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Featured
Blog Launch
Hello! My name is Joe Kessler, and I’ve been blogging in one form or another since 2004. This is the launch of my new home for that, where I’ll be posting book reviews and other short pieces of writing. I’m also debuting a Patreon site for anyone who would like to support my efforts through… Read more
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TV Review: Mad Men, season 3
TV #41 of 2026: Mad Men, season 3 I’ve given every season of this show four-out-of-five stars so far, but this third run is easily my favorite yet. The compelling ensemble character drama amidst the tumult of the sixties continues on, and as we’ve jumped forward another six months to 1963 when this one begins,… Read more
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Movie Review: Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! (2017)
Movie #45 of 2026: Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! (2017) Let me start by acknowledging how little experience I have with Pokémon as a franchise. I’ve been peripherally aware of it in the popular culture since elementary school, of course, but the only games I’ve played have been a few rounds of Pokémon Snap… Read more
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Movie Review: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Movie #44 of 2026: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) The legacyquel Jurassic World (2015) was closely modeled after Jurassic Park (1993), so it’s maybe only fitting that this next installment feels a bit like The Lost World (1997) in turn. Which is to say that following the dinosaur outbreak that closed the park last time,… Read more
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Book Review: Doctor Who: Birthright by Nigel Robinson
Book #148 of 2026: Doctor Who: Birthright by Nigel Robinson (Virgin New Adventures #17) Structurally, this is probably the most ambitious volume of its series yet, pioneering the “Doctor-lite” format that would later be exemplified in TV episodes like “Love & Monsters” and “Blink.” The Seventh Doctor shows up at the beginning and end of… Read more
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Book Review: One Jar of Magic by Corey Ann Haydu
Book #147 of 2026: One Jar of Magic by Corey Ann Haydu As with author Corey Ann Haydu’s later middle-grade fantasy novel The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene, this 2021 title stands out in that genre for its realistic portrayal of an unhealthy household dynamic for its twelve-year-old protagonist. Here, though, the adults aren’t simply… Read more
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Book Review: The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and S. L. Huang
Book #146 of 2026: The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and S. L. Huang (The Vela #1) As I understand it, The Vela was originally released in 2019 as a serialized weekly podcast on the platform Serial Box — which has since rebranded itself to Realm — before being published later… Read more
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TV Review: Barry, season 3
TV #40 of 2026: Barry, season 3 I’ve never been wholly sold on this Bill Hader series about the hitman-turned-actor, but at this point, I am rapidly losing my patience with the project. I’ll push on because there’s only one more eight-episode season ahead of me, but I don’t know that I have much hope… Read more
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Book Review: Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Book #145 of 2026: Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Nevermoor #2) I like this children’s fantasy sequel even better than its series debut, although the Harry Potter similarities are heavier this time (which is perhaps not a problem if you’re explicitly seeking a Rowling-free substitute, but does suggest a certain lack… Read more
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Book Review: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis
Book #144 of 2026: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia #5) [Note: this is an updated version of my review from 2020.] This was always my favorite Narnia volume growing up, and it turns out I actually like it even better as an adult. The nautical adventure… Read more
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TV Review: Doctor Who, season 1
TV #39 of 2026: Doctor Who, season 1 I was a little behind the times when I started watching Doctor Who in 2009, but I began here as so many modern fans have, with the 2005 reboot initially starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. I’m coming to it again now fresh off a rewatch of… Read more
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The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more 