media update: December

Happy (almost) New Year!  This year wasn't too bad overall aside from G and me getting covid (and coincidentally my brother at the same time) and you-know-who somehow getting re-elected.  On the plus side, I scored some freelance work I actually liked, went on a fun cruise with my family, and enjoyed many excellent books, movies, shows, and games.

Speaking of which, this is a pretty sparse media update by my usual standards because I started Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and (predictably) it is eating my life.  Once I finish it, I will have played almost all of the Yakuza/Judgment/Like A Dragon games in just under four years!  (Dead Souls is very hard to find, expensive, and apparently not even all that good.  Hoping for a remake!)

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. PS: I Hate You by Lauren Connolly:  After her brother Josh dies, Maddie learns that he left a final request for her to scatter his ashes in the few states he never got a chance to visit.  Unfortunately, he also wants his best friend Dom to go along, and after a "pity finger bang" years ago, Dom is her least favorite person on earth.

2024 TOTAL:  39

NONFICTION

1. Kinda Korean by Joan Sung:  A memoir about growing up as the daughter of Korean immigrants, dealing with racism, and struggling with a "tiger mom".  I enjoyed it except for two things, one minor and one major.  First, the cover (a cartoon-style drawing of a bowl of noodles) makes this look like a food memoir, which it isn't.  It doesn't represent the content accurately in my opinion.  Second, and this REALLY bothered me, the author nonchalantly mentions a time when, in order to get back at her boss, she deliberately pours cleaning fluid into the office fishbowl.  At no time does she express regret for killing an innocent creature, and it stuck in my craw.  This anecdote comes near the end of the book; otherwise I probably would have quit reading it. 

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the ARCs!  (They sent me a physical copy too, which has never happened before and was much appreciated.)  The book is scheduled for publication on February 25th, 2025.

2. Sucker Punch* by Scaachi Koul:  A raw, candid look at the author's failed marriage and the complex relationship she has with her Indian-Canadian family, especially her mother.  She's pretty hard on everyone in her life, but no one more so than herself.  I wish there was a glossary of some of the Indian terms she uses, but I always enjoy a good google so that's a pretty minor quibble.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!  The book is scheduled for publication on March 4th, 2025.

3. Sloppy by Rax King:  A collection of essays about the author's addictions and struggles with sobriety.  Funny and candid.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!  The book is scheduled for publication on July 29th, 2025.

2024 TOTAL:  17

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. Cat + Gamer* vol. 6 by Wataru Nadatani 

2. Adulthood Is A Gift! by Sarah Andersen

3. Cyanide & Happiness: Stab Factory by Kris Wilson and Rob DenBleyker

2024 TOTAL:  33 volumes of manga and 11 graphic novels

MOVIES

1. Twisters:  Storm chasers find themselves in danger when a major tornado hits Oklahoma.  Some good action, and dammit, yes, I'm finally willing to admit Glen Powell is charming.

2. Blink Twice*:  A cocktail waitress named Frida (Naomi Ackie) gets an invitation to a private island owned by tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum).  At first it's a sunny, booze-soaked paradise, but Frida starts to suspect something sinister is going on.  Tense, beautifully edited, and adeptly directed by Zoe Kravitz, but pay attention to the trigger warning at the beginning.

3. Transformers One:  This animated movie tells the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron.  I'm not much of a Transformers fan, but it was fun.

2024 TOTAL:  91

best of 2024: video games

 A few notes before I begin:

- Because this list is so short, it's in preferential order.

- Not all of these were first released in 2024, but that's when I first played them.

- These were all played on the PS4, but they may be available on other systems as well.

- Those of you who follow me on social media and have seen me fawning over Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth might be shocked by its omission, but that's because I'm not even close to finishing it.  At this rate, I might not be done in time for next year's list!  There's just so much to do.  Hell, two of the substories are full games in and of themselves.

