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Japan Trip Series, Part 3  On Day 3 of my trip, I visited Kyoto. It rained off and on as I walked from the Saga-Arashiyama Station to the Arashiyama Monkey Park and then on to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. And while some people might be disappointed to get rain on their only day in Kyoto on their first trip to Japan, I was grateful for it.
Sure, I got a little wet. But the drizzle was a trade I was happy to make. I’d been expecting Arashiyama to be super crowded, and while it was still busy, it never reached that shoulder-to-shoulder intensity I’d been bracing for based on photos and videos online. The rain softened everything: The light, the pace, the mood. It made the crowds feel more like a stream with occasional logjams than a crush. It also gave me a very practical reason to buy an umbrella from a Japanese konbini (convenience store). I don’t remember exactly what it cost, but it was cheap. So if you find yourself in Japan without an umbrella, don’t stress. Pop into a konbini and you’ll be covered, literally.  The Arashiyama Bamboo ForestThe Arashiyama Bamboo Forest was a great walk. The bamboo rises in tight ranks on either side of the path, tall and straight, like a living hallway. Even with people passing in both directions, there were plenty of moments where it felt calm. All it took was pausing for a minute, letting a cluster of photo-takers go by, and listening to the soft hush of wind moving through the leaves. And yes: There were lots of people taking photos. It’s that kind of place. (I was one of them.)  Autumn Colours On The WayOutside the bamboo grove, the scenery kept getting better. Kyoto in autumn has a way of stacking colours. Greens still holding on, then bursts of yellow, orange, and deep red rolling up the hillsides. The rain made everything look more saturated, like the landscape had been lightly polished (another benefit of the rain I was thankful for). Along the walks, little details popped too. Stone figures tucked against wet greenery, mossy edges, and quiet corners that felt like they’d been there forever, patiently waiting for you to notice.  The Katsura RiverOne of my favourite parts of the day was simply being near the Katsura River. Wide water, misty hills in the background, and that steady, calming movement you can watch for far too long without getting bored. The river and the surrounding mountains made the whole area feel bigger than the individual sights. Arashiyama is less “one attraction” and more a whole mood. Next up: The Arashiyama Monkey Park and sky-high views of Kyoto. Note: All photos in this post were taken by me with an iPhone 17 Pro.
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Happy New Year! I hope 2026 is already shaping up to be a great year full of curiosity, adventure, and some amazing books. Looking back on 2025, I’m happy with how wide-ranging my reading ended up being. Science fiction, science writing, graphic novels, literary fiction, and nonfiction all made appearances, often touching on similar questions about humanity, technology, history, and our place in the universe. Narrowing things down is never easy, but these were some of my favourite reads of the year. An Angel Called Peterbilt |
| In June 2025, ‘An Angel Called Peterbilt’ was exactly the kind of book I was in the mood for: Fast, imaginative, and deeply enjoyable. Set around 1005 CE, ‘An Angel Called Peterbilt’ combines adventure, history, and wonderfully strange circumstances into a compact, propulsive read. It paired unexpectedly well with other historical nonfiction ('Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals and People in America' by Dan Flores) I was reading at the time, grounding its speculative elements in a richly textured past. I tore through it in just a few days. It was fun, and satisfying, and never overstayed its welcome. |  |
We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
— Dennis E. Taylor
| This is my kind of science fiction. Humorous, thoughtful, and bursting with big ideas, ‘We Are Legion (We Are Bob)’ explores mind uploading, identity, cloning, post-humanism, terraforming, first contact, and space exploration with a smooth easy confidence that never bogs itself down. It’s fast-paced and playful, but beneath the jokes is a surprisingly deep meditation on what it means to be human when “one person” becomes many. Wildly entertaining and hard to put down. |  |
The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself
— Sean Carroll
| A genuinely expansive book in every sense. Carroll moves effortlessly from physics to philosophy, from cosmology to ethics, weaving together a coherent worldview grounded in naturalism without stripping life of meaning. This is a book for readers who want to understand not just how the universe works, but how we should think within it. By the end, I felt both grounded and expanded, with a clearer sense of our place in the cosmos and how to think about it. |  |
Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution
— Neil deGrasse Tyson & Donald Goldsmith
| A clear, accessible, and awe-inducing journey from the Big Bang to the search for life beyond Earth. I especially enjoyed the sections on galaxy formation, stars, and planets, which balance scientific depth with vivid storytelling. Whether read or listened to (as I did via audiobook), ‘Origins’ succeeds at what the best science writing does: It teaches, inspires awe, and fosters curiosity. |  |
Juice
— Tim Winton
| Set in a brutally altered future Australia, ‘Juice’ unfolds like an oral history of collapse, survival, and moral compromise. Communities hide underground, summers are lethal, winters unforgiving, and justice is meted out by shadowy forces hunting the architects of ecological ruin. The prose is spare and hypnotic, the world-building vivid without being overexplained. It’s a sad, tense, and strangely beautiful book. One that lingers, heavy with grief and stubborn hope. |  |
Unlocking the Matrix: Generative AI for Beginners
— Alex Quant
| I listened to ‘Unlocking the Matrix: Generative AI for Beginners’ as an audiobook during a series of bike rides, and it proved to be a surprisingly solid primer. It offers a broad, accessible overview of artificial intelligence, generative AI, and machine learning—how they work and what they make possible. While clearly aimed at beginners, it’s impressively comprehensive and left me with a stronger desire to keep learning and experimenting. A good entry point for anyone curious about the AI landscape. |  |
Animal Pound
— Tom King, illustrated by Peter Gross
| A powerful and unsettling allegory that feels uncomfortably relevant. Through Madame Fifi’s journey—from optimism to disillusionment to quiet defiance—we witness the rise and corrosion of a revolutionary dream. The story’s real weight comes after liberation, when unity fractures and manipulation takes hold. One particularly Trumpian figure rises through spectacle and division, bending the system to his own ends. ‘Animal Pound’ is a haunting reminder of how fragile democratic ideals can be, and how easily they’re undermined from within. |  |
Strange Pictures
— Uketsu
| A short but deeply unsettling read. Each chapter presents an eerie image paired with minimalist storytelling, functioning as both a standalone vignette and part of a larger, slowly emerging mystery. The structure is deceptively simple and incredibly effective. It’s quietly disturbing in a way that creeps up on you. The final chapter ties everything together while still leaving your mind spiralling. |  |
The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport
— Samit Basu
| A dazzling blend of sci-fi adventure, myth, and philosophical inquiry. Set in the decaying city of Shantiport, the novel follows a revolutionary, her bot brother, and an alien story-bot whose evolving consciousness adds humour and depth. Basu’s world is chaotic, inventive, and richly layered, exploring artificial intelligence, autonomy, power, and resistance. While it nods to familiar tales like ‘Aladdin’, it quickly subverts expectations and carves out something entirely its own. Thought-provoking, funny, and exhilarating. |  |
These were some of my favourite reads of 2025. These books entertained, challenged, unsettled, and/or expanded how I think about the world (and worlds beyond it). If you’d like to connect or see what else I read this past year, feel free to send me a friend request on Goodreads.
Here’s to a 2026 filled with curiosity, conversation, and great reading.