media update: July

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. Self Care by Leigh Stein: After tweeting something very ill-advised, Maren is put on digital detox by her company, a Goop-ish online wellness community called Richual.

2. Nothing Can Hurt You by Nicola Maye Goldberg:  A college student is murdered by her boyfriend, who confesses and is found not guilty by reason of insanity.  It's not really a thriller or a mystery; it's more a look at the ripple effects of the murder across a large group of people.  (Every chapter follows a different character affected by the crime, from the victim's half-sister to a crime reporter.)

3. Outsider by Linda Castillo:  Police chief Kate Burkholder is shocked when a former colleague shows up in her small town, suffering from a gunshot wound and telling stories about rampant police corruption that could get both of them killed.  Not as good as most books in this series, largely because Amish society didn't play as big a role as it usually does.

4. Pretty Things by Janelle Brown:  Nina earns money for her mother's experimental cancer treatment by finding rich people on Instagram and robbing them.  Her next target is an influencer from her past, but things get very complicated.

5. Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay: During a pandemic, people are locked down and hospitals are running over capacity. (Nope, it's not nonfiction!) Dr. Ramola Sherman must get her pregnant friend Natalie, who's been bitten by an infected man, to safety.

2020 total so far: 26


NONFICTION

1. Notes on a Silencing* by Lacy Crawford:  When the author was 15, she was sexually assaulted by two fellow students at their elite boarding school.  Decades later, when the school came under federal investigation for sweeping other incidents under the rug, she decided to come forward.  Powerful and beautifully written, but difficult to read at times due to the subject matter.

2. The Heart and Other Monsters* by Rose Andersen:  A heartbreaking memoir about the author's sister's struggles with addiction.

3. Unspeakable Acts* (anthology):  A selection of true crime stories. I've read some of them elsewhere, like the Gypsy Rose Blanchard article that originally ran on Buzzfeed, but it's still a really good collection.

2020 total so far:11


MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. Not Your Idol* by Aoi Makino:  This manga about a pop idol who retreats from the world after being assaulted by a fan was really good, but I'm a bit concerned about how this volume left off.  I'll definitely be curious to see how it all plays out.

2. Tokyo Travel Sketchbook by Amaia Arrazola 

3. Food Wars! vol. 35 by Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki 

2020 total so far: 17 volumes of manga and 7 graphic novels


MOVIES

1. Fantasy Island:  At a beautiful island resort, the guests' deepest desires come true...but they quickly learn the truth behind the saying "Be careful what you wish for."   It's a little goofy, especially the explanation for how the island works, and they REALLY needed to get Antonio Banderas to play Mr. Roarke, but it was fun.

2. Hamilton*:  I'm glad Disney+ put this up on their channel, because god knows I never would have been able to get or afford tickets to see the real thing!  It didn't change my life or anything, but it was very entertaining.  I recommend subtitles, though, as they helped us appreciate the lyrics more, especially during the rap battles.

3. The Rhythm Section:  After her entire family is killed on a plane destroyed by a terrorist attack, Stephanie (Blake Lively) sets out to find and destroy the people responsible.  Improbable, and it takes way too long to get going.

4. Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll:  Violet tries to help a lonely young woman become a proper lady and reunite with her long-lost sister.  Gorgeously animated, but the story wasn't particularly engrossing; it could easily have been a couple of episodes of the anime rather than a full-length movie.

5. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War:  When Darkseid seriously fucks up Earth and kills several Justice League members, the remaining superheroes (including John Constantine, one of my favorites) band together to take him down.

6. Impractical Jokers:  The guys hit the road in hopes of redeeming an embarrassing incident from their youth.  For the most part, the scripted parts aren't great, but the challenges are entertaining, especially when Sal finds something deeply disturbing in his hotel room.

7. The Old Guard:  A team of immortal mercenaries must try to protect the world and their secret at the same time.  Some good action scenes + Charlize Theron kicking ass + a diverse cast = a fun summer treat.

8. Superman: Red Son:  An alternate history where Superman lands in Russia as a baby and grows up to protect their interests at all costs, Batman is a bad guy, and Wonder Woman is a lesbian.  The animation is 90s TV quality, but the story is interesting.

9. Velvet Buzzsaw:  This is a hard movie to review without spoilers, so I'll just say it's about the art world and leave it at that.  It was certainly, uh, different.

2020 total so far: 50