It’s easy to be more than a little down about the state of 2025 as we slide into its close. But it hasn’t all been things that make me grumpy.
As we head into New Zealand’s annual shutdown period, I thought I’d finish the year with some more things I think people should pay attention to as they have the mental space and time.
If you missed it, I also wrote a whole other post 6 months ago with even more recommendations.
If the year hasn’t given you space for catching up on them, perhaps the holidays will.
Any book by T. Kingfisher
T. Kingfisher is my second-most read author of 2025, and I did include one in my last list. I just finished my 8th, Snake Eater, and it was my 96th book this year (!!)
T. Kingfisher is the pen name under which children’s author Ursula Vernon publishes more mature content. The thing about any Kingfisher book is you can be quite certain that if you enjoyed your first one, any of the others will be worth the time to read.
For me, they always make a good ‘palate cleanse’ after a difficult book. And there are so many of them. Wikipedia lists 27 published titles under T. Kingfisher, with more under Vernon’s real name.
There are still plenty I haven’t read, but I’ve devoured every one my library carries, plus some. I look forward to reading even more in 2026.
Lily Allen’s West End Girl album
I’ve been a Lily Allen fan since she first hit the charts. I absolutely love a woman who just… says it. Especially if she says it to music I can sing and dance to. Lily Allen has never shied away from laying out the truth to a good tune, and—well—her (ex) husband doesn’t appear to have paid much attention to that well-documented fact.
In the weeks and months following the surprise-drop of West End Girl in October, I’ve found myself waking up with phrases just stuck in my head. Over and over again, Allen just belts you with the raw and honest (and often funny) truth of her recent divorce.
I found the first 3 songs are a bit difficult to get through, but they absolutely work in the context of the album as a whole. And that’s actually the key to this work. All together, it’s one cohesive story, spanning several musical styles. A pop-opera.
It’s worth starting at the beginning and listening to it end-to-end. Even if you don’t immediately jive with the first few songs, they’re part of the narrative.
You can pick your own favourites to go back to once you’ve heard Lily out. I usually start at track 4—Tennis. But I honestly struggle to choose a favourite between over half the songs on the album. Every time I think it’s Nonmonogamummy, I remember Dallas Major, 4chan Stan, Madeline, and Beg For Me. Let You W/In breaks my heart every time. Pussy Palace left me in tears of laughter the first time I heard it.
In the meantime you’ll probably find yourself googling her ex-husband’s name, and shaking your head at the audacity. This album is the very definition of girl power.
If it has somehow slipped your attention in the last couple of months, get on it.
Podcast: Beth’s Dead
I covered a lot of my favourite podcasts in the previous blog of favourites I published. But Beth’s Dead started coming out at the end of October, and still has one more episode to drop.
Billed as a “new kind of true crime podcast” and brought to us by Armchair Expert‘s Monica Padman, and Nobody’s Listening, Right?, this podcast takes a deep dive into parasocial relationships, and what happens when they go terribly wrong.
I’d love to tell you more but I don’t want to ruin anything (and I also don’t know how it ends!) Instead I will say that I don’t usually listen to much true crime, and I’m hooked on this one.
Envirotools pest traps
In September I got more serious about trapping in our slice of native bush, introducing 6 “D-Rat Pro” rat traps.
Since then, we’ve added 3 “Flipping Timmy” traps from the same company. Both rat and possum activity has slowed down significantly.
I just love the design. I love how simple they are to use and how effective they are at their job. I’ve been enjoying the regular walk amongst the trees, and seeing the catches slow down over time.
So if you’ve got some Christmas cash burning a hole in your pocket and you want to put it towards some pest traps, they are a really good option. Available at Mitre 10 or on the Envirotools website.
Omnibird by Giselle Clarkson
Possibly aside from her parents or bestest friends, I am one of Giselle Clarkson’s oldest fans. I’ve loved her work since we partnered many years and projects ago.
I’ve adored watching her go from a young and eager artist who helped put life into a very dry and boring subject for me; to illustrating books with names like Joy Cowley, winning Art Laureate awards, and publishing her own books in her own right.
And oh what books they are! Omnibird was published in October and the nerdy kid inside me just couldn’t help but buy herself an early Christmas gift. It now sits proudly beside Giselle’s first book, The Observologist on my bookshelf.
They’re really aimed at kids aged 7-12, but the illustrations are so delightful, and the information so engaging that I think all people of all ages will learn something and have fun flicking through its pages.
Omnibird specifically is all about birds. Their feet, habitat, feathers, eggs, behaviour, growth—as many bird facts and puns as you can imagine could be contained in 96 absolutely delightful pages.
Grab a copy and go birding with your youngest friends over the holidays.
Ghosts
I don’t know why I resisted this show for so long but a month or so ago I put it on to watch while felting Fluffy Balls and Christmas gifts. I soon fell down the most delightful, thoughtful, and frequently stupid rabbit hole.
Imagine dying and finding yourself in the immortal company of a group of people from varying time periods, socio-economic status, and cultural backgrounds.
A viking, an indigenous American, soldiers from both sides of the American War for Independence, a Victorian lady, a prohibition-era jazz singer, a hippy, 1980’s travel agent, an early-oughts finance bro, and a collection of cholera victims are thrown together with a modern couple—only one of whom can actually see or hear them.
It’s a huge cast. But by the time I caught up to the most-recent fifth season (all episodes are on TVNZ+), I was in love with all of them, the way they interacted, and everything they did. The contrasting time periods and cultures make for endless, frequently thought-provoking jokes.
I can see this becoming a classic comfort watch in the same way I frequently turn to random episodes of The Office when there’s nothing else to watch. There’s a number of similarities between the two with a large cast of mostly-unknown or under-rated actors who absolutely shine in each and every role.
If you need a good binge to hide inside for a week while you sort out your nervous system, it’s worth a watch.
What’s yours?
Got anything I should check out over the summer period? Drop some recommendations in the comments below.
The Kat’s Garden blog will be taking a break for a few weeks. I’ll be back some time in January (maybe February) when I have something to say.
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