The WORST books I read (and finished) from 2016 to 2024

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Years ago, I used to feel compelled to finish reading any book I started, no matter how much I hated it or didn't want to finish it. Over the years, I've eased up, but occasionally I still find myself finishing a book I can't stand for one reason or another. 

These are the four worst books I've finished from 2016 to 2024:

• A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Beauty, Adventure, and Success by Maye Musk 
• The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz
• Open Grave by Kjell Eriksson
• The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

A Woman Makes a Plan by Maye Musk

I didn't realize when I picked up this memoir that it was written by Elon Musk's mother. Had I noticed before leaving the library, I would have not checked the book out. 

The book started out somewhat relatable as I was a single mother and so was Maye Musk. I faced challenges and overcame them, and so did she. Yet, the further I read, the less and less I related. Musk's advice was flippant and extremely surface level--there was no substance. She glossed over the extreme amount of privilige she and her children have had--that's not to say they didn't have challenges, but her single motherhood and mine were vastly different--and her motto throughout the book seemed to simply be along the lines of "You just have to think positive."

Ultimately, I kept hoping for some redeeming quality and got so far into the book that I decided I might as well finish it. I wish I had that time back!

I rated A Woman Makes a Plan as 2 out of 5 stars when I initially read it, but it's more like a 1 out of 5 stars in my memory.

The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz

I have loved every Dean Koontz novel that I've come across until The Crooked Staircase. I wanted to love this one, but it just fell flat. It didn't have the usual tension or plot twists of most of Koontz's other work. I think I only kept reading it in the hopes that it would somehow get better as the story plodded along. 

It did not.

I was initially drawn to this novel because it seemed to promise a strong, badass female heroine. Ugh, she was not likeable at all. I didn't find myself cheering for her. I didn't find myself all that interested in any aspect of this novel. It didn't have the tightly wound up thriller aspects of other novels by Koontz and the story, at points, was just absurd. 

This is another one that I rated 2 of 5 stars, but on reflection, it feels more like a 1 of 5.

My favorite Koontz novel of all time is Intensity. I've read it several times and it creeps me out every time! It's thrilling and, as the title implies, INTENSE! I love it so much that I often gift it to friends who enjoy reading thrillers. Pick up a copy HERE.

Open Grave by Kjell Larsson

Open Grave by Kjell Larsson falls into one of my favorite novel (and movie) genres: Nordic Noir. I expected to love this book, but it was awful. There were too many overlapping stories, too many disconnected plot lines, and just not enough substance. I kept reading in the hopes that it would get better, and it sort of did in the last 50 pages...but not enough.

You can read my original review HERE. The end of the book fell flat and did nothing to make me want to pick up anything else by this author.

I initially rated this one a 1 star out of 5 and I stand by that to this day.

And, lastly, the book that made me angry that I'd wasted my time reading it:

The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

I am a huge Lisbeth Salander fan and the first three books about her, written by Stieg Larsson, are among my favorite novels of all time. When Larsson passed away, he left behind unfinished manuscripts and a little bit of a legal mess about who had the rights to his characters and his unfinished work. 

David Lagercrantz ended up picking up the character of Lisbeth Salander and totally missed the mark with The Girl in the Spider's Web. I remember being so upset by some of the changes he made to the character and her values that I threw the book across the room at one point and commented regularly, out loud, about how ridiculous the protrayal was. Lagercrantz might as well have given her a new name and made her into a totally unrelated character from Larsson's original protagonist. Lagercrantz made her unrecognizable and changed key elements of who Lisbeth is at her core. I feel so invested in Larsson's original character that I found Lagercrantz's work to be infuriating and a disservice to Larsson's work.

Weirdly, I was able to later separate the Stieg Larsson's version of Lisbeth from David Lagercrantz's version and ended up enjoying his subsequent novel featuring the character. 

I ended up trying to re-read The Girl in the Spider's Web to see if maybe I just wasn't giving it a fair chance, but it was awful. I rated it at 1 out of 5 stars, but it's really 0 out of 5. You can read my original review HERE.

