Book Review: Captain Harlock Classic Collection, Volume 1

Reiji Matsumoto (author and artist); Zack Davisson (translator), Captain Harlock Classic Collection, Volume 1. Los Angeles, CA: Seven Seas, 2018. ISBN: 978162927704.

Genre: manga

Subgenre: science fiction, pirates

Format: hardcover

Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library  

 As a child in younger days, I used to watch the anime adaptation, Captain Harlock, Space Pirate (Capitan Raimar in Spanish).  So when I came across this classic collection, I knew I had to read it. 

In the future, an alien force is about to invade Earth. In fact, it soon becomes apparent to Harlock and his crew that those aliens, the Mazon, have been infiltrating Earth for centuries. However, by now Earth people are about as lazy and hands off as can be. Only the fiercely independent Captain Harlock and his pirate crew make a brave stand and choose to fight the invasion. 

This first volume's pace is a bit slow, but it is because it is setting up the story. Harlock and his crew investigate and follow various leads. We also learn about the characters, especially the crew of the Arcadia. The story does offer depth, and it keeps the reader interested. 

If you've read this before, or maybe like me watched the anime, this is a nice trip down memory lane. If you are brand new to the story,,  you'll discover a science fiction adventure with depth, substance, and even a bit of social commentary. To be honest, some parts such as the arrogantly complacent  Earth people seems relevant even today; the manga was published in first in 1977. New or old reader, this is a good space tale with some action and a bit of mystery. On a side note, the art is a bit more cartoonish in this manga. It appears they refined the style a bit for the anime; it's just a small detail I noticed. 

I really liked this volume. I will be looking for the next two in the series to keep reading. So far, enjoying the tale. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

Deck Review: Serpieri Tarot

Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri (artist) and Pietro Alligo (writer), Serpieri Tarot. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2022.  ISBN: 9780738773100.  (link to Llewellyn, US distributor)

Genre: Tarot decks

Subgenre: Serpieri art, science fiction, erotica

Format: card deck with little white book in tuck box

Source: I own this one. 

Before I go on, a content warning. This deck does feature nudity and some fairly explicit scenes. If that is not for you, feel free to skip this deck and stop reading this review and move on elsewhere. You can check the blog's tags on the right side column. The "Tarot" tag features reviews of books and decks in Tarot. You can also check for reviews by publisher as I assign a tag to each publisher that I review one of their books. 

Still interested? Keep on reading. 

 

The Hermit-IX

This deck features the art of Italian artist Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri. He is known for his work in comics about science fiction and western stories. His female curvy figures are also well known including his heroine Druuna. This deck integrates all of those elements. If you are a fan of his art, you may want this deck as a collector. If you like science fiction with a bit of neo-western and post apocalyptic style, this may be a deck for you as well. 

The deck comes in a tuck box with the 78-card deck and a little white book (LWB). 

Typical of the Lo Scarabeo, the publisher, the LWB comes in four languages: English, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. The LWB includes: brief artist biography, a look at his art and how it connects to Tarot, the Major Arcana, and the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana entries feature card name and number, a keyword, and a paragraph for interpretation. The interpretation includes some description of the images and symbols. The Minor Arcana entries are thinner with a main keyword, then additional keywords and a phrase or two. The LWB ends with a short statement on the symbolism of sex and nudity in the deck and Tarot. Given the rich art and setting of Serpieri's work, it is a pity the publisher did not commission a full companion book. 

The cards' art can work intuitively. If you do know Serpieri's work, you may be better able to appreciate the deck. You can still work with it if you do not know the art beforehand, but you may want to do some research to supplement. Thus this is not a deck for beginners. As an intermediate cartomancer, knowing the basics of Tarot helps. The deck has some nods to Rider Waite Smith (RWS) system, but a lot of it does not; it does its own thing. All in all you can read with it, but you do have to do some work and learning. I am good with that, but your mileage may vary. 

I love the science fiction somewhat post-apocalyptic art. It is a strong style, very expressive. Colorful in mostly light tones. Grey tones predominate a bit. Female figures are curvy, buxom at times. As I mentioned, there are some erotically explicit images. I like those images fine, but they are not your thing, or you are a prude, this is not the deck for you. I feel like this can be a good deck to use during the Hard Times. I will have to explore that further. 

Overall, I love the deck but the overall package falls a bit short. The LWB is seriously minimalist. The card themselves are great. While I do recommend it, I do so with the caveats I've already mentioned. Still glad to own it. 

4 out of 5 stars, for the overall package.

Holiday Post 2024: What the heck happened?

Welcome to the fourth and last post in the 2024 holiday posts series. For me, being Puerto Rican, I am still in the holidays spirit well into January. In fact, as I am typing this, tomorrow is Dia de Reyes (Three Kings Day) in Puerto Rico and much of the Hispanic world. In Puerto Rico we keep going with  "las octavitas." So still plenty of holiday cheer to go around, even with today's serious winter storm going on in our area.  In this post, I take a look at what the heck happened in the previous year, and boy has 2024 being a royal pain. Last year, I thought 2023 had been a hot mess, but apparently 2024 took that as a personal challenge to be worse. Anyhow, I will also add some predictions and outlooks for the new year, and we'll see how things go from there.