- And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. The Man Who Erased His Name:  Kiryu Kazuma is working as a secret agent after going into hiding to protect his loved ones.  You can always count on RGG Studio to deliver the goods, and this is no exception.  It's got the same great characters, intriguing plot, and awesome side stories I expect from these games, but what I DIDN'T expect was to cry really fucking hard.

2. Like A Dragon: Ishin!:  Yakuza in the 1800s?  Why the hell not!  I was a little apprehensive about playing this because I'd heard some of the crafting/smithing was a nightmare, but for the most part it wasn't really necessary, and when it was I just passed the controller off to G because he's really good at that stuff.

3. The Quarry:  Surrounded by monsters and hostile locals, camp counselors try to survive their last night at Hackett's Quarry.  It was developed by the same studio as Until Dawn and shares the same gameplay mechanics.  It's not nearly as good or as scary, but it's still fun.

best of 2024: TV shows

 A few notes before I begin:

- This list is in random order, but I made note of my favorite.

- Not all of these were first released in 2024, but that's when I watched them.

-Some of these are ongoing series, but I only included shows where I've watched at least one full season.

- I made a parenthetical note of where I watched it, although some of these may be available other places as well.  

- Obviously the year isn't over yet, but if I watch something between now and the end of the month that belongs here, I'll update accordingly.

- I sure saw a lot of Walton Goggins this year; he's in three of these shows.

- And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. Poker Face:  Charlie has the ability to tell when someone is lying.  Unfortunately, she can't help but insert herself into situations that put her in jeopardy.  It had one of the best pilots I've ever seen, and although none of the other episodes were quite as good, they were all very enjoyable, and Natasha Lyonne is, as always, a treat. (DVD)

2. After Life:  After his wife Lisa dies, Tony (Ricky Gervais) considers suicide, but he decides to stick around and make everyone else miserable, because if he can't be happy, why should anyone else?  Not as misanthropic as that synopsis makes it seem; it's got plenty of black humor to be sure, but it's also hopeful and moving. (Netflix)

3. Fallout:  After nuclear war, privileged survivors live in underground vaults while others, mutated by radiation, live in the outside world.  Lucy (Ella Purnell), a cheerful vault dweller, leaves safety in search of her father.  Based on the video game series, but you don't have to have played them to enjoy the show.  G has, but I haven't (stupid sim sickness), and I think we enjoyed it equally, although there were definitely easter eggs he got that I didn't. (Amazon Prime)

4. BoJack Horseman:  The title character is an anthropomorphized horse who got famous on a cheesy 90s sitcom.  Years after the show ended, he wants to make a comeback, but his addictions and debilitating self-loathing will make it difficult.  It can be hilarious, but just as often, it's devastating.  Shout out to the uniformly excellent voice cast, especially Will Arnett as BoJack and Alison Brie as his biographer Diane.  My favorite new (to me) show of the year. (Netflix)

5. Suicide Squad Isekai:  The Suicide Squad, a group of criminals forced to work on dangerous missions or get blown up by their no-nonsense boss Amanda Waller, is sent to another world (isekai in Japanese).  It's beautifully animated and very funny.  (Max)

6. American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez:  A biographical scripted series about Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (played to perfection by Josh Andres Rivera), whose nasty temper (compounded by numerous severe concussions and drug use) led to a brutal downfall.  I couldn't give much less of a shit about football, aside from rooting for the Giants since G and my father-in-law are lifelong fans, but I was riveted by this show.  It doesn't downplay Aaron's crimes, but it's hard not to feel some sympathy for his terror of being outed and his repeated head injuries.  (FX)

7. The Great British Baking Show:  Sometimes I just want a warm, gentle baking competition show where the worst thing that can happen is a "claggy" cake or a "stodgy" bread loaf.  I find the accents, the lovely baked goods, and judges Paul and Prue so soothing.  (Netflix)

