Best Photos of 2025: My Favorites of the Year /  by Todd Henson

Each year, at the end of the year, I like to look back at the photographs I’ve created and try to narrow in on my favorites. I can’t say these are my best as that’s for you to decide, but they are some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy looking through this selection whether it’s a look back at photos you’ve seen earlier in the year or your first time seeing them.

Included with each photo is a link back to the blog post where it first appeared, along with a link to my online store where you can purchase the photos as prints, puzzles and a number of other products. Thanks very much for your support.

 

Thank you again for all your support in 2025, and all the best to you in 2026!

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My Favorite Books, Films, Series and Anime in 2025 /  by Todd Henson

My favorite books, movies, series and anime in 2025.

Photography is the focus of my website and blog, but it’s not the only activity that brings me joy. I also love reading and watching great movies and series, and I enjoy sharing some of that with you in hopes you may find something you’d enjoy, or perhaps discover we both enjoyed the same thing. Take a look below to see which of the books, movies and series ended up my favorites in 2025.

Some of the links below are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This is at no extra cost to you.

Favorite Photography & Art Books

National Gallery of Art - Master Paintings From the Collection

This was an easy pick in that it was the only book of this category I read in the entire year. But thankfully, I did absolutely love the book. It’s a great read for anyone interested in the paintings of the great masters, especially those on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. It can be thought of as a perfect alternative for those unable to physically visit the museum, or as a fantastic supplement for those who have. It includes some information about each piece shown, and has short essays with even more information on many works.

Favorite Non-fiction Books

First Principles: What America’s Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country by Thomas E. Ricks

I’ve read other works of history about the founding of the United States, but this one differs from the others by looking at the education of the founders, what works and authors they were reading at the time, and how that likely affected their efforts to form a new government. I really enjoyed this perspective and learned quite a lot.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

This was a fun read, as well as educational. The author is a professor and he shares how he goes about reading, analyzing, and understanding works of literature. I think I would have enjoyed classes with this professor as he appears to want students to learn to come to their own conclusions as much as, or more, than accepting any conclusions he’s come to.

Favorite Fiction Books

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny

An absolutely perfect book, and my introduction to Zelazny’s novels, though I think I’d read some of his short stories when younger. Told from the perspective of a watch dog as it goes about helping his human with his preparations in the Game. There are many players in the Game, each with an animal companion, and we only slowly learn what the Game is over the course of the novel, told one day at a time with each chapter a single day in October. I loved this book and look forward to trying more by this fantastic author.

The Riftwar Saga (Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, Silverthorn, A Darkness at Sethanon) by Raymond Feist

As with Zelazny, I’ve been aware of Feist for quite some time, but only this year did I finally try any of his novels. I dove straight into the larger Riftwar Cycle with these novels, The Riftwar Saga, where it all began. And I loved them. Classic Epic Fantasy, and yet it felt a bit different from much of the rest I’ve read. I listened to these as audiobooks and I’ve been slowly collecting the rest of the books he’s written so I can continue exploring his worlds and characters in the many interconnected series.

Contact by Carl Sagan

So this isn’t the first book I’ve read by Carl Sagan, though it is the first fiction I’ve read by him. Previously, I’d read and watched the two different versions of Cosmos where he teaches about the earth, the universe and everything. And I’ve watched the movie version of Contact, which I also loved. But it was great to finally read the book, one that explores first contact with a species not of this world. Fantastic read, and an interesting look back at a specific point in history.

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

I read and loved many Stephen King novels when younger but at some point I sort of stopped reading his works. I tried to get back into his newer stuff every so often and it just didn’t work. But this time is different, this time I found a fantastic book that reminds me why I used to love King’s stories as much as I did. This one is more mystery and thriller and horror, though it certainly includes aspects of that, as well. But most of all it has a great cast of characters, some that are not very good people but still expertly portrayed. I hope to continue reading more of King’s newer works.

The Swords of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber

I’ve been enjoying reading Fritz Leiber’s adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser for quite some time. They are absolutely classic fantasy characters, most often portrayed in short story anthologies, but this time in a full length novel. This is probably one of the oldest fantasy novels I read this year, first published in 1968. And thankfully, I still have some of their stories left to read. I both look forward to, and dread, the day I finally read the last story of this incredible duo.

