An ongoing notebook

The Reading Life

A notebook on reading, writing, and the long sentence.

My Plan to Finally Read My TBR (Without Giving Up Bookstores)

THE READING LIFE · 5 MIN READ · August 15, 2026

I need to stop buying books and start reading from my shelves

What can I do?

Do you like browsing the shelves of a bookstore, a to-go cup of coffee or tea in hand, in search of your next read? Do you like to discover new authors, new topics of interest, and new editions of your favorite books? Or return to your favorite authors in search of their newest release? Are your shelves piling up under the weight of unread prose? If that sounds familiar, you are in good company — because I love that too.

One of my favorite things to do when I am in town is to go to the bookstore and wait until it’s time to pick up my daughter at her school, especially on Friday afternoons. Hot chocolate in hand, I browse. The staff greets me; they see me every Friday. I am what you might call a regular. I own the highest-reward card possible. I have multiple editions of the gift tote that they hand out every time a customer renews their membership.

However, the last two videos I filmed, devoted to my TBR, revealed a problem I need to tackle. I literally own a bookstore of unread books in my house. So, I have concluded that I need a system to stop buying books and start reading from my shelves.

What can I do? Will I read all these books in one year? Certainly not. I like to read, but I am not a compulsive reader. I like to take notes and digest my readings.

Will I not buy books at all? Nope.

I brainstormed and came up with 12 ideas to implement in my life. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your unread books, these ideas can help you feel more in control and proud of managing your TBR without losing the joy of book shopping.

Here are the 12 strategies I’m putting in place—simple, practical, and realistic, and that can help you reduce your TBR too:

Have the number of books on the TBR visible at all times: some keep a “Books Read This Year” counter; instead, I created a set of countdown TBR list blocks.
Keep a list of all the books you haven’t read as a reminder
Be accountable (daughter, friend, YouTube channel, reading group)
Don’t go to the bookstore as often. Since I tend to buy books at brick-and-mortar stores more than online, I might as well not go for a while, or instead of going every week, go every other week.
Set a limit: you can decide to read a percentage of your books before buying another one. For example, in my case, I should read 19 books before buying another. That number naturally decreases as I make progress. It’s ambitious—but since I read an average of five books per month, that represents one new book every three or four months.
Set up a no-buy month.
Maybe I could sell the ones I know I’ll never read… although that feels highly improbable!
Read at set times on the day to create a routine that gives you a sense of stability and makes your reading goals feel more achievable, benefiting both you and your shelves. It could be to read 30 minutes before bedtime, or during lunch break. I know I read first thing in the morning: I am up at 5:30 am, and after a time of prayer, I read my Bible for a while, then I will either read some spiritual material related to my Bible reading, or write on the topic.
Combine one fiction and one non-fiction (to take notes)
Use the snowball effect: Read in page order: the smallest ones first, although it would defeat the joy of picking my next read.
Buy books for others! (birthdays, various occasions, etc.)
Shop your own shelves: rearrange your shelves, keep your unread books on a separate shelf, or create a “currently browsing” stack.

If you are like me, you don’t want to stop loving bookstores. I know I don’t want to stop discovering books. Plus, I want to support local bookstores, or bigger corporate bookstores, and the industry I am part of. But I also don’t want my shelves to become a museum of unread dialogues, full of dust bunnies and spiderwebs. Or worse, a graveyard of good intentions, a junkyard of abandoned knowledge.

More importantly, reading is always a part of my life. I don’t want to fall into a reading slump, overwhelmed by these books, and I certainly don’t want to run a reading marathon where numbers are more important than the outcome. I read for pleasure, I read to learn. I don’t want to enter a reading competition. I am simply facing the truth.

Mitigation. That’s the word—mitigation without deprivation. Let’s face it. It might take me 4 years to read all these books. That doesn’t mean I cannot enjoy it. So instead of buying less joy, I am learning to rediscover the joy I already have.

How do you manage your TBR? Do you have a system—or are you building one like I am?

