media update: May

I recently got a NetGalley account which requires me to provide feedback in a timely manner, so from here on (assuming I have a NetGalley book to review) I won't keep my media updates as a draft until the end of the month; I'll update as soon as I finish a book.  I will also note when I received a free advanced reader's copy (ARC) for review.  Receiving a free copy does not impact my reviews in any way.

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 Spare Room by Andrea Bartz:  Near the beginning of the pandemic, after her relationship falls apart, Kelly goes to live with her old friend Sabrina and Sabrina's husband Nathan in their gorgeous home.  Things take a turn for the steamy, but when Kelly learns that their previous throuple partner is missing, she fears she might be next.  Expect to see this one in a lot of beach bags; it's a perfect poolside read.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC that I received in exchange for an honest review.  The book officially comes out on June 20th.

2. Atalanta* by Jennifer Saint:  Abandoned at birth, Atalanta was raised by a bear and then taken under the protection of Artemis.  She joins Jason and the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece, where she encounters sexism and life-threatening dangers.  I love mythological retellings, and this is a particularly good one.

3. Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward:  When Wilder Harlow was a teenager, a killer nicknamed the Dagger Man terrorized the small beach town where he and his family spent their summers.  Now an adult, Wilder is writing a book about his experience, but something is haunting him.  I found the chapters set in the present much less interesting than the ones in the past, but the author tied everything together at the end.

4. Lucky Red** by Claudia Cravens:  In 1877, after her father dies, Bridget becomes a prostitute at the Buffalo Queen brothel.  Thanks to Kate and Lila, the madams who run the place, Bridget finds brothel life better than she expected.  Then a legendary female gunslinger named Spartan Lee rolls into town, and against her better judgment, Bridget falls in love.

Our internet went out for over 24 hours right before I started reading this, and although I was initially grumpy about it, I wound up being grateful because I was able to fully immerse myself in this novel without the distractions of Twitter and Buzzfeed listicles.  What a wild ride!  Despite Red Dead Redemption 2 being one of my favorite video games of all time, westerns aren't generally my thing, but throw a queer feminist twist on it and I was smitten.  Destined to make my top ten list at the end of the year.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy that I received in exchange for an honest review.  The book officially comes out on June 20th.

5. The Guest* by Emma Cline:  Alex is a young woman drifting through life, getting involved with men she doesn't love in order to get her needs met.  When she pisses off her current paramour and he kicks her out, she goes in search of her next target.  It was a difficult book to put down because I wanted to see where Alex would wind up next.  Alex isn't an entirely sympathetic character, but I still wanted her to work things out.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy that I received in exchange for an honest review.  This book is available now!

6. Don't Forget the Girl* by Rebecca McKanna:  When Chelsea and Bree were in college, their friend Abby disappeared, presumed murdered by a serial killer.  Twelve years later, the killer is days away from being executed and a podcast is digging into his crimes.  An excellent debut with more nuanced characters than most thrillers.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy that I received in exchange for an honest review.  The book officially comes out on June 20th.

2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 19

NONFICTION

1. Quietly Hostile* by Samantha Irby:  This book includes essays with titles like "Two Old Nuns Having Amzing [Sic] Lesbian Sex", "I Like to Get High at Night and Think About Whales", and "Oh, So You Actually Don't Want to Make a Show About a Horny Fat Bitch with Diarrhea? Okay!" so of course it was going to get a star.

2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 3

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. Turning Japanese* by MariNaomi:  An autobiographical account of the author's time working at an American hostess bar and then visiting Japan with their boyfriend, never feeling like, as a biracial person, they fit in anywhere.  

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for the ARC that I received in exchange for an honest review.  The book officially comes out on June 6th.

2. How to Grill Our Love by Shiori Hanatsuka:  Kenta goes on a blind date with beautiful Chihiro, and they quickly bond over their shared love of grilled food.  Cute and sweet, but boy will it make you hungry!

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the reader's copy that I received in exchange for an honest review.  The first volume is out now!

3. The Yakuza's Bias* by Teki Yatsuda:  Ken Kanashiro is one of the most feared yakuza lieutenants.  One night, he accompanies his boss's daughter to a K-pop concert and very quickly becomes a hardcore fan.  It's really funny to see a grizzled yakuza member stanning a boy band member!  I enjoyed this a lot and will be sure to look for future volumes.  Note that, at least as of this volume, this does not appear to be a boy's love manga.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the reader's copy that I received in exchange for an honest review.  The first volume is out now!

4. The Girl That Can't Get A Girlfriend* by Mieri Hiranishi:  A funny and bittersweet autobiographical manga about the author's quest to find the girl of her dreams.  If you liked My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, I bet you'd like this too.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the reader's copy that I received in exchange for an honest review.  This manga is available now!

5. My Love Mix-Up! vol. 7 by Wataru Hinekure and Aruko

6. We're New at This vol. 13 by Ren Kawahara

2023 TOTAL SO FAR:  21 volumes of manga and 3 graphic novels

MOVIES

1. The Pope's Exorcist:  A priest (Russell Crowe, slumming) tries to help a young boy possessed by a demon.  Not remotely scary, and it's not exactly good, but I enjoyed it for what it was.  It had some surprisingly funny lines, and it gets bonus points for not ending the way I expected it to.

2. Triangle of Sadness*:  Rich people on a luxury cruise have a very bad time in this deliciously pitch black comedy.  I haven't seen all of the movies that were nominated for best picture this year, but this is my favorite of the ones I've seen.  Warning: absolutely not for emetophobes!

3. Ghosted:  After a terrific first date, Cole (Chris Evans) impulsively follows his dream girl (Ana De Armas) to London and discovers she's not quite who he thought.  Has its moments, but the script lacked snap and the chemistry between the leads was tepid.

4. Prey for the Devil:  A young nun wants to be the first female exorcist, but a challenging case will test her skills and her sanity.  I guess I was just in the mood for "mediocre exorcism movies that were oddly enjoyable" this month!

5. Kimi:  An agoraphobic tech worker (Zoe Kravitz) discovers evidence of a crime and must summon up the courage to leave her apartment.

6. To Catch a Killer:  A troubled cop (Shailene Woodley) is recruited by an FBI investigator to help catch an alarmingly skilled sniper terrorizing Baltimore.

7. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre:  Special agent Orson Fortune (Jason Statham, nnf-able as always) and his team recruit a movie star to help them intercept a weapons deal.

8. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania:  Scott Lang (aka Ant-Man), his daughter, and Hope van Dyne (aka the Wasp) enter the Quantum Realm.  Overstuffed and largely joyless, unfortunately.

9. Shazam!: Fury of the Gods:  Billy Batson (Zachary Levi) and his foster siblings fight the daughters of Atlas come to our world with bad intentions.

Look, was it phenomenal?  No, but it was much better than the box office and the reviews led me to believe.  Yeah, the special effects were a bit lacking, a major character phones it in, and the product placement was glaringly obvious.  But it had some funny lines, there's a great stinger, and I enjoyed it more than I expected to...certainly more than I enjoyed #8 on this list.

Side note: three movies in a row with a subtitle?  That's odd!

 2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 27