It’s time, once again, to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month.

JEREMY: I’m finally reading David McCullough’s Truman (which will surely be a favorite in a month or two) and decided to pair it with his short and delightful collection of essays called History Matters. Loved it. McCullough’s books are an American treasure. I also really enjoyed Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere — great space action, touching romance, and oodles of heart.

JANE: My wife enjoyed the unique premise and solid execution of Tiffany Crum’s debut thriller, This Story Might Save Your Life. She especially appreciated the unforeseen ending, which feels especially rare these days.

GRAHAM (10.5 years old): Our oldest continues to tear through YA mysteries at a prodigious clip. Very Dangerous Things by Lauren Munoz was his favorite this month. In his words: “It was a really exciting mystery and I kept wanting to read it!”

WILLA (8 years old): The middle kiddo has discovered Shel Silverstein, and I am here for it. That dude rocks, and going through A Light in the Attic together in just a handful of nights was a delight.

BO (5 years old): Nature school keeps the youngest kiddo very well-verse in what’s going on in the natural world. He’s noticed the birdies coming back for spring, so it makes sense that Lucy Cousins’ Hooray for Birds was a favorite this month.

Your turn! What was your favorite April read?

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It’s time, once again, to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month.

JEREMY: Brian Jay Jones’ biography of George Lucas is sticking with me; beyond the Star Wars origin story, there’s a lot about Hollywood history, creativity, and the business + art of making movies. (Read my review here.) Jane and I both really enjoyed Heartwood on the fiction side. It’s fast-paced, but not at the expense of well-developed characters. Great stuff. (Read my review here.)

JANE: Given that she’s a physical therapist at a sports-focused clinic here in Duluth, I was not surprised that Jane enjoyed Casey Johnston’s A Physical Education. This memoir / manifesto pushes against diet culture, embraces strength training, and offers a balanced approach to modern health and fitness.

GRAHAM (10.5 years old): I read The Tale of Despereaux aloud to the older kids and we all really enjoyed it. Kate DiCamillo combines clever writing, a unique story, and unforgettable characters. A modern classic for a reason.

WILLA (8 years old): The middle kiddo is blasting through the Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park. Her favorite this month was First Grader (at last!). The stories have held up well in the last decade or two.

BO (5 years old): As we do every handful of months, we’ve cycled back into some Pete the Cat books. His Four Groovy Buttons is among the least offensive in the series, thankfully.

Your turn! What was your favorite March read?

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Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. My reading in February once again leaned heavily towards the Star Wars universe, which I’ll write about soon. For now, I’ll share a couple others, as well as the family’s favorites for the month.

JEREMY: I enjoyed Gabriel Tallent’s Crux way more than I thought I would. The style was memorable (not everyone will love it) and the story was fantastic; it’s all about dreams vs. reality and what brings true fulfillment. I also quite enjoyed Evan Hughes’ Pain Hustlers, which I reviewed earlier in the week.

JANE: The long library wait for Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent was well worth it for Jane. She doesn’t always enjoy the epistolary format, but Evans did it in a very unique and compelling way, including letters to famous authors about their famous books.

GRAHAM (10.5 years old): Our oldest has started venturing into YA territory rather than middle grade, which makes sense given his reading abilities. The kid did love Hunger Games and Scythe, after all. Anyways, this month is enjoyed Off Menu by Oliver Gerlach, which is described as a cozy story about a group of friends working at a restaurant.

WILLA (8 years old): Willa’s 2nd grade teacher is still reading Roald Dahl books aloud to the class and The BFG was a big hit. It’s a great book and entertaining for adults too!

BO (5 years old): The littlest discovered B.J. Novak’s bestseller through school as well. The Book With No Pictures is wildly creative and really fun for kiddos and their adult readers alike.

Your turn! What was your favorite February read?

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I didn’t expect 2026 to be the year that I got into graphic novels and comics. But here we are. My buddy Jonny has gotten me to read a few over the years, including Mister Miracle, The Sheriff of Babylon, and V for Vendetta. I enjoyed them all but never really had a yearning for more. I don’t quite know what happened, but after recently reading a couple of Star Wars comics from the library, I went to the local bookstore and, for the first time ever, purchased a couple comics for my own library (Adam Glass’s Rough Riders and Frank Miller’s famed Batman: The Dark Knight Returns).