8. The Righteous Gemstones:  The Gemstones got extremely rich shilling religion to the masses.  They have plenty of enemies, but even though they're a pretty dysfunctional family, they always have each other's backs.  About as dark as humor gets.  (Max)

9. Vice Principals:  ...never mind, THIS is about as dark as humor gets, and it's by the same creators.  Two men serve as co-vice principals at a southern high school.  When the principal retires, they both battle for the position only to have an outsider swoop in and take it.  Even though they despise each other, they agree to team up and oust the interloper.  It's often a little TOO mean-spirited, but I still laughed loud and often.  (Max)

10. The Floor:  In this game show, a group of one hundred people, each with their own expert category, try to take control of as much territory as possible on a lit-up floor.  It seems deceptively easy, but it can get really tough.  I think they need to cut out some of the filler conversations, but it's pretty entertaining.  (Fox)

best of 2024: comics, graphic novels, and manga

 A few notes before I begin:

- This list is in random order, but I did make note of my favorite.

- Not all of these were first released in 2024, but that's when I read them.

- Some of these are continuing series, but I figure I've read enough to put them here.  I made note of ongoing series.

- Obviously the year isn't over yet, but if I read something between now and the end of the month that belongs here, I'll update accordingly.

- All of these are legally available for free on Hoopla, so if your library has an account, tuck in!

- And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. The Deviant by James Tynion IV and Joshua Hixson:  In 1972, a serial killer dressed as Santa Claus murders several young men.  Fifty years later, a writer interviews the Deviant Killer in prison, while outside the prison walls, a copycat killer takes up his mission.  Absolutely creepy and riveting; it's my favorite comic series of the year.  (Ongoing, but I believe it's set to wrap up this month)

2. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Horvath:  In a sleepy little town populated by anthropomorphized animals, Samantha is a friendly brown bear who has a big secret: every once in a while, she drives to the big city to kill someone.  And not for food: she just really, really likes it.  Then someone starts murdering residents of her town, and she has to find them before suspicion falls on her.  Written and illustrated by the guy who wrote one of my favorite underappreciated horror movies, Entrance, it's Dexter meets Zootopia.

3. Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani:  Riko Kozakura is an office worker whose greatest passion is video games.  Then one day she unexpectedly adopts a kitten, Musubi, whose mischievous antics interrupt her precious gaming time...but she learns to adapt.  As a lifelong gamer who's loved cats for only slightly longer, I found this series charming and relatable.  (Ongoing)

4. Mr. Lovenstein Presents: Feelings by J.L. Westover:  I first read this selection of comics (and the below) when very high and laughed myself into an asthma attack.  It was worth it.

5. Mr. Lovenstein Presents: Failure by J.L. Westover:  See above.

best of 2024: movies

A few notes before I begin:

- This list is in random order, but I did make note of my favorite.

- Not all of these were first released in 2024, but that's when I watched them.

- Obviously the year isn't over yet, but if I watch something between now and the end of the month that belongs here, I'll update accordingly.

- And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. I Care A Lot:  Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) has made a fortune by becoming the legal guardian for numerous elderly people and then helping herself to their money and possessions.  Unfortunately for her, she eventually picks the wrong person to fleece. Riveting from the start, this pitch black comedy has a terrific cast which also includes Peter Dinklage and Dianne Wiest.  My favorite movie of the year!

5. Deadpool & Wolverine:  Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) recruits an extremely reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to save his universe.  Funny as hell, gleefully gory, stocked with great cameos, and a damn good time.

6. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On:  A documentarian befriends a tiny talking shell (voiced by Jenny Slate) who's searching for his family.  This had been on our watchlist for ages, mainly because we didn't think it would be any good, but hoo boy were we wrong!  It's funny and poignant.

7. All of Us Strangers:  Adam lost both his parents in a car accident when he was young.  He finds himself drawn back to his childhood home, where he has visions of and conversations with his parents. An absolute gut punch of a movie with excellent performances by Andrew Scott as Adam and Paul Mescal as a man he falls in love with.

