“Bro, you ain’t the only one who picks up the newspaper, knows where the library is, likes the big humbug in Beowulf, moving out on Grendel and whatnot, or fighting orcs and shit.” – Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr., ‘The El’
Why not start the year off with some encouragement to read? The new year is a time to promise yourself that you’re going to read more. Whether or not that resolution holds up is immaterial. Even if you read one book cover to cover this year, with the way the technologists have built our society? That’s an accomplishment.
As a reminder, I’m coming from a place where I went years without reading a book cover to cover. When I started back up again, I can’t describe how much better my brain felt. Reading’s not therapy, but if you want some time away from a screen? Grab a book, see what it does for you.
Anyway, here are 12 (or so) books I’m stoked to read in 2026. Roughly adhering to my monthly structure here, although I don’t promise to exactly read these books during these months.
January – The Barre Incidents by Lauren Bolger
Okay, cheating a little, since this is the book I read for last Friday. But! I recommend it, and anything else Malarkey has put out. Here’s our Lazy & Entitled Podcast interview with Lauren, ICYMI Apple | Spotify
February – The City We Make and The World We Became by N.K. Jemisin, The Shoes Of The Fisherman’s Wife by upfromsumdirt
Get some Afrofuturism this February! I loved Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy last year. brother dirt is a great follow on Bluesky, and I’ve enjoyed a few of his published poems. Really looking forward to reading a full book.
March – One Hundred Apocalypses and Other Apocalypses and Everyday Psycho Killers: A History for Girls by Lucy Corin
I read One Hundred Apocalypses and Other Apocalypses sometime between 2015 and 2017, and loved it. Mix of long fiction and flash fiction, one of those women are the best short story writers books. This year, I’m gonna re-read that one, as well as Everyday Psycho Killers, which I got at LAAWP last year. It’s exciting, because like Lydia Millet, I don’t super remember reading Lucy Corin. So it’ll be a fresh experience, but one that promises to be good, if that makes sense.
April – Nebulous Vertigo by Belle Ling
Bob read one of Belle’s poems on a recent The Line Break (Apple | Spotty), and I thought it was so good that I went out and bought the book. It’s called Nebulous Vertigo, and you can get it here, if you like.
May – As Long As Trees Last and A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure by Hoa Nguyen
You might know that I have loved loved loved Hecate Lochia since 2009 or. Mallory got me these two for my birthday, and I could not be more excited. Probably won’t wait until May, tbh.
June – Notes From A Regicide by Isaac Fellman
if you’re gonna call a book Notes From A Regicide, I’m gonna read it. Then people started recommending it to me, including my dear friend Dr. Han VanderHart. Side note: “notes from a regicide” could be an alternate title for Paradise Lost.
July – one of Ernest Hemingway’s novels
Everyone’s allowed a “second team” to root for, usually in the other conference. I’m a Bulls fan, but I also like the San Antonio Spurs. I’m a White Sox fan, but I’ll cheer for the Cubs in the playoffs, and I’ll claim Orioles fandom, too. Having a second team doesn’t feel perfectly “right,” but I’ve never been able to help it. That’s how it feels loving Hemingway, whom I know to many is an avatar of toxic masculinity, glorified drunkenness, animal cruelty, and a little dash of trendy 1930s antisemitism. But I genuinely love Hemingway’s style, the adventure in his stories, and am always emotionally moved. We should read authors from the past, we should understand the canon, as much as I make fun of dead authors, and I think I can be a Hemingway fan while also having my guard up. Anyway, not sure which book I’m (re-)reading yet. Either The Sun Also Rises or For Whom The Bell Tolls. Maybe both, but probably just one.
August – The Equestrian Turtle And Other Poems by Cesar Moro and Former Possessions Of The Spanish Empire by Michelle Peñaloza
I know nothing about these two authors. The books—both collections of poetry—are entitled The Equestrian Turtle And Other Poems and Former Possessions Of The Spanish Empire. Do I need to say more?
September – Erasure and The Trees by Percival Everett
I seem to always read Percy in the fall. Whether I am reading Erasure or re-reading The Trees, I’m not sure. Well. Both are on the list this year, anyway.
October – The Buffalo Hunter Hunter and The Bird Is Gone Stephen Graham Jones
Got two on deck: a vampire novel and a speculative novel set in a future where the Dakotas have been #LandBacked. Which one am I most excited for? Come on, now, don’t ask me that.
November – Fat City by Leonard Gardner
The novel Fat City has been sitting unread on my shelf for too long. I bought it because someone on the internet (maybe a Slate article?) said it was awesome. Recently, someone on Bluesky (maybe Aaron Burch?) said it was awesome. This one’s on the Noirvember list.
December – Be Holding by Ross Gay
As I mentioned in this year’s reading of Midwinter’s Day, I’m gonna start alternating that poem and Be Holding as my annual end-of-the-year book. How could 2026 possibly be a bad year, knowing Be Holding is on deck?
I hope you read along with me! If ever you want to know what I’m reading, like, a month from now? Reach out on Bluesky or Instagram. A goal for 2026 is making Lazy & Entitled slightly more book clubby. Brendan and I have a few “book club” podcasts planned, and yeah. I wouldn’t mind if book discussion cropped up in the comments of this blog.
Sorry you got an email,
Chris