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I am going to make a toxx goal of 100 and a stretch goal of 150. Last year I got to around 130 or so. I will also <s>try to</s> keep better updates this year. I won't wait three months then drop a wall of text!
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Jan 29, 2014 19:41
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Here is my progress so far: 1. Tyranny by Leslie Fairfield: Graphic novel memoir of eating disorder. Interesting. 2. Sharpe's Escape by Bernard Cornwell: Historic fiction. I had heard that he was good, and so when I found this at the Dollar Tree I bought it. Good historical fiction adventure. 3. Her Permanent Record by Jimmy Gownly : One of my favorite graphic novel series, consistently good and funny. 4. The Avengers: Celestial Quest: Good stuff if you like that type of stuff. 5. The Laws of the Blood: Heroes by Susan Sizemore: Good vampire pulp 6. Only Human by Gareth Roberts: Above average Doctor Who novel 7. Glisten Volume I by Andi Watson: Overly twee graphic novel 8. V.S Naipaul: A Writer's people: the memoirs of the Nobel-Prize winning author. Another great Dollar Tree find! 9. Clan Novel: Gangrel: More Vampire Pulp! 10. Love and Summer by William Trevor : This is "Literary Fiction", meaning it is about sad people having sex in a rural past. 11. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino: A good book, short sketches about abstract cities. If you know Calvino, it makes sense, if not, you have to read it. 12. T.S. Eliot edited by Linda Wagner: essays on T.S Eliot 13. Vlad the Impaler by Sid Jacobsen : Graphic novel version of Vlad's life. Fair. 14. Coal by Barbara Freese: An informative book about...coal. 15. The Satires of Juvenal: A Classic, full of good stuff if you can look past Juvenal's racism, sexism and general bad attitude.
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Feb 2, 2014 21:34
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DannyTanner posted:09. Bridge of Birds - Barry Hughart I read that book about ten years ago, and I remember really liking it. But I never went on to read the others in the series, and I can't really remember too much what happened in it, so perhaps it didn't leave a lasting impression on me...
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Feb 16, 2014 06:12
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Lets see what I have done in February: 16. Strange Visitor From Another Century by Mark Waid and DC Comics: Legion of Super-Heroes Graphic Novel. I can't really keep up with comic book universes anymore, but this seemed okay. 17. Sting of the Zygons by Stephen Cole: Doctor Who novel, of the "adventure" type, with lots of running and plot twists. 18. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman: I keep on reading whatever Neil Gaiman puts out, although he keeps on getting more twee and formulaic. The one good thing about this is that it is short. 19. What W.H. Auden Can do for You by Alexander McCall Smith: a review of Auden's poetry by a man known for writing mystery novels. I learned a few things about Auden from it. 20. Clear the Bridge by Richard H. O'Kane: A very detailed first person account of submarine war in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Recommended for students of World War II. 21. Roadside Picnic by The Brothers Strugatsky: A classic Russian science fiction novel, relatively unknown in the west. Recommended for people interested in science-fiction or Russia/the Soviet Union. 22. Cuckoo's Calling by J.K. Rowling (writing as Robert Galbraith): Classic private eye mystery novel, written under a pseudonym by Rowling. The phrase "page turner" and "I couldn't put it down" are overused, but I really did read this book for six hours straight, go to bed, wake up, and read for another two hours when I woke up. 23. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Eight by Jeff Kinney: The formula is getting a little worn at this point, but I still enjoyed this book. 24. Summertime by J.M. Coetzee: I read this book after a discussion about Coetzee in the Noble Prize thread. I say more about the book there. 25. The Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath: Interesting insight into an important 20th century literary figure. Mostly interesting to students of Plath, but also full of information on the 1950s in general. 26. The Vendor of Sweets by R.K. Narayan: Funny, insightful short novel about a businessman in India. Has multiple layers to enjoy. Especially recommended for people curious about Indian literature. 27. Endless Universes by Paul Steinhardt and Neil Turok: Book explaining the authors cosmological theories. I have a mixed reaction to popular books on physics. 28. Escape from Raven Castle by J.J. Fortune: I don't know how this got on my shelf, but it had been there for years so I decided to read it. YA adventure novel. Nothing spectacular. A good mixture of serious business and light reading.
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Mar 2, 2014 04:18
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Dead Man Saloon posted:
Fight Club, the book, was written 18 years ago, and the movie was released 15 years ago. I think I read it in 2001 or so. Even at the time, it didn't seem that innovative to me. As both a work of literature and a sociopolitical tract, the idea that we should all just reclaim our individuality against a conformist world seems a bit trite. I didn't think it was bad, it is just that the idea of "rebel against the system" isn't exactly that original.
