Book #42 of 2018: The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie This obscure Agatha Christie title is a bit of a head-scratcher. The short stories in the collection have the general structure of detective fiction, but in lieu of her usual sort of investigator, Christie has penned a borderline-supernatural figure who immediately knows the answer …
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TV #12 of 2018: The Mindy Project, season 4 I’ve been pretty critical of this show in the past, but I thought season 3 was at least a little step up from its early clumsiness, and I had hopes that the move from Fox to Hulu for season 4 would boost the program creatively even …
Book #41 of 2018: Final Girls by Riley Sager Although I like the idea of this thriller about women who have survived earlier horror movie / slasher-style attacks, I found most of its major plot twists to be either glaringly obvious or completely unearned from what had previously been established. The psychology of certain characters …
Book #40 of 2018: The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (Vorkosigan Saga #3) I’m told that Miles Vorkosigan is the real main character of this series, and after two books about his parents navigating military and political power struggles, he finally takes center stage here. I like our hero: he’s physically weak but tactically …
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TV #11 of 2018: Game of Thrones, season 7 I literally just reviewed this season when I watched it last year, and even having rewatched all the earlier seasons since then (with my wife, watching the show through for her first time), I think my reaction remains the same: All in all, this is probably …
TV #10 of 2018: The West Wing, season 7 This final season of The West Wing focuses mainly on the general election for president (after the Democratic primary in the back half of season 6). It’s a relatively new look for the show, and I appreciate the writers’ efforts to make the Republican candidate as …
Book #39 of 2018: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates This slim volume by Ta-Nehisi Coates reflects on the author’s experiences growing up as a black American and what he sees for his fifteen-year-old son coming of age in the time of Black Lives Matter. Presented as an open letter to the boy, …
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Book #38 of 2018: Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb (Farseer #3) On the whole I love the Farseer trilogy (and the wider series that it begins), but every time I read this particular book, I find myself losing patience about halfway through. It’s one of those fantasy novels that consist mostly of characters walking across …
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Book #37 of 2018: Star Wars: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken This book is better than expected for what’s essentially a glorified junior novelization of the first Star Wars movie. I particularly like the author’s imposed structure of telling the beginning of the story from Leia’s perspective, the middle …
Movie #2 of 2018: Black Panther (2018) Easily my favorite thing that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done to date – and I’ve seen all the movies but Spider-Man: Homecoming, as well as every episode of every MCU show. This one tops them all thanks to its rich worldbuilding, complex characterizations & relationships, and the …
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