Monday, January 1, 2024

The Book I Read 2024

The Book I Read 2024

***** = 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. 


1. The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov *** Still nibbling away at the vast Asimov oeuvre. No hope or intention of swallowing it whole, but still...it's fun. And hey, with one more book and one more short story, I'll have completed the R. Daneel Olivaw subset. And I've made a bit of a dent in the larger Science Fiction Novels of Isaac Asimov subset. 
11/9/23 to 1/1/24. 

2. Uncle's Dream by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 12/31/23 to 1/3/24 *** Hard to believe, I know, but this book was actually lighthearted...and FUNny. Did not see that coming. 

3. Ivanhoe (Great Illustrated Classics) by Sir Walter Scott, adapted by Margins G. Vogel. The 46th book Joe read to me. 11/30/23 to 1/4/24 


4. Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus by Isaac Asimov 12/9/23 to 1/4/24  The third Lucky Starr book I've read to Joe, and we're starting on number 4 tomorrow, so I guess that's Joe's stamp of approval. 

5. The Insulted and the Injured by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 1/4/23 to 1/17/24 ** Sorry to say that this book was not worth two weeks of my reading life.

6. The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 1/18/24 to 1/25/24 Almost Real Dostoyevsky.

7. Golden Multitudes: The Story Of Best Sellers In The United States by Frank Luther Mott **** A superb book. Interesting subject matter, but more than that, Mr. Mott was a smart ass of the first order, and I thoroughly enjoyed his style. Finished 1/28/24 

8. The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov *** I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and even though I didn't spend much time per day on it, it was a relatively quick read (1/2/24 to 1/31/24). One thing puzzles me: this is the second pairing of Bailey and Olivaw, and I would hardly call them "friends." In fact, Bailey seems to barely tolerate his robot partner. Yet in the next book (The Robots of Dawn), they are slobbering all over each other. Seems like there ought to be another story between these two. Anyway...on to another Asimov tomorrow.
P.S. I just checked, and the shirt story "Mirror Image" actually DID appear between The Naked Sun and The Robots of Dawn, so I guess ill read that short story next and see if there's an explanation to be found there.

9. Ultimate Comics Ultimate by Jonathan Hickman Volume 1 by Jonathan Hickman and Brandon Petersen *** Good enough for me to want to read the next six issues, anyway. 2/4/24 

10. The King's Daughter by Vonda N. McIntyre   3/27/23 to 2/5/24 Wow, did it really take us almost a year to read this book? I suppose it did. It was very good, actually...and had almost nothing to do with the movie, which trivialized the whole plot. (And removed the Scarlattis completely!)

11. Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of Mercury by Isaac Asimov 1/5/24 to 2/6/24 *** I'm already starting to mourn the fact that my Lucky Starr readings will soon be over (4 books down, 2 to go.) It's A fun read, and Joe seems to be enjoying it.

12. Saints by Gene Luen Yang **** 1/6/24 to 1/7/24 Finally got around to picking this up when I saw it in the library, and now I wish I'd gotten to it sooner. A most excellent book about China, Christianity, and St. Joan. The ending left me a bit confused, but otherwise... brilliant stuff.

13. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky ***** 1/30/24 to 2/11/24

14.  King Solomon's Mines (Great Illustrated Classics) by H. Rider Haggard, adapted by Jack Kelly. The 47th book Joe read to me. 1/5/24 to 2/15/24

15. Ultimate Comics Ultimate by Jonathan Hickman Volume 2 by Jonathan Hickman and Brandon Petersen *** 

16. Waller Vs. Wildstorm by Evan Narcisse, Spencer Ackerman, and Jesús Merino. The writing was quite good. So much so that I went in search of more Spencer Ackerman. The art was very bad. For some reason, Amended Waller was consistently drawn with a giant head. I mean, like baby head to body ratios. And the coloring was garish and sickening. Some great cover art, though.

17. The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 2/12/24 to 2/21/24

18. Antarctica Volume 1 Out In The Cold by Simon Birks & Wili Roberts ** Well, hoopla just saved me $20, 'cause I was interested in this book, but it really sucked. In an "I want my time back" way.

19. Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter by Isaac Asimov 2/8/24 to 3/4/24

20. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 2/22/24 to 3/13/24
This was not a good book. Avoid it at all costs.

21. Boxers by Gene Luen Yang. Took a bit to get into this after the magnificence of Saints , but once I settled down it was captivating. Excellent **** 3/13/24 

22. Good News For Modern Man (1966) 7/3/21 to 3/18/24  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. And we did it...in a mere 2 1/2 years! 

23. The Ugly Little Boy by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg  2/1/24 to 3/27/24 This was a good read...which surprised me. I wondered how a perfectly good short story could be expanded into a novel without attenuation and breakage. But here it is. So good, in fact, that I'm actually anxious to read another Asimov / Silverberg collaboration. And I just happen to have two if them on hand.

24. A Poetics of Handel's Operas by Nathan Link 3/14/24 to 3/25/24 https://songsofinnocenceampexperience.blogspot.com/2024/03/ddr-poetics-of-handels-operas-by-nathan.html

25. Blue Lard by Vladimir Sorokin -0 An awful, reprehensible book. Here's why: https://songsofinnocenceampexperience.blogspot.com/2024/03/ddr-blue-lard-by-vladimir-sorokin.html
3/26/24 to 4/2/24 

26. Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono 2/6/24 to 4/4/24 
Good...say ***...but not as good as the movie. 

27.  Opera as Hypermedium: Meaning-Making, Immediacy, and the Politics of Perception by Tereza Havelková 3/28/24 to 4/10/24 **Well...that was a waste of time and effort. Details available @  https://songsofinnocenceampexperience.blogspot.com/2024/03/down-low-ddr-hypermedium-meaning-making.html


29. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón **** A most excellent book. https://songsofinnocenceampexperience.blogspot.com/2024/04/ddr-la-sombra-del-viento-shadow-of-wind.html
4/14/24 to 4/23/24

30. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón **** Another MEB.  4/24/24 to 4/29/24

31. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 4/30/24 to 5/1/24 ****

32. Grimm's Fairy Tales (Great Illustrated Classics) adapted by Roy Nemerson. The 48th book Joe read to me. 2/16/24 to 5/6/24

 
33. Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume 4/5/24 to 5/6/24 

34. Norby, the Mixed-up Robot by Isaac and Janet Asimov 3/7/24 o 5/6/24 Not a very good book. Flat and humorless and unintetesting. 

35. The Positronic Man by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg  3/27/24 to 5/16/24 A short book...but it packed some punch, for sure. Andrew Martin is a very sympathetic robot, and his struggles to become human go some way toward defining humanity. Although the definition he ends up with is pretty dismal! In effect, it says we are human because we die. Hmm. *** 

36. The Labyrinth of Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 5/2/24 to 5/20/24


37. The City of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón ** A real let down, tbh. 5/21/24 to 5/22/24

38. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 5/23/24 to 5/24/24

39. The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 5/25/24 to 5/28/24 Not good. Not at all.

40. The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 5/28/24 to 5/30/24 The best of the YA novels...at least so far (with one to go). Very exciting read.

41. Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 5/30/24 to 6/2/24

42. The Tyrannosaurus Prescription and 100 Other Essays by Isaac Asimov 3/14/24 to 6/10/24 Ironically, I chose this book because the essays were very short, and I thought I could knock it out lickety split. 3 months later.... Most of the pieces were enjoyable, but the forwards to collections edited or co-edited by Asimov's were irksome. It seemed clear that Asimov's was just writing out of ego there, and the connection between forward and stories was either tenuous or non-existent. And he often adopted a tone which seemed condescending. So...not a great collection, and one you can skip unless you're aiming for the whole ball of wax. (And it's a very big ball of wax.) Reading this book also made me wonder: did Asimov's count all of the edited / co-edited books in his Total Books Written? Because I got the distinct impression that there were times when he'd only invested about 15 minutes in these books, and that they were using the Editor designation more as a way of putting Asimov's name on the cover as a selling point.

