Last year I realized something: I’m overstimulated. It was an everyday thing. Whether it was from screentime, barking dogs, children running and screaming, or the neighbor’s music, something felt off. I spent a lot of time watching YouTube, scrolling Instagram, and playing video games. There’s nothing wrong with these things in and of themselves, but in the case of social media and online videos, sometimes I would be scrolling along and suddenly realize… I’m just scrolling. Often I would stop engaging with what was in front of me, just quickly scan the thumbnail or read the title, and then move on to the next post. I was intensely bored and dissatisfied with how I was spending my time, so I knew something had to change. For a while I had wanted to read more, so I put together this list of novels for 2026:
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The Stranger - Albert Camus
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The Tartar Steppe - Dino Buzzati
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The Magician - Somerset Maugham
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Piranesi - Susanna Clarke
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The Plague - Albert Camus
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The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
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The Castle - Franz Kafka
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Moonchild - Aleister Crowley
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The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
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Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy
As of the writing of this post I’ve completed numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 10. You can see what I’m currently reading on my bookshelf
Ever since I started reading everyday, I’ve felt a change in the way I perceive the world. Everything around me feels more real. It’s like I’m really seeing for the first time. I feel less anxiety, more peace, and a sense of appreciation for mundane things. Trees, clouds, bricks, buildings, they all seem more significant than before. So if you’re always feeling tired, disconnected, or spaced out, try reading. Re-read your favorite books or read completely new ones. It might change your life
