Welcome into the new year! This is the first newsletter of 2025. I have combined January and February this time but I will try to continue writing one newsletter per month.

Normally, I always have a reading slump at the beginning of the year. Last year, I had not finished a single book in January. But this is not the case for 2025. I started out strong and read three books in January and two in February. Not bad at all. So let’s dive in!

Read in January

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

I started the year by finishing this horror novel first. It was not bad and definitely entertaining but it could have been better. The Strain is an original take on the vampire trope, but it did remind me a bit of I Am Legend by Richard Matheson because the vampires take humanity down through a sort of pandemic. The era of humans is coming to an end, defeated by a stronger being; the Strigoi. However, the novel also gives off some original Dracula vibes by introducing one master vampire and the concept of ancient beings living among humans for centuries.

Strigoi is a vampire in Slavic mythology (Romanian or Moldavian origin). The Strain interestingly incorporated Slavic mythology but since this novel is part of a trilogy, many questions remain unanswered. I don’t know when or if I will be picking up the other two novels. However, I started watching the TV show adaptation by the same title.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

The Tao Te Ching (道德經) has been on my radar for a while but since Pewdiepie has announced his book club and started out with this book first, it moved up on my priority list for this year. I chose to read Ursula K Le Guin’s edition and I think that this was the best choice for me. I like her style of writing and her notes were very helpful. It turns out that Le Guin has studied Tao Te Ching and Taoism for decades, and worked almost her whole life on her own translation of the book. Her translation is not directly from the original Chinese text but from the many translations thereof. There are many editions of the Tao Te Ching to choose from and all have their own variations of the original text. In fact, there are even two ‘’original’’ Chinese texts: Mawangdui and Guodian versions. Both versions should contain the same verses but they do differ in the order of the verses.

Tao Te Ching is considered to be the foundation of Taoism; a philosophical and religious view on life. Tao/Dao (道) could be translated as ‘’the way’’ or ‘’the path’’. Following the way will eventually lead to enlightenment. There are many similarities between Taoism and Confucianism, and even some with Buddhism. All three philosophies and ‘’religions’’ have had a major influence on Chinese culture and traditions and are considered to be the three pillars of ancient China (三教).

As far as I understood, the essence of Tao Te Ching’s text is the notion of ‘’inaction’’. By ‘’not doing’’ one would achieve sometimes more than by action. Taoism (the way) is the light that does not shine. I liked this concept. It is not about being the best or most righteous/virtuous. And I think that Verse 18 explains this in a clear way by stating that ‘’In the degradation of the great way come benevolence and righteousness’’. If you find this difficult to understand, think about all the atrocities that have been committed in our history with ‘’good intentions’’ or benevolence.

Other quotes from the verses that stood out to me are:

‘’If heaven and earth don’t go on and on, certainly people don’t need to’’. (verse 23)

I interpreted this one as the pointlessness of trying to achieve immortality. The second quote from a different verse tells a similar idea.

‘’Things flourish then perish’’. (verse 30)

The idea of being a light that does not attract attention. Living humbly without making yourself ‘’great’’ and achieving more by restaining from action leads one onto the right path.

‘’They are the light that does not shine’’. (verse 58)

And lastly, my favorite quote:

‘’It is right that a victor in war be received with funeral ceremonies’’. (verse 31)

I think this one speaks for itself.

The book reminded me of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran through the practical advice it gives on daily matters. However, Tao Te Ching is more vague, and often the verses contain contradicted advice. The Prophet is more to the point. However, both texts are worth the time because they can provide the reader with valuable advice and support in life.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

This was one of the weirdest books that I have ever read. I’m glad that I did not know anything about the story before picking it up. No review or summary will do it justice. It is easy to read and the writing style is clear and short, but it is also very easy to miss important details, historical references (especially if one is not familiar with Columbian history), and political opinions.

The novel has it all: love, war, friendship, death, and a lot of (weird) sex. It all starts and ends with the Buendia family; hundred years of their solitude. The reader follows multiple generations of this family, learning about their dreams, aspirations, and secrets. Time is jumping from one end to another and is difficult to track sometimes, especially because many characters have the same or similar names.

Jose Arcadio Buendia and his wife, Ursula, have to move out from their hometown due to a very bizarre ghost haunting. They, and some other young couples, decide to build a new society somewhere by the sea. For months they travel through the jungle before finally deciding on a place to start their new town. The town is named Macondo (it is said that the place is inspired by the real birthplace of Garcia Marquez). It is a beautiful place near a strong river and all the houses are built in such a way that they all have access to this river; equally. Jose Arcadio gets obsessed with all that is science, alchemy, and magic. Sometimes he does not even come out of his study room. Ursula is the one who has to be the head of the family, the one constant and stable individual. Over the years the house gets filled by their children and random guests. The house also grows with them, it feels alive. But even though most characters are never alone, they always feel lost in their own solitude. Everyone is occupied with their own life and is slowly ruined by their fears, sins, or goals.

In the first years, Jose Arcadio is still thinking about relocating the town. He wants to find the sea. But Ursula does not want to leave. Eventually, Macondo becomes a real town when the first person dies there. Now they really belong there.

“A person does not belong to a place until there is someone dead under the ground.”

I loved this book! But this one is yet again one of those that you have to reread to find out more and appreciate all its details.

