media update: October

Whew, what a shitty month!  I'm not at liberty to share some of it, but one thing that sucked immensely?  I flew to Florida to surprise my dad for his 80th birthday, and we ALL got a surprise when we left his birthday dinner and I tripped off a curb and sprained my ankle so badly I almost puked from the pain. It's a long story, but somehow I managed to get back to New Mexico two days later (many, MANY thanks to Delta because I had to arrange for a wheelchair on the way back with a very tight connection in Atlanta and it went much smoother than expected).  I just went to the podiatrist the other day because my foot still looked bad, but he said it seemed to be healing well and to just take it easy.  

Anyway!  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. A Dark Place by Linda Castillo:  A collection of short stories featuring ex-Amish police chief Kate Burkholder.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  10

NONFICTION

1. Bloodlines by Joe Manganiello:  A memoir about the actor's debilitating struggles with a horrific autoimmune condition.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  5

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. The Emperor's Caretaker vol. 6 by Ichiha Hiiragi, Aya Shouoto, and Haruki Yoshimura

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  14 volumes of manga

MOVIES

1. The Furious**:  A father looking for his kidnapped daughter and a man looking for his missing wife join forces.  It's exciting as hell, with innovative fight choreography that had us cheering more than once.

2. Backrooms:  A man finds a nightmarish alternate dimension in his furniture store.  Unlike the other huge horror sensation this year (Obsession), I didn't really get the hype, but there's enough promise in it that I'll be curious to see what the writer/director does in the future.

3. Scary Movie:  A spoof of (doy) scary movies with a few decent laughs. We watched the 2026 version, not the original.

4. The Invite*:  When Joe and Angela (Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde) invite their upstairs neighbors (Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz) over for dinner, the night takes an unexpected turn.  Sharp and funny, with excellent performances, especially from Seth Rogen.

5. Kiss of the Spider Woman:  A political prisoner (Diego Luna) gets a new cellmate (Tonatiuh) who regales him with a retellling of the titular musical, with Jennifer Lopez playing the title role.  It's good, but the thing that stood out most to me is that the musical segments are absolute costume porn.  There were at least three outfits that had me making appreciative noises.

6. Toy Story 5*:  The toys band together to fight a new enemy: an interactive tablet named Lilypad who's taking away Bonnie's desire to play and create.  There's a subplot that doesn't really go anywhere, but overall it's a cute movie with a scene that legitimately made me sob.

7. They Will Kill You:  A woman gets a job at a hotel that turns out to have some very unusual residents.  It needed a bit of script tweaking, but there are some fun scenes and buckets of gore.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  62

media update: September

Wow, I read TWO whole books this month!  Which is nothing compared to, say, a year ago, but better than I've been doing the last few months at least.

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. Malice by Jonathan Kellerman: Dr. Alex Delaware and his homicide investigator friend look into the murders of people who were trying to get ahead in life.  I thought the ending was a bit anticlimactic, but it's a fun, fast read.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!  The book is scheduled for release on February 2nd, 2027.

2. This Immortal Heart by Jennifer Saint:  A retelling of the myth of Aphrodite, but unlike the author's previous mythological retellings, it's much heavier on the romance, which is probably unavoidable since it's about, you know, the literal goddess of love.  I appreciated the fact that Aphrodite is a total queer ally in this.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  9

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. The Mandalorian and Grogu:  The titular characters go in search of a missing member of the infamous Hutt family.  It's not particularly good, but it does feature a ton of Grogu (aka "Baby Yoda") being squeal out loud cute, so if that's appealing to you, it's worth a watch.

2. Supergirl:  Why was this so blah?  I really liked Milly Alcock as Supergirl, and the cameos from Superman were fun, but everything else was just...inert.

3. Disclosure Day:  A whistleblower plans to spill some massive secrets in this enjoyable Steven Spielberg thriller.

4. Scream 7:  Iconic final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is trying to live a quiet life, but when Ghostface targets her teenage daughter, she's ready to rumble again.  I have a major bone to pick about a plot element, but it's too spoilery to go into here.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  55

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

media update: July

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 Secrets We Keep by Karin Slaughter:  Small town sheriff Emmy Clifton investigates when a former cop and her daughter are shot.  Warning: do NOT read this before We Are All Guilty Here!  You will get spoiled for something huge if you read them out of order.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  7

NONFICTION

1. Famesick by Lena Dunham:  A memoir by the, to put it mildly, divisive actress/screenwriter about coping with sudden fame, her tumultuous relationships (both romantic and not), and her serious struggles with her health.  

