The Ephemeric

So without further ado here are the top 15 essential television shows, both new and returning, that will hit the airwaves and their web-equivalent in 2026:

15. Stranger Things: Tales From '85 - Netflix (New TV Show)

Stranger Things may be done and dusted, but that doesn't mean we've seen the last of Hawkins. Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is an animated spin-off that dives headfirst into the weird, pulpy heart of Hawkins at the height of the town’s supernatural troubles, telling standalone stories set between the events of the live-action seasons. 

Styled like a lost Saturday-morning cartoon crossed with vintage horror comics, the series leans into neon colors, synth-soaked atmosphere, and creature-feature thrills as familiar faces and new kids on the block encounter Upside Down oddities that never quite made it into the main timeline. 

More playful but still unsettling, Tales from ’85 expands the mythology with small-scale mysteries, government experiments gone wrong, and eerie suburban legends, offering fans a nostalgic, bite-sized return to a year when walkie-talkies ruled, bikes were freedom, and Hawkins was never as normal as it pretended to be.

Start Date: TBD 2026

14. American Love Story: - FX (New TV Show)

Next up, we have the latest from a very well known name in television, Mr. Ryan Murphy. American Love Story is the newest addition to a pantheon of TV series that includes American Horror Story, American Crime Story and American Sport story, focused on, you guessed it, famous love stories.

This first season turns its lens on the whirlwind courtship and marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bassette-Kennedy, with Sarah Pidgeon to star alongside Paul Kelly.

Murphy's work is not for everyone, but his signature blend of energetic filmmaking, high stylisation and ensemble casts generally makes for an entertaining watch, if nothing else. As with the other "Story" series, this will air on FX, and is expected to drop in time for Valentine's day.

Start Date: February 2026

13. Scrubs - ABC

It has finally happened. After years of speculation and rumour, the beloved medical comedy Scrubs returns to Sacred Heart with a new generation of interns navigating the same chaotic mix of medicine, friendship, and absurdity. 

This is very much a revival rather than a reboot, with the core cast all returning as the same characters for what essentially amounts to a season 10 of the classic series, some 15 years after its ill-fated ninth.

What have these beloved characters been up to for the past 15 years? Are JD and Elliot still together? We will soon find out. The revival will air on the series' latter-day home of ABC, come February 2026.

11. The Boys - Amazon

10. Untitled Larry David Historical Sketch Show - HBO (New TV Show)

This unlikely match up sees Barack Obama and Larry David join forces on a new HBO sketch comedy series that takes aim at American history in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. 

The untitled half-hour project is produced by Higher Ground, the company Obama founded with Michelle Obama after leaving office in 2017. David will co-write the sketches with his longtime Curb Your Enthusiasm collaborator Jeff Schaffer, with reports suggesting appearances from former Curb cast members alongside other high-profile guest stars.

A precise release date is yet to be confirmed, but it is thought that this could air in the latter half of the year.

Start Date: TBD 2026


9. Spider-Noir - MGM+/Amazon (New TV Show)

Start Date: Early 2026

8. Blade Runner 2099 - Amazon (New TV Show)

Amazon bringing a cinematic classic to the small screan in 2026. Blade Runner 2099 is an ambitious new live-action limited series continuing the iconic sci-fi saga roughly 50 years after the events of Blade Runner 2049.

Anchored in the gritty, rain-soaked dystopian future that has defined the franchise, the show sees Michelle Yeoh among its leads and promises to explore the evolving tensions between humans and replicants amid a society still haunted by questions of identity, autonomy, and what it means to be alive. 

With Ridley Scott attached as an executive producer and a fresh ensemble cast, Blade Runner 2099 aims to honor the philosophical depth and stylistic legacy of its predecessors while opening the world to new mysteries, characters, and moral dilemmas in a future where the line between the organic and artificial has never been thinner.

