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. Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi:  When her fiance Noah ghosts her, Claire is determined to find out why at any cost.  It's a little predictable until the very end, at which point the author throws in a nasty little surprise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!  The book officially comes out on March 11th, 2024.

2. Long Time Gone by Hannah Martian:  Private investigator Quinn Cuthridge reluctantly returns to Wyoming to investigate the disappearance of her aunt.

2024 TOTAL SO FAR:  35

NONFICTION

Nothing this month.

2024 TOTAL SO FAR:  12

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. Cat + Gamer* vols. 4-5 by Wataru Nadatani 

2. Blood on the Tracks vol. 17 (final volume) by Shuzo Oshimi

3. Mr. Lovenstein Presents: Feelings** by J.L. Westover:  I read this (and the following volume) while very high and laughed myself into an asthma attack.  I reread a few pages the next day when sober, and it was still really funny, so I highly recommend these books for a mood booster.  They're both available on Hoopla, too!

4. Mr. Lovenstein Presents: Failure** by J.L. Westover

5. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees* by Patrick Horvath

6. Forgiven But Not Forgotten by Abby Green and Sae Nanahoshi

7. There Are Things I Can't Tell You by Edako Mofumofu

8. Pearl by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie

9. Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer by Faith Erin Hicks, Peter Wartman, and Adele Matera

10. The Apothecary Diaries vol. 12 by Natsu Hyuuga and Nekokurage

2024 TOTAL SO FAR:  29 volumes of manga and 9 graphic novels

MOVIES

1. Bad Boys: Ride or Die:  Miami cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett (Will Smith and Martin Lawrence) try to clear their late captain's name.  Some weird woo-woo shit, but it's mostly fun.

2. House of Spoils:  A chef's dream of opening her own restaurant turns into a nightmare when she realizes the property is haunted.  Mediocre, but Ariana DeBose is always fun to watch.

3. The Platform:  In a strange multilevel prison, people get their food from a platform that starts out full at the top and dwindles to nothing at the bottom.  It's like a dystopian Next Level Chef.

4. Abigail:  The kidnapping of a millionaire's daughter goes extremely wrong.  I enjoyed it, but I would have liked it even more if the trailer hadn't given away a massive plot point.

5. Woman of the Hour*:  In 1970s Los Angeles, an aspiring actress (Anna Kendrick, who also directed) goes on The Dating Game only to be matched with a serial killer.  Based on the true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala, albeit with some changes, it's really well done.  It has a few pacing problems, but it's respectful of the victims and has one of the best endings I've seen in a while.

6. A Quiet Place: Day One*:  A terminally ill woman (Lupita Nyong'o) and her cat try to reach safety when sound-sensitive aliens invade New York City.  Tense and surprisingly moving.

7. Trap*:  A man and his daughter go to a concert that turns out to be, well...a trap.  Even though I had the misfortune of seeing an unusually spoilery trailer, I still really enjoyed it.  A great deal of suspension of disbelief is required, though!

8. Fast Charlie:  Charlie (Pierce Brosnan) is a mob fixer who's determined to exact vengeance when his crew is killed by a rival gang.

9. Sasquatch Sunset:  A family of sasquatches tries to survive in a world changing around them.  Weird and extremely gross---almost every bodily fluid is shown in great detail at least once, and a scene with a fish made me nauseated---but I'll give it credit for being different!

10. Babes:  Two lifelong friends, Eden and Dawn (Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau), find their relationship tested when Eden gets pregnant and relies too much on Dawn for help.  I'm always down for raunchy female buddy comedies, and this certainly fit the bill.  It thinks it's funnier than it is, and tries too hard to be edgy (enough with the "yawning pussy" comments already!), but it has its moments.

11. Force of Nature:  Australian detective Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) investigates when his informant goes missing on a company retreat.  I read the book when it first came out but had forgotten everything but the basic premise, which was nice!  I thought it was a much better adaptation than The Dry.  (Speaking of which, this movie is technically called Force of Nature: The Dry 2, presumably to differentiate it from the Sandra Bullock romcom, but it makes no sense to call it that!  That movie took place in the drought-ravaged outback, and this takes place in a lush forest.) 

12. Longlegs*:  An FBI agent (Maika Monroe) investigates an exceptionally creepy serial killer (Nicolas Cage).  This was one of my most anticipated movies of the year, and although it didn't meet my lofty expectations, it was still plenty creepy.

2024 TOTAL SO FAR:  83