Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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People mentioned:
Kayla @BooksandLala
Ben @benreadsgood
Alice @AliceandtheGiantBookshelf
Katie @katiejlumsden

Reading vlogs:
These books sat on my shelves for years— HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED
youtu.be/_LAGhSCLfr4
I tried reading 3 BOOKS from my shelves and here's what happened | reading vlog-ish youtu.be/SYxdKl-2ilM

0:00 intro
0:33 year-long readathon overview
3:09 The Awakening by Kate Chopin
5:37 Olive Kitteridge and Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout
10:00 Saga written by Brian K Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples
12:45 The Warden by Anthony Trollope
15:27 An Experiment in Love by Hilary Mantel
17:25 H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald
19:56 Hannibal by Thomas Harris
23:05 My Life in France by Julia Child
26:05 Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay and The Story of the Lost Child by Elene Ferrante
29:20 Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
30:56 Final thoughts/readathons!

Other books mentioned:
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
My Name is Lucy Barton by Lucy Strout
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

Videos mentioned:
I FINALLY get to tell you about an amazing opportunity! | H is for Hawk youtu.be/OMbxPe55vGo

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.