Favorite Graphic Novels & Comics

No Longer Human by Junji Ito

A dark, depressing, sometimes depraved, story about a man with so many problems throughout his life, many if not most self-inflicted. There are recurring themes of addiction of various forms, as well as suicide. This graphic novel by Junji Ito was based on the novel of the same name written by Osamu Dazai and thought by some to be a suicide note from the author who soon afterwards committed suicide with his lover. The graphic novel feels almost circular in some ways, self-referential, with Osamu Dazai being one of the characters, and him writing No Longer Human within the story. I assume this was also the case with his original novel, though I’ve not read it. The artwork by Junji Ito is fantastic and very well suited to the story. I would be curious to try reading Osamu Dazai’s novel to compare it to this adaptation.

Uzumaki: Spiral Into Horror by Junji Ito

What a crazy and wild ride. I’d watched the live action movie, but so long ago I’d forgotten most of it so this felt very fresh and new. In some cases it felt like an anthology of interconnected stories, though the further in the more cohesive the story felt. A fantastic read for any fan of Junji Ito’s work.

The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn by Tri Vuong

I won a copy of this book through a goodreads giveaway. This was a real winner. It apparently started as a web comic and now it’s been published in a hardback graphic novel. I love these stories of Oscar Zahn, a floating skull in a trench coat and a paranormal investigator solving supernatural problems. He has a heart of gold as he struggles to help others, and each time he does we get a deeper look at problems he carries within himself. I’d love to read more of these tales and learn more about Oscar and all the fascinating characters and realms he’s a part of.

Favorite Movies and Series

The Expanse - Season One

I put off this series both because of its length and because I couldn’t decide whether to try the videos or the books first. Eventually I went for the videos and watched season one. What an incredible, epic, science fiction story, showing future conflicts and politics between Earth, Mars, and the Belters who live in the asteroid belt. I felt there was an incredible cast of characters, great special effects, and magnificent writing. I can’t wait to continue watching the series, and perhaps to one day reading the book series, as well.

Greyhound

A WWII story based on a novel inspired by true events, starring Tom Hanks commanding a destroyer escorting an international convoy of 37 ships across the Atlantic, who end up facing a wolf pack of Nazi U-boats, at least 6, and do all they can to fight them off and protect the convoy. Fantastic film. Well acted. Very emotional. Shows the difficulties of naval warfare at that time, the decisions one might have to make, the sacrifices, the honor, the fear.

The Faculty

This might have been my favorite movie the year it came out, when I was around the age of the characters, so it was easy putting myself in their shoes. And though I remembered the gist of it, enough years had passed since I first watched it that there were still some surprises during this rewatch. What do a group of students do when, one by one, the faculty of their school begin behaving very strangely?

The Sandlot

Another favorite movie when I first watched it back when it came out, and one that easily holds up today. It’s a coming of age film about a group of kids who love baseball but run afoul of the Beast, a dog behind a wooden fence at the edge of the sandlot where they play ball.

Favorite Anime & Animated Movies

Paranoia Agent

It’s definitely Satoshi Kon, that’s for sure. A series of fascinating characters linked together through getting attacked by Little Slugger, a kid with a bent bat and inline skates. And yet each person seems to feel like they’ve been set free after being attacked, almost as if Little Slugger has somehow saved them. Gets stranger and stranger the further in we get and by the end you may wonder what you just watched.

The Hobbit (Rankin Bass)

I loved this animated film when I was a kid. I’d already read the book and it was exciting to see it adapted. I remember watching it a couple times when younger. And I have to say I really enjoyed this rewatch, full of nostalgia of my youth.

Last exile

I almost didn’t include this one in the list because I haven’t finished watching it yet. But I’m thoroughly enjoying it so I figured I might as well call it out. It’s an anime series I first started watching, though never finished, when it first came out. But I enjoyed it enough that I purchased the DVDs. It’s a steampunk sort of story with warring nations, groups of pilots and mechanics who fly interesting aircraft delivering messages of various difficulty levels, and a great storyline portrayed with some incredible animations that mixes traditional and digital styles. It also has a great soundtrack. I look forward to finishing this series next year. Who knows, maybe it’ll also end up on next years favorites list.

