media update: November

Man, I didn't read shit this month, partly because I spent the majority of the month away from home helping Daddy-O/frolicking about Florida, and partly because I suffered from a dearth of decent reading material. (Seriously, for every book I finished, I tossed three aside in disgust. Devil in the Junior League, I'm looking at you.) Anyway, asterisks denote something I particularly enjoyed or found especially worthy of my time; your mileage may vary.

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FICTION


1. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards: On a snowy night, a doctor is forced to deliver his own twins. The son is fine, but the daughter has Down's, so he asks his nurse to take her to an institution, and he tells his wife the girl died. The nurse decides to raise the baby as her own, and the doctor's secret irrevocably changes all their lives forever. Too melodramatic and hokey for my tastes. And WTF with the unbelievably long waiting list at the library for this book? Did Oprah mention it on her show or something?

2. The End by Lemony Snicket: It's really a shame that these books got so crappy, since the series started off so well. Still, it's nice to have closure.

3. Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund: The story of Marie Antoinette, beautifully told in first person.

Read so far this year: 47

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NON-FICTION


1. Dance Naked: A Guide to Unleashing Your Inner Hottie by Jessica "Kayla" Conrad: It was there, okay? Gosh!

2. I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie by Roger Ebert: The famous film critic talks about some of the worst movies he's ever seen. There are plenty of obvious ones in here, like I Spit On Your Grave, but he saves his greatest vitriol for---ready?---North. I mean, I didn't like it either, but he talks about it like it sodomized his mother while pouring sugar in his gas tank. (And yes, that's a Clerks reference.)

Read so far this year: 69

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MANGA


1. Neighborhood Story vols. 6-7 by Ai Yazawa

2. Ai Girl by Sugi Emiko

3. Desire Climax vol. 3 by Ukyou Ayane

Read so far this year: 75

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MOVIES


1. Borat*: Oh my holy Christ. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a movie...a sentiment apparently shared by everyone else in the theater, since at times the laughter was so loud and hysterical that I couldn't hear the dialogue. Okay, so the character is a misogynistic, anti-Semitic, bad suit wearing jerk...but come on, how can you not love someone who refers to masturbation as a hand party and brings a black hooker to a snooty Southern dinner party?

2. Monster House*: This animated flick about three kids investigating the creepy house across the street was surprisingly funny and very entertaining. Not only that, but they play Siouxsie and the Banshees over the ending credits!

3. The Upside of Anger: Joan Allen is excellent as an incredibly bitter woman who tries to deal when her husband takes a powder.

Seen so far this year: 79

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ADDED TO MY iTUNES


1. "Revenge" by Ministry: When they were still a synth pop duo, back in the early 80's, I practically wore out my With Sympathy tape. I wrote them a fan letter, and Al Jourgensen actually wrote back, which was very cool of him.

2. "Halloween" by Shawn Lee

3. "Lonesome Town" by Holly Golightly: This song absolutely begs to be used in a David Lynch film.

4. "Virtually Happy" by Holly Golightly

5. "Drive That Fast" by Kitchens of Distinction: I couldn't believe the iTunes store actually had this song! This is one of my ten favorite songs of all time.

6. "Shangri-La" by chatmonchy

7. "Cuckoo Clock" by Rachel Sweet

8. "Lovin' U" by melody.

9. "1000% SPARKING!": I have absolutely no idea who this is by because I can't read the kanji, but I couldn't resist that title.

10. "Ankle Injuries" by Fujiya & Miyagi: The best song you'll ever hear about a kid finding a porno mag while walking to school. (And no, despite the name, this band is not Japanese; they named themselves after a brand of record player and Mr. Miyagi of The Karate Kid.)