KJ's 2019 Media Roundup

[owlmoose]

Okay, so traditionally a post like this would go up at the beginning of January, but hey, better late than never, right? Right.

Reading Goals

I only read 30 books in 2019 and would like to read more in the coming year. I wrote about my 2019 reading goals progress and set some new goals for 2020 here.

Books Published in 2019

Because Internet by Gretchen McCullough -- McCullough has been writing about how people use language on the internet at her blog, All Things Linguistic, since she was in grad school -- you may have seen her SXSW presentation about whether emoji are a language from a few years ago, or her regular column for Wired. I've been waiting for her debut book for a long time, and I was not disappointed. One section that particularly resonated with me was the discussion of how different generations communicate online -- not based entirely on chronological age, but more on when you started using the internet and how old you were at the time.

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz -- I've already enthused about this book in several places, so I don't think I could say anything that wasn't redundant. Instead, I'll share this video from an imaginary band that Newitz invented for the book (NSFW).

Jade War by Fonda Lee -- I love this series so much. The family drama, the political machinations, the system of magic. And it's only getting deeper and more twisty with time. 2021...

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers -- I already said most of what I wanted to say in my Goodreads review, so I won't rehash it here, except to say that this book is what has cemented Becky Chambers, and not just the Wayfarers universe, on my all-time must-read list.

The True Queen by Zen Cho -- I was a big fan of Sorcerer to the Crown, so I was excited to come back to this world, and if anything I liked this book even better. The new lead character, Mina, is brilliant and wonderful, and I want to read about every one of her adventures.

Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan -- If this is really the final story in the universe of Lady Trent (and from Marie Brennan's answer to my question at her reading for this book is any indication, it probably), I can be satisfied.

Books Published in Other Years

The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark (2018) -- An easy first-place vote for me on last year's Hugo ballot. Amazing worldbuilding. I need so many more stories in this universe.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (2017) -- I picked this up as Hugo reading (Chakraborty was up for what is now known as the Astounding Award) and enjoyed it immensely. I loved the journeys of both lead characters and also found the writing to be super engaging.

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman (2015) -- I finally caught up on this series because Tess of the Road was a Lodestar nominee last year; I enjoyed all the books, but this one was by far my favorite. Seraphina traveling the world and meeting the other half dragons made for an engaging story, there's an excellent villain, and the resolution to the romance subplot had me dancing with glee.

Witchmark by C.L. Polk (2018) -- The sequel to this book is probably my most anticipated book of 2020, and fortunately I don't have much longer to wait.

Other Media

Russian Doll -- The only complete work on this list that also made my Best of the Decade. That's not really a comment on the weakness of anything here, but rather a reflection on the strength of this spectacular achievement in plotting, writing, acting, set design... It's hard to imagine a more perfect time loop story.

Captain Marvel -- I never did write the full review of this I planned, did I? In part, because I'd planned to rewatch it first, but with one thing and another I still haven't yet. Anyway, it's a shame we had to wait so long, but it was definitely worth it.

Supergirl, Season 4 -- The commentary on aliens as immigrants was maybe a little too on the nose at times, but it hit in ways that really resonated, and it was a fascinating way to work in the Red Son storyline from the Superman comics (the only Superman comic collection I have ever read). Plus, it brought me a shiny new pairing for the first time in awhile, and inspired me to finally catch up on the rest of the Arrowverse. The universe as a whole can be uneven, but I've very much enjoyed the time I've spent there.

The Good Place -- Still my favorite show on TV. Still in denial that it's over now (but more about that in another post).

Jane the Virgin -- A show that stuck the landing, and how. I'd enjoy watching this one over again from the beginning someday.

Knives Out -- A twisty, turny, murder-y delight.

MCU Rewatch -- More as an experience than for any of the individual movies, though I do still quite love many of them. With a group of friends, I re-watched most of the MCU films (skipping around a bit in Phases 1 and 2, then Phase 3 in its entirety) in the lead-up to Avengers: Endgame. For the most part I enjoyed revisiting the films themselves, but what I really loved was the in-depth discussions we had before, during, and after: about each movie, drawing connections between them, sharing theories and arguing about the implications. I got a deeper appreciation for the canon as a whole, and I'm certain that Endgame was much more satisfying for having all the backstory fresh in my head.