Like fall

In Love with Sadness

I wish I were like fall...I wish I were like fall

I wish I were like fall, silent, with no desires at all

My wishes' leaves would one by one turn sallow-gold

My eyes' sun would grow cold

The heavens of my breast would fill with pain

And suddenly a storm of grief would seize my heart

Like rain my tears would start

And stain my dress

Oh...how lovely then, if I were like fall

Feral and bitter, with colors seeping into one another, so beautiful

In my eyes a poet would read...a heavenly poem

In my chest a lover's heart would flare with fire

And in its sparks a hidden pain

My song...

Like a breeze's voice, with broken wings,

The scent of grief would drip on hearts grown tired of things.

In front of me

The bitter face of a new winter:

Behind me

Summer's sudden love, all its commotion.

My breast

The home of sadness, pain, suspicion

I wish I were like fall...I wish I were like fall 

 

~Forugh Farrokhzad (1934-1967), in The Mirror of my Heart: A Thousand Years of Persian Poetry by Women translated by Dick Davis (New York, 2019), p. 185 

 

 

 

A Triptych on happiness

What's all this talk of exile

    as a tale of misery?

Your homeland's where you're happiest

    wherever that might be. 

 

~Ofaq Jalayer, in The Mirror of my Heart: A Thousand Years of Persian Poetry by Women translated by Dick Davis (New York, 2019), p. 51

18 June 2026

My rose, what did you see among flowers, in the garden,

Apart from scolding, spiteful thorns, what did you see?

In the bazaar, my ruby, shining with such radiance,

Apart from that mean customer, what did you see?

You went into the fields, your fate was to be caged,

Apart from this cage, captured bird, what did you see?

 

 ~Parvin Etesami (1907-1941), in The Mirror of my Heart: A Thousand Years of Persian Poetry by Women translated by Dick Davis (New York, 2019), p. 143

13 August, 2026

Making Do

I'll pick weeds if no flowers appear for me

And I'll drink drops if I can't reach the sea. 

 

~Mastureh Kurdi (1804-1848), in The Mirror of my Heart: A Thousand Years of Persian Poetry by Women translated by Dick Davis (New York, 2019), p. 102 

Now it is today

Yesterday the sun shone bright,

over a snow covered hill

yesterday a tender sight

a bird on my window sill.

15 March 2026

Yesterday the rivers flowed

cool and clean and free

yesterday it was not cold

and sights were there to see.

1 March 2026

Yesterday my heart was happy

My heart was calm and gay

yesterday was wonderful

but now it is today. 

 

~Vanessa Howard, A Screaming Whisper (New York, 1972), p. 52 

Goals for 2026

A belated happy New Year, dear reader. Wishing you and yours peace, joy, and community in the year ahead.

This now my fifth year of posting goals for the New Year and looking the world around us, I thought about taking a break from these posts. 

(I first posted this song in 2020; it seems even more apropos now...) 

 

But here we are once more. In no particular order, my goals for the coming year:

1. Participate in the 2026 Books in Translation Reading Challenge. The latter has been a real highlight of my past few years of reading, bringing me into contact with so many books I would never otherwise have read. 
2. My current contract ends halfway through 2026, so figuring out what and where's next is a particularly pressing goal. Fingers crossed!
3. The timing makes this a particularly ambitious goal, but I plan to participate in Jami Attenberg's 1000 Words of Summer, writing challenge, which starts May 30, 2026 and ends June 12, 2026.  
4. Two goals in one: revise a short story from the science fiction writing class I took in 2025 and submit it for publication. 
5. Produce at least six blog posts, including a conclusion to my "Learning New Words with Lymond" blog post series--currently halfway through the alphabet; and a post organizing the list of writing workshops and classes I made after my previous class ended.
6. Without injury, get back to regularly running 3-4 times a week, and by the end of the summer, be comfortable running 25-mile weeks again.
7. Take a weaving class or workshop.
8. Play music with other people again.
9.  In academic publication, I want to meet my current deadlines and clear the decks on work that is overdue. Right at the end of 2025, I was awarded a summer fellowship to work on a next big project, so I'd like to get a draft of a book proposal for that finished this year.
10. As a doctoral student, my weekly bread-baking hobby was an excellent way to cope with stress and uncertainty, so my goal for this year is to return to that habit. Will I be able to bake 52 different kinds of yeast bread in 2026? Let's find out!
11.  Land at least one textile UFO (unfinished objects that I can remember include a quilt, a knitted shawl, a knitted blanket, a pair of pajamas, hot pad hooked rug, bowl or hat made by nålbinding and embroidery of a seascape, so there's plenty to choose from...)
12. Volunteer in my community (food bank, animal shelter, or state park) at least three times.

