Hello fellow reader,

I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds here, with this second email already this year. Maybe it should be quarterly! But I promise, I can't have more to say than that. Let's get into what you should expect here:

• Why I don't re-read books
• The book I broke this rule for
• 2026 early favorites aka frontrunners

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Why I Don't Re-Read Books

Honestly this isn't even a rule I have, but simply a habit I've noticed long enough to be a trend or pattern of behavior and therefore something I want to address.

The answer is pretty simple... there's too many books and not enough time. Even averaging 40 books a year, I'll never catch up to my to-read list.

The opportunity cost of reading a book again, even if it's one I loved the first time, means maybe not discovering that NEW favorite book that I'll enjoy even better.

Re-reading books was something I'd do often as a child. Just sitting next to my bookshelf of Goosebumps books and picking them up again and again, going through the whole series in 30 minutes per book... then became something I stopped because I stopped reading as much in high school and college.

Then by the time I picked it up again, I was an adult, desperate to catch up on everything I've missed. And I'm pretty sure I'll never catch up.

However, there are certain books (and movies and shows!) that are worth revisiting. But I'm willing to wager that most people aren't re-reading 1,000+ page books. Turns out, I am.

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Infinite Jest + Me on a Desert Island

With the 30th anniversary of the publication of Infinite Jest and the opportunity to participate in a monthly group read with McNally Jackson’s ‘Jest Fest’ at their South Seaport bookstore, I chose to revisit this masterpiece that I first read in 2009 and I’m glad I did. They interviewed me during the last meet-up for this IG reel:

What's different reading this now in my forties than it was when I was 25? Well, hopefully I'm actually more mature (married with children and a mortgage) than I was 17 years ago, and I certainly got a lot more out of it—not just because the videophone section really hits different after the pandemic (to say nothing of President Gentle's un-gentle presence in our real lives).
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Wheres I may have once better related to the ETA students with homework, practice, and getting high, I can now better understand the evolution and impact of addiction, the difficulties of parenting, and how to live and work in a world with infinite binge-able screens to self-medicate our isolation and loneliness.
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Because how you deal with attention, addiction, and being alone is how you deal with life and that's what this book is about... with a healthy and humorous dose of geopolitics, espionage, intellectual one-up-manship, relationships, tennis, and much more. I can't recommend it enough, even as I do recognize it's not for everyone. It really truly is absolutely for me, however.

I wrote up my experience comparing my 2009 and 2026 reads, along with a slew of links and resources to help anyone else get through this book themselves, supported by the amazing communities and companions out there. Check it out if you want more IJ:

How to Read Infinite Jest

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I've Read 16 Books in 2026 So Far...

But since finishing Infinite Jest I've been on a tear, finishing 3 books this week... and this is by no means what I think will be my FINAL final Top 9... but it doesn't hurt to write down some mid-season rankings in case that might influence what you're bringing to the beach this summer. Favorite Fiction: Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu Discontent by Beatriz Serrano Transcription by Ben Lerner Favorite Non-Fiction: Strangers by Belle Burden American Rambler by Isaac Fitzgerald Fake Work by Leigh Claire La Berge All books I read are reviewed in real-time on my Goodreads account. By the time you read this, I may have finished another book! My Reviews BONUS [Feeling Seen as a Reader] I finished DISCONTENT by Beatriz Serrano quickly over 24 hrs, having bought the book at the McNally Jackson bookstore then read it on the subway, in my doctor's waiting room, on the sofa, and in bed last night before going to sleep. The novel is fantastic, with my highest recommendation of anyone that ever felt alone and out of place in a corporate setting or creative position (or heck, even as a young person alone in a city working through their 20s and 30s), and it ends with a shock. But more surprising was reading through the Acknowledgements and feeling COMPLETELY SEEN: Literally, honestly, how did she know? It was like experiencing magic. Books are amazing. Other Posts