Blog

In which I briefly comment on the books I read each month, so a few years from now when I’m trying to remember one of them, I’ll be able to find it here. Since I’m a media omnivore, it also includes games, movies, and any other media of note that I engaged with.

Do we have similar tastes, or will you be questioning how we ever got connected? Let’s find out!

Books

{STAR} One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

“There’s always room on a liberal’s lawn.” Part memoir, part current events, El Akkad offers a powerfully restrained critique of our collective guilt, with a glimpse of hope that there’s still time for us do better. A sobering read, regardless of your political beliefs.

Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories by Junji Ito

A weirdly mixed bag considering Ito allegedly chose all nine stories himself, ranging from interesting and repulsive (in a good way) to outright stupid. Even at his worst, the art is always impressive. Unfortunately, Uzumaki set such a high bar that nothing else of his I’ve read so far has come close to matching it.

Fast Animal by Tim Seibles

A solid collection of poems, familiar in mostly good ways, but also relatively unremarkable as a result. I might have liked this more back in 2012, or if I’d ever heard Seibles read in person, but I think my poetry days might officially be behind me now.

Improve: How I Discovered Improv and Conquered Social Anxiety by Alex Graudins

An entertaining and informative explainer about improv with a splash of memoir for structure, Graudins keeps it light and accessible, while clearly communicating the debilitating aspects of social anxiety. It reminded me of my own experience with acting workshops that helped me deal with my own social anxiety in my late 20s.

{STAR} I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, translated by Ros Schwartz

A fascinating examination of what it means to be human, which refuses categorization, or even easy summarization, told through the eyes of an enigmatic “child” in an unbroken single chapter of 162 pages. It’s best read without knowing anything more than that (don’t even read the back cover summary), which is how I approached it after my wife raved that it was one of her favorite books ever. Highly recommended!

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martínez

An interesting personal graphic narrative that’s more about exploring hidden history rather than revealing much of it (although not for lack of trying), the whole is ultimately a little less than the sum of its parts.

Strange Fruit, Volume I: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History by Joel Christian Gill

An uneven mix of vignettes spotlighting a range of notable individuals (all men) that does a great job of sparking interest in learning more about each of them, with a solid bibliography to help feed that interest. Gill’s artwork and varied layouts add a lot of nuance and depth to the deceptively simple narratives, a few of which are deserving of full-length stories.

{STAR} Stagger Lee by Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix

Sinners obliquely reminded me of my favorite graphic novel of 2006, and it still holds up 20 years later as a great piece of historical fiction, imagining the possible truths behind the legend of the infamous Stagger Lee. I can’t improve on what I wrote about it back then, so check that out for more.

Games

Blood Bowl 2 (Xbox)

Blood Bowl was actually the very first Warhammer game to ever pique my interest, many years before I knew anything about the grim dark future or its fantasy equivalent. “Tactical Fantasy Football” is right up my alley, and Blood Bowl 2 had been sitting on my Xbox wish list for years, so I finally bought it and jumped into the Campaign, which does an excellent job of easing you into the mechanics before RNGesus absolutely smashes your face into the dirt! It’s the first Warhammer video game I’ve played that replicates the actual tabletop experience, for better and worse, and confirmed Skirmish would be my preferred format if I was ever tempted to play IRL and they sold pre-painted minis. (Please don’t! I cannot afford that addiction.) I still prefer 40k over Fantasy (The Old World? Age of Sigmar?) and would be all over a Kill Team video game, but the football/soccer mashup makes this one perfect for me.

Movies & TV

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (IMAX)

Tom Cruise is definitely high on my problematic faves list, and the M:I franchise is one of the main reasons why. I don’t believe in “guilty” pleasures, but if you believe in such things, these films certainly qualify, and the latest installment cranks it all up to 11. I loved the expanded cast, the intense set pieces, and most importantly, the multiple callbacks that ambitiously attempt to construct a semi-coherent narrative to connect all eight films to each other. [Delightful spoiler.] If this is truly the Final Reckoning, Cruise and McQuarrie stuck the landing. I’d also be interested in seeing a purposefully restrained sequel that centers and spotlights a new team tackling new threats in new ways, and I’d love to see Shea Whigham play a bigger role. The masks (and the heightened awareness about them that was a highlight of the previous film and Whigham’s presence) have to stay in the mix, though!

Paradise (Hulu)

Every now and then a new show hits my radar on social media, with an interesting mix of people I actually know talking about it in ways that pique my interest. That’s how I first heard about Paradise earlier this year, with several people raving about its first episode, in particular. While Sterling K. Brown is his usual compelling self, surrounded by an excellent cast doing the most, James Marsden was the big surprise, bringing an emotional core and gravitas to a role I had no idea he had in him! There’s at least one plot twist in every episode, and its score keeps things tense without ever overdoing it, so I’m glad we didn’t binge it, letting everything really sink in between episodes. I avoided any spoilers before the final episode and was able to fully enjoy how it all played out, and I’m glad to hear they’re already working on the next season so there won’t be a long wait in between.

NY Mets (SNY & Audacy)

After a ridiculously hot April, May was a much tougher test — especially for the offense — but the Mets still hit the 1/3rd mark of the season as one of the best teams in baseball. That’s with Soto still underperforming; two key starting pitchers still not ready to go; and growing pains for several of their younger stars-in-progress. Every team has to deal with slumps and injuries throughout the season, but great teams find a way through, and right now, the Mets are looking pretty damn good with so much upside for improvement. LFGM!

Your Notes?

If you’ve engaged with any of these, let me know what you thought. And if you have any related recommendations, drop ’em in the comments or on the socials! Some of you prefer email, which is cool, too. You do you!