The 7 Tomes of Winter 2025

Well hello there, fellow bookworm.

(He writes with great assumption.)

I had a grand plan to turn The 25 Tomes of 2024 into a yearly tradition, but I realized that packing 30+ books into one little Whimsie could be a bit much.

So, I’m switching things up:

Seasonal book breakdowns instead. More digestible. More frequent. More fun.

On that note, the Spring 2025 Book Breakdown is ready for you to dig into.

Many of these tomes found me at just the right time. Perhaps you’ll find the same.

~~~

The Core by Peter V. Brett

Ah, yes. The bloody and mesmerizing conclusion to Brett’s Demon Cycle series that I started in November 2024 and didn’t quite finish before the calendar turned.

(The Demon Cycle also includes (1)The Warded Man, (2)The Desert Spear, (3)The Daylight War, (4)The Skull Throne, and a few novellas I haven’t dug into yet—saving them for a series reread. My books 1-4 breakdown is inside The 25 Tomes of 2024.)

Anywho…

When night falls in the world of Brett’s Demon Cycle, demons rise from the earth’s core to wage their relentless war of eons against their hated foe: All of humanity. 

Sounds dramatic, I know. But the level of detail baked into this world, paired with sprawling, diverse storylines, reminds me of Game of Thrones, but easier to digest.

In truth, this was one of the best fantasy series I’ve ever read. I really enjoyed the fresh take on the ‘farm boy from the middle of nowhere becomes a hero’ trope.

Cujo: The Untold Story of My Life On and Off the Ice by Curtis Joseph & Kirstie McLellan Day

Curtis Joseph is why I chose the Toronto Maple Leafs as my favourite hockey team when I was a wee young lad, why blue is arguably my favourite colour, and why I started playing hockey at all, along with being a goalie for my first couple of seasons.

I have so many fond, albeit faded, memories of watching the Leafs play on Hockey Night in Canada, with Cujo often being the reliable hero the team needed to win.

This book made for a perfect follow up and change of environment after immersing myself in The Demon Cycle for nearly two months, serving up a tasty pile of fun facts and stories about my favourite hockey player.

Unless you care about hockey, the Toronto Maple Leafs, or know of Cujo, this book likely won’t catch your fancy. But you’ll still enjoy this read if you like underdog stories and proof of how we humans can overcome huge challenges and wheelbarrows of adversity en route to success—even reaching the pinnacle of your field.

I shan’t spoil the details, but I was shocked to discover how disastrous Cujo’s childhood was. Him becoming one of the NHL’s best goalies is an incredible feat.

The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide

I immediately grabbed The Guest Cat upon realizing that the story eerily mirrors my experience with Katsu, with many of life’s smallest details being shared between us.

(Here are Parts One, Two, and Three of The Katsu Chronicles.)

In short, a cat appears in a couple’s home one day and keeps returning.

The Guest Cat also served as my introduction to Japanese fiction, which is decidedly different from western works. The writing is far more poetic, image-rich, and tends to focus more deeply on people, places, and things, rather than events. 

Magic is extracted from the mundane (often with a twist towards the surreal).

Given my own writing preferences are similar, adding in how closely this story echoes events from my life, reading The Guest Cat felt like coming home after weeks away.

Your experience may vary, but such a breath of fresh air is worth taking a chance on.

Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliot

What a paradox Existential Kink is: Simultaneously one of the worst, and the most eye-opening, insightful, and perspective-shifting books I’ve ever read.

The writing is fluffy, meandering, and likes to insist on itself. Especially in the beginning, but admittedly does improve somewhat as the book goes on. 

There’s many off-the-cuff references to Wiccan, a religion based on magick. Which is great if you’re into that, could be off-putting if not, and confusing if you’re just trying to absorb the book’s core message. 

However! 

The lines of self-inquiry into why you may not have the life that you want are eye-opening to say the least. Heavily rooted in Jungian Shadow theories (where our subconscious desires conflict with our Egos and cause havoc), my understanding of why aspects of my life are the way they are (and how I can shift them) deepened massively thanks to the questions I learned from Existential Kink. 

Much of which can be boiled down to posing yourself this question:

“Deep down… What do you like about the circumstances you say you don’t like?”

