media update: July

For my birthday I got two gifts: The Man Who Erased His Name (an excellent Yakuza side story) and a raging case of covid!  Guess which gift I preferred.  Despite isolating the second I got a positive test, unfortunately (and unsurprisingly) G got it too.  On the plus side, we are doing much better.  I am grateful for the vaccine, which no doubt made our experience no worse than an especially bad cold.  (My brother has had covid twice, once pre-vaccination and once after---ironically at the same time as me, although I haven't seen him in person since 2022 so he didn't give it to me or vice versa---and he said the first time was MUCH worse.)  Stay safe out there, folks.

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.

When applicable, this page will be published as a work in progress and continually updated so I can provide timely feedback for advance reader copies.  Receiving an ARC does not affect my reviews in any way.

FICTION

1. This Is Why We Lied* by Karin Slaughter:  Special agent Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton's honeymoon at a remote mountain resort is interrupted by a gruesome murder on the premises.  It's not quite in the author's usual style (and is far less grisly than most of her books, though it's still very violent), but it's still a riveting read.  It also contains my favorite line in recent memory: "I'm like a Happy Meal, I always come with a toy."

2. Bear* by Julia Phillips:  Sam and Elena are sisters who live off the coast of Washington with their terminally ill mother, just barely making ends meet with shitty service jobs.  When a bear turns up by their house, everyone chalks it up to a random incident and says it will move on to Canada soon.  But it keeps coming around, and while Sam is terrified, Elena develops a dangerous fascination with it.

3. A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson:  A woman begins to suspect that her husband may be a serial killer.

4. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore:  When a teenage girl vanishes from summer camp, investigators have to figure out whether it's connected to her little brother's disappearance several years before.  I was really hoping this would be so much better than it was, but it's kind of dry and boring.

2024 TOTAL SO FAR:  24

NONFICTION

Nothing this month.

2024 TOTAL SO FAR:  10

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. Well, This Is Me by Asher Perlman

2024 TOTAL SO FAR:  19 volumes of manga and 3 graphic novels

MOVIES

1. Set It Up*:  Two overworked assistants (Glen Powell and Zoey Deutch) scheme to set up their bosses in hopes of finally getting a break.  Very funny.

2. Under Paris:  A giant shark shows up in the Seine just in time for a triathlon.

3. Hit Man*:  A mild-mannered college professor (Glen Powell) has an unusual side gig: he poses as a hit man in police stings.  Things get complicated when he falls in love with a beautiful woman who wants her abusive husband killed.

4. No One Will Save You:  A young woman (Kaitlynn Dever) living in isolation after a tragedy must summon all her courage to survive an alien attack.  I was really ticked off by the baffling ending but came around to it after reading some online theories.

5. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire:  Very little Godzilla and Kong for a movie called, y'know...Godzilla x Kong.

6. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F:  Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to Beverly Hills when his estranged daughter's life is threatened.

7. Maxxxine:  Porn star Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) is in danger from a serial killer who knows about her past.  Didn't stick the landing, but it has some gnarly kills and really captures the grimy feel of '80s Hollywood.

2024 TOTAL SO FAR:  53