2026 Mid-Year Book Report

Forty-two books completed in the first half of the year.

That means I’m either: a) one amazing reader, b) also counting audiobooks, or c) not very employed at the moment.

I get goofy for book lists. And I’m often drawn to the talked-about titles of the season—which is maybe why my reading piles lack many deep cuts. Sometimes buzzy books really pay off (Buckeye, London Falling). Or only slightly engage me (Heart the Lover, Strangers). Worse, a book can feel like soldiering through a 12-hour M. Night Shyamalan screenplay…me begging for the big twist already (Yesteryear).

Then there are the ones I’ll proudly display on my bookshelf, where one day company might take note. (Come to think of it, I don’t think we’ve ever “had company”).

Here are seven outstanding books I read between January and now:

(2026) I was a miffed when John Mulaney recently picked this for his book club, long after I held The Left and the Lucky as mine, and mine alone. That’s the kind of bonding book this is. The friendship between a frightened 8-year-old and his lonely 40-something neighbour is so pitch-perfect it hurts.

I discovered Willy Vlautin only a couple of years ago, and have since collected all his books from Powell’s Bookstore, in his Portland stomping grounds. When driving south to visit in-laws, I can now namecheck the Oregon landmarks his heartbroken characters hang out in.

(2026) When literary book critics call a novel “humourous,” I usually find they mean clever, not true laugh-out-loud. But Lost Lambs—a dysfunctional family adventure led by three nut-bar daughters—is really, really funny.

(2026) Douglas Stuart’s debut, the Booker-winning Shuggie Bain, remains one of my favourite books of all time. His 2023 follow-up, Young Mungo is right up there too. This year’s John of John seems to have made Stuart a literary rockstar with a little help from Oprah, Roxanne Gay, and other biggie book clubs. For me, this story of a prodigal son returning to a community steeped in tradition hits the right notes, but it’s no Shuggie. Still, no one writes gay and Scottish like this guy.

(2026) Legendary magazine journalist Tom Junod has the career guys like me always dreamed of. This time, instead of profiling another famous personality, he turns to himself and his larger-than-life father. In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man is a memoir, a detective story, and a messy grappling with modern masculinity. The charming man-about-town qualities of Big Lou remind me of my own dad—both men kindred spirits of the Rat Pack.

(2004) When I was invited to the Tin House Writing Center last year to workshop my memoir on recovery, authors assumed I had read this. I was embarrassed that I hadn’t even heard of the thing. Of the countless books on alcoholism and life on the fringes, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City is the tops. Nick Flynn’s literary prose, grit, and humour make most other addiction memoirs read like Goodnight Moon.

(2017) Granted, I’m only 3/4 done this beast of a book, but The Nix still needs to be here as a favourite. I devoured Nathan Hill’s previous doorstop, Wellness, so I’m finally taking on his amazing breakthrough book. I guess I’m a sucker for family secrets.

(2026) The housing crisis is a palpable reality among the circle of men in recovery I run with. This deep dive into the broken systems that hold people back is frightening and essential reading, because today, the word homelessness has been broadened and redefined.

Good stuff, these ones. I’m new to Larry Brown and I’m hooked. A journalistic account of Billie Holiday’s mythical life. I’ll read anything by Patrick Radden Keefe. And even though Vigil wasn’t as engaging as I had hoped, George Saunders signed my copy. So suck on that.

Another Willy Vlautin book, a classic noir tale, and a Denis Johnson reread. The one to note here is by Vancouver’s own Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho. Her debut memoir, The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street poses the question: is being sent to Canada for a better life really better if not all of your family comes with you? Wiley and I have workshopped our writing together over the years, and it’s wonderful she now shares her story with the world.

Ben Lerner’s Transcription plays with form, time, and voice, but can also feel like an insufferable English class assignment. I had to read Garfield comics after to balance out. Despite the class controversies surrounding Strangers, a weird divorce tale can be tempting. Buckeye was a fantastic family epic I chewed through. And with The Eh Team, my buddy Charles Demers does what he does best—make pop culture funny, personal, and super smart.

The woes of writing in Honolulu. Excerpts from the book-in-progress. An interview with two doctors who want to change the way we treat Alcohol Use Disorder. The joys of fried bologna (and when in Hawaii, Spam). Heart attacks are weird.