movie challenge — BLOG — ANTHONY R. CARDNO

Here’s what I’ve been reading, listening to, and watching in March 2024!

BOOKS

I read 8 books in March: 4 in print, 3 in e-book format, and 1 in audio format. They were:

1. Something is Killing the Children Volume 7 by James Tynion IV, Werner Dell’Edera, Miguel Muerto and others. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL CHALLENGE)

2. Death Comes Too Late by Charles Ardai (E-BOOK, ARC) REVIEW LINK

3. Crone Unleashed (Crone Wars #4) by Lydia M. Hawke (PRINT)

4. Chita: A Memoir by Chita Rivera (AUDIO, NON-FICTION CHALLENGE)

5. The Vineyard Remains by Addison McKnight (E-BOOK, ARC) REVIEW LINK

6. A Voice Calling by Christopher Barzak (E-BOOK)

7. Mammoths at the Gates (Singing Hills Cycle #4) by Nghi Vo (PRINT, REREAD) REVIEW LINK

8. Seven Swords by Evan Daugherty, Frederico Dallochio, Riccardo Latina, Valentina Bianconi, and Dave Sharpe (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL CHALLENGE)

STORIES

Here’s what I read this month and where you can find them if you’re interested in reading them too. If no source is noted, the story is from the same magazine or book as the story(ies) that precede(s) it.

1. “Let the Star Explode” by Shingai Njeri Kagunda, in Lightspeed Magazine #166, edited by John Joseph Adams

2. “An Incomplete Body Has No Answers” by Angela Liu

3. “The Three Thousand, Four Hundred Twenty-First Law of Robotics” by Adam-Troy Castro

4. “Islands of Stability” by Marissa Lingen

5. “Fragments of a Symbiotic Life” by Will McMahon

6. “Kopki and the Fish” by Alex Levine

7. “Only Some of True Love's Miracles” by P H Lee

8. “Season of Weddings” by Sharang Biswas REVIEW LINK

9. “The Home Front” by Charles Ardai, in Death Comes Too Late

10. “Game Over” by Charles Ardai

11. “The Day After Tomorrow” by Charles Ardai

12. “The Case” by Charles Ardai

13. “Goin' West” by Charles Ardai

14. “The Shadow Line” by Charles Ardai

15. “Nobody Wins” by Charles Ardai

16. “Jonas and the Frail” by Charles Ardai

17. “The Deadly Embrace” by Charles Ardai

18. “Don't Be Cruel” by Charles Ardai

19. “Mother of Pearl” by Charles Ardai

20. “The Fall of Man” by Charles Ardai

21. “Fathers and Sons” by Charles Ardai

22. “Sleep! Sleep! Beauty Bright” by Charles Ardai

23. “Masks” by Charles Ardai

24. “My Husband's Wife” by Charles Ardai

25. “Secret Service” by Charles Ardai

26. “A Bar Called Charley's” by Charles Ardai

27. “A Free Man” by Charles Ardai

28. “The Investigation of Things” by Charles Ardai

29. “Hello! Hello! Hello!” by Fiona Jones, in Clarkesworld #210, edited by Neil Clarke

30. “Big Bad” by Chandler Baker, from Amazon’s Creature Feature collection

31. “Best of Luck” by Jason Mott

32. “The Pram” by Joe Hill

33. “Ankle Snatcher” by Grady Hendrix

34. “It Waits in the Woods” by Josh Malerman

So that’s 34 short stories in March. More than “1 per day” for the first time this year, which catches me up a little bit but still behind pace for the year so far. (March 31st was the 91st day of 2024.)

MOVIES

March was an improvement over February because I managed to watch one movie in March:

1. Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)

TELEVISION

· Slow Horses Season 2, Episodes 2-6 (5 episodes) REVIEW LINK

· Love, Death & Robots Season 2, Episodes 1 – 8 (8 episodes)

· Love, Death & Robots Season 3, Episodes 1 – 9 (9 episodes)

· Star Trek: Discovery Inside the Final Season (1 episode)

That’s 23 episodes of television, again not the “1 per day” I was shooting for, but slightly better than February’s total.

LIVE THEATER

It was a good month for live theater:

· Drunk Shakespeare, Ruby Theater, NYC (for goddaughter’s 21st birthday) REVIEW LINK

· Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age, Studio 54, NYC (cabaret-style show)

· All The Devils Are Here, DR2 Theater, NYC (2nd time seeing Patrick Page’s 1-man show about Shakespeare’s villains) REVIEW LINK (from the first time I saw the show; 2nd time was as great)

Summary of Challenges:

“To Be Read” Challenge: This month: 0 read; YTD: 1 of 14 read.

366 Short Stories Challenge: This month: 34 read; YTD: 79 of 366 read.

Goodreads Challenge: This month: 8 read; YTD: 27 of 120 read.

Graphic Novels Challenge: This month: 2 read; YTD: 8 of 52 read.

Non-Fiction Challenge: This month: 1 read; YTD: 4 of 12 read.

Read the Book / Watch the Movie Challenge: This month: 0 read/watched; YTD: 1 read/watched.

Movie Challenge: This month: 1 watched; YTD: 5 of 52 watched.

