Pontypool
Changes Everything by Tony Burgess
I
read this one after watching the movie on Netflix. The movie is only loosely like the book, and
really is more like one kinda-scene in the book. It’s very… weird. Anything I’ve read by Burgess is weird. This is the 2nd in a three-part
series, and in 2018 I read The Hellmouths of Bewdley which was very…
disturbing. I hope to read Caesarea to finish up the series this year.
If
on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
I
had forgotten I read this one. It was
fine. I like Calvino a lot sometimes, and others not so much. One thing is for sure, is that his writing is
very ambitious.
Hiddensee
by Gregory Maguire
I
kinda like Maguire and I really like the Nutcracker. This was a charming and curious book and the
German was just easy enough for me to read easily.
Alias
Grace by Margaret Atwood
I
read this when I was in college (probably 2003) and re-read it when I saw that
Netflix had a mini-series. I like Atwood,
and I enjoyed this as much as I did in my youth. The series is decent, too.
The
Mabinogian translated by Charlotte Guest
Great
stories and should be required reading for Pagans who are interested in Celtic,
Welsh, or British Paganism. Read your
source materials, folks!
The
Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King
I’ve
been in the middle of this series for so long it’s hard for me to keep track of
them. I first started reading The Dark Tower
in college (2002) and re-started the series again a few years ago. I think I’ll finally finish up in 2020, and
then move onto another epic series (Herbert’s Dune.) I liked this story a lot, actually.
Annihilation:
Southern Reach #1 by Jeff Vandermeer
I
really enjoyed this movie, and I liked the series pretty okay, too. It’s pretty good and kinda ambitious. The movie does a decent interpretation.
Thoughts
Without a Thinker by Mark Epstein MD
I
was REALLY into using mindfulness with my clients in early 2019, and I’ve moved
away from that a bit as I’ve been doing a lot of training in Play Therapy. This is a good introductory book but the
problem I often find with some of these books is that a lot of the
comments/exercises/explanations tend to not take the Person In Environment
approach, or the multi-dimensional approach (both major in my social work
training.) Stuff like this can really
come from a place of ignorance and privilege, and can be hard for me to stomach
sometimes.
Evolutionary
Witchcraft by T. Thorn Coyle
A
lot of us read this many years ago as part of the Triangle Pagan Book Club,
which was later called the Triangle Pagan Discussion Group, until we finally
agreed to dissolve that group. I LOVED
this book when I read it the first time, and this time I still appreciated
it. I really had wanted to dive through
and go through the exercises, but I found that it was hard for me to find the
time, or energy, or interest. I might
have over-booked/over-extended myself, or maybe some of the content wasn’t
right for me, or I wasn’t ready for it.
Either way, I appreciate it and recommend it as an “advanced” Pagan
read.
Redirect:
The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change by Timothy D. Wilson
Upon
looking back on the year, I have no recollection of reading this book so I
guess it didn’t really make an impression. But going back and re-reading some reviews, I
actually recall really liking this book.
Consider this – all of those things you think work, actually don’t. (such as Scared Straight programs for juvenile
offenders.) Reminded me of the book You Are
Not So Smart, which every Pagan should read.
Authority:
Southern Reach #2 by Jeff Vandermeer
Book
two of the Southern Reach series, and I might have liked this one more than the
first one.
“Diane…”:
The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper by Lynch/Frost
Sweet
and fun and a quick peek into Special Agent Dale Cooper’s relationship with
Diane (pre-season three) and his life pre-Twin Peaks.
The
Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch
aaaahhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh
Acceptance:
Southern Reach #3 by Jeff Vandermeer
A
great conclusion to books one and two.
Fire
& Fury: Inside the Trump Whitehouse by Michael Wolf
Gosh,
it took a whole year for Steve and I to read this book. Real life is no fun sometimes. Reading this book in 2019 was like a trip
down memory lane – “hey, I forgot that guy existed!”
