Let's Make a Resolution
Books read in 2008 - 159.
Number of those that were graphic novels - 72 (marked by * below).
I did not count 're-reads'.
All numbers were up slightly over last year. This is partially because I was broke for much of 2008, and broke people (or at least this broke person) go to libraries more often. The number would have been higher if not for the Tulip effect, where you spend a bare minimum of an hour a day lavishing love and attention on the dog.
Kenneth D. Ackerman - Boss Tweed - W 1/02
Frank Warren - Post Secret: A Lifetime of Secrets - R 1/03
*Joshua Dysart & Will Conrad - Conan & the Midnight God - S 1/05
*Peter David, Mike Wieringo & Roger Cruz - Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman: Derailed - S 1/05
*Brian Michael Bendis - Ultimate Spiderman v.16: Deadpool - Su 1/06
R.M. Meluch - The Sagittarius Command - Su 1/06
Chip Kidd - Book One: Work 1986-2006 - T 1/08
Sharon Moalem - Survival of the Sickest - R 1/10
Kim Deitch - The Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Su 1/13
*Ed Brubaker & Michael Lark - Daredevil: Hell to Pay - S 1/25
*Warren Ellis & Adi Granov - Iron Man: Extremis - S 1/25
*Daniel & Charles Knauf & Roberto de la Torre - Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. - S 1/25
*John & Sal Buscema & Roy Thomas - The Chronicles of Conan 13: Whispering Shadows and Other Stories - Su 1/26
*J. Michael Straczynski - Spiderman: The Other: Evolve or Die - Su 1/26
*Cliff Chiang & Brian Azzarello - Doctor 13: Architecture & Morality - M 1/27
Chip Kidd - The Cheese Monkeys - W 1/23
George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Daniel Abraham - Hunter's Run - R 1/24
*Dark Horse - BMWFilms.Com Presents: The Hire - S 1/26
*Regindal Hudlin & Francis Portela - Black Panther: Four the Hard Way - Su 1/27
*Will Pfeifer, David Lopez, Alvaro Lopez - Catwoman: It's Only a Movie - M 1/28
*Greg Rucka & Jesus Saiz - Checkmate: A King's Game - T 1/29
Malcolm Gladwell - The Tipping Point - W 1/30
Naomi Novik - Empire of Ivory - R 1/31
*Brian Michael Bendis - Ultimate Spiderman v.15: Silver Sable - S 2/02
*Brian Michael Bendis - Ultimate Spiderman v.17: Clone Saga - S 2/02
*Marvel - Heroes Reborn: Fantastic Four - M 2/04
*Eric Powell - The Goon Noir - W 2/06
Christopher Paolini - Eldest - S 2/09
Harry Harrison & David Bischoff - Bill, the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Tasteless Pleasure - W 2/13
H.P. Lovecraft - The Transition of H.P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness - R 2/14
Russell S. Bonds - Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase & the First Medal of Honor - F 2/15
Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner - Freakonomics - S 2/16
Walter Mosley - Six Easy Pieces - Su 2/17
Stephen King - Duma Key - T 2/19
*Brian Michael Bendis - Ultimate Spiderman v.18: Ultimate Knights - S 2/23
Mark Gimenez - The Abduction - S 2/23
David Drake - Other Times Than Peace - Su 2/24
*Various - Predator: Omnibus v.1 - Su 3/02
Keith Brooke - Genetopia - M 3/03
*Brian K. Vaughan & Niko Henrichon - Pride of Baghdad - T 3/04
Diana Dillaway - Power Failure - T 3/04
Terry Brooks - Armageddon's Children - T 3/06
Terry Brooks - The Elves of Cintra - F 3/09
Jim Munroe - Angry Young Spaceman - W 3/12
Frank Capra - The Name Above the Title - R 3/20
Catherynne M. Valente - The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden - S 3/22
Catherynne M. Valente - The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin & Spice - M 3/24
Max Weinberg - The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Greatest Drummers - R 3/27
Steven Barnes - Lion's Blood - F 4/04
Anthony Bourdain - Kitchen Confidential - M 4/07
