Books read in 2025: No. 43 -- See Them Die

by Ed McBain

Started: Dec. 21

Finished: Dec. 26

Notes: I thought I'd wind down the year with one of my favorites fiction series, the 87th Precinct books, and one of my favorites authors. This one is from 1960, one of the earliest of the series, and those tend to be my favorites.

Mini review: One of the things I love about the 87th Precinct series is that each of these novels is vastly different from one another. In this one, a wanted killer barricades himself inside a tenement building and it's up to the cops to get him out and/or to kill him. Another trait about this particular novel is that it didn't focus upon the usual characters, a sign of breadth, in my opinion.

Beer of the Week: Samuel Adams Winter White Ale

Beer score: 6.2

Company: Samuel Adams
ABV: 5.7
IBU: 8

It's that time of year again when Samuel Adams is releasing their Christmas brews, and this is one of those. I've had a number of white ales from Samuel Adams over the years, and usually they're fairly decent, but this one is new to me.

When poured, it has a hazed golden color not unlike straw. Has a big head that's fairly smooth.

Gives off scents maybe cinnamon and honey, along with possibly some coriander.

The taste is quite sweet with a touch of those holiday spices I usually can't tolerate but here they're light enough not to be annoying. Medium bodied, so those of you seeking thinner or thicker beers might be disappointed, but I found it worked fine.

Not really any bitterness at all, though maybe the barest hint in the aftertaste. The sweetness does grow the more you drink, and by the end of a bottle that sweetness becomes a little annoying, so I wouldn't suggest drinking a bunch of these.

Not a lot of carbonation, though there is some.

A good beer but not a great one, which is usually par for the course for Samuel Adams.

Books read in 2025: No. 42 -- Fear Street: The Wrong Number

by R. L. Stine

Started: Dec. 18

Finished: Dec. 21

Notes: I've been failing at trying to read horror of late, most of my recent reads being more thrillers or mysteries with some horror elements, so I decided I'd plop down with a book I'm fairly sure will actually be horror, though I expect it to be light on the actual horror. Why light? Well, because this is one of those YA or teen horror books that were popular in the early '90s. I've read quite a bit in the horror genre, but I never dropped into this particular trend. Hopefully it'll be a fun read.

Mini review: Once again, not really horror, but mainly a murder mystery. Still, this one was kind of fun in a late '80s, early '90s nostalgic way.

Books read in 2025: No. 41 -- Living Dead in Dallas

by Charlaine Harris

Started: Dec. 11

Finished: Dec 18

Notes: Though I've been trying to read horror of late, I'm fairly sure this won't be it, though I realize there are vampires involved and perhaps horror elements. This series of books kicked off the "True Blood" TV series on HBO more than a decade, and I watched a handful of episodes and thought they were interesting, so perhaps I'll find something here to like.

Mini review: Not awful, for me, not great. The writing reminded me of AI, which only goes to show AI definitely used this author for its learning. The characters were okay, but fairly forgettable. And the worst part was the plot. This was a murder mystery, and the murder is introduced in the first 10 pages. Then the book goes off and basically forgets about the murder while the main characters were involved in what I would call "side missions." Eventually, in the last 40 or so pages, the plot gets back to the murder and the mystery, and it's not exactly solved so much as it is concluded by a bunch of minor characters showing up and putting a wrench into the works. The final chapter, however, was nice and somewhat bittersweet, as a vampire realizes he still has ties to the world of the living. If you've read other books in this series and enjoyed them, you'll likely enjoy this one as well, if for no other reason than it will help you to visit some old friends again. Otherwise, no, this one wasn't for me.

Beer of the Week: Tsingtao Lager

Beer score: 3.4

Company: Tsingtao Brewery
ABV: 4.7
IBU: 18

I've yet to try a beer from Asia of which I've overly approved, and that remains the case here.

Pours a pale yellow color. Gives off weak smells of orange peel. Water, sweet and sour.

That's really about it.

Books read in 2025: No. 40 -- Ring

by Koji Suzuki

translated by Robert B. Rohmer and Glynne Walley

Started: Dec. 2

Finished: Dec. 10

Notes: I've been trying to read horror of late with little success, usually tumbling down the hole of mystery novels and the like, but this one I'm pretty sure will fit the bill since it's the first novel of a trilogy which is the basis for The Ring horror movies in Japan and the U.S.

Mini review: The plot here wasn't bad, but I felt the characterizations weren't all that great, most of the characters not being worthy of much empathy. Also, characters seemed to make vast leaps of logic and guesswork with little to no evidence, and then being proved right. In fairness, this was a translation from Japanese, so it's not impossible there are cultural differences which went over my head. And, though I'm no translator and obviously don't know Japanese, I felt the translating job here was too literal, or at least it seemed that way. Glad I read it, but I think a better translation could have served the story better.

Beer of the Week: Landshark Lager

Beer score: 2.8

Company: Margaritaville Brewing Company
ABV: 4.7
IBU: 15

If you're headed to the beach and are interested in a fairly weak, watered-down brew for warm weather, this one might be your choice.

It pours a pale yellow, mass-produced color while giving off little to no smell, though there might be a cheap beer scent ... maybe.

There's a lot of carbonation, which hurts any tasting, but there is a hint of sweetness beyond all that fizz.

Meh, I can't say a lot good about this one. At least it can get you drunk, if you drink enough of it.