The
Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Bruce Perry
I
had this on my to-read list for a while, and since I knew one of my interns was
reading it, I finally picked it up.
Ugh. Fascinating read, but oh-so
hard. This is why I don’t do trauma
work. But, a must-read for anyone who
wants to understand at least a tiny bit of the nuances and complexities of PTSD
in children.
The Power
of Myth by Joseph Campbell
A
re-read of a favorite, and a life-changer.
I feel like there are a few moments in our lives when we can look back
and say “I was forever changed!” and my first time watching this series with
Campbell and Bill Moyers was back in 2007 when I was newly married, newly
graduated, newly initiated, and still in so many ways a Baby Pagan. This really was my first step into mysticism,
Gnosticism, and reconciliation with my childhood experiences of Toxic
Christianity.
Norse
Mythology by Neil Gaiman
I’ve
read the source-materials of these myths so many times over the years, first in
2004 when I took a Northern Myths and Legends class with my favorite
professor. Gaiman has been my fave since
high school (probably 1999ish), and I adore how he re-tells these stories, so
true to the source materials. Rather
than recommending the Eddas to beginners, I’d recommend Gaiman’s re-telling,
and then the source materials after.
The
Poetic Edda by Jackson Crawford
I’ve
read the Poetic Edda a number of times over the years (in addition to the Prose
Edda.) I have zero recollection of
reading this book. None what-so-ever. But I can tell you that Steve and Jackson
went to graduate school together and that I’ve gotten drunk with him with cheap
table wine a more than one department parties at Texas Tech. (Not that he’d have any clue who I am now. That’s ancient, ancient history. And lots of wine.)
The
Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
I talked
about this book a lot this past year, but I just loved it so much and was so
impressed with it. I read Stewart’s first book, Wicked Plants, a while back. That one was about poisonous plants, and was fun
bit kinda monotonous. As she explains in
her forward to The Drunken Botanist, she went to a liquor store to buy
libations for her book release party, and realized she had the topic of her
second book. This book is about booze
and the stuff that makes booze – all plants!
She talks about plants, herbs, flowers, spices, roots, brewing and
distilling, recipes, and history. I
kinda love gastro-history books (like Salt which I read in 2015) and this one
was great. If you like plants and drinking,
this is a must-read.
Tank
Girl: World War Tank Girl by Alan Martin
I
liked the Tank Girl movie a lot in high school, when I liked stuff like that –
flashy women, post-apocalypse, cheese. The
movie adaptation of this comic series was filmed in my hometown of Alamogordo, New
Mexico. And my high school government
teacher (who taught history to many of my friends) played one of the armored
goons during one of the end scenes. That
said, this book was fun and wild and a little more absurd than I typically
enjoy but I was glad to read it.
S!
#9: Female Secrets by Ryan Sands
A
random little gift from a friend, this reads more like a collection of zines
and I don’t know anything about it. The
art was mostly interesting, and some of the stories cute. Reading stuff like this makes me feel like a
bad feminist, but I think that’s only because I imagine that feminists create
art like this. (but I don’t actually
know for sure.)
The Dark
Tower VI: Song of Susannah by Stephen King
Only
one chunk of thousands of pages, as I finally approach the beginning of the
end.
Hungry
Ghosts by Anthony Bourdain
I
loved Anthony Bourdain. I watched his
show (and other food/travel shows) when I was stuck at home after breaking my
foot in 2016. I like his Jiro books
okay, but this one was great. Food and
ghost stories – two of my favorite things.
Prince
Leo: Raven the Pirate Princess #5 by Whitley Higgins Brandt
Whereas
S! was interesting, this comic tries way too hard and I wish I had never read
it. I can’t even appreciate what they attempt
(inclusivity and representation!) because it’s so forced. Forcing representation doesn’t work – no one
wants to be a “token.” If you want
something that includes women, LGBTQ characters, reversal of gender roles,
strong women and queer folks, discussions on ableism and classism, then watch
the Netflix She-Ra series, which is great.
