📱January 2026 Bookmarks: Books Still Matter in an Age of AI Slop

A data-driven guide to the books of the year, analog activity ideas with recommendations for implementing them, what Instagram doesn't get about authenticity on the internet today, and more!

Hi Friday night readers,

This is our first Bookmarks post of 2026, and personally, I think it’s the best one yet. It makes me especially happy because the end of the year prompted me to reflect deeply on the purpose of each type of content I produce, and I concluded that Bookmarks remain an important part of both free and paid memberships here.

Sometimes I question where readers will find the most value in my work. At the same time, I know how much daily work goes into curating a “best of” compilation of literary content for you to consume meaningfully. So, I also know the impact: less doomscrolling for you. Just magical internet feels and more time in the analog world.

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Before we get into today’s post, a few quick sales I shopped this morning: Madewell has up to 70% off sale, and I grabbed this dress with Lorelai at the Dragonfly Inn vibes. And if you caught my Substack Live the other day and liked my sweatshirt that doesn’t look like a sweatshirt, it’s part of a Warehouse Sale starting today.

✨Top 3 Bookmarks

Since this collection of Bookmarks includes three fellow Substack creators, I’m featuring them so all subscribers can engage with them.

Becca Freeman’s lists are always data-driven, which I love. Over 1k voters participated in her book of the year poll. I read all ten 2025 books and all five backlist books listed. Many I loved; some just weren’t for me, but I do think this list clearly defines the year in books.

Everyone’s talking about analog living this year, so I’ve seen a lot of posts about this, but the one that really stood out to me was our book club member Lizzie Campbell’s 31 Analog Hobbies to Try in 2026. She went the extra mile in providing resources for each one, which reminds me why I love the Substack platform right now: authenticity and attention to detail.

Speaking of authenticity, Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, had a somewhat weird take on the platform's future, which focused mostly on aesthetics. He missed the point, though, that what many users really crave right now is connection. (That’s mainly why I now work on the Substack platform.) Anyway, I’ve seen a lot of responses to his take, but I particularly liked Andi Bitay’s What Mosseri Doesn’t Understand About Authenticity and How the World Is Changing. The whole article is quotable.

Want more? Paid subscribers get 20 more of the most interesting content pieces I found this month about books, adaptations, Gilmore Girls, and the literary lifestyle. You’ll learn everything from my take on Obama’s books of the year to the latest on buzzy book-to-screen adaptations, the revival of bookstores, new public-domain classics (a/k/a free), the juiciest spilled book publishing tea of the year, and more!

I haven’t made a final decision yet, but I’m strongly considering increasing the price of paid subscriptions before Friday’s post (which offers a very big paid benefit), so if you’re interested, now is a good time to lock in the current rate.