Book #255 of 2017: Dangerous Women edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois Far more misses than hits in this genre-spanning short story collection that purports to be about ‘dangerous women’ but mostly delivers stale femme fatales from a largely male gaze. (Why did it not occur to George R.R. Martin and Gardner …
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Book #254 of 2017: Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive by Scott Tipton, David Tipton, Rachael Stott, and Charlie Kirchoff This trade paperback collects the complete five issues of a comic book crossover between Star Trek and Planet of the Apes, and I have to admit that I didn’t have very high expectations …
Book #253 of 2017: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins This collection of holiday love stories from twelve YA writers makes for some cute seasonal fun. “It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown” by editor Stephanie Perkins was the clear highlight for me, but Holly Black’s “Krampuslauf,” Laini Taylor’s …
Movie #24 of 2017: Bad Santa 2 (2016) It’s hard to really justify this movie’s existence. The first Bad Santa movie (2003) wasn’t exactly a modern classic, but it was a funny spin on the darkness that can underlie the holidays with a surprising amount of heart to it. This one is mostly just mean …
Movie #23 of 2017: Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) I really liked this movie, and am surprised that there’s apparently such a backlash against it. I know that a lot of it zigged where we might have expected a Star Wars sequel to zag – especially given all the trademark J.J. Abrams mysteries that …
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Movie #22 of 2017: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) I rewatched this movie in anticipation of its new sequel, since I’m pretty sure I had only seen it one time in theaters two years ago. It holds up really well! Definitely the shot in the arm that Star Wars needed to explode back on …
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Book #252 of 2017: The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah” by Alan Light An interesting slice of music history, detailing how an obscure track from an obscure songwriter grew over time to become one of rock music’s most-covered songs. Author Alan Light recounts the sequence of …
Book #251 of 2017: Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix (The Keys to the Kingdom #3) This third volume in Garth Nix’s seven-part Keys to the Kingdom series is the least formulaic so far, which is a welcome change from the one before. I’m still not super invested in the story or these characters – still …
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Book #250 of 2017: Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #2) Even more so than the book before it, this second novel in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles is cute and fun and absolutely hilarious. Author Patricia C. Wrede’s wry comic tone has been honed to perfection here, and I especially like …
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Book #249 of 2017: Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore College dropout Jane is at a crossroads in her life when she accepts a wealthy friend’s invitation to come visit her family’s island manor. While there, the result of one small decision leads Jane off into different branching and genre-hopping adventures, which author Kristin Cashore presents …
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