Now a senior citizen

I enter 2026 as a senior citizen.

Yes, I turned 65 last week. It’s a natural time to reflect on life. And the turn of the calendar is another common prompt to try to sum up the previous 12 months.

I have to say I’m really looking forward to the end of 2025. It’s been a rough year.

What a year 2025 was

It’s no mistake that one of the books of the year is Cory Doctorow’s Enshittification: Why everything suddenly got worse and what to do about it.

Doctorow’s book is about the internet and the tech giants currently dominating the economy. But they’re not the only ones making things worse.

I’m going to start with the personal stuff. And 2025 was probably my worst year ever.

Last January, a freak accident caused by innocent (but really, really dumb) dogs ripped my right quadriceps tendon from my knee, fractured my kneecap and left me lying, helpless in the snow. I needed surgery to be able to walk again.

My lovely wife, Roxanne, developed a hole in her retina, requiring laser surgery.

Then my mother-in-law died.

In October, a pet, while under someone else’s care as my wife and I travelled to BC for a friend’s wedding, somehow broke a jaw and then developed more injuries, nearly dying. And vet fees are not cheap.

Then another friend fell on the ice, needing surgery and weeks in therapy.

And in December, another friend had a heart attack, requiring a triple bypass.

So, yes, I’m happy 2025 is over.

But now, 2026’s opening does not bode well, with the United States making a military strike on Venezuela, a sovereign country. Following fast after a frenetic late 2025 on the political and military scenes, well, it doesn’t make me comfortable.

On the other hand,

I did accomplish a few things I’m proud of in 2025. That wedding I mentioned, the one in BC? The friend and her then-fiancé asked me to be master of ceremonies at the reception. I like to think I did a good job, keeping events rolling and making sure that important parts didn’t get missed—like the bride’s dance with her father.

My sweetie with me as I prepare to emcee a wedding reception. I’ll do anniversaries, parties, maybe even bar mitzvahs!

The podcast:

I released 26 episodes between January and December, covering 1944 on the Eastern Front of World War 2, each including a summary of what was happening elsewhere at the same time, plus some special and bonus episdoes.

Books edited

In 2025, I edited Y books by other authors that are now available at virtual and brick-and-more bookstores. And there are three more that will hit the shelves, physical and electronic, early in 2026.

End of Times by Alan McDermott
Three for a Girl by D.G. Torrens
Ms. Cheevious in Hollywood, 10th Anniversary Edition by Lisa Jey Davis

I’ve also been very busy with editing this past fall. Here are the books I finished editing in 2025, which are about to reach the bookshelves:

Secrets in the Shadows by Lucy Appadoo
Coming 6 February 2026
The Blue Tattoo by Elyse Salpeter
A Path of Wrath and Valor by Larysa Alexander
Coming 27 January 2026
The Greywolves by Larysa Alexander
The Spiky Man by Roland Kuhn
La Bodega: Junior’s Story by Rashaan Jermaine Canady, MAPW

In addition, I have started editing four more manuscripts, and I feel pretty confident they’ll be ready for you to read in 2026. If you’re looking for more great books to read, watch this space!