Idiotprogrammer: Texas Literary Blog

What I’m Watching/Reading 2022

As of October 2011, I created an index of books I reviewed here. I will continue to list books I am currently reading here, but I will not attempt to write capsule reviews or even to link to them. For that you should check the index of books I reviewed. Movie Reviews will continue to be listed and annotated as before. See also my 2021 reading list,  2020 reading list,  my 2019 reading list, 2018 reading list,  2017 reading list,  2016 Reading/Watching List, my 2014 Reading/Watching List, my 2013 Reading/Watching List, 2012 Reading/Watching List, 2011 Reading/Watching List,  2010 Reading/Watching List, 2009 Reading/Watching List, 2008 Reading/Watching List , 2007 Reading/Watching List my previous Sept 2004 to Oct 2005 reading list or my Nov 2005 to Nov 2006 Reading List , so definitely check that out as well. See also my Best of 2006 for a scoop about favorites. See also Writers who have Changed Me. A few remarks. I’m reading several books at a time, and to be honest, sometimes I don’t read all of them depending on the content or my interest. Usually however, it’s been a matter of attention span and what other projects I’ve been doing. Also, you might want to check my favorite novels, and my Amazon.com wishlist. Also here’s an annotated photo of my bookshelf Also, I haven’t read most of these books, but I’ve been setting up Amazon lists of classic Texas novels (100 novels and counting). You also might enjoy reading my Amazon list of Unforgettable Forgettable Novels. and my Film Recommendations for 1st year college students. Also see my Best of 2017 list. I’ve also started adding my book inventory to librarything.com. At the bottom of this page you will find a list of movies I’ve been watching.

Starting in late 2018 I started writing a weekly Robert’s Roundup column of ebook deals. This actually gives you a better idea of what I’ve been reading. In 2021 I started a monthly column called Music Discoveries and a parallel one called Auditory Ruminations (about one artist).

Reading

  1. A Wild Goose
  2. Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
  3. Ultralearning by Scott M. Young
  4. Devil’s Sperm is Cold by Marco Vassi
  5. What Wild Ecstasy: The Rise and Fall of the Sexual Revolution by John Heidenry — for my Vassi essay.
  6. Erratic Facts by Kay Ryan. just great poetry.
  7. Best Practices for a Health Heart by Sarah Samaan. Read it during an insomniac bout. Written in 2011 by a cardiologist. Good summary of everything.
  8. Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski. Well rated book on sexuality. Interesting concepts and anecdotes, but seems more geared towards a female audience and toward reaffirming that they are all normal and sexual.
  9. Indispensable Composers by Anthony Tommasini. A really well-written introduction to classical composers.
  10. What do Women Want by Daniel Bergner. Long pieces about human sexuality by a journalist. Fascinating and readable, though the Malcolm Gladwell approach to a subject has limits.
  11. Asphalt Warrior Vol 1 by Gary Reilly. Delightful.
  12. Various Postsecret Books.
  13. On Animals by Susan Orleans
  14. Forget the Alamo by
  15. Catch me if you can by Frank W. Abagnale
  16. Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill
  17. Minion by LA Banks.
  18. The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch.
  19. Evil Geniuses by Kurt Anderson.
  20. Overheated by Kate Aronoff by climate change journalist.
  21. Unlearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott Young
  22. Redundancy of Tautology: 80 acerbic poems by Leilanie Stewart
  23. Indistractable by Nir Eyal.
  24. His Name is George Floyd by Robert Samuels and Tuluse Olorunnnipa. A milestone of journalistic biography.
  25. Space, in Chains by Laura Kasichke
  26. Riverside by Robert Hillyer
  27. Great Influenza by Joseph W. Barry
  28. So tell me about the last time you had sex by Ian Kerner
  29. Becoming Cliterate by Dr. Laurie Mintz
  30. America is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan
  31. Forget the Alamo by L.A. Banks
  32. Valley/Estampas del Valle by Rolando Hinojosa
  33. When Paris Sizzled by Mary McAuliffe
  34. Quantum Night by Robert J. Sawyer
  35. Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill
  36. Dawn of Everything by David Graeber.
  37. Erotic Mind by Jack Morin. Very important book about sexual attraction.
  38. More poetry by Robert Hillyer, plus novel Riverhead
  39. Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein. Lots of scuttlebutt, but I’ve been reading the section about post-war Paris.
  40. Tenth of January by George Saunders. (audiobook). Enjoyable.
  41. Girl’s Story by Annie Ernaux
  42. Road to Unfreedom by Timothy Snyder
  43. Topics of Conversation by Miranda Popkey
  44. Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
  45. How to Make Your advertising make money by John Caples. Classic 80s work.
  46. Tell me what you want by Justin Lehmiller. sociological work.
  47. Gentle Degenerates by Marco Vassi.
  48. Roger Ebert’s 4 Star Reviews 1967-2007. Great reviews, but wish it had an index.

