Monthly Archives: December 2018

Favorite books of 2018 and year in review

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Jeroen Admiraal

2018 has been an exceptionally good year in terms of my own consumer decisions. I have never read so many books that I would wholeheartedly recommend to others. I started some amazing series and took up some rereads and golden … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Lists | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Catherynne M. Valente – Space Opera (2018) Review

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Jeroen Admiraal

I’m not sure what Catherynne Valente has been smoking, but it must have been a lot of fun. This is one crazy roller coaster ride of a novel, and I don’t mean in the dramatic emotional sense, but in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Science fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Review

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Jeroen Admiraal

9/10 This is not only my favorite animated movie of the year, not only my favorite comic book movie of the year (and that’s in the year that featured Avengers: Infinity War), but it may even be my favorite movie … Continue reading →

Posted in movie review, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018) Review

Posted on December 22, 2018 by Jeroen Admiraal

With the live action The Jungle Book from 2016 still fresh in our minds, this second live action adaptation is an odd, unasked-for release. I don’t think anyone seriously wanted another live action remake, except perhaps for the director and … Continue reading →

Posted in movie review, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Aquaman (2018) Review

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Jeroen Admiraal

A.K.A. Wet Panther. The story is pretty much what you would expect from the well-known, often used template of a lost heir who has to return to claim his true place on the throne. Sounds like The Lion King, or, … Continue reading →

Posted in movie review, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Robert Jackson Bennett – City of Stairs (2014) Review

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Jeroen Admiraal

Also in this series: City of Blades (2016) City of Miracles (2017) City of Stairs is one of those novels where you have to sit down and spend some quality time with it – pour the novel some tea, listen … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fantasy | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Christmas Chronicles (2018) Review

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Jeroen Admiraal

A Christmas story about a young girl trying to catch Santa in the act with her old video camera. At least, that is how it all starts out. Young Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy (Judah Lewis) are brother and sister … Continue reading →

Posted in movie review, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Neal Stephenson – Cryptonomicon (1999) Review

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Jeroen Admiraal

Thirty pages in and I knew I was going to love this book. A hundred pages in and I am floored by how much I am enjoying this and how well it is written. And then to think that my … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Science fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) Review

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Jeroen Admiraal

I was looking forward to this film because I enjoyed the previous Fantastic Beasts quite a lot, and I was ready for Harry Potter stories without Harry Potter and all those other characters. The Crimes of Grindelwald was a pretty … Continue reading →

Posted in movie review, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Venom (2018) Review

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Jeroen Admiraal

It is rather strange to give classic comic book villains – Venom, The Joker – their own movies. Villains exist in opposition to the heroes; it would be like filming The Dark Knight without the Joker. If you, instead, make … Continue reading →

Posted in movie review, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments