Book #133 of 2016: The Green Mile by Stephen King A well-told story, albeit with one of the most literal and egregious uses of the ‘magical negro’ trope. And it’s neat that Stephen King wrote this as a serial, so that the first chapters were already published before he even knew how the story would …
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Book #132 of 2016: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling This memoir / humor book is mostly funny, but with periodic unwelcome interruptions for the author to indulge in transphobia, antisemitism, body-shaming, and other such charming behaviors – sometimes without even the excuse of a punchline. I still like …
Book #131 of 2016: Version Control by Dexter Palmer Version Control is a slow burn of a novel. Although set in the near future and populated with new technologies like self-driving cars, it’s not until halfway through the book that it really becomes clear science-fiction. That might be frustrating in other stories, but Version Control …
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Book #130 of 2016: Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #4) A weird and kind of unnecessary add-on to the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. I’m generally a fan of supporting characters getting to tell their own stories – that’s what’s given us such classics as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead or …
Book #129 of 2016: Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson A scattered but hilarious memoir about living with mental illness – and about how that isn’t inherently a contradiction in terms. Lawson doesn’t shy away from the low moments that her condition has brought her to (or that her husband …
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Book #128 of 2016: The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen (The Ascendance Trilogy #3) The first novel in this trilogy was definitely the strongest, but this third one resolves the larger story nicely, and it’s always a joy to spend more time with a character like Sage. His ability to think his way out …
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Book #127 of 2016: The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd (The Madman’s Daughter #1) I love the idea of a prequel to The Island of Dr. Moreau, particularly one told from the point of view of his daughter (a new invention – there were basically no female characters in the original novel). And that idea …
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Book #126 of 2016: The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells This novel about a mad scientist and his animal-human hybrids is justifiably a classic, and a clear precursor to modern “biopunk” stories like The Rook or Leviathan. I was also surprised to recognize its influence on Jurassic Park, with its plot of …
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TV #49 of 2016: Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life An absolutely amazing revival (and presumed finale?) to the original show, which went off the air back in 2007. Among the things I love about this new miniseries is that it really feels like ten years have gone by for these characters. So many …
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Book #125 of 2016: The Magicians by Lev Grossman (The Magicians #1) Thematically, The Magicians is a story about wizards with depression, and about how getting your heart’s desire isn’t always enough to make you happy. That’s a perspective that’s pretty rare in the fantasy genre, and I appreciated author Lev Grossman giving his characters …
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