Sure, comics are damn entertaining and offer a nice escape from an unending and heavy news cycle — but they’re not just lightweight reading material. If the world needs anything right now, it’s a bunch of heroes with a real sense of right and wrong.

I’d love to explore this genre even more, which means I need your best recommendations for comics and graphic novels of any kind. Let’s hear it.

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Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. My reading in January leaned heavily towards the Star Wars universe, which you’ll hear about soon enough. For now, I’ll share a couple others, as well as the family’s favorites for the month.

JEREMY: I already wrote about ’s It’s Better to Be Feared, which you can check out here. I’m no Pats fan, but Seth did an incredible job telling the story of their two-decade dynasty. It’s a must-read for sports fans, as far as I’m concerned.

JANE: On the fiction side, Jane and I shared a favorite read in January: John Kenney’s I See You’ve Called in Dead. My full review is coming this week, but we both appreciated this book’s funny, life-affirming, and tenderhearted story.

GRAHAM (10.5 years old): Katherine Applegate’s Wishtree earned a ton of accolades when it came out in 2017. The oldest kiddo wholeheartedly agreed with all those positive reviews and really enjoyed the book — enough so to turn the wish tree into a school project for a creative tissue holder.

WILLA (almost 8 years old): Graham went through a major “Who Was?” book series phase, reading dozens of these kid-sized biographies and histories. Now it’s Willa’s turn. Her favorite in January was Who Was Helen Keller? Expect to see more from this series in the months to come.

BO (5 years old): January and February mark sled dog race season here in the Northland. The Beargrease is a well-known race in northern Minnesota and our youngest kiddo had fun learning all about it at school with Fearless John by Kelly Emerling Rauzi.

Your turn! What was your favorite January read?

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Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. The combination of bookish gifts and extra time off work and school always makes December a great reading month. Here’s what our family most enjoyed in the final weeks of 2025:

JEREMY: I loved ’s Metallic Realms. A sci-fi novel that’s not really actually sci-fi and is more about friends, books, and fandom. On the non-fiction side, I was riveted by Jake Tapper’s Original Sin. It’s a truly Shakespearean story of failed leadership with the highest of stakes. Full reviews of both books are coming in January!

JANE: Braiding Sweetgrass was a 2025 favorite for both Jane and me, so it’s not too surprising that Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry is also a hit in our household. (I’m almost done and have quite enjoyed it.) It’s a quick and powerful read largely focused on the ideas of gifts, reciprocity, and moving away from a culture of individualistic consumerism.

GRAHAM (10 years old): Dusti Bowling’s Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus was an easy choice for Graham this month. This sweet story about a girl born without arms is well-deserving of all its accolades. Plus, it’s the first in a trilogy, which leaves Graham with plenty more reading material.

WILLA (almost 8 years old): Gareth Hinds’ illustrated adaptation of Romeo and Juliet was a surprising hit when I read it aloud to the older two kids. Hinds maintained much of the original language and none of the art was too graphic — and of course the kids’ minds were blown when the main characters actually died at the end. (They’re used to Disney endings, ha!) Another winner from Hinds.

BO (almost 5 years old): Bo is back to volcanoes, meaning Gail Gibbons’ Volcanoes was his favorite this month. I read it to his preschool class in mid-December and the whole group loved it. They picked out their favorite volcanoes and had a grand old time.

Your turn! What was your favorite December read?

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It’s time again for my favorite discussion thread of the year:

What were the best books you read in 2025?

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Regardless of when they were published, I want to hear about the books that grabbed your attention, emotions, and thoughts.

-Jeremy

Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. Here’s what our family most enjoyed in November:

JEREMY: I was surprised and delighted by how much I enjoyed Gilgamesh, which is the world’s oldest surviving written story. It’s like an ‘80’s action flick, in the best way. Joby Warrick’s Pulitzer-winning Black Flags was easily my favorite non-fic read of the month; his work is right up there with Lawrence Wright and Steve Coll when it comes to must-reads regarding the U.S. and terrorism.

JANE: Lily King’s Heart the Lover has been all over the bookish web since being published two months ago. Jane read a few good books in November and said this is the one that’ll stay with her; it combines a great story with just the right amount of literary flair.

GRAHAM (10 years old): The eldest kid has really been into mysteries this fall. His favorite in November was Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game. Graham read it in school and didn’t realize it was nearly 50 years old. Must be pretty good!

WILLA (7 years old): The Roald Dahl streak continues. I read Matilda aloud to the big kids and we all really enjoyed the unexpected story and memorable characters — twas my first time through it as well.

