What I'm Reading in November 2025

Books

• The Shining by Stephen King - alternating between e-book and audio book. As I read and/or listen, I'm picturing Steven Weber as Jack Torrance–except for those brief moments when Brent Spiner creeps into narrator Campbell Scott's voice.
• A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols - book borrowed from a neighbor who happens to enjoy sailing. He loaned it to me after I noticed his Whitbread belt and we started talking about Simon Le Bon's experience on the Drum maxi yacht. This is a super-slow read for me because I am familiar with virtually no sailing terms and I have to stop a lot in order to look up terms like "ketch", "jib", and "spinnaker pole".
• Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood - The first hardback I've bought in a long time. This will probably take a long time to read, because I'll only be reading it in bed before my wife gets so sleepy that the lights go off. I posted a brief, pre-read overview of the book in my excitement upon its arrival.
• The Between by Tananarive Due - e-book that I'm reading in bed after the lights go out. I actually started this book back in late September, but between the interruption caused by my urgency to read The Shining and generally falling asleep mid-page (the actual purpose of reading an e-book in bed), here I am in November, still reading the same book!
• The Thief of Always: A Fable by Clive Barker - e-book for reading in bed. But I couldn't help but peek inside the covers just a bit during daylight. Started mid-month after finishing Tananarive Due's The Between.

Novelettes

• The Brotherhood of Montague St Video by Thomas Ha, published in Clarkesworld #212 (May 2024) - I initially thought the title ended with "Saint Vi-DAY-oh". It does not. It ends with "Street Video". Pretty big difference, that. Read Wednesday, 11/12/2025.

Short Fiction

• "To Be a Happy Man" by Thomas Ha, published in Lightspeed #164 (January 2024) - Flash fiction. Read Monday, 11/03/2025.
• "Godskin" by CL Hellisen, published in the 4 March 2024 issue of Strange Horizons - 2025 World Fantasy Award finalist. 2025 British Fantasy Award nominee. Read Monday, 11/03/2025.
• "Come Here, Ofelia" by Cynthia Gómez, published in Apex Magazine #151 - Read Monday, 11/03/2025.
• "Kimi's Fruit Stand for Dead Pirates and Privateers" by Catherine Tavares, published in Haven Speculative #8 (March 2023) - Read Tuesday, 11/04/2025.
• "Code Green" by Rebecca Johnson, published in Apex Magazine #151 - Read Tuesday, 11/04/2025.
• "Our Best Selves" by Hiron Ennes, published in Weird Horror #9 - 2025 World Fantasy Award finalist. Read Wednesday, 11/05/2025.
• "Everything in the Garden Is Lovely" by Hannah Yang, published in Apex Magazine #143 - 2025 World Fantasy Award finalist. Read Thursday, 11/06/2025
• "Mister Yummy" by Stephen King, published in King's Bazaar of Bad Dreams. Reading in anticipation of the film adaptation. This story references Hemingford Home! Read Saturday-Sunday, 11/15-11/16/2025.

Articles

• ‘It is the scariest of times’: Margaret Atwood on defying Trump, banned books – and her score-settling memoir. Lisa Allardice, The Guardian, 1 November 2025 - Read Tuesday, 11/04/2025.
• Police: Woman found restrained had been shot by BBs, starved for months. Dante Motley. Austin American-Statesman via MSN, 4 November 2025 - Read Thursday, 11/06/2025.
• Fishes, young and old, are shrinking in Michigan’s inland lakes. Matt Davenport. University of Michigan News, 5 November 2025. Read Saturday, 11/08/2025 (via Ben Goldfarb on BlueSky).
• Weird Sister: Renée Vivien, Mildred Faintly, The Gay & Lesbian Review Blog, 14 November 2025. Read Saturday, 11/15/2025.

Other

• "Before the Play" by Stephen King. Is this a prologue? A prequel? Either way, I wish I had read it before reading The Shining. - Read Sunday-Monday, 11/09-11/10/2025.

Updated 17 November 2025.