Book #114 of 2026: Broken Dove by Dani Francis (Silver Elite #2) I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the debut of this romantasy saga, which is sort of like Fourth Wing played out against the rebellion story from The Hunger Games, but this sequel offers too much wheel-spinning and predictable plotting for me …
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TV Review: The Bear, season 5
TV #33 of 2026: The Bear, season 5 I haven’t been as enthused about the last couple seasons of this show (or its recent flashback special Gary), but this final year proves to be a welcome course correction. The majority plays out largely in real time, with one episode running directly into the next, and …
Book Review: The Language of Liars by S. L. Huang
Book #113 of 2026: The Language of Liars by S. L. Huang Stories about alien linguistics are almost unfairly right up my alley, and this one is top-notch, featuring a galactic conglomerate spanning thousands of civilizations and untold legions of individual member species, all reliant on the dwindling population of deep-space beings who can detect …
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Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Movie #34 of 2026: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) Disney hasn’t always had the best luck turning its theme park attractions into movies, but the studio struck rare gold with this early 2000s smash hit, which launched a franchise and significantly revitalized its star Johnny Depp’s career. It used …
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TV Review: Barry, season 2
TV #32 of 2026: Barry, season 2 I’m giving this hitman-turned-actor series another three-star rating, but I do think this second run is an improvement over the debut, if only for delivering the standout episode “ronny/lily” that is just an absolute triumph of physical comedy and expertly-paced comedic escalation throughout. (My wife, who hasn’t seen …
Book Review: Marilyn and Her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe by Gail Crowther
Book #112 of 2026: Marilyn and Her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe by Gail Crowther In both contemporary pop culture during her lifetime and a sustained legacy across subsequent generations, the midcentury starlet Marilyn Monroe has been primarily known for her physical appearance. This new nonfiction title, timed to coincide with the actress’s …
Book Review: The Bone Door by Frances White
Book #111 of 2026: The Bone Door by Frances White This is an ambitious and complicated fantasy story that’s difficult to discuss without spoilers, but I can say in general terms that it’s like a preadolescent combination of Piranesi and The Locked Tomb. Various children awaken with missing body parts but no memories inside a …
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Book Review: The Fisherman by John Langan
Book #110 of 2026: The Fisherman by John Langan I’m of two minds over this supernatural horror novel, which is only fitting, since it offers a very bifurcated plot. The first and last quarter of the text are delivered to us by the main protagonist, a middle-aged widow who starts fishing as a way to …
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Movie Review: Doctor Who (1996)
Movie #33 of 2026: Doctor Who (1996) Objectively, there’s a lot about this TV movie — a continuation of the Classic Doctor Who run of 1963-1989 and failed pilot for further onscreen adventures — that doesn’t really work. The technobabble plot is difficult to follow and crams in unexplained references to things like Daleks that …
Book Review: This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
Book #109 of 2026: This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum Overall a fairly generic Gone Girl knockoff, in which a guy shows up at his best friend’s house to record the podcast that they host together, only to find that she and her husband are each missing amid signs of a struggle. …
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