The Castle

 The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men by Jon Ronson, 336 pgs. © 2026

This book was mysterious, hilarious and deeply disconcerting. One night, the author's son is invited to a party at a mysterious castle in New England owned by an eccentric millionaire, only to find the party is more of a dry run for a reality show. The evening is a bust but the author is intrigued by the eccentric millionaire and interviews him--but his questions only lead to more questions. What follows is Jonson's thoughtful critique on what has happened to men in our culture as he interviews other men who have become unmoored in society due to the changing times. Because of this, Jonson argues, men are increasingly trying to use social media to create fantasy worlds or present themselves in ways that are synchronous to ideas of traditional masculinity. But these worlds are built on sand, as Jonson displays throughout the book--divorce, public shamings, unfulfilled potential, lost friends and opportunities, federal investigations--the list goes on. Jonson recounts his now terminated friendship with TV writer Graham Linehan, who fell into adopting anti-trans rhetoric after a particular episode of his show, The IT Crowd, was deemed transphobic. Linehan, a man at the top of his field, hit the gas on those new found beliefs which consumed his life, resulting in losing his marriage and future work. Jonson's question is one we all ask ourselves everyday--why? I haven't really picked a favorite book for 2026 yet, but this is definitely a contender.