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} Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
I read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning a few years ago and it subtly changed how I thought about death and clutter, so I thought I was getting into something similar here, perhaps with a bit more science. It was so much more, though, as Gawande deftly weaves together a range of stories, including his own, into a heartbreaking, inspiring, and important look at the hard decisions we have to make to choose a good life when death is inevitable — but delaying it at any cost is our societal default.
Sabrina by Nick Drnaso
An intriguing story awkwardly and ambitiously told with art that’s effectively simple and distractingly ugly, often at the same time. I liked some parts, I hated other parts, and I’m still not quite sure where it ultimately landed, but it did stick with me for several days afterwards.
Absolute Batman Vol. 1 & 2 by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, et al
An entertaining reimagining of one of my all-time favorite superheroes who I lost interest in many years ago, but it can’t escape the inherent constraints of a corporate reboot, no matter how edgy it’s allowed to be. Read together instead of as monthly issues, it kept me engaged despite speed-running the “clever” twists on the rogues gallery and an over-arching story that thinks it’s smarter than it really is. I’m worried how it will hold up as an ongoing series in light of its commercial success, but I’m intrigued enough by the core changes to stick with it — at least for as long as my son keeps buying them for himself.
Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Last Amazon by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Mattia de Iulis
Maybe it’s because I’m less familiar with Wonder Woman, but the remixed elements felt less forced and “aren’t I clever?” than Absolute Batman, and Diana’s origin twist gave her more substance than not-a-millionaire-but-still-VERY-resourceful Bruce Wayne. Someone compared it to manga, which made me think of it differently, especially its pacing, so I’ll keep reading… as long as my son keeps buying them for himself!
{STAR} Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
A varied mix of tight vignettes ranging from the intriguing to the brutal, and — as Stephen Graham Jones foreshadows in his useful introduction — they all end inconclusively. Sometimes satisfyingly so, sometimes not, but there’s arguably not a dud among them. I enjoyed so many of them that I can’t even list my favorites, but some of my favorite notes included, “Brisk and brutal. Oof!” and “Fucked up and abrupt!” and “Wild af!” and “Depressingly real horror.”
Walking Practice by Dolki Min, translated by Victoria Caudle
A serendipitous find while browsing the wonderfully curated shelves at Black Walnut Books a couple of weeks ago, it was entertainingly and provocatively weird, with layers of subtext that’s easy to miss without the context hinted at on the back cover, but made explicit in several glowing reviews.
Movies
Grey Gardens (Streaming)
Every now and then my wife randomly finds something for us to watch, and I went into this knowing nothing about the mother-daughter duo, nor the context of this “documentary” that was originally released when I was six years old. It was an uncomfortably voyeuristic experience that I assume (hope) wouldn’t be considered ethical today, even though they apparently were fully aware of what they were doing. Yikes!
Games
Star Wars Outlaws (Xbox)
This was so much fun! It took a while to fully hit its stride, but once it did, the loop of main story, side quests, wander around a planet, get into fights, fly to another planet, get into space fights on the way, lather, rinse, repeat was entertainingly addictive. When I hit the point of no return near the end of the main story campaign, I stalled another 10 hours doing everything else because I didn’t want the game to end. The finale was a satisfying combination of plot twists, character arcs, set pieces, an emotional final battle — and when it was all done, Kay Vess and ND-5 joined my shortlist of favorite Star Wars characters I’d love to see more of. Thankfully, you can keep playing the game after the main story ends, and the second DLC hints at what could have become a great ongoing franchise if Ubisoft hadn’t botched the initial release and gave the He-Man Womin Haterz Club more ammunition for their never-ending griefing.
Mewgenics (Steam Deck)
This is settling in as one of my primary go-to “casual” games, delivering the kind of highs and lows I usually turn to Slay the Spire for, and Balatro and Dead Cells before that. I’ve gotten used to the consequences of a failed run, but still feel the loss of every single cat, unlike similar strategy games that turn your units into visual stat blocks. I’ve occasionally made the very bad decision of pairing it with a session of Into the Breach before bedtime, which might be one of my dumbest life decisions ever!
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!
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