You can pick up the original Stieg Larsson trilogy of Lisbeth Salander books HERE as an e-book or pick up physical copies HERE (book 1), HERE (book 2), and HERE (book 3).

I think I was hopeful that each of these four books would get better and surprise me--Open Grave almost did in the last 50 pages, but it was too little too late and the end was absolutely flat. If you review the list of books that I've read from 2016 to 2024, you'll notice that these are the only four books I've rated as less than 3 out of 5 reads; I no longer force myself to try to finish something if I'm really hating it. 

Have you read any of these? If you don't force yourself to finish novels you've started, what would make you continue to a read a book you aren't enjoying? 

The number of books I've read year by year: 2016 to 2024

It's no secret that I love to read, but sometimes life has other plans, right? As I've been working behind the scenes on updating my blog over the past few weeks, I started looking at my reading statistics year by year since I began keeping track of my reading in 2016. I knew I'd had a few years where my reading had dropped off significantly, but it was interesting to see the actual numbers.

I'd love to know if you keep track of your reading and if you've ever noticed any patterns or anomalies. Leave me a comment and let me know!

I'm not sure when, but I a while back, I decided to only keep track of the books I actually finish and to ignore those that I don't finish (DNF). So, how many books did I complete each year since I began keeping track? Let's take a look:

2024: 41 

2023: 23

2022: 19

2021: 22

2020: 20

2019: 36

2018: 15

2017: 19

2016: 42

In 2016, I was feeling pretty good about life and things were looking up, but in 2017, my uncle who happened to be my best friend was diagnosed with a brain tumor (glioblastoma) and I suffered from a rare form of a bowel obstruction and had a pretty big surgery. By summer of 2017, my uncle had passed away and I was pretty depressed. My mom's dementia was also worsening and 2018 was extremely hard as a result. In 2019, life was still pretty hard, but I had started reading more as an escape from reality, thus the uptick. 

Then, the world basically shut down in 2020, followed closely by my becoming temporary guardian to a tutoring student and foster parent to his brother (they've since gone back to their bio-mom). That was one of the hardest but also most fulfilling things I've ever done, and I hardly had the time or energy to read. A lot of my reading during 2021 and 2022 involved children's literature as I read books with my student both for his schoolwork and just for the enjoyment of reading. 

2023 was hard for a variety of other personal reasons, and then in 2024, I found myself reading for enjoyment again. And, in 2025, I'm well on track to read well over 50 books for the year. 

I'd love to hear about your reading patterns and habits--drop a comment and let's chat about it!

Check out the best book I read each year from 2016 to 2024 HERE. And, check out all of the books I've finished from 2016 to 2024 HERE.

My favorite books year by year: 2016 to 2024

Behind the scenes, I am working on significant updates across my blog, but I thought it would be fun to list my favorite books from each year since I started keeping track of my reading in 2016.

Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite books have been over the years!

2024: Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

2023: Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

2022: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

2021: The Push by Ashley Audrain

2020: The Friend by Sigrid Nunez 

2019: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

2018: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

2017: Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals that Brought Me Home by Jessica Fechtor

2016: The Vegetarian by Han Kang

There were a few years where it was hard to narrow my favorite down to just one book.

Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?

My 5 personal reading rules

I used to be extremely rigid about certain aspects of reading.

And, I know many of you are rigid about certain aspects of reading too. 

It has taken me decades, but I've become much more flexible and relaxed about my reading habits. I hope you'll find my five personal reading rules helpful, and I hope they might give you permission to become more relaxed in your reading as well. 

1. The 20 pages or 1/3 rule

If I pick up a book and the first 20 pages don't hold my attention or make me want to keep reading, I allow myself to quit and move on to another book. If I make it past 1/3 of the book, but my attention starts to fade, I also allow myself to put the book down and move on. 

