Happy Saturday from Valencia. With the end of the second quarter of 2025, I want to reflect on the best things I have read and watched. This time I’m bringing back a “the worst” category with an honourable mention of a book I wasn’t even able to finish, and the most disappointing thing I have read this year so far.
Hope you get some great picks for your summer reading list and a few things to avoid like the plague.
What I’ve been Reading
The best:
☆☆☆☆☆ The Looming Tower – Lawrence Wright
This book lived up to the hype, and it is the best nonfiction book I have read this year so far. The book details the origins of Jihadism and the development of Al-Qaeda from its origins in the 1940s up until the aftermath of 9/11. The book is very well researched and is deeply empathetic towards the motivations of all the actors involved.
The book presents the main characters in Al-Qaeda’s high command and the FBI counterterrorism office, each with their idiosyncrasies and complex private lives. It is not easy to make these characters feel human, and Wright does this perfectly. The book reads closer to a novel than a non-fiction book.
☆☆☆☆ Stoner – John Williams
I fed Chat GPT my Goodreads library and asked it to find my next favourite novel. Although it didn’t find me a 5-star novel, this was a great suggestion, and the score may be more about my high standard for fiction than a flaw in GPT’s taste.
Stoner is a masterclass in elevating the mundane. The book has little adornment, but it is a great exercise in writing the drama of a life lived. William Stoner’s silent loneliness is marked by some pivotal moments in his life where he deviates from his normal, scripted life, and it conditions his whole existence.
The character exploration and fidelity reminded me of something Sally Rooney might write. It navigates the messiness of life with a feeling of reality and honesty that makes the characters feel very tangible.
Stoner is not a larger-than-life character, and he doesn’t face great challenge or tragedy. He is an ordinary guy with layers of rich complexity. These layers bring out the humanity of the character, finding beauty in the uneventful.
The writing is something emotionally exciting in a way that’s rare. Here are some highlights:
“Within a month, he knew his marriage was a failure. Within a year, he stopped hoping that it would improve.”
“He had lived his life as a man does who has no other way to live. He had lived and he had loved and in the end, he had found that there was nothing to regret.”
☆☆☆☆ Carrie – Stephen King
Whenever I want something fast, engaging and accessible, there are a couple of authors who always perform. King is at the top of the list. Nothing I have ever read from him has ever disappointed me, and The Stand is one of my favourite novels of all time. I had Carrie on my list ever since I read King’s book on writing, where he describes his creative process, especially focusing on Carrie.
This is a deceptively simple but rock-solid novel that feels fresh despite being written over 50 years ago. The novel pulled me into Carrie White’s world in a way that only King can. The raw emotion that she experiences and the dynamics of high school bullying are still relevant even after being run through the generational filter. The storytelling is masterful, blending traditional prose with fictional clippings, interviews, and media excerpts that deepen the world..
My Stephen King Top 5
- The Stand
- Carrie
- 11/22/63
- Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption
- The Long Walk
☆☆☆☆☆ Exhalation – Ted Chiang
This is, hands down, the best thing I’ve read this year so far. Chiang is one of the most creative and thought-provoking writers alive today, a rare delicacy to savour, knowing how limited his catalogue is. This is the second collection of short stories in almost 20 years, which makes each one feel like an event. If you are not familiar with his work directly, you may know his storytelling from the Oscar-nominated movie Arrival, which is based on one of his short stories.
Exhalation contains 9 of Chiang’s stories, each presenting a unique scenario that explores themes like free will, consciousness and AI ethics. I’m positive that Chiang is the most original and surprising science fiction writer this side of the 2000s. Every single story proposes a novel concept that pushes the boundaries of the genre.
The book is a masterfully written intellectual gem that has challenged my values and has made me find new moral dilemmas that have entertained me for months after reading. If that is not the mark of a 5-star book, I don’t know what is. Most of my ideas around AI and my writing have been heavily influenced by some of the stories I read.
If you only choose one poolside book this summer, choose Chiang. You won’t regret it, and it might just change the way you think about the future.
Honourable mentions:
☆☆☆ 1/2 The Invisibles Vol 1 – Grant Morrison
☆☆☆ 1/2 The World of Yesterday – Stefan Zweig
The worst:
☆☆ 1/2 The Maniac – Benjamin Labatut
This book sounds like it should be great, but I don’t get the hype, and honestly, I wanted to rate it even lower just to warn people away. I can’t get around the 4.34 average score on GoodReads. The book is all over the place with two unrelated parts stitched together by a thin thread just to try to hit a commercial word count. They should have thought about saving the rainforest.
The first part is a fictionalised biography of John Von Neumann; for the most part, it is well written and engaging. Even though it is fictionalised, it is well researched, and the narration feels true to the historical figures. It serves as a good introduction to Von Neumann at less than 150 pages. The book should have ended here, but selling a 160-page book is not easy. We have collectively agreed that the standard length for a non-fiction bestseller to sell optimally is 300 pages.
For the author, the only obvious choice was to then abandon the fictionalisation and tackle an account of Alpha Go’s match against Lee Sedol because hey, we have a big name in science, and why not cash in on the AI-craze while we are at it? This is a guaranteed NYT bestseller. The first part is a good 3-star book, but the second part and the lack of coherence make it the worst thing I have finished in months.
N/A A Farewell to Alms – Gregory Clark
This one is so bad I couldn’t even hate-read it on a 5-hour flight with nothing else to do. By page 25, everything the author was saying rubbed me the wrong way and was thinly supported. Great title, interesting premise, but that’s where the good stuff ends. Definitely not for me.
