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 2023 reading list, 2022 reading list, 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 and Favorite Childhood Reads. 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. Here is a lengthy list of my favorite sitcoms (which I update regularly).
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
- New Apocrypha: guide to strange sciences. John Thomas Sladek
- Shere Hite Reader. Anthology. Much better than I expected it to be.
- Eros the Bittersweet: An Essay by Anne Carson. Didn’t finish it, but a nice poetic work about Greek conceptions of love and desire. (Will be returning to it).
- Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin. (Actually reading before the Netflix series comes out).
- Oxford Book of American Poetry. Edited by David Lehman. I’ve enjoyed browsing through this anthology.
- Ten Years in the Tub. Nick Hornby.
- Various manga books, esp in the Nana series by Ai Yazawa
- Legends of the Ferengi (Star Trek DS9 Tie In). by
- Rapture by Susan Minot.
- Music by David Byrne (A great memoir/how to guide for musicians).
- Planet Funny by Ken Jennings.
- Death Ship by B. Traven
- Curse of the Appropriate Man by Lynn Freed.
- 60 Songs that Explain the 1990s by Rob Harvilla. (From his podcast).
- Vietnamese Boat Person’s Journey by Cuong Tran. Memoir by a Houston friend.
- Dangerous Visions (sci fi anthology edited by Harlan Ellison)
- Record Collecting for Girls by Courtney Smith
- Ideas and the Novel by Mary McCarthy
- Legends of the Ferengi. (Star trek novel)
- Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
- Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters etc. Graphic comedy novel for young girls about summer camp.
- Making of Romantic Love (Longing and Sexuality in Europe, South Asia and Japan 900-1200 CE) by William M. Reddy
- Working by Robert A. Caro. Work secrets of the famous LBJ biographer.
- Cunning Linguists. An erotica anthology
- Joy Divisions by Scott Dimovitz
- Best short stories of Garry Kilworth
- Clockwork Phoenix 1. Anthology of SFF.
- Win Every Argument by Mehdi Hassan
- Dawn of Everything: New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow
- Night at the Circus by Angela Carter.
- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. rereading.
- Rebellious Heroine by John Kenneth Bangs. (rereading)
- Language of climate politics : fossil-fuel propaganda and how to fight it by Genevieve Guenther.
- Autocracy Inc. by Anne Applebaum
- Summer Abroad by Ivan Brave. Bilingual novel by Houston-based Spanish speaking author.
Watching
- Silo
- Blues Brothers (again)
- Mrs. Davis. Mediocre fantasy revenge tale about a nun-turned superhero. Nothing really new is happening here.
- A few random episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and 90210 (seriously!)
- Fisk. Wonderful and quirky Australian sitcom about a middle age attorney who handles probate cases at a small law firm.
- Loudermilk. (on Netflix). Here’s a raunchy series about a curmudgeon ex-rock critic and recovering addict who runs AA meetings at a local church. I watch this show with Mom, and we both love the variety of situations and people who come through these meetings. Add to this mix that one of the AA Regulars is comedian Brian Regan (one of my alltime comedians) and that there are a lot of snide reference to alt-rock musicians and a killer soundtrack. We can’t get enough of this 3 season show.
- My Dead Ex. Teenage sitcom starts with an absurd premise (a nerdy boy accidentally dies while romancing his childhood sweetheart) and adds another absurd premise (he returns from the dead and can talk to her and has to stay within 30 feet of her at all times); this short-lived but very charming show just has so much fun with everything.
- Killer of the Flower Moon.
- Woman in the Wall. Somewhat mediocre Irish mystery about mothers forced to give up their babies and how the Catholic church falsely claimed they had died. Ended better than it began.
- Beau is Afraid. (Didn’t Finish).
- Beyond Utopia (2023 — Documentary, as a PBS episode of Independent Lens which is also available online) tells a harrowing story about two attempts to transport North Korean refugees to South Korea by smuggling them into China and taking them to Vietnam and Laos and finally to Thailand. On one level it describes the past and present political situation in North Korea effectively and dramatically. (Did you know that many young children in North Korea have witnessed public executions?) On another level it focuses on one family’s effort to reunite, with actual footage of the family during the perilous journey. It’s both a heroic and inspiring film.
