Pixie (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pixie_rings) wrote2026-01-01 12:32 pm
pixie_rings) wrote2026-01-01 12:32 pm
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Reading Log #3
Third year in a row, babey! I'm really happy with myself.
Fewer non-fiction books than last year, which isn't great, and a few more picture books - also not great - but in general I read more books I liked, which was the goal after so many duds last year.
This year was still a year of short commutes, but I've definitely been trying to read more on my way home. I went on holiday again, this time to Florence, and it was incredible! I've fallen in love with the place, I'll be going back this year for my friend's graduation.
For 2026, I have a set list of books I absolutely want to get through, and a Les Miserables book club set up, so this is the year I finally get through the entirety of the Brick. And maybe finally fucking finish Crime and Punishment.
So, without further ado, the books I read in 2025:
Leningrad: State of Siege by Michael Jones
Very informative, in-depth and interesting. Soul-shatteringly bleak in parts, of course, but also a testament to the indomitability of the human spirit (cliché, but true). I have a third book on Leningrad, so I'll have to read that to compare all the information.
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
Definitely a book that could have been better. I found the main characters, as public schoolboys, rather tiresome, and the only character I truly found compelling was David Hayes, the working class promoted officer who can never reach the same rank as the posh boys, despite being infinitely more suited for the job and with more experience. The long lists of names of boys barely old enough to have seen life was quite harrowing, but the problem here was the lack of depth. I feel like more could have been done. It's fine if you don't know much about WWI, but if you do, well, there are better books out there. I sent my copy to a friend in Switzerland.
Also I fucking hate the stupid pink cover of the UK edition.
The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas
A peculiar one. I can see what it wanted to do, but I don't think it did it properly for me. It was difficult to see how the bond between the two girls even developed enough for Siss to fully care about Unn and her disappearance. I felt an undercurrent of something queer, however. I'm not sure I liked it, but I'm glad I read it.
Puritanism: A Very Short Introduction by Francis J. Bremer
Research for an Old Guard fic I'm writing, and have been trying to write for over a fucking year. Literally just information, although it did give me a much broader idea of Puritans than I had before, which is exactly what it was supposed to do.
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
Definitely one of those "I don't get why people give a shit about it" ones. Probably hits harder if you're even the slightest bit spiritual.
Effin' Birds: A Field to Identification by Aaron Reynolds
One of those very stupid books born of a gimmick Twitter account. Unfunny, the birds pictured never match the descriptions (so if you know the slightest bit about ornithology it just pisses you off), an attempt at dumb office/daily life humour that just falls flat. I started this in 2024, and it took me a year to fucking finish it, which for a book that's just pictures and captions is a testament to how vapid and dumb it is. Happily I got it secondhand. Also happily I have redonated it so that it might be inflicted on some other hapless soul.
Conclave by Robert Harris
I'd seen the movie, and I'd been looking for the book, so when I found it by chance I was very pleased indeed. Despite the fact Harris is known for mainstream thrillers, I found the characters very compelling, even though the prose was nothing special. Lomeli's struggle with faith and the centring of that in the story, despite all the conspiracies surrounding the conclave and the Pope's death and machinations, that was the most interesting part. I enjoyed it as much as the film.
Madhouse at the Ends of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Anatarctic Night by Julian Sancton
Really loved this. A perfect microcosm of the turn of the twentieth century, with its nationalism at all costs, its odd and disturbing prejudices, and the lack of the knowledge that we, nowadays, take purely for granted, and also a portrait of how to survive in the harshest of conditions. I'm a sucker for a well-written boat book, and this was no exception.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
I've been deeply disillusioned by online book recommendations (fuck you, Booktok/Bookstagram), but this one lived up to the popularity and hype. It's just so well-written with some excellent, delicious prose and an entrancing plot full of intrigue. I love that the author never, ever infodumps, you're just left to figure everything about elf society on your own, and the characters are all enthralling. You really feel yourself grow along with Maia.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
One of the books I'd been meaning to read for decades now, and finally got around to it. Fully, 100% worth it. The prose is beautiful and lush like a garden full of flowers, you just sink your face into it. The bittersweetness is a virtue, the story leaving you changed, but at what cost? Simply sublime.