Start Date: TBD 2026

7. Rooster - HBO (New TV Show)

Rooster is the latest comedy series from creator Bill Lawrence, best known for Scrubs, Ted Lasso and Shrinking. Lawrence is on a bit of a roll right now with the latter two series achieving a good amount of success on Apple, Ted Lasso in particular, making any new release of his an immediate fixture among the upcoming releases.

This latest, Lawrence's first with HBO, stars Steve Carell as Greg Russo, a celebrated author who winds up deeply entangled in college life after visiting a university campus for a reading. At its heart is a complicated but heartfelt father-daughter relationship with his daughter. 

Joining Carrell on the cast list are a number of frequent Lawrence collaborators, including John C. McGinley and Phil Dunster. This is expected to release in March.

Start Date: March 2026


6. The Boroughs - Netflix (New TV Show)

5. Ted Lasso - AppleTV

Start Date: TBD 2026

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is an upcoming Netflix comedy-thriller series created by Lisa McGee. The show follows three lifelong friends: Saoirse, Robyn, and Dara, who reunite after the death of an old classmate turns a wake into a dark mystery. They embark on a thrilling adventure across Ireland, piecing together enigmatic truths amid complicated lives. 

The series stars Roísín Gallagher as Saoirse, Sinéad Keenan as Robyn, and Caoilfhionn Dunne as Dara. Filming began in Belfast in July 2024, with Michael Lennox directing. The eight-part series is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2026.

2. The Boys From Brazil - Netflix (New TV Show)

1. Pluribus - AppleTV

So there you have it folks: 2026 in television. Tune in next week for the essential new videogames of the year!

In 2025, neurologists Edward Wild and Sarah Tabrizi played leading roles in a landmark breakthrough for Huntington’s disease, a hereditary neurodegenerative condition that has long been fatal and untreatable. 

Their work on the experimental gene therapy AMT-130, developed with uniQure and delivered in a single surgical dose to lower the production of the mutant huntingtin protein, produced the first robust clinical evidence that the course of the disease can be significantly slowed in humans, with participants showing about a 75 % reduction in progression over three years compared with untreated cohorts. This represents the first time a treatment has been shown to modify the underlying disease process rather than only managing symptoms, offering unprecedented hope to patients and families affected by Huntington’s and marking a major step toward future disease-modifying therapies for neurodegeneration.

14. The Debbie for Videogame Platform of the Year
Winner: Steam Deck

If there is one thing I have learned to appreciate this year, it is technology that allows for more flexible and more portable gaming experiences. The kind of gaming that, should one need to quickly exit and attend to a little human, one can do so. Accordingly, the Steam Deck has emerged as an ideal platform for gaming because it blends portability, power, and ecosystem flexibility in a way few other devices do. 

Its custom AMD hardware runs a wide library of PC games natively or through Proton compatibility, letting players access their existing Steam libraries without sacrificing performance. The integrated controls and touchscreen make the experience intuitive on the go, while the open Linux-based system supports customization, emulation, and even non-Steam titles. With a robust UI designed for handheld play and the ability to dock to a TV or monitor, the Steam Deck bridges the gap between home and portable gaming, giving users a true “play anywhere” PC experience without the compromises of traditional handheld consoles. The only downside is a battery life that can quickly dwindle during an intensive gaming session. This is par for the course with any high powered mobile gaming platform, but I look forward to future models improving in this regard.

15. The Debbie for Videogame of the Year 
Winner: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PC, Playstation, Xbox)
Runners Up: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (PC, Playstation, Xbox), Dispatch (PC, Playstation, Switch)

Let's first give credit to 2025, which was an absolutely smashing year for gaming, one of the finest. Whittling the list down to just a top three was an extraordinary task, and I feel a shout out is in order to the brilliant games of 2025 that, in any other year, may well have been a contender, but did not break into this year's awards solely because of how absurdly competitive the field was this year. Games like The Alters, Citizen Sleeper 2, Octopath Traveler 0, Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2, Keep Driving and Skate Story. Phenomenal all, but alas we can only have three games in a top three.

