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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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Movie Review: Ghostbusters (1984)
Movie #49 of 2026: Ghostbusters (1984) Certain elements of the Ghostbusters iconography are truly iconic, and it’s easy to get swept away in the excitement of New York City celebrating its unlikely heroes at this first movie’s conclusion, especially with that excellent theme song roaring in our ears. But is it actually a good picture?… Read more
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Book Review: We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune
Book #155 of 2026: We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune This is the third novel that I’ve read from author TJ Klune, following The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaries, and I think it’s time to concede that his style is just not a great match for me as a reader. I… Read more
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Book Review: The Fires of December by Brandon Sanderson
Book #154 of 2026: The Fires of December by Brandon Sanderson (Hoid’s Travails #3) [Disclaimer: I am Facebook friends with this author.] This is the first official release in author Brandon Sanderson’s “Hoid’s Travails” series, which is the name he’s now retroactively applying to his earlier volumes Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and… Read more
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Book Review: Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo
Book #153 of 2026: Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo (Alex Stern #3) A decent conclusion to this urban fantasy trilogy, although I think the way the demon villain is finally defeated after so much build-up isn’t entirely satisfactory. It feels as though author Leigh Bardugo may have written herself into a corner there, which has… Read more
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Book Review: Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Book #152 of 2026: Bleak House by Charles Dickens Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub features two people reading this similarly-titled 1853 novel by Charles Dickens, so when I got to that part in my current reread, I decided to check it out as well. That was a wasted effort as far as… Read more
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Movie Review: Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion (2005)
Movie #48 of 2026: Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion (2005) This is the debut of what would become an annual tradition for the rebooted version of Doctor Who, delivering a one-hour festive holiday special during the break between proper seasons of the show. It also comes at a delicate time for the fledgling series, with… Read more
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Movie Review: Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)
Movie #47 of 2026: Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) The ongoing story of Jurassic Park needed a good reset after the franchise low point of Jurassic World Dominion (2022), and while I think we could have let it rest for longer before cranking the machinery back up, this next film ably pushes forward into new territory.… Read more
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TV Review: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 4
TV #43 of 2026: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 4 A step up from the previous year, but not to the level of the first two seasons, unfortunately. As usual, the best parts of this Star Trek spinoff come when it drills into its characters and its status as an origin story, finding arcs… Read more
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TV Review: Blake’s 7, season 2
TV #42 of 2026: Blake’s 7, season 2 I was lukewarm on the first season of this late-70s / early-80s British sci-fi series, and I think this follow-up is only a marginal improvement. I’m still not even sure what the title is supposed to refer to, and my theory that it’s the main cast including… Read more
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Movie Review: Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
Movie #46 of 2026: Jurassic World Dominion (2022) I suppose all franchises have to evolve and take risks to avoid feeling derivative, but this sixth Jurassic Park installment seems like a profound miscalculation of what audiences are looking for from the series. Despite the last film ending on the explicit promise that the dinosaurs would… Read more
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