 

Top news events of the year

•  The top news in the United States has to be that the Pendejo In Chief was re-elected  (via Reuters) to the presidency. You'd have thought that being a convicted felon, among other issues, may have kept him from public office, but as a man wiser than me once wrote, and I paraphrase, never underestimate the empowerment Americans feel in being able to say fuck you. It did not help that Kamala Harris did not exactly run (via BBC) a brilliant campaign against him. In fact, at one of those times she was visiting Michigan and Dearborn, MI, which has a big Muslim community that she managed to alienate (see Reuters here and Al Jazeera here), I said it would likely make things difficult for her, and sure enough. And while the post-mortems on what the Democrats failed to do came out pretty much right away, you can already tell they will not learn anything. I've lived in the States long enough to know the Republican Lite party is notorious for snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory. The bottom line is we are in for a rough four years ahead. 
• And while folks fuss about the election and its results, the climate continues to break heat records in weather. Story via The Daily Climate. I honestly do not see much hope of anything being done about this. Between the robber barons who don't give a fuck and a society that just let's them get away with it, it will just keep getting worse. 
• NPR reports as the Atlantic hurricane season ends that the season was the deadliest in nearly two decades. 
  

 

 

What the heck happened? 

(Big news overviews) 

Graphic with a big question mark. Text: What happened?

 

 

•  Here is UPI's overview of top stories for 2024. Their highlights include the U.S. elections, wars, and the clusterfuck that is now Boeing. 
• Vox considers "what really matters in 2024" for their annual review. Among their highlights are the rising bird flu epidemic (the one no one in the U.S. seems to be concerned about. Anyone feeling deja vu in light of COVID-19?), the rise of AI, and the insurance CEO shooter. Now that last is a story that will stay with us for a while as the shooter has basically risen to become a folk hero. I don't think I need to explain why. The article also does a bit of looking back at previous years to see what if anything from previous time we still remember. 
• ABC News looks at the stories "everyone was talking about" in 2024, at least according to them. Among their highlights we find school shootings, hurricanes, and the insurance CEO shooter. 
• FAIR (Fairness and Accountability in Reporting) has their most-read stories for 2024. This includes some of the usual for last year line of "the economy is fine, look at the numbers you ungrateful peons," which for me boils to asking the wrong questions. But, as I often say, I am not a pundit nor play one on TV. 
• ProPublica also has their list of most read stories for 2024. Unlike FAIR's list, this list is a bit more balanced and realistic. Among their topics, we get stories on American militias, the company that helps insurance companies deny you coverage (and then some folks wonder why people want to free Luigi), and the fraud of Walmart's financial services. 
• The Root has their list of worst Black moments of 2024. I usually avoid stories with slide shows, but I figured this topic was worth a look. Among the highlights are some notable deaths including James Earl Jones and Nikki Giovanni. 
• Religion News Service has their list of top 10 religion stories of the year. Among the highlights, the Roman Catholic church had their Synod on Synodality and the United Methodist Church actually did something constructive and overturned their ban openly LGBTQ+ clergy and same sex marriages. There is also a story about what could be my dream job: being a (Roman Catholic) church approved hermit. This particular story is better because the hermit recently came out as being transgender, and the church so far is going along with it. 
• If you are in Texas or have an interest in Texas, the Texas Observer has their list of most-read stories for 2024. One or two of my four readers may recall I did a sojourn in Texas. It being Texas we get stories on government corruption, Neo Nazis, and Christofascists. 
• In keeping it rural, The Daily Yonder has their year in review. Among their highlights was a story on queerness in rural areas. They also highlight some rural prison journalism and some environmental stories. 
• In higher education and academia, according to Inside Higher Ed, it was a year of closures and mergers.  
• Colossal has their list of top articles of 2024. If you want to read a few things on topics like arts, this may be for you. 
• RAND Corporation, the think tank, lists their big policy stories for 2024. Topics include competition with China, education, and the rise of AI. 
• ABC News at the billion-dollar disasters of the year. We are talking natural disasters, not fuckery like the 2024 elections in the US.
  
• In photography:
• For some humor, My Modern Met has a list of amusing photos that won the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. 
• Reuters has a 2024 in photos feature. It highlights a lot of floods that happened in 2024. 
• Religion News Service has their list of photos of the year.
   
•  JStor Daily lists their most popular stories for the year. Want to read something other than the usual news, this is a good option. 
• And we wrap up this part with the Rude Pundit's annual tradition of haikus for the end of the year. 
• Part One. 
• Part Two.
• Part Three.
• Part Four.
  

 

A bit from around the world 

 

•  The Walrus has "2024: Year in Review." This list of stories has a more international perspective and offers stories about the rest of the world because no, contrary to what gringos think, it is not all about the U.S. Topics here include women in Afghanistan, dissidents in India, and mass market mountaineering (this you may want to read). 
• My Modern Met offers a list of 45 best photos from around the world in 2024. Check this out to see some beautiful photos. 
• Reporters Without Borders reports on the many lost lives of journalists covering war zones and repressive regimes around the world.

 

Film, music and television

An old time movie projector

 

Though I stay aware about media through reading about it, media is not really something high on my list of priorities. I am very much a reader, and I prefer to read books and articles over watching and/or listening to film, music, television, and other media. As I have written before, I tend to enjoy the comforts of watching or rewatching older media than worrying about whatever the heck is considered the latest. Yet in order to stay informed, in part because I am a librarian, I do read on the topic, and thus I take time to look over the annual highlight in film, music, and television. I am sure my four readers have probably experienced some of the things listed, so feel free to leave me a comment with your favorites, or perhaps which ones to avoid. 

• Film. Since I gave up going to movie theaters years ago, movies and film is not an area I worry too much about. I read enough to know what is in theaters, plus in social media people often can't shut up about whatever they're watching in theaters or streaming, so I manage to stay informed. For me, I usually watch stuff when it makes it to physical media, so I can borrow it from the library, or much later find it on a free streamer like TubiTv. Anyhow, let's see what others considered good or not in 2024. 
  
