Make 2026 Your Reading Year
How to think like a bookseller, vibes to adopt for your reading year, recipes for your home bookshop cafe, printable reading tracker, and bookish accessories! Brought to you by Book of the Month.
Brittany’s Notebook is now In Joy! Welcome to the first (!!) Weekly Welcome, where we’ll enjoy bite-sized tidbits of a sentiment to explore for the week and beyond in an effort to foster, nurture, and embrace joy.
Hello from the first Monday of 2026! Today feels like the actual start of the new year, with winter break officially wrapped up, and routine slowly finding its way back to our lives after a busy holiday season. Let’s embark on this new year with gentleness, delight, and something that has undoubtedly made my life better…
If you’ve so much as glanced at the internet recently, you’ve likely encountered something about the current “analog” trend— from “analog bags” to folks dubbing 2026 the “analog year.” Personally—and I’m sure this comes as no surprise— I love the idea of this cultural shift.
What qualifies as an “analog” activity? As defined by vocabulary.org:
Analog is the opposite of digital. Any technology, such as vinyl records or clocks with hands and faces, that doesn't break everything down into binary code to work is analog. Analog, you might say, is strictly old school.
Examples include:
crafts and screen-free hobbies such as knitting, scrapbooking, coloring, etc.
time spent outdoors
jigsaw puzzles, card & board games, pencil and paper puzzles
cooking from a cookbook, learning the art of flower arranging, sewing a garment for your wardrobe, woodworking, etc.
But if you ask me, the most perfect analog activity is reading. Reading is portable, doesn’t require space or special tools, can help make you a better person, can be social, and is accessible to all, thanks to libraries. Reading takes you to new worlds, develops empathy by putting you in the shoes of someone else, expands your language and vocabulary, and regardless of whether you read fiction or non-fiction, you walk away from a book having learned something about yourself or the world around you. Reading can also be a tool for enhancing your life— peace and tranquility, an escape from reality, a new perspective, meditation, knowledge, or to know that you are not alone.
I’ve loved reading all my life, but when my transition to motherhood intersected with the rise of social media, reading quietly slipped away from my priorities. Suddenly, it became all too easy to engage with the world through sleep-deprived eyes on a handheld tool that served me strategically curated dopamine hits (after all, our attention is quite a valuable asset).
On New Year’s Day 2020, I decided to make a change and set out to read 50 books that year. My goal was less about the number and more about the deliberate act of replacing my screen time with reading time and reminding myself that I am completely capable of reading as much as I desire (something I genuinely felt I was no longer capable of). You can read more about that shift, along with my 15 tips for reading more, here.
As 2020 played out, reading became my lifeline, firmly solidifying books not only as a form of entertainment but also a vital tool for my mental health during a time of uncertainty.
Since 2020, I have continued to build towering TBR stacks, consume book-centric content, and turn to books day in and day out. Every new year, I delight in the potential that reading has to improve my life, the books and stories I’ve yet to encounter, opportunities to expand my mind, and new worlds that will stretch my imagination.
If 2026 is the “analog” year, then let’s turn to the analog activity that has stood the test of time, even through continuous advancements in technology. Make 2026 your reading year!
“Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss.”
―Nora Ephron, I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman
Some sentiments to guide your reading year— pick one to latch on to, or write them all down on tiny slips of paper to draw from a jar each week, or jot a few down on a post-it and display them as a reminder. Have fun with these ideas and envision your reading year coming to life!
Start a reading journal— nothing fancy, just a simple list of book title, author, and date read. Watch the pages slowly fill up as a treasured record of your reading life. For inspiration, see What Dan Read.
Read in bed with coffee and a croissant in your favorite pajamas.
Think like a bookseller and set your home up like a bookshop (read on for my tips!)
Make a list of 10 books you want to read this year, and check back in with it over the year.
Create a reading challenge for yourself or to do with others. First to read 1,000 pages? Read for 30 minutes every day for 30 days? Read 12 books? Make it ambitious yet feasible for maximum benefit. Peruse this collection of reading trackers to add to the fun!
