The Book I Read 2022
**** = Really good.
*** = Worth reading.
** = A waste of time, but one or two good moments.
* = Not worth your time.
-0 = Less Than Zero: a book so bad that you actually lose several IQ points from the reading experience.
What will be my first book of 2022? Very exciting! For me, of course, I don't see why anybody else would give a fuck. But right now I am reading...
With Jacqueline:
1. The Orthodox Study Bible (just started Song of Songs)
2. Mary and the Little Shepherds of Fatima by Marlyn Monge and Jamie Stuart Wolfe. Third time around.
3. Miracles from Heaven: A Little Girl and Her Amazing Story of Healing by Christy Wilson Beam
(In case you haven't noticed, Jacqueline likes religious books, especially Catholic ones.)
4. Good News for Modern Man: The New Testament in Today's English Version
With Joe:
4. Good News for Modern Man: The New Testament in Today's English Version
5. Beyond the Farthest Star by Edgar Rice Burroughs
6. Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, adapted by Malvina G. Vogel (Great Illustrated Classics)
On Hold:
NIrV Children's Bible, The Beginner's Bible Ed. (1998, Zondervan)
Started 7/22/2020, stopped 11/27/2020--after we read page 120--and switched over to Beautiful Bible Stories by Patricia Summerlin Martin. The NIrV was a bit too hard...and not really all that interesting. Here's hoping that BBS is more to Joe's liking.
Just me and my arrow:
Started 7/22/2020, stopped 11/27/2020--after we read page 120--and switched over to Beautiful Bible Stories by Patricia Summerlin Martin. The NIrV was a bit too hard...and not really all that interesting. Here's hoping that BBS is more to Joe's liking.
Just me and my arrow:
7. The Conquoring Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944 by Ian W Toll
8. In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920–1954
9. A Wizard, A True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio by Paul Myers
10. Thy Kingdom Come: 19 Short Stories by 11 Hungarian Authors
11. New Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football by Paul Zimmerman
And with my New Reading Group:
12. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰⛰
And our survey says...
1. Mary and the Little Shepherds of Fatima by Marlyn Monge and Jamie Stuart Wolfe. (Third time around. 1/1/22 to 1/3/22.) Which is not a surprise of course, since this is a very short book. I figure that if The Old Testament only counts as one book, though (which is how I see it), then things even out over the course of the year...so I count anything (1) bound or published separately and (2) that I don't read in one sitting as a book. (My 🝔, my 🌊.)
Also decided that that rather cool (or so I thought) GIF that I had going on with last year's The Book I Read was way too much trouble, so nunathat this time around. Maybe a cover inserted here and there if there's something supercool about them, but inserting pictures often causes layout problems, so maybe not.
2. Beyond the Farthest Star by Edgar Rice Burroughs. (12/11/21 to 1/8/22) This was the 69th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. It was the second time I read this book...and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really wish that ERB had been able to write more Poloda stories--as he clearly intended to do.
3. Seven Secrets Volume 1 by Tom Taylor and Daniele Di Nicuolo *** Picked this up from hoopla because I usually like Tom Taylor, and because Boom!Studios has been doing some interesting stuff. It took me a while to settle into this book, but I ended up liking it enough to want more...and fortunately for me, hoopla has Volume 2 ready and waiting at my leisure. Alas, I find the art irritating and ugly, but I can put up with bad art if the story is good. I wouldn't say that this is Tom Taylor at his best...that would be Injustice...but it is pretty good, for sure. Worth doing.
4. Selected Poems by János Pilinszky, translated by Ted Hughes and János Csokits. A very slim volume of poems by a man considered to be one of if not the greatest Hungarian poet. And it's the only book by Pilinszky to be found at the library. And there's only one copy. And it's stored in Remote Shelving, which is kind of like Hospice for books. I picked this up because Laszlo Krasznahorkai talked about how much he loved and was influenced by Pilinszky in an interview in The Paris Review. Can't say I really got it from this collection, but there were some outstanding lines, for sure, and I'm going to read it through at least another time or two and see if it opens up in my brain.
5. The Conquering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, 1942-1944 by Ian W. Toll *** */2 I'm pretty committed to finishing The Pacific War Trilogy, hence I'll be starting Volume III: Twilight of the Gods in a minute, but I'd like to read a shorter thing from Mr. Ian W. Toll in the near future. Fortunately, he has that: his only other book is Six Frigates, a one volume account of the origins of the United States Navy. I like the cut of Mr. Toll's jib, so I'll be going aboard that one as soon as I recover from the immensity of his trilogy.
6. The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) by Carolyn Keene (1/4/22 to 2/3/22) **** I bought the boxed set of 6 facsimile reprints of Nancy Drew a long time ago, but today was the first time I'd taken one out of said box. Only read the introductory material on day one, but I'm actually looking forward to reading this to Jacqueline. I've always been fond of Nancy Drew. (I even tried to watch that godawful CW show rendition...but I couldn't handle it.) I know that my sister Ginny packed away quite a few of these back in the day. Anyway, the cover of this thing is just brilliant, so I'm going to have to give you a peek at it:
Is that the shit or what? The "updated" version that Sister had back in the day was much less interesting:
Also seems a lot more passive to me. Instead of making off through the woods with the clock under her arm, Nancy is sitting in a clearing opening it up and looking skeered.
After finishing most of this book and absorbing the fact that some parts of it would HAVE to be rewritten for a modern audience...and by modern, I mean the 1060s or 70s...and I checked a copy of the Skeered cover version out from the library (e-version) and started to read it. As of now I'm about halfway through, and it's clear that the entire book has been rewritten...not just the "offensive" bits. I think I'm interested enough in this to do a separate entry, so I'll leave the details for that, but suffice it to say that this is really a new book which is merely based upon the original, not just a touch-up.
7. The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) by Carolyn Keene 1959 Yes, I did finish reading the revised edition. And it was (1) very revised and (2) definitely inferior to the original version, thought (3) I did appreciate the elimination of the racism.
8. Rorschach by Tom King and Jorge Fornes *** I wanted to read this book from the time issue #1 hit the stands, but my loyalty to Alan Moore stayed my hand. I wasn't going to give DC any of my dollars to support their degradation of Moore's work. (Can anybody say Before Watchmen?) But when I saw the collection of the series in the library, I yielded to the desire. I mean, it wasn't going to put any coin into DC's purse, so what was the harm? Besides, it was written by Tom King, and even though I can't differentiate between him and Tom Taylor, I like them both and have read good stuff from either hand. (NOTE: Tom King = The Sheriff of Babylon, Tom Taylor = Injustice.) And it was actually pretty good. In fact, Rorschach actually never appears in the book, and it's really about mental illness, political savagery, and human beings' tendency to be completely self-centered. So yeah...it was worth doing. There were a few times when the page layouts made me grow a little weary, because (1) it wasn't clear how the pages were to be read and (2) they were kind of top-heavy with words, and they weren't words which provoked a lot of interest in me. I'm not sorry that I read it, but I am glad that I didn't pay for it...and not just out of loyalty to Mr. Moore.
