2025 in media

I log what I read and watch every year on my site what.pm. Here’s a recap!

Books

I read 69 (lol) books. On December 31st I tried really hard to make it 70, but then I figured that was silly so 69 it is. Here’s my top reads in no particular order:

  • Ymir by Rich Larson. A modern retelling of Beowulf but I didn’t really get the Beowulf part. Its bleakness reminded my of all-time favorite The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch.
  • Absolution by Jeff Vandermeer. A new Area X book in 2025! I sped through this and I will probably reread it soon.
  • Let Me Try Again by Matthew Davis. So this is basically /r/redscarepod in book form? I thought it was so fun; I love highly neurotic narrators.
  • The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. There’s a dramatic talking raven and a redheaded romantic interest, so that was me sold.
  • The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. This is a nightmarish book, not an easy read. “People will adjust to anything” sums it up. I can’t believe this is the author’s only book apart from a bunch of Linux and Apache manuals.
  • Flashlight by Susan Choi. Booker nominee (I also read Flesh, but didn’t enjoy it as much as I did Flashlight). Loved this. The only drawback is that I sped through it at the end because I wanted to know how it ended so badly, and missed out on some wonderful prose. Will probably re-read this in a few years.

I started reading The Empire of the New Sun after folks on /r/thelockedtomb recommended it, but I didn’t really enjoy it. I don’t mind the confused narrative or even the misogyny - I just didn’t really care about Severian or anyone else. I might give it another shot in a couple of years.

I generally don’t finish books I don’t genuinely enjoy so everything on this list can be taken as a recommendation :+)

Movies

I watched way more movies this year than I normally do; I usually hover around 20 movies a year. I spent a lot of time on planes so that might be it. My highlights:

  • The Apprentice. Mostly because of the soundtrack and how funny it was. Sebastian Stan is a marvel.
  • Eddington. Many are saying they don’t want to read or see anything reflecting on 2020, but please inject it straight into my veins.
  • Sinners. I used to love Dropkick Murphys as a kid so that music scene was a kick.
  • One Battle After Another. I thought the car chase scene was really good.
  • Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc. Watched this on the last day of 2025. A perfect romcom!

I also rewatched The Big Short in preparation of the AI crash (2024, 2025, 2026 for sure) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story after finishing Andor.

TV Shows

I watched a.. normal amount of shows I think? This year’s stand-out is without a doubt Alien: Earth. I love Noah Hawley. It inspired me to rewatch all of Legion - I forgot how good it was. A:E got so much hate but as someone who’s never cared one bit about the Alien Universe I thought it was wonderful.

I loved The Pitt, and I’m glad it’s going to be back on tv soon. I hated The Last of Us’s second season but I’ll probably watch the third season regardless. Task was alright, but no Mare of Easttown. Unsure how I feel about Pluribus still.

Music

I saw a bunch of great artists this year:

  • Bladee (013, Tilburg)
  • Thursday (Melkweg, Amsterdam)
  • Lorde (AFAS Live, Amsterdam)
  • Mechatok (Melkweg, Amsterdam)
  • DJ Billybool, Mechatok, and Eurohead (Trädgården, Stockholm)
  • Sematary (Melkweg, Amsterdam).

I almost saw Oklou and Snow Strippers, but I got covid :(

And yes I went to Stockholm just to see DJ Billybool (also known as Thaiboy Digital from Drain Gang)! It was 100% worth it. Had a fun time in Stockholm, too. I last visited in 2007 (I think). It’s such a beautiful place.

Lorde was phenomenal. Singing Ribs with your best friend is a top 5 life event.

Bladee was magical. He sang my favorite song! He was my most listened to artist this year (according to Spotify), and I’d last seen him in 2022, so it was really really exciting.

I also got really into Chinese underground rap this year (actually I just call it rap, just a small glimpse into how Chinese my mind is becoming). I listened to a lot of Bloodzboi, Billionhappy, and jackzebra (the Chinese Bladee, or, is Bladee the Swedish jackzebra?). The Ginseng Museum Tiktok account is invaluable for finding new artists.

Summing up

If I had to recommend 3 things, it would be Alien: Earth, Eddington, and The Library at Mount Char! Also, if you ever have the chance to see Lorde live, do it. Seriously.