I had a difficult time with this year's winner. Right up until the day of publication I had been going back and forth in my mind about who should get this. As anyone who is at all switched into the world of gaming knows, in 2025 there has been one game above all others that has been hyped by everyone as the clear winner, and not just the best of the year, but one of the best of the decade. That game is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and I can see why it attracts such praise. This western spin on a classic turn-based JRPG demonstrates absolutely stunning storytelling and artistry, from the unique belle époque aesthetic to the unforgettable visuals, music, writing and voice acting. Yet something that I feel has been overlooked by most reviewers is the fact that, underneath all the presentational brilliance lies a distinctly creaky and flawed base of gameplay mechanics and design, from questionable minigames to cumbersome UI design, and a side quest system that is not very well implemented. None of it is "bad" per se, but there are other games in this competition that demonstrate more accomplished design and execution. This left me with the question, should the "best" game not be the one that is the best made, or is it possible for a flawed masterpiece to have so profound an emotional impact so as to compensate for being more rough around the edges? Clair Obscur is a great example of a piece of work that, through the mystifying alchemy of artistic expression, manages to deliver so much more than the sum of its parts and leaves an indelible mark on the player. Ultimately I can't think of any better way to evaluate the success of a piece of art.

By contrast, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a game with which I can find very few flaws. This is a sequel to Warhorse's 2018 RPG, which was quite famously built on a crowdfunded budget, with minimal studio support. The success of that game has allowed for the development of a much more lavish and polished sequel, and it really shows. This is a game which just oozes quality, from the excellent storytelling, voice acting and writing, to the intricately detailed and interactive open world. Everything has been refined and polished, from the notoriously detailed combat system, to the alchemy, bartering and crafting. The stat-based RPG elements are excellent and remarkably diegetic. It's an excellently made RPG that in any other year would be a worthy winner, if not for that one other, arguably more flawed game and its je ne sais quoi.

Just as it was with first and second, third place also came down to an absolutely brutal death match between Dispatch and The Alters. While I ended up going for the former, if you haven't played The Alters please do so. It's a delightful twist on the base/squad management genre that manages to be funny, thought-provoking, and surprisingly sweet. As for Dispatch, this game is fantastic. A Telltale-style narrative adventure that, at times, feels more like an interactive TV series than a game. Essentially a superhero workplace comedy, this game is blessed with phenomenal animation, genuinely hilarious writing, and an allstar voice cast that includes the likes of Aaron Paul, Jeffrey Wright, and Laura Bailey. The storytelling is absolutely on point and delivered with a surprising amount of style and emotional heft. Frankly, if this was a TV series, it would be one of the best of the year.

16. The Debbie for Company of the Year
Winner: Baboodle

Any parent knows the pain of making sure you have all the baby equipment you need, especially when traveling. strollers and cribs are expensive, take up a lot of space, and don't even last that long before the child becomes too big for use. Baboodle offers a flexible rental subscription model that allows families to access high quality strollers, cribs, carriers (some of which is brand new) for just the period of time you need it, without the full expense or clutter of ownership. The flexibility and service of the business is key, delivering to your door and collecting, with minimal hassle. At the same time, the company’s circular approach also reduces waste and extends product lifecycles, helping parents reduce their environmental footprint. By tackling both economic and ecological challenges with a simple, elegant solution, Baboodle exemplifies a business built for the needs and values of 2025. 

Sports

17. The Debbie for Footballer of the Year 
Winner: Ousmane Dembélé - Paris Saint-Germain

It has been an excellent year for the man at the centre of arguably the best team in the world right now. Ousmane Dembélé's comeback has been remarkable. Historic injury issues had seen Dembélé dismissed as just another failed prospect who never lived up to his potential. Now he is a genuine world superstar. 2025 saw the forward instrumental to Paris Saint-Germain's success as the French side secured a historic treble, including Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Champions League. His performances earned him the Ballon d’Or and The Best Fifa Men’s Player awards for 2025, affirming both peer and fan recognition of his influence on the pitch and his evolution into a complete, world-class forward who defined the season for club and country.