Admittedly, I would love to allow myself to quit a book at any point, but I'm finding that 2/3 of the way through my current book, I'm not willing to quit. My current book has taken some turns that I've really not liked and that have made me question if I should keep reading. The first 20 pages and the first 1/3 captured my attention and I was enjoying it until about 2/3 of the way through.

Of course, these are just guidelines and we should all feel free to quit a book whenever we just aren't interested anymore.

2. It's ok to stop reading mid-chapter

You have permission to stop reading mid-chapter. I have several friends who won't allow themselves to stop reading mid-chapter. For some, it's about continuity and having a natural stopping point. For a few, it's a mental block and a bit of a compulsion that they must stop only between chapters. 

I make good use of bookmarks specifically so I can stop reading mid-chapter, but I also use page flags or sticky notes to mark the specific line on the page where I'm stopping. 

One of my friends only reads books with shorter chapters so that she knows she can easily finish a chapter before she stops reading -- some of my favorite books have had lengthy chapters and I would have missed out if I'd given up on them because of an "I must finish this chapter" mentality.

3. It's ok to skip "classics"

Read what you want. You don't have to read classics or what someone else thinks counts as good literature. I love contemporary fiction and don't want to set that aside because someone else thinks a different set of books have more value because they are considered classics. 

4. Move while reading, if you want to

I love to read while I walk. I find it calming and leisurely. Of course, it's not always safe, but when it is safe, it's one of my favorite pleasures in life. 

As a private tutor, most of my reading students have done best if they've been allowed to move while reading. Some might need to walk in circles around their bedroom. Some might need to bounce on the balls of their feet. Others might benefit most from sitting on an exercise ball. Some benefit from sitting in chairs that move (wobble chairs, rocking chairs, etc.).

5. Shop independent whenever possible

Although I occasionally link to Amazon when blogging about various books, I truly love to shop at independent bookstores. Seek out your community's independent book shops or buy from my favorite shops online (none of these are sponsored, nor are they affiliate links):

The Bookshop, Nashville, TN 

Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA

White Oak Books, Vancouver, WA

Capital Books, Sacramento, CA

Maggie Mae's, Gresham, OR 

 

Ultimately, I don't believe there should be rules around reading for your own pleasure or your own knowledge. Read what you want, when you want, how you want. 

What are your personal reading rules?

Book Review: Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin

As I write this, I am sitting in a friend's apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'll be in Argentina for an entire month, and as I noted in THIS post, one of my reading strategies is to choose a theme -- for January, I decided that my theme would be Argentinian fiction. 

Please note: links may be affiliate links in nature. Your purchases through these links may result in small commissions for me at no extra cost to you. Thank you in advance! Book links are to Bookshop.org.

At the start of January, I chose four books:

• Thus Were Their Faces by Silvina Ocampo
• Trafalgar by Angelica Gorodischer
• The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezon Camara
• Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin

(I tried to include the accent symbols in the author names, but my computer and/or Blogger wouldn't cooperate!)

The first book I finished is the short story collection, Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin -- winner of the National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2022. Not only did this book fit my theme, but by being short stories, I also felt like I was accomplishing some reading goals with every short story that I finished which, in turn, helped to keep me reading. 

Schweblin's book is seven short stories in which something is missing or lost or fading away. Each of them is deeply rooted in realism with an edge that cozies right up next to magical realism. Magical realism is deeply rooted in Latin American literature and deeply tied to Argentinean literature specifically, primarily starting in the 1940s. 

The short stories in this collection are at times disorienting -- one centers on a woman and her incredibly lonely descent into dementia. Another focuses on a young girl who finds herself alone amidst a family emergency and a meeting with someone that feels at once sinister and exhilarating. Another involves possible ghosts. Then, there are the choices made -- or not made -- between spouses that leads to a sense of loss.

Each story feels complete in and of itself, but each also is dark and somewhat mysterious without falling into the magical aspects of magical realism. Most of the stories feel highly modern, though a couple could be set across a few time frames from the last 100 or so years. 

