Distracting myself from possibly reading more things by looking at possible books for next year. The spreadsheet runneth over, and yet I have but one thing pre-ordered in 2026. Probably for the best; I should read some of the 2025 things first. But currently 33 books I am Paying Attention To.

The roundup post, she is written. Watch as I now develop an irresistable yearning to read an entire book overnight...

For once I have NYE plans, which means I have to write my year end roundup today and it feels SO WEIRD. My brain is just so convinced I might sneak in three more books that change everything in the next 24 hours (or at least make the stats neater).

The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman: Review by Liz Bourke locusmag.com/review/...

Have now finished it, and unfortunately found Written on the Dark somewhat disappointing. Lots of more complex thoughts, but underneath it all, simply not enough sorrow, too many problems fixed or averted. Still beautifully written, but not quite magic.

Increasingly convinced GGK can only write about four distinct characters, but it’s ok because I love them all every time.

Ah, the peak GGK experience: I have already become very fond of this character, so naturally they are engaged in extremely dangerous activities with political implications and ruthless players instead of leaving well enough alone and going home. Gotta keep reading to make sure they’re ok.

I mainly pick my bookmarks on colour matching, but the saddest boy in the world seems an appropriate pick for a Guy Gavriel Kay book too.

We’re watching The Two Towers, and today’s take (based on Théoden reciting “where is the horse and the rider”) is that they really ought to have kept more of the poetry in the films.

The gods did what men dared not.

Making my deadline and review tracker for 2026, which is both exciting (ooh year ahead, books I'm excited for, plans, spreadsheets) and horrifying (who agreed to all these things? damn I should probably actually read a book or something, RIP me).

So did @niallharrison.bsky.social bribe the Guardian or something?

Christmas reading

Hot on the heels of reading the books, it’s film time.

Reviewer friend question - when is the best time to review a book? I don't mean for the book/author/publisher, but for you as a reviewer, or other reasons if they exist?

There’s a review today, gang! Here’s Duncan Lawie on Tochi Onyebuchi’s surprising Harmattan Season (@tordotcom.bsky.social), in which “the ongoing story of collaboration, compromise, or collapse doesn't wrap up” - and productively so.

Hunting through the booze cupboard to figure out what we have, only to discover multiple bottles of disaronno, at last four nearly-but-not-totally empty bottles of port, a LOT of gin and an unlabelled mystery bottle that turned out to be the absolutely vile mead I made a few years ago.

Festival View: The Ugly Chickens @johnnyeponymous.bsky.social takes a look at the short film based on the Waldrop story www.nerds-feather.com/2025/12/fest...

Ed and I plan to carry on our close reading, either by going straight into The Two Towers, or by diverting into a book of my choice rather than his. I’m struggling a little with that because I don’t think there’s anything I have as intensely fond, substantial feelings about as he does for LOTR.

Already seeing some... interesting... takes about the Odyssey film, and a lot of stuff crystallising around "historical accuracy". And while some of the points I've seen raised are entirely valid (the trousers, choice of actors), for a lot of them... well.

Ah yes, the 23rd of December, exactly when I want to be trying to get hold of Royal Mail about an issue. Bonus points if I'm on hold on this call for less than 45 minutes.

Not much changed when the Fire Nation attacked The Avatar saga remains faithful to its tried and true formula: visually breathtaking, narratively uninspired @carturo222.bsky.social has our review of Avatar: Fire and Ash at the blog www.nerds-feather.com/2025/12/not-...

Took me a while to get to it but, Isaac Fellman's Notes From A Regicide is going to be on my list of the best novels of 2025. Hugely emotionally resonant but also intellectually playful; what strikes me most is how it uses its SFnal elements for exactly the opposite effect most lit SF does.

It’s the last issue of 2025 at @strangehorizons.bsky.social (I know, what even is time etc). What do we have for you in Reviews? Monday is the always incisive @octavia-cade.bsky.social on Syr Hayati Beker’s What A Fish Looks Like (@stelliform.press). “Is there one right way to navigate apocalypse?”

