media update: August

Yet another absolutely shameful month in which I didn't read anything more substantial than magazines and Reddit posts.  I spent a lot of time playing the remastered version of Days Gone, the game I had to quit halfway through back in 2019 because I rather infamously broke my hand while dancing to Britney Spears.  I also managed to score a ton of freelance work which kept me pretty busy.  I solemnly swear to read at least one actual book in September!  I'm currently reading an ARC of Malice by Jonathan Kellerman, but I'm only about halfway through, so it can't go on this list.

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

Nothing this month.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  7

NONFICTION

Nothing this month. 

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  4

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

Nothing this month.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  13 volumes of manga

MOVIES

1. Obsession*:  A depressed young man makes a wish that his crush Nikki (Inde Navarrette, who's astonishing) will love him more than anything else in the world. To his amazement, his wish comes true, but Nikki isn't exactly the same.  Deeply unsettling.

2. In the Grey:  A lawyer and her elite team (which includes Jake Gyllenhaal and Henry Cavill) try to recover a massive debt from a ruthless despot in this fun Guy Ritchie movie.

3. Hokum:  An author (Adam Scott) goes to Ireland to scatter his parents' ashes and discovers something very wrong at his hotel in this creepy flick.

4. Redux Redux:  A woman travels through parallel universes to kill her daughter's murderer in each one.  It has nobody you've probably ever heard of, but it's surprisingly good.

5. Normal:  When Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk) gets a job as a temporary sheriff in the small town of Normal, Minnesota, he discovers the town is poorly named.  It leans a little too heavily on the whole "gosh, small town folks sure are funny!" trope (see also Fargo), but it's got some decent action scenes near the end.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  51