These are truly stories of loss and emptiness, as suggested by the collection title. According to the reading app, The StoryGraph, my reading preferences are typically reflective, emotional, sad, and dark -- Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin, definitely fits with these unconscious preferences, particularly the story about the woman with dementia. I highly recommend this collection!

What are you reading? Is it part of a larger theme that you've chosen? Share in a comment!

3 Ways to Read More in 2024

Please note: product and book links may be of an affiliate nature. Purchasing through these links may result in a small commission for me at no extra cost to you. Thank you in advance! Book links will mostly be to Bookshop.org, though occasionally may link to Amazon or to my own blog posts about books mentioned.

Back in June of 2020, I wrote THIS blog post about how to increase your reading when times are tough. As I write this, Covid-19 still exists, but many (most?) of us have gone back to somewhat normal life; however, that doesn't mean we don't all experience ups and downs that sometimes impact our favorite hobbies, including reading.

I thought it was time to revisit the idea of how to increase the amount we read when things aren't going the way we'd like.

I've experienced dips in my reading not only during the pandemic, but also when I've found myself grieving, I've become burnt out on work, I've been sick, and so on. Sometimes, I'm just so bored that even reading doesn't appeal to me -- and it's my favorite activity!

Over the past four months, I've dealt with one illness and injury after another -- several bad colds, a broken ankle, Covid, a rare form of pneumonia, a sprained wrist, a torn ligament in my other wrist (I'm wearing a wrist immobilizer as I type this!). Plus, I've been dealing with job related uncertainties and a few other life complications.

As much as I love to read, it hasn't always been at the forefront of my interests amid the turmoil of life. 

In my last post about how to read more, I suggested reading first thing in the morning, having a designated reading spot, and reading something easy or familiar. I still stand by those ideas, but here are the three things I've done over the last few months to get or keep myself reading:

FIND A THEME

I'm writing this from Buenos Aires, Argentina, so I thought it would be fun to read books by Argentinian authors. I started by just doing a Google search and then cross referenced the authors I found with what would be available as e-books from my local library. I'm 90% of the way through my first of four books -- a collection of short stories called Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin. 

I think if you can find a theme that's relevant to your current situation in life, to a specific intense interest, or something you've been interested in for a long time, you'll be more likely to keep reading than if you just choose a random theme. I opted to choose just four books for my four week trip, and I'll probably only realistically read three of them. In addition to choosing a theme, consider limiting the number of books or the amount of time you spend on the theme so that you don't overwhelm yourself.

TRY SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

Following from our first tip, try finding collections of short stories. Instead of feeling like you've read 20 pages and still have a whole lot of pages to go, you'll get a little dose of satisfaction after finishing every short story, even if you aren't finished with the book! 

Knowing that I've already finished several of the stories in Seven Empty Houses, I'm more motivated to finish the rest! But, I already feel accomplished thanks to having read several complete stories within the book. 

CUT BACK ON SOCIAL MEDIA SCROLLING

I think most of us go through periods where we find ourselves just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling on social media. I honestly love Instagram and I use Facebook to stay in touch with friends that live far away, but I also find myself really wasting a lot of time just scrolling. 

Several weeks ago, I decided to do a huge social media purge. I went through both Facebook and Instagram and unfollowed, unliked, and removed a lot of accounts that I actually don't enjoy or that don't serve my interests or needs anymore. I also deleted several that seemed redundant. 

I've noticed that I'm enjoying my time on social media more now that I've worked on curated my feeds, but I'm also spending less time on there! Instead of constant, unsatisfactory scrolling, I'll catch up on things and then put my phone down in order to read. 

BONUS: PUT YOUR TECH IN ANOTHER ROOM

In my prior post, I suggested creating a cozy reading nook. Well, take it a step further. Once you've created your cozy reading spot and purged a whole bunch of social media junk, practice putting your phone, tablet, and other tech (including smart watches!) in another room while you read! I'm much more likely to keep reading if I can't reach for my phone or tablet from where I'm sitting.

Each of these has taken time to get used to and to become natural habits, but I've definitely increased my reading over the past few months by incorporating these ideas.