9. Invisible Man (Great Illustrated Classics) by H.G. Wells, adapted by Malvina G. Vogel. This is the 30th book that Joe read to me. (1/1/22 to 2/14/22). He must've enjoyed it, since there were several nights when he read far beyond his normal two pages...because he "had to finish" a chapter.
10. The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene ** I'm reading the original version of this book (1930), but haven't finished it yet. But I've become very interested in this whole "rewritten" aspect of Nancy Drew, so when I saw this
(the 1959 revised) version at Half-Price Books for $1, I picked it up, thinking I'd give it a read as soon as Jacqueline and I finished the original. But when I got home I thought, "You know, it'd be even better if I read up to where Jacqueline and I are in the other version now." So I started in on it. And the books don't match up very much...in fact, there's very little similarity between them other than the most general plot points. (It'd be like if you wrote a short paragraph summing up the original novel, then wrote a full novel based on that brief plot summary. It is a substantially different--and inferior--work.) So I read a little beyond where Jacqueline and I are in the original. And then I had to take Jacqueline to choir practice, wherein I would be sitting for an hour and a half and I knew that with the organ blaring and the choir bellowing (beautifully) that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything too heavy, so I took The Hidden Staircase with me. And almost finished it, so when I got home I went ahead and polished it off. And? It's a very bad novel. Whoever wrote this novel doesn't seem to know anything about human emotional responses. Example: after Nancy learns that her father has been kidnapped, she stops in at a drugstore and has pea soup, pie, and reads a story in a Detective magazine. And then she goes back to Two Elms Mansion and continues her "ghost" investigation. I'm thinking about writing a bit more about the contrast between the original and the revised versions of The Hidden Staircase. Cause some of the details are interesting. Well, to me, anyway. 2/23/22
11. The Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew, Book 2) by Carolyn Keene *** (2/4/22 to 3/1/22) This was the original version...and it was far superior to the revision. For one thing, Nancy packs heat!
Onward to #3...probably in both versions, because I have become cool like that.
12. Fantastic Four Volume 8: The Bride of Doom by Dan Slott and Ze Carlos ** I was actually looking forward to this quite a bit since I'd gone back to buying Fantastic Four with issue #36, thinking it was the first issue of a story arc, only to find out that the story actually started much earlier than that. So this volume, which includes issues #31 through #35, seemed to be just what I wanted. Alas...it was unrelentingly stupid, and I really had to force myself to read the final, extra length (60th anniversary) issue. In fact, this arc was so bad that I would have decided to stop buying the book...if I hadn't already made that decision before I finished reading this one. Bleh. Make Mine DC. 3/1/22
13. A Time to Keep Silence by Patrick Leigh Fermor ** You know, I don't think I've ever felt so enthusiastic about the first part of a book and then gone on to finish in such a rush to just get it over with. The first section was a moving description of Fermor's stay at an abbey. I liked it so much that I started thinking about how many copies I would need to buy so that I could give them to friends and family. Thankfully I didn't get to it right away, because the second section was just kind of horrifying...descriptions of monks in another abbey who were seriously masochists--sleeping on straw atop wooden floors, eating shit food, depriving themselves of sleep, whipping themselves. And as I staggered into the third section, I was just overwhelmed by tedious details which didn't seem to add up to anything. I found myself reading faster and faster, just anxious to get it over with. Nope. This was not worth doing, I'm sorry to say. And I won't be buying a single copy to give as a present.
14. Miracles from Heaven: A Little Girl and Her Amazing Story of Healing by Christy Wilson Beam (1/1/22 to 3/8/22) This was actually a very moving book...not just in terms of Christianity and faith, but just in terms of being the parent of a child who is having serious troubles. I give it two thumbs up...aka ***. Maybe even ****. The movie was pretty good, too.
15. Jazz: Its Evolution and Essence by André Hodeir *** This book was at its best (for me) when it got into the specifics...anecdotes, observations on specific songs or performers or groups. When it went into more general stuff...especially commentary on the musical elements...I got a little lost. Well worth reading if you're interested in the history and development of Jazz, for sure. So much so that I'm going straight into Hodeir's next book on Jazz, Toward Jazz. Even if he is a curmudgeonly and occasionally nasty old white French guy.
16. The Nice House on the Lake Volume 1 by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez **** I'm not sure why I decided to check this out on
hoopla . I'm pretty much the opposite of a James Tynion IV fan, and horror is my least favorite genre. It might just have been the title. I like titles that are a little off-kilter. But once I started reading (which doesn't always happen when I check things out from the library), I got interested pretty quickly. For one thing, this is not your normal comic book story. And for another, while it certainly has elements of horror, it also has elements of science fiction (always a plus for me) and just straight up drama. The cast of characters is a bit large, and I don't feel that I've been able to grasp them all, but there are some standouts, and even there Tynion IV has managed to graze the surface of stereotypes without succumbing to them whole-heartedly. In fact, I enjoyed this collection of the first six issues so much that I am thinking about buying issue #7 from the stands. And what a loverly coincidence, it just came out last week...after the title had been on a five month hiatus. I think I'll wait a bit and see if issue #7 comes out on hoopla first, though, since free is still my favorite price, and I am sometimes a patient man. 3/12/22
17. The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill **** I've been meaning to get around to this one for awhile, as I found both the cover art and the title charming. And you know what? This was a very charming, gentle book. Not without its moments of intensity by any means, but overall a story about the loving relationships between people...well, "people," since most of them were not humans, and also the relationships between "people" and the Tea Dragons. See, these Dragons have horns which grow little branches or flowers, etcetera, and if you know what you're doing you can harvest the growths and make a special, magical tea from them. There are at least two more Tea Dragon books, and I'm pretty sure that I'll be reading all of them. 3/12/22
18. The Girl From Hollywood by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1/9/22 to 3/12/22) This was the 70th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. He didn't seem all that interested in the book for the first two months and two days, but on this last day he was pretty drawn in, so I guess there's that, at least. It wasn't one of Burroughs' best efforts, and it regularly got swamped by sentimentality of the worse sort, but it was also a pretty tough and straight up story about drug addiction and prostitution, so...kind of trail blazing for its time, I'd think. In fact, it's kind of surprising that this was publishable in 1923, and I think it shows you how hard Burroughs was working to get beyond the Tarzan stereotype.
19. Tales of Mystery and Terror by Edgar Allan Poe, adapted by Marjorie P. Katz (Great Illustrated Classics) This is the 31st book that Joe read to me. (2/17/22 to 3/12/22) Joe went through this a lot faster than previous GIC books. In fact, many nights he read far more than the 2 pages he usually aims for. I guess that Poe guy still has it.
