If July is the season of plot-heavy “beach reads,” then January is my month for contemplative, multivolume explorations of space and time. In that department, there may be nothing better than Danish writer Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume series. A reimagining of the classic Groundhog Day dilemma, the story unfolds as a series of journal entries by an antiquarian books dealer who, for no particular reason whatsoever, finds herself repeating the 18th of November, over and over again. But unlike the Bill Murray classic or even the more recent Palm Springs, the resources of her world are finite, and she is soon haunted by the monstrous way she is slowly eating away at her surroundings. Thus far, in the three available books of what will be a seven-volume collection, her stuckness functions as an interesting metaphor for mass consumption, and the mysterious distance that arises when your life path diverges from someone you love. It’s excellent cozy reading that will forever change how I think about the day November 18th.

Merlin Bird App

I know, I know, this is the kind of thing that someone who just read How to Do Nothing might suggest. But allow me to explain. At the start of 2026, I resolved to be on my phone less and outside more. Fast-forward a few weeks and I’ve come up with a way to do both that doesn’t feel icky: the Merlin Bird App. Whenever I step into my backyard, I open up this free app to record and automatically identify the birdsong around me. It’s made me much more attuned to what’s happening in the trees, as opposed to what’s on my phone, especially since it will highlight the name of a bird as its call is taking place. That’s taught me to differentiate between a mockingbird (sing-songy, constant) and, say, a yellow-rumped warbler (swift, chirpy). Also, you know, be more present.

Download it here.

Balo Raw Kombucha