So what did you read or watch in 2025 and what were your favorites? Have you ever read or watched anything from my list? Let me know in the comments below.

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Quarterly Look Back - 4th Quarter 2025 /  by Todd Henson

Looking back at the fourth quarter of 2025

Last quarter I’d mentioned how in the grand scheme of things it had been a fairly quiet quarter. And I think the same description holds for this quarter, though there were many times I felt the weight of trying to keep up. All the trips my father and I made were day trips, though we did have some longer ones, such as to Seneca Rocks, West Virginia, and to the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Maryland, both fantastic trips. We made it back to Blandy Experimental Farm’s ginkgo grove to see those beautifully yellow leaves in late October. And we spent a little time getting a closer look at the Meem’s Bottom Covered Bridge in Mount Jackson, Virginia. All that to say it’s been a pretty good quarter.

Photography

In this final quarter of 2025 I continued sharing photographs and stories from the trip my father and I made to New Hampshire earlier in the year, including featuring six more covered bridges. I also included posts with recent photographs from Virginia and West Virginia, as well as a book review. I’m hopeful there’s something in the mix below that catches your eye either for the first time or from an earlier visit.

Below are the posts I published this quarter. Please take a look back at any you missed or would like to see again.

Covered Bridges

Historic Mechanic Street Covered Bridge (Lancaster, New Hampshire)

Historic Mount Orne Covered Bridge (Lancaster, New Hampshire)

Historic Columbia Covered Bridge (New Hampshire)

Historic Stark Covered Bridge (New Hampshire)

Historic Albany Covered Bridge (New Hampshire)

Historic Jackson Covered Bridge (New Hampshire)

Mostly Photos

A Cloudy Morning at the Edge of the Pilot Range, White Mountains, New Hampshire

Brief Glimpses of Autumn in Fort Valley, Virginia

Looking Back Along the Abandoned Rails

A Bit of Color Over the Holidays

Reviews

National Gallery of Art Master Paintings from the Collection

Trip Report

First Trip to Seneca Rocks, West Virginia

Reading

I love reading a wide range of topics and genres and lately I’ve been trying to include as much as possible. The oldest book I read this quarter was from 1864 and the most recent book was from 2024, covering a 160 year period. There were books translated from Japanese, Russian, and Spanish, with the majority written in English. Genres included horror, mystery, thriller, fantasy, science fiction, artwork, and history. And I consumed the books in multiple formats: paper, ebook, and audiobook. Two books, Carmilla by J. Sheridan Fanu and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, were rereads. It’s been a good reading quarter. Have you read any of the books below? If so what did you think of them? Are there any you’re curious to try?

The books I consumed this quarter (paper, ebook, and audio).

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King (2014), National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection by John Oliver Hand (2004), The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming (1962), A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (2023), Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba (2011), Wonderland by Zoje Stage (2020), Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (1872), Contact by Carl Sagan (1985), The Man From St. Petersburg by Ken Follett (1982), Blade (Inverted Frontier 4) by Linda Nagata (2024), Appointment with Death (Hercule Poirot) by Agatha Christie (1938), Notes From the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1864), First Principles: What America’s Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country by Thomas E. Ricks (2020), The Door to December by Dean Koontz (under the pen name Richard Paige) (1985), The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925), A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny (1993), A Darkness at Sethanon (Riftwar Saga 4) by Raymond E. Feist (1986), More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (2011), Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters by Aimee Ogden (2021), Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981) by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez, Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell.