Joseph McBride - Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success - Su 4/20
Thomas Pynchon - The Crying of Lot 49 - Su 4/27
Jonathan Kellerman - Monster - S 5/03
Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends & Influence People - Su 5/04
Peter Straub - The Throat - F 5/09
*Ed Brubaker & Pablo Raimondi - Fantastic Four: Books of Doom - S 5/10
*Marc Guggenheim & Howard Chaykin - Blade: Undead Again - S 5/10
*Various - Green Arrow: For Better or For Worse - Su 5/11
Andy Mangels - Iron Man: Beneath the Armor - R 5/15
David Williams - A People's History of the Civil War - M 5/26
Joe Haldeman - The Accidental Time Machine - T 5/27
Isaac Asimov - I, Robot - R 5/29
David Halberstam - The Teammates - T 6/03
*Adam Warren & Brian Denham - Ironman: Hypervelocity - W 6/4
Russell Schneider - Whatever Happened to "Super Joe"? - R 6/5
*Various - Ghost Rider: The Life & Death of Johnny Blaze - F 6/6
*Joshua Ortega & Francis Manaput - The Necromancer: Book 1 - F 6/6
*Bill Willingham & Matt Sturges - Jack of Fables: Jack of Hearts - F 6/6
E. Benjamin Skinner - A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face With Modern-Day Slavery - M 6/9
Frank Deford - Casey on the Loose - M 6/9
*Neil Gaiman & Andy Kubert - Marvel 1602 - W 6/11
*Warren Ellis & J.H. Williams III - Desolation Jones - W 6/11
*Warren Ellis - Crecy - W 6/11
Haruki Murakami - After Dark - R 6/12
Richard Condon - The Manchurian Candidate - M 6/23
David Brin - Startide Rising - T 6/24
David Brin - The Uplift War - F 6/27
Barbara Hambly - The Dark Hand of Magic - S 6/28
Lois McMaster Bujold - The Sharing Knife: Passage - F 7/04
Jon Guttman - Defiance at Sea - S 7/05
Bernard Cornwell - The Winter King - Su 7/06
Chuck Klosterman - Fargo Rock City - Su 7/13
Harry Turtledove - Bridge of the Separator - Su 7/20
G. Bruce Knecht - Hooked: Pirates, Poaching & the Perfect Fish - Su 7/20
Walter Mosely - Blonde Faith - M 7/21
Clive & Dirk Cussler - Treasure of Khan - S 7/26
Chuck Klosterman - Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto - M 7/28
Chuck Klosterman - Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story - F 8/01
Terry Brooks - Jarka Ruus - S 8/02
Terry Brooks - Tanequil - Su 8/03
Terry Brooks - Straken - T 8/05
Franklin Foer - How Soccer Explains the World - R 8/07
*Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra - Y The Last Man: Whys & Wherefores - S 8/9
Katharine Kerr - The Gold Falcon - T 8/12
Joe Lansdale - Bumper Crop W 8/13
Bernard Cornwell - Lords of the North - F 8/15
*Marc Guggenheim & Howard Chaykin - Blade: Sins of the Father - S 8/16
*Gail Simone, Nicola Scott, Paulo Siqueira, James Raiz - Birds of Prey: Blood & Circuits - Su 8/17
*Zeb Wells & Carmine Di Giandomenico - Daredevil: Battlin' Jack Murdock - M 8/18
*Danny Simmons & Floyd Hughes - '85 - M 8/25
*Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill - The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier - W 8/27
*Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, Bill Crabtree - Invincible: Family Matters - F 8/29
*Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips - Coward - Su 8/31
Katharine Kerr - The Spirit Stone - Su 8/31
*Ron Marz & Luke Ross - Samurai: Heaven & Earth - M 9/01
*Marv Wolfman, Dan Jurgens, Jamal Igle - Nightwing: Love & War - M 9/01
*Adam Beechen, Freddie Williams II, Frazer Irving - Robin: Teenage Wasteland - M 9/01
*Various - The Batman Chronicles v.4 - T 9/02
Katharine Kerr - The Shadow Isle - T 9/02
Benjamin Hedin - Studio A: The Bob Dylan Reader - W 9/03
Michael Kazin - A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan - R 9/11
*Mike Richardson & Jason Shawn Alexander - The Secret - S 9/13
