The Book I Read 2021
***** = Must read.
**** = 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 2021? 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 Adventures of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
2. Orthodox Study Bible
3. The Willows at Christmas by William Horwood
4. Saints: A Year in Faith and Art by Rosa Giorgi
With Joe:
5. The Wizard of Oz (Great Illustrated Classics) adapted by Deidre S. Laiken
6. The Eternal Savage by Edgar Rice Burroughs
7. Beautiful Bible Stories by Patricia Summerlin Martin
Just me and my arrow:
8. The Second World War Volume II: Their Finest Hour by Winston S. Churchill
9. Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov
10. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Jack Kirby
11. First Light by Rebecca Stead
12. The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey into Greenland's Buried Past and Our Perilous Future by Jon Gertner
And the winner is...
P.S. There was one line that I thought was particularly noteworthy: "...every person has to learn to accept what has happened in the past. Without bitterness. Or there is no point in continuing with life."
Oh, wait a minute. One more: "Thea’s body reacted to the sound of her mother’s name. It was as if a school of tiny fish swam inside of her, everywhere at once."
That's some good stuff.
Yeah. Okay, I've wasted enough time on this plotless, characterless, pointless book. Unless I get all pissed off and write a blog entry about it, which could happen, I suppose, because this is the kind of writing that really upsets me. Reading it is like finding out that you have termites in your walls.
24. King Kong Theory by Virginie Despentes ***** Yep. Think I'm going to write a separate thing about this book, so for now I'll just say that this book about pornography, prostitution, rape, and misogyny (amongst other things) really should be required reading.
87. Jules Verne: The Definitive Biography by William Butcher
90. The Outlaw of Torn by Edgar Rice Burroughs (6/15/21 to 8/6/21) This was the 66th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. Not a well known Burroughs, and a very early one...in fact, as I recall, it was actually the second book he wrote, though it was rejected many times, thus wasn't published until after several others had been published. A shame, as not only is it a good read, but if it had been published very early on it might have helped Burroughs to escape from the type casting which hobbled his writing for the rest of his life.
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)
Beyond the Farthest Star by Edgar Rice Burroughs (12/11/21 to ) This was the 689th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe.
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.
2. The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen *** From Greenland to Finland. And back to Nordic Noir. More or less. This was a crime / mystery story to some extent, but it was mostly about mushrooms, and it was pretty funny sometimes, and almost wise at other times. It was a quick read, a fun read, and the protagonist, Jaakko Kaunismaa, is a pretty unique guy. I liked him. And liked this book enough to buy a second Tuomainen book--albeit (1) it was only 99¢ and (2) I had a gift certificate. Looking forward to it.
3. The Wizard of Oz (Great Illustrated Classics) adapted by Deidre S. Laiken (12/6/2020 to 1/7/2021) *** This is the 22nd book Joe read to me. It was also the best oral reading he has ever done. In fact, I didn't even have to look at the page he was reading in order to understand what he was saying...which is the first time that has happened in a sustained fashion. Feels like we've made a great leap forward here. He also was struck by the differences between the book (even in this adaptation) and the movie. One of the things I liked about this adaptation was that it did follow the book (rather than the movie), but it didn't push the rough stuff...like when the Tin Woodman puts that ax to use.
4. The Man Who Died by D. H. Lawrence -0 Yes, I did read two books with the same title almost back to back. This came up either before, during, or after I read the Antti Tuomainen novel, and I was slightly intrigued by the confluence. I was also thinking (1) I wonder if there is any connection in terms of Antti doing something with the D. H. Lawrence thing? (2) I am in the mood to read a novel about the risen Christ and (3) I don't think I've never read anything by D. H. Lawrence before. But it didn't take long for me to realize that (1) there was no connection with Antti's novel, (2) this was a really disrespectful book vis-a-vis the risen Christ, and (3) I do not like D. H. Lawrence's style of writing. I also thought that surely Nikos Kazantzakis must have read this book, because there is a great deal of similarity between The Last Temptation of Christ and The Man Who Died. With one big difference: Kazantazakis is exploring a viable concept, whereas Lawrence just seems to be trying to make trouble. The short version: after rising from the dead, Jesus says hi to a few of his disciples, then goes to a Temple of Isis and fucks the priestess multiple times, gets her pregnant, then leaves in a stolen boat. Because, you know, that's the kind of shit Christ always wanted to do. I only paid 99¢ for this Kindle book, and I had a credit for that, so I really paid nothing...and I still feel that I got ripped off big time. I loathed this book. It scraped away brain cells. I will never read another word written by D. H. Lawrence. Claro?
P.S. I have to add this. Jesus goes to the temple of Isis with the priestess and she (and I'm not making this up) shoves her tit into the wound in his side. He than has (his first?) erection, and says (and again, not making this up) "He is risen!" Seriously...did D. H. Lawrence write this when he was a sophomore in high school or what? Sheesh.
P.P.S. Okay, just one more thing. I know it's very common, so perhaps I shouldn't pick on Lawrence for this, but it really irritates me when people write about Mary Magdalene as a prostitute. There is no Biblical reference to this--it's just something that people decided was true somewhere along the way. Like the idiotic notion that the only man-made structure you can see from space in The Great Wall of China. So for the record: Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute. There is every indication that she was Christ's pre-eminent disciple. (A big one: she is the first person the risen Christ appears to.) I can't help but think that the misogynistic need to undermine any woman who achieves distinction is behind the move to cast her as a prostitute.
5. Doomsday Clock Part I by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank *** As I may or may not have said previously (lots of unpublished posts), I started reading this--with great reservations--when it came out, but pooped out pretty quickly. But when I saw it at the library (virtually speaking), I decided to have a go at it. And you know...at least at this halfway point, it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be. In fact, there were a few moments that were pretty good. Unfortunately, the monkey on my back is the disapproval of Alan Moore, but you know, as much as I love Alan Moore...and that's a lot...he did this under a work for hire contract (I know, that's a big slice of Occam's Razor, but when you get right down to it, it is what it is)...and to make things worse, these characters were not really original, as they were based on the old Charlton heroes...so there you have it. The best part of the story so far is the new Rorschach. Some nice twists there, for sure. There really wasn't a whole lot of interaction between the DC characters and the Watchmen crew, but maybe that's what part 2 is for. Speaking of...I think I will go ahead and read part 2. (The library had that, too.) Maybe I'll have a better feel for what I think of it when I finish that. Two more things: (1) the cover price of this is $25, and I wouldn't feel good if I'd paid that much for it and (2) I had to skim over most of the text pieces which followed the story pages in each issue. They were not nearly as interesting as Alan Moore's text pages. Just sayin', sir.
6. The Willows at Christmas by William Horwood (From 12/2/2020 to 1/12/21) -0 Wow...what a bad book in so many ways. For one thing, it is really dark and violent. There are, for instance, threats of torture and dismemberment. Several times. Not something I would put into a "children's book," but hey, I'm a bleeding heart liberal. As I thought (see earlier note), this book doesn't continue on from The Willows and Beyond, which preceded it, but goes back to follow directly after The Wind and the Willows. I suspect that this was actually William Horwood's first Willows book, and that the publishers told him that it wasn't what they were looking for; then, after his other three books were successful, he put it back on the desk and told them to take it or leave it. I seriously don't think this should have been published, though. It is mean-spirited, dark, and has none of the charm of the original work. Hell, it doesn't even have the charm of Horwood's other sequels, and they didn't have that much charm themselves. And did I mention that there's even a chapter in which one of the lead characters is threatened with torture on the rack, in an Iron Maiden, and then by being burned alive in a cage suspended over a fire? Yeah...this was a horrible book.
7. Mars: Stories by Asja Bakić **** My second time around on this one...which was as good as the first time around. I'm ready for Asja to write another book. Or, more properly, I'm ready for Asja to write another book and for it to be translated into English. BTW...as I officially enter into my dotage, it occurs to me that there is one hell of a lot of literature out there that I would like to read that hasn't been translated into English. In my next life, I hope I learn three or four more languages. (1/16/21)
8. The Mine by Antti Tuomainen *** My second Antti Tuomainen. And it might be my last. I enjoyed parts of it immensely...in fact, pretty much all of it until about the 3/4ths mark. Then there was a backstory incident revealed...one on which a great deal of the plot depended ...that was just stupid and completely lacking in verisimilitude. I continued reading despite that, since I was enjoying the book quite a bit before that, and things righted themselves until the very end... wherein Antti had his protagonist's newspaper article inserted, and it was just a pitiful idea of a newspaper article. I can't for the life of me imagine why any editor let this pass muster. It would have been better if Antti had hired a real newspaper reporter to rewrite this chapter. So... I guess that's it for me and Finnish Noir...unless someone else pops up along the way. Though at the end of the book there was a short biography of this book's translator...David Hackston...and a mention that he had also worked on Dedalus Book Of Finnish Fantasy, and that looked pretty interesting--especially the very cool cover...
...so I guess I'm not finished with Finland itself yet. (And the library just happened to have a copy of this book, so...more news as it happens.)
9. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (12/19/20 to 1/20/21) This was actually the first book in an omnibus which contains Pippi Longstocking, Pippi Goes on Board, and Pippi in the South Seas. 296 pages of Pippi action. So I'm guessing we'll be working on this one for awhile. I thought this first one was pretty good. Pippi is an odd character, for sure...and quite an independent and adventurous (and strong!) young female character, and there certainly isn't nearly enough of that. Jacqueline seemed to enjoy this...and is ready to start the second book tomorrow.
10. Ice Cream Man Volume 1: Rainbow Sprinkles by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo * Some time ago I picked up issue #14 of this title because (surprise) it had an interesting cover:
And it was an interesting book with a clever crossword puzzle motif. I remember being impressed enough with it that I did screen shots of a few pages and sent them to my #1🌞...but not impressed enough to buy another issue. Though I was tempted a few times: by the Action Comics #1 cover (#17) and by the Dr. Seuss cover (#20). But I didn't succumb. But as I was strolling through the public library's collection of e-comics, I saw that it had some Ice Cream Man collections on hand, so I downloaded the first (this) one for a read. And it was pretty awful. Ugly art, mean-spirited stories. And there's only the most tenuous of connections between one issue and another--that being the image of the Ice Cream Man. So that should have been enough for me. But hey, it was free, so...