Baba by Mohamed Maalel
I got this one when I was in Italy, I don't think it will ever be translated into English. It wasn't particularly well-written, and I struggle to imagine how the author will continue his writing career when this one was so clearly autobiographical, but it did strike me to the core. There was a sense of familiarity of isolation in it that resonated deeply with me. And I did cry at the end. I cried so fucking much.
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Another one I'd been meaning to read for ages and finally got around to. Fucking loved it. I know I sometimes go on about prose, but a lot of the time if a book doesn't have style it falls flat, it lacks proper grabbing power. Luckily this one has a good style. The metaphors and similes were good and juicy, and Nancy's journey was compelling and emotionally powerful. I do wish she'd managed to gain some sort of political consciousness by the end, especially as she seems to be with Florence for the long haul, but a lot of authors seem to think their characters need to be some form of "apolitical" to render them more palatable. Doesn't hurt the story at all, I devoured it.
Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
This was a reread of a book I'd read in my childhood, but never managed to get my hands on the other books in the series, which I did desperately want to read. That had been one of my reading objectives for a long time, and I finally fulfilled it this year. I started with the old favourite, and honestly I remembered a lot of it, having reread it so much years ago. It was like sinking into a hot bath. I do think it's definitely the best of the five (I don't include the two written after the "conclusion" of the series). People should read these instead of Harry Potter, it has all the same elements.
The Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo
The Blue Boa by Jenny Nimmo
The Castle of Mirrors by Jenny Nimmo
The Hidden King by Jenny Nimmo
Lumping these all together even though I did read a book in between The Blue Boa and The Castle of Mirrors, because honestly there's not much to say about them individually that can't be said about all of them. While simplistic, the characters all feel like individuals and each has their own motivations and reasons for helping or hindering Charlie. There are a lot of helpful, competent adult characters, which is great for a children's book, especially because adults tend to be utterly useless in children's literature. I still have a crush on Uncle Paton.
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
This year was the year of getting around to reading stuff I'd been meaning to for ages, and this is no exception. In fact, it was the highlight of my year, and rocketed itself to my list of favourite books immediately. I tried to read this in Italian when I was in high school, but it was too dense for me, I gave up. In English and twenty years later? Much easier. I fucking loved it, I loved the characters, I loved the setting, I loved the endless theological debates. I will definitely be rereading.
Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Woodring Stover
In contrast, I expected to like this more than I did. God, it was a slog. Some of it was so, so fucking boring. The space battles were so tedious and plot-irrelevant I skipped most of them, I do not fucking care about the science, it's Star Wars, it's not about the science! I will say the Luke characterisation was very good, and it was nice to see everyone again, but in all honestly fanfic gives me the exact same thing but far, far better. And gayer. Also incredible how much of a contrast in sheer readability and craft this is compared to Stover's novelisation of Revenge of the Sith.
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi
I liked it. It was a brutal, honest look at Baghdad during the war, a series of intertwined plotlines all centring around the vengeful creature. I don't think I would have understood it as well if I hadn't listened to the Blowback podcast beforehand, however. Definitely needed more female characters and their viewpoints, women are treated abysmally in this book.
Quasimodo the Brave/Horse Sense/Frollo Meets His Match/Djali the Gypsy by Rita Balducci
Three of a Kind/The Missing Piece by Devra Newberger Spergen
Ok. So. I rewatched Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame around... October? And got weirdly deep into the tie-in lore around it (I was even toying with writing a fanfic). So I found this set of six tie-in books from 1996, bought them and read them, because I wanted Djali's origin story (there are like... three of them, and I'm still missing one). These were all fun little reads, I'm weirdly intrigued by Disney tie-in books that expand the universe each movie is set in.
Life Along the Silk Road by Susan Whitfield
One of the few non-fiction books I read this year (sob), I've always wanted to learn more about Central Asia and this feels like a very interesting starting point. It centres fictionalised stories based on actual multiple accounts we have from the waning period of the Silk Road's usage, and gives a very good overview of the changing fortunes, the political interplay and the daily lives of multiple people from different cultures. At times a little simplistic, I did catch multiple typos towards the end, but it was interesting to see all the different lives people could have lived at the time.
Regeneration by Pat Barker
Another one I'd been meaning to read for ten years, and finally managed to. A little different than I thought it would be, but still good, I feel like we should have gotten more from Wilfred Owen's point of view. Captain Rivers was extremely well-explored. There was some incredible word usage from the author in this, stuff that's stuck with me and made me envious of her skill. It does stand in powerful contrast with In Memoriam, imo. Two very different books set in the same time, that both contain queer characters. I liked this more, for sure.