• Sojourners lists their top movies of 2024. From their list, I had heard of Furiosa (the Mad Max movie), Dune: Part 2 (I am waiting to watch this once it is complete, and I may want reread the book), and Conclave. 
• Rolling Stone always has lists of pop culture items in various categories. Here are their 10 best horror movies for 2024. I admit that aside from the new remake of Nosferatu I had not heard of any of these movies on their list. From their list, the South Korean film Exhuma is the one catching my eye. On a side note, I do enjoy international films, and I have often found some very good selections on TubiTv. Exhuma is the kind of thing they might pick up down the road. 
• UPI offers a list of "2024 worst movies." A lot of these are pretty much remakes, rehashes, and other recycled material no one really asked for, but the studios said fuck it and went for one more cash grab only to fail at the box office and/or critically.
   
• Music. This is certainly an area I do not follow very much, so I make this list to remind myself of what is out there and maybe find a thing or two to listen. I'll be honest. I pretty much stayed within my decade of the 1980s, and outside of that, the things I like are few and far between, but I am happy when I do discover something new to me that I end up liking.
  
• Associated Press has a list of 2024's best new holiday albums. I probably should have highlighted this story sooner. Some are new, some are reissues such as Toby Keith's 1995 Christmas album making the rounds again; the man passed away in 2024. List overall combines new albums with some reissues. 
• Among their end of year lists, Rolling Stone has their best country music albums and their best Spanish-language songs for the year. 
• The Guardian lists their best global albums of 2024. 
• Teen Vogue lists 15 best non-English albums of the year.
   
• Television. Yes, I am aware of the various television shows out there. No, I do not give a hoot about most of them, but if they bring you joy, go for it. There are one or two shows I am amazed are still on the air, especially in the reality television genre, but it is what it is. I tend to take comfort watching old favorites. This month, for example, I am rewatching the Granada Television Sherlock Holmes series with Jeremy Brett. For newer things, I just keep an eye out, and if they are good and get a DVD release, I may borrow from the public library. Anyhow, let's see what everyone else seems to be liking or not.
• Decider has a list of the saddest cancellations in television in 2024. I was not sad but apparently some people were. Most of the items on the list were apparently on pay streamers that I just don't have nor care about, so that is probably why I missed them and did not care. I see the first responders drama/soap opera genre, a la Third Watch (which I recently rewatched on Tubi) is alive and well on the list. If they're good, I may catch those down the road or not. No rush here. So, were you sad about any of these? Feel free to comment and give me reasons to seek out any of the shows listed, or warn me away from them. 
• Reality Blurred lists what they consider the best reality TV of 2024. This is a selection of what the author has watched. Article also gives a bit of an overview of the reality TV landscape for the year. Most of these to be honest I could not care less and there are at least one or two I never heard of, and I am at peace with that. I am a bit amazed Survivor is still hanging on. They also have a list of best true crime documentaries for the year. That list I may need to check out as I do like true crime now and then. The article is part of their "best evidence" series where they look at true crime in various ways. You can find a link for the "best evidence" series at top of the article.
  

 

Books and reading

I already did a holiday post on books and reading, so this covers some lists I found interesting that I may have missed and/or came after that post, plus some trivia about books and reading. On a side note, let me mention that I will be writing and posting my end of year reading list and report later this month on this blog, so stay tuned to see what I read in 2024.

• Via Literary Hub, the most scathing book reviews of the year. 
• Religion News Service has a list of their top picks in religion and spirituality. From their list I am currently reading White Poverty.
   

 

 Adult and risque

A nice woman wearing light blue lingerie, next to a Christmas tree, holding up a present. Pin up style

 This is where you can feel free to scroll on down if it is not your jam. But if it is, read on. 

• Pornhub revealed their top searches of 2024. I live in a retrograde puritan state that Pornhub said fuck it and blocked access, so you can read the summary in The New York Post. Post article includes link to the report if you live somewhere other than a shithole Christofascist state. 
• Clips 4 Sale, based on their data, finds that "chastity" is their 2025 Fetish of the Year. The NY Post has a summary if you prefer. Not my jam, but if it makes you happy and everyone consents have at it.
  

 

 

Miscellaneous

These are stories that did not fit any of the categories above and/or just random trivia.

• Word of the year, depending on which dictionary you ask.
• Cambridge Dictionary chose the word "manifest." Via Reader's Digest. 
• Dictionary.com chose "demure." Via ABC News. Apparently we can thank a couple of Tik Tok folks for that one. Whoop dee doo. 
• Oxford University Press chose "brain rot." Story via CBC. That one seems pretty applicable for the year and going into 2025. 
• Merriam-Webster settle on "polarization." Story via AP. Another very relevant word for this year and going into 2025. 
• FactCheck.org presents their 2024 FactCheck Awards. This looks at some unusual, odd, and/or cheeky political ads for the year. They also have a list of the Whoppers of 2024. Yes, there was a lot of lying and bullshit from public figures, so what else is new? 
• In more awards, EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) looks at the worst data breaches of the year.
  
• 2024 was a year that you could not get away from AI no matter how hard you tried, and it seems to be getting worse as we go into 2025. The Verge offers an AI year in review. 
• The Root looks at the wildest political moments of 2024. No, the Pendejo In Chief making a comeback is not the only wild moment. Among the highlights, remember JD Vance's "childless cat ladies" comment? 
• Google reveals their top search trends for 2024. Story via The New York Post. 
• Mother Jones has their list of Heroes and Monsters for 2024. 
  