20. Toward Jazz by André Hodeir **** I think this was a better book than Jazz: Its Evolution and Essence. For one thing, it got down to the specifics more often. For another, Hodeir was still pretty bite-y at times, but he wasn't as piss-y. Kind of tore through this book, and now ready to go at the final one in Hodeir's Jazz Trilogy: The Worlds of Jazz. Ultimate recommendation: I told my cardiologist about the book (he started it) and after I'd given him an overview he said, "That sounds interesting. I'll have to look for it." 3/15/22
21. The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner *** Some interesting information here...and by interesting I mean shocking and depressing, because Abe was nowhere near the man I thought he was...but Eric Foner's prose is just kind of mind-numbingly boring, and I had to drag myself through this book. If you're interested in reading about Lincoln and / or the end of slavery, choose something other than this book. 3/17/22
22. Tarzan Clans of American: Official Guide by Edgar Rice Burroughs (2/13/22 to 3/19/22) This was the 71st ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. I printed my own facsimile version of this rather expensive collector's item.
Not bad, eh? It wasn't the biggest reading thrill of our lives...just a list of descriptions for the most part...and the last four pages of Ape / English dictionary were pretty hard to bear (but Joe wanted to read 'em, so we did)...but at least we can truthfully say that we've read the complete Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan.
23. The Manhattan Project by László Krasznahorkai **** This is my second time for this one, and it is quite a lovely book. It fills me with longing...for Herman Melville, for Malcolm Lowry, for László Krasznahorkai...for New York City. I got this from the library...it's a bit pricey at $40 list, $33.10 Amazon. And you know, I'm old, how many more times am I going to read this book? But it is a lovely thing, for sure. Even people who don't love (or even like) Krasznahorkai would love this book. Anyone who loves books would love this book. So yeah, you should have a look at it. 3/20/22
24. The Bungalow Mystery (Nancy Drew Series Book 3) by Carolyn Keene ** Finished ahead of the original version again...and, again, the revised version is not up to the original. This time around there's not even any racism to address, so it's even more puzzling why the changes were made. Nancy is made weaker, more dependent on others, and doesn't once wish that she had brought her dad's gone along with her (as she does twice in the original version). There are also puzzling changes, like the solo bad buy in version one has a wife for a partner in version 2. She adds nothing to the story. Anyway...I think I might be finished with reading the rewrites at this point. They're just irritating me now. 3/23/22
25. The Worlds of Jazz by André Hodeir * The third and last of Hodeir's Jazz books. It was a trial to read it, I'm sorry to say, and I'd heartily recommend that you avoid it...even if you truly love Monsieur Hodeir. It's tiresome, too cute by half (maybe even three-quarters), and boring. No fun, my babe, no fun. 3/28/22
26. The Bungalow Mystery (Nancy Drew, Book 3) by Carolyn Keene
(3/3/22 to 3/31/22) *** So much better than the rewrite. And once again, there were guns! (No racism, though.) Twice Nancy wishes she had brought her gun, and her dad actually brings it along when they chase down the bad guy. Good times and something for everyone.
27. To Be or Not...to Bop by Dizzy Gillespie with Al Fraser ***** A most excellent book, especially if (but not only if) you like Jazz music. Dizzy is a really interesting guy...very good-hearted and full of life and fun. Details available HERE.
28. Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece by Ashley Kahn **** A most excellent and interesting book, for sure. Good enough that I'll be reading another book on Kind of Blue starting tomorrow, and good enough that I'll be reading another book by Ashley Kahn in the near future. Details available HERE. 4/6/22
29. Valiant Masters: H.A.R.D. Corps: Search and Destroy by Jim Shooter, David Lapham, David Michelinie, Bob Layton & David Lapham, Mike Leeke, andBernard Chang *** This came to me courtesy of hoopla (thank you, LFPL). I've had a soft spot for H.A.R.D. Corps. for some time. Used to buy single copies from the budget bin at Half-Price for 25¢ apiece, so I have a few of them (1-2, 4-13, 19, 22, 27). Enough to get the gist of it, anyway. But as you can see from the credits list, this thing didn't get off to the best start. (That's way too many people to be involved in the first six issues of a comic book.) Also, David Lapham, whose later work is excellent, must have just been starting out here, as his figures are unpleasantly attenuated and awkward. Anyway...reading / re-reading these issues was okay, but I also realized how much this series had borrowed from Suicide Squad, which hadn't really hit me before for some reason...maybe because of the sporadic, out-of-order way I'd read the previous issues. So I wouldn't go so far as to recommend this book... unless you can read it for free, of course, in which case it's a fairly nice little canter. 4/8/22
30. Melville: A Novel by Jean Giono * I think I'll write a novel about Herman Melville wandering around England for no apparent reason. Oh, no, wait...it's already been done, hasn't it? Never mind. (More HERE...or THERE.) 4/11/22
31. The Making of Kind of Blue: Miles Davis and his Masterpiece by Eric Nisenson **** Even better than the Kahn book, I think. More HERE if you want it. 4/11/22
32. Felix the Cat by I Don't Know, because no author is given. The publisher's information just says that it is "a Tom Doherty Associates Original, second printing February 1983." It contains three stories--"The Detective," "A Slip In The Deep," and "A Too-Weak Vacation," all of which seem to have been clipped from a newspaper format. I picked it up because (1) I like Felix the Cat, (2) it was only $2, and (3) I have a transgender friend who now goes by Felix, and I thought that they would get a kick out of this...even though it was published a good fifteen years before they were born. (They have made passing reference to Felix the Cat in the past, so I'm not just shooting in the dark here.) Anyway, it was at least cute, and a very fast read. So fast that I probably shouldn't include it as a "book" read...but hey, if I only get credit for One Book for The Old Testament, which I'm still working on after Three Years, then I'm going to count anything that is published as a solo piece as a book. Right? Besides, I invoke the my soap, my water, etcetera rule. 4/12/22
33. The Rider by Edgar Rice Burroughs (3/20/22 to 4/ 14/22) This was the 72nd ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. Definitely not his best, so ** for me, but it wasn't painful to read, at least. (I know that some of the books that remain to us...assuming we read The Complete Works of ERB...will cause me some pain, hence that. This book kind of reminded me of the Barney Custer books...which also weren't great. There's sthe same ridiculous confused identity bullshit going on... though at least this time around ERB doesn't go for Oh, Amazing! They Look Alike!...relying instead on the fact that few people have seen The Prince of the neighboring country and no one has seen the face of The Rider. One interesting thing: at the end, the bad guy does not reform and settle down, he just goes on being a bad guy.
