JULY 19 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2025
CONTINUED FROM 2025 READING DIARY PART 1
Reminder: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via the Amazon links included below – not that anyone read this except for me, but that’s ok – this diary is really just for me.
And as I start setting up this new reading diary blog post thing, I have absolutely no idea what my next book, number 29 for the year, will be. However, I plan to decide in the next 10-15 minutes. The suspence is killing me! Update: I decided to go ahead with the second Murderbot novella.
Book 29: Artificial Condition (2018) by Martha Wellswas next as I couldn’t resist exploring the futher adventures of Murderbot. I don’t think I’ve read a negative word about the first few novellas, and now I know why. Murderbot is just such a likeable and relatable character. (Read: July 20)
Book 30: Rogue Protocol (2018) by Martha Wells was next because – as above. I’m hooked! (Read between July 20 & 22)
Book 31: Exit Strategy (2018) by Martha Wells was next because – as above again, and there’s no reason to stop. Well, the only reason to delay reading more Wells is to postpone the enjoyment and discovery, but – no. Just no. At least not yet. This is the fourth book, and it will be time for a break soon, especially as August 1 draws closer, but more about that later. (Read between July 22 & 26).
And then that same afternoon, I read two short – very short – Murderbot stories: “Compulsory”, (2018) a prequel story, and “Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory” (2021), which is set immediately after Exit Strategy and the first in the series not told from Murderbot’s point of view, and it was quite a touching story.
Book 32: Network Effect by Martha Wells is the next Murderbot book, and the first novel of the series after four novellas. Oddly, I entered something of a reading slump that manifested itself with very slow progress despite enjoying the book so far. Perhaps I over dosed on Murderbot. And then August 1 happened, and I decided to read two books at once, that second book being the long-awaied John Williams: A Composer’s Life. I ended up taking a beeak from Murderbot completely as I was so absorbed reading about John Williams. Once I returned to this book, the progress was still slower than I had hoped, but I love that Murderbot formed new relationships formed and deepened existing relationships while of course saving some lives in the process. (Read between July 26 & August 14)
Book 33: John Williams: A Composer’s Life (2025) by Tim Greiving is perhaps my most anticipated book in decades or even ever. John Williams is not only my favorite musician, but perhaps my favorite human – despite not knowing him personally of course, just through his music and what I’ve picked up from interviews, articles, and the recent Disney Plus documentary aptly named Music by John Williams, but Time Greiving’s book, at over 600 pages, promises to be all those and much much more: as deep a dive as possible into the private man and his life. I could hardly put it down, and I finished it just after midnight in the earliest hours of Tuesday, August 5. I’ll have to write a separate longer review, but that was just wonderful, fascinating, and also heartbreaking. Some quotes and incidents I think I will immediately forever recall when I go to listen to his music, which is often and has been often for over 35 years. Now it’s back to Murderbot. (Read between August 1 & 5)
Book 34: Fugitive Telemetry (2021) by Martha Wells was next as the sixth Murderbot Diaries book is a welcome return to novella length, and after finishing Network Effect, I realized I was not ready to leave Murderbot’s universe. (Read between August 14 &16)
Book 35: System Collapse (2023) by Martha Wells because I might as well stay in the Murderbotiverse. My pace was slower than normal despite being on vacation, but I did enjoy my brief visits to the interior of Murderbot’s head/mind/brain/CPU etc. I finished it on the bus from Incheon airport, and with the exception of one short story, that completes my Murderbot summer deepdive. (Read between August 16 & 27)
Book 36: The Will of the Many (2023) by James Islingtonis the first book in a new trilogy, and while I’m not interested in starting new series per se, this came highly recommended and the author is a fellow Aussie. And it was a great choice as the book certainly lived up to its hype as a fan favorite. It took me a few weeks, but those were busy weeks and the pace didn’t feel all that slow, and every time I picked up my trusty Kindle, I was glad to be back with Vis. And I loved all the characters. I am really looking forward to the second book, The Strength of the Few, which is due out later this year. (Read between August 28 & September 21)
Book 37: Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy (2025) by Martha Wells is the only remaining Murderbot story to date that I haven’t read, so I decided to change that. It’s a short novella, but my progress was quite slow although I did enjoy it. It was quite touching actually. (Read between September 21 & 26).