• What is a yearly summary without a list of notable deaths? 
• The Latin Times has a list of notable deaths. This list features celebrities, public figures, and others. It does have quite a few names you might not have seen in other lists. Among the lost here: Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, Roger Corman, the American B-movies master, and Ratan Tata, Indian industrialist and head of Tata Group. 
• The Root looks at Black celebrities that died too young in 2024. 
• Religion News Service looks at faith leaders who died in 2024. Most of these folks did some good, but as often happens, there is at least one asshole on the list. 
• For the pagan community, they are facing the deaths of pagan pioneers and elders. Via Religion News Service.
  

Predictions for 2025

Predictions was a new category I added to this in 2023. People love to make all kinds of predictions about new year, and I found quite a few. This year I am breaking this down into trends, you know the pundits, experts, and gurus who tell us what to expect, and into esoterica where we look at things like astrology, Tarot, and other esoteric ways to predict what will happen. 

Trends: 

• Nieman Lab has their predictions for journalism in 2025. Some of these seem a bit optimistic, such as publishers figuring out that AI is not that lucrative, but we will have to see. 
• In his last show of the year, late night show host Jimmy Kimmel makes some predictions for 2025. Article includes link to the video clip. Via Daily Beast. 
• Quartz offers a list of predictions from various hoity toity people like bankers and bitcoin "experts." 
• Vox does something a bit different. They went back and looked at the predictions they made for 2024 to see which ones came true and which ones did not. Out of 24, they missed 10, so they got a bit more than half right. Among the predictions they got right: The Pendejo In Chief's return to the White House, climate getting hotter (I think that was kind of a low fruit given the climate patterns), and that Mexico would elect a woman for president.
  

 

Predictions and looking at the future:

A fluffy cat with a cloth on head, necklace, and crystal ball. Text: Let me check my crystal ball.

 

•  Reader's Digest presents some horoscopes for 2025. 
• From Teen Vogue: 
• Their 2025 horoscopes by astrological sign. 
• Their 2025 horoscopes based on the best songs of 2024. Not sure how well or not this works, but the idea caught my eye.
   
• Via OM Times: 
• Their 2025 Tarotscopes. You get a Tarot card for each Zodiac sign. 
• Their numerology overview. This year the number 9 is prominent. 
• Want to know how your pets may do in the new year? They got Pawscopes for 2025.
   
• Lisa Eddy, of Angelorum, offers "Angelic Tarot Wisdom for 2025" and also discusses the significance of 2025 being a 9 year. By the way, 9 is the number of The Hermit in Tarot. On a small side note, I consider The Hermit-IX one of my personal cards. Her post includes a Tarot spread you can try out.
  
• Theresa Reed, The Tarot Lady, has her "Ultra-Deluxe Superfly Astrology Guide for 2025." This has just about everything you may want to know about astrology in the year and then some more. This includes things such as dates, retrogrades, and other astrological details. This may be one to keep handy. 
• I did a small Tarot spread for New Year 2025. Feel free to check it out.
   

 

Media Notes: Roundup for December 2024

 

  

 

This is a somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during  December 2024.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available).

It's the holiday season, so I am tried to watch some holiday movies. For the most part, these were comfort watches for me this month.

• A Christmas Carol (1984. Fantasy. Literary Adaption. Drama. Christmas). This is the adaptation with George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge. This is one of my top favorite performances, and I am rewatching this year. I commented on this previously back in 2018. I did not rate it back then, but this is one I would give a 5 out of 5. A good classic, and one worth rewatching. Scott does give a great performance in the role, and the rest of the cast do good work as well. I do like the Ghost of Christmas Present in this one. Watching this year via TubiTv on 12/15.
• A Christmas Karen (2022. Comedy. Holidays. Literary Adaptation). I commented and reviewed this when I first watched it in 2022. I also watched it in 2023, so it may be starting to become a holiday tradition for me.
   

 

Other movies I may watched. These were new to me:

