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 - 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 - April 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)
// tags: books