What I’ve been Watching
TV
☆☆☆☆☆ Andor S2 (2025)
This show became an obsession for me while it was airing. It is the best thing that has come out of the Star Wars universe since Disney took over. Masterful storytelling that makes use of the constraints of being a prequel to expand the universe while developing a compelling plot. It does this with an exquisite approach to detail and character development.
The soundtrack is composed by Nicholas Britell, who also did the Succession soundtrack, which ranks high in my Original Soundtracks for any medium. As expected from Britell, it is an eclectic mix of modern and traditional that works on all levels and elevates the medium it scores.
It is very rare to make a franchise show feel this original.
☆☆☆☆ 1/2 The Studio (2025)
This new series on Apple has Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s resurrection of the Entourage formula, making a show about Hollywood and splashing it with real-life cameos of famous people.
The episodes are funny, but feel overly polished, missing the messiness that made Entourage addictive. Dialogue is exquisite, and Kathryn Hahn steals every scene in her support role, posing as a social media executive. I’m excited about what they have in store for the next season. Let’s see if they dare to go in deeper.
☆☆☆ 1/2 White Lotus Season 3 (2025)
This season, the White Lotus visited Thailand, which, for me, is the weakest of the 3 seasons. The setting and cinematography are great, especially the dialogue-free opening sequence, 4 long hypnotic minutes that set the tone gracefully.
Parker Possey is underused but unforgettable. Sam Rockwell appears briefly, but he juices every second he is on screen and steals the show for a couple of episodes.
The cracks are showing, but the formula still works.
Films
The best:
☆☆☆☆ Argo (2012)
I showed up late to the Argo party, but I’m glad I made it.
This is one of the best things I have seen in a while. The movie is an unpretentious thriller loosely based on the hostage crisis in Tehran in the late 1970s. Ben Affleck steals the show directing and acting with a feathered wig and cool guy sunglasses.
The film is a love letter to the 70s, blending ambience, colour grading and a great selection of music. The addition of real TV news footage from the event gives the film a great touch.
It doesn’t aim for profound, artsy embellishments; instead, it chooses to make confident, great cinema. Affleck doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel.
☆☆☆☆ Sound Of Metal (2019)
This movie wrecked me. It is one of the strongest emotional hits I’ve felt on any medium this year. It has weirdly stuck with me and it still haunts me.
The film gets a lot of praise for its portrayal of the deaf community. For me, it was all about the journey of a man coming to terms with the cards he’s been dealt, fighting to keep his individuality while everyone tries to group him into an identity.
The audience doesn’t just see someone lose everything; they hear it disappear, piece by piece, through the film’s devastating use of sound. It’s the stuff of nightmares.
Riz Ahmed wasn’t really on my radar as a lead actor, but his raw performance stands out. I’m now excited for whatever he’s cast in next.
☆☆☆☆ 1/2 Black Swan (2010)
This one had been on my list for a while, and it did not disappoint. The movie feels like a labyrinth halfway between Donnie Darko and Whiplash. It explores the artistic cost of greatness and the loss of reality while looking for transcendence.
The director takes the viewer on a trip through the siege of Nina’s mind and her descent into hell. In a way, the movie also reminded me of The Bell Jar’s psychological unravelling.
The horror aspect of the movie contrasts beautifully with the subject of the ballerina and captures the claustrophobia Nina feels masterfully. What holds it back from a full 5 stars and a place on my top list is the stylised pain and the use of shock and ambiguity without emotional payoff.
Portman’s Oscar-winning performance is simply stunning. She embodies the fragility, repression and escalating madness with an unnerving portrayal.
☆☆☆ 1/2 Parthenope (2024)
I missed this one in cinemas, and I really regret not experiencing this visual gift on a big screen. The film is an ode to the Mediterranean and the city of Naples that made me feel a sense of brotherhood with our friends from across the small pond.
Aesthetically, it’s exactly what you’d expect from Paolo Sorrentino: beautiful landscapes, long, stylish shots with more flair than narrative, and plenty of parallels with The Great Beauty.
The film is pretentious and over the top, which makes for a great visual experience, but sadly, it is unable to back this up with a coherent narrative or a deep exploration of a single theme. Unfortunately, visual beauty alone can’t excuse the film’s lack of cohesion.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved every second, but it feels like a fever dream that doesn’t really come together at the end. Had it been simpler, with fewer meandering subplots, it could have easily earned another star.
The worst:
☆☆ Mission Impossible 8? (2025)
What you would expect from the saga. Great stunts, high stakes, and bad storytelling. Visually, the movie is great, but it is terribly formulaic. The kind of expensive slop that rides on previous success alone.
Eight movies in, and they’re still miles away from recapturing what made the original great.
☆☆ 1/2 F1 (2025)
This is the summer blockbuster you can come to expect from Apple Studios: household names, great visuals, and a sexy backdrop like the F1 championship. The stunts are also great on this one, and the essence of the sport is captured perfectly, but it stops there. The script is sadly not on par with everything else; it can’t keep up with the cars.
☆ 1/2 The Fountain of Youth (2025)
I had high hopes for this one. It had a great cast, was directed by Guy Ritchie, one of my favourite directors of all time, and promised something entertaining. Maybe the hype is partly to blame, but unfortunately, it gets almost everything wrong.
Apart from the sets, everything else is unoriginal, boring, and painfully predictable.
End Note
I hope you found something for you on the list! See you soon!
Here is a picture from dusk at Sagunt, some views are better than 5 stars.
Ricard