! I am ridiculously attached to Jilly, my little birb (not a typo). Her current little grayish-blue micropet to the left is a “blobcat” I’ve named Anna Mae.
I mostly use Finch as a to-do list. There’s also a strong element of self-care and mental health wellness if that’s what you’re looking for. You create your own birb and as you complete the tasks/goals you set for yourself each day, you earn rainbow stones to send your birb on adventures or buy clothing, furniture for the birbhouse, or new feather colors. Your tasks can be as simple or complex as you want them to be. One of the suggested goals is “Just make it through the day” because we’ve all had those days. I allow notifications so Jilly sometimes sends me a little message to smile or a reminder saying, “You’ve got this!” It’s cute.
The app is free and that gives you access to everything you need and plenty more. You don’t constantly get spammed to upgrade but there is a paid version that basically gives you access to more clothing and furniture each day. I recently decided to buy the paid version to support the developers. If you decide to give it a try and want to add me as a friend, my code is below. I can’t see any of your goals unless you choose to share them.
Marmots on OnlyFans
All images © Jennifer G. at Introverted Reader 2026
My husband and I love seeing marmots! I don’t know why. We have groundhogs back home in North Carolina and they don’t really look all that different. But we get ridiculously excited when we find marmots on our hikes!
Well, the researchers at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Crested Butte, CO are hoping that Luis and I aren’t the only marmot lovers out there. Due to government funding cuts, marmot research is in danger. According to Live Science, one of the researchers was “waiting for marmots to do things” one slow morning and came up with the idea. An OnlyFans account was born. Or, as the researchers call it, OnlyMarms.
My caveat: OnlyFans is a site for sharing videos and photos but it shows up in the news most often because of its p0rnographic content. Apparently artists and musicians–and marmots– are on the site too though.
Want to see marmot content without signing up for OnlyFans? Check out the RMBL Marmot Project Instagram account.
Want to support marmot research without going through OnlyFans? You can donate directly to the marmot project by giving through UCLA.
Fat Marmot Week
All images © Jennifer G. at Introverted Reader 2026
The same researchers at the RMBL have decided to borrow a page from the bears at Katmai National Park and launch Fat Marmot Week. Voting starts August 24, so put it on your calendar! You can already start evaluating the contestants on the RMBL Marmot Project Instagram account and choosing your favorites. Fat Bear Week brings me a lot of joy every fall and I expect Fat Marmot week will do the same.
Sleepscroll
All images © Jennifer G. at Introverted Reader 2026
Addicted to scrolling on your phone before bed? You’re not alone. The Good List newsletter from The New York Times recently recommended a site called Sleepscroll. You just endlessly scroll through an image of a starry sky. You can double tap to make a star get brighter. The moon sends you a little text that you can’t interact with. You can count tiny sheep as they slowly bound across your screen. It accepts all the gestures you’re used to making on your phone but nothing really happens, so hopefully your brain starts to wind down until you nod off.
Brick
If you really want to give up your scrolling habit, I highly recommend buying a Brick. You’ve probably seen it advertised on your socials. I was using an app called OneSec and app timers to limit my screen time and that was working well enough. But after reading a very positive mention of Brick at Helen’s Book Blog, I eventually decided to invest in one for myself.
It does exactly what the name implies: it bricks your phone. I have a schedule set so that it blocks all my socials, my photos app, and anything else that keeps me from going to bed at night. It starts at 9:30 and ends at 9:00 the next morning. I can tap my phone to the Brick device to unbrick it if I need to. If I want to focus on something I’m working on outside of my scheduled Brick hours, I can tap my phone to the Brick and shut down all my distractions. One device works for both my husband and me.
It’s a little pricier than I would like, but it’s worth it for the hours we’ve regained!
That’s it for me this month! I hope these little tidbits sparked your interest as much as they did mine! Have you come across something recently that you think I should know about? Let me know in the comments!
