Book Reviews: December 2025, Part 1

Last month was a big reading month for me, with nine tomes consumed in total. Since I don't want to share my thoughts about that many books in one sitting, and any unsuspecting sucker who has probably stumbled upon this blog by accident probably doesn't care to read my inane ramblings about nine books all at once, I'll break the month out into two posts.

This effectively creates more content.

I'm still working out my feelings around personal blogging in what is effectively a walled garden within a dead internet. If anything, it helps me maintain my humanity as every skill I've worked toward in my career is being gobbled up and enshittified by artificial intelligence. Which might be useful in the event we collectively revolt against our technofascist overlords (or when society crumbles under the weight of their hubris).

Anyway, books written and narrated by human beings:

Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark by Leigh Ann Henion

This book was an absolute delight from cover to cover. Henion seems to share a kinship of worldviews with Robin Wall Kimmerer. While Kimmerer highlights indigenous science and lifeways that work together with nature, Henion mourns the increasing loss of natural darkness that is the ancestral birthright of all living beings. Both approaches are good, necessary, and absolutely correct. Both authors also happen to be warm, comforting narrators.

Henion brings us along as she discovers the joys of glowworms, moths, salamanders, and more, while extolling the need to be allowed to rest. As I'm watching internet users turn more toward little joys and gentle practices that combat the burnout inherent to our nonstop hustle culture, I'm hopeful that wholesome darkness and the protection of delicate lifeforms becomes embraced and adopted on a worldwide scale (although so so many things would have to change, and quickly).

5 out of 5 stars.

Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Speaking of exceptional narrators, Estés is another such voice in this abridged work. The reviewers who said she is too breathy and her cadences too distracting are entitled to their opinions, wrong as they are.

This short book was recommended within the comments section of a witchesforhope Instagram post. Like many books about empowerment I've consumed of late, it encourages female readers to be fully themselves, social norms be damned, and to reclaim lifeways lost to patriarchal colonialism and modern-day demands. Yes, good.

Her call to stop being scared of spit and other body moistures stuck out to me the most. She has also fanned the flames of an interest in archetypes both Jungian and otherwise that I've had smoldering for a bit, which has resulted in me adding more such texts to my queue.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Crone Zone: How to Get Older with Style, Nerve, and a Little Bit of Magic by Nina Bargiel

Speaking of subverting patriarchy and pursuing esoteric wisdom, this volume was a balm for my ageing millennial body and mind. Bargiel's writing is engaging and compelling, addressing everything from dismissing people's perceptions to exercises for better maintaining physical health for the long haul, with lots in between. She provides easy little spells to address different areas of your life, and gives readers permission to use fillers or not as they seem fit.

Two small gripes are that 1) some of the anecdotes from her own life create some wine aunt energy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all when viewed through the lens of dismissing people's perceptions, and 2) her advice on making friends as an ageing woman is, more or less and as I understand it, to already have friends, find social activities that fit your interests, or volunteer. IF ONLY I HAD THE OPTION AND WASN'T CONSTANTLY EXHAUSTED FROM THE MENTAL EXPENSE OF LIVING, NINA.

I love the author for her steadfast defense of kaftans, however.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Speaking of impossible friendships, this novel was an enjoyable read. You have your classic youths being terrible to each other in boarding school scenarios, tense friendships complicated by triangles of yearning and misuse, cloned humans realizing why they exist, and dystopian societies persisting even as everyone understands them to be terrible.

The first half plays out very well as the reader gradually figures out what's going on. The second half is a little frustrating, with characters earnestly trying to find workarounds to their fates and authority figures explaining their choices but not telling the reader in great what world events led up to The Way Things Are Now.

I always want more world-building than can be usually be contained within a single creative piece, which might be why I don't read a lot of straightforward, one-off novels in general.

And I felt annoyed when I realized I watched the movie version several years ago, about halfway through the book. Mostly I just remember watching young adults sulking in a cottage, which is accurate to the book.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfishers

Speaking of one-off novels, I wanted to like this one because a dear friend recommended it. This was due in large part because we had been talking about dobsonflies and hellgrammites a few weeks prior (I saw a big bug on a wall in Cabo), and a hellgrammite was mentioned in the opening pages. Fair!

Buuuut, this was rough. Maybe it's better in non-audio form, but the main character's constant insertions of sassy quips was exhausting and, while I appreciate the author for writing an AuDHD-coded figure, I came to hate her and her nonstop allusions to being in academia for insect-centered archaeology and living in Arizona pretty quickly. Maybe there are elements of self-loathing and grief for past lives at play in my assessment.

Some convoluted sorcery-based backstory and a weird-ass climax coupled with a generally underwhelming supporting cast did not redeem it further.

2.75 stars out of 5 (sorry, friend).

That's five December books reviewed! I'll circle back with the other four soon.