43. Pandaemonium, 1660-1886: The Coming of the Machine as Seen by Contemporary Observers by Humphrey Jennings *** An interesting concept, and some great bits, but somehow unsatisfying in the end. 6/3/24 to 6/15/24 

44. Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths by Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere, Jim Cheung, Jack Herbert, Giuseppe Camuncoli ** Glad I didn't step in pay for it. And I almost did. 

45. Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story by Julia Wertz ***** Not a perfect book, but engaging, funny, touching, and thought-provoking, and that's good enough for me. I feel the need to write more about this one, so....  Finished it 6/29/24 It took a few days--it's 318 pages long, after all.

46. Collected Essays Volume I (1893-1894)  by Thomas Henry Huxley ***** Yes, Darwin's Bulldog can bark many a pretty tune, and possesses much more than a Groat's Worth of Wit. 6/16/24 to 6/29/24.


47. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov I thought about going right on to the third collaboration between Silverberg and Asimov, Nightfall, but when I went to have a look at the Asimov section of my bookshelf, I, Robot grabbed me. I read it about fifty years ago...even remember the cover of the version I read--


So I reckon it's time to have another hit on that pipe. And maybe read the Harlan Ellison screenplay afterwards. 5/16/24 to 6/30/24 

48. Our Lady of Fatima Novena published by William J. Hilton Company...because Jacqueline is still heavy into Fatima. Took a few days, finished 7/11/24 

49. Collected Essays Volume II (1893-1894)  by Thomas Henry Huxley ***** 6/30/24 to 7/13/24.

50. Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement **** Finally got around to this after years of dithering about. And it was very good. So good that I knocked it out in four days...7/14/24 to 7/17/24. On to the sequel.

51. Mary Fabyan Windeatt Coloring Books: Our Lady of Fatima Finished 7/19/24  

52. Daredevil by Saladin Ahmed Volume 1: Hell Breaks Loose *** Finished 7/20/24 Not the best Daredevil arc I've ever read, but good enough to make me (1) impatient for Volume 2 (which is not due out until September 10th), (2) regret that I didn't pick up on this title when it relaunched and (3) think about picking up issues 6, 8, and 9, since I found 7 and 10 & 11, and (4) put this book on my holds list. Its an interesting premise: Daredevil goes to hell, escapes somehow (all of that from a previous arc which I've yet to read), returns to life as Father Matt, and is plagued by the Seven Deadly Sins, which have followed him out of hell and inhabited his friends and enemies. That's a lot.

53. Frank Robbins' Johnny Hazard Volume Seven: The Newspaper Dailies 1954 - 1956 **** An amazing comic strip of which I previously knew nothing firsthand. Now I'm morning the fact that the library only has Volumes 7 and 8...and the fact that each volume retails at $50. Finished 7/20/24 

54. Close to Critical by Hal Clement ** NOTE: Despite the many things that say so, this book is not a part of the Mesklin series in any way. At all. 7/18/24 to 7/22/24

55. Star Bright by Hal Clement ** A Tue sequel to Mission of Gravity, but not nearly as good. 7/29/24

56. Heavy Planet Stories by Hal Clement The other stuff in the omnibus, cause I want credit.) 7/30/24

55. The Holy Rosary by Father Lovasik, S.V.D. I'm pretty sure we've read this one at least once before, but Jacqueline is on a Catholic kick, and we're hitting lots of I'm our "fourth book" readings. Finished 7/30/24 

56. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. ** A book my mom thought highly of, and it's easy to say why: the basic message is that YOU are in control of your life, and that if you have the will power, all obstackes--even illness--will fall before you. Which I think is a most excellent and realistic philosophy...if you're born into a high level of society and no calamity capsized you. For regular folks? Meh.

57. Mary and the Little Shepherds of Fatima by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Maria Jo Lopes, 8/5/24 

58.  Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky: To Heaven Through  Hell
by Chip Zdarsky & Marco Checchetto ** Only read this because I thought it was rogue precursor to Volume 8. It kind of was. But kinda wasn't.  So I went back to hoopla to have another go at it. News as it happens. 8/8/24 

59. Daredevil & Elektra by Chip Zdarsky: The Red Fist Saga Part 3 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto & Rafael de Latorre ** Well...I think that filled in the gap I fell into before Volume 8.* At the end we see Father Matt, who does not recognize his former lover, Elektra. (But does feel like maybe he's met her before....)

