My Husband's Year in Reading

Men read, it's true

Much ink has been spilled about how men don’t read, or that men don’t read fiction. I know that I am coming from an industry household, but my husband Mike reads, as do all the other men I know. You all know what John Waters says about going home with people who don’t have any books. A non-starter. Also: men are not a monolith, and they don’t all just read David McCullough on the Brooklyn Bridge or whatever. Without further ado, here is Mike on what he read this year! And here he is jumping for joy in front of our mural.

I’m not a quick reader. This is something I’ve had to come to terms with while sharing a house with some serious book-gobblers and owning two bustling bookstores. I like to sink into a book. Take my time with it. Plus, when I’m surrounded by books all day, every day, sometimes I just come home and want to watch a terrible TV show or something. This year was pretty good for me though! I read over 20 books and many of them will stay with me for years to come. Here are a few of my favorites:

BOOKS OUT NOW!

Playworld - Adam Ross
Playworld was the first book I read in 2025 and is the book I’ve kept thinking about all year long. I love a hang-out novel. The world is built and stacked with warm, interesting characters, and you just get to hang out with them. That’s what Playworld is. A big, epic, NYC novel set in the 1980s about the Hurt family and the eldest son’s coming of age in a time of turmoil and uncertainty. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, while being filled with the pain and sadness of growing up. You won’t want it to end.

Sheepdogs - Elliot Ackerman
This hilarious heist novel follows Skwerl and Cheese as they attempt to “repossess” a plane in France. With a kooky cast of characters, Sheepdogs twists and turns its way around the globe with action-packed, un-put-downable fun and a satisfying, unexpected conclusion. You’ll love this rip roaring ride!

So Far Gone - Jess Walter
A mad-cap adventure comedy with a heart! So Far Gone follows Kinnick after he gives up on modern society and moves to the woods to live in complete isolation. His grandchildren end up on his doorstep, hoping he can help them find their mother, who has taken off as their father gets entrenched with an extremist religious cult. The mystery unravels as Kinnick recruits a fantastic cast of former acquaintances to help with the assignment. This novel is a total blast with a lot to say about how the state of the world will make you want to live in a cabin in the woods.

Boom Town - Sam Anderson
The wild, fascinating history of Oklahoma City that you will not want to stop reading. From the infamous Land Run, through the OKC Thunder’s defining 2012 season and everything in between, Boom Town will make you wish you could head down there and have a wild night literally painting the town with Wayne Coyne.

BOOKS COMING IN 2026!
One of the perks of owning a bookstore is that you get to read books before they come out. Here are a few favorites I read this year that come out next year. You must preorder all of these right now because preorders are important for authors and, trust me, they are all really good:

The Reservation - Rebecca Kauffman
A hilarious novel that chronicles a single important day in the life of a restaurant, with a famous guest and a handful of stolen steaks. Full of rich, interesting characters, you’ll be immersed in all the smells, tastes and attitude.

Cool Machine - Colson Whitehead
Turns out that the final book in Colson’s Harlem trilogy not only has the best title and dedication of any book this year, it’s also my favorite installment. The middle section is the most fun writing I think he’s ever done. These books aren’t only heist novels, they are love letters to New York, written by the best to ever do it.

London Falling - Patrick Radden Keefe
Reading London Falling is like peeling an onion where every layer reveals another shocking tragedy and nefarious character that hooks you in and makes you unable to put it down. It’s also a beautiful portrait of a family in mourning and the lengths they go for answers.

American Fantasy - Emma Straub—-NOTE FROM EMMA, I DID NOT FORCE HIM TO DO THIS, THIS IS ALL FREE WILL, I SWEAR
Ok, totally biased review here, but whatever. As someone who has been around for every novel Emma has written, I can tell you that American Fantasy is the novel Emma needed to write at this moment in her life. It’s funny and touching, which have become hallmarks of an Emma Straub book, but this one, like This Time Tomorrow, is incredibly deep. It meaningfully captures what it feels like to enter middle age while holding on to what made you so happy in your youth. A truly beautiful, poignant read that will keep you chuckling.

A FEW OTHER THINGS I LOVED THIS YEAR:

Turnstile’s Never Enough is my favorite record of the year. I saw them twice in support of this record and both shows filled me with so much joy as well as hope for the future of kids in general. Additionally, the movie that accompanied the record was great as well.

I had such a blast watching The Lowdown this year. It’s one of those things that you can tell how much fun everyone involved was having while making it.

One Battle After Another was wonderful. I saw it twice. But, there are scenes in Highest 2 Lowest that filled me with so much exuberance and pride for my city that my mind keeps thinking about them while writing this.

Lastly, I don’t get to the theatre as often as I’d like but I saw Weer a few weeks ago and I haven’t laughed harder or more frequently than I did in that theatre all year long. The show is best without knowing a single thing going in, so I won’t say anything here except if you can see it, go see it right now!

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Emma again! Thanks, Mikey!

He’s right that you should preorder books. Like, I don’t know, this one.