20 recs in 24 fandoms
Dec. 31st, 2025 05:32 pm- My gifts - 3 recs in 2 fandoms:
Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling, Ring of Swords - Eleanor Arnason - Other recs - 17 recs in 22 fandoms:
Amadeus (1984), Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Alias (TV), Ancient History RPF, The Angel of the Crows - Katherine Addison, British Airways "May We Haveth One's Attention" Safety Video, Classical Greece and Rome History & Literature RPF, Coldfire Trilogy - C. S. Friedman, FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of Your Thesis Defense - Luke Burns, Hamlet - Shakespeare, Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie, Jorinde und Joringel | Jorinde and Joringel (Fairy Tale), Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers, Miss Marple - Agatha Christie, Mulan (Disney Animated Movies), 莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook (TV), Numinous World Series - Jo Graham, Der Ring des Nibelungen | The Ring of the Nibelung - Wagner, The Philosophers Series - Tom Miller, Stargate Atlantis, Stealing Fire - Jo Graham, Troades | The Trojan Women - Euripides
Reading, Listening, Watching
Dec. 31st, 2025 04:08 pmReading: Still the Doctor Who Reader, but supplementing with various Yuletide recs, and what I assume are Primeval Denial secret santa offerings. So far Dog Hamlets (Lord Peter Wimsey casefic. I had to think a bit to understand what the evidence was showing, but understood in the end - I think) and On Solstice Night (a spooky folklore take on the the "stuck in a bothy" trope, for a Primeval character and, because this is Primeval fandom, a shared OC).
Listening: Having exhausted all the podfic advent calendars, I'm listing to the Missing Episodes Podcast which I'd been hearing people mention for years but never really picked up. It is well done and if I catch up with them, I'll be interested in their take on the current nebulous swirling rumours.
Watching: When Marmalade Sparrow is here we end up watching a lot of Taskmaster, which she introduced us to. I think we're currently somewhere around 2018.
Listening: Having exhausted all the podfic advent calendars, I'm listing to the Missing Episodes Podcast which I'd been hearing people mention for years but never really picked up. It is well done and if I catch up with them, I'll be interested in their take on the current nebulous swirling rumours.
Watching: When Marmalade Sparrow is here we end up watching a lot of Taskmaster, which she introduced us to. I think we're currently somewhere around 2018.
Wednesday Reading Meme
Dec. 31st, 2025 10:54 amWhat I Just Finished Reading
Eric Poulin, Here Comes the Pizzer: The Found Poetry of Baseball Broadcasts:
lysimache got me this for Christmas, so I have now finished twelve books this year and I nearly didn't finish this one. Stupid migraines. Anyway, this is baseball broadcast found poetry. The poetry skills on display here are of varying quality -- like, only a couple of people are actually doing anything unusual with the text -- but I still think it's charming.
What I'm Reading Now
Comics Wednesday! Time to probably destroy the universe. We are instructed to read Ultimate Endgame before Ultimates.
( Sorcerer Supreme #1, Ultimate Endgame #1, Ultimates #19 )
What I'm Reading Next
A new year! I have no idea what to read. Once again, I need fewer migraines.
Eric Poulin, Here Comes the Pizzer: The Found Poetry of Baseball Broadcasts:
What I'm Reading Now
Comics Wednesday! Time to probably destroy the universe. We are instructed to read Ultimate Endgame before Ultimates.
( Sorcerer Supreme #1, Ultimate Endgame #1, Ultimates #19 )
What I'm Reading Next
A new year! I have no idea what to read. Once again, I need fewer migraines.
Last Reading Wednesday of the Year (November Edition)
Dec. 31st, 2025 07:35 amQuick relisten to the audiobook looking for inspiration for a talk I was giving. I've got to say that while I love Shraya, this isn't my favourite project of hers. It could've either been an essay or a full-length book, but the pamphlet length didn't really dig in enough, but also felt a bit repetitive. I do like several of her core points about resistance to change and the lack of ceremony for it, though.
I really love this book, and have read it three times now and written a paper about it, and then everyone in my book club hated it. Woe!
Magical realist auto fiction about a trans girl who runs away from home to end up on the streets in
Hopefully Thom writes more novels. She wrote this in her twenties and seems to have gone back to poetry.
Reread for school. I still really enjoyed this. It's meant to be educational, and can be a little didactic in places, but I (being content with my assigned gender) thought it did a really good job of explaining the challenges and joys around changing gender expression in our moment. Also, the author is a giant nerd, which I appreciate (the highschool GSA turning into a The Lord of the Rings movie fanclub remains intensely relatable). I'm glad it's out there for kids who are feeling gender, but can't put words to exactly how or why. Which I guess is why it's one of the most banned books in North America, and has been for the last five years.