On Beach Reads: The Art of Going Away Literally and Metaphorically

THE READING LIFE · 5 MIN READ · August 15, 2026

Back in May, my family and I went on our annual beach vacation to our favorite spot, Destin, Florida. The Emerald Coast is perfect for relaxation, offering a change of scenery that creates a sense of escapism for vacationers. After all, what are vacations if not a way to escape the routine and rituals of everyday life? Since the 19^th century, as vacations and beach trips grew, along with the development of mass publication and the decrease in the price of literature, books became part of daily life, not just a collectible.

So, vacation reading, and within this scope, beach reading, has been around for a while. However, according to The Guardian, the concept of the beach read first appeared in the 1990s as a marketing trick to entice readers to pack a book in their suitcases. Publications such as Publishers Weekly and Booklist likely coined it around the summer of 1990^[1], before it entered literary journalists’ vernacular.

So, there I was, vacationing with my family in Florida back in May, when I became curious about what constituted a beach read in 2026, since people were still bringing physical books to the beach.

I have to admit my list didn’t grow much, since phones have taken the lion’s share of beach attention. The slow takeover of free time and beachside real estate by phones has grown over the last 10 years, even on vacation. Of course, it would be difficult for the casual sand stroller to know whether people on their phones were reading or doing something else. They did not seem to be texting or scrolling.

As I walked along the sandy shores, my feet in the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico, I could not help but notice that my book was not the only one to have found its way to the lounging chairs of those beachside condominiums. Not to mention the new reading club at my local library, Beach Reads. Although we are far from the beach here in Southern Louisiana, the connection is interesting.

So, what constitutes a beach read in 2026? I didn’t compile the following list with professionals, critics, or publishers in mind. It was born from my personal observations. Before going any further, I want to note that I only listed titles I could read during my morning walks. I had no intention of snooping around, invading, or disturbing a reader during their quiet activity, much less being so intrusive as to read over the shoulders of my fellow vacationers.

Here’s what I spotted this year.

First, some categories stood out; others were totally absent.

Fantasy: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros; The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer E. Armentrout; Silver Elite by Dani Francis.

Speculative Fiction: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Thriller: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden; The Sentinel by Lee Child.

Romance: The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros; The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo; Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune; No Greater Love by Danielle Steel; The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy.

Biography: The Black Count by Tom Reiss (that was me…)

Christian nonfiction: When Nothing Makes Sense by Karin Hadadan; The Jesus’ Style by Gayle D. Erwin.

At this time and place, I saw no horror, no YA, no MG. More interestingly, the titles didn’t match the Beach Read List at my local library either. So, escapism relied more on other worlds, dystopian realities, and contemporary romance. And, apart from The Black Count, I have not read any of these books. Only two, Fourth Wing and The Handmaid’s Tale, were vaguely familiar to me because I saw them displayed at my local bookstore. I don’t think I will ever read those, but who knows.

A Pew Research Center study found that 64% of readers aged 16 and older get their book recommendations from family, friends, or coworkers^[2], 28% from online bookstores or other websites, and 23% from bookstore employees they visit in person. So, yes, a display table with a selection of books could definitely influence a reader to choose a title over another. And, maybe we can add a new subcategory to the list: what strangers are reading…

What I neglected to do, though, was check the display tables at the local Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million stores just a few minutes from where I was staying. Especially now that big book companies like Barnes & Noble have shifted their corporate strategy to mimic independent bookstores by tailoring their content to local readership and trends, it could be interesting to see what professionals in the book industry call a beach read and what people actually consider one. Do they coincide, or is there a discrepancy between the two?

Interestingly, I did not see two vacationers reading the same book.

The beach read is still there, and it seems to be going nowhere. Although the beach read is not a genre, it has become a way of life, a way to read. And perhaps, that’s why the beach read has survived for so long. Now, the question remains. If we talk about beach reads, I would like to propose the new concepts of “mountain reads”, “train reads”, “plane reads”, and, why not, to add some local color to the list, “swamp reads”? The question is open to discussion…

^[1] https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jun/02/beach-read-summer-books-holiday-vacation.