*Jason Rodriguez - Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened - M 9/15
Tom Mangold & John Penycate - The Tunnels of Cu Chi - M 9/22
Simon Green - Agents of Light & Darkness - M 9/22
Simon Green - Nightingale's Lament - T 9/23
*Tom Tomorrow - Hell in a Handbasket - F 9/26
Otto Lehrack - The First Battle - M 9/29
Gil Kane & John Jakes - Excalibur! - T 9/30
Tim Brookes - Guitar: An American Life - F 10/03
Tim O'Brien - The Things They Carried - T 10/07
Robert S. McElvaine - Down & Out in the Great Depression: Letters From the Forgotten Man - W 10/08
John Grisham - Playing for Pizza - Su 10/12
*Doug Moench, Kelley Jones, John Beatty, Malcolm Jones III - Batman: Vampire - S 10/18
*Mark Waid & Ron Garney - Captain America: Operation Rebirth - S 10/18
*Daniel Way, Mark Texeira, Javier Saltares - Ghost Rider: Vicious Cycle - Su 10/19
*Steve Niles, Kyle Hotz - Criminal Macabre: Two Red Eyes - Su 10/19
*Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, P. Craig Russell - Hellboy: the Troll Witch & Others - Su 10/19
*Various - Iron Man Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Haunted - M 10/20
Chris McCubbin - GURPS CthuluPunk - R 10/23
Bill Meissner - Spirits in the Grass - T 10/28
Christopher Buckley - Florence of Arabia - T 10/28
Andrew Carroll - Behind the Lines - W 10/29
Patricia A. McKillip - The Sorceress and the Cygnet - W 11/05
Patricia A. McKillip - The Cygnet & the Firebird - F 11/07
*Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso - 100 Bullets: Split Second Chance - Su 11/16
*Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso - 100 Bullets: Hang up on the Hang Low - Su 11/16
*Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso - 100 Bullets: A Foregone Tomorrow - Su 11/16
*Judd Winick, Scott McDaniel, Andy Owens - Green Arrow: Road to Jericho - S 11/22
*Paul Jenkins, Jae Lee, Sean Phillips - Batman: Jekyll & Hyde - S 11/22
*Fabian Nicieza - Cable & Deadpool v.7: Separation Anxiety - Su 11/23
*Geoff Johns, Angel Unzueta, Doug Hazlewood - The Flash: Wonderland - Su 11/23
Walter Benn Michaels - The Trouble With Diversity - T 11/25
*Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale - Catwoman: When in Rome - S 11/29
*Brian Michael Bendis - Ultimate Spiderman v.19: Death of a Goblin - S 11/29
*Rob Rodi & Esad Ribic - Loki - S 11/29
John Ringo - The Last Centurion - M 12/01
Charlaine Harris - Dead to the World - W 12/03
Charlaine Harris - Dead as a Doornail - S 12/06
Charlaine Harris - Definitely Dead - Su 12/07
Charlaine Harris - All Together Dead - M 12/08
Anthony Lappe & Stephen Marshall - True Lies - R 12/11
*Mart Fraction, Ariel Olivetti, Mike Deodato - Punisher War Journal: Civil War - S 12/10
*Steve Niles, Justiniano, Steve Scott - The Creeper: Welcome to Creepsville - S 12/10
*Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Doug Hazlewood, Ethan Van Sciver - The Flash: Blood Will Run - S 12/10
*Marv Wolfman, Jamal Igle, Jon Bosco - Nightwing: The Lost Year - S 12/10
*Bill Matheny, J. Torres, Christopher Jones, Terry Beatty - The Batman Strikes! Duty Calls - S 12/10
*Matt Wagner - Batman & the Mad Monk - S 12/10
Tom Brokaw - The Greatest Generation - Su 12/14
Marge Piercy - He, She & It - F 12/19
*Various - Spider-man: Fairy Tales - S 12/20
*David Hine & Philip Tan - Spawn: The Complete Armageddon Collection - Su 12/21
*Alex Ross, Jim Kreuger - Universe X: Volume 2 - S 12/27
*Edited Kazu Kibuishi - Flight, v.1 - M 12/29
*Edited by Kazu Kibuishi - Flight, v.2 - M 12/29
I don't guarantee that this list is 100% accurate, given that while I was writing this entry I realized that the Murakami I read in Portland wasn't on here, but it should be close.