• The Devil Conspiracy (2022. Horror. Supernatural. Science Fiction). Plot description: "A powerful biotech company has breakthrough technology allowing them to clone history's most influential people with just a few fragments of DNA. Behind this company is a cabal of Satanists that steals the shroud of Christ, putting them in possession of Jesus' DNA. The clone will serve as the ultimate offering to the devil. Archangel Michael comes to earth and will stop at nothing to end the devil's conspiracy"  It sounded just strange and a tad ridiculous enough that I figured why not give it a chance. The company basically clones babies from the famous people, then sells them for bid to rich folks wanting a seriously gifted child. Meanwhile, the satanists move with their plans after stealing the shroud. Michael returns, possessing the body of a young priest the satanists killed, because heaven forbid he just appears and starts kicking ass as an angel. Apparently angels need a host to manifest on Earth, so they hope to use a woman to carry the new Lucifer to term. Film feels a bit like Jurassic Park, just with humans instead of dinosaurs, Rosemary's Baby, and The DaVinci Code with a few horror elements. Plot has some interesting points, as long as you do not start asking too many questions about the rules the plot sets. It is a fantasy, but still some degree of making sense is needed, and at times, it seems some of the rules are there to either move the plot or restrict the main character somehow. Pacing is somewhat inconsistent, and Michael in the body of the priest suffers some serious restrictions that after a while just feel like he is being held back more for the sake of the plot. Most of the movie is also filmed very darkly, so there may be a scene or two where it is not easy to make out what is happening. Plot is a bit all over at times. The horror element is fairly tame to be honest. In the end, the movie drags at times and meanders at others, so it fails to draw you in. After about an hour in, you just want it done. The premise has potential but the plot and pace are just slow, inconsistent and all over the place, and just not that interesting. One good thing it has is some of the soundtrack with various songs referring to angels and demons. Whoever chose those songs had a good ear and connected to the film. I wanted to like this, but it really was a drag. This is one to skip. 1 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/7.
• Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy (2024. Documentary). Plot description: "Pulls back the curtain on the world's top brands, exposing the hidden tactics and covert strategies used to keep all of us locked in an endless cycle of buying, no matter the cost." Documentary combines people from various business industries who are basically whistle blowing and interviewed about how they got people to keep buying with news footage and other material. The speakers basically teach us and discuss the tricks of the trade. A detail that caught my eye, as often is the case, some of the former workers of these corporations were happy to do the work without thought for consequences. It was all about the greed and the good money. Then, for one reason or another, they found a conscience. Take that for what it may worth. By the way, the visuals are very good as well. Overall, interesting, compelling, but also a bit disturbing once folks start learning the truth. This is one I would highly recommend, though I have a feeling a lot of people who should watch it will likely ignore it. If you already know or stay informed, there is not much new here though. It's still pretty good. 5 out of 5 stars. Watched online on 12/13. 
• Cocaine Cougar (2023. Horror. Thriller. B-movie). Plot description: "A Black Cougar high on cocaine escapes an animal testing facility and wrecks havoc on Los Angeles." Another entry in the "wild animals on drugs" genre. I saw someone mention this on social media, and given I've watched some other movies in the genre, I said what the heck, let's check it out. Film opens with a note it is based on true events, but I am doubtful of that claim. Then again, Cocaine Bear  (link to my review) was very, very loosely based on true events, so who knows. The heavy metal music opening with some black and white scenes of sort of shaky camera in a lab is not exactly impressive. It takes 6 minutes of the filler music and opening credits before we get into the film; keep in mind it is a film listed at about 50 minutes, so we got after the opening about 44 minutes to go. After a very brief news break telling us about the escaped cougar, we move to some bimbo and her boyfriend (we presume) filming her as she talks about being a breathatarian (I had to look up the term. I thought it was some made up bullshit, but it is just some plain bullshit). To be honest, I am rooting for the cougar to eat them within a minute or so. The plot goes downhill from there. By the way, the actual cougar is done in some really bad CGI; the cougar point of view is just red lens to let us know it is the cougar eyes. The acting is pretty bad. As I said, plot is downhill into practically non-existent, and what little horror effects the movie has are pretty pathetic, not even laughable. Also, the soundtrack is not much better. Then suddenly 40 minutes into the run time, the movie abruptly ends with about 10 minutes left on the clock, and we just get the cast credits, then the end credits. In reality you get about 34 minutes worth of actual film, if you can call what you watch a film. 0 out of 5 stars because this is not even worth rating. You can skip this in confidence you are not missing anything. Watched 12/14 on TubiTv. 
• House (1985. Horror. Dark comedy. B-movie). Plot description: "A troubled writer moves into a haunted house after inheriting it from his aunt." Part of what caught my eye is the cast. William Katt, known for The Greatest American Hero series, George Wendt, known for Cheers series, and Alan Autry, known often for In the Heat of the Night series, and Richard Moll, often known from Night Court series, are in this one. Katt is the protagonist. It's like they picked actors from here and there. Roger (Katt) is a horror writer who is having a bit of a writer's block, or rather, feels a need to write a book about his time in the Vietnam War when readers, his agent, and publisher want some more horror. His aunt commits suicide in the house he eventually inherits, though some suggest she may not have been "mad" enough to commit suicide. He tries to write, but soon starts seeing various things in the house, plus memories of the war. The movie has a tag of "dark comedy," but to be honest, the comedy elements they attempt are neither dark nor terribly good. Most of the humor is based on his eccentric neighbors who keep appearing to pester him at the most inopportune times, and George Wendt performs that role fairly well. The plot gets more ridiculous as the film moves on, less horror, not quite comedy. Basically we keep wondering what else can happen to the guy in the haunted house. By the way, the horror effects are basic; they are more practical effects. If they had gone for the horror elements, could have worked better. Gore is relatively minimal. After a while, the movie does start to feel a bit long. In the end, the movie is neither horrifying nor particularly funny. The humor is more on the awkward moments kind of humor, which I at least do not find that amusing. I am not sure what many see in this dragging  mess of a film that is neither horror nor that funny to qualify as comedy. Kind of boring to be honest. Based on this, I will be skipping the sequels. 1 out of 5 stars. Watched 12/22.
  

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes.

• Sherlock Holmes (1984-1994 series). This is the popular run produced by Granada Television in the United Kingdom with Jeremy Brett in the title role. TubiTv just got it, and I am starting with the first series: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which has 13 episodes. This is one of my all time favorite series, so when I saw Tubi got it, I decided to start watching through it again. I managed to watch up to episode 9 of the first series. I really like they did a very good job staying faithful to the original stories.
  
• The other series are: The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
   
• Whose Line Is It Anyway? (1988-1999. British. Comedy. Improv). Plot description: "The programme's format was on a panel of four performers conducting a series of short-form improvisation games, creating comedic scenes per predetermined situations made by the host or from suggestions by the audience." I continue watching the original British series on Tubi. I am about halfway through the episodes on Tubi.
  

 

Holiday Post 2024: Books and Reading

Welcome to my third post in my holiday series. Today I am looking at books and reading. I will look at some book lists, and see if there are any books I may have read and/or any books I would like to read down the road. If I read a book and reviewed it, I will add a link to the review so you can check it out as well. If I mention a book for my TBR list, I will include a WorldCat link so you can find it in a library near you. I will also add any other stories about reading during the holidays season as I find them. Additionally, as much as I can, I am trying to feature links that are not paywalled, but keep in mind some may go behind a paywall after a certain amount of time. 