11. Ice Cream Man Vol. 2: Strange Neopolitan by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo happened. And it was pretty much the same stuff (hence *) with a turn towards even more horrible stuff...but I bulled through until the end, and in one of the stories there were these lines: "...that's why we have stories... To help us forget the truth for a little while. Stories make the world a beautiful place. Even when they end..." Not stunningly profound, but noteworthy...and enough for me to download the third volume. I haven't started reading it yet, though. I feel like I need a palate cleanse before I go back in for any more of this shit. I mean seriously...stripping the skin from a man with a potato peeler? Suggesting that boiling a cat makes for a tasty dinner? It's not only reprehensible, it's also just fucking childish, you know? Like Mr. Prince just wants to S*H*O*C*K us because we're SOOOO middle class. Fuck him. Hmm. Now why am I going to subject myself to volume 3? Well, despite the wretchedness of his story-telling, Prince does some interesting stuff conceptually. Like the title story of this collection, which is told in three separate levels, each represented on the page with a different (hence neapolitan) color. And there were those lines about stories. I guess I'm thinking that there's a chance Prince will figure out how to write stories that aren't just handfuls of shit flung into the face of the reader. Probably not, but...hope springs.
12. Pretty Things by Virginie Despentes **** Saw a little ad for this at the end of Asja Bakić's Mars, and they had it as an e-book at the library. I was really taken in by this novel. Despentes writes with some pretty brutal honesty here...indicting females at least as much as males in terms of their dishonesty in relationships. And sorry, but it rang true to me, and expressed many of the thoughts I've either been trying to express or trying to repress for some time. I'm going to have a go at another Despentes novel right away: Vernon Subutex 1 (which is the first book of a trilogy...and get this: it was published November 5, 2019. That's right, I'm actually reading a book that was written in the 21st century!
13. The Second World War by Winston S. Churchill: Volume II Their Finest Hour **** A cracking good read, for sure. Since I've already written at length (and in installments) about it HERE, I'll leave it at that for here.
14. Doomsday Clock Part 2 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank * I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that I didn't pay $20 (+ or -) for this piece of shit. Thematically, this thing is summed up in three "maxims": (1) It's not who wins or loses, it's how you played the game. (2) "Don't be afraid of what you feel." (3) "Stop and smell the roses." And the first of these is repeated quite a few times. Seriously. And beyond that...in the end, this is really just another attempt to reconcile the conflicted DC Universe timeline. For some reason, this concept seems to obsess the folks at DC. And this is the most tiresome iteration of all, as it just keeps clicking back and forth, in part a pathetic attempt to imitate the brilliance of Alan Moore, in part the broken machinations of a plastic cogwheel. If you love The Watchmen, you don't want to have anything to do with this monstrosity. (Especially not Part II, where the shit storm really intensifies.) If you love DC Comics, you don't want to have anything to do with it, either.
15. Invitation to the Bold of Heart by Dorothee Elmiger * Asja Bakić got me all hepped up for this book by referencing the author 5 times in one of her short stories...and since D. Elmiger only has two books to date, how could I go wrong, right? Well...it's possible I missed something, of course, but I have to say that I thought Invitation to the Bold of Heart was almost completely worthless. Its only saving grace was that it was very short--150 pages, a dozen or so of them blank, and all of them kind of tiny...there couldn't have been more than 150 words per page. I might re-read it...but I don't really want to. I might read D.'s other book...but I don't really want to do that either, at least not right now. We'll see. But this? Hardly any plot, very little setting, the barest hint of character. It was more like a bunch of loosely connected, vacuous poems than a novel. Except that the language wasn't interesting or clever. Sigh.
16. Vernon Subutex I by Virginie Despentes **** Now THAT was a fuckin' novel, man. I can't even begin to talk about how good this book was in a drive-by review, so I'm going to devote some serious time to it and for now just say that I am head over heels for this Virginie Despentes and am going to read everything of hers that I can get my little hands on. I did hate the cover, though. I don't know if they were aiming for a combination of stupid and hideous there, but they shoah nuff did hit it dead center. See?
17. Invitation to the Bold of Heart by Dorothee Elmiger * Well, I went back for another go...because I kept thinking that surely I missed something the first time around. And? Well, now I'm not only sure that I didn't miss anything, I'm also sure that I don't want to read anymore of Dorothee Elmiger's work. I'm surprised, since Asja Bakić was so hopped up on it (and I'm hopped up on Asja), but I found this book to be pretentious, thin, and lacking in any of the qualities I look for in the world of fiction. It also really hit me just how short this book is. Check this out: the last text page is 152, and there's an acknowledgements page after that. Since page 1 is the first text and there's one page of quotes pre, that would look like 154 pages. But there are 4 title pages (which contain only a few and sometimes only one word) and there are 5 blank pages, so 145 pages. However... many of those pages are not even close to full. In fact, there are more than a couple of pages which have only one sentence on them. Add to that the fact that there are several pages which are just lists of things, one thing to a line. And add to that the fact that this is a small book (5" x 8"), and that it has what can only be called generous margins...and you realize that this is really about the size of a short story. And as for the pretentious...well, I could go on and on, but I'll just give you a pick at the aforementioned Acknowledgements page, and that should probably do the trick:
Yeah. Okay, I've wasted enough time on this plotless, characterless, pointless book. Unless I get all pissed off and write a blog entry about it, which could happen, I suppose, because this is the kind of writing that really upsets me. Reading it is like finding out that you have termites in your walls.
18. The Eternal Savage by Edgar Rice Burroughs *** (12/31/20 to 1/14/21) This was the 62nd ERB book that I read out loud to Joe. It also means that while there are still 24 ERB out there for us (should Joe choose to continue this path), there is only one ERB series left to us: the two book Apache Series. Joe's already decided that he wants to go there, so.... BTW, I really enjoyed The Eternal Savage. For the most part it was typical Jungle Action...with a cave man standing in for the Jungle Man...and it was more forest and beach than jungle... but there was this added thrill: not only did it include Barney Custer (and his sister), thus making it a kinda-sorta sequel to The Mad King, but it also include Tarzan and Jane...though Tarzan was only referred to as Lord Greystoke for some reason. Yep, it was a true crossover event. It also has absolutely nothing to do with The Mad King plot-wise, so you can just drop in on this one as a solo work if you are so minded.
19. Uncle Scrooge Volume 1 by (big breath) Rodolfo Cimino, Jon Gray, Jan Kruse, Romano Scarpa & Joe Torcivia, with art by Bas Heymans, Romano Scarpa & Tony Strobl. I've been suffering from comic book deprivation since I quit ComiXology (long story), so I've been taking a harder look at the library's e-holdings. And I found this. And it's been a long time since I spent any minutes with the Disney Ducks. And? Well, it's not great, for sure...no Carl Barks, no Don Rosa, just some Nordic guys...but hey, it still has its moments. And the library has another dozen volumes or so, so....
20. Pippi Goes on Board by Astrid Lindgren (1/21/21 to 2/15/21) Pippi is kind of fun...but a little too awkwardly weird for me. You know, like somebody is just trying a little too hard to be strange? But hey, it's a girl centered story, and the girl is an active, strong, person, so I'm more than happy to read this stuff to my favorite girl in the world.
21. Uncle Scrooge Vol. 2: The Grand Canyon Conquest by Jon Gray, Thad Komorowski, Freddy Milton, Giorgio Pezzin, Miquel Pujol and art by Al Hubbard, Miquel Pujol, and Marco Rota. This volume was a notch or two better than the first, primarily due to lead story by Miguel Pujol, who did both the story and the art, and who has a sensibility that is much more akin to that of Carl Barks and Don Rosa than the other fellers, who don't seem to know how to take the ducks seriously while maintaining the humor. Miguel also has a very nice line...a bit harder than the usual crowd, who tend to be a little loopy. Still Big Foot, but not AS Big Foot.
22. Black Beauty (Great Illustrated Classics) adapted by Deidre Laiken *** This was the 23rd book that Joe read to me. He did really well reading this book, too. This adaptation was by the same person who did the GIC version of The Wizard of Oz, so I'm going to have a look and see if she's done any other books. In fact, while I'm here... and wow, that was a lot harder than it should have been. But I finally came up with this list of Deidre Laiken adaptations we haven't yet read: Heidi, Treasure Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. And I think we have all of those on hand, so we'll see how that works out. Meantime, though, Joe has picked the Great Illustrated Classics The Jungle Book for our next read.
23. Vernon Subutex 2 by Virginie Despentes *** I can't exactly put my finger on the why of it, but this book wasn't as good for me as 1 was. There were lots of lines that hit me...some of them hit me hard, too. There were characters who lived and breathed and about whom I cared. But I didn't long to read it most of the time...and when I finished, the thought that I might not be able to read 3 for awhile--so far as I can tell, it doesn't come out in English until May 11, 2021--didn't make me feel anguish or the need to learn French so I could get to it sooner. I'd still say it's worth reading, for sure, but I'm not sure that if it'd been my first Virginie Despentes book that I'd feel as strongly about her writing as I do now. So my advice is...don't read this one first. Now I'm on to King Kong Theory.
P.S. For some reason, the publisher of this book (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, who really should know better) continue to insist on putting ugly covers on these books. I mean...what the fuck? If you saw this book on the stands in a bookstore...if there were still bookstores...and if we still went shopping...you'd think it was a Young Adult book about angst and solipsism. I don't get it.
24. King Kong Theory by Virginie Despentes ***** Yep. Think I'm going to write a separate thing about this book, so for now I'll just say that this book about pornography, prostitution, rape, and misogyny (amongst other things) really should be required reading.
25. Camp Century by Christoffer Petersen *** It's been awhile since I've spent time with Inspector David Maratse. Not for lack of love, though. Mostly it was because I ended my Kindle Unlimited subscription (long story; short version: loved the service, didn't feel that my account was secure) and stopped buying anything from Amazon, and the books aren't available anywhere else that I know of. But I did a Kindle Challenge thing and it got me a $5 coupon, and simultaneously I learned about Camp Century and was interested in that story, so when I saw this book (actually a novella), I spent part of my coupon on it. And it was a pretty good story. It didn't go into nearly enough depth vis-a-vis Camp Century for my taste--in fact, for the most part this story could have been set anywhere, so the Camp Century thing was pretty much just for show--but Maratse is Maratse, which is good, and the story was interesting and told in a clever way.
26. Uncle Scrooge Vol. 3: Peril of Pandora's Box Written by Arno Buitink, Tito Faraci, Daan Jippes, Garry Leach, Romano Scarpa, and
Joe Torcivia, Art by Giorgio Cavazzano, Bas Heymans, Daan Jippes, and Romano Scarpa ** My Uncle Scrooge stomach is almost full. These stories are all pretty silly...and the bad puns are really starting to get to me. I'm grateful that the library is allowing me to read these things for free.