New game, first play success (though naturally @edmorland.bsky.social won).

Once again wishing a Clarke Award existed for fantasy

It's only a teaser trailer, but I think this does answer one of my questions about the film, and I think I like the answer - it looks like Nolan is going to have this be mythic, rather than trying to make it intensely realist.

Today at @nerdsofafeather.bsky.social I reviewed The Wolf and his King by Finn Longman. It's a gorgeously prosey retelling of Bisclavret, and one that feels deeply embedded in the stories of its 12th century inspiration.

ARB's Notable Books of 2025!

The 4.30-5am zone is so dangerous. I start thinking "what if I just... didn't sleep at all? I'm not really tired". And I know how that goes (fine until about midday, then increasingly not fine, then weirdly fine again at about 9pm for a couple of hours, then crash).

What do we do when we're awake at 4am? We start wondering if there's any difference in star rating distribution in the different genres we read this year. Obviously.

Changing the bed, including switching to our winter double duvet, will have to be a two stage process as somebody has found himself a den.

Absolutely convinced this review was a bit under wordcount and worried I'd just not actually covered things sufficiently... right up until I check and find it's nearly 2.5k.

There is nothing better than the perfect peace and silence of a 4am, with more than two unbroken weeks in front of me in which I can indulge in it.

Have now finished The Wolf And His King by Finn Longman (yes, at 3.30 in the morning, shush) and it was GOOD. Lovely prose, interesting approach to the original work, really nice throughlines on the nature of kingship and what one wants/needs out of love, and some lovely grounding physical details.

Incoherent noises of reading joy

Opinion - second person, present tense, is the sexiest way to tell a story.

Strange New Worlds time again. Back in with S3E3, Shuttle to Kenfori, which at least seems a pivot back into serious. Generally speaking, even if the individual episodes haven't always landed for me, they do seem to be doing a decent balance of nonsense vs SRS BSNSS episodes. Good tonal variation.

I think this guy might have lied on his CV, because I do not trust his food hygiene credentials at all.

Intergalactic Mixtape #33 is live! It's the last issue of 2025 and is stuffed full of rec lists. :)

Just started The Wolf and his King by Finn Longman, and even two chapters in I’m already in love with it. Just the /feel/ of it, the atmosphere, the way he’s writing the interiority of the characters. Mmmmmm.

I will not have takes until I see the film. I will not have takes until I see the film. I will NOT HAVE TAKES UNTIL I SEE THE FILM.

This may be one of the best Christmas cards we have ever received.

It has been 24 hours since I watched SNW S3E2 Wedding Bell Blues and it has had me in its grip the entire time since, because I cannot figure out, emotionally, what it was trying to do. What did this achieve, or progress, add depth to or... idk anything that feels like it had a purpose.

The out of office is on and I am FREE. Until the 5th of January, I can revert to the nocturnal chaos gremlin I am in my heart. Thank fuck.

Back on my Strange New Worlds bullshit (S2E10 currently) and once again somewhat exasperated by their Spock choices. Especially romantically.

Ok this is my current wishlist selection for audiobooks. Would any of these be particularly good listens? Especially bearing in mind I don't retain info all that well via audio so probably wouldn't review it, or handle a particularly long/complex thing well.

It’s time to pick another audiobook uggghhggg. Maybe I should just pick something really long and settle in so I don’t keep having to do this, but I’m p sure that would just mean I forgot half of it before the end.

English needs to figure out a way to easily represent the French "je" sound, because I use it when speaking pretty often and nothing looks right. (this brought to you by seeing someone write "jzuzzing" and wishing we could do better)

With a little over a month to go before the deadline to become a Hugo voter for 2026, I'm sharing some of my recs! SFF fan culture is deep and wide, and there are so many creative folks out there deserving of recognition by their peers! #HugoAwards 🔗 ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/2025/12/15/w...