34. The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene * This was the revised version from 1961. I'm still working on the original 1930 version. As for this...it's definitely the worse Nancy Drew book yet. And it is so different from...and so inferior to...the original that it's not even a little bit funny. More details to come elsewhere, but for now suffice it to say that I don't think this one is even worth reading...which is sad. I mean...it's Nancy Drew, for fuck's sake! 4/23/2022
35. Heidi (Great Illustrated Classics) by Johanna Spyri, adapted by Deidre S. Laiken. This is the 32nd book that Joe read to me. (3/12/22 to 4/24/2022) This didn't seem like a Joe book, and for awhile he was only reading "the minimum" two pages a night, but he started taking off as we rounded the halfway point, and on the last night he read about 30 pages.
36. Daredevil Volume 1: Know Fear by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto and a bunch of other people ** I was missing the old hornhead, and I'd heard some good things about this Chip Zdarsky fellow, so I thought I'd have a free look courtesy of hoopla . The art was a real disappointment, though...just this side of Big Foot, which is definitely not a good look for Daredevil...and the writing just seemed to pull towards standard cliches every time it had a chance to do so. I might keep on with Volume 2, just to give The Chipster a few more issues, but only because it's also free. I'd never pay for another issue of this thing.
37. Daredevil Volume 2: No Devils, Only God by Chip Zdarsky & Some Other Guys *** This was a little better than volume for two reasons: (1) the chess game with Mr. Fantastic in which the existence of God is discussed and (2) the art by Jorge Fornes in issue #10. In fact, despite my lack of enthusiasm for Chip Zdarsky's writing, I went ahead and started Volume 3 because of those two factors. News as it happens.
38. The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew, Book 4) by Carolyn Keene (4/1/22 to 4/30/22) Pretty sure these books are getting progressively weaker...though this one was a lot tougher on Nancy, as she is bonked on the head and almost drowns as well. 4/30/22
39. Daredevil Volume 3: Through Hell by Chip Zdersky & SOGs *** Yeah, I am starting to get a little tired of this, actually. But apparently not tired enough of it to stop.
40. Daredevil Volume 4: End of Hell by Chip Zdersky & SOGs ** Okay, now I'm getting really tired of it. The whole "We Are Daredevil" and then the inevitable "I Must Once Again Take Up My Burden" bullshit. But even so...I checked out Volume 5. (I did mention that I'm reading these for free, though, right?)
41. Ascension: John Coltrane and His Quest by Eric Nisenson ** The first 3/4ths of this book was quite good, but from there on out it just went to shit...lots of overblown statements about Coltrane's greatness which Nisenson felt the need to bolster by making scathing comments about a dozen other musicians. What an asshole. 5/7/22
42. Living With Music: Ralph Ellison's Jazz Writings *** The best written Jazz book I've read (by far)...but not really a great book if you're interested in reading about Jazz history or critique or whatever, as for the most part Jazz is a tangental reference. And half of the book consists of fiction, letters, and interviews. So not really As Advertised, I'd say. But I still love Ralph. 5/18/22
43. The Lad and the Lion by Edgar Rice Burroughs (4/15/22 to 5/23/22) This was the 73rd ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. My copy of this book was formerly held by The Guilford College Library, which is in Greensboro, North Carolina. So it made a little journey to get to us. I wasn't sure how much Joe was getting into this one, but when we finished he jumped up and ran into the living room and started looking at the Edgar Rice Burroughs books. When I caught up with him he asked, "What other jungle books do we have?" At this point, with only 11 ERB books to go, the answer to that was Jungle Girl and The Man-Eater. Joe looked at them, but finally decided that he wanted to go for I Am a Barbarian instead. So we start that tomorrow.
44. Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe ** There's a lot of good Jazz history here...but Miles Davis is such an asshole that I'd have to say that I'm sorry I read this book, and would like to have the 18 days that I spent on it back. 5/24/22
45. The Prince and the Pauper (Great Illustrated Classics) by Mark Twain, adapted by Shirley Bogart. This is the 33rd book that Joe read to me. (4/12/22 to 5/28/22) Joe must have really liked this one. He polished it off much more quickly than usual, and he did a marathon reading on the last day...probably forty pages or so, maybe even more.
46. Edgar Rice Burroughs Tells All compiled by Jerry L. Schneider *** This is probably only a book for true, die-hard ERB enthusiasts. As one of those, I found it interesting, amusing, and worth the money I spent on it. There are some definite flaws--the most egregious being that several pieces appear more than once or twice, presumably because they were published in different periodicals or newspapers. But I think a footnote would have been preferable. Especially because, OCD / AR that I am, I felt compelled to read every word each time, thinking that something vital might have been added. (It never was, so if you find yourself in this position, do the sensible thing.) This is the only non-fiction collection I've ever read by Mr. Burroughs, though, so I'm glad to have spent the time on it. 5/28/22
47. The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene (1965 version) * This was a really bad book. Partly just because it is, but also partly because it is just so vastly inferior to the original (1931) version... which I'm almost finished reading. This version is stupid, and Nancy is a namby pamby for most of the book. She doesn't even carry a gun! (In the original she shoots and kills a mountain lion with her pistol.) I don't think I need to read any more of these rewritten versions of the Nancy Drew books. It's possible I'll read more of the original ones, though. Those are pretty crackin'. 5/30/22
48. The Secret at Shadow Ranch (Nancy Drew, Book 5) by Carolyn Keene (1931 version) **** Definitely the best of the Nancy Drew books I've read so far...which is ten, I suppose, since I read 1 - 5 in both the original versions and in the rewritten versions. And I suppose I'm not alone on this, since it is the best-selling Nancy Drew book...and is #50 "on the list of All-Time Bestselling Children's Books...with 2,347,750 sales since 1931." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_at_Shadow_Ranch) I just now noticed that the title changed slightly from this, the original, version--where it's "at"--and the rewrite, where's it's "of." Also, this is the only Nancy Drew book (so far) in which Nancy not only has a gun, but uses it to shoot an animal dead. She also socks a guy on the jaw so hard that he is almost knocked out. Wotta gal! Of course, that shit doesn't happen in the rewrites, where she is more concerned about looking pretty and such. (5/1/22 to 5/31/22) Only one more of the original Nancy Drew books in my possession right now, sorry to say, but we'll start on that in a minute.
