Book #22 of 2019: Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander (The Chronicles of Prydain #4) I like the section near the end of this book when the hero apprentices under a series of artisans who sneakily give him life lessons along with crafting skills, but as a whole it’s a bit too meandering for my tastes. …
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Book #21 of 2019: Thanos: Titan Consumed by Barry Lyga Originally announced and written as the first novel set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before Disney walked back that claim just before publication, this book presents the backstory of its title character and the origins of his quest to destroy half of all life in …
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Book #20 of 2019: Circe by Madeline Miller I’m not well-versed enough in Greek mythology to recognize everywhere this novel diverts from the traditional versions of the title character’s story, but it’s nevertheless clear that this presentation of her life on her own terms is something special. Much like Wicked, it’s a feminist reclamation of …
Book #19 of 2019: All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella’s Stepmother by Danielle Teller I have a soft spot for fairy tale retellings, and in theory this novel offers a fine premise: Cinderella is a spoiled brat, her stepmother is a former servant struggling to keep the household solvent, and all the …
TV #6 of 2019: Breaking Bad, season 3 This series has been incredible from its very first scene, but the third season is where it truly hits its stride in terms of plotting and character work. This run of episodes is all about the chess game against Gus Fring and the battle for Jesse Pinkman’s …
Book #18 of 2019: Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward Unsurprisingly given the power of her novels, author Jesmyn Ward’s presentation of her own early life as a poor black girl in rural Mississippi during the 1980s-90s crack epidemic is equal parts insightful and gut-wrenching. Told mostly as a series of vignettes, this memoir centers …
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TV #5 of 2019: Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, season 3 I may look back and decide that I’ve judged this season too generously in the moment, but wow: not only does it improve upon the first two outings for this Netflix series — which were already quite strong! — but it also …
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TV #4 of 2019: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, season 3 Episode by episode this series is as strong and hilarious as ever, but the season-long plots and character arcs seem like they’re getting sloppier as it goes along. Promising ideas fizzle out, people make some fairly major life decisions with little build-up, and the season is just …
TV #3 of 2019: The Good Place, season 3 Three seasons in, this sitcom about the afterlife is still one of the funniest, smartest, and most warm-hearted shows on television. It regularly redefines its own premise and is hard to describe without spoilers (and probably impossible to watch out-of-order), but I love that its exploration …
Book #17 of 2019: My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh An excellent yet uncomfortable character study of a woman’s struggle with depression and prescription drug abuse. I’m lucky to have never gone down the route of overmedication myself, but I recognize a lot of the narrator’s thought processes from my own lowest …
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