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Mar 4, 2014 03:21
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Lets see how March went: somewhat slowly, actually, but that sometimes happens. 28. Storm: The Last Fighter by Don Lawrence and Martin Lodewijk 29. Storm: The Pirates of Pendarve I had two volumes of this on my shelf for years, and I don't really remember where I found them. I was unaware that this was an important franchise of graphic novels, seemingly because it is more popular in Europe than America. I approved of it, it was some pretty classic pulp science-fiction/fantasy. Recommended for those interested in graphic novels and European sword & sorcery. 30. To Live Forever by Jack Vance: Jack Vance wrote around 50 novels in his career, and I am only beginning to read them. One thing I can say about Vance is that his writing is more subtle and has aged better than his contemporaries. This book is about a society where immortality is possible but granted to only a few, and is told with wit. I can only imagine how Heinlein would hammer this story out. 31. America's Wild and Scenic Rivers by the National Geographic Society If you haven't read a National Geographic Society coffee table book, I would recommend doing so. Lots of gorgeous photographs and a lot of information summarize well. 32. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh This book seems to one of the year's sleeper hits, based on word-of-mouth from her internet fanbase. Maybe it is time to have some backlash against an internet celebrity who went big time, but it won't be from me. 33. Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents by Richard Neustadt A long academic tome about presidential power from Roosevelt to Reagan. There are some good ideas here, although the organization seems somewhat haphazard. 34. Alfred and Emily by Doris Lessing Another book I picked out because of my Nobel Prize project. Not very indicative of her work, apparently. I really slowed down in March, and not really for any good reason. I am not reading as much as I sometimes do, I think because I am digesting a lot of stuff rather than making new stuff.
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Apr 3, 2014 05:02
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Well, I had a slow April and am still having a slow May. I think part of it is that I don't have anything too inspiring to read, I am just picking up the books that have been on my shelf for too long that they have to be read. 35. The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon by Sei Shonagon: a court diary of a noble woman in Heian Japan. Full of poems about cherry blossoms and court gossip told in puns, it is a good historical document but might be lacking in general literary interest. 36. Honorary Politician: Mike Mansfield of Montana : A record of speeches by and about Mike Mansfield in the Senate. Another book that is mostly interesting to historians. 37. Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe: A sprawling and important work, this is the roman a clef autobiography of Thomas Wolfe growing up in the south at the beginning of the 20th century. An important work of literature, and worth the time I put into it. 38. The Fall, by Albert Camus: Even though I am generally in favor of Camus, this book failed to make an impression on me. 39. In Memoriam, by Alfred Lord Tennyson: Once I got over the 19th century language, I found this poem to be moving and profound. 40. Half-Moon Investigations, by Eoin Colfer: A fun book by one of the better YA authors. 41. Pickett's Charge by George R Stewart: A good history of one of the Civil War's most famous battles. 42. The Story of My Misfortune by Peter Abelard: Biography of French philosopher most famous for being castrated as part of a love affair. Along with that, he also got in fights with everyone imaginable.
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May 17, 2014 02:57
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The Clowning posted:
I read my first Wodehouse just the other week. I found it amusing, Wodehouse can certainly write a comic plot that is cute and fun, but I wasn't exactly slapping my knees.
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May 26, 2014 23:02
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I picked up since the middle of May: 43. The Uncollected Wodehouse by P.G. Wodehouse: This book's title kind of is self-defeating. This is a collection of short stories and miscellany by Wodehouse, who I knew of vaguely. Based on this, I like his brand of light comedy okay, but I can't say I would seek him out. 44. The Sleep of Stone by Louise Cooper: Short, YA-ish fantasy novel about a faerie in love with a mortal prince. Fun reading. I have had a lot of these books on my shelf for five years, and am finally getting around to reading them. I don't know where they came from, really. 45. Stephen Crane: The Open Boat and Other Stories: Thank goodness for Dover Thrift Editions! Four public domain stories of Crane's put together in a small volume. Crane is a good writer, and was somewhat of a ground-breaker in "social realism". He wrote in the 19th century, but seemed to be writing about fifty years ahead of his time. 46. Euthyphro, Crito, Apology and Symposium by Plato: Four Socratic dialogs put together in one volume. There are so many different assortments of the dialogs put together in different orders, with different translations. This is one I happened to have. It allowed me to catch up on my Plato. 47. Poetry and Mysticism by Colin Wilson: A weird mixture of sociology and literary criticism by a writer who is full of ideas but not always full of organization. Some of the choices are kind of odd: trying to explain the entire mystical experience through a biography of a minor Edwardian poet is not what I would do. 48. Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice: One of Anne Rice's books after she decided she didn't need an editor, but before she converted. How do you feel about Anne Rice? That is how you will feel about this book. 49. Nora Volume 7 by Shonen Jump: A manga that I had on my shelf. I read it because it was there. It actually had lines like "We have fought before! But this time his power level is too high!" and the like. Another thing that just kind of...drifted on to my shelf.
