Taking My Hobby Back

and a bit of a life update.

Jul 17, 2026

I thought it was time for a bit of a personal update, a structural reshuffle, and a massive confession: I am officially taking my reading hobby back.

For a while now, I’ve been trying to keep up with the steady fortnightly rhythm of running The Book Chronicles. But somewhere along the line, turning my favourite books into structured “content” started draining the absolute joy out of reading. I found myself thinking more about framing posts. I was no longer just getting lost in a brilliant story.

So, I’ve made a big decision to clear my desk and refocus my creative energy.

Here is what is changing, what is moving, and where you can find me moving forward:

The Book Chronicles is officially closing

I am winding down the standalone Book Chronicles newsletter. For those of you who were on a paid tier, your subscriptions have been turned off so you won’t be rebilled (and I am currently sorting out any recent annual sign-ups).

That doesn’t mean all the content has gone. You can find it on this website under Reading. I will be adding to this section whenever I have something to say.

Sam H Arnold is becoming “Schedule-Free”

My personal site and newsletter here aren’t going anywhere, but the pressure is officially off.

There is no more strict fortnightly schedule.

From now on, this is a space where I will post completely organically. When I have something meaningful to share about my writing journey, a major milestone, or an article I genuinely care about, it will land in your inbox. You can always chat with me in chat if you have questions.

All my energy is moving to Murder Mayhem UK

By clearing away the noise, I am finally able to pour 100% of my focus into the project I am most passionate about right now: Murder Mayhem UK.

Because I’m no longer splitting my focus, I am dedicating serious time to deep-dive research. I am unearthing gripping historical cases and delivering the highest-quality true crime writing possible.

Moving forward, I’ll be publishing two comprehensive articles every single week.

If you love deeply researched investigative history, dark social histories, and cases that keep you up turning the pages, I would love to have you over there. It’s where the absolute bulk of my writing energy is going, and the community we are building in the comments section is incredible.

Murder Mayhem UK

Thank you so much for reading, for supporting my work across these different projects, and for allowing me the space to evolve my writing platform.

I’ll see you over at Murder Mayhem for some dark history, or right here whenever the creative lightning strikes!

Until next time: Find the time, find the words, find the way.

Sam