media update: September

Asterisks denote something I particularly enjoyed or found especially worthy of my time; your mileage may vary.


FICTION


1. Something Blue by Emily Giffin: The sequel to Something Borrowed, as told from bitchy Darcy's point of view. She redeems herself somewhat by the end, but I still don't like her.

2. Star Struck by Pamela Anderson: Why? Why do I subject myself to utter trash like this? I hated myself in the morning.

3. Transgressions: An anthology of novellas by several acclaimed authors, the best of which are "Corn Maiden" by Joyce Carol Oates, about a teenage girl who kidnaps a younger one, and "The Things They Left Behind" by Stephen King, about a man who suddenly finds remnants from 9/11 in his apartment.

Read so far this year: 46


NON-FICTION


1. Confessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans: Say cheeeeeese!

2. My Friend Leonard* by James Frey: I have my doubts as to the veracity of some of the events Frey writes about, but this story of his continued recovery and the titular friend who helps him get back on his feet after rehab is still compelling stuff; I cried my freakin' ass off more than once.

3. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Football Like A Pro by Joe Thiesmann: Apparently I need The Utter Fucking Moron's Guide to Understanding Football, because I remain somewhat clueless.

4. Killed: Great Journalism Too Hot to Print: Articles and essays that were squelched by various magazines and newspapers for being too controversial. After reading this, I will never buy from The Body Shop again; allegedly, their many infractions include bullying competitors out of business, treating their employees like shit, promising indigenous people the world and delivering diddly squat, and selling bath and body products that occasionally contain such high levels of bacteria that one chemist said it was like "washing your hair with toilet bowl water".

5. Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future by Ben Shapiro: The sluts and the porn stars and the homosexshuls are coming to get us oh noes!!!1!!

6. Between Good and Evil: A Master Profiler's Hunt for Society's Most Violent Predators by Roger L. Depue: Yeah, um...not a great book to read before bed.

7. Pornified by Pamela Paul: A much less hysterical, much less judgmental version of #5; I actually agreed with quite a few of her arguments against pornography, although I still remain a hardcore pervert at heart.

Read so far this year: 42


MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS


1. From Eroica with Love by Aoike Yasuko

2. Ice Haven* by Daniel Clowes

3. Love Monster vol. 6 by Riko Miyagi

4. Swan* vol. 2 by Ariyoshi Kyoko

5. Buddha: Deer Park by Osamu Tezuka

6. Bambi and Her Pink Gun by Atsushi Kaneko

7. Just a Girl vol. 2 by Tomoko Taniguchi

8. Death Note vols. 6-9 by Ohba Tsugumi and Obata Takeshi

9. Become a Flower by Riko Miyagi

10. Itadakimasu* vols. 1-3 by Yoshihara Yuki

11. Loved One* vols. 1-2 by Yoshihara Yuki


Read so far this year: 93


MOVIES


1. The Transporter 2*: Nobody will ever replace Jet Li as my beloved martial arts icon of choice, but Jason Statham comes damn close. Improbable, with a flimsy plot, but insanely entertaining. (And on the unbelievably off chance that Jason Statham is reading this: Sir, I will let you touch my boobies as much as you want.)

2. The Ring 2: Not as good or as scary as the original, but it wasn't the steaming pile of dung I had been led to believe it would be either. (But those CGI deer? Oy!)

3. The 40-Year-Old Virgin*: One of the few consistently funny movies I've seen in a long time, and surprisingly sweet too. "Ohhhhhhhhh Kelly Clarkson!"

4. Maria Full of Grace*: Powerful, haunting film about a young Colombian woman who becomes a drug mule.

5. Broken Flowers*: If you're looking for a tidy resolution, you won't find it in this Jim Jarmusch gem about a man (Bill Murray) who sets out to find the author of an anonymous letter from a woman who claims he has a son he's never met. What you will find are a beautifully nuanced performance by Bill Murray and a bittersweet screenplay.

Seen so far this year: 34


ALBUM OF THE MONTH


Demento: The original soundtrack to the game known as Haunting Ground in the US, featuring chilling ambient tracks as well as cool remixes like "Precious Hewie (Neverland Mix)", which combines Hewie's plaintive whine with a sample from "Thriller".