media update: December

And another year draws to a close!  2025 wasn't a bad year for the most part aside from Momo's health scare in May, some family stuff I'm not at liberty to share, an absolute SLEW of weird random irritations in the last couple of weeks, and the state of the world in general.  I am manifesting love, prosperity, and happiness for myself, my loved ones, and all of you and (redacted) for (redacted).  Happy 2026!  Thanks for being here.

As you can see from my totals, I watched a shit ton of movies this year but didn't do so great on the reading front.  I don't have a set goal or anything, but I'd like to read more in 2026 and spend less time mindlessly swiping on my phone.

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 Keeper* by Tana French:  When the suicide of a well-liked young woman rocks her small Irish town, former Chicago cop Cal Hooper smells a rat.  It's a bit of a slow burn, but Tana French's writing is so rich and atmospheric that I knew I'd enjoy the ride.  And, as ever, she completely sticks the landing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the ARC!  The official release date is March 31st, 2026.

2. Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino:  When Margo finds out that her dream house is going on the market, she will stop at nothing to make it hers.  The comparisons to Gone Girl are, as ever, overblown, but it's still fun.

3. The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong:  When her grandfather dies, Sam is shocked to learn that she stands to inherit $10 million.  The catch?  She has to stay for one full month at the family's lakeside cottage, which doesn't sound so bad except for the, uh, water zombies.  

2025 TOTAL: 23

NONFICTION

Nothing this month.

2025 TOTAL: 11

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. My Dress-Up Darling vol. 14 by Shinichi Fukuda 

2. Woe* by Lucy Knisley

2025 TOTAL: 14 volumes of manga and 8 graphic novels

MOVIES

1. Ice Road: Vengeance:  Mike (Liam Neeson) goes to Nepal to fulfill a promise and gets caught up in local politics.  It's quite dumb, but it has a few fun moments.

2. Wake Up Dead Man*:  After a young priest gets tangled up in a strange death, master detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) investigates.  Like the other two movies in the Knives Out series, it's got a stacked cast and a very clever script.

3. The Long Walk*:  In a dystopian 1970s America, fifty young men compete in a walking contest.  The catch?  No breaks or sleep, and if they drop speed below 3mph for more than 30 seconds, they get shot in the head.  Based on a Stephen King book, this was very grim but compelling.

4. Him:  An rising football star is determined to be the greatest of all time, no matter what it costs.  Visually striking, but the plot is a jumbled mess.

5. One Battle After Another*:  A former revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio), now living in a daze of disillusionment and marijuana, springs back into action when his daughter disappears.  Timely and often quite funny, and it's so well paced it flies by despite being almost three hours long. Expect this one to grab a ton of Oscar nominations and probably a few wins too.

2025 TOTAL: 102