In some ways, the huge bag sale I went to this past summer negatively effected my reading. When I pay $3 for a bag of books, a lot of stuff ends up in there that I probably wouldn't bother to check out normally, let alone buy. I still read it, but my time might be better served by being a little pickier.
I did read some excellent books, and others that although they weren't excellent were still quite enjoyable. For instance, I got caught up with Terry Brooks, Katharine Kerr, Charlaine Harris and Lois Bujold. I dug into the works of Chuck Klosterman and really enjoyed them all. I read some former bestsellers (Kitchen Confidential, Freakonomics, The Tipping Point) and found them worthy. I learned all about Chip Kidd and Frank Capra. I read enough Lovecraft to be snide to people who only know Chtulu. I brushed up on my 19th century politicians with books on Boss Tweed and Williams Jenning Bryan, and read a parable of 20th century political deception with The Manchurian Candidate. I read Max Weinberg interviewing rock & roll drummers. I read a People's History of the Civil War, and a novelized history of a million small moments in the Vietnam War with The Things They Carried.
I read three books by two people I'm personally acquainted with. One of those people is yuki_onna, as I finally read the Orphans Tales. The other person is my father's good friend and former college roommate, Jon Guttman. Jon is the former senior editor of Military History magazine. He personally interviewed dozens of WWI and WWII fighter pilots over the years. His book, Defiance at Sea, covers various critical naval battles.
I think I read way too many crappy comic books. I really need to exercise some discretion when I walk past the comic shelf at my local library. For every Batman: Vampire or 100 Bullets there are a dozen really big pieces of crap. Arguably worse was the disappointing books, like the lackluster end to Y the Last Man.
My resolution is this. In 2009:
[1] I will read one at least one 'classic' book per month, classic being defined as "most everybody has heard of it, and few have read it." January will be Jane Eyre. All Quiet on the Western Front will be February. I'll happily take suggestions for the remaining months.
[2] I will read/re-read one play by Shakespeare each month.
[3] I will read more poetry, possibly out loud.
That's really not all that much to commit to. Heck, xhollydayx's bookshelf should let me knock off most of the year for [1]. Keeping resolutions is a lot easier when they are fun :-0
Number of those that were graphic novels - 72 (marked by * below).
I did not count 're-reads'.
All numbers were up slightly over last year. This is partially because I was broke for much of 2008, and broke people (or at least this broke person) go to libraries more often. The number would have been higher if not for the Tulip effect, where you spend a bare minimum of an hour a day lavishing love and attention on the dog.
Kenneth D. Ackerman - Boss Tweed - W 1/02
Frank Warren - Post Secret: A Lifetime of Secrets - R 1/03
*Joshua Dysart & Will Conrad - Conan & the Midnight God - S 1/05
*Peter David, Mike Wieringo & Roger Cruz - Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman: Derailed - S 1/05
*Brian Michael Bendis - Ultimate Spiderman v.16: Deadpool - Su 1/06
R.M. Meluch - The Sagittarius Command - Su 1/06
Chip Kidd - Book One: Work 1986-2006 - T 1/08
Sharon Moalem - Survival of the Sickest - R 1/10
Kim Deitch - The Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Su 1/13
*Ed Brubaker & Michael Lark - Daredevil: Hell to Pay - S 1/25
*Warren Ellis & Adi Granov - Iron Man: Extremis - S 1/25
*Daniel & Charles Knauf & Roberto de la Torre - Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. - S 1/25
*John & Sal Buscema & Roy Thomas - The Chronicles of Conan 13: Whispering Shadows and Other Stories - Su 1/26
*J. Michael Straczynski - Spiderman: The Other: Evolve or Die - Su 1/26
*Cliff Chiang & Brian Azzarello - Doctor 13: Architecture & Morality - M 1/27