49. The Next Time I Die by Jason Starr *** This book doesn't come out until later this month, but I got an advance copy (all on the up and up) on Sunday (5/29) and finished reading it early Thursday morning (6/2, 3 a.m.--thunder, frightening). I don't often finish a book in four days. In fact, in my dotage I'm much more of a steady tortoise in my reading, and since I read so many books at a time (currently have my nose in 8, and making steady progress, thank you), I almost never read a book so quickly. This was from Hard Case Crime, one of my favorite publishers, and since they were kind enough to Advance Copy me in exchange for a review, I was inclined to bear down a bit more, though. But really it was the nature of the book that pulled me along. It is a crime novel, but it's a very different kind of crime novel. I've seen several references which identify it as akin to the work of Philip K. Dick, a fellow I'm pretty familiar with (and I'd still claim VALIS as one of my all-time favorite novels), and that is to some degree accurate. Because there are really only two possible explanations for this narrative: either Steven Blitz is completely insane or when he dies he enters into The Multiverse. Personally I think that the latter is the more viable explanation, as he clearly knows things from his "other" lives that he could not know if he was simply insane. I'm going to pop over to goodreads to write a full on review for this one, so enough about it here. Just one thing: I gave this a 3 star rating here, but I'll probably go 4 star over there. Not just out of gratitude, though. On a personal level, I think "worth reading" is the best that you can say about a book that doesn't affect you profoundly. But to a larger audience, a book that is so entertaining that an overwhelmed reader chunks it down in four days is better than that. I'd still maintain that a 5 star rating must be reserved for classics on any rating system, though, and I don't think TNTID is that, so...four. 6/2/22
50. The Pickwick Papers Volume I by Charles Dickens. On the one hand, it's only the first half of a novel. But on the other hand, it's almost 500 pages long, and it is published as a separate volume, so I'm taking credit for it. And? It's actually quite good, though it did take me a couple of days to realize that. Definitely worth doing, but maybe not a Must Read Before You Die, as some later Dickens are. 6/6/22
51. The Pickwick Papers Volume II by Charles Dickens. I'm quite satisfied with the way that this novel turned out, and really looking forward to starting Oliver Twist tomorrow. Details on my reading of The Pickwick Papers can be found HERE if you want the nitty gritty.
6/21/22
52. The Secret of Red Gate Farm (Nancy Drew, Book 6) by Carolyn Keene--the rewritten version from 1965. (I'm still working on the original version from 1931.) This was quite different from the first five rewritten versions. In those, there was very little similarity between the original books and the rewrites. They were basically new novels. This time around, very little was actually changed. Things were left out and compressed, but the story was the same, and many of the words were even the same. Which I'm glad of, as I'm pretty sure this is the last rewritten Nancy Drew that I'll be reading, but I wouldn't mind having at some more of the original versions... which are available at Internet Archive, btw. 6/25/22
53. The Bozz Chronicles by David Micheline and Bret Blevins (mostly). Hmmm. An alien teams up with a hooker to start a detective agency in Victorian England. At very least it's a bit of an original concept. And Bret Blevins can draw a very hot female form, for sure. But...well, David Micheline's writing just leaves too many gaps for me, and he is rarely able to escape the gravitational pull of a cliche. And the aforementioned Mr. Blevins often draws the female form in ways that reek of deformity...with ass sticking out so far in back and tits sticking out so far in front that she looks like a Z. Also, he really poops out after a few issues...first resorting to a fill in artist, and then putting out what look like rough layouts for the final two issues. Nope, not worth your money. I only paid a total of $3 for the thing, and I don't feel that I got my money's worth. 7/2/22
54. The Secret of Red Gate Farm (Nancy Drew, Book 6) by Carolyn Keene Sorry to say that this was the last of my Boxed Set of Original Nancy Drew books. Jacqueline does have some of the newer model adventures, so we'll be going there next, but I'm sure that they'll be drastically different from these 1930s adventures. (For one thing, I'll bet that Nancy never packs a gun, much less shoots anything to death.) (6/2/22 to 7/3/22)
55. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Started 6/22/22, finished 7/7/22 An impressive second novel. In fact, I'd have to say that while there were a few wobbly moments in The Pickwick Papers (not many, though!), that when this one came around, Dickens was fully Dickens. The sardonic wit, the playful, meta attitude towards storytelling, the biting observations on the depravities of human nature...yep. It's all here. A truly great, must-read book, so ***** to make that official.
56. In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920 - 1954. Yep, this massive tome (732 pages) is just Volume I of Asimov's autobiography. And yes, there is a Volume III...sort of. But I'll get to that in a couple of years. For now...this was a very enjoyable read, despite the fact that Asimov revealed several things about himself--sometimes inadvertently--that were somewhere between bothersome and troubling. For instance, the man could hold a grudge for a very long time. And he was such a cheapskate that he makes my cheapskate heart recoil. And he would not have fared well during the #MeToo Movement. (Nothing too dreadful, but way too much laying on of hands.) And he cheated on his first wife. I always find that hard to forgive. I mean...if you want to fuck someone other than the person you sworn an oath to be faithful to, then have the guts to end the marriage first. As me dear ol' da used to say, "A man who doesn't keep his word isn't worth shit." But fortunately the bothersome→troubling stuff was just a fraction of the content, and there was plenty of other stuff that was quite excellent. Or is if you are an Asimov fan...and why else would you pick this book up, right? I'm going right on to Volume II. And reading this has encouraged me to read some of Asimov's fiction again, so I've purchased a few items in that department which I may do as "side reads." Funny, I first read this book shortly after it came out (1979), and I don't think I remembered a single thing as I re-read it. Time is erosion, at least for me. A humbling thought, ennit? 7/9/22
57. I Am a Barbarian by Edgar Rice Burroughs (4/23/22 to 7/16/22) This was the 74th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. It's also the only ERB that I've ever loaned to anyone else--only because I have very few friends and even fewer with any interest in Edgar Rice Burroughs. She read it and loved it, though, and lent it to her son, who also read it. So I did a little to spread the ERB Word. As for Joe? We'll see.
And? I think he liked it. We did a 20+ page bin on the last day as he wanted to finish it off, so that must mean something, right?
58. Memos from Purgatory by Harlan Ellison. Started 6/?/22, finished 7/17/22. It's been a long time since I read a Harlan Ellison book. And it's a shame that I chose this one to start back with, because it was not a good book. At all. In fact, it was a bad book. So bad that I think I'm going to have to write about it at much greater length. For now, the short version is this: Ellison runs with a gang for ten weeks and commits several serious crimes: statutory rape, breaking and entering, assault with a deadly weapon. That's Part I. In Part II, he's arrested for possession of an illegal firearm. He spends 24 hours in the jail system. And proves himself to be an absolute and complete pussy. He also compares his 24 hours in the system to Torquemada's inquisition chambers, to Hell, and to Purgatory (hence the title). The writing is pretentious, hyperbolic, and constantly strives to be "cool." I may read another Ellison book in the near future, but with only one aim: to wipe the taste of this one out of my mouth, and to restore Ellison to some measure of dignity in my mind.
