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The first quarter of the year is over! How'd it go for everybody? Have you accomplished anything awesome? Did you get a lot of reading done? I've read 13 books so far in 2026. Let's talk about the best and worst of them.

Quarter Year Reading Check In

Best Book I Read This Quarter

I've read a few really good ones. I think Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl made the biggest impression on me.

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Based on his own experience and the stories of his patients, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. At the heart of his theory, known as logotherapy, is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure but the pursuit of what we find meaningful.

Why I recommend it: I am searching for a self-help book that actually helps. A librarian at my local library recommended Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.

I think this book could be helpful! Even if it's not helpful, it's a pretty fascinating story. The author was an Austrian neurologist, psychologist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor. In the first part of the book, he shares stories from his life and explains how the events shaped the way he thinks. The author believes that the search for meaning is what keeps humans motivated. If we lose our desire to find meaning, then we lose our will to live.

This idea resonated with me because I was a severely depressed teenager. Every time I made a plan to kill myself, I would stop and think, Wait . . . if I'm dead, I'll never be able to write a book. That thought is literally the only reason I'm alive right now. The belief that I could write a book someday was my meaning. My meaning was stronger than my depression. I think Viktor Frankl does an excellent job of exploring this concept.

I also appreciate how the author approaches his life story. It's balanced and compassionate. He looks at all the people involved in an event and tries to figure out what was driving their behavior. It feels grounded. The author is examining people's actions instead of instantly judging the actions as right or wrong. He wants to know the "why" behind them.

The second half of the book lost me a little. It feels like an article in a medical or theology journal. I was not interested enough in "logotherapy" to stay focused. That might be my own problem. I can see how other readers would get something out of it.

I recommend this self-help book. I think it could help!

Worst Book I Read This Quarter

I haven't read any bad books this quarter. I gave up on these two for personal reasons, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading them.

It Didn't Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are And How To End The Cycle by Mark Wolynn. I gave up because I'm a skeptical human. The author wasn't doing enough to convince me to see the world his way. I need more evidence.

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. I didn't know there would be so much focus on the character's alcoholism. Books about addiction stress me out. I don't want to read them.

Genres I've Read The Most

According to my ridiculous spreadsheet, it's self-help. I'm on a very serious quest to find a self-help book that actually helps because most of them seem like nonsense to me. If I have to read every self-help book in my local library, I will do it.

Let me know if you have any recommendations.

Book That Surprised Me

I fully expected to put this self-help book in the "nonsense" bin, but I learned stuff! And, I'm actually using the stuff I learned!

For the first time in history, we have instantaneous access to the world’s knowledge. There has never been a better time to learn, to contribute, and to improve ourselves. Yet, rather than feeling empowered, we are often left feeling overwhelmed by this constant influx of information. The very knowledge that was supposed to set us free has instead led to the paralyzing stress of believing we’ll never know or remember enough.

Now, this eye-opening and accessible guide shows how you can easily create your own personal system for knowledge management, otherwise known as a Second Brain. As a trusted and organized digital repository of your most valued ideas, notes, and creative work synced across all your devices and platforms, a Second Brain gives you the confidence to tackle your most important projects and ambitious goals.

Why I recommend it: Building A Second Brain: A Proven Method To Organize Your Digital Life And Unlock Your Creative Potential by Tiago Forte. This book is part of my quest to find a self-help book that actually helps.

Honestly, I think this one is helpful. I found it very interesting.

Modern humans learn tons of new information every single day. We put pressure on ourselves to remember the information, form an opinion about it, organize it, solve problems, etc. It can be overwhelming. There's just too much information!

This book outlines a digital notetaking system that helps the reader reduce information overload. Basically, you use a notetaking app to build yourself a second brain. The author teaches the reader how to choose which bits of information are important and how to organize your notes so they're easy to find when you need them. I like the book because it's straightforward and actionable. Building a second brain feels like something I can accomplish. I can also see how it would help me be more organized.

Like many self-help books, this one is longer than necessary. I was tempted to skim at times. However, I'm excited to try the author's ideas and see if they reduce my chronic overwhelm. I'll report back with results.

Book That Came Out Last Year That I Still Haven't Read

The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing—not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl drought, but beneath its own violent histories. The Antidote follows a "Prairie Witch," whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples’ memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch’s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town’s secrets and its fate.

Russell's novel is above all a reckoning with a nation’s forgetting—enacting the settler amnesia and willful omissions passed down from generation to generation, and unearthing not only horrors but shimmering possibilities.

Why I want to read it: Karen Russell is one of my all-time-favorite writers. I don't understand how a human can be so brilliant. Her stories are like puzzles. Y0u start out with a bunch of odd pieces that don't seem to make sense. Then everything snaps together at the end, and you're kind of stunned. How does she find meaningful connections between such random stuff? Her books are weird, but in a way that makes complete sense.

Am I Succeeding At My Reading Goals?

I guess? I set my Goodreads goal at 6 books because I didn't want any pressure. I absolutely crushed my 6-book goal.

Do you want to answer these questions on your blog? Go for it!