What are your hopes or ambitions for the coming year? Whether you have many New Years' Resolutions or none, I wish you the best 2026 possible.

What I Read and Watched in 2025

Wow, 2025 marks my sixth year of posting about what I have read. What fun!

I hope you have had a joyful and wide-ranging year of reading, whatever that means in your particular circumstances. What were your favouite books this year? Sharing recommendations or delight in a good read is such fun--if you have read any of the books below, or have recommendations for books I need to read in 2026, do leave a comment or send me a message to let me know!

In 2025 I read 120 books...

Before we get to the full list, here are the highlights. These are the books I texted my friends and family about; the ones might surprised, delighted, or challenged me.

1. From my reading challenges...too many books to list, but A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.; all three books of the Themis Files; Fresh Water for Flowers; Your Utopia; and the the Plotters are books I had great fun reading.
2. For the historical fiction fan...Sparrow by James Hynes is not easy to read--its main character is a young boy enslaved in a late Roman brothel--and I found myself frustrated by a few of its loose ends (how and why does the main character end up marooned in post-Roman Britain, tell me), but it is a welcome and delightful addition to the very small cast of English-language historical novels about Late Antiquity. Honourable mention, also to Deep as the sky, red as the sea by Rita Chang-Eppig, a fast-paced and compulsively readable novel about a famous Chinese pirate queen, Shek Yeung.
3. For the romance fan...hockey romance is an absolute phenomenon in the romance genre, and I was completely unaware of it until the trailer for Heated Rivalry dropped in November. While waiting for the show and in between the first few episodes, I mainlined Rachel Reid's entire Game Changers series. It's hard to pick a favourite, but since the TV adaption was so much fun, we'll go with Heated Rivalry. Or, wait, Tough Guy. Or we need to talk about Role Model and also the Long Game. The entire series is very enjoyable.
4. For readers of short stories...Walking the Clouds: an anthology of indigenous science fiction was genuinely great and "When this world is all on fire" has haunted me since I first read it. At the end of the year, I read Anton Hur's translation of Your Utopia by Bora Chung; which is full of stories that delighted me.
5. As a new reader of horror...Black River Orchard was good; Stephen Graham Jones' original and terrifying conception of vampirism will keep make me turn on the light in the dark for some time to come. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter was a great read.
6. For fans of classic literature...Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (London, 2020); originally published as Lolly Willowes, or the Loving Huntsman (London, 1926) is a short and utterly delightful book about a middle-aged spinster who sells her soul to the devil and gets the better end of the bargain.
7. From previous years...Now that I've done six years of these posts, it's fun to look back on previous lists and full out a recommendation for a book that I am still thinking about: Elizabeth Moon's Speed of Dark, from my 2021 reading list. It's a near-future novel which follows a young autistic man as he wrestles with the choice of whether to accept a surgery that might "cure" his autism, and its unique voice and characters have lingered in my memory for years. Worth checking out!

Reading

After struggling to assign some of the books I read in 2024 to one category, I decided to organize 2025's list by what I finished each month. Also, it's fun to see how my reading changed at different points in the year...

 

All titles in BOLD were read as part of my 2025 reading challenges. 