We got assigned a couple of chapters of this for school, and to be honest I skimmed them (not having realised how long they were, and not managing my time very well). However, I circled back and reread the whole book towards the end of term, and got a lot out of it.
Gill-Peterson is a leading historian of trans feminity, the ways governments have tried to suppress it, and the ways it's flourished despite that. A lot of her work has been around John Money's gender clinics, and how race and gender interacted in the mid 20th century, but this takes a wider look at gender variance across the former British empire, from the 19th century up to the present moment.
It came out a few years after Kit Heyam's Before We Were Trans, but approaches similar types of history from a different angle. While Heyam is talking more about the instability and variability of gender, especially in the British Empire, Gill-Peterson is more interested in how imperialism forced those variations into narrow categories in order to control them. Heyam's common history centres on how gender categories have always been porous (albeit in different ways), and Gill-Peterson's on the commonality of challenges regardless of self-categorisation.
I especially liked the final chapter, about how we might reframe the current gender conversation. To the point where I would take pictures of the pages, highlight lines, and add them to the group texts, getting responses like, "I don't know what you're talking about!" and "What?" But, in context, those lines are bangers! Trans-exclusionary feminism is coming from a scarcity mindset! So there.
End of Fannish Year Meme: 2025
Dec. 31st, 2025 04:28 pm1. Your main fandom of the year?
Still 18th Century history, Prussian-Austrian-Hannoverian-French edition, with the occasional ancient history interlude. Though ancient history might take over as the primary runner next year!
2. Your favorite film watched this year?
It's a race between a surprise "came for one character, remained for all of them" movie, none other than Thunderbolts*, and the superb thriller September 5, which manages among other things to do something Steven Spielberg tried to in one of his movies and does it better.
3. Your favorite book read this year?
This year I am truly spoiled for choices. I both read some books that have been around for a while as well as very recently published ones, and for the most part, enjoyed or even loved most of them. I think it's a race between Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh.
4. Your favorite album or song to listen to this year?
For complicated real life reasons:
5. Your favorite TV show of the year?
While tv had some let downs for me this year - *cough* Strange New Worlds *cough* - it also had some great new discoveries and some lovely continuing faves. I feel I can't answer this question fairly unless I firstly differentiate between "favourite miniseries" and "favourite continuing show", and in the second department "favourite new-to-me- show" and "favourite returning favourite". So: Favourite miniseries - there were several excellent ones, but really, for "took my breath away with each episode and performance, and format, tells a concluded story and THANK GOD DOES NOT APPEAR TO GET AN UNNESSARY SEQUEL": Adolescence . Favourite continuing series familiar to me - look, Andor had a superb conclusion and I really appreciate the scriptwriters on social media doubling down on just who the Evil Empire is in rl these days, but it's not Andor for the simple reason that while I was not upset about the writing for Bix as I've seen other people be, it really wasn't up to the rest of the show's standards. And it's not Wheel of Time, either, even though I went from like to love in this season and still feel like shaking my hand at the injustice of fate because of the cancellation. So: It's Foundation all the way. I loved the third season and will happily say more about why on the January Meme.
Favourite new to me show: Pluribus, aka Vince Gilligan did it again.
6. Your favorite online community of the year?
Still
rheinsberg.
7. Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
The play Born with Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams, which I saw in London in August: really intense and clever on stage Shakespeare/Marlow slash fiction, with Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel superb in the roles; delightful in itself, but also, I now have a new playwright to keep an eye on!
8. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?
Strange New Worlds, season 3. Alas.
9. Your fandom boyfriend of the year?
I would never compete with Lois Lane, but this year's Superman is an incredibly endearing version of Clark Kent, and arrived just at the right time.
10. Your fandom girlfriend of the year?
Demerzel from Foundation, and I got two great stories starring her as Yuletide gifts. Runner up: Kleya from Andor, and Juliette Binoche in what just may the definite Penelope performance in The Return .
11. Your biggest squee moment of the year?
( Spoiler for Wake Up, Dead Man ensue: ) Runner-up: ( Spoiler for Demerzel's backstory in Foundation )
12. The most missed of your old fandoms?
I'm missing - and probably I'm employing rosy glasses here - the way media could be discussed without one part of the viewership crying "Woke!" and other crying "betrayal" if their ship of choice doesn't become canon. (Latest example: Stranger Things. Which btw I'm enjoying, but one look at fandom discussion and I ran.)
13. The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
I'm currently eyeing Severance.
14. Your biggest fan anticipations for the New Year?
The Vampire Lestat, aka season 3 of Interview with the Vampire. Can't wait to find out what this particular creative team will do with both the present day rock star Lestat frame and the memoirs part, plus unless I'm mistaken it looks like they're already incorporating bits of The Queen of the Damned. And speaking of Anne Rice adaptations, I'm also very curious what Tom Ford will make of her historical (non-supernatural historical) novel Cry to Heaven, starring Nicolas Hoult.