And of those, my favorites were:

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny

I grew up a big fan of fantasy and science fiction, subscribing to some of the speculative magazines of the time, and I tried to stay tuned-in to the big names in the field, so I’ve known of Roger Zelazny for quite some time. And yet I waited all this time to read anything of his longer than a short story. I wish I hadn’t waited so long if this book is any indication of what his stories are like. It was, for me, simply perfect. A mix of urban fantasy, horror, mystery, comedy, and a perfect Halloween read (though I read it afterwards). He pays homage to many of the stories and movies that came before by including some very recognizable cameos from creature features of old. And the story is told from the perspective of Snuff, a watchdog. In fact, many of the main characters are intelligent animals, familiars, if you will. And it ended with the greatest final sentence of any book I recall reading. Perfect book!

A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist

This is the final book in the Riftwar Saga, though there are many more within the greater Riftwar Cycle. The various storylines started in Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, and Silverthorn, all come together in this book where we have a final encounter with the dark forces that surfaced and have been trying to enter Midkemia. We have all the characters we’ve gotten to know along with lots of battles, magic, dragons, mythic beings, and portals between realms. It’s all here in this fantastic finale. 

Contact by Carl Sagan

A story of first contact with species from another world. This was one of the few cases where I watched the movie before reading the book, and though I do wish I’d read the book first I did immensely enjoy both. As is always the case, it was interesting comparing the two, seeing what the movie folks chose to leave out, what they changed, what they added. Given that the book was published in 1985 and the movie released in 1997, I can understand some of the changes. It’s not a huge span of time between them but much did change in the world in that time so I can see adapting the story to the times. It would be interesting to see what the movie would look like if created today.

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

It’s been a long while since I’ve read a Stephen King story that I enjoyed as much as this one. Almost more of a mystery and thriller than a horror story, it features a cast of interesting characters, something I think King has always been a master at creating. There are some very disturbing and depraved elements to the story, but it worked so well, getting into the minds of each character and seeing their motivations. Once the story got going it didn’t let up, straight through to the very end. And though I’ve read mixed reviews of the other books in this loosely linked trilogy I’m still looking forward to trying them.

The Door to December by Dean Koontz (Writing as Richard Paige)

This is the first book I’ve read by Dean Koontz, though my paperback copy is under an old pen name of Richard Paige. A distraught mother is reunited with her young daughter who’d been kidnapped by her father. But her daughter has changed. And some of those who appeared to keep her captive are dead, brutally killed. How did it happen? What were they doing with her daughter? And what is the Door to December, something her daughter keeps mentioning, something she fears will open. This story and these characters pulled me in and kept me engaged, and the further I read the more difficult it was to put the book down for meals or sleep or work. This won’t be the last Koontz novel I read.

Movies, Shows & Anime

Favorite, or notable, films I watched this quarter.

I started the quarter watching very few movies, and if not for taking some days off around the holidays I might have only watched two movies and a TV series. But I did choose to sit back and watch a few more movies before the quarter and year were out.

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011) and Beautiful Creatures (2013) were entertaining though I suspect both will end up being forgettable. It was fun rewatching Firefox (1982), starring Clint Eastwood, as I loved this movie as a kid. But I didn’t get into it nearly as much this time around, so it’s more of a nostalgic hit for me. I thoroughly enjoyed rewatching The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) and The Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), both by Blake Edwards and starring Peter Sellers, and Airplane (1980), all three comedies I have fond memories of watching as a kid.

I finished watching the first season of The Expanse from 2015, the science fiction epic series based on the books by the authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, writing under the pen name James S.A. Corey. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything bad about this series, and I can understand why as I’m absolutely loving it. I can’t speak to the adaptation as I’ve not read the books, but the casting, the writing, the special effects, it’s all fantastic. I can’t wait to continue on with season 2.

I’ve also been watching an old anime series I purchased back then called Last Exile from 2003. I had started the series but never finished watching it, so this time I plan watch the entire series. It’s a steampunk sort of science fiction tale about flying ships and battles between nations/factions, with some overlord sort of group watching over and influencing it all. It stars a couple very young protagonists, as so many anime series do, who get caught up in all the action. I love the animation and character design, and it’s interesting how they chose to mix more traditional and digital animation techniques.

