I didn’t read enough last year. Too much work, too much anxiety about too much work, too tired to concentrate on anything when I got home from work. I bought books and stacked them in teetering piles that slumped and collapsed, but I didn’t open them.

I want to do better in 2025. Books are like food, and I’m hungry. I have a goal in mind, which I’m not going to share here because I know that this year is going to be as hard as the last one, and I’m pretty sure my reading goal is out of reach. It might not be, though, and even if I don’t accomplish that goal, I want to make the effort.

I’m off to a good start: I’ve finished a book, Ariel Gordon’s Fungal. It’s not just a book about mushrooms; it’s a book about approaching the world with enthusiasm and joy. Love, even. We could use more of those virtues right now.

This post is a celebration of two things: finishing my first book of 2025, and Ariel’s achievement with Fungal. I plan to keep posting about the books I read, so I can share them with you, and also brag a little about slowly getting closer to my secret goal.

Also, read this book; it’s delightful.