Read in February

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Lev Tolstoy

I am hoping to read War and Peace this year but I have been saying this for some years now. So I decided to at least read one thing from Tolstoy and get accustomed to his way of writing. This was a good idea, I really enjoyed reading this novella. As I try to do with most Russian books that I read, I have read this one in Russian (I took the free Russian edition on Amazon for this and read it on my Kindle). To my surprise, it was not too difficult, Tolstoy’s writing is quite accessible. The story is obviously focused on death, however, it also contains many humoristic moments.

We first get to know Ivan Ilych after his death, through the thoughts of his work colleagues. Most of them were thinking about the positive possibilities that this death would bring to them; promotions, new positions, more money, and hopefully less work. But on a deeper level, all of them were thinking one exact thing: I’m glad it’s him and not me. Something that, according to Tolstoy, most people think when death occurs in their vicinity.

‘’Кроме вызванных этой смертью в каждом соображении о перемещениях и возможных изменениях по службе, могущих последовать от этой смерти, самый факт смерти близкого знакомого вызвал во всех, узнавших про нее, как всегда, чувство радости о том, что умер он, а не я.’’

Then we get to know the whole story of Ivan’s life. His life story is filled with many regrets and at the end he admits, something that he first was very afraid of, that the best moments were all in his childhood. After that, nothing really important happened to him. Marriage was a mistake, work was pointless, and money and status did not make him happy. So what did he live for? Fortunately, the novella does not end with only sadness; there is still hope for him.

‘’Одна точка светлая там, назади, в начале жизни, а потом все чернее и чернее и все быстрее и быстрее’’.

I always try to learn new words or concepts while reading in multiple languages. Usually, I look up words in English or Japanese. But also in Russian there are still many words that I don’t know. The one that stood out to me while reading this novella is: панихидa. I never heard this term before even though I always knew the tradition behind it. It could be translated as a memorial service after someone dies. For Russians this is not only the day of death itself or the funeral but also many other days after the event. The memorial service is held on the day of the funeral and then three, nine, and 40 days after. Then it follows with three and six months, one year, and three years. On these memorial days, a special dish of grain is prepared, Kутия (Kutya). There are other traditions as well surrounding death (not all are Orthodox related, some are old and pagan).

Claimed! by Gertrude Barrows Bennett

I found out about these Penguin Weird Fiction editions, that I knew nothing about, and decided to try it out by reading Claimed! first. There are more books from this collection that I want to read, but this book is on my list after having read the non-fiction on female writers in speculative fiction (Monster, She Wrote by Lisa Kroger & Melanie Anderson).

First a short introduction of Gertrude Barrows Bennett (1884 – 1948). She was born in Minneapolis and started writing in her teen years. Her first story was published in a magazine when she was seventeen. Later she wrote to support her family financially.

Bennett has been a pioneer in the genre of dark fantasy and it is claimed that she has been an inspiration for H.P. Lovecraft. This does not surprise me. I cannot say that it was the best thing that I have ever read but I did enjoy the dark and romantic atmosphere of the novel. The plot of the story is simple and not too original (maybe for that time period it was an original idea though). However, Bennett’s writing makes it an interesting experience.

Stranded on a volcanic island in the middle of the ocean, a seaman finds the most alluring and beautiful box. He takes it with him intending to sell it for a good price. Eventually, the box is acquired by an old sullen collector and a very wealthy man. A young doctor, our protagonist, is called in the middle of the night to assist this rich fellow because he has suddenly become ill. When the doctor arrives at the mansion, he soon realizes that the sickness is more sinister than he could have imagined.

This novella is focused on greed, loyalty, and love as its major themes. The beginning was gripping, but towards the end, it felt a bit rushed. Something was missing to make it a great story. Still, I enjoy reading stories that take place at sea, filled with myths and legends about ancient Gods, monsters, or civilizations. So if you are fond of that too, then this novella won’t disappoint.

Currently Reading

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

I follow the read-along of the Divine Comedy hosted by Vashik Armenikus. So far, it has been the best read-along that I have ever experienced. Reading this epic poem on my own would not have been a good idea because I would miss too many references to other great novels, persons, and historical events. The read-along allows for a slow reading process by reading only two cantos per week and standing still by the many references and their meaning in Dante’s life.

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

Earlier I mentioned that I like Le Guin’s writing style, however, besides her Tao Te Ching translation, I have not read a single book from her so far. Of course, I have heard of her work and I always planned to pick it up but never did. As a child, I owned two of her Earthsea novels translated into Dutch, but after trying a couple of pages I stopped reading. I did not enjoy sci-fi at that time. Only recently I started with reading major sci-fi works because I realized that many of these classics touch on various philosophical ideas.

So when a book club that I like to follow added this novel, The Dispossessed, to the list, I finally got the opportunity to enjoy her work. I wish that I had done so sooner!

So far, The Dispossessed is a great work of sci-fi that sparks my interest with every page. It turns out that Le Guin was not only interested in Taoism but was also in favor of the anarchism philosophy. Her critique of capitalism/materialism and her realistic view of anarchism (and the problems it faces in practice) are nicely wrapped around an exciting story plot.

More details on this book will be in the following newsletter, I still have to finish it. But it is safe to say that Le Guin will be an author for me whom I would love to read more and more!

This is all for now. But more will follow this year. I intend to read a lot of great works and discover even more new ones in the process. I want to thank you all for reading my newsletter! Please use the comments section to discuss the mentioned books and we can have a nice discussion. If you have any recommendations or improvements in mind, let me know!

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