Still 18th Century history, Prussian-Austrian-Hannoverian-French edition, with the occasional ancient history interlude. Though ancient history might take over as the primary runner next year!
2. Your favorite film watched this year?
It's a race between a surprise "came for one character, remained for all of them" movie, none other than Thunderbolts*, and the superb thriller September 5, which manages among other things to do something Steven Spielberg tried to in one of his movies and does it better.
3. Your favorite book read this year?
This year I am truly spoiled for choices. I both read some books that have been around for a while as well as very recently published ones, and for the most part, enjoyed or even loved most of them. I think it's a race between Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh.
4. Your favorite album or song to listen to this year?
For complicated real life reasons:
5. Your favorite TV show of the year?
While tv had some let downs for me this year - *cough* Strange New Worlds *cough* - it also had some great new discoveries and some lovely continuing faves. I feel I can't answer this question fairly unless I firstly differentiate between "favourite miniseries" and "favourite continuing show", and in the second department "favourite new-to-me- show" and "favourite returning favourite". So: Favourite miniseries - there were several excellent ones, but really, for "took my breath away with each episode and performance, and format, tells a concluded story and THANK GOD DOES NOT APPEAR TO GET AN UNNESSARY SEQUEL": Adolescence . Favourite continuing series familiar to me - look, Andor had a superb conclusion and I really appreciate the scriptwriters on social media doubling down on just who the Evil Empire is in rl these days, but it's not Andor for the simple reason that while I was not upset about the writing for Bix as I've seen other people be, it really wasn't up to the rest of the show's standards. And it's not Wheel of Time, either, even though I went from like to love in this season and still feel like shaking my hand at the injustice of fate because of the cancellation. So: It's Foundation all the way. I loved the third season and will happily say more about why on the January Meme.
Favourite new to me show: Pluribus, aka Vince Gilligan did it again.
6. Your favorite online community of the year?
Still
7. Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
The play Born with Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams, which I saw in London in August: really intense and clever on stage Shakespeare/Marlow slash fiction, with Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel superb in the roles; delightful in itself, but also, I now have a new playwright to keep an eye on!
8. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?
Strange New Worlds, season 3. Alas.
9. Your fandom boyfriend of the year?
I would never compete with Lois Lane, but this year's Superman is an incredibly endearing version of Clark Kent, and arrived just at the right time.
10. Your fandom girlfriend of the year?
Demerzel from Foundation, and I got two great stories starring her as Yuletide gifts. Runner up: Kleya from Andor, and Juliette Binoche in what just may the definite Penelope performance in The Return .
11. Your biggest squee moment of the year?
( Spoiler for Wake Up, Dead Man ensue: ) Runner-up: ( Spoiler for Demerzel's backstory in Foundation )
12. The most missed of your old fandoms?
I'm missing - and probably I'm employing rosy glasses here - the way media could be discussed without one part of the viewership crying "Woke!" and other crying "betrayal" if their ship of choice doesn't become canon. (Latest example: Stranger Things. Which btw I'm enjoying, but one look at fandom discussion and I ran.)
13. The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
I'm currently eyeing Severance.
14. Your biggest fan anticipations for the New Year?
The Vampire Lestat, aka season 3 of Interview with the Vampire. Can't wait to find out what this particular creative team will do with both the present day rock star Lestat frame and the memoirs part, plus unless I'm mistaken it looks like they're already incorporating bits of The Queen of the Damned. And speaking of Anne Rice adaptations, I'm also very curious what Tom Ford will make of her historical (non-supernatural historical) novel Cry to Heaven, starring Nicolas Hoult.
RuriDragon, volume 7 by Masaoki Shindo
Dec. 31st, 2025 09:24 am
In return for tutoring, half-dragon Ruri rewards her classmates with knowledge about the draconic world. Terrible, terrible knowledge.
RuriDragon, volume 7 by Masaoki Shindo
December 2025 and 2025 as a Whole in Review
Dec. 31st, 2025 09:15 am
Well, that's it for 2025. Trump hasn't killed us all (yet) and I got a lot of books read.
December 2025 and 2025 as a Whole in Review
A few more recs
Dec. 31st, 2025 02:12 pmYou will find them here.
One is Yes Minister
Two are Georgette Heyer
and three are Lord Peter Wimsey.
I didn't actually mean them to come out like that, it just happened!
One is Yes Minister
Two are Georgette Heyer
and three are Lord Peter Wimsey.
I didn't actually mean them to come out like that, it just happened!
Life with two kids: A day long remembered
Dec. 31st, 2025 02:03 pmWatching A New Hope with Gideon for the first time*, and while we were watching Ben Kenobi fight Darth Vader he kept saying "I really hope Darth Vader loses". I didn't say anything, but I couldn't help feeling bad...