* Let's see. Daredevil & Elektra: The Red Fist Saga ended with issue #14, Release Date August 16, 2023, Cover Date
October, 2023, and was Legacy Issue #662. Daredevil Volume 8 had a Release Date of October 18, 2023 and a Cover Date of December, 2023...and was Legacy Issue #664. Hmmm. What happened to Legacy Issue #663? And a little research later sez...they fucked up the numbering. The gap is now closed. Though not very satisfactorily, I must say. 8/11/24 P.S. I know he gets a shit ton of acclaim for his writing, so its probably just me, but I am not fond of Chip Zdarsky's writing. I like the new guy MUCH more.

60. K is in Trouble by Gary Clement 



And my favorite two panel sequence:



61. The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov 6/30/24 to 8/20/24 This version has a groovy, Book Club Edition lookin' cover--


--even though it's not a BCE. As for the story...it was okay. It was interesting to see Asimov devloping Trantor so early (this was his 7th book, and preceded the conclusion of the Foundation Trilogy). The ending felt a bit abrupt to me, but I'd give it at least a ***.


62. Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico    We loved the movie, so we'll see how the book measures up. 4/5/24 to ? 

63. Collected Essays Volume III (1893-1894)  by Thomas Henry Huxley *** 6/30/24 to 7/13/24.

64. La Vita Nuova by Dante ** An interesting concept: Dante writes in prose to give introductions, expansions, and comments upon these poems, which are essentially focused upon Beatrice. The poems themselves are just shy of puerile, though...and I say that as a man who took over a decade to get over his second divorce. Unless you're preparing to read The Divine Comedy, I don't think there's any reason to read this one. 8/29/24

65. Superman: Lost by Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan ** I picked up the seventh issue of this title because I'd read that the Kamandi version of Superman was going to show up in it. And I liked it so much that I considered buying up all of the back issues... but since that would have been a considerable expense, I decided to wait until it came out in a collected edition. And I'm glad that I did, because it just showed up on hoopla, and (1) I got to read it for free and (2) it wasn't very good, so I am happy not to have paid for it.
8/29/24 

66. Collected Essays Volume IV (1893-1894)  by Thomas Henry Huxley 8/21/24 to 9/1/24.
67. Mrs. 'Arris Goes to New York by Paul Gallico *** A nice follow-up to the first book. Finished 9/3/24 

68. Johnny Hazard: The Newspaper Dailies. Volume 8, 1956-1957 by Frank Robbins
Finished 10/1/24 ***** 


69. Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales 3/2/23 to 10/1/24

70. Dante For Beginners by Joe Lee 9/1/24 to 9/5/24 A good overview, and some good background information as well. I'd say a good introduction to the real work.

71. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri What can I say other than *****. And https://songsofinnocenceampexperience.blogspot.com/2024/09/ddr-dante.html, of course. 9/6/24 to 10/3/24 Kind of amazing that you can knock back one of the greatest works of Western Civilization in three weeks, isn't it?  Geez, I wonder what comes next?

72. Animals of the Bible by Isaac Asimov 10/3/24 to 10/13/24. A quick read, and kind of fun. Nice pictures,  too.

73. Anathem by Neal Stephenson 10/4/24 to 10/18/24
**** A most excellent book. See 

74. Space Usagi: Death and Honor by Stan Sakai. **...definitely not prime Usagi. But it's been awhile, and I missed the bunny, and if was free from hoopla, so there it is. Finished 10/20/24.

75. Our Lady Came to Fatima by Ruth Fox Hume *** An interesting book. Finished 10/21/24

76. My Struggle Book One: A Death in the Family by Karl Ove Knausgård 10/21/24 to 10/29/24 Y'know...I'm thinking that this is a *****. And there aren't many books I think that of. A shame it took me so long to get around to reading this brilliant piece of work.  Now on to Book 2!  https://songsofinnocenceampexperience.blogspot.com/2024/10/ddr2-my-struggle-book-one-death-in.html

77. In the Beginning: Science Faces God in the Book of Genesis by Isaac Asimov 8/20/24 to 11/5/24 **** Quite an interesting book, with lots of "I didn't know that!" moments. Also, not in any way a critique of The Bible...more an expansion of it. Lots of work went into this, which takes the first 11 chapters of Genesis and annotates the heck out of it (200 pages' worth). My kind of book!