18. The Debbie for Young Footballer of the Year 
Winner: Lamine Yamal - Barcelona

There are a few players in world football today who would be contenders for this prize. Some people may see that I have picked Lamine Yamal and think "oh him again?". It feels like he has been around for years, yet somehow the kid is still only 18. It is this which sets Yamal apart from the likes of Estêvão, Max Downman and Désiré Doué. Yamal is not just an exciting prospect with potential, he is already a world class footballer who can play at the highest level in the world with consistency even at his age. That is unusual, that is rare. In a year when youth often struggles to translate hype into impact, Yamal’s consistency, adaptability, and moments of genuine brilliance marked him as the most compelling young talent in world football.

19. The Debbie for Football Manager of the Year 
Winner: Sarina Wiegman - England Women's Team

Choosing a winner from the women's game may raise eyebrows from some people, but this is no political statement. Sarina Wiegman is the real deal. Wiegman's three European Championship titles in a row (one with Netherlands, two with England) may never be matched. It's mind boggling to even think about it. Add to this that she has also been back to back World Cup runner up, which makes her the first manager in either the men's or women's game to reach five major international cup finals in a row, and it's clear. Truly there is no manager anywhere in the sport with this incredible level of consistency and excellence.

20. The Debbie for Football Club of the Year 
Winner: Paris Saint-Germain

With a squad brimming with world-class stars who excelled both individually and as a unit, Paris Saint-Germain delivered a season to remember, defined by attacking flair, defensive solidity, and mental resilience in big moments. Their success speaks for itself, a historic treble in the bag including a first ever Champions League victory. Really the only black mark on PSG's 2025 is their failure to claim the inaugural Fifa Club World Cup at the hands of a resurgent (if ephemeral) Chelsea, but in spite of this there are few in the world who would argue against PSG being the team of the moment.


Current Events

21. The Debbie for Politician of the Year 
Winner: Mark Carney

So there are a few people in the running for this award, but ultimately my pick for 2025 goes to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney took leadership of the Liberal party at possibly the worst imaginable moment. In the run up to an election where his party trailed in the polls by double digits, in a nation weary after a full decade of Liberal leadership, with a newly hostile American President across the border talking of violent annexation. But anyone who has followed Carney's career knows that this is a man who can handle immense pressure and grave circumstances with grace and skill. That he managed the most unlikely of electoral turnarounds and managed to more or less calm border tensions to the south speaks to this. Carney may not be the flashiest, but he is a steady hand at a time when it is most needed.

22. The Debbie for Scandal of the Year 
Winner: The Epstein Files

I mean it really can't be anything other than this can it? This is hardly a new story, but in 2025 the Epstein Files finally, and belatedly, started to reach fever pitch. This refers to all the Government files relating to Jeffrey Epstein and his ring of child abuse and sex-trafficking, which is said to include a number of highly prominent clients. One person very much embroiled in this affair is, of course, the current President of the United States, Donald Trump. Donald Trump has been long known to have been a very close associate and friend of Epstein and a frequent attendee at his events and visitor to his island, but the revelations we have seen in the past year have at last started to shed a light on just how close he may have been. Allegations of rape, lewd, sexually explicit conversations and communications, references to secrets and "love of nubile young women", not to mention what appears to be a blatant unlawful cover up of those documents. It's no longer rumour and speculation. What happens next will be a massive test of America's moral character. Do they finally address this situation, or continue to shrug at the apparent perpetration and cover up of some of the darkest crimes imaginable.

23. The Debbie for Cause of the Year
Winner: Combatting toxicity and misinformation on social media

This is certainly not a new story, but 2025 has been a year to really cast a spotlight on the dangers of social media, from election-interfering misinformation, to bullying, toxicity and violent crime. There exists a fundamental tension in the world today between liberal western society's desire for openness and free speech, and the damage that can be done when those freedoms are abused, and for whatever reason, no one has yet come up with a satisfactory answer. Censorship is decidedly not the answer, as the UK Government is starting to learn. It is going to require better education, better transparency, and light-handed but essential moderation. I don't have all the answers, but this is the area that most sorely requires action from the powers that be, but sensible, empirically tested actions, rather than performative and reactionary actions.