*We started playing the Lego Skywalker Saga over Christmas. I thought he might enjoy seeing the movie and so far he's riveted. Sophia has refused to join us. Mostly on the grounds of "Not enough girls", which was her main objection when she tried watching it with me about two years ago.
*We started playing the Lego Skywalker Saga over Christmas. I thought he might enjoy seeing the movie and so far he's riveted. Sophia has refused to join us. Mostly on the grounds of "Not enough girls", which was her main objection when she tried watching it with me about two years ago.
2025: Year in Review (Going Out or Watching Stuff)
Dec. 31st, 2025 11:11 amEverything is reviewed on this blog! (Sometimes rather cursorily.) Check out my monthlyculture tag.
Bracketed figures show range over the last 22 years [see the year-in-summary tag for my Cultural History since 2004].
Note: 'Best' is shorthand for 'not necessarily objectively good but I really enjoyed'.
Film (in cinema): 20 (4-21). Best three = Pillion, The Return, Thunderbolts*
Film (streamed): 32 (36-39 in the last 2 years). Best three that I hadn't already seen = KPop Demon Hunters, Official Secrets, Maria
Theatre (live): 20 (1-26). Best three = Elektra, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Born With Teeth
Theatre (streamed): 0 (38 in 2020, 16 in 2021, 8 in 2022, 0 in 2023). Must watch more NT@Home, even alone.
Concerts (classical): 9 (2-22). Best three = Dudamel, Volodos, Argerich.
Opera: 3 (0-10). Best three :) = Iphigenia in Tauris, Patience, The Magic Flute
Gigs: 5 (0-9). Best three = Patti Smith, Mitch Benn, Arcade Fire
Art: 6 (0-6) Best was probably Luxmuralis
Books: 211. Summarised here: reviews here.
Also in 2025: visited Belfast (Worldcon), Mallorca, Cambridge, Ludlow.
Bracketed figures show range over the last 22 years [see the year-in-summary tag for my Cultural History since 2004].
Note: 'Best' is shorthand for 'not necessarily objectively good but I really enjoyed'.
Film (in cinema): 20 (4-21). Best three = Pillion, The Return, Thunderbolts*
Film (streamed): 32 (36-39 in the last 2 years). Best three that I hadn't already seen = KPop Demon Hunters, Official Secrets, Maria
Theatre (live): 20 (1-26). Best three = Elektra, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Born With Teeth
Theatre (streamed): 0 (38 in 2020, 16 in 2021, 8 in 2022, 0 in 2023). Must watch more NT@Home, even alone.
Concerts (classical): 9 (2-22). Best three = Dudamel, Volodos, Argerich.
Opera: 3 (0-10). Best three :) = Iphigenia in Tauris, Patience, The Magic Flute
Gigs: 5 (0-9). Best three = Patti Smith, Mitch Benn, Arcade Fire
Art: 6 (0-6) Best was probably Luxmuralis
Books: 211. Summarised here: reviews here.
Also in 2025: visited Belfast (Worldcon), Mallorca, Cambridge, Ludlow.
2025: Year in Review (Staying In -- books read)
Dec. 31st, 2025 10:50 am
See them all on LibraryThing
What I read in 2025...
* 211 books, including a couple of scanned books on Internet Archive; including, this year, most rereads, but not re-skims, DNFs or audiobook 'rereads' which I have taken to as an accompaniment to gaming / housewerk / getting to sleep.
* 141 by female writers, 54 by male writers (some collaborations, not all books tagged)
* 36 rereads
My categorisations (some books will have more than one of these tags):
* 85 fantasy, 29 SF, 54 historical (predominantly Classical Greek)
* 28 romance (majority non-het romance)
* 25 YA/children's
* 31 non-fiction
My reading challenges:
* The 'Something Bookish' Reading Challenge
* The Speculative Fiction Challenge
* The 52 in 52 Challenge
* The Non-Fiction Menu
* My own rereading challenge
Authors I read most by:
* Victoria Goddard (mostly rereads)
* Megan Whalen Turner
* Mary Renault
* Elizabeth Wein (mostly rereads)
Best five (based on my enjoyment, not their perfection):
*The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley
*Pagans by James Alastair Henry
*Slow Gods by Claire North
*The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
*A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H G Parry
Last year's 'books read' post
Much is taken, much abides: the 2025 meme
Dec. 31st, 2025 10:08 amThe last day of 2025 dawned clear, freezing, and frosty. I've spent the morning curled up in the living room, watching the sun rise, drinking Christmas spiced coffee, and reflecting on the year that was. I've been enjoying seeing everyone else's thoughts on their own 2025; mine are behind the cut.
( And the only sound is the broken sea )
( And the only sound is the broken sea )