27. Uncle Scrooge Vol. 4: The Eternal Knot Written by Garry Leach, Romano Scarpa, Joe Torcivia, Art by Giorgio Cavazzano, Garry Leach, and Romano Scarpa ** Pretty much the same gang...and pretty much the same kind of story. The art is pretty bad, too, come to think of it. I wonder if Garry Leach is the Marvelman / Miracleman guy? And our survey says...probably not. There is a Gary Leach who is associated with Disney comics...including writing stories illustrated by the great Don Rosa...though I can't find the specific stories in this book listed. So it looks like ComiXology fucked up and added an extra R to his first name, which is the way that the British artist Garry Leach spells his name. Dot those "i"s, boys. (And yes, I did send an email. I think the ComiXology folks will actually give a shit. We'll see if my faith in them is warranted.) And I'm definitely finished reading these Uncle Scrooge books for awhile. I need some real Scrooge--Barks or Rosa. Fortunately, I happen to have a few of those in my basement.
P.S. Within seconds I got an email from ComiXology acknowledging receipt of my message, along with the message that they would get back to me "on my request" asap. Not that's the way you do business. Thank you, ComiXology. If Amazon hadn't fucked me I'd be buying a bunch of books from you Right Now.
28. The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine **** It's been awhile (December 2016, I believe) since I read Adrian Tomine. His style has changed quite a bit since then... becoming simpler, more expressive and less realistic, a bit more stark. I have to admit to a certain disappointment there, as I really loved the realistic precision of his line in the previous stuff I've read, but his writing has gotten even stronger, and I assume that the changes in the art were made to support and strengthen the story. So I'm not one to argue with that. Most of this book consists of a series of very short stories which show Adrian being embarrassed as a direct result of his dedication to drawing and / or his career as an artist. They deal forthrightly with his initial lack of recognition and success, and some of them are pretty intensely embarrassing. And, of course, that's stuff that anyone can relate to, as all of us have been embarrassed, right? The last story is much longer...39 pages, which is about 1/4th of the length of the whole book...and was primarily centered on an incident of heart pain which resulted in a trip to the ER. Well, he had me at heart pain. Adrian's story was different from mine, but there were enough parallels, including a reasonable fear of imminent death, to make it very poignant for me. At the moment I don't see very much relationship between the shorter stories of embarrassing moments and the final long story about a death scare, but I'm still thinking about it. While I do that, I'll give two enthusiastic 👍👍, and I will most certainly be looking to see what Mr. Tomine does next. Oh, and P.S., this book was a Drawn & Quarterly production, and once again these folks put it out of the park. The interior pages are printed on a graph paper grid, and the exterior is made to look like a journal, complete with a band to keep the book closed. Oh, there's also a sewn in bookmark...and a sewn binding. Once again it occurs to me that 🎵Eef I war uh reach mun🎵 I would buy every book Drawn & Quarterly puts out have have a section of my library dedicated just to those books.
29. Piteraq: A short story of survival on the icy coast of Greenland (The Sirius Sledge Patrol Book 1) by Christoffer Peterson *** This was really too short to call a book (67 pages, and some of them is card tricks), but it is published in a stand-alone volume ($5.99 list price, which is kind of outrageous), so I'm putting it on the list. This was a free download from Christoffer Petersen, and it was a good little story about two guys caught in a really fierce storm on the coast of Greenland. It even has a couple of bears and a ghost. There's even a brief (very) "appearance" by David Maratse, who is one of my favorite characters EVer. I've really enjoyed all of the Christopher Petersen stuff I've read. If money weren't a concern...or if I still trusted Amazon enough to sign up for Kindle Unlimited again (since many of his works are available via KU), I'd read a whole lot more of his books. But it is and I don't, and none of them are available at the library, so it's just going to have to be hit and miss...mostly miss...for awhile.
30. Storming Paradise by Chuck Dixon, Butch Guice, and a bunch of other folks. This should have been a **** comic book...WOULD have been a **** comic book...if the creative team had held together for the full run. Instead, Butch Guice bailed out as penciller about halfway through, there was a game of musical chairs with inkers, and even though Chuck Dixon's writing was sharp throughout, the muddy artwork in the later issues made it very hard to appreciate the story at times. There are some key panels wherein I literally cannot make out what is happening. And, of course, that meant that there were times when I had to stop, stare at images, go backwards, stare some more, allathat....which totally blunts the edge of the storytelling. Still a worthwhile read about what would have happened if we hadn't dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with some touching "little" stories in the mix (e.g. the American soldier of Japanese descent, the Irish priest who isn't really a priest, the little Japanese kid who become proficient at throwing grenades...). Not at all sorry that I re-read it, but still wish it had been better. DC should do a re-boot with the same script but art by Billy Tucci.
31. Pippi in the South Seas by Astrid Lindgren (2/15/21 to 3/5/21) ***** I wasn't as thrilled with this series as I'd hoped to be, but I'd still say it was a must read...if only because it was a story centered on a girl who literally kicked ass. We need a bit of that every once in awhile.
32. The Second World War by Winston S. Churchill: Volume III The Grand Alliance **** This volume was centered on the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbo(u)r and the entrance of the United States of America into the war. More HERE.
33. Generations Shattered #1 &
34. Generations Forged #1 by by Dan Jurgens and a bunch of other people. Both of these were 80 pages and no ads, so I figure they qualify as graphic novels. Featuring Kamandi! More HERE.
35. Young Justice Vol. 1: Gemworld by Brian Michael Bendis and Patrick Gleason *** I fell into Young Justice when they did a crossover with Mike Grell's Warlord. And it was not great, but not as bad as Brian Michael Bendis usually is, and I did enjoy the characters, so when I found out that the first volume of Young Justice involved Amethyst, I thought I would have a look at it. Saw it at The Great Escape, took it off the shelf, and...$25 list price. Too rich for my blood. So I forgot about it for awhile. Until I was perusing the e-comics available via the Public Library, and saw it. Downloaded it, read it in a couple of gulps. And...well. It does have a few moments. Most of them involving Bart Allen, who is a pretty great character. And I am awfully fond of Amethyst, I have to admit. So I'm glad that I didn't pay $25 for it, but I also did enjoy reading it...and wouldn't mind reading the next collection, Lost in the Multiverse. And the Public Library said...We've got that. Wow. Thank you, Public Library.
36. Young Justice Vol. 2: Lost in the Multiverse by Brian Michael Bendis and Patrick Gleason *** More of the same, really. This one collected issues 7 - 12 of the 2019 launched series. I'd already read issues 11 and 12...because that's where the Superboy in Warlord's Skataris arc started...but you know, other than the Skataris stuff, none of it seemed even a little bit familiar. And I think my Young Justice stomach is full now. For one thing, the third volume--which for some reason is entitled Young Justice: Warriors and Warlords Vol. 2--isn't available through the library, and I am not anywhere close to interested enough to buy it. (Besides which...where would I make that purchase these days? Swearing off of Amazon--into my fourth month now--has shown me how much I depended on Amazon, for sure. Also how many impulse buys I made in the past. I can't say that I'll continue to hold out, but it really might be a wise move on my part to do so.)
37. "Looking after Luui: A short story featuring Constable Petra “Piitalaat” Jensen" (Greenland Missing Persons #6.5) by Christoffer Petersen **** The title is almost as long as the story, but hey, it works for me. It was quite a good little story, too. Made me want to read more Christoffer P., but...well, you know what kind of eyes she got.
38. "A Bright Pink Hat" by Christoffer Petersen **** Another short story, this one featuring David Maratse. Very short...doesn't really count as a book, but quite an enjoyable read, a little Human Interest moment with David M. helping a young girl out of a spot of trouble. Also, it's another freebie--as have been the last three Christoffer Petersen stories I've read. A generous fellow, that. If you'd like to check out the free stuff, go HERE. I get the impression that new free stories will be coming out on a regular basis. If I ever go back to Amazon (three months off the sauce now), I will most definitely pay Mr. Petersen back with some purchases. For now, though, that seems to be the only place you can buy his work, and I'm not buying from them at the moment. News as it happens.
39. The Unknown Paul McCartney and the Avant Garde by Ian Peel **** This book was not very well-written--and there were a plethora of typos, which is always distracting and annoying * --but despite that, it was a fun read. Reading it on Kindle was ideal, because every time Peel mentioned a song I'd never heard of...and that happened a lot...I could immediately switch to YouTube and play that song. I knew what I considered to be a fair amount about McCartney, but this book revealed that I had only seen the tip of his avant garde iceberg. McCartney has been a very adventurous fellow. This book also got me to dig out some of my old McCartney discs...and to go in search of ones that I no longer or never had. In fact, I've just requested a half-dozen cds from the LFPL.
* I did my part and did the Report Content Error quite a few times.
40. Our Lady of Fatima: St. Joseph Picture Book by Lawrence G. Lovasik (3/15/21 to 3/30/21) Because three books weren't enough for Jacqueline. And because two Catholic books weren't enough, either.
41. Opus 100 by Isaac Asimov **** There were a few bits herein which dragged for me, I'll admit, but when I found that happening, I just marked my place (for The Return) and flipped to another chapter and read on that for awhile. And with that bit of strategy, this book just kind of flew by. The best part of it, of course, was not any of the excerpts from Asimov's first 99 books, but the material he wrote to stitch together that quilt of book parts. Asimov was quite an engaging fellow, for sure. In fact, reading this made me want to read more Asimov...and particularly made me wish that I still had my copies of In Memory Yet Green: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1920–1954 and In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954-1978. But, alas, those tomes are long gone. Of course, I see they are available at Thrift Books, one of my favorite online booksellers (and far, far preferable to Amazon!). So...that could happen. As for now, though, I do feel the need to read more Asimov immediately, and fortunately I have several books on hand....
42. Five Decembers by James Kestrel *** This book won't be published until October 19th, but I've got friends, see? And because of that, I wish I could say nicer things about this novel. But the truth is that my feelings are more than a little mixed. I think it's worth reading, for sure. But I also think that with a little bit more work this could have been a much better novel. Part of the agreement vis-à-vis receiving a copy of this book six and a half months early was that I write a review of it, though, so I think I'll save the details and just put a link HERE once I've coughed it up.
Short version, though: I am reading a lot of different books every day right now (10 others, to be exact), but I still put this 416 pager down in a week, so it was at least compelling. And there were some really excellent moments along the way. Is it worth your $22.99 for a hardback? I don't know. That's a lot of money. Is it worth $6.99 for the Kindle version? Yeah, it is.
43. Cecile: Gates of Gold (Girls of Many Lands) by Mary Casanova (3/5/21 to 4/10/21) A Jacqueline choice...and a girly girl book (hell, it came packaged with a doll)...but you know, it was a really good read. Like a **** which made me wish that there was a sequel.
44. The Jungle Book (Great Illustrated Classics) adapted by Malvina G. Vogel (2/18/2021 to 4/10/21 ) This is the 24th book Joe read to me. Once again, Joe did a really good job or reading this book--with clarity and with emotional nuances to fit the context and characters. Very impressive!
