a.k.a. V.J.

At the beginning of this year, I set my 2026 reading goal on Goodreads at 75 books. As of this writing, near the end of April, I have read 25 — one-third of my goal just as we approach the one-third mark of the year. That seems like a good excuse to celebrate and reflect on what I’ve been consuming.

If there was one word to summarize the theme of this year’s selections it would be grab bag. (Yes, that’s two words. Sue me.) I’ve purposely gone into the 2026 campaign with no agenda or preconceived idea of a reading list. I just go into the Libby app and find something available that looks interesting at the time. If I just finished a book by a certain author that I particularly enjoyed, as has been the case with Chuck Klosterman and Ross Macdonald, I try another title from them. Otherwise, I go into each new selection more or less tabula rasa.

The resulting mix has run the gamut from science (Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil deGrasse Tyson) to sports (Becoming Mr. October, Reggie Jackson) to history (The American Revolution: An Intimate History, Geoffrey C. Ward) to Self-Help (Unf*ck Yourself, Gary John Bishop) to Highbrow Books by Big Important Writers like Shakespeare, James Baldwin, John Steinbeck, and Colin Quinn.

So far this year, I’ve awarded five-star reviews to four of the 25 books. Here are the standouts:

There haven’t been any one-star reviews so far. (A book would have to be pretty unpardonable for me to rip it like that.) There have been a few two-star reviews, which usually come down to the book being boring. I try to meet every book I engage with half-way, but if even getting to that point feels like a chore, it’s probably getting two stars.

At this writing, I’m reading an enjoyable collection of essays and speeches by David McCullough titled History Matters. After that, I might be able to squeeze in one more short book before the end of April. Then, for the remaining two-thirds of this year, I will keep reaching into the Libby grab bag and see what emerges.