+++ Friday  2 January 2026 +++

Books I enjoyed reading in 2025
===============================

These are the books I enjoyed most in the last year.

First, a list of the most enjoyed Gutenberg books and short stories,
followed by the non-Gutenberg non-fiction, and ending with non-Gutenberg
fiction.

Gutenberg
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* Little Fuzzy
  H. Beam Piper (1962)
  252 pages

  Short science fiction novel about a planet in deep space which is
  being mined for "sunstones". The discovery of a small humanoid
  furry race set of a chain of events. This book breathes US
  culture, but is non the less a lovely read. Read as part of my
  Gutenberg-recents challenge. Gutenberg book 18137

* Ziska - The Problem of a Wicked Soul
  Marie Corelli (1898)
  206 pages - 5 stars

  A Gothic novel set in Egypt. A group of English tourists visits
  Cairo when the mysterious "Princess Zika" appears. Two friends
  fall in love with her. A spooky story about love and revenge.
  Read as part of the of my Gutenberg-recents challenge.
  Gutenberg book 5079

* Let's Get Together
  Isaac Asimov (1957)
  18 pages - 5 stars

  Short story set in a world where the Cold War has endured for a
  century. Gutenberg book 68377

* The Black Kiss
  Robert Bloch, Henry Kuttner (1937)
  20 pages - 5 stars

  Short story, the page count is guessed. This is a horror story.
  Read as part of my Gutenberg-recents challenge.
  I almost never read horror stories, this one I enjoyed.
  Gutenberg book 76435


Non-fiction
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* The Practicing Stoic
  Ward Farnsworth (2018)
  292 pages

  This book brings together the teachings of several classic Stoics,
  like Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and also some newer
  authors, like Montainge. The author divided the many elements of
  stoic thinking in about a dozen categories. The introduction of
  each category and the explanation of the elements there in are
  well written, easy to understand. For each element brings together
  some related text from the different Stoics, like what Seneca said
  about the topic, and what Aurelius said about it, and so on.
  The writing is very accessible and understandable, and this book
  helps you to gain your insights for you own journey to a Stoic way
  of live.

* Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
  Jaron Lanier (2018)
  146 pages

  This books explains that commercial social media use algorithms to
  keep you engaged as long as possible. These algorithms are
  constantly improved by automated feedback loops. This results in
  more extreme posts, increased toxic behavior and it alters the
  users' worldview. Commercial social media have become evil and
  cause world wide havoc.


Fiction
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* Pattern Recognition
  William Gibson (2003)
  368 pages

  A great and captivating story that develops at a good pace. Real
  and easy to identify with protagonist. Lovely written, with many
  great sentences, great descriptions of the surroundings, and of
  the characters. A real and highly recommended page-turner.

  I have just started re-reading it, the first book ever I re-read
  within a year.

* Parinesi
  Susanna Clarke (2000)
  272 pages

  Parinesi, the main person, lives in a labyrinth made of infinite
  halls filled with statues. The halls are at different levels, the
  highest in clouds, the lowest sometimes flooded with seawater. The
  labyrinth slowly wipes your memory. With the help of his journals
  Parinesi manages to cope with the environment. Twice a week
  Parinesi meets the "Other". One day, the Other warns of the coming
  of a third person, with bad intentions. A lovely read, with a
  good, captivating story.

* Gideon the Ninth
  Tamsyn Muir (2019)
  448 pages

  A fantasy novel set in a star system with nine planets, each home
  to a "Great House". Each of the nine houses practice their school
  of necromancy.
  Gideon Nav has been adopted by the Ninth House, but hates the
  people and their death cult. The book begins when Gideon is 18
  years old and attempts for the 87th time to escape.
  This book combines some horror-elements with contemporary humor,
  giving it a unique style, It is fun to read, but also at times a
  page-turner.

* The Windup Girl
  Paolo Bacigalupi (2009)
  361 pages

  Dystopian story, set in Bangkok in 23-th century. It shows a
  corrupt world in which bribery is the norm at all levels. A good
  story, easy to read and entertaining.

* The Tombs of Atua
  Ursula K. Le Guin (1971)
  163 pages

  This is the story of a girl, chosen to become the One Priestess of
  the Nameless Ones. To worship she has to go down the pitch dark
  cavern, where light is forbidden.
  A captivating story, this book is a real page turner.


There is more
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I tried to keep this list short, but that wasn't easy, I have read more
good books. For the entire list, see:

gopher://box.matto.nl/0/2025-reads.txt



Last edited: $Date: 2026/01/02 11:15:50 $