The
One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg
LOVE
LOVE LOVE LOVE. The second in a
series. This is a random book that Steve
found for me from an indie bookstore in downtown Durham. It was so incredibly
beautiful. The second in a series, and I
ended up ordering the first and can’t wait to read it this year.
Star
Wars Adventures: A Terrifying Tale of Han & Chewie by Scott Charm
I
think this is a comic from one of those Free Comics event. It was fine.
Han and Chewie are cool.
Star
Wars: Darth Vader by Gillen Larroca Delgado
This
is one small edition of a larger run, and I recently picked up the trade paperback
of this series because I liked it a lot.
Make fun of the prequels all you want, but the story of Anakin Skywalker
still makes me cry.
Artemis
by Anthony Weir
Not
as good as The Martian but still fun.
Star
Wars: Jedi – Yoda by ???
Well
this one made me cry and was very memorable.
The Clone Wars were really a huge tragedy and it breaks my heart when I
think about it.
The
Umbrella Academy #1: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way
I
LOVED The Umbrella Academy Netflix series, but I did not like this comic. I think I should have waited longer before
reading it, giving more time between the comic and the show. Or read the book first.
The
Summer of Love by Debbie Drechsler
I
started reading comics in 2019 so I could get rid of ones I didn’t like and
organize the ones I wanted to keep. However,
in the past six months or so, I’ve been gifted or bought a few here or
there. Random bookstore find. It was weird, and cute, and relatable, and
weird. I liked this?
Star
Wars: Dark Times #1 by ???
Star
Wars: Dark Times #2 by ???
Star
Wars: Dark Times #3 by ???
SO
SAD.
Star
Wars: The Return of Tag and Bink by ???
Star
Wars: The Return of Tag and Bink – Revenge of the Clone Menace by ???
I
loved these characters and I loved the Easter Eggs and I love that they are
kinda semi in cannon with the new films, too.
Watchmen
by Allan Moore
Like
many, I read this in 2009 when the film came out. I liked the comic and the movie, but I haven’t
re-watched the movie yet but I hope I remember to soon. There’s a lot about this work that I appreciate,
and a lot that I’m left to wonder “is this Alan Moore being weird or is this
Alan Moore making a point?” The biggest
thing to remember about Watchmen is that Rorschach is not a hero and if anyone
says that they “love him and want to be like him” then you know that they’re
someone who you should avoid.
Star
Wars: The Devaronian Version by ???
Star
Wars: Twilight by ???
Random
comics in a middle of a series? A lot of
these Star Wars comics were given to me by a former friend (WHO IS NOW AN
ENEMY), who I met through a Star Wars chatroom when The Phantom Menace came out
(1999.) Also, a lot of these Clone War
stories overlap and the numbering system is very unreliable.
Malika
Warrior Queen Part One by Raye Okupe
I don’t
remember where I got this but I really liked it. The marketing was a bit confusing to me,
regarding how this and other stories overlapped. But Malika is badass and I have another in
the series, I liked it so much.
Star
Wars: Empire #26 by ???
Star
Wars: Empire #36 – Wrong Side of the War by ???
THIS
IS SO SAD.
Cowboys
and Aliens by Fred Van Lente
This
story is… not good. The movie with
Harisson Ford was fun when it came out in 2011 but this comic is weak at best and
cringey at worst. (Weird colonial and
gender stuff. Like, they’re trying to
make a point by using the point to prove the point?)
Meditations
Made Simple by Marcus Aurelius and Shane Stott
This
summer I decided to organize a three-part Meditations study group, June/July/August. The study group was a lot of fun, Marcus Aurelius
was not because he’s a stoic and he doesn’t believe in fun. Also, the “Made Simple” version should be
avoided and I wish I hadn’t picked it up.
Stott tries to simplify English translations of the original text, so it’s
a simplification of the translation and he is not a linguist and he misses A
LOT.
Good
Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
I’ve
read this book a number of times over the years. I’ve read too many times for someone who
doesn’t enjoy Pratchett. But I wanted to
re-read it before watching the series, which I haven’t done yet but hope to get
to in 2020.