45. The War Chief by Edgar Rice Burroughs (2/15/21 to 4/10/21) This was the 63rd ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. I'd read it myself some time ago...but re-reading it was more than a pleasure. In fact, this book really hits the ***** level so far as I can see. ERB was way ahead of and outside of his time when he wrote this one, as it is very sympathetic to the Native American perspective...but without turning them into a bunch of bunny rabbits. He also has a very sharp sarcastic edge which whips across the page on a regular basis...usually to show the inferiority of Civilized Man to the much more honest and morally centered "Savages." Anxious to read the sequel, Apache Devil...which we start tomorrow.
BTW, today, April 10th, 2021, was a three books finished day. That's not something that happens very often.
46. Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov ** A sad ending for a great series.
47. You Are Ready For Takeoff: A Short Trip by Susan Orlean *** On the one hand, this is no book. It was 17 pages long or so. But it was published as a Stand Alone, and I liked it, so there you have it. Susan Orlean is always an interesting writer, and I really need to get busy and read all of her books. At this point I've only read The Orchid Thief and part of The Library Book. (And the only reason I didn't finish The Library Book is because I got it on audiobook, and I always struggle with them.)
48. The Second World War by Winston S. Churchill: Volume IV The Hinge of Fate **** Another fascinating read. More on that HERE.
49. Bench Press by Sven Lindqvist **** Long story--elsewhere if I get to it. Short story: this was a very weird book which was kind of sort of about weight lifting. And dreams. And deserts. And other stuff. Highly recommended. Now I'm going to go find some more Sven Lindqvist books.
50. The Skull Measurer’s Mistake: And Other Portraits of Men and Women Who Spoke Out Against Racism by Sven Lindqvist ***** As a matter of fact, yes, I am on a Sven Lindqvist jag. As a matter of fact, I'll be picking up his A History of Bombing from the library later today. (Which will be my first Sven Lindqvist physical book.) As for The 💀 Measurer's Mistake...it's a series of stories about people who spoke out against racism, and yes, much of it hits home in the day of #Black Lives Matter. It's sometimes depressing, seeing people battle racism and losing...but it's always inspiring, because these men and women did not worry about whether they would win or lose or what the odds were against them, they worried about what was right, and they fought for it. We need to know that those kinds of people are out there.
51. Injustice Vs. Masters of the Universe by Tim Seeley and Freddie Williams II ** A shame, because this started off on a pretty strong note, with He-Man finding out that his subjects were happier with the dictator who had taken over Eternia than they were with He-Man's return. But after that--the first few pages--it was just a slog, and to make it even more painful the art was just hideous. There was literally not a single panel in this volume--which collected a six issue mini-series--which was not fugly. As with the Injustice series in general, there were some interesting surprises in the storyline, like major heroes getting killed, but you know how that goes: DC only takes chances when it's either a HOAX or an IMAGINARY STORY. God forbid that anything ever change in the "real" DC Universe. Sigh. Not completely sorry I read this, but glad that I got it from the library and didn't pay for it, because even ten cents would have been a rip-off.
52. Black Science Volume 1: How to Fall Forever by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera *** Just found out that the LFPL has all 9 volumes ( = 43 issues, the complete series) of Black Science available as e-comics. So I read this one. Good enough for me to get Volumes 2 and 3. News as it happens.
53. Black Science Volume 2: Welcome, Nowhere by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera *** Got to admit that this story is a bit confusing ...and the way they use the captured "Indian" high tech-shaman irks me more than a little bit--he's been forcefully kidnapped, but he is sweet as apple pie and goes way out of his way to be helpful. He even cures the little boy's diabetes with his high-tech shaman powers. Maybe it's just me, but I'd be a bit more tetchy in this situation. Not enough to make me stop reading, but it did take some of the wind out of my sails.
54. Black Science Volume 3: Vanishing Pattern by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera ***...but there's a nick on that last *. This volume collects issues 12 through 16, and there are some good moments, for sure, and even a thought-provoking moment or two...but I'm getting tired of three things: (1) the grind of the plot, wherein we just keep going to the wrong earth and getting into trouble, (2) murder, murder, murder, and (3) the art, which, while it certainly has its charms, continues to be indecipherable at times. This might be it for me. Which would be ironic given the title of this volume.
55. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (Great Illustrated Classics) by Howard Pyle, adapted by Deborah Kestel (4/11/21 to 5/1/21) ** This was not up to the usual standards of GIC. For one thing, it was pretty rough for a "kid's book": death and hangings and bleeding to death and what-not. But even worse, many of the pages were summaries of what happened rather than what happened. That's okay for a Cliff's Notes version, but not for a story.
56. Black Science Volume 4: Godworld by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera *** Well, funny thing. I didn't intend to even start Volume 4, since I was feeling a bit let down by the third volume, but it was late at night, and I didn't have anything else close to hand, so I started looking at it. And it was a bit of a break with some of the stuff that was wearing me out, so I read a bit more. And then there were some things which I thought were quite good, so I kept on reading. By the end of it, I was feeling a lot better about Black Science, and now I'm actually looking forward to reading Volume 5 in the near future.
57. Infidel by Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell *** Really good cover, interesting premise (a nexus between Islamophobia and dangerous ghosts)...but in the end it just seemed like more of the same to me. Ain't gonna be no rematch.
58. Cheshire Crossing by Andy Weir and Sarah Andersen *** I saw a new Andy Weir novel (Hail Mary Project) when I made one of my first trips to a bookstore in over a year. I couldn't afford the full Monty on it (just shy of $30), so I looked it up on the library website as soon as I got home, and lo and behold, a listing for Cheshire Crossing, which came out almost two years ago (July 9, 2019) popped up. I thought I'd been doing a pretty good job of keeping up with Mr. Weir, but obviously not. Fortunately there was an e-version available, so I could have at it right away. And? Well...it's not up there with the two Weir novels I've read, for sure. But it was interesting enough, and it had a few moments that were several notches above that. It's a story about Alice (from Wonderland), Wendy (from Peter Pan), and Dorothy (from Oz), who get together and, thank God, do not engage in debauchery. (Speaking of which, I never did finish reading Lost Girls. Maybe someday.) The art is between okay to good, very simple and clean and, for the most part, clear. The best moments of the story are when a realistic perspective is brought to the fore, and there are several of those moments. So yes, worth doing, even if it isn't Weir at the top of his game. And yes, I am on the waiting list for Hail Mary Project...currently 38 of 47.
59. Black Science Volume 5: True Atonement by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera *** Funny, every time I think I'm getting tired of this book (because neither the plot or the characters thrill me very much... they seem pretty tired to me, to be honest), a character says something that is at least thought-provoking, and sometimes much better than that, so I end up going back for more. Example: "It's easy to mistake being loved for being in love." Yeah...that made me stop for more than a minute. So yes, I'm on to volume 6.
60. The Second World War by Winston S. Churchill (6 volumes): Volume V: Closing the Ring ***** Only one volume to go. I'm going to miss old Churchill. I'll probably read some more of his stuff at some point, but I think I'm going to take a Fiction Break after Volume VI. I've been fighting this fucking war for a long time.
61. The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright *** From page one of this story up until the the narrator goes underground, this story is pretty enthralling. A **** at least. After that, though, my credibility was stretched thin, and in the final section, it broke completely. I don't know that I'd call Richard Wright a realist, but this is so far from realism that it becomes either a very strained metaphor or just fantasy, and that didn't work for me. So while I'm not sorry that I spent my time reading this, I am glad that I didn't pay anything for the experience. (Thanks, Louisville Free Public Library.) There's an essay which follows the "novel" (it really isn't long enough for me to think of it as a novel) entitled "Memories of My Grandmother," and that gives some interesting insights into Richard Wright in general and this story in particular, but I'd have to say that this story is only for a true Richard Wright devotee or someone who wants to look at the roots of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. (Which is, by the way, a far superior work...though I have my quibbles with its "realism" as well.)
62. The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph (5/2/21 to 5/24/21) **** Jacqueline picked this book out at Half-Price Books...her first in-store purchase in 14 months...and wanted to read it right away. I was a bit put off by it at first, but gradually what emerged was the story of how a young girl became caught up in the desire to become a writer, and how personal tragedy solidified that desire into her fate. It was quite good, and very moving at times. Good choice, Jacqueline!
63. The Sword in the Stone by Grace Maccarone & Joe Boddy (5/25/21). ** Okay, I'll admit that this was a one night session read, which I usually don't count as a book, but you know what? I only get credit for one book when I read 700 pages of Winston Churchill, so I'm going to start counting EVERYthing from here on out. Have to admit that this one was pretty bad, though.
64. Black Science Vol. 6: Forbidden Realms And Hidden Truths by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera ** Oh. Bad turn. Superheroes and just really stupid shit that you can get from the worst comic books out there...and it just submerged what was good about this story. I was planning on doing the entire run, but I think I've had enough now, thank you.
65. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir ** It pains me to 2* Andy Weir, because I really, really like him. And it's not like this was a bad novel by any means. In fact, I read it's 476 pages in three days, so I wouldn't object to categorizing it as a page turner. But it was no The Martian, for sure. In fact, it wasn't even an Artemis. And I think the main culprit was the lead character. What made The Martian such an engaging read (and see) was the character of Mark Watney. We liked him from the get go. He was smart. He was funny. He was a good guy. Artemis was less good, and I think that was because "Jazz" Bashara was a lesser character than Mark Watney. In fact, though much of that novel has now washed out of my memory cells, I'm sorry to say, one of the things that remains is the feeling that Andy Weir really shouldn't have tried to write from a girl's point of view. Which brings me to Ryland Grace and Project Hail Mary. The way I see it, there are two things wrong with...hey, this could go on for awhile. I think it's time to shift to drive and do a separate entry, which will appear HERE (assuming I get around to doing it). Short version: by all means read it, but don't expect too much and you'll be happy.
66. Apache Devil by Edgar Rice Burroughs (4/11/21 to 6/3/21) This was the 64th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. It's also the last of the series books...though we still have 20 stand alones...and Joe just told me that he wants to start reading Minidoka: 937th Earl of One Mile Series M tomorrow. As for Apache Devil...I think it's actually a *****. Top of the line Burroughs, top of the line Western, and top of the line Book Way Ahead of Its Time with a realistic but very pro-Native American perspective.
67. Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru
*** I almost bought the first issue (of this three issue series) when it came out in late 2019...but at $7.99 a pop I deemed it too rich for my blood. But the other day I saw the the library had an e-copy of the whole series available, so I had at it. And? Well, it was pretty good. With a couple of moments that rose as high as very good. But overall...definitely not worth $23.97 + tax. (But if you want to have a free look at it and your library is not as strong as mine, you can download the first issue from ComiXology for free right now.) The art was not good for the most part. Superman often had very long legs and a teeny head, which was more than a little bit distracting. And the story itself...well, the background material tells me that the Klan actually did act against Chinese people, but still...in this age of rampaging violence against Black folks, it seemed off to be reading this story. Maybe if it had been widened out a bit. There were a few black characters in the story, and at least one of them was in the path of this Klan, so we could have at least leaned in that direction a bit more.
There was a point in the story where the Head Bad Guy says to a Lesser Bad Guy (who is the True Believer; the HBG is just in it for the money), "You think the world is divided by race, but really, it's divided by power!" I thought that was pretty powerful...and apropos for what's going on today in the U. S. of A., at least to some extent.
68. Sweet Tooth Volume 1: Out of the Deep Woods by Jeff Lemire **** The Netflix adaptation of Sweet Tooth just came out yesterday, and I've watched the first two episodes...which were good enough to make me want to revisit the comic book. I have the first five issues in collected form, so I knocked those back in short order. And now it looks like I'm going to need to go down into the basement and dig up the other 35 issues. It's a great comic book. And (so far, anyway) the Netflix adaptation is pretty good, too...but it diverges pretty drastically pretty much from the get go. Which might not be a bad thing, I suppose, but it always makes me wonder: why can't tv writers leave shit alone? The stuff in the second episode of the show is completely different from what happens in the comic book after the first issue. It's not bad...not at all...but it's no better than what happened in the comic book...and what happened in the comic book would have been pretty exciting to see. Well. I think I'm going forward with both show and comic book, so more news as it happens.
69. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Great Illustrated Classics) by Mark Twain, adapted by Deidre S. Laiken This was the 25th book Joe read to me. He liked it, but didn't seem to get into it the way he did the previous Deidre Laiken adapted books, so I guess it wasn't her. (4/11/21 to 6/6/21)
70. Roots by Alex Haley **** This should have been a Must Read book, but there are three factors which prevented me from thinking of it that way. (1) The plot really collapses after we leave Kunta Kinte. After spending lots of time getting to know him, watching him grow from a baby to a young man in Africa, then to a mature man in America, his story is dropped. He never appears again. And from that point on, the story goes into hyperdrive; sometimes years pass in between paragraphs. It has the rushed feeling of a homework assignment done just before class. It would have been a much more satisfying work if it had either been split into two volumes, with more time taken on the development of the second part of the story, or if the story had just ended with Kunta Kinte. (2) Alex Haley admitted to plagiarizing parts of this book from Harold Courlander's The African. (3) The book is now designated as a novel, despite Haley's assertions in the book that it is all based on research. It's also quite long...almost 700 pages...so even though it is pretty well written (given the mitigating factors delineated above), it's still a pretty heavy reading commitment. I did it with a former student as a way of honoring the memory of my friend Louis, who showed the tv mini-series to his class every year. So I'm not sorry to have read it at all. And I think that anyone would benefit from reading it, for sure... especially people who don't really understand the race problems in America. But it falls short of the Must Read. Sorry.
71. Sweet Tooth Volume 2: In Captivity by Jeff Lemire **** Finished watching the NETFLIX series just prior to finishing this volume, and I have to say, there really is no comparison between the two works: the comic book is so much better that it's ridiculous. That said, I did enjoy watching the series. I wonder if someone who started with the series would see the comic book as superior to it. I have a friend who only knows the NETFLIX version. I'm going to try to encourage her to read at least a bit of the comic book and see what she thinks. Of course, I'm so used to people disagreeing with me that it wouldn't surprise me if she thought the comic book was shit. That said...In Captivity was just heart-breaking. One of the things that makes the book so good is the fact that the bad guys aren't bwah ha ha bad guys. They actually either think that they are doing the Right Thing or that they are doing what they absolutely Have To Do. You know, like in real life, wherein unless they're mentally ill, people don't do things just because they enjoying being evil. In Captivity ends on a screeching cliff hanger, so I'm probably just going to keep on going into Volume 3 as soon as I catch my breath.
72. Minidoka: 937th Earl of One Mile Series M by Edgar Rice Burroughs (6/4/21 to 6/14/21) This was the 65th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. It was ERB's first...and I'd have to say definitely his worst. I'm not sure that it's worth your time to read it. Michael Kaluta's illustrations are well worth looking at, though, and if you're a dyed in the wool ERB fan it's painful, but at least it's pretty short.
73. Sweet Tooth Volume 3: Animal Armies by Jeff Lemire **** Yep, I'm down for the whole run now. In fact, I just got back from the library, where I got the Deluxe version of the series in three volumes. Which means that I don't get as much reading credit as if I'd stuck to the small paperbacks, of course, but hey, fair is fair. Looking forward to making the whole run...and then maybe I'll go back and watch the show again.
74. Sweet Tooth The Deluxe Edition Book Two by Jeff Lemire **** Turns out that this bigger collection included Animal Armies, so even though I didn't get credit for the three volumes I would have squeezed out of the paperbacks, I still got two, more or less. Y'know. Anyway...the story enters into some pretty surreal territory in this stretch, but it isn't just for fuck's sake the way a lot of the shit goes down. I think I'm just going to head right into Book Three--don't want to stop reading this story at this point.
75. Sweet Tooth The Deluxe Edition Book Three by Jeff Lemire **** The grand finale...and I have to confess that it was all new to me--everything here had washed out of my memory and left no trace of itself. Which surprises me, because this was a really powerful piece of writing. Had me damned close to tears several times, and I don't know if that has ever happened with a comic book before. Now I kind of want to watch the NETFLIX series again...but I fear it will be painful, because I know it won't even be close to as good as the comic book series has been. Also wanting to read The Return. Going to go see if the library has gotten ahold of it yet right now, matter of fact. (P.S. Nope.)
76. The Second World War Volume VI: Triumph and Tragedy by Winston S. Churchill ***** Finished this superb series. Really want to read more Churchill, but I'm going to do something else first, and maybe second, too. But I'll be back, for sure.
77. Clyde Fans Book One by Seth ***** It's been awhile since I read this...and I'm sorry about that now, because it's even better than I remembered. I'm intending to read the rest of the series--this volume only has the parts from Palookaville Issues 10 through 15, and I never bought the complete collected version because I thought that I had the rest of the story in single issues. "Thought?" Yes. Because I have just now realized that I have Issues 17 through 23. As in I have just discovered that I am missing the contents of Issue 16. Well. That was a bit of a startle. Fortunately there's this thing called eBay. I went on there, located a copy of Issue 16, and even as we speak it is winging its way to me. Which does leave me in a bit of a quandary. I really want to keep reading this story. Do I just go ahead and read Issues 17 through 23, then circle back around to Issue 16 when it arrives in a week or so? That would sate my immediate desire, but it seems kind of stupid, doesn't it? On the other hand, I might forget Issues 10 through 15 while I wait for 16 to arrive. Of course, I could just go ahead and read it again. At any rate...this is such a good story. That first section, wherein we have a long monologue as Abe moves through his house. It's just a perfect bit of comic bookery. And I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before. And then the second part, when we follow poor Simon around. It's heartbreaking, isn't it? Well, yes, it is. Isn't it amazing that a story about a couple of fan salesmen can be so profoundly moving...and how it can get to the center of what life is about for all of us? Yes, it is.
78. Fox and Racoon by Lesley-Anne Green *** This is a kiddie book, but I found it worth noting for three reasons: (1) it is told via lovely pictures of felted creatures, (2) it is a story about friendship and kindness, and (3) it is dedicated to Gus and Jeff--Jeff being Jeff Lemire, one of my favorite comic book artists, to whom Lesley-Anne is married, and Gus being their son, and also the namesake of the lead character in Sweet Tooth. This is the first Juniper Hollow book. There's a second one, which I'm looking for even as we speak.
79. Alice in Wonderland (Great Illustrated Classics) by Lewis Carroll, adapted by Eliza Gatewood Warren (5/26/21 to 6/26/21) This actually wasn't all that different from the original version, so it was a pretty good read. (Although I don't think that there was any need to do any adapting at all, actually.)
80. Our Lady of Fatima: St. Joseph Picture Book by Lawrence G. Lovasik Second time around. Jacqueline really likes her Fatima books. (6/27/21 to 6/29/21)
81. Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming by László Krasznahorkai ***** A superb book, marred only by the shoddy proofreading allowed by New Directions--31 errors. The gory details (and more!) available HERE.
82. Beautiful Bible Stories by Patricia Summerlin Martin (11/28/2020 to 7/2/21) This is a good Bible for young kids. Not only does it do a good job of choosing and adapting stories, but each story is followed with a series of questions. Good stuff.
83. Black Lightning Volume 1 mostly by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden * Once I re-remembered that Trevor von Eeden was in on the creation of this character, I was anxious to read this collection of his first exploits. Turned out to be a very long slog, though. Isabella's writing is so full of cliches, both in terms of comic book situations and racial stereotypes, that it was impossible to develop any affection or even interest in the characters. And Trevor's art...well, let's just say it was in its early stages. He hadn't even developed into a good layout artist...which I always thought was his greatest strength. In fact, the only "artist" involved with these 12 issues that I thought brought his A game was inker Vince Colletta. Man, nobody had the touch that Vince had. I think I could recognize his inks on any artist, seriously. He uses the thickest line I've ever seen on outlines, which is so nicely balanced by the almost delicate touch that he applies to musculature, ribs, etc. Vince was a great inker, for sure. (Thinking about him made me do a little wander through the tubes, and found, amongst other things, a reference to Vince as "Comics' Most Controversial Inker," which surprised me. Apparently he did a lot of rush jobs, saving books from being late, which seems to have led to him leaving out details. Sounds pretty understandable to me, but apparently he was loathed by some for "ruining" the artwork. That's gratitude for you, eh? ANYway...Vince is the only reason to have a look at this book.
Oh. One other reason. Just did another wander through the tubes, and found out that only 11 issues of the first run of Black Lightning were published by DC back in the day. The 12th issue was a victim of the DC Comics Implosion, and saw (limited) light of day in the infamous Cancelled Comics Cavalcade #2. It was published officially in an issue of World's Finest, though. So its publication here isn't as momentous as it would otherwise have been, but I still found that interesting. When I die and go to Heaven (please), I will definitely have copies of Cancelled Comics Cavalcade #1 and #2 in my library. (Signed copies, of course.)
