You could read Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste by Carl Wilson. It's an essay(ish) book about taste in music, funny to read and not too long (~200pg I'd say).
About the comfort zone, you could try and read something about contemporary problems and predicaments. A poison like no other talks about plastics in our everyday life (not fun), or something really old like Seneca's On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It (~100pg)
Sorry man. Feels like 2024, no more no less. Friendship and willingness to be around people (in person) is an old fart thing. Nowadays I only invite or make plans with my really close friends. Friends that are more family than friends.
Those casual friends we used to have are gone for good between laziness and socializing on-line, whatever that is.
If you were my neighbor and invited me I would've totally attended and decimated those delicious quesitos!