George Townsend

Screenshot of a StoryGraph 2025 reading wrap-up, including images of the book covers of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil by George Saunders, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, and The Sellout by Paul Beatty.

My 2025 in reading was very much defined by George Saunders. Really enjoyed exploring his work, and some other very fun and exciting fiction last year.

Three sandhill cranes in a grassy field.

Some sandhill cranes!

Anyone trying to draw conclusions from tomorrow’s election in Virginia had better remember that VA was a fairly blue state to begin with and only has a Republican governor because of Terry McAuliffe’s disastrous ultra-centrist campaigning four years ago.

Hmm good point. I’d guess snakes are like socks, open on one end and closed on the other.

Snakes are tails

Put Zohran in Dimension 20: On a Bus Season 2

Congregating outside the Dolby Theatre with the other pilgrims, watching for white smoke to signal the election of a new Best Picture.

He gets angry about political situation and
- Makes a big show of complaining
- Talks incessantly about wanting to kill himself
- Plans to go back to college and then doesn't
- Brings parents to a theater production with the express purpose of upsetting them

I know like 40 Hamlets lol

Same, had to rush order a prescription refill this week because the length of flight I can tolerate unmedicated is now much much shorter.

Yes! A great mix of good history and weird fantasy.

I did a lot more reading this year than I have in a very long time. There were a lot of books I loved but the highlights were:

Evicted, by Matthew Desmond
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
Lent, by Jo Walton