Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The literary confetti has settled, the plot twists have been tallied, and at last the moment arrives: the grand unveiling of my best books of the year. Think of this video as a tiny festival where the standout stories strut by wearing sashes, waving at the crowd, and pretending they’re not blushing under all the applause.
I want this to feel like a big communal bonfire of opinions, so bring your sparks:
• Which books dazzled you this year?
• Which ones knocked something loose in your brain?
• Which one followed you around like a small, insistent ghost?
Drop your list below so we can all rummage around in each other’s favorites and discover new treasures.
If you’re wandering in here for the first time, welcome to our bookish caravan. Pull up a chair. The kettle’s humming. Let’s trade stories.
📚🧡 See you in the comments.
Vlogs:
Organizing my books, thrifting finds, and a North Carolina stop for bookshop youtu.be/JvbQN2GWTGU
I publicly humiliated myself (naturally I bought new shoes after) youtu.be/wHMVl9Hf7DI
An AMAZING book find! + Hannah Louise Poston X Salt New York blush collab + thrifting youtu.be/-agcMsnSA78
Life's highs and lows | slow living nestled within a busy schedule - youtu.be/3ByTYHpoFc4
Slow Days, Small Joys | Weekend Vlog + What I've Been Reading - youtu.be/qb9oRM50xS8
Books mentioned listed according to the author's last name:
The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine amzn.to/3MLAEH5
The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexievich, Richard Pevear - translator, Larissa Volokhonsky - translator amzn.to/48peH9j
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett amzn.to/3XJf4p4
White Houses by Amy Bloom amzn.to/48WWpMP
Milkman: A Novel by Anna Burns amzn.to/4oDlaSI
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett amzn.to/4ayZeEX
The Princess by Wendy Holden amzn.to/4rGVmrR
The Duchess by Wendy Holden amzn.to/48pJaEk
Takedown: Laila Mickelwait amzn.to/4pOCVQ8
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian amzn.to/3YeaSOg
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff amzn.to/3KlAO7w
Prep: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld amzn.to/4rXGCVI
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope amzn.to/48JBbRv
Makeup used:
Hannah Louise Poston X Salt New York saltnewyork.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoph11sTSWTtHEC29jmbZOj9FJRr_zNY9j-lwPrR4n_qhlAS5BR3
Amuse me in my inbox - rachelle.e.swearingen (at) gmail.com
Befriend me on Goodreads -goodreads.com/user/show/139310469-shelly-swearingen
Drop by on Instagram - Shellyish
FTC disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of the links.
The literary confetti has settled, the plot twists have been tallied, and at last the moment arrives: the grand unveiling of my best books of the year. Think of this video as a tiny festival where the standout stories strut by wearing sashes, waving at the crowd, and pretending they’re not blushing under all the applause.
I want this to feel like a big communal bonfire of opinions, so bring your sparks:
• Which books dazzled you this year?
• Which ones knocked something loose in your brain?
• Which one followed you around like a small, insistent ghost?
Drop your list below so we can all rummage around in each other’s favorites and discover new treasures.
If you’re wandering in here for the first time, welcome to our bookish caravan. Pull up a chair. The kettle’s humming. Let’s trade stories.
📚🧡 See you in the comments.
Vlogs:
Organizing my books, thrifting finds, and a North Carolina stop for bookshop youtu.be/JvbQN2GWTGU
I publicly humiliated myself (naturally I bought new shoes after) youtu.be/wHMVl9Hf7DI
An AMAZING book find! + Hannah Louise Poston X Salt New York blush collab + thrifting youtu.be/-agcMsnSA78
Life's highs and lows | slow living nestled within a busy schedule - youtu.be/3ByTYHpoFc4
Slow Days, Small Joys | Weekend Vlog + What I've Been Reading - youtu.be/qb9oRM50xS8
Books mentioned listed according to the author's last name:
The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine amzn.to/3MLAEH5
The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexievich, Richard Pevear - translator, Larissa Volokhonsky - translator amzn.to/48peH9j
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett amzn.to/3XJf4p4
White Houses by Amy Bloom amzn.to/48WWpMP
Milkman: A Novel by Anna Burns amzn.to/4oDlaSI
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett amzn.to/4ayZeEX
The Princess by Wendy Holden amzn.to/4rGVmrR
The Duchess by Wendy Holden amzn.to/48pJaEk
Takedown: Laila Mickelwait amzn.to/4pOCVQ8
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian amzn.to/3YeaSOg
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff amzn.to/3KlAO7w
Prep: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld amzn.to/4rXGCVI
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope amzn.to/48JBbRv
Makeup used:
Hannah Louise Poston X Salt New York saltnewyork.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoph11sTSWTtHEC29jmbZOj9FJRr_zNY9j-lwPrR4n_qhlAS5BR3
Amuse me in my inbox - rachelle.e.swearingen (at) gmail.com
Befriend me on Goodreads -goodreads.com/user/show/139310469-shelly-swearingen
Drop by on Instagram - Shellyish
FTC disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of the links.