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  4

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

Nothing this month.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  13 volumes of manga

MOVIES

1. The Sheep Detectives*:  A flock of sheep investigates a murder in a sleepy British village.  This is one of those movies where the trailer makes it look like crap, but it's actually pretty good!  It's funny and poignant.

2. Little Brother:  An uptight real estate agent (John Cena) finds his world turned upside down by the sudden reappearance of the man (Eric Andre) he mentored when he was a teenager.

3. Project Hail Mary*:  Dr. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) goes on a space mission to try to save Earth from a threat that's going to take out the sun.  Exciting and surprisingly touching at times.

4. Enola Holmes 3:  The titular detective (Millie Bobby Brown) unravels a new mystery in Malta while searching for her missing brother, Sherlock (Henry "why does a man who looks like this also know how to build a gaming computer from scratch IRL, WTAF" Cavill).  

5. The Devil Wears Prada 2:  Andi Sachs (Anne Hathaway) finds herself back in the orbit of her terrifying former boss, Vogue Runway editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).  Not as good as the first one, but it's still fun.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  46

media update: June

Wow, I read a book that wasn't manga this month! Go me! I just started a book by one of my favorite authors (Karin Slaughter), and two of my other favorite authors have books coming out in July (Jessica Knoll and Sarai Walker), so I'm hoping my reading slump is coming to a close.

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:  6

NONFICTION

1. This Is Me by Hayden Panettiere:  A memoir by the actress about her almost lifelong work in TV and movies, her struggles with addiction, making the excruciating choice to give up custody of her daughter, and an abusive relationship.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  3

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. My Dress-Up Darling vol. 15 (final volume) by Shinichi Fukuda

2. The Apothecary Diaries vol. 15 by Natsu Hyuuga and Nekokurage 

3. Adabana* vol. 3 (final volume) by Non

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  13 volumes of manga

MOVIES

1. Hoppers*: Mabel is a college student who's always loved animals. When she discovers a technology that lets her consciousness inhabit a robotic beaver and communicate with other animals, she decides to use it to try to save their habitat.  It skews a little darker than a lot of Pixar movies, but I don't consider that a negative.  It's very funny and made me tear up more than once.

2. Anaconda:  A group of friends decides to reboot the 90s movie Anaconda, but the shoot takes some unexpected turns.  It has a good cast and a couple of funny scenes, but it's definitely not worth watching for anyone but Jack Black/Paul Rudd completionists.

3. Pretty Lethal:  A stranded group of ballerinas gets trapped at an inn where they wind up in a fight for survival.  I was about to peace out about thirty minutes in, but it definitely gets better as it goes along and has some fun banter and action.

4. Sentimental Value:  An actress is startled when her estranged father, a famous film director, wants to cast her in his new project.  The acting is incredible, but I'm not entirely sure why this got so much acclaim.  I don't regret watching it or anything, but I was expecting more.

5. Apex:  A woman (Charlize Theron) on a solo adventure in Australia becomes the target of a deranged stalker.  Tense and compelling.

6. Marty Supreme:  In the 1950s, Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet) is determined to be the best table tennis player in the world.  It's good, but like #4 on this list, I'm not sure why this got so much attention during awards season.  

7. Greenland 2: Migration:  After their underground bunker (see the first movie if this makes no sense) is compromised, John Garrity (Gerard Butler) and his family make a perilous journey across Europe to find a new home.  

8. How to Make a Killing*:  Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell, charming as always) stands to inherit several billion dollars, but only if he gets rid of his competition first.  An enjoyable black comedy.

9. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple:  This picks up directly where its predecessor left off, so I can't review it properly lest I spoil something.  It's a little disjointed but eventually comes together.  Caveat viewer: it's REALLY gory.  I know, shocking that the latest movie in a zombie franchise is gory, but this was a special brand of nasty.

10. Avatar: Fire and Ash*:  Like #9 on the list, I can't give a proper review since it picks up immediately after its predecessor.  I will say it's one hell of a visual spectacle!

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  41

media update: May

This is a shameful media update as far as books go.  I know I keep saying I'll get back on track with my reading, but this month was unusually busy work wise, plus Resident Evil: Requiem and a side project kept me obsessed.  I know nobody is sitting there taking notes of my paltry reading progress to shame me with later, but I still want to get back to it.  Maybe in June?  Guess we'll see!

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:  6

NONFICTION

Nothing this month.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  2

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. The Way of the Househusband vol. 14 by Kousuke Oono

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  10 volumes of manga

MOVIES

1. Primate:  A chimp named Ben, who was raised by a human family, gets rabies and goes...well...apeshit in this short but nasty flick.

2. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die:  A man (Sam Rockwell, typically excellent) claiming to be from the future recruits a group of diner patrons to help him save humanity.  It falls apart in the last third (if it had lived up to the promise of its opening, it would have been an easy double star), but it's still a wild ride.

3. Send Help*:  Linda (Rachel McAdams) is a mousy woman whose new boss Bradley (Dylan O'Brien) denies her a promotion she was promised.  When their plane crashes and they're stranded on an island, Bradley discovers Linda is more formidable than expected.  Gory and fun.

4. Shelter:  Michael Mason (Jason Statham) is a gruff, solitary man who lives in an old lighthouse.  When he rescues a teenage girl from a storm, he accidentally reveals his identity and must take her on the run with him.  It's lighter on the action than I wanted from a Jason Statham movie, but it also has him in full protective mode, wearing a fisherman's sweater and a salt and pepper beard, so there was only so irritated I could be.

5. The Roses*:  Theo and Ivy (Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, bringing their A game as usual) are a married couple who find themselves at each other's throats and willing to do anything to come out on top.  This reimagining of the 80s movie The War of the Roses got mediocre reviews, but man, if you love pitch black comedy that bleeds, ignore that because this is the flick for you.

6. The Housemaid**:  When Millie (Sydney Sweeney) gets a job as a live-in maid for a wealthy couple, she thinks it's the answer to all of her problems.  (Not really a) spoiler: it's just the beginning.  A wild, fun, juicy, pulpy treat that kept me guessing (I didn't read the book) and gave me a renewed appreciation for Amanda Seyfried, who plays the woman of the house and absolutely enjoys the shit out of the role.

Also, can I just give a shout out to director Paul Feig?  His projects don't just pass the Bechdel Test, they're valedictorians.  (Yes, I know that sentence sounded AI in construction, but I swear to you I am not a bot. My back hurts too much to not be human.)

7. We Bury the Dead:  After the US military accidentally sets off a weapon that kills off hundreds of thousands of people in Australia, Ava (Daisy Ridley) volunteers to help with body retrieval.  Some of the dead are still somewhat alive, though, which makes her secret mission all the more dangerous.  

This is one of the rare zombie movies that isn't either funny (like Zombieland) or super scary and gory (like most others).  It's more of a somber movie about finding closure.  I dug it, but like I said, it's more like a drama with a few zombies here and there than a straight up zombie flick.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  31

media update: April

We didn't get around to watching too many movies this month because I got a trial membership to Gamefly and played Silent Hill F, the Silent Hill 2 remake, and Yakuza Kiwami 3, which I only rented to play the DLC and whoops, wound up playing the main game again!  Hardly a chore; there was a decent amount of new things to enjoy, plus not much can top running around Japan beating the shit out of bad guys with occasional wacky side quests along the way.  Learn how to make sushi for the kids at the orphanage Kiryu runs?  Fill in at an understaffed host club?  Decorate Kiryu's new phone with stickers and straps? Sign me the FUCK UP.  The DLC was great too; they put a lot of work into it, and it was fun learning more about Y3's antagonist Mine.  

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. This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum:  When the host of a popular podcast disappears along with her husband, her co-host and best friend tries to piece together the mystery.

2. Molka by Monika Kim:  After her heart is broken by a rich playboy, Dahye finds out he was secretly trading intimate photos and videos of her.  (The title is the Korean word for a hidden camera.)  She's determined to get revenge, aided by the angry ghost of her sister.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  6

NONFICTION

Nothing this month.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  2

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. The Emperor's Caretaker vol. 6 by Ichiha Hiiragi, Aya Shouoto, and Haruki Yoshimura

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  9 volumes of manga

MOVIES

1. Fackham Hall:  A servant falls in love with an upper class woman and gets framed for murder in this enjoyably raunchy (say the title out loud) parody of Downton Abbey.

2. Killers of the Flower Moon*:  In 1920s Oklahoma, the Osage Nation in Oklahoma becomes the target of a conspiracy to murder its members and steal the wealth they earned from oil on their land.  This engrossing movie is unfortunately based on a true story.

3. Crime 101*:  A jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) targets locations along the 101 freeway while a cop (Mark Ruffalo) tries to stop him.  Stylish and fun.

4. Dust Bunny:  A little girl hires a hitman (Mads Mikkelsen) to kill the monster under her bed in this dark fairy tale.  It needed to lean in more to the humor and/or horror, but it was certainly different and absolutely gorgeous to look at.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  24