^[2] https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2012/06/22/part-2-where-people-discover-and-get-their-books/

Are We Witnessing the Return of the Personal Library in Our Homes?

THE READING LIFE · 7 MIN READ · August 15, 2026

Summary: In an age dominated by digital media, the growing popularity of BookTube and personal library tours suggests that readers (especially younger generations) are reclaiming bookshelves and home libraries as spaces of identity, memory, community, and resistance to an increasingly virtual world.

Once upon a time, libraries were part of a house blueprint. For centuries, libraries occupied an important place in upper-class homes. If grand estates always had a library, smaller estates could also host one, often called a study because of its smaller size.

It was a room unlike others because its walls were covered with bookshelves and books. Grand estates were the repositories of such rooms, and books were transmitted from generation to generation. In my imagination, a personal library or a study always contained a cozy armchair to welcome the reader, thick rugs to muffle noise, and carpets to complement the hundreds of books lined on bookshelves, parallel and firmly attached to the walls. Libraries were among the most beautiful rooms in a house where one could find solace, refuge, and silence. However, with estate prices rising, the growing number of inhabitants in a building, and shrinking indoor space, personal libraries as we knew them up to the early 20^th Century disappeared, making way for more utilitarian rooms. Plus, the rise of digital books in the 21^st Century led to the rise of digital libraries. Or at least, that’s what was happening for a while.

The Rise of the Personal Library

There is a growing trend on YouTube that gives hope for the return of the personal library. The number of videos devoted to bookshelves and personal library tours shows that people are devoting space to books in their homes again, whether in the form of nook spaces, shelves, or rooms entirely dedicated to books and the art of reading. Books are reclaiming their place in our homes. For members of the BookTube community, the bookshelf tour has become a staple and a favorite video. Not only are there a lot of them, and I mean A LOT of bookshelf tour videos out there on the web, but they also accumulate thousands of views and comments. Some title it their Bookshelf Tour, others the Home Library Tour, and others their Dream Home Library Tour. Let’s add that, according to Publishers Weekly^[1], about 762.4 million books were sold in the US alone in 2025. That’s a lot of books to add to our bookshelves; that’s a lot of bookshelves to build to host them.

Why Film a Personal Library?

The most inquisitive souls will ask the question: Why? Why film the spines and covers? We could indeed wonder about the motivation behind such videos. Could it be to boast? “Look at how many books I read… Look at my knowledge”. I’ve watched a lot of bookshelf tours, and honestly, this isn’t the feeling that comes up most often in these videos. Readers are usually more on the quiet, inquisitive side and keep to themselves. So, what could motivate them to put themselves out there and show their library?

Let’s begin by saying that booktubers are readers talking to other readers. The YouTube algorithm always works in its own interest: to find people interested in the topic covered in the video, to keep people watching, and make more money at the same time. So, for readers, it will be… readers. When I joined BookTube, I found a community that shared the same interests. For the longest time, I felt lonely in my love of books. Well, I don’t feel so isolated anymore; there are thousands of people like me out there! One striking feature of bookshelf tour videos is that they are not among the shortest. Some go way beyond the 1-hour mark, others count 2 or 3 parts. And given the number of views these videos have accumulated (we are talking tens of thousands for some), we can safely say that the interest is real.

Bookshelves host stories in and out. As I was going over my bookshelves, I found myself telling the story behind the books: who purchased it, how I acquired it, where it came from, etc. Because of that, books become emotional anchors that connect us to family members, family stories, friends, and book club fellows. They represent the shared experiences and memories that build us. We are the sum of all the books we read, and some will stay with us forever.

Readers are quiet people with a passion or a strong interest in a topic, and, like anyone with a passion, will understand. Posting a bookshelf tour video is the first step in sharing an experience with an audience that finally understands why we accumulate books, people like us who understand us, and will not tag us with the negative nickname of “nerds” or “bookworms”. Libraries are the banking systems of the mind. They stand for investments of time and money that yield intangible interest returns in entertainment, knowledge, escapism, organization, discussion, and intrapersonal exchanges. Building a library is an investment in oneself, which is never lost.

