Idiotprogrammer Blog

What I’m Watching/Reading 2025

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 2024 reading list,  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

  1. World’s End by George Myers Jr.
  2. How the World Ends by Rudolph Kerkoven
  3. Writer’s Library: The Authors You Love on the Books that Changed Their Lives by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager. Nice interview/book rec anthology.
  4. Death Ship by B. Traven
  5. Lost Among the Stars by Paul Di Filippo.
  6. Science Fiction: 101: Exploring the Craft of Science Fiction by Robert Silverberg. A combination anthology + writing guide. I’m a big fan of anything Silverberg writes and curious about his fiction.
  7. Badtime Stories by William Marquess.
  8. Great Derangement by Amitav Ghosh. Important book of literary and cultural criticism. Traces why the overlooking of climate change in fiction is related to deeper cultural and colonial issues. This opened my eyes on several levels.
  9. Profiles in Ignorance – How America’s Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber by Andy Borowitz. Less of a history lesson than an exercise in mockery; still the commentary and presentation is caustic and always factual.
  10. Vox Populi by Clay Reynolds.
  11. Several things by Lisabet Sarai, including Raw Silk.
  12. Ovid Metamorphoses. Actually surprised at how many of the stories were about rape.
  13. And then there were none by agatha christie.
  14. Decameron. Another try with a newer translation
  15. Spending by Mary Gordon
  16. Swift Thoughts by George Zebrowski. Stories by this cerebral sci fi author.
  17. Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera. 2nd read through.
  18. Encounter by Milan Kundera. Random essays and mini-essays about cultural topics, including the state of the novel.
  19. Paul Baker and the Integration of Abilities. Edited by Robert Flynn. With two great essays by a playwriting teacher of mine Gene McKinney.
  20. The Love Artist by Jane Allison. Historical novel about Ovid’s banishment from Rome. Very thoughtfully written.
  21. Devil Never Sleeps by Andrei Codrescu. (Essays). I will buy and read anything this man writes!
  22. Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh. Dystopian novel of virtual sex, etc.
  23. Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. Deep dive into unsolved political murders in Northern Island in the 1970s. Later adapted into a stellar limited series of the same name.
  24. Shore of Women. by Pamela Sargent. Feminist sci fi from the 1980s.
  25. Whatever You want: We Write, You Decide by Laurence Hayes and Rachel Timms. Satirical erotic British choose your own adventure story. A more clever Sex and the City kind of story.
  26. Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon. Just sampled it, but I’ll be reading it somewhat soon.
  27. Comet Cruise by Niska Morrow.
  28. Married Sex by Jesse Kornbluth.
  29. 1965: Year in Music by Andrew Grant Jackson. Highly recommended.
  30. Bookworm: Conversations with Michael Silverblatt. Transcripts of classic literary interviews. Very highbrow, but my main complaint is that Silverblatt spends too much time delivering literary criticism and analysis without letting the author speak. As an experienced interviewer, I know that a good interviewer should be as reticent as possible when asking pointed questions. I found that I was skipping the long paragraphs of Silverblatt’s commentary and just reading the author’s remarks. See this more complimentary (and thorough) review by Chris Via .
  31. Senior Moments: Looking Back, Looking Ahead by Willard Spiegelman. Essays on aging by Texas poetry professor. The essay on Reading in the middle of the book is one of the most beautiful essays I have ever read!
  32. State of Mind: Texas Literature and Culture by Tom Pilkington. Brilliant survey of literature produced by Texans.
  33. The Magus by John Fowles.
  34. A Confederate General From Big Sur by Richard Brautigan.
  35. Peanuts 1965-1966 by Charles Shultz.
  36. Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino.
  37. Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera.
  38. Ralph and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary.
  39. I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
  40. Memories before and After the Sound of Music: An Autobiography by Agathe Trapp.
  41. AI of the Beholder: Art and Creativity in the Age of Algorithms by Joshua Cunningham.

