media update: April

I am pleased to report that after last month's paltry showing, I managed to get my reading mojo back just in time for a slew of excellent books. 

Asterisks denote something I particularly enjoyed or found especially worthy of my time; double asterisks are reserved for the creme de la creme.  As always, your mileage may vary.

FICTION

1. Godshot** by Chelsea Bieker: In the drought-plagued town of Peaches, California, a charismatic preacher claims he can bring the rain. 14-year-old Lacey's mother runs away after being exiled, and Lacey is left with her strange taxidermy-obsessed grandmother.  Lacey is afraid of the preacher's plans for her and the other girls in the cult, so in desperation, she turns to the women at the phone sex hotline where her mother secretly worked.  Let me tell you, I very rarely cry at books, and this made me SOB.  It could have been because I'm a bundle of raggedy nerves since the whole pandemic started, but either way, it's still a fantastic book.

2. The Familiar Dark* by Amy Engel: In a poverty-stricken Missouri town, two little girls are murdered. Eve, the mother of one of the victims, is determined to find the killer, but it might mean she has to return to a world she was desperate to leave. 

3. The Return* by Rachel Harrison:  Elise's best friend Julie disappears and is declared dead. Two years later, Julie suddenly comes back and claims to have no memory of what happened to her or where she's been.  Elise, Julie, and two of their other friends go on a girls' trip to a weird theme hotel (think a classier version of the Madonna Inn), but it's becoming more and more apparent that something is wrong with Julie. This frickin' book kept me up very late and then I had a hard time sleeping because it got under my skin so badly. 

4. My Dark Vanessa* by Kate Elizabeth Russell:  When she was 15, Vanessa had an affair with her English teacher. Seventeen years later, another student goes public with her accusations, and Vanessa is forced to come to terms with the fact that what she thought was love was actually abuse. 

5. If It Bleeds by Stephen King:  A novella collection; the title story is the best one, though it does spoil The Outsider, so skip it if you haven't already read/watched that.

6. Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier:  Marin's son Sebastian is kidnapped from a busy farmers' market by someone dressed as Santa Claus. Over a year later, the PI she hired to investigate provides evidence of her husband's affair; this does not go over well, and Marin looks into ways of removing the problem.

2020 total so far: 16


NONFICTION

1. Wow, No Thank You* by Samantha Irby:  The latest collection of essays from one of the funniest people alive.

2020 total so far: 6


MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. Check, Please!: Sticks and Stones* by Ngozi Ukazu

2. The Fire Never Goes Out by Noelle Stevenson

2020 total so far: 15 volumes of manga and 5 graphic novels


MOVIES

1. Paradise Hills:  When Uma (Emma Roberts) refuses to participate in an arranged marriage, her mother sends her to Paradise Hills, a facility where young women learn to be "acceptable".  It feels like it was adapted from a young adult dystopian novel that we're supposed to have read; the backstory of this strange world is never really fleshed out.  Despite that, it's worth watching for the cast (which also includes Awkwafina and Danielle "Patti Cake$" Macdonald) and the visuals; it looks like a Melanie Martinez video directed by Tarsem.

2. Villains:  Mickey and Jules (Bill Skarsgard and Maika Monroe) are two lovers on the run after robbing a gas station.  When their car runs out of gas, they break into a nearby house and find something unexpected in the basement.  An enjoyable dark comedy.

3. Jumanji: The Next Level:  The gang is once again thrown into the titular video game, but this time, they have a couple of unexpected guests joining them.

4. Frozen 2*:  Elsa, Anna, and their friends go on a quest to find out the truth behind Elsa's powers.  None of the songs are as catchy as "Let It Go", and I'm annoyed at the lost opportunity to give Elsa a girlfriend (come on, the chemistry between her and Honeymaren!), but it's beautifully animated, it has some funny scenes, and I cried a lot.

5. Black Christmas (2019):  A sorority is terrorized by a killer in a black mask.  It's not really a remake of the classic horror film; the only things it really shares are the title and the setting.  It took a really, really, REALLY idiotic turn near the end, but up until that point, it was decent, and I appreciated the feminist slant.  Very welcome bonus: the cat lives!

6. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood:  A cynical reporter is assigned to do a profile on Mister Rogers (Tom Hanks) and finds his life and outlook changed by the experience.  It was good, but I was hoping for great.  If you only have time for one film about Mister Rogers, please watch the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? instead; this movie did make me cry, but that one made me SOB.

7. The Grudge* (2020):  An angry spirit curses anyone who enters the house where it lives.  I was expecting precisely nothing from this, but I wound up really liking it!  It had a really good cast and it was pretty creepy.  As a bonus (?), an earthquake hit right as a jump scare happened and I damn near shit the couch.

2020 total so far: 33