Most of the bookshelves I visited were organized. I bet I could ask any of these booktubers to find a specific title they own; they would know exactly where to find it among hundreds or thousands of books. Like the art pieces in a collection, books are rarely placed at random on bookshelves. Whether by genre, publisher, author, subject matter, or favorites vs. less favorites, the organizational possibilities are endless. Indeed, the personal libraries presented on BookTube are carefully curated to match their owner’s taste.

Owning multiple editions of the same books seems odd to non-readers. But readers are collectors too. One cannot have enough editions of Pride and Prejudice, even if most editions are to stand on a shelf. Some will claim that we are falling prey to a well-thought-out strategy. Who cares? If owning six versions of our favorite books makes us happy, then why not? At that point, books, stories even, become pieces of art because they tell who we are, they make us who we are. Displaying multiple editions of the same book is simply the exhibition of different interpretations of the same story.

A Figment of Hope Among Younger Generations?

It is said that to own a personal library, one should have accumulated more than 1,000 books. Although this number is reached by the older YouTubers (GenX, Millennials, or generations before), these videos are often (but not exclusively) made by younger Booktubers standing in front of curated bookshelves, their own bookshelves, covered with hundreds of books. Within a short time, their libraries will compete with those of the older generations. Personal library owners are inviting their audience to join them in sharing their interests and their resistance to the digital world’s invasion through a thoughtful, guided tour of what constitutes their secret pride: a library. Would these videos signal a return to personal libraries in homes and apartments among the younger generation? We certainly hope so.

^[1] Millio, Jim. “Print Books Sales Rose Slightly in 2025.” publishersweekly.com, January 9, 2026. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/99417-print-book-sales-rose-slightly-in-2025.html.

On Rereading: Why Some Books Never Leave Us

THE READING LIFE · 6 MIN READ · August 15, 2026

Has it ever happened to you that you closed a book and were sad? Not sad because the story ended badly (I personally try not to read this type of book, though there is no way to know in advance), but sad because it was done. Or have you ever felt that if it had been longer, it would not have bothered you? You were ready for more adventures, more surprises. You would have kept on reading page after page, paragraph after paragraph of a book that maybe was already a noble size.

Two form a fellowship; you and me, we are on the same boat. We live reading, we don’t just consume it. The good news is, there are many others out there.

We already know the end. We are familiar with all the twists and turns of an adventure. But do we really remember every detail? No. Some suggest that after the first read, one only remembers about 20% of a book. What can we do about the other 80%?

Along my reading career, which started like most people at the age of 5, I have loved books; I have hated books too (and these have ended up in the trash can. Yes, you read me, the trash can). Others left me indifferent. These are still on my bookshelf, although how long they will stay there is a matter of time and space. But I have loved books. And when I say love, I mean… loved. They are the books that, when I talked about them, people looked at me and said, “You made me want to read this book!” Ah! Music to my ears; another reader who will discover the amazing story. I won’t be alone! But am I ever alone in this endeavor?

What is it that attracts us and immerses us in a story? That transports us into another world, another universe? Why should we partake in a quest that, although it is not ours, we still want to own and never let go of it? Is it the characters’ personality? Their arc? Why do we identify with them? Is it that they reconnect us with our childhood? Or is the theme dear to our readers’ hearts?

Or maybe, it’s all of this.

There are some books, not among the shortest, actually, that I cannot imagine not reading again. Could I go without reopening the massive brick that is The Count of Monte-Cristo? Could I leave Edmond Dantès to rest on his boat and live a peaceful life across the seas? Certainly not. I have to reopen it; revive the wound of treason, and the healing of a justice done. I have to resee the unraveling of the most Machiavellian plan of justice for a man who survived the worst prison conditions at the Chateau d’If despite the treason, envy, jealousy, and greed for power of those around him. I have to see the green hills of the Shire, smell the scents of a spring evening on the front porch of a door in the ground where lived a Hobbit. I must follow Frodo and Sam on an ink map, crossing forests, mines, and swamps.