How are you getting more reading in? Share your tips in a comment!

BOOK REVIEW: We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

(Links are affiliate in nature. I may receive a small commission or payment at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through these links. Thank you in advance!)

Years ago, my mom was in a reading rut and asked me for some book suggestions -- like me, she was a voracious reader. It was rare for my mom to find herself in a lull with reading, so I happily supplied a list of 10 books or so and she started in on it. 

After the first three books on the list, my mom came to me and said that she appreciated the list, but she'd no longer be reading from it and would not take reading suggestions from me again.

Her reason? Most of what I like to read is "depressing and sad", according to my mom. That has not changed over the years. 

Case in point: We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman.

This novel is devastating but beautiful.

We All Want Impossible Things is about love, loss, and grief, as well as motherhood and friendship. It really highlights that we are all human and reminded me a lot of something one of my high school English teachers said (she was quoting the author, Wally Lamb, I believe): "The best fiction is often more true than real life." This book was so true to my experience of grief and loss that it definitely felt more true than real life! I've had a lot of heart break over the last few years, and this novel helped to mend some of it.

This book made me cry a lot, but despite being so sad, it also made me laugh quite a bit!

We All Want Impossible Things is about a woman whose best friend is in hospice and how she navigates that alongside being a single mom to a teen daughter and a college aged daughter, while still being in love with (and also not in love with at the same time) her ex-husband, and while trying to figure out her own life.

If you enjoy the work of Anne Lamott, particularly the novel Rosie, you'll like this one. It's equal parts sad and funny. My mom would still would have found it depressing.

I found We All Want Impossible Things to be deeply satisfying. It is filled with all the ups and downs of relationships in many areas of our lives, includes good food, cozy living rooms, sex without being gratuitous, awe and wonder at the world around us, and so much more. I will definitely read this one again!

Buy it on Bookshop.org HERE.

Buy it on Amazon HERE.

BOOK REVIEW: No Land to Light on by Yara Zgheib

Links are affiliate in nature and may result in a small commission for me if you purchase through them. Thank you in advance!

No Land to Light on by Yara Zgheib is by far one of the best books I've read in a very long time (in addition to Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan).

This book combines so many emotions: hope, sadness, worry, outrage, love, tenderness, and more!

No Land to Light On features shifting points of view between the two main characters with news editorials sprinkled throughout. The book is the story of a Syrian refugee who has become a legal US resident who falls in love with a Syrian woman who immigrated to the United States in order to attend college at Harvard. They marry and eventually find that she is pregnant. 

The young couple endures the ups and downs of navigating growing love and the prospect of becoming parents while also working through different experiences and different levels of comfort within the United States -- she is far more comfortable and wholeheartedly embraces her new status as an American. he clings to his Syrian roots while feeling the pull of a new way of life. 

Sama left behind bitterness and ran towards opportunity. Hadi left behind parents, friendships, and a love of the land and his father's orchards. He also left fear and violence as he moved towards the promise of freedom and a chance to start over in America, but clouded with fear of the unknown.

Upon the death of his father, Hadi returns to his homeland for the funeral. Little do they know that his attempted return to his legal home in the United States will coincide with a travel ban that includes Syrians -- even if they are legal residents of the United States. 

As Sama awaits his return at the arrivals section of the airport, amid the chaos of protestors, she goes into premature labor and starts her own harrowing journey. 

No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib, published by Simon & Schuster, is beautifully written, despite the sometimes difficult topics. 

Up next, expect a review of the classic book Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Purchase No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib:

• At Amazon HERE
• At Bookshop HERE

January and February 2023 Reading Roundup

So far, in January and February of 2023, I've read far more than in the same time period the prior few years! 

In part, I've been making a conscious choice to sit down with a book instead of mindlessly scrolling or watching TV. I've also just been far less stressed than in the last few years, so it's been more natural to pick up a book without having to make a conscious effort. 

Links within the body of this post are affiliate links for Bookshop.org. Links at the end of the post are from Amazon.com. Either way, these may result in a small commission for me if you make purchases through these links. Thank you in advance!