- SILO (Apple TV). I am enjoying Season 1 of this miniseries about an indoor underground colony which lacks any knowledge of history or any idea about why they cannot go to the planet’s surface. Several things puzzle me, and I admit it’s interesting to try to figure out the rules and secrets of this colony. I just want to call attention to an event in Episode 1 which is both puzzling and intriguing — it happens when one of them goes outside in a spacesuit.
- “RUSTIN” is a superb (and, yes, inspirational) biopic of a “complicated” civil rights leader who organized Martin Luther King’s 1963 March on Washington. Surely Colman Domingo deserves to win an Oscar for best actor, but everything about the film was wonderful — excellent cast, great script, great music, unafraid to deal with “hard” issues. Also, it offered a different perspective on King and other civil rights leaders.
- Dicks the Musical. Great raunchy musical.
- Past Lives
- Beverly Hills 90210. Early episodes.
- True Detective. Bad
- Prometheus. Same old Alien stuff.
- To the Lake. Russian epidemic series. Very good production values and acting, but I tend to dismiss all entries in that genre.
- Boy Swallows Universe. Australian coming of age about two brothers of drug-dealing parents. A lot of violence and grossness even though the child roles are inspired. Dropped out after two episodes.
- Frybread Face and Me. Wonderful coming of age movie about a young boy at an Indian reservation.
- Criminal Record. I normally hate shows about cops and murders and lawyers. But I enjoyed the ambiguity in the characters. Midway through, I wasn’t even sure whether the protagonist was seeing things correctly. (The show eventually and predictably vindicated her, but at least it raised the possibility that the viewer shouldn’t accept everything she thinks, which is good).
- Oppenheimer. So-so biopic whose story frame just doesn’t have enough drama to justify being filmed. So it was all about confirmation hearings for a Cabinet Secretary? The story was well-told (although it was strange that black-and-white scenes was often about scenes in the present than about the past). As a history lesson it was fine, but as a literary narrative it didn’t have enough poetry.
- Constellation. Mediocre European supernatural sci fi.
- The Creator. Gareth Edwards. Had high expectations, but too much army fighting armies. Who cares?
- Persian-Version. Persian immigrant experience as told in a multigenerational NY family drama. Crazy and upbeat and guaranteed to keep your attention.
- WW2 Series: The Pacific, and Masters of the Air (sequels to Band of Brothers).
- Broad City. Hilarious, frenetic and very raunchy comedy about two young girls in NYC. As much as I am enjoying it, I wish it did not have to rely so much on Judd Apatow raunchy/gross humor. Acclaimed and lasted for 5 seasons, but low ratings. Outrageous and fast-paced farce about two single girls getting in all kinds of trouble in NYC. Great scripts and immensely talented cast; I just wish it didn’t rely too much on gross humor, masturbation and sexual references. Hey, it would be nice to be able to recommend this show to other family members! Update: After finishing it, I really loved it!
- The Neighborhood with Cedric the Entertainer.
- Elsbeth — Mediocre detective procedural with comic protagonist.
- Gentleman of Moscow. Really wonderful old-fashioned tale of early Soviet Union.
- Still Games — wacky Scottish sitcom about old retired farts.
- Baby Reindeer
- 20 Days in Mariuopal.
- Ripley –stylized tale of a con artist in Italy. A bit too slow for my liking; I felt like I was always trying to write the con man’s next move.
- Manhunt — aftermath of the presidential assassination of Lincoln. It’s not better than TALL TARGET but it provided a good historical perspective.
- Mildred Pierce
- Urinetown (musical play) — wonderful performance at U of Houston about this cynical haunting political musical satire. It was a lot darker than I expected, and I laughed a lot more than I expected too.
- Hijacking of Flight 601. Columbian comedy thriller.
- Downfall (again).
- Trying. British sitcom about a couple trying to adopt a child.
- Burn After Reading. Crazy Coen brothers comedy about spies, lovers and greedy people get caught up in mayhem.