24. The Debbie for Person of the Year 
Winner: Demis Hassabis

There has been a lot of talk in 2025 of AI and the significance of their creators on the world today. Of these creators, Demis Hassabis stands out as The Ephemeric's Person of the Year because he exemplifies how advanced technology can be harnessed in service of human progress rather than disruption alone. Through his leadership in AI research, most notably its application to biology, medicine, and scientific discovery, Hassabis helped shift the narrative around artificial intelligence from fear and speculation to practical benefit, accelerating breakthroughs that would have taken decades by traditional means. His work has shown that AI can deepen our understanding of life itself, opening new paths toward treating disease and solving complex global problems, while his emphasis on responsibility and long-term thinking offers a hopeful model for how powerful tools should be developed. 

Social & Lifestyle

25. The Debbie for Restaurant of the Year 
Winner: Klein Breda

There are lots of restaurants that can offer elaborate tasting menus with creative and aesthetically pleasing dishes, but there is an art to running a restaurant that can do so whilst maintaining a warm and relaxed atmosphere. Klein Breda in Amsterdam manages to thread this needle, and it does so through a number of methods. From the cosy, casual ambience, to the friendly and flexible service. The menu is accommodating to dietary restrictions and offers flexibility as to the number of dishes. Most surprisingly, the prices are quite reasonable, providing value for money that you rarely see with this type of restaurant. And of course, most importantly, the food is delectable.

26. The Debbie for New Restaurant of the Year 
Winner: Casi Casa

Our pick of the year's new restaurants goes to Casi Casa in Zurich. From the entrepreneurs behind celebrated Zurich establishments such as Weisses Rössli, Casi Casa is a stylish Latin America influenced restaurant, bar and event space. It works for brunch, lunch and dinner, with great food, drinks, and even family-friendly support. The event space opens up for live music, dancing and DJ nights, as well as films and sporting events. An excellent and versatile addition to your Zurich rotation. 

27. The Debbie for Bar of the Year 
Winner: The Pulitzer Bar

A returning champion of Debbie Awards past. This year this highly coveted award goes to The Pulitzer Bar of Amsterdam, a stylish and cosy cocktail venue from the hotel of the same name. Adorned with books, classic velvety armchairs, and rotating themed cocktail lists, there is certainly no more whimsical a setting to enjoy a good snifter in 2019. But this is no mere novelty bar, far from it. It is the high quality of the setting, and the creativity of the drinks that makes Pulitzer a standout establishment, and somewhere that everyone should visit in Amsterdam.


28. The Debbie for Destination of the Year
Winner: Stockholm

Offering a uniquely rich blend of historic charm, cultural depth, and natural beauty, Stockholm invites exploration from its atmospheric cobblestone streets in Gamla Stan and grand royal palaces to world-class museums easily paired with scenic waterfront strolls or visits to the vast nearby archipelago of over 30,000 islands. The city’s distinctive "Scandi" crafts and design makes for an excellent shopping destination, while the food scene encompasses so much more than one might expect. 


29. The Debbie for Wine of the Year 
Winner: Leeu Passant Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2021

This year's recipient of the wine Debbie comes from a pairing option we had at dinner. Suffice it to say, it was good enough that top ups were ordered. From the cool, maritime-influenced slopes of Stellenbosch, the Leeu Passant Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2021 invites with aromas of lime and peach, with a lush yet textured mouthfeel. The citrus notes are balanced by a fresh mineral-tinged finish. This is a beautifully crafted Chardonnay that rewards both immediate enjoyment and careful cellaring.