There are other books that I read a long time ago. So long ago, I don’t remember anything about them. True, it was that long ago. But I remember this: as I closed the book, I remember the feeling of awe and joy. The amazement of a story that kept me reading at night. “I will reread this book,” were my thoughts. I remember loving it and being touched by it (Cinq-Mars by Alfred de Vigny, Le Bossu by Paul Féval). Movies don’t do justice to the pieces of art.

Others made me cry because one of my favorite characters died in a very heroic way, and I refused to read the end, the last chapter, because the hero was dying. No way! (The Viscount of Bragelonne, by Alexandre Dumas), or whose story was so captivating and fascinating that I could not wait to find out how the hero would escape the situation he was in.

There are also those books that introduced me to another world of possibilities: a new author I can devour (Jane Austen), a new series I can delve into and get lost without looking at the clock, a new enchanted story I can read with my daughter at bedtime (The Chronicles of Narnia).

And there are also the weird ones that made me wonder for a while what I was reading (Piranesi by Suzanna Clarke); still, I was very much in that weird, fascinating house, waiting for the tides to come and go.

I made a list. A list of these books I will reread, one day. When I have time… Should I reread these books when I am done with my TBR? Why wait? A summer vacation or a plane ride will do well. After all, I still have 191 books on my TBR pile. But these books are possibilities. They are not TBR, they are Rs. Read! Return to! Revive! They are stamped with the R of owning the story because, I read it, yes, I did. These books taught me a lot; they changed me.

Is it wrong to reread a book? Not at all. If we remember 20%, let’s increase this to 30%.

So, what are these books? Here is a list of titles that might look familiar. They are found on more than one fan’s list, I am sure:

Jane Austen: Persuasion, Emma, Pride and Prejudice.

Émile Zola: Au bonheur des dames

Tolkien: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings

Alfred de Vigny: Cinq-Mars

Katherine Neville: The Eight

Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte-Cristo

C.S. Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Reading Life

Lee Strobel: The Case for Christ

Lewis Carroll: Alice in Wonderland

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The Hound of the Baskervilles

Daphné du Maurier: Rebecca

Suzanna Clarke: Piranesi

And you? Do you reread favorites or not? If so, I would be curious to know which titles are on your R-List or reread list. Do we share favorites? Do you go by titles or by authors? Because life is learning, life is growing. As time goes on, nothing can prevent us from going back in time and relive emotions that transformed.

“My Plan to Finally Read My TBR (Without Giving Up Bookstores)”

THE READING LIFE · 5 MIN READ · August 15, 2026

I need to stop buying books and start reading from my shelves

What can I do?

What can I do? Will I read all these books in one year? Certainly not. I like to read, but I am not a compulsive reader. I like to take notes and digest my readings.

Will I not buy books at all? Nope.

Here are the 12 strategies I’m putting in place—simple, practical, and realistic, and that can help you reduce your TBR too:

Have the number of books on the TBR visible at all times: some keep a “Books Read This Year” counter; instead, I created a set of countdown TBR list blocks.
Keep a list of all the books you haven’t read as a reminder
Be accountable (daughter, friend, YouTube channel, reading group)
Don’t go to the bookstore as often. Since I tend to buy books at brick-and-mortar stores more than online, I might as well not go for a while, or instead of going every week, go every other week.
Set a limit: you can decide to read a percentage of your books before buying another one. For example, in my case, I should read 19 books before buying another. That number naturally decreases as I make progress. It’s ambitious—but since I read an average of five books per month, that represents one new book every three or four months.
Set up a no-buy month.
Maybe I could sell the ones I know I’ll never read… although that feels highly improbable!
Read at set times on the day to create a routine that gives you a sense of stability and makes your reading goals feel more achievable, benefiting both you and your shelves. It could be to read 30 minutes before bedtime, or during lunch break. I know I read first thing in the morning: I am up at 5:30 am, and after a time of prayer, I read my Bible for a while, then I will either read some spiritual material related to my Bible reading, or write on the topic.
Combine one fiction and one non-fiction (to take notes)
Use the snowball effect: Read in page order: the smallest ones first, although it would defeat the joy of picking my next read.
Buy books for others! (birthdays, various occasions, etc.)
Shop your own shelves: rearrange your shelves, keep your unread books on a separate shelf, or create a “currently browsing” stack.