59. Nicholas Nickleby Volume I by Charles Dickens. Started 7/6/22, finished 7/19/22 Another exciting read courtesy of Mr. Dickens. This was my third CD in a row, and by a sizable margin the best yet. It also marks my 4th completed in the 36 volume The Centennial Edition of Dickens' Complete Works...which is a bit over 10%, and at the moment I'm feeling that it won't be daunting to have at the other 90%. Time will tell...as will I.
60. On Quality: An Inquiry Into Excellence: Unpublished and Selected Writings by Robert M. Pirsig and Wendy K. Pirsig Short Version: A total rip-off, and definitely not worth your time or money...and I say that as a person who loves Robert Pirsig, and one who has read both Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila--the former several times. Long version: coming soon to a blog post near you.
61. The Red Badge of Courage (Great Illustrated Classics)
by Steven Crane, adapted by Malvina G. Vogel. This is the 34th book that Joe read to me. (5/29/22 to 7/22/22)
62. Nancy Drew Diaries #21: Danger at the Iron Dragon by Carolyn Keene This is the first "modern" Nancy Drew book that Jacqueline and I have read...a birthday present (along with two others) from her friend, Heidi. (7/4/22 to 7/30/22) And although I have to admit that I wasn't keen on the New Nancy Drew thing, this book was pretty okay, and I don't dread reading three more in the series (Jacqueline's current holdings).
63. New Catholic Picture Bible by Rev. Lawrence Lovasik (3/10/22 to 7/31/22) Even though we were still reading the Orthodox Study Bible. Well, I guess you can't have too much Bible, can you?
64. Nicholas Nickleby Volume II by Charles Dickens. Started 7/20/22, finished 8/2/22 A ripping good yarn.
65. The Old Curiosity Shop Volume I by Charles Dickens. Started 8/3/22, finished 8/13/22. My 6th Volume of the 36 Volume CENTENNIAL DICKENS, thus I am now 16.7% of the way through the journey. And I feel no flagging of my interest at this point, so Tally Ho! 🦊
66. The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews. Started 8/11/22, finished 8/18/22.
67. The Old Curiosity Shop Volume II by Charles Dickens. Started 8/14/22, finished 8/23/22 Fuck Oscar Wilde, man, the death of Little Nell was moving. Haters gonna hate.
68. Way Station by Clifford D. Simak. Started 8/?/22 finished 8/25/22 Read this book a long, long time ago...about 50 years, maybe more. And nothing in it rang any bells, but I enjoyed it for the most part. Could have done without the "Imaginary Friends" sub-plot, and the whole dealing with the government was imbecilic and devoid of any notion of reality, but the main story about the lonely Way Station keeper was very powerful. Made me want to read more Simak, and guess what? hoopla has quite a few of his books available.
69. The Lost Continent (Original Title Beyond Thirty) by Edgar Rice Burroughs (7/17/22 to 8/25/22) This was the 75th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. It was a bit too oriented towards narration rather than dialogue and unfolding action, but it was still at least interesting.
70. Peter Pan (Great Illustrated Classics) by J. M. Barrie, adapted by Marian Leighton. This is the 35th book that Joe read to me. (7/23/22 to 8/29/22) At first I didn't think he was very into it, but on the last day he kept asking if he could read another chapter, and he ended up reading at least six to finish off the book.
71. Barnaby Rudge Volume I by Charles Dickens. Started 8/23/22, finished 9//422 You know, there's not a whole hell of a lot of Barnaby Rudge in this novel. In fact, he's only been mentioned in passing in the last hundred pages or so, I think. What's up with that? I am enjoying the novel, but I was really interesting in Barnaby, and want to get back to him and then stay with him. FF'sS. For the record, this was my 8th volume of Dickens, which means I've now read 22% of The Complete Dickens. Just sayin', sir.
72. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars mostly by Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck and Bob Layton. I don't think I've read this since it came out in 1984 - 1985...and I don't think I'll ever make the mistake of reading it again. What a shit show this thing was. Terrible art, lots of misogyny, and so many plot holes that you could strain beans through it. And there wasn't even much of a resolution. A complete waste of time, really.
73. Nancy Drew Diaries #22: A Capitol Crime by Carolyn Keene This is the second "modern" Nancy Drew book that Jacqueline and I have read...another birthday present from her friend, Heidi. (7/31/22 to 9/6/22)
74. The Girl From Farris's by Edgar Rice Burroughs (8/27/22 to 9/11/22) This was the 76th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe.
75. Barnaby Rudge Volume II by Charles Dickens. 9/5/22 to 9/15/22
My favorite Dickens so far...and the 9th of the 36 volume Complete Dickens.
76. Master Humphrey's Clock by Charles Dickens.9/16/22 to 9/19/22
77. Spadework for a Palace by László Krasznahorkai *** In some ways this was a retread of The Manhattan Project, but hey, all writers have their little fascinations, and besides, this fleshed things out quite a bit. At any rate, this was a quick read I obtained from the library (after suggesting that they buy it), so it didn't cost me anything, but I wouldn't have felt bad if I'd paid for it. More to come, I think...but not here. 9/21/22 to 9/23/22
78. Dejah Thoris vs. John Carter of Mars by Dan Abnett and Alessandro Miracolo ** Well, you know. I keep hoping that SOMEone will do a good comic book based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' work, but it keeps not happening. I actually thought that this one had a shot, since Dan Abnett is at least a pretty good writer, but then there was the stupid title (there's no one who would is stupid enough to believe that Dejah Thoris would throw down with John Carter), the ugly, unfinished looking art, and the constant tit focus which Dynamite is preoccupied with...and it's just another stupid comic book. Where have you gone, Mike Kaluta, a nation of ERB lovers turns their lonely eyes to you. 9/25/22
79. Tale of the Witch Doll (Penny Parker #1) by Mildred A. Wirt (who also wrote the first Nancy Drew books under the name Carolyn Keene). From what I've read, Ms. Wirt thought of Penny Parker as Nancy Drew without editorial oversight and intervention, so I'm thinking this is going to be a good ride! And if it's really good, there are another 16 Penny Parker books Out There. Later...well, it was okay, but to be honest, it couldn't hold a candle to the Nancy Drew books that Ms. Wirt wrote. I guess sometimes it's the limitations that cause your creativity to blossom...like that Wordsworth sonnet on the sonnet. I think this is where our Penny Parker journey ends. 9/25/22
80. A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen **** Nora, the lead female role in this play, reminded me a lot of Clare. Just in terms of how I would guess she felt constrained by marriage to me, and how she felt compelled to leave that marriage. I'm no fucking Torvald...but that doesn't mean that she didn't see me that way. At any rate, it took me 65 years to get to my first Ibsen play, but I'll be starting my second (The Wild Duck) in about five minutes. 9/28/22
