Under a Black Rainbow

I'm not interested in ending the year with some grandiloquent summation; the years are what they are now, some better than others.  Instead, here are some things that I enjoyed this year that really stood out as quality experiences that you might also enjoy.  - Buch *     *     * MUSIC   Every year brings about new artists, new sounds, or new albums from artists I already know. This year's biggest surprises are below:  Cigarettes After Sex -  X's (2024) Standout joints: "X's" & "Dark Vacay" Listen here and here , respectively. Cigarettes After Sex are one of my most recent favorites, having taken over in my adult brain the places where Morphine lived in my teenage brain. Ironically, Morphine feels like the more grown up, adult version of Cigarettes After Sex, though both are perfect for their respective moods. CAS, however, seems to hit that perfect mark when looking back into old romances with naivete and wistfulness.  Sunni Colon...

  NOVEMBER  (4 books | 926 pgs) 99.)  Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 8 (Graphic Novel, 144 pgs) |  5/5 100.) Poe Knows: A Miscellany of Macabre Musings (Nonfiction, 255 pgs) | 3/5 101.) Uncanny by Junji Ito (Nonfiction, 301 pgs) | 5/5 102.) Saint the Terrifying by Joshua Mohr (Fiction, 226 pgs) | 5/5 *     *     * I didn't expect to hit 100 books read this year, but I'm glad to have hit the benchmark after so many years of reading being a struggle. I'm sure I'll read another two or three, but the holidays tend to make it tough to read, what with all the family stuff that goes on and all the friend stuff that goes on beyond that.  Thanksgiving was a small, but great, affair this year. Three very close friends joined up to carve out pieces of a deliciously cajun-smoked turkey brought over by my boy Kid Domino (yes, his real name). We played a few games, had entirely too much Fireball, and simply enjoyed a drama-free day with each other...

Today was the fifth anniversary of my father's passing. Just like that day five years ago, today was my writing session with my writing partner. I didn't get much done, but that's how it goes sometimes. This Atlas of Bone & Sorrow project has a way of suckerpunching me repeatedly while trying to make my way through it. I may need to focus on something else for a little bit, return to it in short spurts here and there so I don't get caught up in my own swamps of despair.  After our session, I finished sorting through old boxes I'd pulled from the storage unit I emptied last week. Old photos and letters and report cards and art projects - from myself, my siblings, and even old shit from my mother's youth - have been sitting in my living room for over a week waiting to be sifted through and given some level of importance: keep for later review or toss in the trash.  Weird day of marinating in things of the past. Wasn't intending to do so, but here we are.  ...

  OCTOBER  (5 books | 909 pgs) 94.)  The House of Slaughter, Vol. 4: Alabaster (Graphic Novel, 160pgs) |  5/5 95.) Critical Role | The Mighty Nein Origins: Beauregard Lionett (Graphic Novel, 56 pgs) | 5/5 96.) Critical Role | The Mighty Nein Origins: Cadeucus Clay (Graphic Novel, 56 pgs) | 5/5 97.) A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll (Graphic Novel, 256 pgs) | 3/5 98.) Anthology of Emo, Vol. 1 by Tom Mullen (Nonfiction, 381 pgs) | 3/5 *     *     * August and September were super anemic on the writing front. Between being sick for much of August and then having so many events happening in September, I just never got back into the swing of things. Really tried to do more with October as I took the last week off for vacation, but other life stuff got in the way and I was forced to spend much of my free time handling that.  I remain in a creative rut, at least somewhat. There are little sparks here and there every so often, but the dam is sturd...

  Sorry this one's a little late y'all. I ended up getting sick for a couple weeks in September, which put me out of commission for a little bit. But, as promised, here's a follow-up to my last batch of horror movies for the fall. Some I saw earlier this year, but the majority are new for me. Some of the older classics may surprise you, even though they've been on my "to watch" list for a good long while. It's been difficult to watch a lot of long-form content the last few years, so this has been a fun endeavor. Hopefully you're finding some good stuff amongst these selections.  My aim is to do this weekly for as long as I'm able to watch enough content leading up to, and including, the week of Halloween. I'm open to recommendations if you've got'em! *     *     * Late Night with the Devil (2024) 3/5 [Shudder] The pacing, set design, and cinematography on this one were top-notch. The story gets marks for being interesting, as does the a...

Over the last decade or two, we've been absolutely blessed with an embarassment of riches in terms of great television to choose from. Granted, it's all stupid and spread out across various overpriced providers now, but at least the shows are there (for now...).  Here are a few of the full shows that I've enjoyed during that timeframe that make for good watching during the spooky season. Is it all of them? No. I haven't seen every great show out there; I simply don't have the time for that. There will be plenty of great options missing from this list, but feel free to leave a comment about those worth checking out so others might know what else is good to put on the tube.  Most of the titles mentioned below (save for the first one) are single seasons, and were meant to be, so you won't have any trouble enjoying them for what they are. They were written as is and all have solid conclusions that don't leave nasty cliffhangers to a second season that never got ...