Read the Room Ch. 2
closing the book on February 2026
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Can you even believe it’s March?! It feels like yesterday I was imagining this series, figuring out how it would come to life, and here we are on the second live post.
In Chapter 1, I wrote about the Eastern philosophy of winter hibernation instead of the Western instinct to embark on resolutions and goals. February felt like the beginning of crawling out - still slow, still mostly indoors, but with something shifting underneath.
I celebrated my birthday at my favorite sushi restaurant on the coldest day in recent history, read, baked and finished my first needlepoint stocking. I also started structuring my time differently - by themes instead of tasks - and spent a lot of time thinking about what momentum means, versus moving through the motions.
Welcome to Read the Room, a monthly newsletter landing in your inbox on the first Sunday of every month - all about how books are published, promoted, and passed along.
Books in Circulation
There is nothing more special than the shared love of reading. The section captures the flow of books through my bookshelf and into other reader's hands.
Is This a Cry for Help? by Emily Austin
In one sentence: A librarian returns to work after a mental health crisis, only to face a book banning that forces her to find her voice and her community.
Rating: 5 stars
How I discovered it: Goodreads list of 2026 new releases
Who I’m recommending it to: Maria, my cousin who’s a fan of both libraries and self-deprecating humor
Something Dangerous by Penny Vincenzi
In one sentence: The second installment in the Spoils of Time trilogy, continuing the Lytton family saga, this time spotlighting Celia’s twin daughters.
Rating: 5 stars
How I discovered it: sample chapter at the end of No Angel (trilogy book one)
Who I’m recommending it to: still my mom, a fan of British dramas and historical fiction
In one sentence: A reimagining of Shakespeare's family in plague-era England, told through the grief of losing their son Hamnet.
Rating: 4 stars
How I discovered it: through the bestselling lists and the hype over its film adaptation
Who I’m recommending it to: the Third Glass book club podcast audience :)
Leave it Up to Love by Kristy Woodson Harvey
In one sentence: An aspiring writer becomes a ghostwriter for her blocked idol, finding both her voice and unexpected romance along the way.
Rating: 4 stars
How I discovered it: My friend Kristy (the author)’s Instagram
Who I’m recommending it to: Daniela, my sister who loves Kristy’s books as much as I do, and has been prioritizing ebooks lately
How these books are shaping my thinking: These four books circled around the same concept: honoring the space between wanting momentum, and being asked to slow down.
Darcy comes back from a breakdown ready to charge ahead, but a book banning forces her to stop and take a stand. Agnes and her family sit in unbearable grief before life can truly go on. Lila is anxious to build her career but has to slow down and learn someone else’s process first. Celia keeps growing her empire while the past catches up, demanding she finally deal with it.
Every character felt they needed to take immediate action, but their stories insisted they slow down.
I see this often with authors: the desire to move quickly is usually fueled by comparison or external timelines, but urgency clouds clarity. When you pause long enough to figure out what makes your work stand out - what only you can say and how only you can say it - you move forward with intention instead of unanchored motion.
Ask yourself: What are you rushing toward, and do you even know why?
Third Glass Podcast
One book. One wine. And way too many opinions. Third Glass is a book club podcast hosted by BB Corcoran and Jessica Sorentino. Each episode, we discuss one book - what worked, what didn’t, and what we can’t stop thinking about… all over a paired bottle of wine.
Season 2 launches this month with two episodes:
March 7: Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven
March 21: Is This a Cry for Help? by Emily Austin
What we’re seeing in the chat: The book club is officially active! We’re doubling down on community this season and want YOU to be a part of every book, wine pick, and discussion. Head over to WhatsApp, and share which of these books are you most excited to read with us!
Follow on Instagram and join the book club chat:
Publishing Industry Updates
The Washington Post Eliminates Its Book Section
Book World is gone. On February 4, the Washington Post laid off roughly a third of its staff, including the entire books team - Ron Charles, Becca Rothfeld, Michael Dirda, and others who’ve been championing books for years.
This is part of a broader, troubling trend: spaces for literary criticism and book coverage are shrinking. The Los Angeles Times gutted its book section in 2024. Local papers barely cover books anymore. Authors who rely on these platforms for visibility and legitimacy are losing critical pathways to readers - and readers of varying demographics are losing trusted voices to guide their discovery.
Spotify is Betting on Books
On February 5, Spotify launched Page Match - a feature that lets you scan physical book pages to sync with your audiobook position (and vice versa).
They also partnered with Bookshop.org to sell physical books directly in-app.
Spotify is positioning itself as your one-stop shop for all book formats, keeping you inside their ecosystem whether you’re reading, listening, or shopping. For authors, this could mean more discoverability... or it could mean another platform managing access to your readers. There is much to still be determined.
Coach x Penguin Random House
Coach has made a collection of bag charms that are shrunken versions of real books. I've seen chatter about what this will do for the publishing industry, and my take is it's a smart move. We're losing ways for people to discover books offline, and now books are entering the fashion space. You'll see these little charms on bags while riding the subway, waiting to cross the street, in line at a coffee shop. Maybe you’ll ask the bag owner why they chose that charm and what the book’s about. Or maybe you’ll notice the cover, and research it on your own. Either way, it inserts books into mainstream, offline culture, and that is - in my opinion - never a bad thing.
What this means for authors:
The traditional gatekeepers of book discovery are disappearing or consolidating. Spotify's moves show tech platforms see opportunity in books, and Coach's collaboration proves books can enter unexpected cultural spaces. But losing trusted review spaces like the Washington Post means you need to build your own platform more intentionally. You can't rely on mainstream media to champion your work - you need readers who will do it for you. The relationship-building work matters more than ever.
FYP: Authors who Stopped the Scroll
This section will begin in April’s Chapter (Q2), but I wanted to keep the placeholder here as a taste of what’s to come. I’m excited to start spotlighting content shared by authors — clients of mine or otherwise — that has been so well executed and/or imaginative as a way of inspiration for you in your creative process.
For each piece of content included in the roundup, I’ll give a few pointers, including what type of genre, campaign, and stage of publishing would benefit from a similar post. This section will bring visibility to the authors who are putting the work in, and teach those who are interested in strengthening their content muscle different ways to post while keeping the focus on their work.
If you see anything you love or that you would be interested in learning how to create, feel free to share it with me, and I can include it in this monthly roundup.
As is Sunday tradition, today we’re headed to the bakery for coffee, before embarking on our reset routine. Tomorrow is the first Monday of the month, which means I’ll be onboarding a handful of new authors who signed to work with me recently(!!), likely followed by catching up on the new season of The Last Thing He Told Me.
On the reading front: client drafts, podcast prep, and my TBR (literally copied this line from January because it's still true). First up is Kate Quinn's latest, The Astral Library. Curious to see what themes unfold!
If you’re interested in sharing:
Did you read any of the books I finished in February? What stood out to you?
What are you reading as we move into March?
What threads and conversations are shaping your choices and thoughts?
xx
Jessica Sorentino specializes in branding and marketing for authors, helping them connect with readers and position their work for agents and publishers. With over a decade in publishing, she transforms stories into lasting brands through strategy, connection, and visibility.