8. Civil War:  In a future version of America torn apart by secession, a group of war photographers tries to get to Washington D.C. before rebel forces take over.  Some weird musical choices, but overall really good and intense.

9. American Fiction:  A frustrated Black author (Jeffrey Wright) writes an offensively stereotypical novel that becomes an unexpected hit.  A deliciously sharp satire that stings.

10. Monkey Man:  A man (Dev Patel) takes very bloody revenge against the people who murdered his mother and burned down his village.  Fantastic action sequences.

MADE ME CRY (OR AT LEAST TEAR UP):  The Creator; The Holdovers; The Iron Claw; Suzume; Marcel the Shell with Shoes On; All of Us Strangers; Godzilla Minus One; American Fiction; Inside Out 2; Woman of the Hour; A Quiet Place: Day One; Babes

SEEN IN A THEATER: Nothing.  Honestly, I haven't been to the theater since February 2020 and I missed it at first, but I don't anymore.  Between our excellent home entertainment setup, rude patrons, and me having to pee every twenty minutes, I think it would take something truly exceptional to get me into a theater again.

SEEN ON A PLANE: I Saw the TV Glow

GROSSEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR: The Substance

WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR: Madame Web.  I had a 20mg edible and even that didn't make this turd remotely enjoyable.

best of 2024: nonfiction

 A few notes before I begin:

- I read much less nonfiction than fiction, so this list only has five titles.

- My favorite is at the top, but the rest are random.

- Not all of these were or will be first published in 2024, but that's when I read them. Number 3 was an advanced reader copy (thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!) and won't come out until next year.

- Obviously the year isn't over yet, but if I read something between now and the end of the month that belongs here, I'll update accordingly.

- And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. Keanu Reeves Is Not in Love with You by Becky Holmes:  A look inside the world of online romance scammers, who frequently pretend to be celebrities...hence the title.  (You wouldn't think people would fall for it, but a quick peek at the scams subreddit proves otherwise.)  It's often hysterically funny, because the author loves to mess with the scammers and provides screenshots of her conversations with them, but it's also deeply empathetic towards the victims.

2. Splinters by Leslie Jamison:  A searing memoir about the end of the author's marriage and raising her baby daughter mostly alone.  I don't ordinarily do this, but I highlighted numerous passages in my Kindle edition because they hit so hard.  (Not that I've ever been divorced or had a baby, but some of her expressions of loss just rang so true.)

3. Alive Day by Karie Fugett:  Months after the author eloped with her boyfriend Cleve, he was deployed to Iraq.  His vehicle was hit by an IED and he suffered severe injuries that led to the amputation of his leg.  This memoir details the struggles Cleve had with both the physical and mental trauma, the toll it took on his relationship with his wife, and Karie's desperate attempt to get him care.  It's a gritty and devastating look at how we both applaud and neglect our military veterans.

4. Rabbit Heart by Kristine S. Ervin:  When the author was eight years old, her mother Kathy was abducted in a mall parking lot, raped and murdered, and dumped in an oil field.  In this achingly sad and tender memoir, the author grapples with her immense grief and skillfully writes her mother back to life.

5. Hell If We Don't Change Our Ways by Brittany Means:  A memoir about the author's very fucked up (to put it mildly) childhood and how she learned to break the cycle of abuse and addiction.  Not an easy read---in fact, at times it's excruciating---but beautifully written.  Look up content warnings if you have any triggers, though, because pretty much all of them are in here.

best of 2024: fiction

Somehow, it's December, so it's time for my "best of" lists!  A few notes before I begin:

- For at least the fourth year in a row, this list contains only female authors.  This wasn't on purpose, although I ain't mad about it.

- These are in random order, though I did make note of my two absolute favorites.  They were neck and neck, but one won out by a fraction.