30. The Debbie for Tipple of the Year 
Winner: The Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company, Lyserød

A first for this blog as we award this prestigious prize to a non-alcoholic beverage. Non-alcoholic options for those looking to engage in some convivial beveraging are all the trend right now, and every year we see more and more offerings that are good enough to become, not just an option for those who can't drink, but a worthwhile choice for anybody. This year the prize goes to The Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company's Lyserød, a delightful and refined non-alcoholic sparkling beverage that elevates what might once have been a simple soft drink into a sophisticated alternative to rosé wine. Crafted from a carefully curated blend of organic teas including oolong, hibiscus, and Silver Needle white tea, Lyserød offers intense fruity complexity while remaining comfortably dry and smooth on the palate. As part of a broader trend toward elevated non-alcoholic drinks, Lyserød stands out for its nuanced taste, thoughtful craftsmanship, and versatility with a wide range of foods.


Well there you have it, another year signed, sealed and delivered. Here's to 2026 being a year of peace, good health, and progress. See you there!

This piece of non-fiction caught my attention due to the strong reviews and a premise to explore the mechanics of colonising another world, not in a sci-fi way, but in a very grounded, real-life context. How would people live, how would they eat, sleep, and maintain social relations? How would society function? The kind of interesting, practical questions that rarely get asked in sci-fi because they don't make for gripping fiction. 

However, the book’s breadth is also its weakness. Zubrin’s coverage can feel overwhelming and often shifts abruptly between topics, sometimes at the expense of depth or critical balance. Digressions into speculative sociology, governance, or cultural norms sometimes distract more than they illuminate, and the book doesn’t grapple enough with the political, financial, and logistical realities that will determine whether such a future is feasible.

It all comes back to the simple fact: no one really has the answers to these questions. If we did, we'd have done it already. Zubrin's take is intellectually interesting, but ultimately holds no more water than anyone else's. 

I had high hopes for this one. A highly anticipated debut novel that had drawn comparisons (perhaps unhelpfully in retrospect) with authors like Taylor Jenkins Reid. The Three Lives of Cate Kay weaves an intriguing story about identity, reinvention, and the cost of running from your past. The premise is compelling enough: an elusive bestselling author finally revealing her true self after decades of hiding, a story that affords plenty of drama, showbiz glamour, and twists.

That said, the novel doesn’t quite deliver on its promise. The narrative occasionally feels bogged down in backstory, predominantly focusing on the less interesting aspects of the plot with segments that drag and undercut momentum. Some character decisions rely on miscommunication or contrivance more than believable psychology, which can strain the reader’s suspension of disbelief. While there are moments of real emotional insight, they are unevenly distributed across the book, making the overall experience thoughtful but ultimately uneven.

A bit of a change of pace here. David Squires is a cartoonist for the Guardian, and kind of a national treasure. His strips cover primarily the sporting world with elements of politics and current events, with a remarkable combination of wit and insight. His work includes strips as silly as re-imagining José Mourinho as a stroppy teenager (Emourinho), to a hard-hitting deep dive on the labour conditions in the run up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Then there is my personal favourite on Bobby Charlton and the memory of the Munich air disaster, which might genuinely move you to tears. 

Chaos in the Box is a collection of his work, with added commentary from the artist himself. The work is brilliant, of course, and the commentary provides fascinating insight as to the process and thinking that goes into what Squires does. I only wish there was a little more of it. The bulk of this book is just a reprint of the comic strips, with the additional writing ultimately a fairly small number of pages. A great read, well worth your time, nevertheless.

On paper, The Antidote sounds like a winner. Blending Dust Bowl-era historical fiction with elements of magical realism in a way that feels both ambitious and symbolic. Set in a struggling Nebraska town during the 1930s drought, the novel weaves together multiple narrators: a prairie witch who stores townspeople’s memories, a determined young basketball player, a mysteriously fertile farmer, and a New Deal photographer with a time-bending camera, while exploring themes of memory, trauma, and historical erasure.

However, the book’s impressive scope can also work against it. With numerous plot threads, shifting viewpoints, and big thematic ambitions, the narrative sometimes feels unfocused and overstuffed, with certain subplot resolutions feeling abrupt or underdeveloped. It feels like each tale is a tool to touch on the themes and political points of the book, rather than a compelling and fully structured story in its own right. Storytelling through vignettes can work. Storytelling as a way of illustrating a central thesis can work. But the story itself should be complete and interesting, not just a means to say something.