 

Spells and Spaceships Virtual Badge Collection

Books in Translation Reading Challenge

January

1. A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen: Easy Seasonal Dishes for Family and Friends by Jack Bishop (Boston, 2004)
   
2. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (Mineola, New York, 2002)
3. Classic German Cooking by Luisa Weiss (New York, 2024)
4. A Slanting of the Sun: Stories by Donal Ryan (Dublin, 2016)
5.  The Pariah by Anthony Ryan (London, 2021)
   
6. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (New York, 1959)
7. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (London, 2024)
   

February

1. The Martyr by Anthony Ryan (London, 2022)
2. The Girl in Red by Christina Henry (New York, 2019)
3. Voices of the Lost by Hoda Barakat, translated from Arabic by Marilyn Booth (London, 2021)
4. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (London, 2020); originally published as Lolly Willowes, or the Loving Huntsman (London, 1926) 
5. The People's Album of London Statues, described by Osbert Sitwell, drawn by Nina Hamnett (London, 1928)
6. The Traitor by Anthony Ryan (London, 2023)
7. Nero by Conn Iggulden (London, 2024)
8. Good Will Come From the Sea by Christos Ikonomou, translated from Greek by Karen Emmerich (Brooklyn, 2019)
9. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (New York, 2018)
   

March

1. The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang (Oxford, 2023)
2. Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown (New York, 2014)
3. A Dictator Calls by Ismail Kadare, translated from Albanian by John Hodgson (London, 2023)
4. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett (London, 1986)
5. My mother she killed me, my father he ate me: forty new fairy tales, edited by Kate Bernheimer and Carmen Giménez Smith (New York, 2010)
6.  The Chinese Gold Murders by Robert van Gulik (London, 1959; reprinted 2024)
7. Funny Story by Emily Henry (New York, 2024)
8. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (New York, 2018)
9. Sparrow by James Hynes (London, 2024)
10.  Walking the Clouds: an anthology of indigenous science fiction (Tucson, 2012), edited by Grace L. Dillon
    

April

1. Pyramids by Terry Pratchett (London, 1989; reissued 2012)
   
2. How to kill an asteroid: the real science of planetary defense by Robin George Andrews (London, 2024)
3.  Day by night by Tanith Lee (New York, 1980)
4.  Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (London, 2025)
5.  Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (London, 2004; reissued 2014)
6.  The Mile-Long Spaceship by Kate Wilhelm (New York, 1963)
7. The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction by Henry T. Greeley
   
8.  Sleeping Giants by Slyvain Neuvel (London, 2016)

May

1. Soul Music by Terry Pratchett (London, 1994, reissued 2013)
2. How to Survive a Summer by Nike White (New York, 2017)
3. The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste (Edinburgh, 2019)
4. Ethiopia: recipes and traditions from the horn of Africa by Yohanis Gebreysesus (London, 2018)
5. Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher (Dallas, 2021)
6. Snuff by Terry Pratchett (London, 2011)
7. Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel (London, 2017)
8. Daylight Come by Diana McCaulay (Leeds, 2020)
9.  The Alphabet of Birds by SJ Naudé translated from Afrikaans by the author (London, 2015)
10. Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup (Sword Lady Books, 2024)
11. Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel (London, 2018)
12. Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig (New York, 2023)
13. A Drop of Patience by William Melvin Kelley (New York, 1965; reprinted 2019)

June

1.  Night Boat by Alan Spence (Edinburgh, 2013)
2.  Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (London, 1996; reprinted 2013)
3. The Sin Eater by Megan Campisi (London, 2021) 
4.  Making Money by Terry Pratchett (London, 2001; reprinted 2014)
5. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (New York, 2018) 

July

1. Terminal Boredom: Stories by Izumi Suzuki, translated from Japanese by Polly Barton, Sam Bett, David Boyd, Daniel Joseph, Aiko Masubuchi, and Helen O’Horan (London, 2021)

Also reread...