In January, I finished:

• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (American fiction)
• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (non-fiction; memoir; autobiography; poetry)

In February, I finished:

• Cold by Mariko Tamaki (young adult fiction; murder mystery)
• The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson (Contemporary British fiction; chick lit; Rom-Com; lighthearted and sweet)
• Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan (Contemporary American fiction; psychological thriller; family and friend relationships; near future climate crisis)

As of this writing -- the second to last day of February -- I am currently working my way through:

• No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib (Contemporary fiction; dramatic and tense but EXCELLENT)
• The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (Contemporary Swedish fiction; humorous)
• Animal Farm by George Orwell (Fiction; satire)

I have several other books in progress from months past, but these three are at the top of my list.

So far, the best book I've read in 2023 is Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan. Whoa! This book is tense, but I could not put it down! The book takes place in the near future amid a growing climate crisis that is making life nearly unbearable in what is an otherwise very typical suburban United States neighborhood. As the story unfolds, we see relationships  shift between a group of neighbors and their children. The kids are growing up and shifting allegiances. The parents are mostly trying to hold their lives and families together with varying degrees of success. Ultimately, everything unravels when one of the kids disappears into a sink hole. Cracks in all of the relationships -- family units, friends, and so on -- begin to form and unthinkable acts of violence occur under the cover of darkness. Although this was a devastating story, it was also exceptionally written and I highly recommend it.

What has been your best read so far in 2023?

2022 Reading Roundup and Looking Forward, Across 2023

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I did a terrible job at blogging in 2021 and 2022, didn't I? I posted three times in 2021 and not at all in 2022! Those two years were whirlwinds, and not just because of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

Throughout a large portion of that time span, I was temporary guardian to one of my tutoring students and foster mom to his brother. I won't be going into the details other than to say that I was exceptionally busy and there were some extreme ups and downs.

Both boys have since been reunified with their mom and I'm getting back into the swing of life.

I'm looking forward to finishing some books that I have had in progress for a while and to move on to new (to me) books!

As we cross from 2022 into 2023, I decided to set up a new spread in my reading journal -- I'm working on a video about the process, but for the time being, you'll have to settle for this blog post.

After some decorative stamping, stickering, and gluing down of vintage Richard Scarry bookish illustrations, I wrote out all of the books I had started in 2022 but did not finish -- though I realized I missed a book and wrote it in afterwards. As you can see from this photo, I also color coded the books on the left edge of the pages. The color code prioritizes the books in the order I would like to read them and follows rainbow order with pink substituting for purple (because that's what was in the pencil set I used).

RED -- FIRST PRIORITY:

• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
• We are Called to be a Movement by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
• The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
• Inciting Joy by Ross Gay
• Fermenting by Asa Simonsson
• Local Dirt by Andrea Bemis
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

ORANGE -- SECOND PRIORITY:

• Conscious Creativity by Philippa Stanton
• Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty
• The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window by Jonas Jonasson

YELLOW -- THIRD PRIORITY:

• Looking at Mindfulness by Christophe Andre
• Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

GREEN -- FOURTH PRIORITY:

• There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather by Linda Akeson McGurk
• Wild Embers by Nikita Gill

BLUE -- FIFTH PRIORITY:

• An Alter in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor
• Hawk of the Mind by Yang Mu
• The Armillary Sphere by Ann Hudson

PINK -- LAST PRIORITY:

• God and Guns in America by Michael W. Austin
• Life Among the Terranauts by Caitlin Horrocks
• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

The order in which I would like to finish these was a combination of things I need to finish for my tutoring practice, items due back at the library soon, items already returned to the library that I would like to eventually finish, books I'd like to finish but am not feeling a huge pull to do so immediately, and a few other less specific criteria.

And, of course, I already have started a new book for 2023:

• A Girl Called Jack by Jack Monroe

Of the books on my list which have you read? Which do you want to read? When I finish this list, what should I read next?