Another one that sounded great on paper. The debut novel of Silvia Park, Luminous tells the story of three estranged siblings, children of a robotics pioneer, against the backdrop of a murder investigation in a near-future unified Korea. The setting is fresh and fascinating, and the subject matter both timely and ripe for a good sci-fi story, but unfortunately it rarely makes the most of its potential.

At times the pacing feels uneven, and the story tries to juggle many themes and subplots, which can make the narrative feel cluttered and less focused than it could be. The ideas themselves are clever, but have been done better by other authors, and while the setting is unique with tons of potential, it barely ends up actually featuring in the novel and doesn't affect the plot or tie into the themes in any satisfying way. Most disappointingly, the writing quality isn't really all that great, with the occasional cringey cliche description, or over-explained joke that doesn't really land. 

Overall, Luminous is a thought-provoking and imaginative read with plenty of compelling material, but its ambition sometimes outstrips its execution.

A new Taylor Jenkins Reid novel is always a cause for excitement. Atmosphere is a thrilling, emotionally rich novel that follows the great TJR playbook of blending historical fiction (in this case set against the backdrop of NASA's early Space Shuttle era) with intimate character work. The novel follows a group of trainee astronauts, the relationships they form with one another, and tests the limits of that bond when forced into making life or death decisions.

I love TJR and I also love things relating to space, so in theory this novel should be like a new level of nirvana for me. But while I very much liked this novel, I have to say I found it less compelling than some of her other work. Part of this comes down to the decisions in the narrative structure. Atmosphere starts with a space mission gone awry, and then basically drags that one scene out over the entire novel, with the bulk of the text instead focusing on flashbacks depicting the events that led up to that moment. It just about works, but the stark drop after that opening chapter does create these pacing issues where part of you is always itching to get back to the present day action, instead of really immersing yourself into the story. 

Take nothing away from it, though. The story is excellent and thought-provoking, the characters as rich and compelling as one might hope, and the action is gripping, page-turning stuff, albeit slightly hampered by the prolonged pacing. Atmosphere is a great read, even if it does end up feeling a bit like potential unfulfilled.

My Friends is a compelling piece of work from NYT best-selling author Fredrik Backman. Opening with vandalism at an art gallery, a frantic escape, and the development of an unlikely friendship. This is a heartfelt, character-driven novel about the lasting bonds formed between a group of teenagers who find solace and joy in each other amid difficult home lives, and how that bond later ripples into a stranger’s life decades later. Backman’s warm, witty prose and his ability to render friendship, grief, and resilience with emotional clarity make many scenes genuinely moving, and his explorations of art, loyalty, and memory give the story a strong thematic core.

However, the book doesn’t entirely avoid the familiar pitfalls of its genre: some plot threads feel unevenly developed, the tone swings between light and heavy in ways that can undercut momentum, and the emotional payoff isn’t as consistently satisfying as it could be. For readers who enjoy slice-of-life literary fiction with depth and feeling, it’s a worthwhile and affecting read, even if it doesn’t land as powerfully as some of Backman’s best work.

Getting back to non-fiction, Charles Fairchild’s Since I Left You is one for the music-lovers out there. A thoughtful and engaging exploration of The Avalanches’ landmark debut album, placing it into its broader historical, technological, and cultural contexts. Fairchild digs into how the record’s sample-based innovation reflected and anticipated shifts in popular music, and his writing gives real insight into what made the music resonate at the turn of the millennium.

This work does exactly what it says on the tin, and if you are a fan of the album, or of music and the music industry itself, then this will make for a very satisfying read. It is a niche piece of writing though, and its relatively narrow focus and emphasis on context over narrative can make it feel more like a cultural study than a standalone appreciation of the music, and some readers may wish for more personal reflection or broader thematic payoff.

Overall, Fairchild’s book is an informative, often rewarding read for fans of the album. Insightful and well-researched, though occasionally too specialized to fully captivate a general audience.