1. Much Ado About You by Eloisa James (New York, 2004)
2. Kiss Me Annabel by Eloisa James (New York, 2005)
3. The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James (New York, 2006)

August 

1. Far, far away by Tom McNeal (New York, 2013) 
2. Virginia Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities, and Other Offbeat Stuff by Sharon Cavileer 
3. Manners and Southern History edited by Ted Ownby (Jackson, 2007) 
4. Bride by Ali Hazelwood (New York, 2024) 

Also reread

1. 9 Rules to break when romancing a rake by Sarah MacLean (New York, 2010)
2. 10 ways to be adored when landing a lord by Sarah MacLean (New York, 2010)
3. 11 scandals to start to win a duke's heart by Sarah MacLean (New York, 2011)
4. Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James (New York, 2006)
5. A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean (New York, 2012)
6. One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean (New York, 2013)
7. No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean (New York, 2013)
8. Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean (New York, 2014)
9. Duchess in Love by Eloisa James (New York, 2002)
10. Fool for Love by Eloisa James (New York, 2003)
11. Your Wicked Ways by Eloisa James (New York, 2004)
12. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas (New York, 2021)
13. The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas  (New York, 2022)

September

1. Kindred Spirits: an anthology of gay and lesbian science fiction stories, edited by Jeffrey M. Elliot (Boston, 1984)
2. Deep as the sky, red as the sea by Rita Chang-Eppig (New York, 2023) 
3. Legends: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy, edited by Robert Silverberg (New York, 1998)
4. The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle (Harmondsworth, 1957, reprinted 1971)
5. Uprooted by Naomi Novik (New York, 2016) 
6. Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo (Large Print Edition, Thorndike Press, 2022)
7. Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez translated from Spanish by Edith Grossman (New York, 2005)
8.  Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (New York, 2014)
9.  Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (New York, 2021)
10.  A Rare Benedictine by Ellis Peters (New York, 1988)
11. Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher (Red Wombat Studio, 2023) 
12. The Tavern Knight by Rafael Sabatini (originally published London, 1904). Librivox Audiobook.

Also reread 

1. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (London, 2013)  
2. Niccolo Rising by Dorothy Dunnett (Harmondsworthy, 1986; Penguin edition published 1987) 

October

1. The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (New York, 2025)
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (New York, 2015)
3. Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly (New York, 1988) 
4. Going for Infinity by Poul Anderson (New York, 2002)
5. Authority by Jeff Vandermeer (New York, 2014)
6. Devil House by John Darnielle (New York, 2022)
7. Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette (New York, 2021)
8. The Nebuly Coat by John Meade Falkner (London, 1903; reprinted with an introduction by A.N. Wilson, 2016)

November

1. When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri (New York, 2018)
2. The Three-Body Problem by Cinxin Liu, translated from Chinese by Ken Liu (New York, 2014)
3.  Herbs in the Kitchen: A Celebration of Flavor by Carolyn Dille and Susan Belsinger (Loveland, CO, 1992)
4.  Autumn: An anthology for the changing seasons edited by Melissa Harrison (London, 2016)
5.  Out there screaming: a new anthology of Black horror, edited by Jordan Peale (New York, 2023)
6. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (New York, 2025)
7. Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid (Toronto, 2019)
8. The Long Game by Rachel Reid (Toronto, 2022)
9. Role Model by Rachel Reid (Toronto, 2021)
10.  Laguardia: a very modern story of immigration by Nnedi Okorafor, illustrated by Tana Ford with James Devlin (Milwaukie, OR, 2019)
11. The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton (London, 1996; Orbit edition published New York, 2008)
12.  Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin, translated from French by Hildegarde Searle (New York, 2021)
13. Outcast by Rosemary Sutcliff (London, 1955)
14. Tough Guy by Rachel Reid (Toronto, 2020)
15. Common Goal by Rachel Reid (Toronto, 2020) 
16. Game Changer by Rachel Reid (Toronto, 2018) 

