Reading in Public No. 94: Four adjustments I'm making to my reading life in 2026
And how to make them work for you
Readers, as I’ve been alluding to for a while, this year is shaping up to be challenging one for me. We just moved into a new house, which is in every way a good thing…it’s a dream house on a dream block and I could not be happier to be here. But moving and settling in has certainly disrupted the rhythm of my work and reading—a problem with a very good point of origin, but a problem nonetheless. On top of that, my dad has been facing some significant health challenges. He’s a private person and I’m not ready to say more about that now, but I’ve been alluding to being overwhelmed in my personal life and don’t want to continue to be vague about it. It’s been challenging, and has definitely affected both my ability to read and work—you might continue to see free newsletters show up a little more erratically.
It’s a tricky thing being a reader during all-consuming life changes. For those of us who view reading as part of our identities, it’s not something we can easily abandon, even while extending ourselves grace and understanding that we can’t keep up as normal. I don’t profess to have all the answers here, but over the last few months I’ve observed some shifts happening in my own reading life that are helping me enjoy books and keep reading in the midst of it all. Today I’m sharing those shifts with you with some thoughts on how they might apply more broadly—whether or not you’re in a difficult season of life.
#1 Planning a next-up reading list
I’ve always considered myself a mood reading. I love picking up whatever book is calling to me, intuiting what sort of vibe I’m craving and searching for a book that feels just perfect for the moment. That is likely still who I am at my core, but that is not working for me right now. Perhaps my intuition is shot or perhaps I don’t really feel “called” to anything in particular at the moment, but for whatever reason I can’t tap into that readerly moodiness. I’ve written before about making priority TBR lists, but this was still largely governed by mood: I’d make the list with mood in mind and abandon the list if my mood dictated it. This method hasn’t been enough this year because I’m finding myself abandoning the list and then reading nothing.
So this year I’m trying Bookstagrammer Darryl Suite’s method: the next five list. Darryl seems to be reading constantly, and I’ve always admired his strategy. It’s so simple but so mind-blowing…he just picks five books and reads them. I mean…what a concept!! I love this because I can’t commit to a monthly TBR, but I still need structure right now in my reading. Five books is manageable, but also enough of a plan so that I’m not having to formulate a new list every single week. In my version of the next five method, it’s perfectly acceptable (even encouraged) to DNF, but otherwise I am really trying to stick to my five books. If a library hold comes in or a ARC arrives on my doorstep and I’m really, really excited about it, I add it to my next five rather than interrupting my current list. I’ve found that if I start shifting things around just a little bit, I lose the plan completely and my reading rhythm falters. This might be too strict for some readers—it would have been too strict for me three months ago!—but sometimes a counterintuitive approach is exactly what we need to shake things up.
The Takeaway: Don’t let a label of who you are as a reader keep you from trying something new. I have been enamored with Darryl’s method for years, but thought it would never work for my mood reader self. Perhaps I was right and it wouldn’t have worked previously, but I’m so glad I let go of that label and tried this. If there’s something you are curious about, even if it doesn’t fit the box you’ve put yourself in, try it! Whether it’s planning your TBR, engaging in a readalong, joining a book club, reading a new genre…give yourself permission to step our of your box. You are more than a reading type!
#2 Streamlining my book selection
Currently I’m reading books for the 2026 Paperback Summer Reading Guide. This is the biggest project I put out each year and the way I typically find books for it is quite chaotic. I read and read and read and as I read, patterns emerge. There are always return categories from previous PSRG, such as Feels Like Summer or No Plot, Just Vibes, but I’m also following the books. This method is usually my idea of fun, but it’s also extremely difficult. Because the categories in the PSRG aren’t the kind of things you can tell based on the jacket copy. I might think I’m getting myself into a Warm and Weird sort of book only for the plot to take a decidedly dastardly turn.
