Book #159 of 2026: Doctor Who: The Wonderful Doctor of Oz by Jacqueline Rayner (Puffin Classics Crossovers #1) I half-expected this 2021 Doctor Who novel — the first in a series where the Doctor meets fictional characters from the public domain — to be a transparent cash grab, but it’s thankfully a little deeper than …
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Book #158 of 2026: Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine (Stillhouse Lake #1) More than a little preposterous, but with a few late twists that at least gesture at an explanation for some of the over-the-top developments and otherwise-seeming coincidences (which is perhaps why I was able to guess them, but oh well). If you can …
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Book #157 of 2026: The Gates of Midnight by Helene Wecker (The Golem and the Jinni #3) I’ve never gone back to reread either The Golem and the Jinni or its sequel The Hidden Palace — each of which I enjoyed at the time! — so it’s possible that this third and purportedly final volume …
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Book #156 of 2026: Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Nevermoor #3) This middle-grade fantasy series continues to read like a Star Wars temptation plot wedged into a whimsical Harry Potter-meets-Roald Dahl magical setting, but I do think the storytelling has been improving with every successive volume. Our heroine is now thirteen …
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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? …
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 …
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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 …
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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 …
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 …
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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 …
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