Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In this reading vlog, I finally start reading the oldest books on my shelves and reflect on what it feels like to meet books I bought as different versions of myself. Some of these titles have been sitting on my TBR for nearly a decade, and one of them is a massive 950-page novel that became a new obsession.
I talk about Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra, Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout, and The Awakening by Kate Chopin, and what it’s like to return to books after years of putting them off. This is a quiet, reflective reading vlog about time, taste, and how our reading lives change as we do.
If you love:
• booktube reading vlogs
• reading the oldest books on your TBR
• slow, thoughtful literary discussions
• backlist books, classics, and underrated novels
…then this video is for you 🤍
📚 Books mentioned:
– Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
– The Awakening by Kate Chopin
– Olive Kitterige by Elizabeth Strout
– Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
00:00 – Intro/Why I’m finally reading these (the TBR)
06:40 – Sacred Games: Background (about Chandra)
09:05 – Sacred Games: Premise, bookish details, and 800 pages in!
19:57 – Sacred Games: Final thoughts (worth it)
23:27 – Olive Kitteridge & Olive, Again: Background (about Strout)
26:49 – Olive Kitteridge & Olive, Again: Initial thoughts
31:37 – Olive Kitteridge & Olive, Again: Final thoughts
35:22 – The Awakening: Finally Reading a Classic I Bought Years Ago (Initial thoughts)
38:31 – The Awakening: Final Thoughts
42:10 – Closing Thoughts
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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.
In this reading vlog, I finally start reading the oldest books on my shelves and reflect on what it feels like to meet books I bought as different versions of myself. Some of these titles have been sitting on my TBR for nearly a decade, and one of them is a massive 950-page novel that became a new obsession.
I talk about Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra, Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout, and The Awakening by Kate Chopin, and what it’s like to return to books after years of putting them off. This is a quiet, reflective reading vlog about time, taste, and how our reading lives change as we do.
If you love:
• booktube reading vlogs
• reading the oldest books on your TBR
• slow, thoughtful literary discussions
• backlist books, classics, and underrated novels
…then this video is for you 🤍
📚 Books mentioned:
– Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra
– The Awakening by Kate Chopin
– Olive Kitterige by Elizabeth Strout
– Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
00:00 – Intro/Why I’m finally reading these (the TBR)
06:40 – Sacred Games: Background (about Chandra)
09:05 – Sacred Games: Premise, bookish details, and 800 pages in!
19:57 – Sacred Games: Final thoughts (worth it)
23:27 – Olive Kitteridge & Olive, Again: Background (about Strout)
26:49 – Olive Kitteridge & Olive, Again: Initial thoughts
31:37 – Olive Kitteridge & Olive, Again: Final thoughts
35:22 – The Awakening: Finally Reading a Classic I Bought Years Ago (Initial thoughts)
38:31 – The Awakening: Final Thoughts
42:10 – Closing Thoughts
reading vlog, booktube, booktube reading vlog, oldest books on my shelves, reading my tbr, tbr books, unread books on my shelves, reading the oldest books on my tbr, sacred games vikram chandra, sacred games review, olive kitteridge elizabeth strout, olive again elizabeth strout, the awakening kate chopin, classic books vlog, literary fiction reading vlog, slow reading vlog, thoughtful booktube, underrated books booktube, backlist books, bookish content creator, reading books i bought years ago, reading slump recovery, cozy reading vlog, shelf shopping my own shelves
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.
