TV #13 of 2024: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 1 I went into this latest Star Trek series with fairly low expectations. In addition to being another prequel in a franchise that could stand to be more forward-facing, it is moreover a direct spin-off from the messiest season of Star Trek: Discovery. On paper, …
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Book #59 of 2024: Alien Blood by Chris Archer (Mindwarp #2) This sequel is an improvement over the first book, but I’m still not yet loving the middle-grade 90s Mindwarp series on this adult reread. We’ve switched protagonists, and the new girl’s plot plays out along similar lines to the boy’s from the novel before: …
Book #58 of 2024: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid This 2016 release was the last remaining Taylor Jenkins Reid novel that I had yet to read, as well as the last one the author wrote that’s more in the generic literary fiction tradition before finding her clear niche documenting fictional celebrities with The …
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Book #57 of 2024: Book of Reality by John Peel (Diadem: Worlds of Magic #9) It’s finally Pixel’s turn to revisit his original homeworld, and just like Score in Book #5 and Helaine in Book #7, the protagonist’s reentry into the wreckage of his previous life offers certain immediate stakes and pre-existing relationships to help …
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Book #56 of 2024: Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi A rollicking debut novel from Nigerian author Wole Talabi, spinning a daring heist of the titular magical artifact from the high-security British Museum. The genre is urban fantasy noir by way of American Gods, where pantheons of deities from all world …
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Movie #2 of 2024: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) 2018’s surprise animated hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was always going to be a tough act to follow, and sure enough, this sequel suffers a bit by comparison while still being an above-average film in its own right. It’s funny! Just not quite as hilarious as …
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Book #55 of 2024: Romney: A Reckoning by McKay Coppins A remarkable inside look at a complicated political figure: the 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who as a senator during the Trump presidency then became one of the few members of that party willing to publicly stand against the president’s erratic, abusive, and outright …
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TV #12 of 2024: Classic Doctor Who, season 11 A true end of an era for this show, but unfortunately not one that finds it at its best. The current star Jon Pertwee makes his exit here, of course, but behind the scenes, the influential producer Barry Letts and his script editor Terrance Dicks (who …
Book #54 of 2024: The Warrior of the Third Veil by Victoria Goddard (The Sisters Avramapul #2) This title has swiftly become one of my favorites in the constellation of supporting novellas that seem to make up the bulk of author Victoria Goddard’s sprawling Nine Worlds fantasy saga. It’s a direct sequel to The Bride …
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Book #53 of 2024: Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros [Disclaimer: I am Twitter mutuals with this author.] Another powerful #ownvoices Jewish historical fantasy novel from author Aden Polydoros, this one centering on a female golem in Nazi-occupied Lithuania. Forged from the corpse of a slain teenage freedom-fighter — the original daughter of her grieving …
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The Lesser Joke: book reviews and more