Chip Kidd - The Cheese Monkeys - W 1/23
George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Daniel Abraham - Hunter's Run - R 1/24
*Dark Horse - BMWFilms.Com Presents: The Hire - S 1/26
*Regindal Hudlin & Francis Portela - Black Panther: Four the Hard Way - Su 1/27
*Will Pfeifer, David Lopez, Alvaro Lopez - Catwoman: It's Only a Movie - M 1/28
*Greg Rucka & Jesus Saiz - Checkmate: A King's Game - T 1/29
Malcolm Gladwell - The Tipping Point - W 1/30
Naomi Novik - Empire of Ivory - R 1/31
*Brian Michael Bendis - Ultimate Spiderman v.15: Silver Sable - S 2/02
*Brian Michael Bendis - Ultimate Spiderman v.17: Clone Saga - S 2/02
*Marvel - Heroes Reborn: Fantastic Four - M 2/04
*Eric Powell - The Goon Noir - W 2/06
Christopher Paolini - Eldest - S 2/09
Harry Harrison & David Bischoff - Bill, the Galactic Hero On the Planet of Tasteless Pleasure - W 2/13
H.P. Lovecraft - The Transition of H.P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness - R 2/14
Russell S. Bonds - Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase & the First Medal of Honor - F 2/15
Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner - Freakonomics - S 2/16
Walter Mosley - Six Easy Pieces - Su 2/17
Stephen King - Duma Key - T 2/19
*Brian Michael Bendis - Ultimate Spiderman v.18: Ultimate Knights - S 2/23
Mark Gimenez - The Abduction - S 2/23
David Drake - Other Times Than Peace - Su 2/24
*Various - Predator: Omnibus v.1 - Su 3/02
Keith Brooke - Genetopia - M 3/03
*Brian K. Vaughan & Niko Henrichon - Pride of Baghdad - T 3/04
Diana Dillaway - Power Failure - T 3/04
Terry Brooks - Armageddon's Children - T 3/06
Terry Brooks - The Elves of Cintra - F 3/09
Jim Munroe - Angry Young Spaceman - W 3/12
Frank Capra - The Name Above the Title - R 3/20
Catherynne M. Valente - The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden - S 3/22
Catherynne M. Valente - The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin & Spice - M 3/24
Max Weinberg - The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Greatest Drummers - R 3/27
Steven Barnes - Lion's Blood - F 4/04
Anthony Bourdain - Kitchen Confidential - M 4/07
Joseph McBride - Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success - Su 4/20
Thomas Pynchon - The Crying of Lot 49 - Su 4/27
Jonathan Kellerman - Monster - S 5/03
Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends & Influence People - Su 5/04
Peter Straub - The Throat - F 5/09
*Ed Brubaker & Pablo Raimondi - Fantastic Four: Books of Doom - S 5/10
*Marc Guggenheim & Howard Chaykin - Blade: Undead Again - S 5/10
*Various - Green Arrow: For Better or For Worse - Su 5/11
Andy Mangels - Iron Man: Beneath the Armor - R 5/15
David Williams - A People's History of the Civil War - M 5/26
Joe Haldeman - The Accidental Time Machine - T 5/27
Isaac Asimov - I, Robot - R 5/29
David Halberstam - The Teammates - T 6/03
*Adam Warren & Brian Denham - Ironman: Hypervelocity - W 6/4
Russell Schneider - Whatever Happened to "Super Joe"? - R 6/5
*Various - Ghost Rider: The Life & Death of Johnny Blaze - F 6/6
*Joshua Ortega & Francis Manaput - The Necromancer: Book 1 - F 6/6
*Bill Willingham & Matt Sturges - Jack of Fables: Jack of Hearts - F 6/6
E. Benjamin Skinner - A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face With Modern-Day Slavery - M 6/9
Frank Deford - Casey on the Loose - M 6/9
*Neil Gaiman & Andy Kubert - Marvel 1602 - W 6/11
*Warren Ellis & J.H. Williams III - Desolation Jones - W 6/11
*Warren Ellis - Crecy - W 6/11
Haruki Murakami - After Dark - R 6/12
Richard Condon - The Manchurian Candidate - M 6/23
David Brin - Startide Rising - T 6/24
David Brin - The Uplift War - F 6/27
Barbara Hambly - The Dark Hand of Magic - S 6/28
Lois McMaster Bujold - The Sharing Knife: Passage - F 7/04
Jon Guttman - Defiance at Sea - S 7/05
Bernard Cornwell - The Winter King - Su 7/06
Chuck Klosterman - Fargo Rock City - Su 7/13
Harry Turtledove - Bridge of the Separator - Su 7/20
G. Bruce Knecht - Hooked: Pirates, Poaching & the Perfect Fish - Su 7/20