My four readers may know by now that, while I read a lot, I do not read a lot of what is on the popular lists out there. I pretty much look around, find what I like, and I read that. So doing this post is also a way for me to see what is out there and to see if there is anything I may have missed that I should consider.

On a final note before we get to the lists, I will note in addition that some books on these lists may be of interest, but if they are published by one of the publishers or their imprints I am currently boycotting then I am not reading them. I am not too concerned about this since there are plenty of independent publishers who are not assholes and publish fine books to read. 

A Christmas tree made out of books, with lights

 

Big Lists

 This is a small sampling from the big lists everyone mentions during the season.

•  The New York Times has their list of 100 notable books for 2024. It was accessible when I looked at it, but it may get paywalled at some point, so keep that in mind. List is divided between fiction and nonfiction. I can say I have not read a single work of fiction from their list, and after looking it over, I am not interested in looking for them. A lot of it is the usual mix of literary fiction, which I am not usually interested in, but if it is your thing, you may want to take a look. From the nonfiction titles, I have All the Worst Humans on the TBR list. I also tried to read Chop Fry Watch Learn; I checked it out from the public library, but was not able to get to it so had to return it unread. I may try it again later. Overall, the usual hoity toity kind of books that I often am know about but tend to avoid since they do not interest me, but again, if this is your thing, check it out. 
• NPR has their list of books they love for 2024. This is an interactive page where you can look at books in different categories. There is some small overlap between this and the NYT list, but there are plenty of unique selections here. From their main list:
• Thank you please come again about gas stations in the South and their role in their local communities sounds interesting, so adding it to my TBR list. 
• Got The Secret History of Bigfoot on the TBR list. 
• Chop Fry Watch Learn is also on this list. 
• Cloistered: my years as a nun sounds interesting enough to add to my TBR list. I feel that it may have similar appeal factors to The Witching Year, which I recently read. 
• I did read Horror For Weenies. 
• If you must, here is Amazon's best books list for 2024. The main list has their 20 best, then you can search by categories.
  

Lists from Newspapers, Magazines, Periodicals, and other Websites

 These are general lists from various periodicals and websites in no particular order.

• The Guardian has various lists of best books for 2024.
• Time has their list of 100 must-read books of 2024. From their list:
  
• I have Questlove's book Hip Hop is History on my TBR list. My library ordered it, and I have it checked out to read soon.
• Publishers Weekly has their best of 2024 lists up. I am linking here to their nonfiction list, but you can find links to their other categories at the site.  From this nonfiction list: 
• I have Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church on my TBR list. 
•  Here is Esquire's best nonfiction for 2024. From this list: 
• Paper of Wreckage: an oral history of the New York Post, 1976-2024 : the rogues, renegades, wiseguys, wankers, and relentless reporters who redefined American media sounds interesting, so adding it now to my TBR list.
•  The Progressive Magazine lists their favorites for 2024. This list comes from the magazine's writers. 
• Booklist has their editors' choices for 2024.  From this list: 
• I have Latinoland on my TBR list. This is one our library ordered, and I have it checked out to read soon. 
• I just finished reading Lies That Kill; I will have a review here on the blog soon.
• Foreign Affairs has their list of best books as chosen by their reviewers. If you are interested in politics and current affairs in the U.S. and abroad, this list may be for you. I may need to go back to this list and take a second look. From the list: 
• Latinoland made the list, which is in my TBR list.
• The Independent (UK) has their list of best nonfiction for 2024. If interested, they also have one for fiction. From the nonfiction list: 
• Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon sounds like it could be interesting given the very shaky history of the company, especially in recent times. I am not a big business reader, but now and then I do find a business history here or there to be interesting to read. 
• Here are the best books that the folks at Mother Jones read in 2024. 
• Smithsonian Magazine has their list of best books, in a few categories like best in history or best in science.

 

Lists by genre

 As stated, some lists by specific genres and fields of interest. In no particular order.

Crime, mystery, and thrillers

• From CrimeReads, their lists of psychological thrillers and of crime novels. 
• Mystery Tribune has their list of favorite crime and mystery books.
• Reality Blurred offers a list of best true crime books for the year.
   

 

Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative

• Reactor offers an ambitious list: their readers' choice for the most iconic speculative fiction of the 21st century. Out of 500 responses to a poll, they got their list down to 10 books. They also then add some additional titles in various categories as highlights. From their list:
• I read All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries, Book 1; link to my review).
• I've also read first three volumes in the Death Note manga series. Here is my review of the first volume. I do hope to read the rest of the series down the road. 
• I have read the first three volumes of Saga. Find my review of the first two volumes here.
• I've also read the hardcover trades of The Walking Dead, until the 9th volume where I bailed out. Once I figured out it was mostly soap opera blended with who can be the biggest bully and asshole, I lost interest. 
•  Literary Hub has a list of th1 17 best in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. 
• Here is the best science fiction and fantasy from Polygon.

 

Horror 

 I have been trying to read horror a bit more recently. It could be just a reading mood, or it could be a reflection of the Hard Times we are living in.

• CrimeReads has a list of their best horror fiction for the year.
• From their list, I've read Chuck Tingle's Bury Your Gays, which I mentioned previously.
   

 

Some miscellaneous lists for fun

A few other lists on various topics just for fun. Maybe you will find something of interest here.  