This year I don’t have the brain space to read and organize in this haphazard way, so I’m experimenting with the guide process a bit. I won’t say more now because the 2026 PSRG could end up looking quite different or rather similar to guides past based on how the reading goes and I don’t want to mess with your expectations. But I’m streamlining how I choose what to read by thinking about books in terms of preconceived categories and it’s helping me find books more quickly and efficiently than in year’s past. I miss my non-method method, but this is working right now and I’m just grateful that the guide can still happen!
The Takeaway: Don’t overcomplicate you reading. If you find yourself overthinking what to read next based on a complex amalgamation of factors, see if there’s a way to simplify.
#3 Letting go of due dates
There are some reading due dates I need to meet for the purposes of my job. For example, I have to read the FictionMatters Literary Society Book Club selections in time to create our Book Club Kit and lead our discussion and I need to read in a timely manner to put out reading guides. But, there are other due dates I can be more flexible about and I’m leaning into that. I’ve failed to finish the book in time for two IRL book clubs recently. At first I gave myself a hard time for that, but I realized I don’t care at all when anyone else decides not to finish, so why was I being harder on myself? I’ve also let go of the idea that if I’m going to read new releases, I need to read them close to their release date. It’s been a tremendous relief to my reading to realize it’s okay to read books after their pub date, but the surprising benefit has been that I’m finding more new releases that I love because I’m reading some ARCs really far in advance. Letting go of due dates has gone in both directions and now the new releases I’m reading are simply the ones I most want to read.
The Takeaway: Let go of time pressures in your reading life. Whether those pressures are book clubs, pub dates, or numbers of books read each week/month/year, these self-imposed deadlines can make reading feel like a slog and prevent us from building reading momentum.
#4 Embracing big books
It’s always counterintuitive, but reading long books is excellent for my reading life when I’m otherwise overwhelmed. Starting a new book is an act of uncertainty—it’s a true leap of faith. But returning to a long book day-after-day, creates a sense of ease. I know what I’m getting into each time I begin a reading session, and I don’t have to think about what to read when free moments find me. This is one of my favorite hacks for reading during busy seasons and the bonus is I often find new lifetime favorites in big, epic stories.
The Takeaway: Of course I encourage you to give my long book, busy season hack a try. And you don’t have to trust me alone! Petya K. Grady uses the same trick. But more broadly, I think it’s extremely useful to identify your own go-to strategy for reading during challenging times. Maybe the long book method works for you, but maybe it’s rereading, getting lost in a series, or exclusively reading a particular genre.
Tell me your thoughts! What adjustments have you made in your reading life when your life itself changed? What tweaks are you making to your reading this year and what affects have you seen so far?
For questions, comments, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing fictionmattersbooks@gmail.com or responding directly to this newsletter. I love hearing from you!
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Happy reading!
Sara
Sara, I’m so sorry to hear about your dad. I’m glad to hear you’re exploring ways to reduce your burdens and free time and mind space. Everyone will understand, I’m certain of that — including @fictionmatters subscribers.
I just love hearing other readers talk about how they "organize" their reading life, how they choose books to read, etc. Why is that so fascinating? I use a system sort of aligned with the "next five" list and your older post-it note system of jotting down next reads, but with a bit more planning. I have a list I keep with each month noted with space under each. I fill in books I know I'll be reading each month for various book clubs, etc. Then as I decide on other books to read during an upcoming month I add them as well. But I also assess my book piles/shelves weekly and make a short list of what I'm going to read next (sometimes in my head, sometimes on a post-it). It helps me to overthink what to read next and to always have something to look forward to. Another rhythm I've had going lately that I'm loving is this: I have a longer, slower book that I'm reading on a schedule (with an online book club or podcast read-along) and I read the assigned chapters at the beginning of the week, finishing by Thursday-ish. Then I pick up another book that I feel will be a faster, more propulsive read and finish that in just 2-3 days which feels so great! (I read Heart the Lover and The Vaster Wilds in the last 2 weekends this way in between reads of Wuthering Heights and This is Happiness. Such great reading experiences, all of them!) I think I'll keep this up with other longer books I want to read this year as it feels like a good reading rhythm for me.