Walter Mosely - Blonde Faith - M 7/21
Clive & Dirk Cussler - Treasure of Khan - S 7/26
Chuck Klosterman - Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto - M 7/28
Chuck Klosterman - Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story - F 8/01
Terry Brooks - Jarka Ruus - S 8/02
Terry Brooks - Tanequil - Su 8/03
Terry Brooks - Straken - T 8/05
Franklin Foer - How Soccer Explains the World - R 8/07
*Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra - Y The Last Man: Whys & Wherefores - S 8/9
Katharine Kerr - The Gold Falcon - T 8/12
Joe Lansdale - Bumper Crop W 8/13
Bernard Cornwell - Lords of the North - F 8/15
*Marc Guggenheim & Howard Chaykin - Blade: Sins of the Father - S 8/16
*Gail Simone, Nicola Scott, Paulo Siqueira, James Raiz - Birds of Prey: Blood & Circuits - Su 8/17
*Zeb Wells & Carmine Di Giandomenico - Daredevil: Battlin' Jack Murdock - M 8/18
*Danny Simmons & Floyd Hughes - '85 - M 8/25
*Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill - The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier - W 8/27
*Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, Bill Crabtree - Invincible: Family Matters - F 8/29
*Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips - Coward - Su 8/31
Katharine Kerr - The Spirit Stone - Su 8/31
*Ron Marz & Luke Ross - Samurai: Heaven & Earth - M 9/01
*Marv Wolfman, Dan Jurgens, Jamal Igle - Nightwing: Love & War - M 9/01
*Adam Beechen, Freddie Williams II, Frazer Irving - Robin: Teenage Wasteland - M 9/01
*Various - The Batman Chronicles v.4 - T 9/02
Katharine Kerr - The Shadow Isle - T 9/02
Benjamin Hedin - Studio A: The Bob Dylan Reader - W 9/03
Michael Kazin - A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan - R 9/11
*Mike Richardson & Jason Shawn Alexander - The Secret - S 9/13
*Jason Rodriguez - Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened - M 9/15
Tom Mangold & John Penycate - The Tunnels of Cu Chi - M 9/22
Simon Green - Agents of Light & Darkness - M 9/22
Simon Green - Nightingale's Lament - T 9/23
*Tom Tomorrow - Hell in a Handbasket - F 9/26
Otto Lehrack - The First Battle - M 9/29
Gil Kane & John Jakes - Excalibur! - T 9/30
Tim Brookes - Guitar: An American Life - F 10/03
Tim O'Brien - The Things They Carried - T 10/07
Robert S. McElvaine - Down & Out in the Great Depression: Letters From the Forgotten Man - W 10/08
John Grisham - Playing for Pizza - Su 10/12
*Doug Moench, Kelley Jones, John Beatty, Malcolm Jones III - Batman: Vampire - S 10/18
*Mark Waid & Ron Garney - Captain America: Operation Rebirth - S 10/18
*Daniel Way, Mark Texeira, Javier Saltares - Ghost Rider: Vicious Cycle - Su 10/19
*Steve Niles, Kyle Hotz - Criminal Macabre: Two Red Eyes - Su 10/19
*Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, P. Craig Russell - Hellboy: the Troll Witch & Others - Su 10/19
*Various - Iron Man Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Haunted - M 10/20
Chris McCubbin - GURPS CthuluPunk - R 10/23
Bill Meissner - Spirits in the Grass - T 10/28
Christopher Buckley - Florence of Arabia - T 10/28
Andrew Carroll - Behind the Lines - W 10/29
Patricia A. McKillip - The Sorceress and the Cygnet - W 11/05
Patricia A. McKillip - The Cygnet & the Firebird - F 11/07
*Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso - 100 Bullets: Split Second Chance - Su 11/16
*Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso - 100 Bullets: Hang up on the Hang Low - Su 11/16
*Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso - 100 Bullets: A Foregone Tomorrow - Su 11/16
*Judd Winick, Scott McDaniel, Andy Owens - Green Arrow: Road to Jericho - S 11/22
*Paul Jenkins, Jae Lee, Sean Phillips - Batman: Jekyll & Hyde - S 11/22
*Fabian Nicieza - Cable & Deadpool v.7: Separation Anxiety - Su 11/23
*Geoff Johns, Angel Unzueta, Doug Hazlewood - The Flash: Wonderland - Su 11/23
Walter Benn Michaels - The Trouble With Diversity - T 11/25
*Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale - Catwoman: When in Rome - S 11/29