BO (4 years old): After mostly sitting on the shelf for a few years, I was thrilled to see Beekle make a return back into our reading rotation. Dan Santat’s whimsical story hits all the right notes for a picture book.

Your turn! What was your favorite November read?

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Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. Here’s what our family most enjoyed in October:

JEREMY: I knew I’d enjoy The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris and it lived up to my high expectations. On the non-fiction side, David O. Stewart’s George Washington: The Political Rise of America’s Founding Father was a revelatory and engaging look at our first president — one of my favorite POTUS-related reads of the year.

JANE: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali stood out for Jane this month. Set in 1950s Iran, this book is a mix of Kite Runner and My Brilliant Friend, blending social/cultural commentary with a compelling story of friendship at its heart.

GRAHAM (10 years old): Our eldest has been in a heavy re-reading phase lately, but one of the new (to him) titles he enjoyed was Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein. It kicks off a fun series that I’m sure you’ll hear more about in the coming months.

WILLA (7 years old): For our evening read-aloud book, the kids have been very into Roald Dahl (again). Appropriately, we re-read The Witches in October and everyone loved it, despite it actually being a somewhat terrifying story. We’re now knee deep into Matilda.

BO (4 years old): The little one is back into his Spidey realms. A Trip to the Museum has been in our rotation most nights for a few weeks. I don’t love it, but it could be much worse.

Your turn! What was your favorite October read?

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Hey there, readers!

Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. Here’s what our family most enjoyed in September:

JEREMY: One of my literary gaps is ancient Greek stuff. I started to remedy that this month with an excellent new translation of Virgil’s Aeneid. It was slow-going, but beautiful and stirring. Definitely worth a re-read someday. I also really enjoyed re-reading The Catcher in the Rye this month. It’s worth re-evaluating if you have a negative opinion of it; I didn’t care for it 15 years ago and loved it this time around.

JANE: My wife always enjoys women-led WWII historical fiction. Kristin Harmel’s The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau fit the bill this month. Combining war-time dramatics with a bit of thievery, it was an enjoyable read in the midst of a wildly busy month.

GRAHAM (10 years old): Though it doesn’t constitute all his reading, Graham still really enjoys graphic novels. This month, The First Cat In Space Ate Pizza was an easy pick as his favorite. You may see other entries in this series in coming months!

WILLA (7 years old): Dog Man has become a modern classic for good reason. Our kids loved the movie this summer and continue to inhale the books.

BO (4 years old): Bluey is a perpetual favorite with our littlest two, which has now crossed over into bedtime books as well. Grannies and Other Stories has quickly become a nightly pick.

Your turn! What was your favorite September read?

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Here in Duluth, Minnesota, autumn arrived as soon as we saw September on the calendar. We’ve been reveling in the cool temps (60s! Delightful!), homemade applesauce, and pumpkin beer. The kids started school, Jane starts a new job next week, I’m busy with writing a book and a working with a couple of freelance clients — it’s not only a new season according to the stars, but to the movements of our household as well.

So as we wander knee-deep into fall, I’d love to freshen up everybody’s recommendations and hear about what you’re into right now: books (of course), podcasts, TV shows, new (or old) hobbies, recipes, life-saving products, or anything else you’re obsessing over.

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A few from me:

• Don Winslow — Soon enough you’ll see my reviews of Don Winslow’s taut thrillers. So so good (and really intense).

• Key & Peele on YouTube — When I have a few minutes to kill, instead of turning to social media, I’ve been watching old clips from one of my favorite Comedy Central shows ever. These guys were pure gold and all their stuff is evergreen.

• Our Subaru Ascent — Shortly after moving to Duluth, we bought a 2021 Subaru Ascent; it’s the bigger model with the third row. We all quickly came to really enjoy it and after the minivan became a bit of a smelly beach-mobile this summer, the Ascent became the default vehicle for the family. I highly recommend it.

• Baking bread (once again) — My baking tapers off in the spring and summer and then tends to pick back up for the cooler months. It makes the house smell great and there’s basically nothing better than the simple delight of fresh bread and a pat of butter. It really helps that the kids like it, too. I adore my Fourneau oven, but it appears they may not be making it anymore.

Alright, your turn! What are you into these days?

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Hey there, readers!

Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. Here’s what our family most enjoyed in August:

JEREMY: August turned out to be a banger month of reading. Matterhorn is the best war novel I’ve ever read, period. And my re-read of Robert Caro’s The Passage of Power cemented the LBJ series as an all-time Top 10 reading experience.

JANE: Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere adds to the author’s superb collection of novels. This one brings a story of friendship and romance to the space program. Heck maybe I’d even enjoy it! Jane has read and really enjoyed all TJR’s books.

GRAHAM (10 years old): The middle grade graphic novel Tear This Down by Barbara Dee opened Graham’s eyes to what happens when we find out about the unfortunate deeds of the historical figures we revere. Even kids can understand the complications that come with history!

WILLA (7 years old): Our middle kiddo loves any book starring animals. So it’s no surprise that Kristin Varner’s Dog Trouble was a big hit. We’ll definitely be checking out more of her work.

BO (4 years old): The little one continues to be both obsessed with and terrified of volcanoes. National Parks: Hawai’i Volcanoes was a great read this month, along with a couple others about Hawaii. Now we just have to try to convince him that it is actually safe to visit the islands.

Your turn! What was your favorite August read?

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Hey there, readers!

Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. Here’s what our family most enjoyed in July:

JEREMY: I’m a Hemingway fan forever and always, and A Moveable Feast was one of my new favorites of his. On the fiction side, Tim O’Brien’s In the Lake of the Woods really stood out. It’s a slow-building psychological thriller with an incredibly well-done moody setting — not very well known but a great book.

JANE: My wife really enjoyed Annie Hartnett’s The Road to Tender Hearts. A inter-generational cross-country road trip is right up her alley, and it was oozing heartwarming vibes.

GRAHAM (10 years old): Graham wrapped up the Hunger Games trilogy in July and thought Catching Fire was the best of the bunch. He’s now onto the two prequels. We’ll report back.

WILLA (7 years old): Middle kiddo is blasting through graphic novels just like her brother was at this age. Dog Man is a new discovery for her, with Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea being the favorite.

BO (4 years old): We’re back onto a Pete the Cat kick with the littlest one. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons is a big hit and not too annoying to read. Thank goodness.

Your turn! What was your favorite July read?

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Are you a collector? If so, I’d love to hear all about it!

Back in 2014 I wrote what’s still one of my favorite articles for Art of Manliness, “How to Start a Collection.” I don’t collect as many tchotchkes as I used to, especially having recently moved, but I do enjoy collecting lapel pins from places we visit as well as some miscellaneous presidential memorabilia (statues, little antiques, etc.). Books would be obvious for me, and I certainly collect them in some sense, but I don’t have a particular direction or obsession that realm. Yet.

Your turn — what do you collect?!

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Hey there, readers!

Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. Here’s what our family most enjoyed in June:

JEREMY: Hernan Diaz’s In the Distance blew me away — read my full review from last week. On the non-fiction side, Christine Rosen’s The Extinction of Experience was a memorable entry in the quickly-expanding anti-tech canon. Look for my write-up on Friday.

JANE: After a lot of 3-star novels in the last couple of months, Jane is once again picking a non-fiction title as her favorite: Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation. It provided a lot of food for thought and has already shaped how we’ve approached summer with kids home.

GRAHAM (almost 10 years old): The oldest kid is growing up; lately it seems like I’ve heard less about what he’s reading and he doesn’t need as much help picking out what to read next. That’s okay, it just means I need to be intentional about asking him! This month his favorite was J vs. K by Kwame Alexander and illustrator Jerry Craft. Both of the oldest kids are devouring graphic novels this summer.

WILLA (7 years old): Middle kiddo is still really into the Baby-Sitters Club series, but has also enjoyed grabbing Ranger Rick magazines from the library. Magazines are definitely an underrated resources from your local library, and most are available in digital formats too.

BO (4 years old): I think we’ve highlighted this one before, but Bo is back into We Found A Hat by Jon Klassen. A little out there, but fun and plenty enjoyable to read on our end. Win-win!

Your turn! What was your favorite June read?

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If you missed the announcement over at The Big Read, we’re about to dive into Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick for the summer. Additionally, our family just moved to Duluth, MN, just blocks away from one of the largest lakes in the world.

With that watery theme in mind, I want to hear the best books you’ve read set on, in, or around water. Fiction, non-fiction, old, or new.

Here are a few I’ve enjoyed (not including the white whale):

• The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

• Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson

• Into the Raging Sea by Rachel Slade

• The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

• Sinkable by Daniel Stone

There are so many great ones.