84. The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart **** It's been awhile since I've spent time with Nicholas Benedict and Company. In paper form, that is. A few weeks ago I started watching the Disney+ show, and it made me want to go back to the stories. But this one I didn't go back to. I'd never gotten around to reading it. I don't know why. But after just a little bit of searching I found it in my basement, and got onto it tout de suite. And you know...I tried to hold back on it, let it play out slowly...for one thing, because shortly after starting it, I decided I wanted to re-read the other books in the series, and had ordered them from Better World Books (my favorite online bookseller, which you can find HERE), and I wanted to make sure that they would arrive before I finished this one, so that I wouldn't have any Benedictless days ahead of me for awhile. But I checked last night and it looked like the first book should be arriving today, so I let myself off the leash and finished the lat 70 pages this morning. And? Yeah, what a good read. Trenton Lee Stewart knows how to tell a story, for sure. And the Benedict Society books have done well, for sure, but I really don't understand why they're not as big as the Harry Potters. I think they're that good. So there's that. Okay, on to Book 1. BTW, this book was a prequel, telling a story about Nicholas Benedict when he was a little orphaned kid facing his own challenges...long before he became The Mysterious Mr. Benedict. I'd love it if Trenton Lee Stewart kept this going for another couple of books, as there's clearly room for that to happen. Please?
85. The Artist of Disappearance by Anita Desai *** or **** . I have the sense that Anita Desai is a better writer than this book actually shows...so I'm going to have another go at her. Which is not to say that this was bad. In fact, the middle of the three novellas--"Translator Translated"--was truly excellent, and the other two--"The Museum of Final Journeys" and "The Artist of Disappearance" were both pretty good...although I found the first half of the latter to be unfocused and a bit confusing. I have two more Anita Desai books from the library: Baumgartner's Bombay (1988) and Clear Light of Day (1980). I think I'll start with the older of the two...assuming I get to both of them, that is...to see if maybe the 43 year old Anita Desai was more to my liking than the more modern one (since The Artist of Disappearance was published in 2011, when she was 74. I mean...we all get tired at some point, right? News as it happens.
86. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough *** McCullough's writing style bothered me at times...and pissed me off at other times...but for the most part this was a very good book, filled with lots of fascinating details about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. I was talking to a friend of mine, trying to explain how at times McCullough would go into long descriptions of technical things which were (at least for me) impossible to follow and / or visualize, and thus might as well not have been there, and he immediately said, "Just like in Moby Dick when Melville spends a chapter talking about types of knots." Sigh. No, not at all. I really am all alone most of time time, I'm sorry to say. That was one of the (many) great things about my second marriage: for 8 years I wasn't alone. But enough about me....
I don't usually list books that I've started and abandoned, but I felt the need to do so on this one. I was pretty stoked about this biography, because (1) I'd been quite the Jules Verne fan when I was young and (2) there were quite a few mentions of Verne in The Great Bridge, so I thought it was time to get reacquainted. Oh, and (3) I've been thinking about re-reading some Verne for the past several years. But I only made it through a few pages before I had to abandon this thing. Butcher is such a terrible writer that I have to conclude that English is not his first language. Probably not his second or third, either. And more than that, his diction is so desultory at times...and for no apparent reason...that I just couldn't take it any more. I still want to read a biography of Jules Verne, but it sure as hell won't be this one. This book actually deserves to be in Remote Shelving Hell. (Which it is.)
87. Foundations Friends edited by Martin H. Greenberg * Lots of big names in science fiction (and least the science fiction of yesteryear)...but this was a shit anthology. Details HERE.
88. Thoreau at Walden by John Porcellino *** I'm on a John Porcellino kick again. Started with a still-in-progress second reading of King-Cat Classix...which I'm liking even more than I did the first time around...and is (I think) continuing through the books I own and everything that the library has on hand, which ends up being a fair percentage of Mr. Porcellino's oeuvre. As for Thoreau at Walden...well, it was pretty good, and it did make me want to read Walden, so definitely worth doing. It seemed a little thin to me, though...almost like a Greatest Hits instead of The White Album. Worth doing, but not Porcellino's best by any means.
89. The Three Musketeers (Great Illustrated Classics) by Alexandre Dumas, adapted by Malvina G. Vogel. This was the 26th book Joe read to me. (6/7/21 to 8/6/21 ) Joe must have liked it--when he finished, he asked if there was another story about the Musketeers. I don't know, so I'm going to look into that now.
90. The Outlaw of Torn by Edgar Rice Burroughs (6/15/21 to 8/6/21) This was the 66th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. Not a well known Burroughs, and a very early one...in fact, as I recall, it was actually the second book he wrote, though it was rejected many times, thus wasn't published until after several others had been published. A shame, as not only is it a good read, but if it had been published very early on it might have helped Burroughs to escape from the type casting which hobbled his writing for the rest of his life.
91. King-Cat Classix by John Porcellino **** Second time around for this one...and I liked it even better this time. It's also given me a John Porcellino Fever, and the only prescription is more John Porcellino. So I'm emptying out the library (not a lot, but a couple of books and some pieces in anthologies) and digging into piles of books around the house and even ordering some stuff I don't have, have never had, and thus have not yet read. Best of all, reading Porcellino makes me feel like writing. Haven't actually taken that step yet, but just having the desire is a pretty big step for my dead heart. Thanks, John.
92. Icon Volume 2: The Mothership Connection by M.D. Bright, Dwayne McDuffie, ChrisCross, M.D. Bright, John Paul Leon and Jeff Moore. I was going to buy this after I finished Icon Volume 1, but when I checked out the contents, it went like this: Collects Icon #13, 19-22, 24-26 and 30. Now...who the hell thought that that was a good idea? But it was on Hoopla for free, so I had at it. And for the most part it was okay. More than a little disjointed, as you'd guess, but the writing had some very good moments...especially when it was doing a send up of other Black heroes (including Luke Cage, Brother Voodoo, and some others). I'd much rather read The Complete Icon, but this was okay. Good timing, too, since the new Icon and Rocket book just came out. ANYway...worth your time, for sure, especially if you're tired of superhero comics which feature unrelenting stupidity. This offers you a much more intelligent take on the genre.
93. Exploring the Relationship Between Oral Fluency, Intrinsic Motivation to Read, and Reading Self-Efficacy for Adolescents in Intervention by James M. Kalb **** I decided to give myself credit for proofreading a 54,000 word document. Seems fair to me.
95. Our Lady Came to Fatima by Ruth Fox Hume Another Fatima book for my girl. She likes to drill down. (I do, too.) (6/30/21 to 8/13/21) I found this book to be very interesting...and very moving, too. (I actually had to struggle not to cry a couple of times.) And now I'm thinking that I might try to find a book of Our Lady of Fatima for myself.
96. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Riddle of Ages by Trenton Lee Stewart ** I was really anxious to read this book...especially so after being enthralled by The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict...but I have to admit that it just didn't hold up very well for me. I can't quite put my finger on what it was, but I actually got a little bored with the story. And I love The Mysterious Benedict Society! I'm still thinking about going back to re-read the first three books, though.
97. Static Shock!: Trial by Fire by Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington III & John Paul Leon **** There were some really good moments in this book. I think the new (2021) version is better, but this old stuff is pretty damned good, too. This volume collects Static #1-4 from way back in 1993...and it doesn't read the way first issues of new comics usually do. There's none of that awkwardness, that uncertainty about who the character is. (If you don't know what I mean, watch the first episode of The Simpsons.)
98. Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool by Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington III & John Paul Leon **** Full disclosure: this volume includes the "Trial By Fire" story arc which was previously released as a separate collection, so only 1/2 of this book is "Rebirth of the Cool." But my, my, what a great run this was. For one thing, John Paul Leon's artwork has taken a great leap forward here, and is not much less "cool artwork by somebody" (as it was in the first issues of Static) and much more "Amazing art by John Paul Leon." And the writing. Oh, man. It's so much more grounded than most comic book writing. And it's actually FUNny at times. And not in that stupid comic book kind of funny, either. I just looked this book up on Amazon and eBay, and an original copy of the this collection would cost you between $200 and $764.08. Yowza. Sure wish I'd bought this one. But reading it was good enough for me. Thanks, Hoopla!
99. Path Between the Seas : The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 by David McCullough *** An interesting book...but McCullough's writing style really annoyed me, so that's it for me: I'll be getting my history elsewhere henceforth.
100. Mary and the Little Shepherds of Fatima by Marlyn Monge and Jamie Stuart Wolfe. Second time around. (8/15/21 to 8/20/21)
101. Sweet Tooth: The Return by Jeff Lemire ** Wow. I'd been looking forward to this for some time, but this was a big disappointment. Jeff Lemire took a pretty original concept and turned it into a cliche. And his art got ugly, too...as if he's been looking at too much Frank Miller. A shame.
102. The Holy Rosary by Rev. L. Lovasik, S.V.D Because they talked about saying the rosary in the Our Lady of Fatima stories and movies, of course. Jacqueline likes to drill down. As do I, admittedly. (8/21/21 to 8/26/21)
103. Suicide Squad Vol. 4: The Janus Directive by John Ostrander, Cary Bates, Greg Weisman, Kim Yale (and others) **** At least my third reading. Still enjoying it, too.
104. Hellblazer: Rise and Fall by Tom Taylor and Darick Robertson (Black Label) ** Tom Taylor has written some great comic books. This isn't one of them. For one thing, it's the good old "Haven't I read this story before?" thing. With a few updates. For instance: the devil now looks like The Devil--you know, the cliche red guy with horns and a tail? But don't worry, because he's really not such a bad guy. In fact, he not only sits down to beers with the lads (not making this up), he also fucks John Constantine in the men's room. Yep. Because in this age of If You're Not LGBQeieio then you're clearly a fascist, what's a bloke to do? You've got to earn your bone(r)s, after all. There's the usual beheadings, intestines torn out, viciousness, all the stuff that Garth Ennis brought to a once fairly thoughtful comic book. I am really glad that I didn't have to pay to read this piece of shit...and even gladder that my comic book ocd-ness didn't force me to buy it on the stands. (Thanks again, Hoopla.) I used to really love this character. Now...between the stupidity he endures on Legends of Tomorrow and this kind of Black Label shit, I'm just tired of him.
Speaking of Black Label...I've only read three of their books, admittedly, but all three of them were really bad...and denigrated characters I loved (Batman, Gus of Sweet Tooth, and now Constantine.) Am I just reading the wrong books, or does this whole sub-label label really suck?
105. In Another Language by John C. Thirlwall **** I spotted this book on the Sale Cart at the library. At first all I saw was that it looked old (all I could see was the spine, and I couldn't even read the title), but when I took it off the cart and had a look at it, the cover copy was all I needed to get me to put $2 down to buy it: "A Record of the Thirty-Year Relationship between Thomas Mann and his American Translator, Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter." I'd had peripheral contact with this topic previously...all to the detriment of Ms. Lowe-Porter. Reading this book turned all those negative thoughts around 180º , though. To such an extent that I just purchased HTL-P's translation of The Magic Mountain...which I had intended to read again, but in the John E. Woods translation that I'd previously read.
106. Superman: Action Comics Vol. 2: Leviathan Rising by Brian Michael Bendis & Steve Epting *** Surprisingly, this was quite good stuff. Details available HERE if that's what you want, but the short version is (1) Kind of a re-boot the The Janus Directive, (2) Brian Michael Bendis doesn't suck on this one, and (3) I liked it enough to start reading Volume 3.