- Bodkin. True crime podcasters visit a small town in Ireland which was the scene of the crime decades ago. Their appearance stirs things up. A twisty, comic, suspense series. A very strange plot! We loved it!
- One Life, with Anthony Hopkins. About Nicky Hinton, the British banker who arranged several Kindertransport for Czech Jews to England during WW2.
- Fancy Dance. Trouble in the Indian reservation with Lily Gladstone
- “Problemista” (on MAX) is a surreal comedy about an El Salvadoran immigrant with dreams to design toys in NYC. While awaiting word on his internship (and work visa), he works for a crazy woman (played by Tilda Swinton!) trying to get her husband’s paintings at a major art gallery. It’s crazy and surprising and hilarious — stylistically it reminds me of AMELIE and BEING JOHN MALKOVICH. Swinton will surely get an Oscar nomination for this one, and the writer/director/star Julio Torres is an amazing talent. Former SNL writer, he’s also done comedy specials and has two comedy series on MAX. I was laughing the whole time.
- John Wick 4 — A mindless, pointless movie. Watched it under duress. What a terrible movie.
- Presumed Innocent. Rather far-fetched crime drama which broke a lot of rules. I disliked.
- Lessons in Chemistry.
- “Big Eyes” is a fascinating story based on the life of painter Margaret Keene who painted pictures of expressive children who had big eyes and how her husband ended up taking credit for her paintings and commercial success. Interesting plot and characters – and a terrific final scene. Also, topnotch acting by Amy Adams – who always excels. I was pleasantly surprised to find the movie directed by Tim Burton, and I was struck by the compositional beauty and radiant colors in almost every scene. Every scene of this movie could have been a painting. No spoilers, but I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the real-life artist herself appeared in a scene near the beginning of the movie. She was the old woman sitting at a park bench relaxing….. and looking at nobody in particular.
- TETRIS (2023) tells the crazy and entertaining story of the race by a game company to obtain a license for the Tetris videogame from the Soviet government in the 1980s right before Gorbachev lost power. The movie captured the uncertainty and chaos and deception of trying to do business in the late Soviet world and how suspiciously the Soviets viewed Western businesses (and vice versa). Actually a lot of the backstabbing occurred between the two Western companies competing to get an exclusive license. Never did I imagine that a movie about business negotiations would be so exciting, so sad and so hilarious.
- Sunny. SF Comic-horror series.
- Lady in the Lake. adaptation of Laura Lippman thriller novel.
- Teacher’s Lounge. Great controversial story about a teacher who accuses a school worker of stealing.
- Plus One. Entertaining romantic comedy about two platonic friends who agree to be their plus one at weddings they had to go to. Guess what — they fall in love! Actually kind of bawdy and quirky.
- Kleo — misguided series about a girl who is an East German Stasi killing machine. Semi-competent, but the body count piles up quickly.
- Troppo. Wonderful and edgy Australian detective series.Highly recommended.
- Bad Monkey — Florida-themed wonderful crime miniseries based on a Carl Hiassen novel. I wanted to hate it, but the dialogue and characters were first rate. Update: It got sillier as the series went on, but I decided to stick with it.
- Breaker Uppers.
- Women in Blue. series about Mexican policewomen solving a serial murder case.
- Trial and Error — silly farce about a lawyer defending people of murder in a small Southern town. Two seasons worth with outstanding defendants — John Lithgow and Kristen Chenoweth. Lots of the one liners and sight gags are stupid; just wait a minute or two, and a great one will come along.
- The 100. Teen survival story about teens sent to populate Earth 100 years after a nuclear war. This is definitely teenage angst material, but the premise has lots of potential. I admit it, this is a Canadian production and I loved the scenes of the natural outdoors. Update: The story is too sadistic. I turned off pretty quickly to that.
- Pachinko. Started.
- The Forgotten War. WW2 drama taking place in the Netherlands.
- Kath & Kim. Wow, this Australian sitcom just keeps getting wilder.
- Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
- That Nineties Show.
- Opening Night
- Beetlejuice. Rewatched original 30 years later!
