Bite Me, Tony

If you've read any previous books by Bret Easton Ellis you already know whether you're a fan or not. I've seen some reviewers complaining that he writes as if he's still stuck in his teenage years--in fact, he's 58--but if that's true, I see it as a positive, at least in the context of his latest novel, The Shards . Told from the perspective of a 17-year-old version of Ellis, The Shards defies easy classification. It's a sort of coming-of-age-cum-psychological thriller with liberal doses of horror, dark humor and bittersweet nostalgia.    Engaging and expertly written, The Shards , set in 1981 Los Angeles, follows aspiring writer, Bret, and his popular, high-living circle of friends as they embark on their senior year at an exclusive L.A. prep school. Concurrently, a series of violent events (serial killer on the loose, home invasions, disappearing pets) has area residents on edge, causing home-alone Bret no small amount of anxiety. At school, a shocking a...

You, Season 4: Eating the Rich I am midway through the 4th season of the popular Netflix series, You , and it appears that we are taking a break until Netflix drops the rest of the season in March. Not my choice but probably for the best, since I'd, otherwise, be binge-watching the entire season in 4 days and then be forced to wait another year for the premiere of season 5. Instead of 11 months. Wait, what ?  This 4th go-round of You may be my favorite season yet. It treads much the same path as recent cinematic fare like Triangle of Sadness , The Menu , and Glass Onion : it's all about skewering the rich. Besides a change of locale (this time to London) and a fetching new supporting cast, our favorite on-the-lam serial killer, Joe Goldberg ( Gossip Girl 's Penn Badgley), has grown a beard and (inadvertently and unwillingly) hooked up with a group of spoiled upper-class snots. Despite Joe's best efforts to turn over yet another new leaf, these Brits are even more ob...

Last month, I skipped over posting a list of the 10 Best Books I Read in 2022 because, frankly, I'm not at all certain that I read 10 books in 2022. And if I did read 10 books in 2022, there apparently weren't 10 of them that left a big impression on me. Call it a lack of focus, a complete breakdown in concentration. Call it what you like. I was a negligent reader last year. However, there are a few books worth mentioning, first and foremost of which is Conner Habib's bleakly engrossing psychological thriller, Hawk Mountain . The story of a divorced schoolteacher who hopes to start a new life by moving to a small New England town with his young son, Hawk Mountain flashes back and forth between the protagonist's high school years and his current situation, as an old nemesis from the past shows up and begins insinuating himself into their lives. What the former bully wants from him is not initially clear, but his actions suggest something nefarious. This novel takes a loo...