December 

1. Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor (New York, 2021)
2. Chouette by Claire Oshetsky (New York, 2022)
3. Your Utopia by Bora Chung, translated from Korean by Anton Hur (New York, 2024)
4. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James (New York, 2019) 
5.  The Call of the Toad by Günter Grass, translated from German by Ralph Manheim (New York, 1992)
6. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri, translated from Italian by the author (New York, 2021)
7.  The Plotters by Un-Su Kim, translated from Korean by Sora Kim-Russell (New York, 2018) 

Also reread 

1. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (New York, 2006, reprinted 2024) 
2.  Red Seas Under Read Skies by Scott Lynch (New York, 2007, reprinted 2025)

Best of Viewing and Listening

I gave myself a break from keeping track of what I read and watched in 2025, with the result that this section contains only the greatest hits. 

Movies

1. Dishonourable mention to One Battle After Another, which has a great soundtrack and is not my cup of tea.
2. Honourable mention to Far from the Madding Crowd, which is everything a period drama should be. 

Podcasts

1. I highly recommend the New Books Network to anyone who enjoys hearing academics talk about their work. The episode with Michelle Brown on her new book, Bede and the Theory of Everything, was a particular delight.
2.  Nobody Asked Us continues to be one of my favourite running podcasts. Listening to Des and Kara feels like overhearing a real fun conversation between two great friends at the table next to yours in a restaurant.
3. Ali on the Run--for someone who has a relentlessly hard few years, Alison Feller is incredibly positive and open and optimistic. She really is a wonderful interviewer, too, and gets great conversations going with a wide variety of runners.
4. Also, for reasons that will become apparent: the hockey podcast What Chaos and its reviews of the queer hockey romance show, Heated Rivalry.

Television

1. Watched Murderbot; loved Murderbot. Many people wanted a different actor to play Murderbot; for me Alexander Skarsgård gave the perfect performance. What a well-made show and a delight to watch. Cannot wait to see the next season.
2. Blood of My Blood had so many phenomenal actors to work with and despite many fine moments, didn't quite become the sensation I was hoping for. But as ever, Bear McCreary's score was amazing.
3. Loved the third season of the Wheel of Time, and sorry to see that it was canceled. For that matter,  
4. Rewatched all of Stranger Things in preparation for season 5; seasons 1 and 3 continue to be my absolute favourites. I didn't actually watch the new season as it dropped because I became absolutely obsessed with...
5. Heated Rivalry. What can I possibly say about this show? It is a (spicy!) adaption of a (spicy!) hockey romance novel and every single thing about it delights me to near-incoherence. Jacob Tierney adapts the source novel with such great affection and respect for the original material and its audience; all of the actors involved in the project are tremendously gifted at what they do and very easy on the eyes; the soundtrack is incredible; it's funny and queer and heartrending and delightful. My joy and excitement that it will have a second season is immense and unrestrained. Also, the fact that a number of hockey podcast got into the show, and loved it, was great fun. I particularly loved the two What Chaos episode interviewing the director Jacob Tierney.

Youtube

2025 was not a great year for Youtube-watching, but I continue to be a big fan of the videos by the multi-talented pro runner Allie Ostrander.

Previous Years of Reading

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020

 

Merrily merrily to welcome in the Year

Spring

Sound the flute!
Now it's mute.
Bird's delight,
Day and night.
Nightingale
In the dale
Lark in sky
Merrily
Merrily merrily to welcome in the Year

Little boy
Full of joy.
Little girl
Sweet and small.
Cock does crow
So do you.
Merry voice
Infant noise
Merrily merrily to welcome in the Year.

Little Lamb
Here I am,
Come and lick
My white neck.
Let me pull
Your soft Wool.
Let me kiss
Your soft face.
Merrily merrily to welcome in the Year 

William Blake, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, with an introduction and notes by Geoffrey Keynes (Oxford, 1967)