Metronomica.blog
a list of books i read in 2025
Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer (3.5 out of 5) - A wonderful world that I wanted to get lost in; a story that kind of lost me. (Jan. 14 - Jan. 19)
This Wretched Valley, by Jenny Kiefer (2.0 out of 5) - Ex: “A waterfall of blood gushed around it, looping like a GIF.” (Jan. 19 - Jan. 23)
The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters (3.75 out of 5) - Spooky and sad, with one terrifying set piece, but I wish it went just a hair further. (Jan. 25 - Feb. 5)
Stand Out of our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy, by James Williams (4.0 out of 5) - After reading this, I feel like I understand enough about the author’s thesis and ideas to lay the groundwork for a re-read. It puts into words so much of how I feel about my relationship with my devices, and how adversarial that relationship is. I want to dig back in with a pen and paper and really peel back the layers. (Feb. 5 - Feb. 6)
A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin (4.25 out of 5) - Unfussy, foundational fantasy. Felt like someone was walking me through a legend. Beautiful world, charming all around. (Feb. 8 - Feb. 16)
Dead Astronauts, by Jeff VanderMeer (4.5 out of 5) - A complete fever dream where narratives and points of view stumble over each other, bizarre inhuman narrators half-explain their thoughts, and an enormous sea monster is taken over by an alien. Vandermeer has a great time playing with form and tone. Bits of lore are sprinkled throughout, just enough to make you feel like you might know what’s really going on. So challenging, sometimes off-putting, but ultimately gorgeous. (Feb. 17 - Feb. 27)
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson (4 out of 5) - Entrancing narration unlike anything I’ve read, surrounding a simple story that’s eerie without succumbing to outright horror. (March 2 - March 4)
Our Wives Under the Sea, by Julia Armfield (3.5 out of 5) - Even though the slow first half led to a gripping second half, the split POV hurts the story, placing it in a liminal space between reflection on grief and cosmic horror story. If you’re more excited about the latter, the book will only half hit. (March 5 - 9)
The Troop, by Nick Cutter (3.25 out of 5) - Propulsive, eventually, and absolutely disgusting. But I really disliked the structure. Everything goes to shit so fast that the characters need to be shaded in while the action is on. I’d rather a slower burn. (March 15 - 18)
Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke (4.5 out of 5) - I just wanted to hang out in the Halls with Piranesi. Utterly charming, gorgeous and mysterious world-building, a surprising puzzle-box mystery that emerges over the second half of the book — one that I enjoyed, but I wonder if there’s still maybe a book where we only live in the House. (March 23 - 25)
Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist, by Liz Pelly (3 out of 5) - Vital stuff, but I would love to have read more about Pelly’s personal connection to music. The cultural importance of music is told to the reader but not shown, and what’s left is an uncovering of a company being shitty and prioritizing capitalism above all else, as so many do. (March 12 - 28)
The September House, by Carissa Orlando (4 out of 5) - You think it’s a kind of funny, cozy haunted house story about a woman who finds ways to live with the ghosts, but then it becomes something else, and then something else, and then goes absolutely wild. Didn’t love the very end, but the experience overall was pretty memorable. (March 28 - 31)
Nothing But Blackened Teeth, by Cassandra Khaw (1.5 out of 5) - Felt like an overwritten college fiction workshop draft. I wanted to like it but I didn’t like the writing or the characters or the story or the ending. (April 2)
Song for the Unraveling of the World: Stories, by Brian Evenson (3 out of 5) - A lot of these stories felt like vague concepts of stories, their ambiguity just a bit too ambiguous to make an impact. A few bangers, though. And “Trigger Warnings” is garbage. (April 1 - 15)
Our Share of Night, by Mariana Enriquez (4.5 out of 5) - A gorgeous, horrifying epic that meanders through normal times before abruptly hitting some shocking, supernatural moments. The ending, in this 600 page book, was too sudden. (April 4 - April 16)
Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel (2.5 out of 5) - There are themes gurgling under the surface that I half-understand, but I don’t think understanding them would make me enjoy this book any more. So many characters, so much narrative jumping, not enough time spent with anyone. (April 18 - April 20)
Incidents Around the House, by Josh Malerman (4.5 out of 5) - As a parent, horrifying. The narration works surprisingly well and there are some good scares. Less-than-good monologuing leads to a 0.5 point deduction. (April 20 - 21)
Slade House, by David Mitchell (4.25 out of 5) - I love his writing style and the vignette-y structure of the book. Things get a bit too explain-y at the end, but I understand it’s because this book exists in a larger world of Mitchell’s work. I’m intrigued, but I would have preferred something more self-contained. (April 22 - 23)
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, by Cal Newport (4 out of 5) - While I have some issues with the book, it was incredibly inspiring, and I’ve barely opened my computer since finishing it. I’m trying to use it more as a tool, in a way that serves my interests and values rather than as time-wasting device. The book is working its magic on me. (April 15 - 25)
A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories, by Mariana Enriquez (3 out of 5) - I loved Our Share of Night so much and was comparatively disappointed by this. I only really remember a few stories — so many felt more sketched out than fully fleshed. I did learn it’s hot in Argentina, though. (April 23 - 30)
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism, by Sarah Wynn-Williams (3.5 out of 5) - I dunno. Some really shocking stuff in here, but also somehow not surprising. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that Wynn-Williams is less of the hero than she’s made out to be. (April 29 - May 2)
Coup de Grace, by Sofia Arjam (1.5 out of 5) - I really didn’t like this. There were some super evocative images, but the writing was so overwrought that it was a slog to get through. And the writing choice toward the end, which I won’t spoil, felt ridiculous. (May 2 - 3)
Joyful Recollections of Trauma, by Paul Scheer (2 out of 5) - I don’t mind informal writing, but this was so informal that it felt like an email from a friend. A dark one, sure, but it just wasn’t there for me. The common end-chapter “in conclusion, I will be better” is nice but too simple. (May 4 - 5)
Circe, by Madeline Miller (4.5 out 5) - The most compelling story about a woman hanging out on an island I’ve ever read. I’m a sucker for Greek mythology, but this reframing of Circe’s life does way more than it needed to. It’s powerful and brimming with compelling themes. Circe’s thoughts on rearing Telegonus, knowing she’ll outlive him, were tough to read. (May 6 - 13)
The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi (1 out of 5) - In the acknowledgements, Scalzi calls this novel a pop song. And that made me respect a bit more… but not enough. While the idea was cool, the writing was infuriating. Everyone was quipping like they were in a Marvel movie. The kaiju were barely described. It feels like a schlocky Netflix movie in book form. No. (May 14 - 15)
// tags: books