Deep backlist reading and keeping my TBR (somewhat) in order
Plus steamy romances, New York novels, and a literary crossword puzzle
Well, we made it to February after the longest January of our collective lives. My reading month was good, but a little all over the place. This is the time of year I start reading a lot of backlist books in preparation for the Paperback Summer Reading Guide. I always love reading for this project. It’s the way I manage to fit a ton of older books and books I’ve been meaning to read into my rotation. On the other hand, it also means I DNF and sample lots of books, which can make me feel a little scattered. This year, I’ve been keeping a little list in my Notes app to remind me which books I want to try for the guide as well as new releases I think I want to come back to. I still feel scattered, but there’s more of a sense of purpose. This year I’ve found TBR and summer reading guide inspiration to keep striking me at unusual moments so having it all in my phone and always on me is helpful.
Since today is the first Sunday of the month, I’m sharing a little wrap up of what you may have missed on Substack as well as a preview of what’s coming up for the Patreon Book Club in February. You’ll also find the usual Links I Love and End Notes along with the books I’m currently reading. Today’s newsletter is long so I recommend opening it in the app or a browser for the best reading experience.
Last month on Substack.
A Mood Reader’s Almanac 2025 went out into the world. This project was so fun to put together, and I’ve loved hearing what books it’s inspiring people to pick up.
In 2025, we are reading the classics, we are reading slowly, and we are reading with intention. I’m embracing all of that and can’t wait to see how these trends continue to unfold.
You know I can’t resist writing about rhetoric when I have the chance.
I also shared two author interviews in January, from two very different but enjoyable reads.
This week in books.
Now I’m reading…
I’m in the process of finding books for my Paperback Summer Reading Guide, and I have been discovering some great books for this year’s list!
I’m listening to this forthcoming nonfiction title on audio, and it is exceptional.
New on my TBR…
I received some really excellent reading recommendations on this recent post, and I think I’ll be reading some Barbara Comyns soon.
In our January This Month in Books episode, Liz really sold me on this new sci fi / literary mashup.
This was a total cover buy for me at Trident Books in Boulder. I’ll keep you posted.
Links I love.
Bookshop.org is now selling ebooks! I’ve heard that they are compatible with Boox ereaders, which my sources tell me are extremely high quality. (NPR)
Thank you, Electric Lit, for this (printable) literary crossword puzzle. So much fun!
The best spicy romance novels, according to Ali Hazelwood. (NYT, gift link)
I’m really eager to read Black in Blues and very much enjoyed this interview with the delightful and brilliant
. (NPR)Sometimes I feel I’ve read enough New York novels to last me a lifetime. Other times, it’s all I crave. Here’s an epic list for when you feel the latter. (NYT, gift link)
I can’t get over the twist and turns this Sarah McNally (of McNally Jackson) profile takes. (Vulture)
January’s best reviewed fiction. (Lit Hub)
The most anticipated debut poetry collections of 2025. (Electric Lit)
Everyone is reading the classics on Substack and
has thoughts on why that is.February in the FM Literary Society.
This month in our Patreon Literary Society, we’re reading Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata as our main Book Club selection and Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon as our Buzzy Book of the Month.
We’re also slowly reading Marlon James’s A Brief History of Seven Killings over the next several months. So far our Discord discussion has been fantastic, breaking down both our emotional reactions to the violence in the text and what it is successfully doing for the text.
End Notes.
I loved Our Evenings and am looking forward to hearing the NYT Book Review team discuss it.
We’re watching Prime Suspect and while I wouldn’t call it great TV, it is highly entertaining.
I’ve gotten back into embroidery. This was a hobby I picked up pre-kid during lockdown, but completely dropped after I had Louise. I’m enjoying it as an activity to do while I listen to audiobooks, but also as something to keep my hands busy while I watch TV to avoid second screening. Anything that means less time on my phone is a win this year.
I’ve been muting and unfollowing fashion influencers on Instagram. Generally, I’ve just been spending less time on Instagram, which feels great. But then I would open it once and awhile and there would be all the influencers with all of their beautiful things. I don’t begrudge influencers—it’s their job to share their literal stuff and I’ve found some great items through my favorite influencers. But the bigger issue for me is that seeing fashion influencers in my feed every day, it starts to seem normal to be getting new things all the time. That’s the feeling I need to avoid. When I need something new, I can go peruse their accounts, but I want to unlearn the ideology that I constantly need new things. To this end, I have been loving some fashion folks on Substack, especially
. Just like slow reading and the classics are popular with the readers on Substack, slow fashion and vintage is popular with the fashion folks, and I love that.
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Happy reading!
Sara
Re unfollowing fashion influencers, I have been doing the same but with popular lit fic bookstagrammers, and it has been glorious. Even though I share literary taste with a lot of these folks, the consumption side of it all was really starting to grate on me.
I have also been unfollowing influencers and cutting my Instagram use down--my mindless scrolling of social media has gotten out of control. I'm so happy to be finding more in-depth accounts (like yours!) to follow here on Substack.