media update: October

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. House of Hunger* by Alexis Henderson:  Marion is desperate to escape her life in the slums, so she accepts a position as a bloodmaid for a countess who believes drinking blood has curative and anti-aging properties.  The position is lucrative, but Marion discovers she's in grave danger when other bloodmaids start to disappear.  Super engrossing and a perfect read to kick off October.

2. Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth:  Abby has never gotten along with her nasty mother-in-law, so when Laura dies by suicide, Abby is secretly relieved.  Unfortunately, Laura has a hold on Abby and her husband from beyond the grave, and Abby has to come up with a plan to banish Laura for good.

3. Sign Here by Claudia Lux:  Peyote Trip (yeah, I know) works in hell...literally. He has the opportunity to get a promotion, but only if he can convince one more member of the Harrison family to sell their soul.

4. Hester by Laura Lico Albanese:  Isobel is a gifted seamstress who moves to America with her husband, only to fall in love with author Nathaniel Hawthorne.  An interesting retelling of The Scarlet Letter.

2022 TOTAL SO FAR: 42

NONFICTION

1. The Tiger and the Cage* by Emma Bolden:  A gripping memoir about the author's struggles with severe endometriosis and her desperation to be taken seriously by her doctors.

2022 TOTAL SO FAR:  8

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. My Love Mix-Up! vol. 5 by Wataru Hinekure and Aruko

2022 TOTAL SO FAR:   21 graphic novels and 31 volumes of manga

MOVIES

1. Luckiest Girl Alive:  Ani (Mila Kunis) has everything she's ever dreamed of, but a documentary being made about a tragedy in her past could blow her perfect life apart.  It's good, but the book is SO MUCH BETTER, so if you only have time for one...read the book.  (This also applies to The Dry, which we watched earlier this year.  Again, a decent movie that the book blows out of the water.)

2. Orphan: First Kill*:  Don't watch this prequel if you haven't seen Orphan, but if you have, you're in for a clever treat!

3. Pleasure:  Linnea moves from Sweden to Los Angeles to become a porn star and quickly finds she has to stretch her limits if she wants to be famous.  It's compelling, but fair warning: it has some pretty disturbing scenes.

4. Bodies Bodies Bodies:  Friends stranded at a remote mansion during a hurricane play a party game that goes very wrong.

5. Barbarian*:  A woman shows up to her AirBnB, only to find that it's been double booked.  I'll leave it at that, because the less you know about this movie going in, the better.  I was tense the whole time and never knew quite where it was heading, which is always fun.  A great time!

22 TOTAL SO FAR:  65