Music

This quarter I discovered a new band, or rather a band that was new to me but has been around since 2001. They originated from Tunisia and integrate rock/metal with some of the more traditional sounds and themes of that part of the world, while often adding in progressive elements. It’s a perfect blend for me and because of that I’ve already purchased three of their albums and will likely purchase them all over time. They were apparently the first band from Tunisia to sign to a record label from outside that country, and so they are now based out of France and have a French drummer. The band is Myrath and I’m featuring three of their videos below.

Myrath - Believer

Myrath has some entertaining storytelling music videos. This is the first of at least a three part story and if you’re curious to see the rest it continues in Dance and No Holding Back. It’s like the Arabian Nights put to rock music. To some extent this song has a more popular feel to it while still integrating Tunisian influences into the epic and cinematic sounds they’re so good at creating.

Myrath - Into the Light

This looks like it would have been such a great live show to see. Dancers, with and without fire, a beautiful stage and clothing, and of course the light show. And a magic performance during the brief interlude of the song! Speaking of interludes, I’m often drawn to music that includes them, and that raise the energy level after the pause to finish on a powerful note. And I really enjoy their use of strings and brass, even if only as backing tracks. Symphonic and orchestral instruments can work so well with rock.

Myrath - Child of Prophecy

One of my favorite songs of theirs so far, it has so much of what I love in music. A soft and melodic beginning with keyboard/piano. The progressive rock/metal elements with shifting time signatures and rhythms. There are those rock anthem sort of elements with soaring vocals and harmonies, great guitar riffs. They make beautiful use of pauses, of quiet, and then shift everything up in volume and tone. And of course there are the Tunisian influences that, for me, add so much extra depth to the music because it’s something I’m not as used to. For this concert they returned to Tunisia and performed at the historic Theatre of Carthage.

 

Life

The fourth quarter of each year is often a busy one with all the holidays, and yet it’s also one when I often take a bit more time off work, which helps slow it down a bit. For Thanksgiving, my father, brother and I chose to do as we did last year, going out to a Thanksgiving meal event. It’s good food, a nice environment, and it eliminates any stress of meal preparation. For Christmas we got together ourselves, but went with a non-traditional meal.

As with the previous quarter, I’ve continued exploring the world of home brewed coffee, trying beans from different parts of the world purchased from different local roasters. In some cases I purchased beans from the same part of the world but from different roasters to see what differences I could taste. Some of the beans I purchased included: Costa Rica Tarrazu F1 “La Hacienda” Natural and Papua New Guinea Natural from Aperture Coffee in Woodstock, VA; Ethiopia Harrar and Sumatra Mandheling from Black Dog Coffee in Shenandoah Junction, WV; Papua New Guinea Eastern Highlands, another batch of Ethiopia Sidama, Kenya Daki Peaberry, and Haitian Blue Zombie Desert from Bluemont Coffee in Bluemont, VA; Brazil Mogiana and Ethiopian Natural Sidamo from Central Coffee in Sperryville, VA. And my brother brought me a bag of Costa Rica Anaerobic Washed (Carlos Morera) from Bush Hill Coffee in Archoale, NC and Ecuador Geisha Natural (Finca El Aguacate) from Monta Coffee in Leesburg, VA, which he picked up at the DMV Chocolate & Coffee Festival (what a great combo, right?). I continue to really enjoy light to medium roasts with very noticeable berry, fruit and floral notes, such as some of them from Costa Rica, Ecuador and Ethiopia, and sometimes using a natural and/or anaerobic process, though a nice dark roast brew is also very enjoyable every so often.

It was also fun visiting a couple of bookstores for the first time. There was Bank Books in Martinsburg, WV, that is located in an old bank building and displays their oldest books in the actual bank vault. It’s such a cool store. Another was the Warrenton Book Cellar in Warrenton, Virginia, a store affiliated with the public library and located in the cellar of one of their buildings. It was a similarly maze-like set of rooms as Bank Books, and it had insanely inexpensive prices. Both are great little book stores if you’re ever in those areas.

How was your quarter? Did you do anything new? Did you continue to find comfort and joy in some of the small everyday things we sometimes overlook but that can add that extra bit of spice to our day-to-day lives? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks so much for all your support this year. Have a great New Year’s, and all the best in 2026!

Do you enjoy these posts?

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