36 novels in 2025 (list here)! I have been reading quite a bit: escapism! Here’s what is in queue for 2026 so far!
King Sorrow is wrapping up, so I’m leaving on 2025. GREAT read! This epic tale is like Dark Tower and Fairy Tale (by King) had a baby. SO GOOD.
Dream Girl, Laura Lippman. Turns out, Lippman is a pretty famous writer. This novel is the story of an author intertwined with a mysterious stalker of the author. Decent plot and characters. It’s OK.
The Golden Gate, Amy Chua.
2025 Xmess Hurl:
Filterworld ST How Algorithms Flattened Culture, Kyle Chayka. I tried, I really did. The title seemed like a relevant read, but it turns out that while the subject is relevant, the content is pretty fucking banal. The author is a millennial and I just can’t take the whining. “Oh, woe is me, I HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE to Spotify, it’s where all my music is!” Or this one: “I found my CD case from the 90s. I wish I could play these CDs now!” Wow, really? You know WHY algorithms run everything? Because millennials and beyond have zero awareness of doing anything OTHER THAN using these stupid services and have zero ability to think for themselves. If you are too dumb to figure out how to set up a server for your shit, hook up an optical drive and make your own library, then I have no sympathy for you. You probably don’t back up your shit, either. I got to page 78 of this drivel and bounced. I think if you ARE a millennial, and confused about why you can’t control your apps, then this book would be relevant. However, if you are someone who’s been in tech since the mid-90s and understand how it works, don’t bother with this. It’s interesting to note that this guy also does a newsletter called Dirt that I recently subscribed to. It must be pretty banal, too, since I can’t tell you a thing that has been in the couple of issues I’ve looked at. ::shrug::
The Sweetest Fruits, Monique Truong. I think I’m done with Monique. Bitter in the Mouth was good, but the other two I’ve read are just too slow and convoluted.
Mediocre, Ijeoma Olouo. ST “The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America.” This one is very good so far. It was published in 20 or 21, so it’s before that orange turd was elected AGAIN. UGH. This book is well researched and pretty much 100% on point.
Care and Feeding, Laurie Woolever. This is a memoir by the author of a Bourdain biography. This is her stories and her experiences with Tony Bourdain. I was happy to have my suspicions about that cunt Asia Argento confirmed. It’s a decent memoir and an easy read.
Fairy Tale, Stephen King. REREAD, but still counts! King Sorrow made me want to revisit this one!
The End of the World as We Know It, New Tales from Stephen King’s The Stand. A collection of stories spun off from the The Stand. Nick says it’s awesome, it’ll be my read after King Sorrow. I started this, but got very tired of the theme about 1/3 in. I will probably revisit it in between other books.