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Jun 2, 2014 02:48
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Well, it isn't quite July yet, but I've had a busy month, so lets pick up again where I left off: 50. Abadazad: The Dream Thief by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog J.M. DeMatteis is an important comics creator/graphic novelist, and this is apparently his attempt to write a young adult series that is an Oz pastiche of sorts. It works fine, but it seems almost a bit too calculated. I only got the second book of three, so I don't know the entire story. 51. Revolutionary Europe 1783-1815 by Geroge Rude Pretty good, if dated, book about the French Revolution and social change in Europe. This is one of the many musty dense history books I've gotten out of a free pile. Gave me some background information on history that might be useful. Mostly I feel obligated to read books like this so people won't make fun of me when I read... 52.-55. Elf Quest Book 1-4 by Wendy and Richard Pini Elf Quest has been one of those things that has been kind of in the background of my geek knowledge for almost 30 years. I've actually had the four graphic novels constituting "The Original Quest" on my shelf for almost four years and decided to read them. I was fairly impressed, its a good story, and is very original considering when it came out. Although by now the idea of non-superhero, non-major publisher comic books isn't quite as revolutionary, it was a big leap for the early 1980s. But I also can't say I am a gigantic fan, although the story is fun to read, it doesn't go that far beyond what could be expected of High Fantasy. 56. London Fields by Martin Amis This book had been on my shelf for a year, and I was afraid to read it because I thought it would be stuff English lit-fic. Nothing of the sort: its a black comedy that moves swiftly and has both a lot of obvious action and a lot to think about. "If this is the type of thing you like, you will like this." 57. T.S. Eliot: The Design of His Poetry by Elizabeth Drew I have a lot of Eliot studies on my shelf, and I am working my way though them. 58. The Bend of the World by Jacob Bacharach : A debut novel from this year. This might just be another piece of young stoner fic, about an ambiguously employed 20something who takes a lot of drugs and hangs out with a lot of people, but for reasons that I can't quite gather right now, I think this book is important. I might be posting about this in TCC. 59. The Wizards of Senchuria by Kenneth Bulmer The first half of an Ace Double novel. Apparently the third in a serial. This is great Serial pulp. I've never read a bad Ace double. 60. Cradle of the Sun by Brian Sableford The second half of the Ace double. More great pulp! But the bigger question is, does an Ace Double count as one or two books? I am looking forward to my decision to count it as two being considered the equivalent of counting watching a Let's Play of a Super Mario hack as a book.  Anyway, as with previous months, I got some fun fiction, some literary fiction, some non-fiction, and I really upped my rate. I am planning on moving soon, so I am not getting any new books, and am in fact giving away some of my old books. Because of this, I am reading a lot of random stuff that has been on my shelf for a while.
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Jun 29, 2014 00:30
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Chamberk posted:
I found the same thing with The Dark Tower. Not only were the first three books quicker, they also had more unity. The first book is the story of a cowboy in the desert. By the fifth or sixth book we are dealing with a metafictional crisis that threatens all of reality.
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Jun 29, 2014 23:45
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Prolonged Shame posted:
I am glad someone else thinks this. I can't really find any argument for Nin's literary talent other than sex is edgy and she is French. Its not great literature. Its not even great porn.
