November, 2017
November 4th, 2017, 1:25 p.m. - "What have we told you about trying to marry off your sister, Ray? Someone rich!"
The Mayor – "The Strike": I assume they purposely showed the Halloween episode a week early knowing people wouldn't tune in on Halloween, and put a boring episode on then instead? 'Cause this was pretty dull. Rating: 3 weird things done in honor of Whitney Day
Speechless – "S-H-SHIPPING": The kids are kind of taking over the show. Not that that's bad, of course, but it leaves Minnie Driver and John Ross Bowie with little to do, which is a shame. Still, the episode was fun. Rating: 4 cars decorated like pirate ships
Modern Family – "Ten Years Later": Jesse Tyler Ferguson doesn't get to do stuff like this very often, but I always appreciate it when he does. Rating: 3 wedding dresses that don't fit anymore
Supernatural – "The Big Empty": This episode was just meh, but I might actually watch a show about a shapeshifting grief counselor. Rating: 3 times I made a "...what?" face at whatever accent Misha Collins was using
The Good Place – "Derek": Thank you, show, for the excellent use of Jason Mantzoukas. Also, thank you for the revelation that Chidi "once tried to rent socks." Rating: 4 games of croquet
Will and Grace – "Rosario's Quinceanera": Booooooring. Rosario deserved better. Between this and the lack of Maya on Speechless, this wasn't a good week for Minnie Driver. Rating: 3 shoehorned-in guest stars
November 5th, 2017, 3:15 p.m. - When your body is a cage
36. Hunger (Roxane Gay)
Up next: The Perfect Stranger (Megan Miranda)
November 11th, 2017, 11:32 a.m. - Like I said last month, she won me over
37. The Perfect Stranger (Megan Miranda)
Up next: Priestdaddy (Patricia Lockwood)
November 12th, 2017, 4:05 p.m. - "My great-aunt lived to be 119. But she said the last 40 years were mostly just coughing"
Ghosted – "The Machine": They're really starting to find their groove. Now they need to give the supporting cast more to do. Rating: 4 chronos machines (not cronuts machines, sorry)
The Mayor – "Will You Accept This Rose?": Yawn. This show is much better when they focus on Courtney trying to help people, rather than his personal life. Rating: 3 self-promiting selfies
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "Bad Beat": "You're a virgin. That's an order" almost had me on the floor. Thanks, Andre Braugher! Rating: 4 teeny meatballs Amy ate too much of
Supernatural – "Advanced Thanatology": Billie's still around! And she got a huge promotion! Good for her! Rating: 4 plague masks, which are creepy no matter the context
November 18th, 2017, 1:29 p.m. - "He's a dentist. He's used to telling stories to people who can't get away"
Ghosted – "Sam": I love that, after working with Kristen Bell multiple times, Adam Scott has now worked with her husband. Dax Shepherd was great in this role. On the negative side, gee, I wonder who the new enemy is? Could it be the guest star who use to be on a hit TV show but only had one scene? Rating: 4 coffee designs
The Mayor – "Here Comes the Governor": I felt like there was too much going on in this episode. They should have split the plots up over two episodes. Rating: 3 guns Val owns
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "The Venue": If nothing else, this episode showed what a great pair Jake and Amy are together. They complement each other perfectly. Rating: 4 bags of rice. For the children
Speechless – "B-R-I-BRITISH I-N-V-INVASION": The actor playing Logan was good; I'd like to see more of him so we can find out why he and J.J. hate each other. This episode needed more Holland Taylor, though. Really, everything could use more Holland Taylor. Rating: 4 father/son duets
Modern Family – "Winner Winner Turkey Dinner": I giggled a lot at this episode, which is always a good sign. I like when they do plots with multiple pieces that fit together. Rating: 4 medals Claire didn't actually earn
Supernatural – "Tombstone": I liked a lot of this episode, but I just...don't care about Jack. Sorry not sorry. Rating: 4 cups of coffee Dean needs before you can talk to him in the morning
November 19th, 2017, 3:13 p.m. - Maybe should have workshopped that title
38. Priestdaddy (Patricia Lockwood)
Up next: Little Fires Everywhere (Celeste Ng)
November 25th, 2017, 1:27 p.m. - "How many half sisters did you say I have?" "I only told you about the sisters?"
Ghosted – "Ghost Studz": I didn't like this plot when it was the Ghostfacers on Supernatural, and I didn't like it here. Nice use of the guest stars, though. Rating: 3 fridges that are actually portals to another dimension, or whatever
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – "Two Turkeys": God bless whoever cast both Bradley Whitford and Jimmy Smits on this show. That was a beautiful decision. Rating: 4 severed thumbs
Supernatural – "War of the Worlds": KEVIN TRAN! That is all. Rating: 4 powers Lucifer no longer has
November 27th, 2017, 6:36 p.m. - The title of Ng's first book, Everything I Never Told You, would also fit here
39. Little Fires Everywhere (Celeste Ng)
Up next: The Long and Faraway Gone (Lou Berney)
This felt like reading Roxane Gay's diary. More people need to write and talk about what she writes about here.
An excellent twist on the "someone's dead and someone else is missing" story. This was well-paced and had some great twists. I'll be looking for more from Miranda.
I love Lockwood's writing, but I wanted more here – more about her childhood as the child of a priest, more about her moving away from Catholicism, and definitely more about her husband, who's hilarious. I don't know if would like Lockwood's poetry, but I'd definitely read another book by her.
The bar was low for this book, since I didn't like Ng's first one that much, but this was one I simultaneously wanted to speed through and savor. It took 100 pages to get to the plot outlined in the summary, and I didn't even care.