FIRST Four BOOKS OF 2026

I’m going to tone down the reviews over here, but I still want to document my reading progress, so here are the first four books I read in 2026!

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE by J.K. Rowling - Read this one to my son at bedtime. Not bad. I thought, based on the films, The Prisoner of Azkaban would be my favorite, but Goblet of Fire gives it a run for its money.

BATTLESHIP TRAFALGAR: PULSAR SKY by Martin Lejeune - Audiobook read by the author - This was a delight! A fairly short read, I found this to be just a bucket of popcorn and peanut M&M’s. It’s got some Indiana Jones vibes, Battlestar Galactica aesthetics, and the adventure is only just beginning here. As the first book in a new series, it does the thing where you just want the next book immediately. Highly recommended for sci-fi fans!

DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL by Matt Dinniman - Hilarious, ridiculous, action-packed! Unexpected yet familiar, over-the-top yet with a heart of gold. This book is so good, I wish I’d written it. But no, I don’t, because it wouldn’t have been as good. Will be reading book two.

INGRAM by Louis C.K. - Look… Louie is my favorite comedian, his show, Louie, is one of my favorite comedy shows of all time, and I buy his stand-up specials from his website… I’m a fan. So when I heard through his newsletter that he’d suddenly written a novel, I about lost my mind. Now I’ve read it. And I have such complicated feelings about it. It’s a great story, but it’s arguably one of the saddest books I’ve ever read. It’s written in first person from the POV of an abused, sheltered, and possibly developmentally challenged boy. Because of the first-person POV, the writing feels very simple. Almost juvenile. And at first, it was off-putting, given how intelligent Louis C.K. is and how good a writer he’s proven to be in the past. But soon you’re just endeared to this poor boy, who's having the worst life ever, but he just keeps going. Imagine someone who has suffered so much that he thinks it’s normal and expected and maybe even deserved. That boy has to learn self-worth, personal agency, and how to overcome trauma. It’s almost as if Forrest Gump wasn’t raised by a good mother, but instead thrown out to fend for himself at the age of 8. It’s gut-wrenching. Read it because it’s good, but it won't make you happy!

NOW STARTING THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE!!!!