The idea being that you subconsciously like not earning the money you want, not having the loving, fulfilling relationship you want, not doing work that lights you up inside, or anything else you may not like about your life. 

But since this “kink” is repressed in your subconscious, it leaks out in weird, strange, and often harmful ways—miring you in the thing(s) you say you don’t want.

The solution?

Practice accepting that you actually really like the thing(s) you claim to dislike about your life. This will feel very counterintuitive, and even confusing. But you have to integrate these aspects of your ‘shadow’ into your awareness, you have to accept them. Only then can you establish a healthy relationship with these parts of yourself, which will then allow you to release them—and their power over you.

There. Now you don’t have to read the book yourself.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

I finally tucked into this long-standing recommendation from longtime intercontinental penpal and Whimsie reader, Chris, who said that the themes of feline mystique and psychedelic oddity would be right up my alley.

How right he was! (Thanks for this one, Chris.)

My absolute favourite aspect of this book is how normal the story begins, and how surreal the story becomes. I’ve read a few books of this ilk (not as many as I’d like though), and I find so much beauty in how the transition from normal to what the fuck is happening can be delivered so smoothly that you don’t even notice.

(The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab is one such book I do recommend.)

So if you’d like to go on a funky, mind-bending, time-defying ride through a version of Japan with talking cats, teenage angst, and where fish fall from the sky…

Then look no further than Kafka on the Shore.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

The Tao Te Ching is one of the foundational texts of Taoism (or Daoism), a Chinese philosophy (or religion for some) emphasizing living in balance with the universe.

‘Tis a noble aim, built upon principles of inaction, simplicity, and harmony.

This is one of those short, philosophical books composed of little nuggets, almost like poems, that will make you think deeply about the world, your place in it, what you value, the actions you take, and the beliefs you subscribe to.

I won’t pretend to have understood even half of what’s inside the Tao Te Ching, yet. I get the feeling this is one of those books best re-read over and over and over again.

If you’re not open to or curious about Eastern philosophical ideas and/or adapting how you live in accordance with what you learn, you can take a pass on this one. 

But if you’re a deep thinker, open to new ideas, and want to wade into a philosophical lake that won’t leave you soaked and cerebrally adrift, enjoy!

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Erik Jorgenson

Behold, another collection of bite-sized philosophical and practical nuggets for navigating some of life’s biggest goals, challenges,  obstacles, and dreams.

This book covers a lot of ground topically, but the way Naval presents his thoughts is special (I think) in that his on-the-nose eloquence allows for easy uptake of big ideas. 

(Plus, his thoughts have been well organized and smoothly presented by Erik.)

Take these gems for example:

“Earn with your mind, not with your time.”

“Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.” And relatedly… “Happiness is being satisfied with what you have.”

“If you have two choices to make, and they’re relatively equal choices, take the path more difficult and more painful in the short-term.”

‘Twas a couple hundred easy-to-read pages of tasty food for thought.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Welp, I’ve officially fallen in love with Japanese fiction, and the creations of Haruki Murakami in particular. I’m glad he’s been so prolific that reading two of his books (and now onto a third) is but scratching the surface of his literary creations. 

As I mentioned regarding Kafka on the Shore, but I’ll repeat: I’m in awe of stories where all seems to be as you’d expect in the world, but slowly, carefully, artfully as the story proceeds, you’re taken in strange directions where the real becomes surreal.

Where Kafka is dreamlike and full of strange prophecies, Wind-Up Bird is more meditative and introspective: A whimsical story that begins when a cat goes missing.

~~~

I find reflecting on the books I read interesting, as themes emerge that say a lot about what you’re curious about, what enthralls you, and your desires.

Looking back at these wintertime reads, I see themes of transformation, surrealism, and deep introspection shine through, a fitting reflection of my winter. Job done.

I hope something above tickles your fancy and have a grand ‘ol time.  And as always, If you’ve read anything wonderful lately, please do let me know.

With love from the forest,

~ Alexander