Schedule time in your day to read and commit to it, no matter what.
Read whatever you want, for whatever reason you want!
Swap your screen time (go to Settings > Screen Time) for reading time. For example, if your screen time is 2 hours and 30 minutes, read for that length of time.
Spend an hour perusing the aisles at your local library, bring a stack home, and put it on your nightstand. Let the reading excitement bubble over!
Romanticize your reading life with a cozy ambiance video.
Share a book recommendation with someone you haven’t connected with in a while— “I was reading this, and I thought of you!”
Try a book flight. Choose 3-5 books you are interested in reading, grab a snack, and something to sip. Sample the first five pages of each book, pick one to continue reading based on what you are feeling in the moment.
Share this newsletter with someone else and encourage them to join you in making 2026 a reading year!
DNF (“did not finish”) books that aren’t vibing for you, or try my approach— “DNFY” (“did not finish…yet”). Set the book aside temporarily. If you want to come back to it, you will.
Shop your shelves. Brew a cup of coffee, grab a tote, and shop your shelves as if you are meeting your unread books for the very first time.
Crawl into bed before 9 pm to read.
Make homemade bookmarks, share them with friends
Peruse a stack of picture books from the library. We were all once readers of children’s books, so ignite that nostalgia and enjoy the sensations of glossy illustrated pages and whimsical stories.
Join or start a book club!
Read in public, you never know who you will inspire.
Create anticipation with monthly bookish mail (get your first book for $5 with code GOALS)
Journal about what you want your reading life to embody this year. Trying new genres? Reading more deeply? A quarterly curriculum to dive deeply into specific subjects? More selectivity with the books you choose to pick up? Consider how your reading life can serve you in 2026.
Make a TBR jar. Write the names of the books on your shelves that you haven’t read yet on a small piece of paper, fold, and toss in a jar. Shake and draw a card to determine your next read.
What is it about the delightfully charming, excitement-inducing energy of a bookstore that makes you want to fill a tote with books and surrender all responsibilities (and any sense of financial restraint) to spend the rest of your life reading?! Bookstores and booksellers have a knack for creating inviting spaces that draw readers in and lead you to your next great read.
When it comes to habit formation, our environments direct our actions. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says environment matters more than motivation as it puts our “willpower on autopilot.” Taking inspiration from bookstores and thinking like a bookseller can not only bring warm, cozy charm to your home, but it’s also a means of supporting your reading habits. That’s a win-win!
Whenever I am in a new place, I always make it a point to visit the local bookstore. As a result, I’ve been in many beautiful bookshops all over the country and have observed a few recurring themes:
✔ books are organized in a mix of spines and covers facing out
✔ seasonal selections are displayed that appeal to readers’ mood, cultural relevance, or the current season or holiday
✔ cozy spaces are sprinkled around for patrons to perch and page through a book
✔ bookstores reflect the interests of a community, and booksellers are entrusted to source books that they believe the local community will be excited to read
✔ hand-written recommendation notes (that feel like love notes) dot bookshelves and describe, in a few sentences, why a reader might enjoy a particular book
✔ warm lighting, bookish art and merch, tables and surfaces of various heights— little attentions to detail reflect personal style and create warmth
In 2026, let’s bring this energy into our homes and think like a bookseller. You may not be selling yourself a book in the monetary sense, but you are selling yourself the choice to pick up a book. Using books you own or books you’ve borrowed, you can create an environment that helps make books irresistible— just like in a bookstore. And if you have children in your home, creating an environment that encourages time with books is a key part of raising a reader.