107. Superman: Action Comics Volume 3: Leviathan Hunt by Brian Michael Bendis and Szymon Kudranski ** This time around, the old Brian Michael Bendis starting showing up. I noticed this when Superman was talking to Lois in the "new" (quotation marks because I don't know how long this has been going on, and am just assuming it's new) Fortress of Solitude in the Bermuda Triangle. Their "playful" conversation was so forced, so phony, that it made me want to skip over to the next action sequence. Because when it comes to the pushing the plot forward / action stuff, BMB seems to not annoy me at all. Which made me think back to what irritated me so much about his Legion of Super-Heroes...and sure enough, it was the Quiet Moments that made me chafe. I don't think Bendis knows how to do the fine motor skill stuff. I read to the end of the volume anyway, as I am still interested in this Leviathan thing, and although my enthusiasm has definitely been dialed down a notch, I will probably go ahead and read Volume 4. After I take a little break.
108. The Time Machine by H. G. Wells (Great Illustrated Classics) adapted by Shirley Bogart. This was the 27th book Joe read to me. (8/7/21 to 9/9/21)
109. Blake: Prophet Against Empire by David V. Erdman *** Had some moments, but if you're planning on reading only ONE book about Blake and his work, I suggest that you not make this one it. Here's why.
110. Dream Girl: A Novel by Laura Lippman *** Heard about this book via an NPR review, and despite the fact that it was referred to as a Beach Book, the details...especially the detail that it was set in Baltimore, Maryland, home of my birth...were enough for me to see if the public library had a copy. They did...on a 7 day alone. Well. I don't usually do books in 7 days, but I thought I would read a few pages, see if Ms. Lippman was a good writer, and then maybe buy a copy for my older sister, who likes mysteries and, of course, also grew up in Baltimore. Even as I made rapid progress through the first 100 pages or so (it's 310 pages long), I was not really thinking I would read the whole thing. But lo and behold, at the end of day 5 of my loan, I finished the book. It was a compelling read. Not a great read...but good enough that I might could read another Lippman novel. And good enough that I ordered the first three Tess Monaghan books for the aforesaid sister.
111. I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat *** An interesting book...and pretty handy if you're looking to find a job in the animation industry, especially in Los Angeles. Since I'm not inclined that way, it lost quite a bit of immediacy for me, but it was still a pretty good bit of autobiography.
112. The Starlighter by Christoffer Petersen HERE
113. Hans Brinker (Great Illustrated Classics) by Mary Makes Dodge, adapted by Malvina G. Vogel (8/27/21 to 9/22/21) This was a very touching book! So much so that I actually want to seek out the "real" book and give it a read. Good job, GIC!
114. Our Lady of Fatima: St. Joseph Picture Book by Lawrence G. Lovasik (9/24/21 to 9/27/21) The charm: 3rd time.
115. The Monster Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs (8/7/21 to 9/27/21) This was the 67th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. It was pretty good until the last chapter...when everything went to shit in one fell blast.
116. The World Goes On by László Krasznahorkai **** I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to fall into this book of short pieces... never having read short pieces by László Krasznahorkai before, and having attempted to read this book previously and failing. But after the usual initial struggle that I have with pretty much every book, it started sinking in. It wasn't up to the level of the novels, but it was good...definitely worth reading. And there's a story near the end, about a priest de-consecrating a church, which was really quite powerful. Finishing this book also means that I have caught up with László in terms of his books in English. And I already have the next one on reserve at the library, so as soon as it's published it will come to me. That means that so far as English translation goes, there are only three short stories left that I haven't read...and I just bought a book that has two of them in it. Yep.
117. Our Lady of Fatima Coloring Book by Mary Fabyan Windeatt (9/28/21 to 10/2/21)
118. The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by by V. Ram and Filipe Andrade **** Good stuff from BOOM! Studios.
119. Justin Bieber: His World by Riley Brooks (10/3/21 to 10/8/21) I have no idea why Jacqueline wanted to read a Justin Bieber biography, but when she saw this on the For Sale table at the library (for 50¢) she asked if she could have it. So here we are. And it was actually a pretty interesting little book. Didn't make me want to seek out any of his music, though.
120. Yevtushenko's Reader by Yevgeny Yevtushenko **** A most excellent book. I especially enjoyed the main piece, "A Precocious Autobiography," but the short piece preceding it and the small collection of poems following it were also quite impressive. After reading this, I decided I needed more Yevtushenko, so I got onto that. News as it happens.
121. Mobius Dick by Andrew Crumey **** Quite an entertaining tale of quantum physics, Schrödinger's cat, Werner Heisenberg, Thomas Mann, and lots of other things. A very interesting book which made me want to read more Andrew Crumey as soon as possible.
122. Glenn Gould: A Life Off Tempo by Sandrine Revel *** I've been interested in Glenn Gould for awhile now, so I was thrilled to see this comic book biography--which I knew existed but had no way to read without buying it--was available via Hoopla. And there were many good moments in these 136 pages, for sure. But there were also some very tedious ones, I'm sorry to say. Long stretches of panels depicting Gould playing the piano, Gould's fingers on the piano keys, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. I found it distracting. Which is ironic, since I'm sure the intention was to pull me into the story. If I were editing this book, I'd have probably cut 40 pages out of it. But to end on a high note, here's one of my favorite series of panels, from page 99:
So...for sure, if you can find it for free, I'd suggest that you go for it. And when you get to those pages which have no words, just flip through them. It's worth doing. Honestly, though, I wouldn't have felt very good if I'd paid $14 for it.
123. Stormtrack by James Sutherland ** First read this book 47 years ago when it was a brand new paperback...and the first in the The Harlan Ellison Discovery Series. I remember being really excited about it, reading it and enjoying it, and then looking forward to the rest of the HEDS. (There were only three more titles, though: 1975's Autumn Angels by Arthur Byron Cover, 1976's The Light at the End of the Universe by Terry Carr, and 1977's Involution Ocean by Bruce Sterling. At one time I had all of them, but those copies are long gone now, I'm sorry to say.) And I've had a few James Sutherland Moments since then. During one of them I tried to construct his complete bibliography, then proceeded to hunt down every piece. And actually did it, but pooped out on the reading part because...well, sorry to say, but there was some really weak stuff there. But for some reason I still wanted to go back to read James's only full length work, and when I couldn't figure out where I'd put it, I bought another one. When it arrived I started reading it immediately, and I just finished reading it today. And? It's pretty fucking weak, I'm sorry to say. In fact, it actually reads like an early draft of a novel instead of an actual novel. And to make matters worse, there are about two dozen editing errors, some of them just plain embarrassing. Which probably tells you all you need to know about how Harlan Ellison functioned as "editor" of this book. The story sounds interesting enough: a young meteorologist gets a job aboard a space station, a gigantic killer storm is discovered forming in the arctic, and then aliens make their presence known. But nothing is well developed here. The storm is actually not even a very big part of the story, despite the fact that it is played up on the back cover copy. And the alien thing is just weak. I still have a soft, warm place in my heart for James Sutherland...and who knows, I still might pull out that bibliography and get down to it some day...but I have to be real and say that this is not a novel worth seeking out. In fact, if James hadn't been Harlan's friend...and if Harlan hadn't thrown his weight behind this book...I don't think it would have been published. Sorry, sir. Just sayin'.
124. Chasing Homer by László Krasznahorkai ** Sorry to say. See THIS.
125. A Whiff of Death by Isaac Asimov *** I was surprised to see this one on the shelf at Half-Price Books. (Especially so as it was in the Science Fiction section, but, then again, so was Alvin Toffler's Future Shock, so you can see how someone needs to edumacate these youngsters.) It was a quick read, but marred by a number of proofreading errors and, to be honest, the relative immaturity of the writer. (It was only his 28th book, after all. And in a career that arcs over 600 or so books, that makes this one a toddler.) Not sorry to have read it, looking forward to more Asimov in the near future.
126. Return to Romance: The Strange Love Stories of Ogden Whitney ** Got this after Alan Moore referred to Ogden Whitney in Jerusalem. I don't know what I was expecting...but this wasn't it. It was pretty much just standard romance stories. No big twists. Women acted like idiots, men acted like assholes. Whitney's art was competent most of the time with occasional quite good moments, and I'd like to read something else by him...like his Herbie Popnecker stuff. But I don't think that there's any of that for free out there anywhere, and I'm not interested enough to pay for it.
127. Jerusalem by Alan Moore **** There were times I really struggled with this book. In fact, on my first try, when it came out, I gave up halfway through. But in the end I thought it was well worth doing, and I'm glad that I did it.
128. The Man in the Iron Mask (Great Illustrated Classics Edition) by Alexandre Dumas, adapted by Raymond H. Harris. This was the 28th book Joe read to me. (9/11/21 to 11/13/21) Joe really liked the two Dumas books we read so far--he would often exclaim on things as they happened, and usually made a comment about the day's reading when he finished. He was also reading bigger chunks of text...usually full chapters (as opposed to "the usual" two pages per night that he'd been doing in most of the previous books.) In fact, he liked those Dumas books so much so that he chose to read The Count of Monte Cristo next. Unfortunately there are no more Dumas Great Illustrated Classics.
*
129. The Early Asimov by Isaac Asimov **** This was a very enjoyable book. The stories were pretty raw at times--since they are the first efforts by Asimov, and all of them were written and published before he had decided to become a full-time writer. But they have that Early Science Fiction charm, and the commentary after the stories was delightful. So much so that I'll be going from here straight into some Asimov autobiography. Or letters, which is still autobiography, isn't it?
130. Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov *** Asimov's first novel, and one well worth reading. In fact, for me this was quite a page-turner, and when I finished it I really wanted to start right in on Asimov's second novel, The Stars Like Dust. Unfortunately I don't own a copy, and the library has only one e-copy...which is currently checked out. Internet Archive has several copies, but you can only check them out for one hour at a time. So I will probably nibble at it a bit via that venue until my HOLD on the e-copy comes due.
131. Our Lady Came to Fatima by Ruth Fox Hume (10/9/21 to 11/15/21) Second time around. And I would neither be surprised or disappointed if we read it a third time.
132. Voice of the Fire by Alan Moore *** Took me about a decade to read this book, and to be honest, I'm not sure that it was worth doing. For one thing, it really doesn't hold together as a novel at all, and I wish I had known that from the outset so that I could have approached it as a series of short stories. Maybe it's just me, but I really need the proper framework to "get" a work of any kind of art. At very least, I'd say that if you read Jerusalem (which I just did), you don't need Voice of the Fire. Besides, that first 50 page chapter will probably just wear you out.
