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

Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery, Vol. 1 by Various

I bought this on a lark years ago and finally started reading it back in October, almost DNF’ing it several times, but chipped away at it over a few months instead, hoping for a few surprises. I was intrigued primarily for the early work of several artists I liked, but even they couldn’t make it worthwhile. Most of the stories are predictably bad and dated, but rarely in interesting ways, and the handful that had potential were just fine. Meh.

Goodnight Punpun, Vol. 4 by Inio Asano

The first two volumes reeled me in and I ended up eagerly buying the whole series, but it almost went off the rails with this one. I really hated most of the first half of the story, wanting to slap the miserable Punpun multiple times, but was still hooked by Asano’s twisted storytelling decisions throughout. The meandering plot (like Punpun himself) finally found its footing towards the end and reeled me back in, but with three volumes left, I realized this is NOT a series to binge. I’m still planning on finishing it, but no more than one volume each month.

{STAR} Native Nations: A Millennium in North America by Kathleen DuVal

This randomly caught my eye in a bookstore earlier this year, partly thanks to the increased visibility of Native stories and actors via Reservoir Dogs and Dark Winds, and the knowledge that the “history” I was taught in school was filled with purposeful lies and omissions. Impressive for its breadth and readability, DuVal does an excellent job adding nuance and dignity to the actual history of several of the Native nations that were present in what became the United States, while also myth-busting the pervasive lies of manifest destiny and White supremacy. It’s an absolute must-read, and a welcome new addition to my all-time favorites list.

(Native Nations will return in “Media Notes: My 2025 Favorites”)

The Rose in Darkness (ebook) by Danie Ware

Ware wrote my least favorite short story in the Saints and Martyrs anthology, but thanks to a heads-up from the WH40k Book Club, I had higher expectations for this novel that builds on the foundation laid in her short story collection, The Rose at War. Continuing to flesh out the Order of the Bloody Rose and her lead character, Augusta Santorus, Ware delivers a fast-paced, nerve-wracking tale of a genestealer infestation that reminded me of my favorite side story in Rogue Trader. Solid world-building and a compelling side character mostly offset the lack of character development for anyone else, but the ending paid off anyway and I hope Ware gets to explore more of Santorus’ story.

Bitter Root Volume 4: The Next Movement by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, Sanford Greene

In the wrong hands, “Is racism a disease that can be cured?” would be a terrible idea for a comic, but Greene, Brown, and Walker do another great job balancing reality and fantasy to move their compelling story forward to the Civil Rights era — while expanding the  scope and increasing the stakes. Although this new volume mostly stands on its own, I want to reread the first three to refresh my memory of key relationships and specific characters’ situations. There’s allegedly a movie adaptation in development, and although Watchmen and Lovecraft Country suggest that it can be pulled off, I’m more interested in seeing how things continue to unfold in the comics first.

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (New Edition) by Various

Holy bait and switch, Batman! I picked this up because it was on a “greatest Batman stories” list and has some excellent artists, but I didn’t actually read the full description ahead of time. Instead of the standalone graphic novel I thought it was, it’s just one intriguing extended origin story that’s padded with a few random subsequent appearances that do nothing with the character nor setting. Even worse, Victorian Era Batman and Gotham City are only the main characters in two of the five stories, with the other three being some crossover “event” nonsense I had zero interest in back then or now. It was a mildly disappointing way to end an otherwise solid reading year, and definitely not one I’ll be adding to my own short list of greatest Batman stories.

Games

Tactical Breach Wizards (Steam)

Coming in at just under 30 hours, Tactical Breach Wizards‘ combination of turn-based tactical combat, engaging story, nuanced characters, and entertaining writing is the perfect recipe for a great indie game, and it could have been my favorite game of the year if not for Rogue Trader. It played pretty well on the Steam Deck, too, but I had to do the final battle on desktop because it was so frustrating, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something. I wasn’t; it was just particularly challenging, but also incredibly satisfying once I beat it.

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate Daemonhunters (Steam)

Speaking of challenging, my exploration of the grim dark future of 40k in different media continued with a game that sounded interesting on paper, but I definitely wasn’t prepared for what it really was! I always forget that I like the idea of XCOM more than actually playing XCOM, so being reminded how unforgiving it is after only 8 hours into what is basically XCOM 40K was an unwelcome surprise. Unlike XCOM, Chaos Gate‘s story and setting are pretty engaging, so I’m trying to push through and, if not actually beat it, at least give it multiple tries before giving up. Unlike books and movies, though, I’ll DNF a game without much hesitation, and this one’s right on the edge.

Movies & TV

IT: Welcome to Derry (HBO)

I’ve been a Stephen King fan since my teens, devouring everything he wrote through Needful Things, at which point I’d burned out his formula and the early hints of a shared Kingverse. I liked IT (the novel), although it wasn’t ever one of my favorites — those would be Pet Sematary, The Stand, and The Talisman —  and I enjoyed Chapter One of Muschietti’s movie reboot, especially Skarsgård’s over-the-top take on Pennywise. Like many of King’s endings, though, Chapter Two didn’t work quite as well, and I’ve never cared much about his larger universe, so Welcome to Derry leaning so heavily in that direction was actually a negative for me. The new kids were great and the Black Spot episode was emotionally intense, but Muschietti overplayed his hand with so much clunky exposition throughout, culminating with Pennywise’s ridiculous monologue setting up the requisite franchise reveal. It was a fun ride at times, but I don’t anticipate coming back for the planned prequels.

Pluribus (Apple TV)

Kim Wexler was one of my favorite characters in Better Call Saul, despite her unsatisfying arc towards the end of the series, so I was intrigued when Pluribus was announced, despite it being on my least-favorite streaming service. (OG Apple hater. Sorry, not sorry.) Rhea Seehorn is perfect as a bitter survivor of a very weird apocalypse, and seeing that world through her eyes helps put an interesting spin on an old plot, which ultimately works thanks to a great supporting cast, particularly Karolina Wydra. Simultaneously predictable and surprising, I’m very much looking forward to a second season, although I’m not holding my breath for it coming anytime soon.

One Battle After Another (HBO Max)

Magnolia is one of my all-time favorite movies, and after finally watching and enjoying There Will Be Blood, I had high expectations for One Battle After Another. Unfortunately, it’s not even close to either of those two films on any level, despite hints of potential with the core relationship between DiCaprio and the impressive Chase Infiniti. The first 30 minutes had me unsure if I’d even finish the movie, but it eventually found its footing when the focus shifted to the two main characters. The story itself makes Eddington seem grounded, and I have no idea what, if anything, Anderson was trying to say with any of it. The “satire” is too silly and hamfisted to take seriously; the “drama” is undercut by a few really dumb plot twists; and a critical bit of character development comes way too late to have the emotional impact it’s clearly intended to have. I’m kind of surprised by the critical acclaim for its alleged socio-political perspective, but I guess Anderson gets credit for delivering a timely Rorschach test?

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!