Book #115 of 2025: Kaddish.com by Nathan Englander Mixed feelings on this one, though I appreciate the #ownvoices Jewish elements. I think a condensed version of the plot could have been effective as a short story, but it’s too thin for a full-fledged novel, with the transition between the protagonist in the past and the …
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Book #114 of 2025: Hex and the City by Simon R. Green (Nightside #4) A largely forgettable urban fantasy sequel, featuring a bland supporting cast and case of the week. On the former side, the protagonist has a new roster of temporary sidekicks, none of whom I can recall ever appearing again after this: Madman, …
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Book #113 of 2025: My Friends by Fredrik Backman Bestselling Swedish author Fredrik Backman is hit-or-miss for me, and this latest story squeaks in straight down the middle. I’m going to give it three-and-a-half stars, rounded up, because while I don’t think it’s nearly as strong as Beartown or A Man Called Ove, it is …
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Book #112 of 2025: The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard (The Red Company Reformed #1) There’s not really a wrong order in which to read author Victoria Goddard’s sprawling Nine Worlds fantasy saga, but I would say that this particular volume is probably best picked up sometime after The Hands of the Emperor, …
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Book #111 of 2025: The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami This new science-fiction novel offers a modern spin on Minority Report, in which people can be arrested and indefinitely detained on the basis of an algorithm determining they’re statistically more likely to commit an upcoming violent crime. It’s a kafkaesque nightmare for the Moroccan-American protagonist, …
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TV #37 of 2025: Galavant, season 1 This medieval-pastiche musical comedy marginally improves over the course of its first year, but it’s still pretty far from the ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend meets The Princess Bride‘ showcase that I want it to be. The songs by Alan Menken are fine — I’ve even added a few to my …
TV #36 of 2025: The Bear, season 4 A welcome improvement over the previous year, but still not quite as thrilling or affecting as the first couple seasons of this show. As usual, the standout moments tend to be found in the episodes that forgo the more typical rhythms of the restaurant kitchen to spark …
Book #110 of 2025: The Incandescent by Emily Tesh A fun take on the magical school archetype. The setting reminds me a lot of Naomi Novik’s Scholomance, where the spellwork attracts hungry monsters from a terrifying hell dimension, although at least this time the teenaged students aren’t locked-in and left fending for themselves. In fact, …
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Book #109 of 2025: Meltdown by John Peel (2099 #5) After a promising start, this middle-grade sci-fi series has stalled out in a major way, and I can only hope that the sixth and final volume manages to tap into that original sense of imaginative fun that propelled the earlier books. Just like in the …
TV #35 of 2025: Poker Face, season 2 I wasn’t a huge fan of this modern Columbo riff in its debut year, but it had enough charms that I gave it a grudging three-star rating overall. This followup, unfortunately, is considerably worse. I do like a few elements here and there — Giancarlo Esposito as …
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