81. The Mutiny on Board HMS Bounty (Great Illustrated Classics) by William Bligh, adapted by Brendan Lynch. This is the 36th book that Joe read to me. (9/1/22 to 9/29/22)
82. Essex County by Jeff Lemire **** Hadn't really meant to re-read this book, but thought about something in it, started looking at it, and just fell in. It's a really good book, one that I would give to a non-comic book reader if I wanted to get them interested in the form. 10/4/22
83. The Five Love Languages: Singles Edition by Gary Chapman *** Read this because a friend asked me to. It had its moments, but it was a hard push for me. For one thing, I "read" an audiobook, and the narrator, Chris Fabry, kind of drove me crazy. His voice was a bit too ingratiaing for me For another thing, I don't think that Gary Chapman is a very good writer. I would estimate that he used the phrase "love language" fifty times or more in this very short book, and it got to be like Chinese Water Torture. On the other hand, I think the basic underlying premise, pay attention to what other people want or need, is valuable, so maybe it was worth the torture. 10/5/22
84. Martin Chuzzlewit Volume I by Charles Dickens. Thus far my least favorite of the Dickens novels. 9/20/22 to 10/4/22
85. The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch
by Neil Gaiman & Michael Zulli ** A pretty disappointing piece of work by two pretty great comic book creators. The art--which was in color, which just didn't seem right--was awkward, as Michael Zulli's work often is, and the story was just downright silly. Beyond that, it just made no sense. A woman disappears and the people who were with here just shrug and drive home? Nope. 10/6/22
86. Nancy Drew Diaries #23: The Blue Lady of Coffin Hall by Carolyn Keene This is the third "modern" Nancy Drew book that Jacqueline and I have read...another birthday present from her friend, Heidi. 9/7/22 to 10/11/22
87. Royal City Volume 1: Next of Kin by Jeff Lemire *** Been awhile since I read these stories. It's not as good as Essex Country, but it's a lot better than most of the superhero stuff that Lemire spent so much of his time working on around this time. I really wish that he would stick to "real life" stuff. 10/16/22
88. Martin Chuzzlewit Volume II by Charles Dickens. 10/5/22 to 10/21/22 Meh. **, maybe? My least favorite Dickens thus far, to be sure.
89. White by Bret Easton Ellis *** I read Less Than Zero a long time ago...over 40 years ago...and I hated it. I had no intention of ever reading another book by BEE. But for some reason when I saw...and I'm not sure how I happened upon the information...that he had published a book of non-fiction (in 2019--I was late to the party again), I decided to have a look. And I slowly got pulled into it, and ended up wondering if I should give BEE another go...and picked up a copy of Less Than Zero from the library. And for good measure, I picked up a dvd of the movie version as well. Then I poured it on and finished White. And? I have to say that I found it interesting reading, even compelling reading at times. So we'll see how this goes. At the moment, I'm thinking that I might even do a run at the oeuvre. Of course I've felt that about other writers and pooped out long before emerging into the light at the end of the tunnel. News as it happens. 10/?/22 to 10/22/22
90. The Big Bundle by Max Allan Collins ** Well...here's a thing. I got an advance copy of this book from the wonderful Hard Case Crime books...and in return I'm to write a review and post it somewhere. And I will do that. (And this is not it.) But...I didn't think it was a good book. It wasn't a terrible book. It wasn't a chore to read. In fact, I read it rather quickly--in six days, despite the fact that I'm reading a shit ton of other books right now. And I have some affection for Max Allan Collins--though mostly for his comic book work, I have to admit. (Wild Dog, Ms. Tree, and The Road to Perdition.) I think my biggest objection to the book was the narrator, Nathan Heller. From what I understand (aka what's written on Wikipedia), he's Max Allan Collins' most popular character, but to me he was just kind of an asshole. With a bit of racism thrown in for measure. Now, I don't want to write a review trashing a book that was provided to me for free from one of my favorite publishers...but I also can't bring myself to praise a book that I would rather bury. So I'll have to think about this a bit. News as it happens. 10/20/22 to 10/26/22
91. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman 9/26/22 to 10/29/22
92. American Notes by Charles Dickens 10/22/22 to 10/3/22
93. Lark Ascending by Silas House 10/28/22 to 11/2/22
94. The Phantom Volume 1: The Singh Brotherhood, Part 1 (1936) by Lee Falk 11/3/22 It's been a long time since I read a Phantom comic strip, so when I saw this on the library's website I decided to check it out. And it was fun. 108 daily strips with a most excellent, action-packed story, a pretty girl who was also a skilled boxer, and even a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure.
95. The Jungle Girl by Edgar Rice Burroughs (9/12/22 to 11/6/22) This was the 77th ERB book that I read out loud to Joe. BTW, its working title was The Dancing Girl of the Leper King, it was first published serially as The Land of the Hidden Men, and it has since been published as a book under that title and as The Jungle Girl.
96. Pictures From Italy by CharlesDickens 11/1/22 to 11/7/22
I really enjoyed this book. Part travelogue, part social commentary. Hell, part art history and criticism as well. All wrapped in a nice package with Dickens' wit. Highly recommended bit of "Unknown Dickens" here.
97. Frankenstein (Great Illustrated Classics) by Mary Shelley, adapted by Malvina G. Vogel. This is the 37th book that Joe read to me. (9/30/22 to 11/11/22)
98. The Phantom Volume 2: The Singh Brotherhood, Part 2 (1936) by Lee Falk 11/3/22 to 11/16/22 Took me awhile to get through this set of 120 daily strips...but that was mostly because I was distracted reading other things. I poured it on at the end, though, because this is such a crackerjack thing. Dated, for sure, but lots of fun even so. I'm looking forward to the other two collections that the library has on hand.
99. Christmas Stories Volume I by Charles Dickens 11/3/22 to 11/17/22
100. Killadelphia Volume 1: Sins of the Father by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander *** The art is extraordinary, and the idea of John Adams as a vampire trying to stage a political coup is interesting, but the rest of it is just more vampire bullshit, so I think I'm through with this one.
101. Prayers of Sherkin by Sebastian Barry 11/18/22 to 11/19/22
Did a Google search for novels about Sherkin Island and found this. Turned out to be a pretty interesting play, and I think I'm going to read some more Sebastian Barry stuff in the near future. Found this play on Internet Archive, by the way. Good source for hard to find items, for sure.
102. The Teen Model Mystery (Book #125 in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories Series) by Carolyn Keene Yep, it's aNOTher Nancy Drew series. How many of these books are out there? We found this one in a Little Library up in Crestwood. Started 10/12/22, finished 11/21/22.
103. Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout *** I can't remember why I decided to read this book. And I'm not sure why I kept reading it after the first few pages. It was not well written. In fact, I found it dull, repetitious, and inept. And I never want to read another book by Ms. Strout. On the other hand, though...I did finish it. And it is immensely popular. And there were a few moments that I found quite touching. So what do I know. 11/22/22
104. In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954-1978 7/9/22 to 11/25/22 Well...this was my second reading. The first was 50 years ago, though, so for all intents and purposes, it was a first reading. And I'm not sorry I did it, but I wouldn't recommend it, either. I'm sorry to say that Asimov comes off as a petty, self-absorbed cheapskate, a man who is absolutely incapable of seeing beyond his own self-interests. A man who is sexist, treats women despicably (and brags about such things as squeezing a woman's breast in public), and yet somehow manages to see himself as a Feminist. So yes, completely un-self-reflective. Also, this reads more like a diary than an autobiography, and Asimov often goes on and on about things that are of absolutely no consequence.
105. Beware! by Edgar Rice Burroughs (11/10/22 to 11/26/22) This was the 78th ERB book that I read out loud to Joe. This book was written in 1922, but was not published until 1939, when editor Ray Palmer, taking a break from his superhero duties, added in science fiction elements and published it as The Scientists Revolt for the July issue of Fantastic Adventures. It's available in book form, but it's pretty pricey and very short, so I just printed out my own copy. (It's easy to find online.) I think it's the worst published Edgar Rice Burroughs story...and keep in mind that I have read ALL of them.
106. The Rhetorical Town by Sebastian Barry. NOPE. 11/27/22
109. Mazebook by Jeff Lemire ** Another disappointing book from Mr. Lemire. I was pretty sure it would be, as I'd bought and read the first issue when it came out and then decided not to buy any of the other four issues, but when I saw it at the library I thought I'd give it another chance. It didn't deserve it. For one thing, the format...which possibly worked better in the print version...became nonsensical at times in the e-version. There were times when pages did not read sequentially, when you'd have to flip back and forth between pages, and even skip over a page and then come back to it. Which is just bullshit. But the story itself was very weak, too. There was absolutely nothing about this story that would surprise or enliven any reader who wasn't a complete novice. Sad.
110. The School For Cats by Esther Averill **** My first New York Review Children's book...and I will definitely be looking for more. I think I'm going to write more in depth about this lovely little tome, so I'll just leave it at that for here.
111. A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by László Krasznahorkai **** Another little bitty book, but a good one. This is early Krasznahorkai, and that shows in several ones. For one thing, there are actually a fair number of sentences in this story. For another, there is at least one exclamation point! And for yet another thing, there is a discernible story line. I found a lot of resonances here with Seiobo There Below, and think it'd be a good idea to read this right before proceeding into Seiobo. Think I might write a GoodReads thing for this one, so I'll leave it at that for here.
112. The Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson ** Sorry to say that I've started losing steam on this series...and I don't know if I want to go for the third volume of the trilogy. For one thing, I'm tired of the villain who keeps popping up. Gracella just isn't that much of a villain...and her defeat in the first book seemed to come pretty easily. Also, I'm sick of the wordplay stuff under each chapter heading. It doesn't relate to anything in the text, it's just a bit of flash. And I'm not a fan of flash. 12/3/22 to 12/16/22
113. Christmas Books by Charles Dickens 12/3/22 to 12/19/22
My 15th volume of Dickens!
114. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote *** Not really a book, but hey, it was bound and hardbacked, so it goes on the list. My friends Craig and Marilyn loaned this to me last time we met for coffee. I have a feeling that it meant more to them than it did to me, but still, it was a sweet story. And Truman Capote is a better writer than I tend to credit him with being. 11/24/22
115. The Annotated Christmas Carol: A Christmas Carol in Prose by Michael Patrick Hearn 12/19/22 to 12/25/22 Very interesting read, though marred for me by a dozen or so proofreading errors.
116. Heidi (Treadsury of Illustrated Classics) by Johanna Spyri, adapted by Celia Bland Started 11/22/22, finished 12/25/22. This is a lovely little story, actually.
117. David Copperfield (Great Illustrated Classics) by Charles Dickens, adapted by Malvina G. Vogel. This is the 38th book that Joe read to me. (11/12/22 to 12/30/22)
Dombey and Son Volume I by Charles Dickens 12/26/22 to 1//22
Orthodox Study Bible--published by Thomas Nelson, New King James Version (Not sure when we started this--maybe in 2015--but we resumed reading 11/19/20)
118. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1: World Without Love by Zeb Wells & John Romita Jr. *** Disappointing, but I like JR, Jr's art enough to keep going for another volume...especially since both it and this one were available for free via hoopla.
119. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2: The New Sinister by Zeb Wells & John Romita Jr. ** Even worse than the first collection. That might be it for me. 12/31/22
120. Mage: The Hero Discovered Volume I by Matt Wagner ** Not as good as I remembered it being...but, then again, this collection included issues 1 - 8, and previously I'd only read issues 6 - 15. So I'll see how Volume II looks to me. (Only read the first four issues of that arc previously.)
121. Jenny's Moonlight Adventure by Esther Averill Only 30 pages long, but hey, a book is a book. I have three more of these Black Cat books from the library, and I'm pretty sure that I'll be reading all of them.
In Progress:
The Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson 12/2/22 to
Grammar for a Full Life: How the Ways We Shape a Sentence Can Limit or Enlarge Us by Lawrence Weinstein 12/7/22 to
Now reading:
Orthodox Study Bible--published by Thomas Nelson, New King James Version (Not sure when we started this--maybe in 2015--but we resumed reading 11/19/20)
The Secret Garden (Great Illustrated Classics) by Frances Hodgson Burnett, adapted by Malvina G. Vogel 12/26/22 to
Lessons You Can Learn From the Bible by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society 10/30/22 to
Good News For Modern Man (1966) 7/3/21 to This was used at Emmanuel Luther Church way back when I went there as a child. I always liked this little Bible...from the "newsprint" cover to the stick figure drawings to the "modern English." Many years later I thought of it and looked to see if one was available online, found it, and it was pretty expensive. So I thought that was that. Then I found one at Goodwill for like a buck. And then I found another one, probably at Half-Price Books, for the same. So now I have one...and I either gave the other one to Pat or meant to do so. I'll have to ask her. Anyway, I thought it was worth a try to read this to Joe.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Great Illustrated Classics) by Mark Twain, adapted by Deidre S. Laiken. This is the 39th book that Joe read to me. 12/31/22 to
The Efficiency Expert by Edgar Rice Burroughs (11/28/22 to ) This was the 79th ERB book that I read out loud to Joe. It's also the only ERB book that I only "read" via audiobook previously, so this will be my first reading reading.
NIrV Children's Bible, The Beginner's Bible Ed. (1998, Zondervan)
Started 7/22/2020, stopped 11/27/2020--after we read page 120--and switched over to Beautiful Bible Stories by Patricia Summerlin Martin. The NIrV was a bit too hard...and not really all that interesting. Here's hoping that BBS is more to Joe's liking.