Fewer non-fiction books than last year, which isn't great, and a few more picture books - also not great - but in general I read more books I liked, which was the goal after so many duds last year.
This year was still a year of short commutes, but I've definitely been trying to read more on my way home. I went on holiday again, this time to Florence, and it was incredible! I've fallen in love with the place, I'll be going back this year for my friend's graduation.
For 2026, I have a set list of books I absolutely want to get through, and a Les Miserables book club set up, so this is the year I finally get through the entirety of the Brick. And maybe finally fucking finish Crime and Punishment.
So, without further ado, the books I read in 2025:
Leningrad: State of Siege by Michael Jones
Very informative, in-depth and interesting. Soul-shatteringly bleak in parts, of course, but also a testament to the indomitability of the human spirit (cliché, but true). I have a third book on Leningrad, so I'll have to read that to compare all the information.
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
Definitely a book that could have been better. I found the main characters, as public schoolboys, rather tiresome, and the only character I truly found compelling was David Hayes, the working class promoted officer who can never reach the same rank as the posh boys, despite being infinitely more suited for the job and with more experience. The long lists of names of boys barely old enough to have seen life was quite harrowing, but the problem here was the lack of depth. I feel like more could have been done. It's fine if you don't know much about WWI, but if you do, well, there are better books out there. I sent my copy to a friend in Switzerland.
Also I fucking hate the stupid pink cover of the UK edition.
The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas
A peculiar one. I can see what it wanted to do, but I don't think it did it properly for me. It was difficult to see how the bond between the two girls even developed enough for Siss to fully care about Unn and her disappearance. I felt an undercurrent of something queer, however. I'm not sure I liked it, but I'm glad I read it.
Puritanism: A Very Short Introduction by Francis J. Bremer
Research for an Old Guard fic I'm writing, and have been trying to write for over a fucking year. Literally just information, although it did give me a much broader idea of Puritans than I had before, which is exactly what it was supposed to do.
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
Definitely one of those "I don't get why people give a shit about it" ones. Probably hits harder if you're even the slightest bit spiritual.
Effin' Birds: A Field to Identification by Aaron Reynolds
One of those very stupid books born of a gimmick Twitter account. Unfunny, the birds pictured never match the descriptions (so if you know the slightest bit about ornithology it just pisses you off), an attempt at dumb office/daily life humour that just falls flat. I started this in 2024, and it took me a year to fucking finish it, which for a book that's just pictures and captions is a testament to how vapid and dumb it is. Happily I got it secondhand. Also happily I have redonated it so that it might be inflicted on some other hapless soul.
Conclave by Robert Harris
I'd seen the movie, and I'd been looking for the book, so when I found it by chance I was very pleased indeed. Despite the fact Harris is known for mainstream thrillers, I found the characters very compelling, even though the prose was nothing special. Lomeli's struggle with faith and the centring of that in the story, despite all the conspiracies surrounding the conclave and the Pope's death and machinations, that was the most interesting part. I enjoyed it as much as the film.
Madhouse at the Ends of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Anatarctic Night by Julian Sancton
Really loved this. A perfect microcosm of the turn of the twentieth century, with its nationalism at all costs, its odd and disturbing prejudices, and the lack of the knowledge that we, nowadays, take purely for granted, and also a portrait of how to survive in the harshest of conditions. I'm a sucker for a well-written boat book, and this was no exception.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
I've been deeply disillusioned by online book recommendations (fuck you, Booktok/Bookstagram), but this one lived up to the popularity and hype. It's just so well-written with some excellent, delicious prose and an entrancing plot full of intrigue. I love that the author never, ever infodumps, you're just left to figure everything about elf society on your own, and the characters are all enthralling. You really feel yourself grow along with Maia.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
One of the books I'd been meaning to read for decades now, and finally got around to it. Fully, 100% worth it. The prose is beautiful and lush like a garden full of flowers, you just sink your face into it. The bittersweetness is a virtue, the story leaving you changed, but at what cost? Simply sublime.
Baba by Mohamed Maalel
I got this one when I was in Italy, I don't think it will ever be translated into English. It wasn't particularly well-written, and I struggle to imagine how the author will continue his writing career when this one was so clearly autobiographical, but it did strike me to the core. There was a sense of familiarity of isolation in it that resonated deeply with me. And I did cry at the end. I cried so fucking much.