How do you manage your TBR? Do you have a system—or are you building one like I am?

The 7 Authors I Return to Every Year

THE READING LIFE · 4 MIN READ · August 15, 2026

Writers Who Continue to Shape My Reading Life

There are thousands of books on my shelves.

Some I read once and admire. Others I intend to revisit “one day.” And then there are a few—very few—that I return to every single year.

Not out of obligation.
Not out of habit.
But because their voices stay with me.

These are the authors who continue to inspire, challenge, and accompany me year after year. They come from different countries, different traditions, and different genres—but they share something essential: a way of telling stories that never grows old.

Here are the seven authors I revisit every year—and why.

Ernest hemingway (USA)

There is something timeless about Hemingway.

His prose is stripped down, almost austere. And yet beneath that simplicity lies a depth of emotion that few writers can match. He writes about courage, loss, endurance—about what it means to face life with dignity, even when defeat is inevitable.

Every time I return to The Old Man and the Sea or A Farewell to Arms, I am reminded that great writing does not need to be complex to be powerful.

🏆 Nobel Prize in Literature (1954)
🏆 Pulitzer Prize (1953)

Patrick Modiano (France)

Modiano is a writer of memory.

His novels feel like walking through a foggy Paris street, searching for something just out of reach. Identity, history, absence—his work lingers in the spaces between what is known and what is forgotten.

I return to him because his books do not simply tell stories—they evoke a feeling. A quiet, haunting reflection on time and memory.

🏆 Nobel Prize in Literature (2014)
🏆 Prix Goncourt (1978)

Christian Jacq (France)

Christian Jacq is the storyteller who first made history feel alive to me.

As an Egyptologist, he brings ancient Egypt to life with a rare blend of scholarship and narrative energy. His novels are immersive, vivid, and deeply rooted in a passion for history.

Whenever I return to his books, I am reminded why I fell in love with historical storytelling in the first place.

Amélie Nothomb (Belgium)

Nothomb is unlike any other writer on this list.

Her voice is sharp, witty, philosophical—and often delightfully eccentric. Her novels are short, but they leave a lasting impression. There is always something unexpected, something slightly offbeat, something that challenges the way we think.

Reading her each year feels like stepping into a conversation that is both playful and profound.

🏆 Grand Prix du Roman de l’Académie française (1999)
🏆 Prix Renaudot (2021)

Marc Levy (France)

Marc Levy represents something essential in my reading life: the pleasure of storytelling.

His novels are accessible, emotional, and engaging. They blend romance, mystery, and just a touch of the fantastical. They remind me that reading is not only about analysis—it is also about enjoyment.

Sometimes, a good story is exactly what we need.

Guillaume Musso

If Marc Levy brings emotion, Guillaume Musso brings suspense.

His novels are fast-paced, intriguing, and often infused with elements of mystery and the supernatural. They are the kind of books you cannot put down.

Each year, returning to Musso feels like rediscovering the joy of being completely absorbed in a story.

Paulo Coelho

And then there is Paulo Coelho.

His work is different from all the others—more spiritual, more reflective. His novels explore destiny, faith, purpose, and transformation.

The Alchemist is a book I can return to again and again, each time finding something new in its simplicity.

🏆 Crystal Award – World Economic Forum
🏆 One of the most translated authors in the world

Why These Authors?

These seven authors represent different literary worlds—American classics, French contemporary fiction, historical novels, spiritual literature.

And yet, they all share one thing:

They endure.

Their books are not confined to a single reading. They grow with me. They speak differently depending on the season of life I am in. They challenge me, comfort me, and remind me why I read in the first place.

In a world of endless new releases, there is something deeply grounding about returning to the same voices year after year.

A Question for You

Now I’m curious:

Are there authors you return to every year?
Which books feel different each time you read them?
And what makes a writer worth revisiting?

Let me know—I always enjoy discovering new literary companions.

And until next time…