And then I read a short story and another short novella as I took advantage of a lazy Friday: “Human Resource” by Adrian Tchaikovsky which is a prequel story set in the same world as his Service Model (2024) novel. and Defending Elysium by Brandon Sanderson, a prequel story to his later Skyward series written very early in his career – before the publication of his first novel I won’t include those in my total of books read because that would be kind of cheating, kind of.
Book 38: Exodus: The Archimedes Engine (2024) by Peter F. Hamilton is next as this has been on my To-Be-Read list for a while, and although I am generally trying to avoid starting new series, this is the first of a duology, and it’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Peter Hamilton. It certainly starts off well, and I am sure I’ll enjoy this. October 23 update: I’m at the 55% mark after almost a month. I chose the wrong semester – my busiest in a while – to read this big big book. Nevertheless, despite the slow progress, I am enjoying this. (Read between September 26 & November 2)
Book 39: Full Throttle: Stories (2019) by Joe Hill was next as I have been hearing great things about his latest novel, King Sorrow. Before eventually reading that -maybe next year, I decided to explore some of his shorter fiction. I had previously read three of his short stories, two of them written with his father, the illustrious Stephen King. And some of the stories contained within certainly had his father’s DNA in them, and they cemented Joe Hill in my mind as an author I can trust. (Read between November 2 & 7)
Book 40: End Game (2025) by Jeffrey Archer is the eighth and final book in his William Warwick saga. And from the first sentence, it just felt so warm and cozy being back into the mind and the smooth and quick sentences of Jeffrey Archer. This will be a quick read, and just the palate cleanser I needed as I take a temporary break from my regular friends named Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction. And I read most of it on Saturday November 8, finishing it just after midnight. That was such an enjoyable read, and a touching but slightly bittersweet ending to the adventures of William Warwick. And all the more interesting because we follow Commander Warwick as he heads the security for the 2012 London Olympics. And to make the story that much more interesting, Jeffrey teased that 13 of the 22 events described in the book actually took place. Some I could search online for, but others were described to the author off the record. My mind boggles at the prospect of some of the more dangerous events described in the book actually took place. (Read between November 7 & 9)
Book 41: The Cabin at the End of the World (2018) by Paul Tremblay was next as my reading of Joe Hill’s short stories put me in the mood for more horror. Like Joe Hill, my previous experience with Paul Tremblay comes from one of hs short stories, “The Last Conversation”, which I enjoyed. I wasn’t certain this would be my next book, so I decided to read a few pages first. And knowing something of the story to come, those first few pages were as inviting as I could have imagined as Paul introduces us to a very sweet and smart 6-year-old girl. As I type this, I am 18 pages in, and the sweetness and likeability of that young girl is overshadowed by the growing dread that any sentence now her life will change for the worse. If I stop reading now, she will forever remain safe. But it was one of those impossible-to-put-down books, and by about 30 hours after starting it, I finished it. (Read between November 9 & 10)
Book 42: House Of Open Wounds (2023) by Adrian Tchaikovsky is the second novel in his Tryant Philosophers series, and it only took me a few pages to be reminded of the vivid world he’s created and the beauty and wit of his prose, which is quite unlike his other books. Every chapter or so, I find myself rereading a phrase or a sentence because of its uique beauty. (Read between November 10 & …)
Book 43:
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Book ??: Cujo (1981) by Stephen King as it’s time time read that one Stephen King novel I have yet to read. And after binging most of the Murderbot series and after the life, times, and music of John Williams, it feels like the right time to finally cross this book off my TBR (To-Be-Read) list. (Read between …)