- John Adams (historical drama). Excellent and fun and historically accurate. Ben Franklin was a gas!
- Chuck — rewatched.
- Time Lapse. Rewatched. Even more convinced of its brilliance.
- Civil War. 2024 movie that really didn’t have point to it other than that journalists depend on violence.
- Boomers. Delightful British sitcom about older couples.
- Loot. Mediocre sitcom about a gossipy rich woman played by Maya Rudolph.
- Thelma. Delightful movie in the “old people are funny” genre. Some nice surprises, and a supporting role by Parker Posey.
- Pretty Smart. Funny California sitcom about a brainy East Coast sister who visits her sweet airhead California sister and ends up living with her. Stars Emily Osment from Young Sheldon and Young and Hungry.
- Nobody Wants This. Sitcom miniseries about a hip young rabbit and a shiksa (played by Kristin Bell) who are attracted to one another but face enormous cultural and family roadblocks.
- Perfect Couple. Drama about a death of the maid of honor on the day before a wedding. Very plot-oriented, with top notch actors, but kind of pointless.
- How to Rob a Bank. Crime documentary on Netflix.
- American Nightmare. Crime documentary on Netflix about police ignoring claims of kidnapping. Shocking and made-for-TV tale, which drips the revelations out.
- Lincoln Lawyer. Season 3. Formulaic pap, but I like the actors and the roles.
- River Ridge. Revenge fantasy for African-Americans. It feels a lot like Rambo rather than a genuine effort to address a social injustice.
- First Man. Harrowing tale of Neil Armstrong’s practice missions and his stormy relationship with his wife as he prepared for the big mission. Some of the space footage is really scary.
- Plebs.
- Challengers.
- Cabrini
- Alex Edelman: Just for Us. (comedy act)
- Diplomat.
- Six Feet Under. A little too many cadavers for me.
- Mister Moon. Sitcom about a boy growing up in Ireland in the 1980s. Oh, yes, the boy has an imaginary adult friend.
- CBS Procedural Shows: Tracker, Elsbeth, Matlock. Not really a fan of any of the shows. Matlock is sort of fun (it’s run by the people who made the Good Wife and the Good Fight).
- Shrinking. Comic soap opera surrounding an office of 3 counselors/therapists who are in each other’s business. Starring Jason Segal as an overly nice therapist who can’t maintain a professional distance from patients. Topnotch cast, but I had a hard time believing that the therapists would be so chummy with each other and have such dysfunctional personal lives.
- Blitz. Mother-son drama taking place during the London blitz in 1940. Son is sent away to the country to avoid it, but he misinterprets and jumps off the train. This leads to a series of Oliver Twist like adventures of his journey home.
- Mr. Mom. Minor John Hughes 1980s flick about the wife going to the office while the unemployed father takes care of the kids. Dated and childish.
- NO HARD FEELINGS Teenage Sex Comedy starring Jennifer Lawrence. JL is hired to sleep with a smart nerd by his parents. This teenage sex movie worked surprisingly well and had lots of unexpected humor. Leave aside that Lawrence is super hot and it’s hard to imagine that anyone would regard her as representative of the “underclass,” there were lots of social messages percolating underneath all the fun. Oh, wow, the writer/director Gene Stupnitsky is Ukrainian-American who used to write for the Office and other sitcoms.
- Black Doves
- The Sticky. Average crime heist about the maple syrup syndicate taking place in Canada.
- Juror #2. Average story about a juror who is conflicted when he discovers at the beginning of a murder trial that he may have accidentally killed the victim. Directed by Clint Eastwood, it was saved somewhat by stellar acting.
- We Are The Millers.
- Bridget & Eamon. Offbeat portrayal of married life in 1980s Ireland. 4 seasons. Just started, but one of the looniest things I’ve ever seen. Strange cuts, silly plots, odd double entendres and incomprehensible Irishisms. Also everybody talks so rapidly half the time I don’t know what’s going on. But I’m loving it! It feels more like a Pythonesque skit show than a genuine sitcom.
- The Enlightened. HBO/Mike White self-help comedy starring Laura Dern.