Write Off: New Books To Explore

The holidays are over, the decorations are put away, and cold winter weather continues for at least a couple more months. What better conditions could exist, then, for hunkering down during some leisure time and digging into a book? While reading for sheer pleasure is one of the great benefits of being an older reader, there is also science to support the benefit of reading for healthy brain maintenance- and if you throw in the added value of joining a book club, the social aspects that accompany that are a tremendous boost for your brain and mental health. Of course, whatever you read also gives you insight into worlds beyond your own and can even help you develop empathy and compassion for others. In fact, in a recent essay for The Free Press, 88-year-old literary critic Joseph Epstein (whose essay is entitled, “Ancient Wisdom: I Want to Die With a Book in My Hands”) describes how the pleasure of reading remains, but your habits of reading may change as you get older- you may lose patience with books that no longer seem indispensable or your perspective as a reader may have shifted and your experiences may have changed the way you look at things. One thing doesn’t change, however: the importance of books and reading in your life. As he concludes his essay, Epstein writes, “I used to say that, given a choice, I should prefer to die while watching a Chicago Cubs game on television. Now I find I should prefer to die while reading a serious and entertaining book. If this were to come about, my last words figure to be, “Damn, wish I could have finished the chapter.” 

So, in pursuit of some serious and yet entertaining books, we have a list of a few you may want to load onto your Kindle or purchase with one of those gift cards you received. First up, a brand new book by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a noted expert in bioethics, health policy, and oncology (who also claims expertise in writing, cycling, and chocolate!). His new book, Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life, was just published and promises to provide guidance on matters of health, happiness, and longevity, while bypassing many of the trendy social media “solutions” or trying to persuade you with unfounded promises. He focuses on practical, science-based information along with the wisdom he has acquired through his many decades of medical practice and public health service.

Also promoting practical guidance based on science and common sense is the new book by Physical Therapist Dr. Dan Ginader, who has a large social media following and, through such platforms as Instagram and YouTube, provides simple illustrations and recommendations to ease aches and pains through movement and exercise. His new book, The Pain-Free Body: Simple Stretches and Exercises for Common Aches and Pains, may become your new go-to guide as you navigate the aches and pains of getting older.

If joining a retirement community may be in your future, then you might want to pick up the new book by scholar and author Galit Nimrod, who spent several months interviewing and observing life in the largest retirement community in the world, The Villages in Florida. Her book, Seniorland: Aging in a Retirement Metropolis, describes a positive and joyous experience among many, if not most, residents in a place sometimes described as “where old people come to get young.” While not without its tensions and controversies, Nimrod writes glowingly about a place she wishes she could move to. For more insights on her book, click here.

Finally, for some fun and good humor, you may want to pick up the latest work of writer Judith Viorst, whose new book, Making the Best of What’s Left: When We’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered, provides insights and observations from “the Final Fifth” as Viorst describes her 90s. Now 94 years old, Viorst has spent decades writing for children and chronicling the stages of her life as she’s gotten older. With poignancy and playfulness, she weaves from the positives in her life to her sources of mourning and grief, and develops practical wisdom along the way for her fellow travelers in their 80s and beyond. You can read more about her book and her insights here and here, but whatever you do, don’t miss out on the chance to be entertained by this masterful chronicler of the absurdities of life. 

And if you’re in search of further new recommendations for this new year, take a look at the list of Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated New Books of 2026!