Book #17 of 2016: Dawn by Octavia E. Butler (Xenogenesis #1) Dawn is the first novel in a trilogy by Octavia Butler, known alternately as Lilith’s Brood and Xenogenesis. This first book was good, albeit a little bleak. (But, I mean, it’s from the author of the Parable books, Kindred, and Fledgling. Bleakness was not …
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Book Review: The Dark Half by Stephen King
Book #16 of 2016: The Dark Half by Stephen King Like much of Stephen King’s mid-career output, this horror thriller was just okay. I could see the novel having special significance for the writer himself, since it’s about an author forced to go public about his pseudonym (which then comes to life and starts murdering …
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Book Review: Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
Book #15 of 2016: Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler I really really liked this one. I mean, its main character is a black female vampire in an interracial polyamorous coven, whose dark skin is actually an advantage because it lets her burn more slowly in the sunlight than other vamps. What’s not to love? And …
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Book Review: Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn
Book #14 of 2016: Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn I really love the idea behind this book, and the author’s talent is definitely on display in carrying it out, but I’m not really sure whether I like the finished product or not. It’s about a small island society with a …
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Book Review: Modern Romance: An Investigation by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg
Book #13 of 2016: Modern Romance: An Investigation by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg On the whole, I really liked this one, although it’s definitely not what you would expect from a stand-up comic / comedic actor like Aziz Ansari’s first book. He makes jokes throughout, but this is mostly a data-driven examination of love …
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Book Review: The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Book #12 of 2016: The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin This was really great classic sci-fi: exploring outlandish dilemmas that nevertheless resonate with their philosophical implications. The main character in this book has dreams that can reshape reality according to his subconscious desires, so he’s desperate to make them stop. (In the …
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Movie Review: Deadpool (2016)
Movie #4 of 2016: Deadpool (2016) Overall I think this was about what I was expecting. Not that that’s a bad thing! Deadpool is very funny, very violent, and very meta – an excellent adaptation of the comic character, as far as I can tell. I particularly liked the ways in which the movie skewed …
TV Review: Veep, season 1
TV #9 of 2016: Veep, season 1 Veep is another political sitcom from the same creator as The Thick of It, and the insults are nearly as inventive, but it just isn’t clicking the same way for me. I think part of the problem is that this American version of the program doesn’t really have …
Book Review: The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket
Book #11 of 2016: The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events #7) A Series of Unfortunate Events… continues. This book was pretty similar to the ones that came before it in the series, with little forward plot movement. They’re each entertaining enough on their own, but they don’t leave me excited …
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TV Review: Bosch, season 1
TV #8 of 2016: Bosch, season 1 This is an Amazon original series that I had never heard of before my dad recommended it to me. (It’s based on one of his favorite book series.) I’m glad he did, though. It’s a pretty solid police procedural, with a single storyline spanning the season rather than …
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