This one was recommended to me as a read on what it means to be a parent in this day and age, and a re-thinking of traditional modes of raising a child. The book aims to rethink parenting from the inside out by encouraging adults to reflect on their own childhoods, validate emotions, and build deeper connections with their children rather than relying on traditional “fix-it” parenting tactics. 

But while there's some good stuff in here, there are also some things that just aren't borne out by the general expert consensus, and in particular her views on sleep-training are considered quite controversial. As with most things in life, it's about balance, and this book doesn't really do a good job of acknowledging that.

In general, any time you read something written by someone who tells you "everyone else is wrong, this is how you should do things" you should always be very skeptical, especially when presented in a non-bespoke, one-size-fits-all format like a book. One person's opinion is just that. Expert consensus exists for a reason. Everyone's situation is different.

Sticking with a theme here, we have Solid Starts. Solid Starts is based on the emerging view that, actually, young children can be exposed to solid food at a much younger age, and in fact may benefit from doing so. Exploring food at an earlier age, even if just to play with it, hold it, lick it, rather than actually eating, may be associated with being a less picky eater later in life, establish a healthy early relationship with food, and even reduce the risk of choking by developing familiarity. The book very meticulously talks you through the theory behind the idea, the arguments for it, and provides guidance for how to do this safely.

There's a few issues here that need to be acknowledged. Solid Starts isn't just a book, it is a company, and they have an app. Of course they are going to present a one-sided view of the discussion, and indeed the book does often feel like glorified marketing for the app. But the ideas explored here are actually pretty good. The logic is reasonable, the book is thoroughly researched and sourced, with a great deal of credible expert opinion and evidence-based data coalescing around many of these ideas, which you can find from outside research. So while certainly you need to think objectively and consider other viewpoints, there does seem to be some real merit here, and personally I am a fan of the idea.

So here we are, decades after The Northern Lights/Golden Compass first hit bookshelves, and Philip Pullman's long awaited sequel trilogy finally draws to a close, and... it is a bitter disappointment. The original trilogy is an iconic masterwork, an indelible piece of youth literature with profound intellectual depth and imagery. But as good as it was, that original trilogy left a generation of readers with a sharp lack of emotional closure. Providing this closure was, for many, the mission statement of this sequel trilogy. But after a long, meandering three books, I'm not sure it ever really justified its existence.

The sequel trilogy is essentially about Lyra and Pan, estranged from the events of the first trilogy, and how they reconcile with one another. Did that really require three books, the last of which is almost 700 pages long? I'm not so sure. It might have been justified if there were meaningful larger world-lore implications, or a revisiting to Will's world, or just something that expanded the story, but there really isn't. Instead what we get are some philosophical musings that don't really make much sense, some story threads that are hinted at and then never developed, and a whole lot of filler that really adds nothing. Yet somehow despite the length of this volume, the ending still manages to feel rushed. Look, it's not all bad. Some bits are entertaining, the quality of the writing is excellent throughout, but try and summarise the key plot points across these three books, and you could probably do so in one page. Try doing the same for the (actually much shorter) original trilogy and see the difference. 

Closing out the year on a high note. This Way Up is a delightfully quirky dive into the weird and wonderful world of cartography (which is actually way more interesting than it sounds), brought to life with the same dry humour and infectious enthusiasm that made the author's Map Men YouTube series a hit. Packed with fascinating anecdotes about famously flawed maps; from missing countries to implausible borders and bizarre misprints; the book balances historical insight and geography trivia with genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. 

Even if the subject matter seems dry or uninteresting to you, it's the wit and humour with which it is delivered that makes this such an excellent read (as indeed is the case with the YouTube channel). Foreman is a truly impressive talent who deserves a wider audience, and perhaps this is the first step. Whether you’re a seasoned map geek or just “map-curious,” there’s a surprising amount to learn and enjoy in each chapter.

So there it is. Twelve months in books. Can I keep it going another year? You bet, because reading is awesome.