media update: September
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. Bright Young Women* by Jessica Knoll: In 1978, a serial killer (very obviously Ted Bundy, though he's never named) attacks the residents of a sorority house, killing two young women and maiming two others. Pamela Schumacher, who witnessed the killer leaving, joins forces with Tina Cannon, who's convinced the murderer is behind the disappearance of her friend Ruth. Disturbing and engrossing.
2. Holly by Stephen King: Fan favorite Holly Gibney returns to investigate a series of disappearances that have a very nasty thread connecting them.
3. Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng: A disgraced idol joins a reality competition to restart her career, but she's haunted by the suicide of her friend and a series of suspicious accidents and creepy apparitions.
SPOILERS: Honestly, I thought this book would have been much better without the supernatural aspect involved. It could have been a more compelling story if the incidents were caused by a jealous rival. Also, the much-touted sapphic love interest was barely present. I did enjoy the criticism of the idol industry, but overall it wasn't for me.
2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 37
NONFICTION
1. While You Were Out by Meg Kissinger: A memoir about growing up in a large family devastated by mental illness.
2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 4
MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS
1. Beauty and the Feast vols. 1-8 by Satomi U
2. I Think Our Son Is Gay vols. 2-4 by Okura
3. The Apothecary Diaries vols. 1-3 by Natsu Hyuuga and Nekokurage
4. We're New at This vol. 14 by Ren Kawahara
5. My Love Mix-Up! vol. 8 by Wataru Hinekure and Aruko
6. Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi
2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 46 volumes of manga and 3 graphic novels
MOVIES
1. The Flash: Barry Allen, aka The Flash, uses his superpowers to go back in time and prevent his mother's murder, but of course this creates a whole new mess of problems. The overstuffed last half cost it a star, but it had some fun moments and I really like Ezra Miller in the title role. It's a shame their talents have been overshadowed by their legal issues.
2. Skiptrace: A Hong Kong detective and an American ne'er-do-well (Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville) team up to take down a crime lord. We thought it would be painful, but it was kind of fun!
3. Bones and All: Maren (Taylor Russell) has had unusual cravings since she was an infant, and when she gets older, she goes in search of others like her. The book was better, but this was an intriguing slow burn with excellent performances by Russell, Timothee Chalamet, and Mark Rylance.
3. Elemental: In a world inhabited by anthropomorphic elements, a fire woman and a water man clash before deciding they might have more in common than they originally thought. I didn't think I'd like it because I disliked the character designs, but it was actually pretty cute. Certainly not one of Pixar's best, but enjoyable.
4. Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham: In 1920s Gotham, Batman fights...Cthulhu.
5. Heart of Stone: Rachel Stone (Gal Gadot) is an intelligence operative who must track down an important asset that could either save the world or destroy it. This movie desperately wanted to be Mission: Impossible or James Bond, but missed the mark. Still, it's fun and worth a watch if you like this kind of flick.
6. Bottoms: Two unpopular friends (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri, a favorite of mine thanks to her role on The Bear) start an all-girls' fight club in hopes of scoring with the cheerleaders they're crushing on.
7. Strays: After being abandoned by his terrible owner Doug, Reggie (voice of Will Ferrell) teams up with a group of other strays with one goal in mind: to bite Doug's dick off.
8. Meg 2: The Trench: To be honest, I consumed a couple of cans of White Claw Surge while watching this, so all I can really tell you is...uh...giant sharks and Jason Statham were in it.
2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 50
posted by ~C @ 9:47 PM
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