*Brian Michael Bendis - Ultimate Spiderman v.19: Death of a Goblin - S 11/29
*Rob Rodi & Esad Ribic - Loki - S 11/29
John Ringo - The Last Centurion - M 12/01
Charlaine Harris - Dead to the World - W 12/03
Charlaine Harris - Dead as a Doornail - S 12/06
Charlaine Harris - Definitely Dead - Su 12/07
Charlaine Harris - All Together Dead - M 12/08
Anthony Lappe & Stephen Marshall - True Lies - R 12/11
*Mart Fraction, Ariel Olivetti, Mike Deodato - Punisher War Journal: Civil War - S 12/10
*Steve Niles, Justiniano, Steve Scott - The Creeper: Welcome to Creepsville - S 12/10
*Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Doug Hazlewood, Ethan Van Sciver - The Flash: Blood Will Run - S 12/10
*Marv Wolfman, Jamal Igle, Jon Bosco - Nightwing: The Lost Year - S 12/10
*Bill Matheny, J. Torres, Christopher Jones, Terry Beatty - The Batman Strikes! Duty Calls - S 12/10
*Matt Wagner - Batman & the Mad Monk - S 12/10
Tom Brokaw - The Greatest Generation - Su 12/14
Marge Piercy - He, She & It - F 12/19
*Various - Spider-man: Fairy Tales - S 12/20
*David Hine & Philip Tan - Spawn: The Complete Armageddon Collection - Su 12/21
*Alex Ross, Jim Kreuger - Universe X: Volume 2 - S 12/27
*Edited Kazu Kibuishi - Flight, v.1 - M 12/29
*Edited by Kazu Kibuishi - Flight, v.2 - M 12/29
I don't guarantee that this list is 100% accurate, given that while I was writing this entry I realized that the Murakami I read in Portland wasn't on here, but it should be close.
In some ways, the huge bag sale I went to this past summer negatively effected my reading. When I pay $3 for a bag of books, a lot of stuff ends up in there that I probably wouldn't bother to check out normally, let alone buy. I still read it, but my time might be better served by being a little pickier.
I did read some excellent books, and others that although they weren't excellent were still quite enjoyable. For instance, I got caught up with Terry Brooks, Katharine Kerr, Charlaine Harris and Lois Bujold. I dug into the works of Chuck Klosterman and really enjoyed them all. I read some former bestsellers (Kitchen Confidential, Freakonomics, The Tipping Point) and found them worthy. I learned all about Chip Kidd and Frank Capra. I read enough Lovecraft to be snide to people who only know Chtulu. I brushed up on my 19th century politicians with books on Boss Tweed and Williams Jenning Bryan, and read a parable of 20th century political deception with The Manchurian Candidate. I read Max Weinberg interviewing rock & roll drummers. I read a People's History of the Civil War, and a novelized history of a million small moments in the Vietnam War with The Things They Carried.
I read three books by two people I'm personally acquainted with. One of those people is yuki_onna, as I finally read the Orphans Tales. The other person is my father's good friend and former college roommate, Jon Guttman. Jon is the former senior editor of Military History magazine. He personally interviewed dozens of WWI and WWII fighter pilots over the years. His book, Defiance at Sea, covers various critical naval battles.
I think I read way too many crappy comic books. I really need to exercise some discretion when I walk past the comic shelf at my local library. For every Batman: Vampire or 100 Bullets there are a dozen really big pieces of crap. Arguably worse was the disappointing books, like the lackluster end to Y the Last Man.
My resolution is this. In 2009:
[1] I will read one at least one 'classic' book per month, classic being defined as "most everybody has heard of it, and few have read it." January will be Jane Eyre. All Quiet on the Western Front will be February. I'll happily take suggestions for the remaining months.
[2] I will read/re-read one play by Shakespeare each month.
[3] I will read more poetry, possibly out loud.
That's really not all that much to commit to. Heck, xhollydayx's bookshelf should let me knock off most of the year for [1]. Keeping resolutions is a lot easier when they are fun :-0