media update: February

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. The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz:  Alex is stunned when she wins a spot at a writing retreat hosted by her icon, feminist horror author Roza Vallo.  Unfortunately, it turns out her best friend turned bitter enemy is there too, and the isolated location means help won't come in time when trouble starts.

2. Unnatural History by Jonathan Kellerman:  Dr. Alex Delaware and his detective pal Milo Sturgis investigate the murder of a photographer whose latest project focused on homeless people dressed up as who they wanted to be in life.

Side note: At one point, a guy is described as having a hairstyle like "hippo horns".  It was repeated twice, so it wasn't just a one-off mistake the editor missed.  Kellerman's been at this forever (I used to swipe my mom's copies of his books), and he's an actual doctor, so that was a weird error on his part.

3. Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft:  Bea has been groomed since childhood to believe nothing matters but marrying rich.  She sinks her claws into ultra-wealthy Collin Chase, but finds herself at war with his suspicious best friend.

4. I Have Some Questions for You** by Rebecca Makkai:  During her senior year at a prestigious prep school, Bodie's former roommate Thalia was murdered.  Years later, Bodie returns to the school to teach, and she starts to question whether the right person was convicted.  Yes, another take on the "woman goes back to hometown to investigate an old murder", but Rebecca Makkai was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, so the writing is much better than others of its ilk.  I had a hard time putting it down; it's breathtaking.

2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 8

NONFICTION

1. Still, I Cannot Save You* by Kelly S. Thompson:  The author's relationship with her sister Meghan was sorely tested by addiction and illness.  After Meghan became a mother, they started to rebuild their bond, but shocking news sent everything into a tailspin again.  Heartbreaking (I cried at least five times) but hopeful.

2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 1

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. The Night Eaters by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

2. The Way of the Househusband* vol. 9 by Kousuke Oono

2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 3 volumes of manga and 1 graphic novel

MOVIES

1. Ticket to Paradise:  David and Georgia (George Clooney and Julia Roberts) are a bitterly divorced couple who conspire to sabotage their daughter's wedding to a Balinese seaweed farmer.  Predictable but cute, with great chemistry between the leads, and the scenery (which, as it turns out, is actually Australia!) is stunning.

2. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever:  After T'Challa's death, the people of Wakanda must band together against a new threat from an ocean-dwelling king.

3. The Pale Blue Eye:  A detective (Christian Bale) investigates a grisly murder at West Point, helped by a cadet who just happens to be Edgar Allan Poe.  Very slow, but it rewards patience.

4. Violent Night:  Santa Claus (David Harbour) is real!  And boy is he unhappy when a group of mercenaries threaten to ruin one family's Christmas.  A gory and fun treat.

5. The Whale*:  Charlie (Brendan Fraser) is a morbidly obese, housebound man who is literally eating himself to death.  As the end nears, he tries to connect with his very angry estranged daughter (Sadie Sink).  The performances, including Hong Chau as Charlie's friend/enabler/part-time caretaker, are excellent, but holy shit this is one of the most depressing movies I've ever seen in my life.  At one point I was crying so hard that Momo started nuzzling my face in consternation.  I'm adding it to the list of movies that I'm glad I saw but never want to see again.

6. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent*:  Nicolas Cage (playing a fictionalized version of himself) reluctantly accepts a $1 million offer to attend a birthday party and gets caught up in international intrigue in this original and funny movie.

2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 10