2025-12-31 03:30:55
It's time to put on every winter coat you've owned since '98 and tot up The Quantified Self™ — Buckle in!
You can see each month's top artist, album, and song in my article My Year in Music.
Last year I set myself the goal of reading twelve books in twelve months which I actually doubled by the end of the year! This year, I set a target of 24 which I surpassed in October. A return to commuting has helped there; a good two hours a day of solo time to immerse in a book like a warm bath.
July was my most prolific month, devouring four books, whereas I spent the whole of August nibbling demurely at Garden of Delights. I have read three trilogies and three-fifths of a series.
Another year where my tastes haven't wildly changed. Total number of shows is low (32 over the year) but Reality TV, Drama, and Animation all rank highly. Looking at my velocity, I watch much more television in autumn than any other time of year.
Of the 42 films I watched this year, basically half of them were animated, spurred by a desire to rewatch a load of Ghibli films. Again, screen time ramps up in the colder months; peaking in December when the Christmas films get hammered.
2025-12-29 02:32:06
There are definitely two Tawny Owls in the village as I heard a distinct and prolonged call-and-response over some distance; one faint over the fields but the other in a tree right over my head — loud and terrifying.
Getting a head start on some work (actually tying up some loose ends I cba'd in the week before close down) –I know, working in the Betwixtmas, tut-tut!– and three things to note;
Slightly concerned I'm turning into my dad when I put on a 1972 episode of Ian Nairn travelling around Lancashire on a canal boat and found it fascinating.
2025-12-24 17:13:20
"I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" by Wizzard
I own two Roy Wood singles; this and "Music to Commit Suicide By". This is the more festive.
2025-12-24 05:50:01
Caveat
This is, naturally, not exhaustive. I use last.fm on my phone and my laptop to scrobble music I listen to while I'm on my own. As other people have pointed out, this doesn't capture music listened to with friends and family, nor does it log public music from the radio, bars, or shopping centres, for example.
A Social Media™-friendly shareable Wrapped image showing the slightly unhinged top 5 artists and tracks of 2025.
(Never have I felt this meme so acutely.)
2025-12-24 04:58:52
"Underneath the Tree" by Kelly Clarkson
Baader-Meinhof Syndrome or genuine omnipotence, I will never know, but this 2013 banger seems to have been everywhere this year. Not many artists can pull off a Christmas song this grand. A modern classic.
2025-12-23 04:04:14
"Baby It's Cold Outside" by Cerys Matthews and Tom Jones
The knowing gravel of Cerys Matthews somehow steers this song from creepy to funny. Welsh pop powerhouse Tom Jones also appears.