Daren

There is much familiarity with a Jerome K Jerome novel, and like Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog there is some great situational humour. This time, the author and friend "B." travel from their home in Britain to the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany, via Belgium.

As a heathen with limited cultural knowledge, I have never heard of this passion play, but Google assisted in telling me that it is a play performed every 10 years, and has been in play since 1634 (with some exceptions). The play is a staging of Jesus' passion, covering the short final period of His life from His visit to Jerusalem and leading to His execution by crucifixion... The production involves over 2,000 people: actors, musicians, stage technicians, and others, all residents of the village... The play comprises spoken dramatic text, musical and choral accompaniment and tableaux vivants, which are scenes from the Old Testament depicted for the audience by motionless actors accompanied by verbal description. (Wikipedia) That's enough for me, look it up if you want more.

Anyway, as a result, there is some description of the play, but is largely played down by saying that there has already been so much written about it.

It was a quick 160 page read, with lots of great situational jokes about the trials of travel, lots of stereotypes examined and mocked.

For a book published in 1891, it is still a very amusing read. 3.5 stars.

I couldn't resist adding one quote from the book, from P29, as the pair share a train carriage with a bore:

After the dog story, we thought we were going to have a little quiet. But we were mistaken; for, with the same breath with which he finished the dog rigmarole, our talkative companion added:

"But I can tell you a funnier thing than that -"

We all felt we could believe this assertion. If he has boasted that he could tell a duller, more uninteresting story, we would have doubted him; but the possibility of his being able to relate something funnier, we would readily grasp.

But it was not funnier, after all. It was only longer and more involved. It was the history of a man who grew his own celery...

Well that wraps up the 2025 reading year.

As usual, some made up categories, and my favourite book for each, then some statistics, and my list of 5 star books from 2025.

Thanks all those who read and comment on my reviews, keeps me motivated to keep writing them. Happy 2026 everyone.

So first to the "Best of the Year" books I have read:

Best Travel - Zanskar: the Hidden Kingdom, by Michel Peissel

Second in this esteemed category: A Vagabond Journey Around the World, by Harry Franck

Best History - The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia, by Peter Hopkirk

Best Military - The Glass Cannon: A Bougainville Diary 1944-45, by Peter Pinney

Best Biography - Hell West and Crooked, by Tom Cole

Second in this category: Nunaga: Ten years of Eskimo Life, by Duncan Pryde

Best Nautical - The Cruise of the Cachalot, by Frank Bullen

Best Mountaineering - When Men and Mountains Meet, by HW Tilman

Best Published by The Travel Book Club - Round Trip from Poptun: A Journey in Search of the Maya, by Albert Lisi

Best New Zealand Authored - The Crushed Can, by FE Beyer

Best Fiction - Slumdog Millionaire, by Vikas Swarup

Second in this esteemed category: >Flashman and the Dragon, by George MacDonald Fraser

Best Science Fiction - The Midwich Cuckoos, by John Wyndham

Best digital read - From the Arctic Ocean to the Yellow Sea: The narrative of a journey, in 1890 and 1891, across Siberia, Mongolia, the Gobi Desert, and North China, by Julius M. Price

Best science - Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of the Elements, by Hugh Aldersey-Williams

And downer of the year:

Biggest Disappointment - The White, by Adrian Caesar

Some Statistics - Read 103 books this year, at a touch under 26,000 pages. This is a 8 less books than last year, and around 1000 pages less.

My average rating for books is a healthy 3.7 stars. (I remain very consistent in this over the years)

Longest book: One Step in the Clouds: An Omnibus of Mountaineering Novels and Short Stories by Audrey Salkeld (Editor) & Rosie Smith (Editor) at 1024 pages

My most popular review this year was Theroux's Great Railway Bazaar, but it was a re-read, so: A Vagabond Journey Around the World, by Harry Franck.

A new stat I wanted to track was fiction (27 this year) and non-fiction (76 this year), which is less fiction than I expected, but 1/4 seems about right.

Of the 103 Books I rated:

17 books 5 stars

42 books 4 stars

37 books 3 stars

7 books 2 stars

no 1 star books this year!

Given the 3.7 average rating, and the high proportion of 4 stared books, 4 stars for the year it seems is most appropriate, once again.

Links to my reviews of my five star reads of 2025.

Adventurer's Eye: The Autobiography of Everest Film-Man

The Glass Cannon: A Bougainville Diary 1944-45

Hell West and Crooked

Round Trip from Poptun: A Journey in Search of the Maya

The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia

Zanskar: the Hidden Kingdom

A Vagabond Journey Around the World

Wounded Tigris: A River Journey through the Cradle of Civilisation

Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip

Nunaga: Ten years of Eskimo Life

The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia

Shoot, Ask...and Run

From the Arctic Ocean to the Yellow Sea: The narrative of a journey, in 1890 and 1891, across Siberia, Mongolia, the Gobi Desert, and North China

The Red Chief

Journeys on the Silk Road: A Desert Explorer, Buddha's Secret Library, And The Unearthing Of The World's Oldest Printed Book

The Cruise of the Cachalot

Buchan's Richard Hannay #5 is a fitting climax to the series, despite it taking place 12 years after the last book. Written in 1936

Hannay finds himself dragged into a blackmailing case where he is called upon via an old oath to protect a Mr Haraldsen, to whose father the oath was made, many years before in Africa. The connection to Haraldsen comes via Lombard, another bound by the oath, and whom Hannay hasn't seen since his time in Africa. When things start to look tricky Hannay calls in Sandy Arbuthnot (now Lord Clanroyden), who adds to the mix.