Watching

  1. Silo. Season 2
  2. Life after Life. TV adaptation of Kate Atkinson’s novel.
  3. Deconstructing Harry.
  4. Goes Wrong Show.
  5. Kath & Kimderella.
  6. Pantheon (animation)
  7. Your Old Ass
  8. Enlightened. HBO series co-created by Laura Dern and Mike White.
  9. Breakthrough. Netflix TV series directed by directed by Lisa Siwe.
  10. Mo (Season 2)
  11. The Head, suspense horror film taking place in Antartica.
  12. Disappearance of Shere Hite. A really lovely and insightful biodocumentary about a sex researcher who suffered from fame and yet managed to maintain her integrity.
  13. Clean Slate. (Amazon Prime) Upbeat sitcom about an Alabama’s father attempt to deal with his returning child who has become a trans female. Great acting. One of Norman Lear’s last projects before his death.
  14. A different man. Fairy tale for adults about an actor with a physical deformity who finds a life-changing miraculous operation that makes him look normal and attractive.
  15. That’s My Boy! British sitcom about a woman who discovers that the household she works as a housekeeper for is led by the son she once gave up for adoption. Just started watching, but the actors are terrific. There’s Mollie Sugden from the longrunning Are You Being Served?
  16. 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.
  17. Back in Very Small Business. 1 season. Australian show about a businessmen who runs several smaller franchises and has to deal with lawsuits, red tape, social influencers and other random stuff.
  18. Aftertaste. Australian sitcom about an irascible chef fired from his job who stages a comeback with his niece. Lots of local color.
  19. Too Close for Comfort. Ted Knight stars in this 1980s sitcom.
  20. The Pitt. Hard-hitting medical drama show. Lots of gross/gory simulations of real-life situations in an emergency room.
  21. Oh, God (for the 3rd time!)
  22. Clean Slate. An old school car wash owner in Alabama has to come to grips with the fact that his son has returned as a trans woman. Apparently was the last show that Norman Lear produced.
  23. Going Dutch.
  24. Adolescence. British miniseries probing a senseless act of violence at a secondary school. Instead of being a traditional series, it magnified 4 scenes. Overall, powerfully done, but a bit too emotionally-manipulative (why depict the young boy as victimized and possibly guilty in episode 1?)
  25. Resident Alien. Great campy sci fi series about an alien who accidentally lands in a Colorado town. Update: By the end of Season 2, it gets kind of lost in small town soap opera drama, but I’m sticking with it.
  26. Just wanted to say that I regularly watch CBS shows: Tracker, Matlock, Ghosts, Neighborhood, Elsbeth, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
  27. Old School. British sitcom with Catherine Tate
  28. Problem with People. Light-hearted feel good Irish comedy starring Paul Reiser, Colm Meaney and Jane Levy. Kind of a silly plot, and the complications were kind of silly, but the “resolution” was so over the top that I forgave it. Also, Irish-Americans love to watch anything with Irish scenery and music. I can’t help NOT liking it for that reason.
  29. Poor Things. Amazingly bawdy tale (and praise for Emma Stone’s standout performance)
  30. Cafe Flesh Blue Ray.
  31. Hereditary. Well-done but ultimately pointless horror tale about a crazy woman haunted by ghostly spirits.
  32. Parenting. Silly horror comedy. I enjoyed it for what it was (plus it had Parker Posey!)
  33. White Lotus season 3.
  34. Three Minutes: a Lengthening
  35. Secrets and Lies. Mike Leigh’s masterpiece.
  36. I’m Still Here. Political drama about a Brazilian woman’s family being torn apart in the 1970s after her husband was jailed.
  37. Forgotten Battle. story of minor Dutch battle during WW2 from the perspective of the soldier and wife.
  38. Doctor Who episodes (at Kathy’s house).
  39. Hacks, Studio sitcoms
  40. Insecure
  41. Portrait of a Lady on Fire directed by Celine Sciamma. I was struck by the slow pace — and in fact a bit impatient about that. But the tenderness and introspection of the movie can’t be beat; these people are inventing their story. Aha, I totally missed out that at the end Heliose is overcome with emotion at a classical music concert. That’s a reference to a previous remark Marianna made about how much more beautiful music is in concerts. Also, I missed the shift from vous to tu form at the last goodbye scene. Also, nice that everything takes place in Brittany, a place vividly described in My Heart for Hostage.
  42. Black Bag
  43. Brutalist
  44. I’ll be right there with Edie Falco.
  45. Patience
  46. Anora.
  47. Vertigo.
  48. The Residence
  49. Insecure
  50. Bee Movie
  51. Mountainhead
  52. Deep Cover
  53. Corner Gas
  54. A simple favor.
  55. Duster. Retro crime series.
  56. Band Wagon. Retro movie.
  57. Sliders. 90s sci fi series.
  58. Tall Target. rewatched
  59. Linguini Incident. 1991 artsy farce which was better beyond my wild dreams.
  60. I like Movies. Wonderful and poignant high school dramedy.
  61. Dept Q. Scottish detective mini-series. Well-done, but the premise (that a woman would be held hostage for 4 years) was absolutely ludicrous.