• Cory Doctorow of Pluralistic has his list of all the books he reviewed in 2024.
• Book Page has a small list of holiday romances if you like that kind of thing.
• Brittle Paper has a list of 100 notable African books. 
• World Literature Today has their list of 75 notable translations.
• Louisville Public Media has a set of 10 biographies and memoirs that may be of interest.
• Banned and challenged books were a big deal in this past year, and I get the feeling with the incoming regime in the U.S. that situation is going to get worse. Anyhow, PEN America has a list of the 11 most banned books for 2023-2024 school year. 
• Back in Puerto Rico, Rafah Acevedo writing for Claridad makes his list of the best books they read in 2024. Here is his second list (he is stretching it over more than one article). This focuses on Puerto Rican literature mostly. (Spanish language article).
• Alison Green of Ask a Manager has their list of all their 2024 book recommendations. No, they are not business or work related. 
• Climate and Capitalism has a list for the reds and greens. This is a list focused on climate change, environment, and capitalism.
• Harvard Public Health Magazine has a list of 10 books in public health.
• I Heart Sapph Fic has a small list of top 5 Sapphic books for 2024. 
• Tricycle has a list of best Buddhist titles for 2024.
  

 

Once more, thank you for reading and stopping by. Stay tuned for the final installment on this holiday posts series where I look at "What the heck happened in 2024?" This one will get posted shortly into 2025. In addition, I will be posting my annual list of books read and reading report where I look back at the books I read in 2024. 

In the meantime, have a safe and happy holiday season.

Holiday Post 2024: Gifts, Strange Things, and Other Shopping

Greetings and welcome to the second post in the Holiday Post series here at The Itinerant Librarian. Today we are looking at gifts, strange things, and other shopping. I will be honest: a reason I do this post is to poke fun at some of the ridiculous (to me at least) items on the many gift guides you find out there. If it is not the outrageous costs in some of them that presume you own a small island and a private jet it's the ridiculous nature of some of the impractical luxury items. In addition though, I do try to find some bits of good information to provide advice during the holidays shopping season. To my four readers, thank you for stopping by.

Tips and advice for holiday shopping

Text: if you are going home to an unsupportive family this holiday season, remember that you worth is not defined by what they say or how they treat you.

•  If you shop online and/or you are mailing gifts during the holidays, you may want to be mindful of shipping deadlines. USA Today has a handy summary of shipping deadlines in 2024 for USPS, UPS, and FedEx. To be honest, by the time you read this, if you want it by Christmas, you should be done or close to done with online shopping by now. I got my holidays shopping done early, so I am good to go.
  
• The holidays are often a time where people spend money, a lot of money, or gifts, trips, food, and other experiences. Please, whatever you do, do not go into debt just for the sake of the holidays. Salon has an article on "how to get through the holidays without breaking the bank." Some of the suggestions they give are things I do. I make a list and a budget, and I stick to them. I also shop early where I can, and I take advantage of every sale, coupon, and rebate that I can. For example, as a cartomancer and card deck collector, I time my shopping to when the major publishers have sales, then shop accordingly. Do make sure you keep an eye on prices and do some comparison shopping. Make sure you are getting a good discount versus a fake price reduction, i.e. they mark it up to then mark it down and pretend you are getting a deal. Do your homework when you shop. 
• Newsweek went and asked a few financial experts for advice on how to save money over the holidays.  The best bit of advice: "... stay out of the stores!" Well, there ya go, easy and done.
  
• The Lexington Herald-Leader suggests shopping with a bit of mindfulness and to consider shopping at vintage and thrift stores. I would just add to that to shop at an actual independent and local vintage store. Support a local small business and find something unique and hopefully at a reasonable price.
  

 

General Gift Ideas

Some gifts wrapped under a Christmas tree

• Sometimes you just can't decide on a specific gift. Maybe you just want to offer some easy and convenient, and a gift card often feels easy and convenient. Mental Floss looks at "the 20 best gift cards to buy this holiday season."  I would suggest to make sure you are aware of terms of a card such as any additional fees, activation fees, and expiration dates if any. For example, if you get an Amazon card, once you enter the balance in your Amazon account, they do not expire. The article does not really recommend "network" gift cards, i.e. Visa and Master Card, due to their activation fees, but I will say I've used them and while you lose a bit on the activation they can be flexible. Just do make sure you use them up. 
• Shopping online? The Met has a list of unique gifts you could find on Etsy. I will be honest and say I do not shop on Etsy, but I do know a few people who do. I will be honest, from the list, the ceramic items do not interest me. I live in a town that has a strong craft culture, and a lot of the local artists here do ceramics. If I want a vase or a mug, all I have to do is walk a few blocks from my library to find them. Having said that, the list does have some pretty things. 
• Want to find something unique and interesting, and you're willing to drive a bit to get it? The Rural Blog encourages readers to shop rural. You help support small rural communities, and you might find something you would not have found in the usual big city places.
  
• The Washingtonian has a small list of 10 ideas. The first item on the list is a trinkets dish, also known as a "catchall." The one in the article is a small glass dish, which to me reminds me somewhat of an old school glass ash tray, used to keep little trinkets. Are there really that many folks who use one of those, and if they do, do they have a fancy glass one? For me, that sounds more like the type of thing my grandmother may have had, but maybe there are folks nowadays who still use them. The $199 three-month fancy ice cream subscription seems a bit much for me, but then again, I am not a denizen of Washington D.C. 
• Perhaps you are moved to give to charity. In these Hard Times where scammers and con men are plentiful, you may want to do some research before you donate. On their blog, the Library of Congress offers a guide to researching charities for the holiday season.
  

