(early) media update: December

I took today off to pack, run errands, and get a marvelous full-body massage (no happy ending), and now I'm going to share a pizza and a bottle (or three) of wine with my HSLM. Later, I'll read a trashy magazine in the tub and try to shave around the hideous rug burn I gave myself last weekend when I tripped over the PS2 controller on the way back from the bathroom.

Tomorrow I'm heading over to G's on Saturday morning for the Giants game, and then we're hanging out with C, M, and R, and THEN we leave for vacation on Sunday. I probably won't be online for awhile, so I'm posting this now. All y'all enjoy whatever holiday you celebrate, and may everyone get exactly what they deserve in 2006.

CC out!

EDITED 1/3: Added a movie.

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


FICTION


1. The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket: The series still isn't grabbing me the way it did at its inception, but any (ostensibly) children's book series that mentions Henri Bergson is aces by me.

2. Predator by Patricia Cornwell: Marginally better than her last few books; nice twist near the end.

3. PopCo* by Scarlett Thomas: What a bizarre book; it almost defies categorization. The main focus is a woman who works for a toy company, but there's everything from animal rights to cryptograms to homeopathic medicine thrown in. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though parts of it were hard to get through; math and logic aren't exactly my strong suit.

4. Grimm's Grimmest: The uncensored collection of delightfully dreadful tales by the Brothers Grimm. This ain't no Disney version!

5. The Truth About Diamonds by Nicole Richie: I've read more articulate cereal box copy, but I must confess it's trashy (and I do mean TRASHY) fun. I particularly enjoyed the photo insert, which looked like Glamour Shots taken by someone on acid. (And Nicole, honey? Please, eat something. Have a nice grilled cheese sandwich and a side of fries. I'll even treat.)

6. Mary Mary by James Patterson: Mary, Mary, why ya buggin'? Er, sorry, that's something entirely different. Anyway, this is typical Patterson fare...not fantastic or anything, but an okay way to kill a couple of hours.

Total number read in 2005: 66


NON-FICTION


1. Tab Hunter Confidential by Tab Hunter: The former screen idol tells what it was like being a closeted celebrity in the 50's. Not as much gossip as I'd hoped, but I love the chapters about working with Divine and John Waters.

Side note of limited, if any, interest: I can actually sing Tab Hunter's song "Young Love" from beginning to end. Daddy-O bought a Thunderbird in the early 80's, and it had a tape deck, which was a real novelty in those days. (Okay, typing that made me feel positively Methuselahian.) The first tape he bought was a 50's compilation, and we listened to it over and over again, hence the aforementioned ability.

Side note of limited, if any, interest 2: I went to Borders about two days after finishing this book and saw a sign saying Tab Hunter would be there signing his book. I became inordinately excited and then realized it had been the day before. Goddammit!

2. The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Marten Troost: Not as good as the title might suggest, but really, what COULD be? Anyway, this is the author's recollection of going to live in what he thought was paradise (Tarawa, a tiny island in the South Pacific) and finding hell instead.

3. What Cops Know by Connie Fletcher: Various anecdotes from police officers. Dated but interesting enough.

4. Freak! Inside the Twisted World of Michael Jackson by David Perel and Suzanne Ely: As you can see, I'm all about quality reading material. Christ, I think PopCo was the only thing I read this month with any literary merit whatsoever.

Total number read in 2005: 57


MANGA


1. Free Soul by Yamaji Ebine

2. Death Note vols. 6-11 by Ohba Tsugumi and Obata Takeshi

3. Brave New World of Love* by Yamada Nari: A really interesting, funny manga about a teenage boy who wants to be a girl. Handled tactfully without being too unrealistic about it.

4. Swan* vol. 3 by Ariyoshi Kyoko

Total number of volumes read in 2005: 121


MOVIES


1. Batman Begins: Much better than its predecessors, in no small part due to Christian Bale. Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrow.

2. War of the Worlds*: Does a great job of remaining utterly tense and action-packed from start to finish. However, I didn't care for the happy-crappy ending or Dakota Fanning's constant screaming (although, to be fair, I'd be screaming my ass off too).

3. March of the Penguins*: Proving that there is nothing cuter than an emperor penguin chick.

4. King Kong*: Okay, so it takes a little time to get moving, but once it does, you won't get a second to catch your breath. The special effects are absolutely amazing, Naomi Watts is fantastic, and I cried my ass off throughout; it honestly broke my heart.

5. Brokeback Mountain*: To be honest, I was a little disappointed, but after literally two years of waiting to see this movie, I was bound to be! That aside, though, this is a heartbreaking movie about what happens when you deny your true feelings for too long. Heath Ledger deserves the Oscar for which he will no doubt be nominated.

Total number seen in 2005: 48