- Not all of these were or will be first published in 2024, but that's when I read them. Numbers 9 and 10 on this list were advanced reader copies (thank you to NetGalley and the publishers!) and don't come out until next year.

- Obviously the year isn't over yet, but if I read something between now and the end of the month that belongs here, I'll update accordingly.

- And, as always, your mileage may vary.

1. Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin:  Enid is obsessed with space, true crime, and the persistent belief that she's a bad person.  Quirky and sad, but ultimately hopeful.

2. One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall:  Cole is a self-proclaimed nice guy, living in an isolated cottage after his marriage ends.  Then two young women on a walk to raise awareness of gendered violence disappear, and I won't say anything else because this book is full of surprises that you deserve to discover yourself.

3. Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe:  After getting pregnant by her professor, Margo drops out of college to care for her son.  When she loses her waitressing job due to calling in too often and two of her roommates move out, she finds herself in a serious financial bind.  Enter two unlikely saviors: her estranged ex-wrestler father and OnlyFans.  By turns hilarious, hopeful, and heartbreaking, it's a fantastic read.

4. Safe and Sound by Laura McHugh:  Sisters Amelia and Kylee try to find out the truth behind the disappearance of their cousin Grace.  I've enjoyed all of this author's previous books, and this captivating novel was no exception.  In addition to being an engrossing mystery, it also has trenchant points to make about poverty and intergenerational trauma.  Bonus points for not being the typical "woman returns to hometown to investigate a crime"; the sisters stay in town!  

5. The Hunter by Tana French:  Former Chicago cop Cal Hooper, now accustomed to his new home in Ireland, gets caught up in a moneymaking scheme involving a shady Englishman and the father of Trey, the teenager he's close to.  Excellent, like all of French's novels, but heads up: do NOT read this if you haven't read The Searcher!  Don't even read the blurb.  The author pulled off a nifty trick in The Searcher that gets spoiled here.

6. Worry by Alexandra Tanner:  Jules is living alone and working from home in Brooklyn when her younger sister Poppy comes to town for a visit and soon moves in with her. Poppy and Jules bring out the absolute worst in each other, but they keep trying to forge something better.  This is kind of a hard book to categorize, but I absolutely loved it.  It's sharp and blackly funny (at one point, they adopt a dog named Amy Klobuchar, which is funny enough on its own but made even funnier by the fact that the real Amy K. is a friend of my stepmother's) and I just really dug it.  My second favorite book of the year!

7. Tell Me Who You Are by Louisa Luna:  When Dr. Caroline Strange (she tells her patients to call her Dr. Caroline, not Dr. Strange, because of "that damn Marvel movie") sees a new patient, he tells her he is going to kill someone and, perhaps even more alarmingly, that he knows who Caroline really is.  When he disappears, Caroline has to put together the pieces to find him before his captive dies.

Whoooo, this BOOK.  It reminded me a lot of The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll (writing style, not plot, so this is not a spoiler), and that's one of my favorite books, so that's no small compliment.  Block out a big chunk of time to read this, because it's so hard to put down it might as well be superglued to your hands.  This was my favorite book of the year.

8. 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."

9. Clever Little Thing by Helena Echlin:  A woman starts to worry when her daughter begins acting like her dead babysitter.  I thought I knew where it was going, felt smug when certain plot developments seemed to prove me right...and then the author pulled a nifty trick that left me delighted by its, well, cleverness.  A real treat that begs for a movie adaptation.

10. Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce:  Mina has just become a child psychologist, but she's been unable to get hands-on experience.  Then Sam, a man in her grief support group, tells her about a teenage girl named Alice who claims she's being haunted by a witch.  Sam is a journalist and wants Mina to come with him to Alice's small village to investigate; it doesn't quite go as planned.  

I rarely get scared by books, but this one legitimately freaked me out at times.  My only complaint is that I didn't save it for October!  It's really well done and has a surprising but satisfying conclusion.