Here’s how I try to think like a bookseller and cultivate a reading environment in our 1,900sq ft home:
create spaces that encourage you to sit and read— Think warm lighting, a cozy chair, a place for your book. (Bonus: include a place for your drink!)
display books on ledges!— You can buy them or DIY them (we’ve DIY’d the majority of ours with a simple strip of wood and pocket holes) and display book covers to feature their most inviting feature. P.S. Book ledges are not just for kids! I like to use the book ledge in my bedroom to feature a selection of books I’m excited to read next.
curated stacks— From your TBR to cookbooks to your favorite coffee table book, a little stack of books adds beauty to any space and makes the statement that books matter here.
have an organizational system— When you walk into a bookstore, the booksellers always know where to find what you are looking for. Try to create a similar system in your home; it doesn’t have to be perfect, just functional. Group books by reader age and genre.
don’t forget bags and bookmarks— Designate areas in your home for keeping bookmarks and ensure all readers know where these locations are (we have 1-2 locations on every floor of our house). Also, keep a designated library tote by the door. When you see it empty, let it serve as a reminder to visit the library again!
put bookshelves in bedroom areas— Of course, bookstores don’t have beds, but they do have designated areas for different readers. Since bed is where the majority of my household spends a good portion of reading time, having books accessible in these locations ensures everyone tucks in for the night with a book in hand.
use baskets— From housing library books while you borrow them, to organizing picture and board books, to cookbooks, craft books, you name it, baskets beg us to dive in and find a book to read.
stack ‘em up— If you don’t have the energy, means, or desire for a bookshelf, stacks on the floor work perfectly well, too.
books belong everywhere— Books serve us in all spaces of our home— kitchen, bathroom, dining room, there are no limits.
work with what you have— When we bought our home, the bookshelf in the living room had a large gap in the center for displaying a TV. We added a shelf right in the middle of that dead space to convert the area into space for books instead.
rotate books seasonally— Add variety and keep things fresh by shuffling books around to reflect the season, holidays, or your current interests. This is a fun and simple way to bring new energy into different spaces and build excitement around books for both adults and children.
books as art— Fill an open space with DIY book ledges, display books as art, and watch as people flock to them. It’s magic!
lay ‘em out— From your coffee table to your media cabinet, lay books out in stacks as an invitation to read.
Want to level up even more?
➡ host a house-wide reading challenge including a printed tracker, certificate, and pizza reward
➡ come up with your own bookstore name and embroider it on a tote
➡ design your own house bookmarks
➡ emboss your books with a personal stamp
➡ write recommendation notes for books you loved and tuck them inside the covers
➡ host a “book event” in your home (think book club, bookish craft, or virtual author talk!) and invite folks in. Serve treats and have fun!
In 2026, we’re romanticizing our reading lives and enjoying intentional time with a book. My favorite way to do this is with a yummy treat and beverage, as if I snuck away to a cozy cafe for a bakery treat or lunch break, but with the satisfaction of doing it myself while saving a bit of money.
Here is your seasonal menu:
SIPS
lavender oat milk latte
classic hot chocolate
lavender mint herbal tea
BITES
everything but the bagel-topped focaccia
extra-large chocolate chip cookies
warm slabs of banana bread with butter
Choose a goal of 12, 25, or 50, print your tracker, and use stickers or color in the symbols to mark your progress. Don’t forget to celebrate along the way!
As someone whose life has been enriched by books— from childhood to adulthood— it is of the utmost importance to me to pass a love of reading on to my children. Isn’t this true for everything parents love? If you ski, you want to share time together on the slopes. If you love good music, you want your children to join you in dancing around the living room as your favorite records spin. If you love crafting, you want to lay out your art supplies on the coffee table and spend time creating together. The same is true with books— from road trip read-alouds, to reading side-by-side on the couch, to discussing beloved childhood stories together, to afternoons spent at the library.
I’ve rounded up the books that either helped me nurture a love of reading in our home with my four children or books on my TBR to help me continue my efforts to do so. Most of these are great books to leave on the coffee table and page through from time to time as action-oriented reminders to support a love of reading within your home.
How to Raise a Reader: Written by two editors of The New York Times Book Review, Pamela Paul and Maria Russo present an array of bite-sized insights for supporting children’s love of reading as well as an extensive list of expert recommendations for readers of every age.
The Read Aloud Family: From the founder of the popular Read-Aloud Revival podcast, Sarah Mackenzie offers the inspiration and book lists you need to start a read-aloud movement in your own home. From toddlers to teenagers, Sarah has you covered.
