The Lounge

We’ve all been there. All you want to do is find a good book and get lost for a little while. But life has a funny way of making noise, and with all those little distractions, even a few quiet minutes can feel like a luxury.

Truth is, we all need a respite from time to time. And to a person in the desert, a sip of water is nothing short of life-saving.

That’s why I made this list. I’m right there with you—just another wanderer in search of an oasis.

So, bring your coffee outside, take a bathroom break, or steal a few more minutes from that overdue assignment. Catch your breath, then head back into the fray.

Welcome to the lounge. Carpe Diem, my friends.

My Lounge picks for January 2026.

I have not linked these stories, though all of them can be found through a simple Google search.

  • The Monkey's Paw by William Wyman Jacobs

  • Give It Up by Franz Kafka

  • A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemmingway

  • There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury

  • The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

  • Nirvana by Charles Bukowski (Poetry)

  • The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Poetry)