Your turn! Let me know in the comments your favorite books that leave you feeling in awe of our world’s bodies of water.

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Hey there, readers!

Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. Here’s what our family most enjoyed in May:

JEREMY: Jonathan Weiner’s The Beak of the Finch was awesome and mind-blowing. I wrote more about it in last week’s newsletter. I also really enjoyed Huck Finn, our Big Read pick for the last seven weeks or so. I hadn’t read it since high school and I was very pleasantly surprised by the maturity and growth within its pages.

JANE: Kevin Fedarko’s The Emerald Mile was a fantastic book club read. Who knew that water engineering could be so interesting?! It really helped that we had a hydro-engineer in the group who could give us the real expert view — and it turns out that Fedarko really nailed it. Anyways, Jane loved it, I loved it, and our whole book club loved it.

GRAHAM (9.5 years old): New Kid, a graphic novel by Jerry Craft, was the oldest kiddo’s favorite of May. In G’s words: “It talks about how not being racist or exclusive includes not acting like all African-Americans are the same.”

WILLA (7 years old): Middle kiddo has started reading on her own at night (big deal!) and has really been enjoying The Baby-Sitters Club graphic editions. She’s flying through them (with some help from big brother) and it’s been so fun to see.

BO (4 years old): After having an architecture section in pre-school, Bo got obsessed with some of the world’s most famous buildings. As such, Ashley Gish’s Burj Khalifa kids book has been a big-time hit at bedtime.

Your turn! What was your favorite May read?

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I have a love/hate relationship with psychology books. The ones I like, I really like. But too many of them highlight “insights” that aren’t unique, use the same stories/studies repeated in a million other books, and/or just aren’t written very well. But the psychology books that are good can genuinely change how you think about and approach life. A few of my favorites in this category include:

• The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova

• Levels of the Game by John McPhee

• The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt

• Life in Three Dimensions by Shigehiro Oishi

Your turn. What are the books about psychology or human nature that have stuck with you? I’d love to hear in the comments.

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This week has really felt like summer — grass needs mowing, sunscreen needs applying, and temps are in the 80s (at least here in the Denver area). Naturally, then, it’s time to start thinking about summer reading.

Of course “beach reads” get all the attention this time of year, but I’m curious if summer means something unique in your reading life. For me, it’s generally a mix of plot-forward fiction and big history books. The easy fiction is for reading in fits and starts while we’re watching kids run through sprinklers and the big history books are for vacations when I can sink my teeth into something meatier.

Here’s what is high on my list this summer:

• Mark Twain by Ron Chernow. I’ve already started in on this behemoth (I was lucky enough to get an early copy) and I love it so far. It’s slow-going but immensely interesting and rewarding.

• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. I’m re-reading the Hunger Games series in anticipation of this very well-reviewed, newly published prequel.

• Every Living Thing by Jason Roberts. This year’s Pulitzer winner in the biography category really piqued my interest, especially given some of the other Pulitzer reading I’m doing right now (The Beak of the Finch is *fantastic*).

Your turn! What’s on your summer reading list? Leave a comment below.

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Hey there, readers!

Once again, it’s time to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month. Here’s what our family most enjoyed in April:

JEREMY: Wouk took my favorite fiction spot for both March and April. The Winds of War is absolutely epic in scope, covering the Henry family’s experience in the first couple of years of WWII. Can’t wait to read the sequel. On the non-fiction side, Life in Three Dimensions really opened my eyes to a new way of looking at life experiences and life decisions both big and small. Full review is coming Friday.

JANE: Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore, published in March, showed up a couple of times in last month’s discussion. Jane gave it a read this month and loved it, saying the setting was especially compelling and evocative.

GRAHAM (9.5 years old): I’ve been re-reading The Hunger Games series (remains as good as ever) and thought Graham would enjoy it too. It’s actually a little less explicitly violent than what I remembered and while we haven’t finished it yet, the 9-year-old is super into it.

WILLA (7 years old): The animal lover in the house continues her run of animal-themed library books. River otters are abundant where we’re moving in just over a month, so she’s been reading up. The River Otters entry in the North American Animals series is a great one.

BO (4 years old): I Love You Stinky Face has been one of our favorite board books to read with the kids. It’s silly and sweet and we’re glad that Bo has come around to enjoying it too.

Your turn! What was your favorite April read?

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