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Jul 3, 2014 01:50
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Well, despite other stuff going on in July, I managed to read a fair amount of books, and I am still on track for my yearly goal. 61. A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe I mostly knew of Achebe because he was an important post-colonial writer. That actually put me off of him: I thought that he would be mostly of social interest. Turns out, he can actually write quite well, and quite amusingly. Sometimes broccoli is better than donuts! 62. Conquering the SAT by Ned Johnson and Emily Warner Eskelsen I read this book because of my non-existent career. A good book on SAT prep. 63. The No Bull Book on Heart Disease by Joel Orkner and Jeremy Clorfene Some of the "other stuff going on in July" was my father having a massive heart attack. Wanting to understand things better, I got this book from the library. I certainly learned more about heart disease than I knew before, but it is interesting how much social expectations shape medical knowledge. This book seemed to have been written for people in places where smoking, obesity are common, and sidewalks are distant rumors. I could say a lot more about that, but this is probably not the place. 64. Banewreaker by Jacqueline Carey I got this book at The Dollar Tree because I needed something to read on my trip. I was expecting it to be generic high fantasy, which it was, only not badly generic. It is in fact a Silmarillion pastiche/homage, and quite good at it. Carey is not exactly a Tolkien, but she might be a George R.R. Martin. I liked it enough that I put the second book in the series on hold at the library. 65. Storeys from the Old Hotel by Gene Wolfe Gene Wolfe is an important science-fiction/fantasy writer, although not a famous one. I knew that he invented Pringles (kind of) and that he liked Doctor Who. This is a collection of unpublished stories, and they cover a variety of themes and styles. It makes me interested to read more by Gene Wolfe. 66. A Treasury of Damon Runyon Damon Runyon was at one time a very popular writer, although he is now best remembered for providing the inspiration for the musical "Guys and Dolls". He wrote short stories about gamblers and petty crooks, and the stories are both fun and interesting social history. 67. Bernie Magruder and the Bats in the Belfry by Phyllis Naylor Young adult mystery novel, entertaining enough. It was on my shelf. 68. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick I didn't read this book for years because I figured I already knew what it would be like. I was wrong. Advice to geeks: don't skip reading this book because you already know what it is about. [/b] So a pretty good mixture of different books.
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Aug 4, 2014 23:49
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The Erland posted:
Yeah, it is kind of a truism, but its a frequent observation that PKD, while a good author, was too formulaic and predictable.
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Aug 6, 2014 02:02
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Mahlertov Cocktail posted:
Is this the short story, or is this an extended version? I've read the short story, in the issue of F&SF it was released in. As I understand it, there are several versions of the story, one of which was written by Piers Anthony.
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Aug 20, 2014 01:51
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Talas posted:55. Goliath. Scott Westerfeld. The references to real people started to get ridiculous. Also, the main characters got more annoying. I'm glad it's over. I started that series but didn't get around to finishing it, perhaps because of issues mentioned.
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Sep 3, 2014 01:22
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Through August: 69. I am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter At the very least, this book frees me for feeling guilty for my light reading. Hofstadter is smug, and trite, and repeats himself, and uses his pet theories to explain everything. Having read this book, I am free to not care about Hofstadter anymore. 70. Godslayer by Jacqueline Carey The second part of a high fantasy novel. Kept me entertained, didn't quite hit the spot of being really involving. 71. Simplicius Simplicissimus by Grimmelhausen A contemporary picaresque novel of the 30 Years War. Of interest to those interested in German history/literature, a bit dense for the rest of us. 72. The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe I know Goethe is a genius and all, but this book was so deathly dull that at points in reading it, my brain shut down. It was like white noise for my brain. Boring. So, so boring. 73. Kill Him Twice by Richard Prather Detective noir set in the 1960s in LA, where a PI has to break up a black mail ring. Pretty good, if you want some vintage pulp. 74. Salt Water by Charles Simmons Litfic. The author was an editor at the New York Times Review of Books. A novel about bored people having sex, told without affect. 75. Persons & Places by George Santayana Famous philosopher writes his autobiography, and it is mostly about architecture and boat rides and funny relatives. 76. The Achievements of T.S. Eliot by F.O. Matthieson I've kind of reached the point of diminishing returns as far as Eliot criticism goes. 77. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Volume 7 I don't really know where stuff like this comes from, tbqh. I got a varied mix of books, but to be honest, nothing I've read for a while has really lit me up and made me excited. What is wrong with my reading?