Jim Trelease’s Read-Aloud Handbook: While I haven’t read this one from cover to cover (yet!) I have enjoyed opening it to random pages and taking a little something away from it. Full of techniques for helping children find the joy in reading, there is a reason this book is a timeless classic.
Stolen Focus: Although not a reading-centered book (though it does include a section focused on reading), this is still an important book in the conversation around raising readers, particularly in a digitally saturated world. Understanding the way technology steals our attention is a key strategy in combating it with books.
The Enchanted Hour: This book is a beautiful testament to the power of reading aloud to children at all ages (and even goes on to argue the importance of reading aloud at all stages of life!). Whether you have an established reading routine with your family or are still sorting out what that looks like, Meghan Cox Gurdon will inspire you to read with your children as much as possible.
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons: This is less a book to read and more of a guide and tool for helping your child learn to read independently. I used this book with my two older boys when they were ready for it, and I was very impressed by how it worked. It is important to me to play a role in my children’s independent reading skills and confidence, and this book gave me the means to do so.
⛄️ 5 Five Cozy Reads for Winter from Laura K Bray
📖 The Reading Reset: Why Our Kids Need Three Kinds of Reading Every Day from Literacy and Lemonade 📖
Zebra Mildliner Double Sided Pastel Highlighters: My favorite highlighters for capturing quotes and passages, I want soft, muted hues if I’m going to ink a book.
“Bookish” Hat: A bookish baseball hat is my wardrobe staple.
Do Not Disturb! Bookmark/Doorhanger: Well, isn’t that clever?!
Fun E-Reader Case: Page is my favorite shop for joy-inducing e-reader cases.
Cheeky Book Sticker: For your water bottle, computer, or e-reader.
Quilted Book Sleeve: Make my own or find one on Etsy. These are great for protecting your book while out and about.
Libby and Libro.FM: Use the Libby app to enjoy e-books and audiobooks for free (!!) with your library card. And Libro.FM, which benefits an independent bookstore of your choosing (instead of Audible, which is an Amazon company), for purchasing audiobooks.
Bookmark Style Reading Light: All the readers in our house received one of these in their stockings this year, and they were a huge hit. Choose from 3 hues and intensities for your just-right reading light.
Personalized Book Embosser: Stash this away as a top-tier gift for any book lover in your life. Or a prize for yourself for completing a reading challenge you schemed up for yourself.
When I decided to prioritize reading in 2020, I became a Book of the Month member, which offered me a fantastic monthly selection of books to keep my reading momentum in motion. Book of the Month is sponsoring today’s post (making it a free post for all readers).
This year, one of my reading goals is to focus on the backlist books on my shelves. Having a Book of the Month subscription will help keep my reading life fresh and exciting, making my goal of focusing on backlist titles feel sustainable rather than restrictive.
To kick off 2026, I selected The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead, which is said to be perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six and In Five Years, two books I loved. I also added My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney because nothing supercharges my reading life like an unputdownable thriller, and Feeney is the queen of them.
Book of the Month is currently offering new members a book and bookish gift for $5 with code GOALS at checkout. What a delightful way to ring in the new year!
“To read is to see things from someone else's perspective, and that naturally leads you to stop and look out for other people, rather than chase after success in the rat race. If more people read, I think the world would become a better place.”
― Hwang Bo-Reum, Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop
Now that we’re all excited to crack open some books, I’ll be back in your inbox later this week with a roundup of my favorite reads from 2025.
In the comments: In what ways are you excited to enjoy books in 2026? What is a book at the top of your “to be read” list this year?
Thank you for being here, see you soon—
Want more reading inspiration?
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AMEN! I loved this note, especially the section about raising readers. I haven't been able to push my little one to be one, but I'm eying these books to help in my mission. This year, I want to work on helping her fall in love with books. Wish me luck :)
I love everything about this! I'm most looking forward to Ann Patchett's newest, WHISTLER, coming out in June. I clicked that pre-order button so fast. 😂