It was hard to miss in 2025 the usual trickle of news articles proclaiming the “death of reading”. These pieces have been showing up for decades. I pay little or no attention to them, but I experienced a tinge of sadness for those who have abandoned or have never known the pleasure, both simple and complex, of immersing themselves in a wonderful book. This feeling must have something to do with the books I read last year, many of which, fiction and non-fiction alike, were outstanding. Who can read a short story by Graham Swift, a novel like A Whole Life or The Land in Winter, or a memoir like Death of an Ordinary Man, and not feel sorry for those who have chosen to cut themselves off from such wonders? Patronizing? Elitist? Possibly, but reading in 2025 often gave me such intense and irreplaceable pleasure that I cannot understand how anyone would prefer to scroll through social media or consume nothing but YouTube videos.

Glancing at the books on my pile as 2026 begins, something tells me it’s going to be another bumper reading year. I’m looking forward to getting started!