Top Picks
A curated five-pick periodical — published since 2025
Vol. I

Out Now · Issue No. 025

Five things, no listicle padding, ranked with reasons.

Apps & Software

Top 5 Calorie Tracking Apps in 2026

We installed twenty-seven. We kept five. The argument, ranked, with the accuracy data we could find and the friction notes we couldn't avoid.

Curated by Harun Demir · April 30, 2026

Read the issue

Recent Issues

From the archive

024

Top 5 Literary Fiction Picks of 2026

Five literary novels from 2025-2026 worth committing to, with The Bittern Hour at the top. Books that survive a second reading.

April 21, 2026 · Books & Culture

023

Top 5 Business Books of 2026

Five business books from 2025-2026 worth reading, with The Slow Build at the top. Books that earn their thesis rather than declaring it.

April 12, 2026 · Books & Culture

022

Top 5 AI Writing Tools in 2026

Five AI writing tools worth installing in 2026, with Claude at the top and a defended argument for the four below it. Long-context first, marketing-first never.

March 26, 2026 · Apps & Software

019

Top 5 Carry-On Luggage Picks for 2026

Five carry-on luggage picks for 2026, with the Away The Carry-On at the top. Tested across long-distance multi-leg travel, ranked on the durability and design that matter.

March 4, 2026 · Travel & Carry

018

Top 5 Note-Taking Apps in 2026

Five note-taking apps worth committing to in 2026, with Obsidian at the top and a defended argument for the four below it. Local-first when it matters, sync-first when it doesn't.

February 26, 2026 · Apps & Software

017

Top 5 Podcasts for Engineers

Five podcasts worth subscribing to for working engineers, with Software Engineering Daily at the top. Edited audio, real expertise, no ad-monetized listicle content.

February 15, 2026 · Audio

014

Top 5 Budgeting Apps in 2026

Five budgeting apps worth committing to in 2026, with Copilot Money at the top. Built for the post-Mint era, ranked on the work that budgeting actually requires.

January 22, 2026 · Apps & Software

The full issues archive →

From the Editor

A short editor's letter

The reader has too many recommendations and too little time. We are trying to publish a magazine that respects this. Five things, ranked, defended in writing. Everything else, we believe, can be safely ignored.

Margot Ainsworth-Rée, Editor-in-Chief