I love gift guides. Every blog and lifestyle site and webmag has a seasonal breakdown For Him and For Her and For Fido and Under $50 and I read them all, even the ones that are obviously sponsored. (Does the Gawker staff honestly have an opinion about which brand of shaving cream I put under the tree?)

I have no idea why I am so addicted. They just prove to me over and over that few of us need extra crap. Will your coworker thank you for Secret Santa-ing that brass hashtag paperweight? Tis the season to feed the machine of capitalism the disposable garbage it craves!

I have put together a little gift guide of my own, based on the media I have been consumed with the past few weeks. Be warned, I’m going to gush, because these are things that fill me with joy and are worth your cash.

Jessica Jones

First on the list is a television show. I guess I’m recommending you subscribe to Netflix.

You may have already heard this is a terrific show, but it bears repeating. I loved the noir framework, the incisive exploration of surviving abuse, the outstanding cast, all of it. It’s amazing. And my favorite part of this A+ show is Krysten Ritter. She’s astounding. The other day I was walking to the bus and found myself imitating her sullen, stomping, hands-in-pockets stride. I want so much more Jessica Jones: another season, right away, and movies and games, and t-shirts and mugs, whatever they’ve got, give it to me, take my money.

Fallout 4

Next, a video game, a new addition to a classic series. I read a review that said Fallout 4 is a great game if you like the previous ones because it’s more of the same. Like that’s a bad thing. This is a nearly perfect game. I say “nearly” because I haven’t finished it yet, and I’m in no rush.

There’s one aspect of the game that is brand new, though, and it’s my favorite part: you can build settlements for wasteland settlers. I am obsessed. I haven’t finished the story mission because I keep tweaking my guard posts and rethinking my bunkhouses. It’s absorbing, compulsive, trance-like, the kind of fugue state that only occurs in the games that really hook me. I open up the workshop and zone out debating whether I need a hanging or a standing lamp. My only complaint is those damn malingerers up at Tenpines Bluff. It makes me wonder about my own socialist leanings; I mean, I’ve done everything but feed them from bottles, and they’re STILL unhappy?

Also, the super mutants sound like Cookie Monster. This game rules.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, by N.K. Jemisin

I was having a particularly bad run of books when I discovered this amazing jewel.

You see, I check out ebooks from the Seattle Public Library; I keep about 12 holds going most of the time, and they become available to download at random times. It’s a nice surprise–kind of like getting good mail. But I’d had a couple of promising titles turn out to be totally unreadable. This is maybe a separate post, because it’s kind of a note to myself for my own writing, but: a) description is tedious and must be kept short; b) repetition is boring and easily edited out.

Anyway, I’m getting distracted because N.K. Jemisin is not guilty of these things. Her book is wildly inventive, fast-paced and exciting, with fascinating characters. She’s tremendous, just tremendous, and I plan to read everything she’s ever written. If you are looking for a sci-fi/fantasy-type book, read this immediately.

Off the Wall

Finally, some music for your holiday! What, not a trendy recommendation? Ah well. If you don’t own this album, buy it now.

I’ll leave you with this, a theme song for the capitalist machinery that owns all our souls. Happy Holidays!