The action takes place in London, the Scottish Borders and then the Faroe Islands (which are referred to as the Norland Islands in the book). There are the usual Buchan features - chases, disguises, a rogues gallery of villains, and for the first time in more than a mention, Hannay's son Peter John. (OK Peter John? I don't know that I have any context for a boy named Peter John - not just Peter, but in 99% of references to him his double name. I find this does not naturally roll off the tongue at all, it feels awkward in the narrative. Not sure why??)

Peter John and the daughter of Mr Haraldsen, Anna, both feature heavily in the story, and really take centre stage for much of the action sequences.

There are plenty of reviews of this to give more detailed plot descriptions, but rather than give away more I would simply encourage those who have read the earlier books to stick with it and finish the series, as this is by no means a let down.

4 stars

This is a relatively short book from Bill Tilman, and not one I would recommend to the casual reader. Tilman led the 1938 British Mount Everest attempt - unsuccessful, of course, and in this book he describes it in detail.

To join his expedition he invited Eric Shipton, Frank Smythe, Noel Odell, Peter Lloyd, Peter Oliver and Charles Warren. Ang Tharky was sirdar, Tensing Norgay one of the Sherpa's and Karma Paul was interpreter and general problem solver.

This expedition was known for cutting away the excesses of previous attempts - famously this one had a budget of £2500 - just a quarter of the budget of the previous Everest expedition. He explains all the preparations in detail, the thinking and planning and using the dairies of others fills in the events he wasn't personally in volved in.

There is much to like about a brief explanation of the expedition, irrespective of its failure to summit. It firmed up thinking about the North Col route (which they investigated); confirmed the monsoon season was not a viable time to attempt a climb; demonstrated a small party was sufficient to make a valid attempt to summit (Tilman's seven rather than the larger parties that has been favoured in previous attempts); and provided some further testing of oxygen apparatus (albeit with unclear results).

Tilman also proves what a student of climbing history he is. Making multiple references to different expedition attempts, decisions made and opinions on many matters related to this expedition.

Interestingly, this was to be the last attempt on Everest from Tibet. World War II was brewing, and Tibet was soon to be occupied by China, so future attempts were made from Nepal, including the next expedition, in 1953, which we know was successful!

3.5 stars.

Swedish mathematician Birger Lövgren determines that intellectuals such as himself are at high risk of health issues, and getting out in the world would be a better use of his time. Travelling from New York to Tierra del Fuego on the partially constructed Pan-American Highway by motorcycle, alone seems like a viable option.

He is pretty funny, writes with a perceptive eye, and pushes his luck, usually with good results. This book was published in 1960 (in its original Swedish), so it is reasonable to assume the travel occurred in the few years prior, which sort of ties in with the events in the book. This was a hell of a journey.

The USA receives scant mention before tackling Mexico, where his writing hits its straps. Roads are still recognisable as roads and the motorcycle remains in one piece, but as the route rolls out - Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica there are real challenges and a lot of repair and improvisation. Mixed with motorcycle events are his time spend with the people, the vast majority of whom are helpful and friendly, assisting the author in his various times of need. True to the title he spends time writing about the Indians of each area passed through - the Maya, Aztec and Inca being the main ones, this in the form of light history.

Panama is a problem - the Darien Gap - not only are there no roads, and the motorcycle must be shipped to Colombia, but very few people have made it through the Darien before. Various large well organised expeditions have failed; far more people have gone missing, than have made it though. Hostile Indians, very tough terrain, no accurate maps other than for the coastlines, and lack of common language are all issues to face. Nobody recommends that he continues, but Lövgren is adamant his plan was to follow the land route, and won't ship around.

This is clearly the toughest of the challenges within his journey, and the writing is as up to the task as Lövgren himself, who is clearly very self-motovated. He negotiates with the Indians, receives assistance (reluctantly given, often) and suffers the same trials as those who guide and assist him - lack of food, exhausting efforts and tough travel.

Upon reaching Colombia, he finds that his motorcycle, which has been reasonably reliable until now struggles at altitude. After trials, efforts and struggles, he comes to the conclusion he simply cannot pass over the Andes with this motorbike, so the second half of his journey must be by bus.

Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina - ending in the southernmost city in South America (and the world), Ushuaia. For completeness he crosses into Chile several times as the road is under repair, and the diversions often cross the border! These sections are far quicker, given the transport is bus rather than bike, and stops are infrequent.

Overall an enjoyable book, and an amusing and engaging author.

4 stars