Why I've Decided to Stop Book Blogging... For Now

Whenever you read a post from bloggers announcing that they have decided to quit their blog, it is always mentioned that it was one of the most difficult decisions they had to make. Of course I can't say for other people what is a difficult decision and what isn't; I just know that for me personally, all of a sudden, it was clear that the 'A Spoonful of Happy Endings' era had come to an end.
I had been thinking about starting my own book blog for quite some time and I was so incredibly excited and proud when I finally launched this blog in March 2013. In the past few years I've read and reviewed hundreds of books, been part of numerous blog tours, got the chance to interview and chat to some amazing authors I never thought I'd be able to get in touch with, and met some great people within the book blogging community. However, I've also experienced the competitiveness, the nasty people who seem to always be on the look-out for a fight or the chance to hurt someone else, the pressure... It has definitely been quite a ride.   
And while I could continue book blogging for another few years, I decided to stop. Mainly because I can't remember the last time I picked up a book purely of my own choice. Receiving free books and getting the chance to review them is one of the best things ever, but I do feel after four years that it is time for me to go back to reading for myself. Thanks to my book blog I've learned to also pick up other genres, to step outside of my comfort zone every now and again, which is a wonderful thing. And to be honest, I can't wait to do just that. To re-read the whole Harry Potter series because I can and don't have to feel guilty because I still have a whole pile of review books waiting for me.
Of course I'm keeping all promises made and all review books I still have lying around will be reviewed on my blog, so this page will definitely be up until I've come to the final book on the review pile. What's next? I think I want to continue blogging, but I'm not quite sure yet what. I've been toying around with the idea of a Jane Austen-focused blog, using my passion for everything Austen-related, but if I do end up doing something else, I'll make sure to leave a link on here, for anyone who might be interested.
The biggest thank you to all the authors, publishing staff and book bloggers that made the last four years pretty great ones filled with tons of fantastic reads and bookish chats. For now, it will be business as usual, but I already wanted to inform all of you of my decision.