Welcome to the first 2025 monthly recap! The year is off to a good start, as I was able to hit most of my usual genres — only science fiction was neglected. I’ve already completed a quarter of the science survey, too, which is grand. Of course. it helped that my two-month old computer up and died on me and I’m having to mail it across the country to be repaired. (For some reason, ibuypower won’t let Best Buy service the machine despite the warranty. Ugh.) Time I used to spend listening to podcasts while puttering around in Stardew Valley is now being reclaimed by books — and as will be see tomorrow or tonight, movies. One thing I’m proud of this month is that there were no unreviewed books: my last book read for January was The Light Eaters, and I expect to post that review today.

Japanese Literature Challenge #18:
Strange Weather in Tokyo, Hiromi Kawakami. Trans. Allison Powell
Before we Forget Kindness, Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Trans. Geoffrey Trousselot.

The Grand Tour
Ehm, will commence in February! We’ve been meandering across the Atlantic but the harbor is in sight.

Science Survey
Primate Made, Vybarr Cregan-Reid (Anthropology)
Nerve: Adventures in the Science of Fear, Eve Holland (Cognition, Neurology, and Psychology:)
The Light Eaters: The Unseen World of Plant Intelligence, Zoe Schlanger (Flora and Fauna)

The Great Reread:

The Unsettling of America, Wendell Berry. It was good to revisit this, especially having read Kingsnorth recently. I love their shared sacramental vision of creation and our place within it.
Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War, William Manchester. Also a re-read from 1998 or 1999 or so: this book really formed how I began understanding the Pacific war as a teenager.

New Acquisitions:
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, Timothy Snyder. Currently reading. Grim stuff.
What We See: Advancing the Observations of Jane Jacobs. An anthology bringing Jacobs’ insights into the present day. Still waiting for it to arrive…

Coming up in February:

Doing a buddy read of 1984 with Cyberkitten, and expecting to post a review Monday. I may do something Valentine-y midmonth, but it depends on how how other challenges are shaping up. (Note to self: reading a book about Nazi-Soviet mass murder at the same time as starting 1984 again was a bad idea.)