Apologies, again, for such a light month of newsletters in December. It’s as combination of awards season, Chanukah and the usual end-of-the-year downtime. Or what’s otherwise known as gentile Chol Homoed (in simple terms, the time of year when nothing gets done because everyone uses up their vacation days).

First and foremost, let me get the good news out of the way. I just published a book, Everything’s Changed, under a pen name. It’s the second book I’ve published but it’s my first fiction novel. I started working on it at some point in early 2024. It’s a very Jewish sci-fi comedy set in the Upper West Side, but it also satirizes both DC and Hollywood. You can find it on Amazon (paperback) and Kindle.

I made the decision last week that the story was just too long for a single book and opted to split it up after part 2. Whether this extends to three books remains to be determined. I’m just now starting the process of breaking story for the second book but I already know how it’s going to end and that’s not going to change.

I also uploaded the file to Kobo for anyone that would rather not give more money to Amazon. They’re slow during the holiday break so we’ll see how long it takes for the book to be live on their end.

Because of the Jewish holiday schedule this year, it meant really having to spend November and December catching up on titles before turning in nomination ballots, let alone announcing my own winners. I missed my last press screening of the year as I opted to attend a Chabad event and be around the Jewish community during Chanukah. The Solzy Awards for Documentaries and Film were announced last week.

I’ve also been rewatching Rob Reiner movies. Or in some instances, watching them for the first time. Last week, I reviewed both A Few Good Men and The American President.

In what was a first for me, I boycotted the Kennedy Center Honors last week. It was an easy decision to boycott even though it’s an annual tradition to watch.

A few months ago, it seemed unlikely, but I’ve logged 600+ titles on Letterboxd for the third year in a row. Much of this is because of the Tom and Jerry Golden Era Anthology 1940-1958 and the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection. I’m finishing up the first volume today and expect to dive into the second volume either today or tomorrow.

Have a happy 2026. I don’t expect it will be any better than 2025, but I’ll be writing away. If I don’t send out as many newsletters, it’s because I’m busy working on this next book.