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Another one I'd been meaning to read for ages and finally got around to. Fucking loved it. I know I sometimes go on about prose, but a lot of the time if a book doesn't have style it falls flat, it lacks proper grabbing power. Luckily this one has a good style. The metaphors and similes were good and juicy, and Nancy's journey was compelling and emotionally powerful. I do wish she'd managed to gain some sort of political consciousness by the end, especially as she seems to be with Florence for the long haul, but a lot of authors seem to think their characters need to be some form of "apolitical" to render them more palatable. Doesn't hurt the story at all, I devoured it.
Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
This was a reread of a book I'd read in my childhood, but never managed to get my hands on the other books in the series, which I did desperately want to read. That had been one of my reading objectives for a long time, and I finally fulfilled it this year. I started with the old favourite, and honestly I remembered a lot of it, having reread it so much years ago. It was like sinking into a hot bath. I do think it's definitely the best of the five (I don't include the two written after the "conclusion" of the series). People should read these instead of Harry Potter, it has all the same elements.
The Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo
The Blue Boa by Jenny Nimmo
The Castle of Mirrors by Jenny Nimmo
The Hidden King by Jenny Nimmo
Lumping these all together even though I did read a book in between The Blue Boa and The Castle of Mirrors, because honestly there's not much to say about them individually that can't be said about all of them. While simplistic, the characters all feel like individuals and each has their own motivations and reasons for helping or hindering Charlie. There are a lot of helpful, competent adult characters, which is great for a children's book, especially because adults tend to be utterly useless in children's literature. I still have a crush on Uncle Paton.
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
This year was the year of getting around to reading stuff I'd been meaning to for ages, and this is no exception. In fact, it was the highlight of my year, and rocketed itself to my list of favourite books immediately. I tried to read this in Italian when I was in high school, but it was too dense for me, I gave up. In English and twenty years later? Much easier. I fucking loved it, I loved the characters, I loved the setting, I loved the endless theological debates. I will definitely be rereading.
Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Woodring Stover
In contrast, I expected to like this more than I did. God, it was a slog. Some of it was so, so fucking boring. The space battles were so tedious and plot-irrelevant I skipped most of them, I do not fucking care about the science, it's Star Wars, it's not about the science! I will say the Luke characterisation was very good, and it was nice to see everyone again, but in all honestly fanfic gives me the exact same thing but far, far better. And gayer. Also incredible how much of a contrast in sheer readability and craft this is compared to Stover's novelisation of Revenge of the Sith.
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi
I liked it. It was a brutal, honest look at Baghdad during the war, a series of intertwined plotlines all centring around the vengeful creature. I don't think I would have understood it as well if I hadn't listened to the Blowback podcast beforehand, however. Definitely needed more female characters and their viewpoints, women are treated abysmally in this book.
Quasimodo the Brave/Horse Sense/Frollo Meets His Match/Djali the Gypsy by Rita Balducci
Three of a Kind/The Missing Piece by Devra Newberger Spergen
Ok. So. I rewatched Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame around... October? And got weirdly deep into the tie-in lore around it (I was even toying with writing a fanfic). So I found this set of six tie-in books from 1996, bought them and read them, because I wanted Djali's origin story (there are like... three of them, and I'm still missing one). These were all fun little reads, I'm weirdly intrigued by Disney tie-in books that expand the universe each movie is set in.
Life Along the Silk Road by Susan Whitfield
One of the few non-fiction books I read this year (sob), I've always wanted to learn more about Central Asia and this feels like a very interesting starting point. It centres fictionalised stories based on actual multiple accounts we have from the waning period of the Silk Road's usage, and gives a very good overview of the changing fortunes, the political interplay and the daily lives of multiple people from different cultures. At times a little simplistic, I did catch multiple typos towards the end, but it was interesting to see all the different lives people could have lived at the time.
Regeneration by Pat Barker
Another one I'd been meaning to read for ten years, and finally managed to. A little different than I thought it would be, but still good, I feel like we should have gotten more from Wilfred Owen's point of view. Captain Rivers was extremely well-explored. There was some incredible word usage from the author in this, stuff that's stuck with me and made me envious of her skill. It does stand in powerful contrast with In Memoriam, imo. Two very different books set in the same time, that both contain queer characters. I liked this more, for sure.