Watching

  1. A Hero (written and directed by Asghar Farhadi)
  2. Curb Your Enthusiasm (rewatching seasons 6 and 7 surrounding the reunion of Seinfeld)
  3. Don’t Look Up. directed by Adam McKay. Initially it seemed like heavy-handed satire, but I’ve watched it again, liking it even more as a climate change parable.
  4. French village.
  5. Fallout directed by Megan park
  6. Around the World in 80 days. Remake starring Dr. Who’s David Tennant. Fun.
  7. Napolean Dynamite. Rewatched.
  8. Under the Silver Lake.
  9. Psych. Detective comedy about a phenomenally observant man who solves crimes and persuades the local police department he’s a psychic. Update: Though occasionally humorous, the formula gets old very quickly.
  10. Power of the Dog.
  11. Wolf Like Me. Australian miniseries on Peacock. Part of the fun is not knowing what kind of show this is supposed to be.
  12. Summer of Love. Concert documentary about a series of Harlem concerts in the 1970s.
  13. Licorice Pizza was full of surprises: a look at the anarchy of young adulthood, a notalgia trip through California in the 1970s, a series of misadventures and chasing after I-don’t-know-what. I can’t tell you how many times during the movie, I thought to myself, “what the heck is going on?” In a moment, everything changes, and you can only go with the flow. But I definitely enjoyed the people and the journey (and the movie’s visuals, which are about as 70s as you can get). Reminds me of Forest Gump, Dazed and Confused, American Graffiti.
  14. Night Of. HBO special
  15. Eyes of Tammy Faye
  16. King Richard. Overshadowed now by Will Smith’s punch at the Oscars, this was nonetheless a compelling performance about trying to be a parent of extraordinary children.
  17. Belfast. Simple and understated child memoir which deserved more acclaim than it ended up receiving.
  18. Nightmare Alley
  19. West Side Story. Stephen Spielburg version
  20. Lucille ball documentary.
  21. Lost Daughter.
  22. Abbott Elementary, ABC comedy hit.
  23. Upshaws. Hilarious Netflix comedy starring Wanda Sykes. One of the year’s best!
  24. Lincoln Lawyer
  25. Ozark — Season 4. Bored by it.
  26. Doctor Who Season 13.
  27. Pig
  28. Kiss of the Spider Woman.
  29. Apollo 10 1/2. Richard Linklater.
  30. Napolean Dynamite. Again.
  31. Contact, rewatching Carl Sagan film.
  32. Catch me if you can
  33. Earth Girls are Easy (again). Just a wonderful movie, which grows better with time, and I’ve grown to appreciate the artistry of Julie Brown.
  34. The Bear
  35. Black Bird, drama about prisoner being recruited to be an informant about a murderer in his next cell. Why is American TV obsessed with serial killers? Overall, this was well-done.
  36. Old Man. CIA cat and mouse thriller, starring A list actors. Sort of silly/far-fetched.
  37. Thirteen Lives, Ron Howard’s film about rescuing the Thai boys in the cave. Well-done I suppose, but it’s worth asking why we need a dramatization when the documentary The Rescue was so great.
  38. This Way Up.
  39. Monty Python 1 Down 5 to Go live concert.
  40. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
  41. Nomadland.
  42. Monty Python’s Personal Best
  43. Encanto movie.
  44. Orville sci fi series. I was shocked at how awful the scripts were for this show that seemed to have so much promise. I wanted badly to like it.
  45. Still Alice. Portrayal of smart female academic who develops Alzheimer’s. Well-acted and done I suppose.
  46. Inventing Anna. Much better comic biopic than I imagined it could ever be. Ends on a good note.
  47. Bad Sisters.
  48. Never have I ever. Mindy Kaling’s project. Started.
  49. Play, Learned Ladies. Moliere.
  50. Hostages, HBO documentary about US/Iran crisis.
  51. Avenue 5, Armando Iannucci’s spoof of space dramas. I would call it a comic disaster aboard a cruise ship set in space. Hilarious.
  52. Watcher, mediocre haunted house Netflix special. Mom dragged me kicked and screaming to it.
  53. Derry Girls Season 3. After waiting 3 years for the final season of Derry Girls to make it to Netflix, I am happy to report that Season 3 of this 90s Northern Ireland sitcom was every bit as terrific as I remembered it. Lots of outrageous Catholic humor (Nuns driving Deloreans!), crazy characters and more jokes per minute than almost any other show I’d watched. Also, a great fun soundtrack that will make anyone nostalgic for the 1990s (And not just the Corrs or the Cranberries!)
  54. God Committee. Did I already mention this.
  55. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Pleasant and ultimately pointless film about a middle-class woman who goes to Paris in search of the perfect dress. This was very well-done and full of surprises; it’s a great look into middle class aspirations and the Parisian scene in mid 20th century.
  56. 2010. SEcond time.
  57. Vice, another Adam McKay political skewering. Not altogether successful, but acting was first-rate
  58. Season 3, Dead to me.
  59. The Crown, Season 3, a little trumped up.
  60. Other Guys, silly Adam McKay comedy.
  61. Good Nurse, biopic based on hospital murderer true event.
  62. White Lotus, 2nd season.
  63. Wednesday, Tim Burton’s Netflix series about the Adams family. smart writing and great design and look.
  64. Best Years of our Lives, rewatched. Still great.
  65. Mr. Baseball.
  66. Shmigadoon, silly
  67. Mythic Quest, TV series.
  68. Edge of Seventeen. I would have liked this kind of film when I was a teenager or even college student, but as a 57 year old, I see it as shlocky and overly melodramatic. Compared to the crass materialism of Clueless or the snarkiness of Clueless, I guess sibling angst is a fresh take on teenage years.
  69. Danish Girl.
  70. Emancipation. Black Slavery escape movie starring Will Smith. Well done, but a bit too savage. Slavery was odious, but we don’t really see the gradations of evil; everybody in this movie is just evil.
  71. Midnight Sky
  72. Into the Woods. Stephen Sondheim musical into film.
  73. Andor (Star Wars series).
  74. Glass Onion (sequel to Knives Out).
  75. Banshees of Inisherin
  76. Tourist. Awful, violent, Australian miniseries about a man with amnesia.
  77. Young Sheldon. Terrific spinoff from the silly Big Bang Theory. I like the Texas satire, intergenerational conflict, personality clashes and the fact that Sheldon is only one part of this weird but appealing family.