TV Shows Challenge: This month: 23 episodes watched; YTD: 63 of 366 watched.

Live Theater Challenge: This month: 3 shows attended; YTD: 4 of 12 attended.

The first monthly summary of what I’ve been reading, listening to, and watching in 2024!

BOOKS

I read 10 books in January: 5 in print, 5 in e-book format, and 0 in audio format. They were:

1. What Moves the Dead (Sworn Sword #1) by T. Kingfisher. (E-BOOK)

2. Phantom on the Scan by Cullen Bunn, Mark Torres, David Sharpe. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

3. What Feasts at Night (Sworn Sword #2) by T. Kingfisher (PRINT, ARC (publishes February 2024))

4. Highlands Book One: The Portrait of Amelia by Philipe Aymond. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

5. Highlands Book Two: The Survivors of Blackwater by Philipe Aymond. (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

6. We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker. (E-BOOK)

7. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. (E-BOOK)

8. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire. (AUDIOBOOK, REREAD)

9. The Birds & Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier. (E-BOOK)

10. Hellstrom: Evil Origins by Gary Freidrich, Herb Trimpe, Don Perlin, Bill Mantlo, and others (PRINT, GRAPHIC NOVEL)

STORIES

I have a goal of reading 366 short stories (1 per day, essentially, although it doesn’t always work out that way) this leap year. Here’s what I read this month and where you can find them if you’re interested in reading them too. If no source is noted, the story is from the same magazine or book as the story(ies) that precede(s) it.

1. “Five Views of the Planet Tartarus” by Rachael K. Jones, in Lightspeed Magazine #164, edited by John Joseph Adams

2. “Shadow Films” by Ben Peek.

3. “Night Desk Duty at the Infinite Paradox Hotel” by Aimee Ogden

4. “We Shall Not Be Bitter at the End of the World” by David Anaxagoras

5. “A Saint Between the Teeth” by Sloane Leong

6. “In the Tree's Hollow” by Lowry Poletti

7. “Farewell to Faust” by Adam-Troy Castro

8. “To Be a Happy Man” by Thomas Ha

9. “The Silver Sea” by Seanan McGuire, on the Author’s Patreon

10. “Ten Thousand Crawling Children” by R.A. Busby, Nightmare Magazine #136, edited by Wendy N. Wagner

11. “The Forgetter” by Andrew Snover

12. “The Birds” by Daphne du Maurier, from The Birds & Other Stories

13. “Monte Verita” by Daphne du Maurier

14. “The Apple Tree” by Daphne du Maurier

15. “The Little Photographer” by Daphne du Maurier

16. “Kiss Me Again, Stranger” by Daphne du Maurier

17. “The Old Man” by Daphne du Maurier

18. “The Carnival” by Richard Chizmar, stand-alone chapbook published by Cemetery Dance

19. “End Game” by Martin Edwards, stand-alone chapbook published by The Mysterious Bookshop

20. “Nothing of Value” by Aimee Ogden, from Clarkesworld #208, edited by Neil Clarke

21. “Down the Waterfall” by Cecile Cristofari

22. “Willow Wood” by Linda Neihoff, from Beneath Ceaseless Skies #398, edited by Scott H. Andrews

23. “Home Bread” by R.E. Dukalsky

24. “Miriam” by Truman Capote, Fantastic #2 (1952)

25. “The Star Dummy” by Anthony Boucher

26. “Most of ‘81” by ‘Nathan Burgoine, from the Author’s Website

So that’s 26 short stories in January. A bit less than “1 per day.” (January 31st was, of course, the 31st day of 2024.)

MOVIES

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), directed by James Gunn (STREAMING, Disney+)

2. Gamera the Giant Monster (1965), directed by Noriaki Yuasa (DVD)

3. The Birds (1963), directed by Alfred Hitchcock (DVD)

4. Gamera vs. Barugon (1966), directed by Shigeo Tanaka and Noriaki Yuasa (DVD)

TELEVISION

· Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1, episodes 4 – 8 (5 episodes) (SEASON REVIEW HERE)

· What If…? Season 2, episodes 2 – 9 (8 episodes)

· Slow Horses Season 1, episodes 1 – 6 (6 episodes)

· Slow Horses Season 2, episode 1 (1 episode)

· A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1 episode)

That’s 21 episodes of television, again not quite the “1 per day” I was shooting for.

LIVE THEATER

1. Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, NYC)

Summary of Challenges:

“To Be Read” Challenge: This month: 0 read; YTD: 0 of 14 read.

366 Short Stories Challenge: This month: 26 read; YTD: 26 of 366 read.

Goodreads Challenge: This month: 10 read; YTD: 10 of 120 read.

Graphic Novels Challenge: This month: 4 read; YTD: 4 of 52 read.

Non-Fiction Challenge: This month: 0 read; YTD: 0 of 12 read.

Read the Book / Watch the Movie Challenge: This month: 1 read/watched (“The Birds”); YTD: 1 read/watched.

Movie Challenge: This month: 4 watched; YTD: 4 of 52 watched.

TV Shows Challenge: This month: 21 episodes watched; YTD: 21 of 366 watched

Live Theater Challenge: This month: 1 show attended; YTD: 1 of 12 attended.