Originally published in The Creative Apprentice.
Every year I put together a reading list. Not as a rigid plan — more as a map of what I’m curious about right now.
This year’s list spans fiction and non-fiction, old and new. Some are books I’ve been meaning to read for years. Others came from recommendations I couldn’t ignore.
Here’s what I’m working through in 2026.
The list
Fiction
Books I’m reading for story, language, and the experience of being inside someone else’s world.
Non-fiction: Craft & Creativity
The backbone of the year — books about how to do the work, and why it matters.
Non-fiction: Science & Psychology
How things work. How people work. The kind of reading that changes the way you see everything else.
Non-fiction: History & Culture
Context. The long view. The stories behind the world we inherited.
I track every book I finish on my reading list — format, rating, and a short note on what stuck with me.
If any of these are on your list too, I’d love to know what you thought.