133. The Holy Rosary by Rev. L. Lovasik, S.V.D Second time for this book. (11/16/21 to 11/21/21) I have to admit, reading this book makes me want to learn to say the rosary...and I'm not even Catholic.
134. Billy Summers by Stephen King ** I'm kind of tempted to go goodreads * on this one, since I set up an account to pay back Christoffer Petersen for the preview copy of The Starlighter, but just in case I don't get around to that...here's the short version. I read this book pretty quickly despite all of my other reading because (1) I had to--it was a 7 Day Loan from the library and (2) because it was quite compelling and (3) because it took almost no effort at all. It was my 33rd Stephen King book, so obviously I am a bit of a fan. But...even though there were some things that I really loved here, there were a few things that didn't sit right with me, and they pretty much spoiled the book. I don't do spoilers, so I'll just say that (1) the reliance on coincidence in the saving of Alice was too much, and I think it could have been handled in a much better way, (2) the invocation of The Shining served no purpose whatsoever, and was just distracting, and (3) the reappearance of The Old Lady was neither believable nor necessary. Speaking of Old...I don't really see the heroism in beating up old people. This is the kind of shit you see in a lot of super hero movies, where the young stud or studette (thinking of you, Wonder Woman) beats the hell out of an old guy and you're supposed to cheer for them. For fuck's sake. There was a much better book to be written about an American sniper turned hitman. And the shame of it is that I think Stephen King did a fair amount of research to get parts of this book right...but (for me) spoiled it with stuff that could easily have been fixed if he or his editor had put the time in. Speaking of...what kind of lazy ass editor allows this stuff (1-3) to go into the final copy of a book?
* Yep. Did: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4350622644
135. Perfect Example by John Porcellino **** This was the third time around for this one...first was 2017, second 2019, so I guess it's every two years, then, ennit? It still grips me. I checked this out from the library awhile ago. when I was in the midst of a John Porcellino jag, then just kept not reading and renewing it. But there are no more renewals left now, so I broke it out and knocked it back in one sitting. Which really is the way to do it, so as to feel the full emotional impact. Well worth doing. See you in 2023, Perfect Example. (Might be about time to just go ahead and buy it, though.)
136. When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest & P.J. Lynch (11/22/21 to ) Don't know how many times we've read this book, but it's a lot. Which is okay with me...it's a lovely book with some most excellent artwork. And one of Jacqueline's favorites. She even took it to New York City on one of our visits.
137. The Nutcracker Ballet (Step-Into-Reading, Step 3) by Deborah Hautzig & Carolyn Ewing (11/25/21 to 11/26/21)
138. The Hospital Suite by John Porcellino ***** I bought this book back in early August (along with Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man, which I read immediately) from Better World Books...while I was in the throes of my second John Porcellino enrapturement...but this and that happened, and I didn't get around to reading it until yesterday and this morning (big gulp). Strangely enough, I had just gotten a Facebook message from a niece who lives in Denver, and who was telling me that she had recently had to deal with some stomach problems that appeared out of the blue and caused her great distress...and after responding to that message I picked up The Hospital Suite to read about John Porcellino living in Denver and having to deal with stomach problems that appeared out of the blue and caused him great distress. Anyway, this was yet another superb book by Mr. Porcellino, and reading it made me want to re-read all of the other books I have by him (quite a few at this point) and acquire all the ones that I haven't yet purchased. For one thing, parts of this story show you what was going on in his life while he was writing his comics, and that adds a whole other dimension to his work. It's one of the reasons I really like books which combine fiction with forewords and afterwords which comment on the context of that piece of writing...the way Ellison does in most (maybe all) of his short story collections...and the way Asimov did in The Early Asimov which I finished just a little while ago. John Porcellino (I feel that it would be overly familiar to refer to him as John, and not familiar enough to refer to him as Porcellino, so...) also does a superb job of just putting everything on the page, not sparing himself at all (at least so far as I can tell). If the fact that he had diarrhea 7 or 8 times a day is pertinent to the story he's telling, then he lets us know that's what was going on, and has a picture of himself sitting on a toilet. If his taint was swollen and hurting him, then by gum he tells us (but I'm kind of glad he didn't draw that one). Speaking of taint, one of the few laugh out loud moments in this book...maybe the only one, but that's not a negative...was when JP (there!) was asking his dad about his perineum, and his father responded by saying, "You mean your taint?" The panel shows JP's legs and feet parallel to the ground as he falls over in shock, the rest of his body off panel. Taint is one of the many words you don't ever expect to hear from your father's mouth, for sure. So...buy it, read it, put it on the shelf in a place where it won't get lost, because you'll want to read it again in a little while. In addition to the clarity of good autobiography, it also dips into Buddhism, the life of a low wage working man, the nuts and bolts of putting together a comic book, and the vagaries of romantic relationships. Oh, and OCD. Lots about OCD.
139. Helen Keller: Courage in the Dark by Johanna Hurwitz (1127/21 to 11/30/21) I'll admit it: I cried. Helen Keller was an amazing person, for sure. I'd like to read her autobiography some time.
140. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Second time for this one. Don't know what made me want to read it again, but now that I have...I'm kind of sorry that I spent my time on it. I have to admit that it moved along pretty quickly...I was reading about 50 pages a day many days ...but still...it's just not a good book. Avoid it if you can. Details HERE.
141. The Bandit of Hell's Bend by Edgar Rice Burroughs (9/28/21 to 12/10/21) This was the 68th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. Second time around for me...and though I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did the first time, I'd still recommend it as one of ERB's better novels. For one thing, his sense of humor comes through...and he was really quite funny at times.
142. The Lyrics Volume 1 by Paul McCartney ** Decided I had to consider this as two books for three reasons: one, it's 960 pages en toto, divided just about evenly between two volumes, and 480 pages is a lot; two, it's published in two separate volumes, so that's two books in my book; three, it's not very good, and I seriously doubt that I'm going to be able to finish Volume 2 before it's due at the library (and it's in high demand, so there's not much chance of me being able to check it out again in the foreseeable future), and I really want to get credit for reading at least this much of it. So what's wrong with it? Two things. First, the songs selected. Many of them just don't bear up to scrutiny. For instance, is there any reason to comment on the lyrics to "Check My Machine" when the lyrics are all included in the title? Well, if there was something interesting that happened at the time of the writing, I suppose so...but that's not what appears to be true. Second, I love Paul McCartney and consider him to be one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time...but he is a terrible writer. So terrible that after you've read a few dozen pages it's hard not to conclude that he's kind of stupid. Which I don't think is true at all, but still, that IS the impression you're going to get. So if you love Paul, skip this book. And if you don't love Paul...well, why the hell would you pick this book up anyway? It's a book for no one.
143. My Last Summer With Cass by Mark Crilley *** I spotted this whilst strolling past the Young Adult section at my local library branch. I'm glad that something about the cover caught my eye, since the letters indicating that this was the work of Mark Crilley were to small for me to notice until I was closer up. Mark Crilley! How I have missed you! Back in the day, his Akiko comic book was always one of the highlights of my comic book reading days, and I followed her into a long series of books...at least a dozen of them. But after that I lost track of him. So yes, very good to see him this morning. And in a very un-me-like manner, I actually sat down and read the book through when I got home. The art was very good. A little different from the usual style, partially because of the color, which looked water-color-y, partially because of a softer edge to the lines than in Mr. Crilley's comic book work. The story...well, it had me enthralled for the first 2/3rds, but then when the Big Traumatic Event occurred, it kind of fell off for me. I guess I had a hard time in believing that that is what would have happened, for one thing. On several levels. So the last 1/3rd just kind of limped home for me. But I still think it's worth reading. Especially for young girls, as there are some very important messages there, but for old men as well, and everyone in between. And now...I think I need to go read some Akiko.
144. Nightwing Volume 1: Stepping into the Light by Tom Taylor & Bruno Redondo *** I'd read that this was the best reboot ever or something like that, and since it was written by Tom Taylor I thought it might could be that. But it wasn't. It was pretty good, with moments of very good, but in the end it was just another superhero comic book, really.
145. Just realized that I'd neglected to include Foundation's Friends in my reading list. Pretty sure that it was my 129th book, but I didn't feel like renumbering everything, so I just put an * between 128 and 129 above. Short version: it wasn't worth doing. Most of the stories had nothing to do with Foundation, and those that did were pretty forgettable.
146. Your, Isaac Asimov: A Lifetime of Letter ** Not a very good book. Details to follow.
147. Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 (Volume 1 of The Pacific War Trilogy) by Ian W. Toll **** This, on the other hand, was a superb book, and Ian W. Toll is a most excellent writer. More HERE.
148. The T-Shirts I Love by Haruki Murakami * Yeah, surprised me, too. So much so that I'm going to have to say a bit more than I want to pack in here, so I'll put this moment over there. OVER THERE.
149. Amethyst by Amy Reeder * You know, I have some fondness for Amethyst. Enough that I bought Volume 1 of the DC Showcase Presents Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld and a few issues of the actual first run as well as the more recent run...which is collected here. Since I hadn't read the whole thing, I picked it up when I saw it in the library. And wow, what a waste of time this was. Due in large part to the art of Amy Reeder, who doesn't seem to know how to construct a panel so that you can actually tell what is going on...and, perhaps even worse, doesn't know how to make action flow from panel to panel. There were some pages where I actually couldn't figure out what order to read the panels in. (At least in the good old days they'd put arrows on the page when the going got rough. A sad solution, to be sure, but better than the confusion which I kept encountering here.) The other part of the reason that this comic book was not worth reading was the writing of Amy Reeder. She created a plot which might have been interesting, but then rushed through all of the most important parts and dwelt on the most meaningless moments. It read like a slow teen romance comic which occasionally kicked into high gear for a few glimpses of action. Save your money and time and avoid this. I wish that I had.
150. Saints: A Year in Faith and Art by Rosa Giorgi (1/1/21 to 12/31/21) *** Some of the stories included references to grisly tortures...and there wasn't nearly enough information about the individual saints here, so while this was interesting in itself--especially for the art--it wasn't all that satisfying. Time for Butler, I guess.
151. Lucia of Fatima by Kathryn Griffin Swegart **** (12/2/21 to 12/31/21) This was a really powerful book. Made me cry at the end, too--and I'm not even Catholic!
152. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, adapted by Mitsu Yamamoto (Great Illustrated Classics) This is the 29th book that Joe read to me. Also his third (and, alas, last) GIC Alexandre Dumas book.
So...152 books. That's a pretty good year's worth of reading, I'd say. Onward to 2022!
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)
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.
Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, adapted by (Great Illustrated Classics)
by I. Dumbitdown (Adapter), H. G. Wells (Author) This is the 30th book that Joe read to me. (1/1/22 to __ )
Beyond the Farthest Star by Edgar Rice Burroughs (12/11/21 to ) This was the 689th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe.
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.
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