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Sep 3, 2014 01:40
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I was gone on a trip for a month, which limited my reading, and also I am behind on updating this. Since the end of August, I have read: 78. A Theft by Saul Bellow Bellow won the Nobel Prize for writing Litfic about wealthy New Yorkers. I can't debate his skill, but I haven't really carried much away from his books. 79. The Novel in Russia by Henry Gifford Survey book in Russian lit that I had on my shelf. 80. All My Friends Are Going to be Strangers by Larry McMurtry I think I like McMurtry in principle, but there seems to be something missing from his books. 81. Brooklyn Dreams by J.M. DeMatteis and Glenn Barr Coming of age graphic novel about being a teenager in 1970s Brooklyn. I read this a couple weeks before I actually visited Brooklyn. 82. Ossian's Ride by Fred Hoyle Fred Hoyle is best known as an astronomer who disliked the big bang theory because it was too theistic. He also wrote a science-fiction/spy novel. For some reason. 83. Nursery Crimes by Ayelet Waldeman I got this because I was going on a train trip and it was at the Dollar Tree. 84. Blood of Wolves by Loren Coleman A novel set in the world of Conan the Barbarian, but not featuring Conan. This was more involved than the light fantasy I thought it would be. 85. Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton Collection from the webcomic, fun stuff. 86-89. Atomic Robo A fun independent graphic novel about a robot created by Nikolai Tesla who...fights monsters and other fun stuff. 90. Runaways Omnibus A collection of what was one of Marvel's more innovative titles. 91. The War at Ellesmere by Faith Erin Hicks B&W graphic novel about rivalries at a girl's boarding school. 92. The Scorpion's Sting by James Oakes A history of the onset of the civil war, talking about how slavery opponent's wanted to end slavery by placing a cordon around it. Every book I read on the history of slavery and racism in the United States starts with me wanting to understand the issue from a neutral point of view and ends with me wishing Abraham Lincoln had a fleet of B-52s 93. All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen Fun Victorian romance steampunk novel about a girl who dresses up like a boy so she can go to science school. Intrigue and romance abounds! 94. Seven Flowers by Jennifer Potter Book about the history in art and science of flowers in different cultures. 95. What If? by Randall Munroe This is a fun book, but it doesn't have much content beyond what is already available on the website. 96. None to Accompany Me by Nadine Gordimer Tales of South Africa during the end of white minority rule. Gordimer has a somewhat rambling style, but it is usually worth it. A pretty good mixture! And it looks like I am very close to my goal.
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Nov 15, 2014 01:37
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I met my goal, I haven't had time to do a final report though. I will edit this later today, hopefully, and see what total I came up with! Okay, here we are: 100. Silkworm by Robert Galbraith J.K. Rowling's second mystery novel, and one that shows that her tricks at sleight-of-hand are increasing. 101/102. The Ship from Atlantic/The Stolen Sun: Ace Double, about what you would expect. 103. Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima: one of Japan's most important 20th century novelist writes a period piece showing intrigue amongst the ruling classes at the turn of the century. 104. Colorless Tsukuru Takahi and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami: If you like Murakami, you will like this, if you don't, you won't. This book has similar elements to most of his books, and I enjoyed it, but it might not be for everyone. 105. China's Second Continent by Howard French: a look at Chinese involvement with Africa, formal and informal. Full of interesting information, but I do feel the author might have had some biases against the Chinese. 106. One Soldier's Story by Bob Dole: Bob Dole's recounting of his World War II service, injury, and recovery. Inspiring and interesting. 107. The March of Folly by Barbara Tuchman: a history of leaders who made bad decisions. Told with a lot of detail, but not much analysis. 108. A Quest for Symbillis by John Shea: a Jack Vance dying earth novel, only not written by Jack Vance. The author manages to get the style down. 109. Edwin Hubble by Dale Christianson: Although Hubble was a great astronomer, his personal life wasn't really juicy enough to keep this biography moving. 110. The Last Cop Out by Mickey Spillane: even as pulp, this wasn't really that interesting 111. How to Mellify a Corpse by Vicki Leon: chatty and funny look at ancient civilizations, provided me with some information I didn't know, and was a nice refresher course. 112. Lone Wolf & Cub 2100 Volume 3: Pattern Storm: Retelling of "Lone Wolf & Cub" as cyberpunk. Works about as well as I expected it to. 113. Phaedre by Jean Racine: I put off reading this one for a long time, because it seemed *so* French, and classics can often be hard to follow. However, I found it very interesting. 114. Destroy All Monsters Volume 3: Indie comic TPB, couldn't really make too much sense of the story besides there was aliens and stuff. 115. Please Don't Kill the Freshman by Zoe Trope: Basically a collection of Livejournal entries by a teenager who is *gasp* bisexual that was edgy as gently caress when it came out in 2004. Today, it sounds like a teenager proclaiming to the world that she is gay. Over and over. And also vaguely dissatisfied that her suburban classmates don't understand Tori Amos. So I kind of left the year on a low note. WElllll...I exceeded my goal, and read a good mixture of stuff, but I have to admit I didn't really get into reading this year. There was no book that was really exciting and changed my life. Maybe next year! glowing-fish fucked around with this message at 06:07 on Jan 10, 2015 |
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Jan 5, 2015 20:21
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