Today’s post is off-topic because hey – we all need a break now and again.
We’re approaching year-end, and with that in mind: here are some of my favourite things of 2025. Note that these weren’t necessarily released in 2025, but 2025 is when I discovered them.
Music
- Summer Moon by There Will Be Fireworks. This was released in 2023, but I slept on it and didn’t listen until this year. Well-written, shimmery & soaring indie rock.
- Rotating by Mineral King. Equal parts complex, mathy, and catchy sing-along progressive indie.
- Pruning of the Lower Limbs by Moving Mountains. A total surprise release, their first in 12 years. Lands somewhere in the emo spectrum, minus the cringe.
- Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee. Full band, singer-songwriter with an alt-country twinge.
- Spiral in a Straight Line by Touché Amore. Shouty, high-energy post-hardcore.
Books
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. A novel about a boy experiencing poverty in Appalachia.
- The Leavers by Lisa Ko. A novel about a boy, his mother, and the search for belonging.
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. A post-apocalyptic novel about a nomadic troupe of actors performing Shakespeare.
- The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier. A novel about a flight, a crash, and a series of unexplained events that occur thereafter.
- Going Infinite by Michael Lewis. A look inside the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), of FTX / crypto fame.
- Fahrenheit 182 by Mark Hoppus. A biography of Mark Hoppus and blink-182.
Podcasts
- Snowball by Deep Cover. A serialized podcast exploring the exploits of one Lezlie Manukian, who isn’t who she purports to be.
- Six Billion Dollar Gold Scam by BBC World of Secrets. It was the biggest gold discovery in history… or was it?
- The Bad Guru by BBC World of Secrets. Miranda joins a yoga school in London. The classes make her feel amazing and the people make her feel loved. But at a weekend retreat in a country house, she gets a shock.
Movies & Shows
- Shrinking (Apple TV). Season 2 isn’t quite as good as Season 1, but the continued arc of characters is solid. A therapist is dealing with severe grief after his wife’s death, and begins to breach ethical barriers by telling his patients what he really thinks.
- Sean Combs – The Reckoning (Netflix). I was in my teens during this era – Bad Boy, Death Row, etc – and this docuseries is an incredible look behind the curtains at a person who is a helluva lot worse than I realized.
- Dept Q (Netflix). A super fun detective show, well-written with characters you care about. Shows like this aren’t my jam usually, but this one was.
- Martha (Netflix). Who knew Martha Stewart was so cut-throat? This documentary details Martha’s rise to power, fall from grace, and rebound.
Places & Trips
- 8 Rivers. A beautiful 2-day bikepacking loop in the East Kootenays. An incredible mix of terrain, views, and wilderness. Highly recommended.
- Cumberland, BC. Hadn’t been in 7 years; got back to ride some (very wet, very fun) singletrack.
- Squamish & Powell River, BC. Got to tick these two mountain bike destinations off my list. Oh, the places you go when an orange dictator dissuades you from heading south. Big rock slabs were the highlight – few of those in Kimberley!
- Macdermott & Mercury Backcountry Huts. This year I finally got to go on a backcountry ski hut trip – two in fact! We were rewarded with 8 days outta 10 of incredible skiing, boxes of wine, tasty meals all in an off-grid, no reception cabin in the middle of nowhere, southeastern BC.
Gear
- Topo MTN Racer 3. Made the switch from Hoka Speedgoats, and the MTN Racers are roomy and incredibly comfortable once I nailed the lacing.
- 7Mesh Glidepath pants. The only mountain bike pants I’ve found that are long enough for my model-esque long legs.
- Swiftwick socks. They pair nicely with the Topos; the only socks where my finicky feet don’t get blisters from running.
- Fractel hats. I have a giant dome (to protect my enormous brain); Fractel hats are the only running hats big enough to do the job (particularly their trucker hat. Pricey but worth it for fellow lawn-dart style humans.
All the best in 2026!
✌️