 

Specific niche gifts

A fluffy grey tabby cat dressed like an elf. Text: all I want for Christmas is food.

• For the book people. I will have another holiday post later with book lists, a bit more reader's advisory kind of post. Here, I am featuring some lists suggested for gifts and some suggestions for things book people may enjoy that are not books. 
• Vulture offers their 2024 Books Gift Guide. It is a bit focused on Hollywood and celebrity gossip and biography. The list also features some anniversary editions of popular selections. 
• Above the Law has a list of 15 best nonfiction books. The best part? These are books that are not memoirs or about politics. Some of the topics include falcon thievery, women and the Grand Canyon, Paris (the one in France), and craft beer.  
• This may appeal to the book people as well as folks who enjoy good notebooks and/or stationery.  The Well-Appointed Desk has a list of various links to guides and vendors dealing in things like notebooks, stationery, inks, and other items. See if you find something you may like for a gift or for yourself. 
• BookTrib claims they got the "One bookish gift guide readers won't want to miss." I think it may be optional for me, but if you want some nice gifts a bit on the high end side, this may be for you. 
• Book people often are also notebook and stationery people, and for those folks Notebook Stories has a last minute gift ideas for the notebook people.
  
•  For the tech folks. 
• The Verge has a list of holiday tech gifts under $50. Most of the gifts on the list are technology related. The USB-C hub caught my eye as a practical device. The list also includes a Tarot deck of all things: The Women of Science Tarot deck priced at $29.95 (link to Bookshop.org). It seems a bit more of a gimmick theme deck, but I am sure some folks may appreciate it.  
• For the music folks. 
• The Lexington-Herald Leader has some suggestions for the music enthusiast in your life including box sets of music and books. 
• For the gamers. 
• Boing Boing has a list for the tabletop gamers, with a bit of emphasis on RPG.
• For the ladies who may like to read and/or want something cozy. 
• Smart Bitches Trashy Books have a pair of cozy guides.
  
• For the crime buff and mystery fan.
• CrimeReads has a holiday gift guide with things like Goldfinger themed socks, some books, and even a LEGO set. 
• For the Pokemon fans. 
• The Mary Sue has a list of 12 gifts for them. 
• For anime fans.
• CBR has a list of best anime holiday gifts. 
• For people with money to burn.
• Want to splurge early? Christian Dior has a $4,000 advent calendar. Read about it at Reader's Digest where they tell you what the calendar includes.
  
• I have no idea who Todd Snyder is, but Rolling Stone has a list of some of their hoity toity expensive gifts. (Turns out they are a very high end men's fashion store). Among the selections, they got a $198 sweater, a $228 pair of weathered jeans, and a $70 candle. Definitely not on my hoi polloi budget. 
• This could've gone under "Alcohol and Spirits" below, but this list of Kentucky bourbon whiskies for gifts features items on the expensive side. I don't know too many people who can afford to buy a whole barrel of bourbon to bottle and share...maybe. Via Lexington-Herald Leader. 
• And finally for this part of the post, ¡Hola Papi! has a "heinous gift guide" for when you have to give a gift to that person you absolutely hate or for some other evil reason. Let us be honest. At times, especially at the office, you may be stuck having to bring a gift for that one asshole, so this list may prove helpful.
  

 

 

Alcohol and spirits

Photo featuring various bottles containing beer and spirits with some wineglasses and a beer mug.

•  Drinkhacker has a holiday gift guide for cocktail book enthusiasts. They also usually feature guides to various alcoholic spirits in the holidays, but this small list of books caught my eye. The book Witchcraft Cocktails caught my eye. Interested in the spirits? Well, for example, here is their 2024 list of top tequilas and mezcals.
  

 

Tarot and other cartomancy and esoteric 

A fluffy white cat with a crystal ball. Has scarf on head and a necklace like a fortune teller.

• The Tarot Room offers some Tarot gift ideas.  While the list mentions a couple of Tarot decks, it has more Tarot adjacent gifts a Tarot practitioner may appreciate such as pillows, some home wares, and jewelry. 
• Theresa Reed, the Tarot Lady, has her 2024 Tarot, Astrology, and Mystical Holiday Shopping Guide. You can find decks, books, some jewelry, and links to services, for example, in case you want to book a reading or other service with a mystic professional. From her list of books, I have read Tarot for the Hard Work (link to my review), which I do recommend. I also read The Social Media Spellbook (link to review). 
• Healing Thru Tarot has a holiday gift guide for 2024 with some stocking stuffers. One of the things they list are pocket or mini size cartomancy decks. From their list, I do have the Light Seer's Tarot, pocket edition, which I do highly recommend. I do have the standard size, but for certain things the smaller version is just more convenient, and it is just as good as its big mama. The post features a variety of other items. One thing I would like to get eventually is a good stand or display accessory to display cartomancy cards better.
  
• OK, this is not quite esoteric, but I was not sure what other category to put it in. The Religion News Service has a list that may satisfy the atheists as well as the spiritual folks in your life.There are one or two quirky items on the list.
  

 

This last section is the somewhat risque part of the blog post. If erotica and risque are not your thing, you can stop reading now and go enjoy the rest of the holidays. If you are cool with it, then read on. 

 

Adult and/or sexy gift ideas

A nude blonde pin up girl wrapping a present. Art by Gil Elvgren

• Wicked Sensual got Zachary Zane to "curate" a sensual items gift guide. Some things do look nice. 
• Girl on the Net has a Christmas gift guide for the kinky people.

 

That's all for today folks. Stay tuned for the next blog post in the holidays series where I will be looking at books and reading. In the meantime, thanks for stopping buy and happy holidays.