78. The Possessed by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 10/19/24 to 11/10/24  Yep, back on the Dostoyevsky train. Gonna visit those last two stations, by crikey.  This one wasn't terrible, but it wasn't until around of page 650 that it really drew me in, so make of that what you will. **

79. The Tragedy of the Moon by Isaac Asimov 6/10/24 to 11/13/24  Took me forever to finish (as this was at best a 7th priority book), but it was worth doing. As with any non-fiction science book by Asimov, there were parts that were over my head, but the charm of the good doctor's written voice carried the day. Still, I'm ready to get back to fiction, I think.

80. My Struggle Book One: A Death in the Family by Karl Ove Knausgård 10/30/24 to 11/16/24  
This one was mych harder for me, as there was a whiff of the possibility of statutory rape (13 years old) which was mentioned in passing (!), came up again two more times (very briefly each), and was not resolved. I had decided that that was the end of the road for me. But then I Googled, found out that there had been no rape, and am now thinking I'll take up Book Three after a couple of days off. Despite the turmoil,  I'd still give this book ****.

81. My Struggle Book 2: A Man in Love 10/30/24 to 11/16/24

82. Herscht 07769 by László Krasznahorkai
11/10/24 to 11/19/24
This is the real fuckin' deal, man. What a volcanic read.

83. Mrs. 'Arris M.P. by Paul Gallico  9/4/24 to 11/23/24 

84. My Struggle Book 3: Boyhood
11/20/24 to 11/25/24 
Kind of a shitty book, actually. I recommend that you skip it unless you really just can't.

85. Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny 11/26/24 to 12/4/24 Gonna have to go ***** on this one. Navalny's story is fascinating, funny, horrifying, and inspirational. How the nan maintained his spirits under crushing conditions is stunning. Not just a patriot, but a hero in the true sense of the word (and not in the current "I survived a tragedy" sense).

Starting to wonder if I'm going to hit my goal of 100 books per year. 15 to go and only 27 days...doesn't seem likely, dies it?

86. Slow Horses by Mick Herron **** Nice job on this...and proof that the tv adaptation was spot on. 12/4/24 to 12/7/24

87. Dead Lions by Mick Herron **** Another fine book I've gotten myself into. 12/8/24 to 12/11/24

88. Standing by the Wall by Mick Herron ***Not as good as the novels, but the first three novellas were fine. 12/11/24 to 12/13/24

89. Real Tigers by Mick Herron **** Cracking good!
12/13/24 to 12/15/24

90. Spook Street by Mick Herron Again, cracking good! 12/16/24 to 12/17/24 Two days. That ought to tell you something about how compelling this read was.    

91. London Rules by Mick Herron **** 12/18/24 to 12/20/24

92. Lucia of Fatima (Brave Hearts: Book 3) by Kathryn Griffin Swegart 10/21/24 to 12/21/24 *** A bit fanciful at times (in terms of inventing scenes in Lucia's life), but a good read with some touching moments. Now on to the next Fatima book.


In Progress:


The Philosopher's Handbook: Essential Readings from Plato to Kant by Stanley Rosen 1/8/22 to  

The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov 11/13/24 to  /24



Now reading with Jacqueline:

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) Started The New Testament 4/17/23.


Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson 10/14/24 to 


Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Russia by Paul Gallico 11/24/24 to  



Now reading with Joe:


Great Expectations (Great Illustrated Classics) by Charles Sickens adapted by Mitsu Yamamoto The 49th book Joe read to me. 5/9/24 to


The Action Bible: God's Redemptive Story Illustrated by Sergio Cariello 3/21/24 to 

Norby's Other Secret by Janet and Isaac Asimov 5/9/24 to 





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