An update: books #24-27 in 2025.

'The Harder I Fight The More I Love You' by Neko Case - 2⭐
'Carl's Doomsday Scenario' by Matt Dinniman - 4⭐
'The Many-Coloured Land' by Julian May - 3⭐
'The City of Brass' by Shannon Chakraborty - 3.5⭐

💙📚/🪐📚/🇳🇿📚

An update: books #20-23 in 2025 (although I've just started book #38!)

'A Different Kind of Power's by Jacinda Ardern - 4⭐
'Brave New Arctic' by Mark C. Serreze - 3⭐
'The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi' by Shannon Chakraborty - 3.5⭐
'Emperor of Rome' by Mary Beard - 2.5⭐

💙📚/🪐📚/🇳🇿📚

An update: books #16-19 (I'm up to 27 though!)

'What The Wild Sea Can Be' by Helen Scales - 4.5⭐
'Careless People' by Sarah Wynn-Williams - 3.5⭐
'My Effin' Life' by Geddy Lee - 3.5⭐
'Alien Clay' by Adrian Tchaikovsky - 3.5⭐

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An update on what I've been reading in 2025. Here are books 12-15:

'Takeover' by Timothy W. Ryback - 4.5⭐
'Educated' by Tara Westover - 4.5⭐
'Dungeon Crawler Carl' by Matt Dinniman - 4⭐
'The Education Wars' by Jennifer C. Berkshire and Jack Schneider - 4⭐

💙📚/🪐📚/🇳🇿📚

Today I finished book #20!

Another catch-up post of what I've been reading in 2025...here are books #8-11:

'Endurance' by Alfred Lansing - 5⭐
'Somewhere Beyond the Sea' by T.J. Klune - 2⭐
'Hammajang Luck's by Makana Yamamoto - 3⭐
'A Gentleman in Moscow' by Amor Towles - 5⭐

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I haven't posted about books in a while - I'm currently up to 16 books in 2025.

Books #4-7:

'The Ministry of Time' by Kaliane Bradley - 5⭐
'Blood Over Bright Haven' by M. L. Wang - 3.5⭐
'Seven Wonders of the Ancient World' by Bettany Hughes - 2.5⭐
'Orbital' by Samantha Harvey - 3.5⭐

💙📚/🪐📚/🇳🇿📚

Great couple of shows last night: first Juno Is @spaceacademy.bsky.social for some psych/dream pop kind of like Melody's Echo Chamber, then across the street to Darkroom to catch jazz fusion act Yugo. Support local music and music venues. 🙂

Finished! 'Bloody Minded' by Susie Ferguson. 💙📚 / 🇳🇿📚

5⭐ 2025 book #3

An absolutely outstanding autobiography. She tells the story of decades of misdiagnoses and poor treatment as a woman in the health system, and her journalistic career from her start as a war and disaster correspondent.

A tranquil overnight trip to Mid Hill tarns last week with a stunning sunrise.

More photos and trip report here: thescamperingtramper.com/home/mid-hill-tarns

#nz

Finished! 'Clytemnestra' by Costanza Casati. 💙📚 / 🇳🇿📚

3⭐ 2025 book #2

I would have liked the narrative to have continued to include the events surrounding Iphigenia's potential return home. Timandra was a great character who I wish wasn't dropped from the story in the last third of the book.

A perfect New Year's tramp around the Gillespie Pass circuit in the breathtaking Mt Aspiring National Park.

More photos and trip report here: thescamperingtramper.com/home/gillespie-pass-circuit

#nz

Finished! 'Playground' by Richard Powers. 💙📚 / 🇳🇿📚 / 🪐📚

5⭐ 2025 book #1

A sweeping epic centred around a small island and its 82 inhabitants at a critical moment.

A sublime mid-week trip to Mt Brown Hut on Wednesday, sleeping out under the stars. Full trip report here: ctc.org.nz/index.php/tr...
#nz #hiking #tramping

Finished! 'Odyssey' by Stephen Fry. 💙📚 / 🇳🇿📚 / 🪐📚

5⭐

What could have been a standard retelling of the Odyssey is enlivened and fleshed out by Fry's inclusion of many stories of other Trojan War heroes' journeys home.

The full story of Orestes and Iphigenia in particular stood out.

A lovely, easy trip to Ada Pass Hut on the St. James Walkway for a social overnighter back in October. Lewis Pass National Reserve (hard to believe it's not a National Park!) boasts tons of cool tramping and mountaineering trips. Below is Cannibal Gorge Hut, reached an hour before Ada Pass Hut. #nz

Finished! 'The Mercy of Gods' by James S. A. Corey. 💙📚 / 🇳🇿📚 / 🪐📚

2⭐

A very disappointing follow-up to the enthralling nine-book The Expanse ('Leviathan Wakes') series.

A dreary book, in part due to how little happened and a lack of characterisation. The characters are just names on a page.

Finished! 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' by T.J. Klune. 💙📚

4.5⭐

A book about finding one's home and family (reminded me of 'Brooklyn' and Becky Chambers' Wayfarers series) and discovering what's most important. A book about breaking down prejudices and nurturing the potential in young people.

Finished! 'Our Fragile Moment' by @michaelemann.bsky.social 💙📚

A near-perfect (4.5⭐) read for me. This book explains what the climate was like throughout Earth's geological history.

My one wish is for a slightly more detailed diagram of the names and timescales of the eras and systems/periods.