  62. Pernille. Norwegian dramedy about a divorced social worker/child advocate who has to balance her job with the everyday travails of raising 2 teenage girls. Lots of great moments, and I particularly enjoy how odd some of these European/Norwegian customs seem to an American like me.
  63. Mom (sitcom).
  64. Say Nothing. Harrowing limited series about political extremism in Northern Ireland. Based on the book by the same name about the unsolved murders committed by the IRA. Extremely well done adaptation.
  65. Somebody Somewhere
  66. Shrek the Musical. Hilarious movie of the Broadway musical starring Sutton Foster.
  67. Smoke. Interesting premise for a detective series, but instead it seemed to be about personal vices.
  68. Rosehaven. I was absolutely overjoyed that Season 5 and part of Season 4 ended up on YouTube.
  69. Timewasters. Comic British time-travel show where young black jazz musicians travel back in time to perform jazz in the 1920s.
  70. Leanne.
  71. Red Eye.
  72. Buffalo Bill, 80s sitcom starring Dabney Coleman
  73. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains. 1982 movie about three rebellious teenage girls (played by Diane Lane, Laura Dern and Marin Kanter) who claw their way into the musical world of punks and succeed too well. These musical road movies do tend to be idealized for the cinema, but the characters are always fresh and dialogue always full of surprises.
  74. Pieces of Identity. 1998 Belgian/Congolese comedy about a local African king who revisits Belgium to find out what happened to his daughter. directed by Mwezé Ngangura. Interesting social commentary, with exceptional acting.
  75. Blue Lights. Northern Ireland police drama miniseries.
  76. Time. BBC Britbox show about incarceration. Hits a little too close to home, I’m afraid. Hard pass.
  77. Black Mirror. Common People episode.
  78. Wednesday. Because I was already prepared for disappointment, I was undisappointable. Enjoyed it as an adult watching teen entertainment. Appreciated Billie Piper’s appearance and the family barbs.
  79. Black Adder. Only 1 episode.
  80. King of the Hill. Very special comedy. Reboot satisfies on every level, including by not being that big a deal.
  81. Good Cop, Bad Cop. Small town cop comedy
  82. Fisk. Season 3.
  83. Gilded Age. HBO Historical Costume drama in the same spirit of Downton Abbey. Great acting.
  84. Khandan. Started.
  85. We’re the Millers. Clever & bawdy movie vehicle about a small-time pot dealers who convinces random neighbors to impersonate a family so they can go to Mexico and pull off a drug deal. Kathryn Hahn was hilarious.
  86. Olive Kitterirdge. HBO miniseries and adaptation of Elizabeth Strout’s novel. Great acting and unexpected humor for a story about a gloomy cantankerous woman.
  87. Survivors, Netflix mystery series directed by Tony Ayres adapted from Jane Harper’s novel. About a community still grieving about two young men who died during a storm. Good character study with lots of twists.
  88. South Side. Hilarious fast-paced sitcom about African-Americans trying to get rich in Chicago.
  89. All we Imagine as Light. by Payal Kapadia.
  90. The Task. FBI task force tries to solve some gang killings.
  91. I Give It a Year. Wacky British subversive romcom starring Rose Byrne and directed/written by Dan Mazer. A lot of vulgar/sexual humor — including a digital photo frame and a threesome tryst gone wrong.
  92. House of Guinness. Backstory about the 19th century family who started the Guinness beer empire.
  93. Franklin & Bash. Legal comedy about two bachelor lawyers who always manage to save the day. Puerile entertainment.
  94. Happiness. 1965 film directed by Agnes Varda.
  95. Doctor Who, latest season.
  96. Red Beards, 1965 drama about doctors at a hospital for the indigent. A hefty 3 hours, but still riveting storytelling.
  97. Diplomat. Season 3.
  98. Don’t Look Back. DA Pennebaker’s documentary about Bob Dylan in 1965
  99. The Sting . (Rewatched)
  100. Fist in the Pocket. 1965. By Marco Bellochio.
  101. Death by Lightning. Historical drama about Andrew Garfield.
  102. Strangers with Candy. Amy Sedaris comedy about a female middle-aged ex-con who wants to finish high school.
  103. Goonies.
  104. Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues (and also rewatched the original Spinal Tap)
  105. Son of a Critch. Brilliant Canadian comedy.
  106. Man on the Inside (Season 2)
  107. Minx. Bawdy R-rated series about a feminist who decides to run an adult entertainment magazine in the 1970s. Warning: a lot of male phalluses!
  108. Famous Last Words with Jane Goodall
  109. Devo: The Documentary. Pretty brilliant!
  110. Long Bright River. Philadelphia cop drama about a divorced mom investigating a serial killer. Well-produced and well-acted schlock. Full of twists, but ultimately it is trapped inside the confines of the genre.
  111. Stand By Me
  112. Wake Up Dead Man: Knives 3. More well-produced shlock. Skip it.
  113. Drew Carey Show. Now that the whole series is on YouTube, I’m rewatching.
  114. Pluribus. Mysterious sci-fi fantasy. Only started.
  115. Train Dreams. Great.
  116. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi. A strange movie that was more scripted than it appears. The predominant theme is that people are making movies all the time (and appearing in them and trading in them). Funny and unpredictable, though kind of random.
  117. Winter Sleep, Turkish. By Nuri Bilge Ceylan