Mediations
by Marcus Aurelius
It’s
fine.
Star
Trek: Early Voyages #7 by ???
This
was weird and terrible and don’t read it.
It was hard for me to recognize the female characters because they were
all drawn the same.
Star
Trek: The Next Generation #21 by ???
Just
watch the show.
Star
Trek/Doctor Who – Assimilation 2 volume 1 by ???
Star
Trek/Doctor Who – Assimilation 2 volume 2 by ???
These
were gifts from friends a few years back, and somehow ended up in storage with
some other books and found last summer when we organized our books. I love Star Trek, and when I was given these
I LOVED Doctor Who. But I never cared
much for Matt Smith, and I hate Amy Pond.
So, I didn’t enjoy this series a lot.
Well, it gave me a lot to think about regarding the Borg and the
Cybermen (neither of which are my favorite bad guys.) The artwork in these was LAZY as HELL.
Imagine
Wanting Only This by Kristen Radthke
Love
love love love love. I’ve been thinking
a lot about what makes a piece of artwork iconic to a generation, and what would
be iconic for me, a Millennial? I don’t
think this comic is iconic, but it is a good piece of millennial work.
Ghost
World by Daniel Clowes
MEH. Do not like.
Viking:
the Long Cold Fire by Ivan Brandan and Nic Klein
Well,
the artwork for this was great, and really gorgeous. But the story was weak and it looks like
there were never any more released in a series.
It’s not really about Vikings insomuch that some of the characters go a’Viking
off scene.
Star
Wars Republic #??? by ???
Star
Wars Republic #46 by ???
Star
Wars Republic #73 by ???
Star
Wars Republic #77 by ???
Star
Wars Republic #78 by ???
Star
Wars Republic #79 by ???
Star
Wars Republic #80 by ???
It
was fine.
Midnight
in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
I
picked this up in 2001 at a thrift store, and I remember that it was $1 and
also a catholic thrift store. I liked it
at the time, got rid of it, and then wanted to re-read it before Steve and I
went to Savannah this past fall.
Savannah was great, this book was fun and I’m glad I read it before the
trip, but the movie was underwhelming.
It was very 90s to me, in regards to production quality and method of
storytelling.
The
Walking Dead #1: Days Gone Bye by Kirkman and Moore
I
like this series enough that I keep on watching it, though I’ve never been an
avid fan. A friend gave me his old
comics and I picked them up this fall.
They are not my fave, but there are moments I appreciated. But in general, I hate the narrative that
society will revert back to “White Man Savior” at the moment of trouble. Yawn.
Knights
of the Old Republic #1 by ???
Knights
of the Old Republic #2 by ???
Knights
of the Old Republic #3 by ???
Knights
of the Old Republic #4 by ???
Knights
of the Old Republic #6 by ???
Knights
of the Old Republic #7 by ???
Knights
of the Old Republic #8 by ???
It
was fine.
It
by Stephen King
It
was fine.
The Walking
Dead #2: Miles Behind Us by Kirkman, Adlard, and Rathburn
I
don’t really have anything to add here, only that I have some omnibus editions
that another friend let me borrow so I’ll be reading more The Walking Dead in 2020.
Squee!
#1 by Jhonen Vasquez
Squee!
#2 by Jhonen Vasquez
I
don’t know where I got these. I never
read Squee in high school, though I was familiar with this series. I did not like this. I’m old now.
I understand that many of my peers loved this series (and Lenore) when
they were younger. I no longer like
Lenore, and I don’t understand the appeal of either series because too much
time has passed between 2019 Amanda and 2000 Amanda.
AutPlay
Therapy for Children and Adolescents by Robert Jason Grant
New
Job paid for me to take a bunch of trainings, so now I’m the office “Autism
Expert”.
Dibs
in Search of Self by Virginia Axline
I’m
studying Play Therapy and will be certified in this modality, maybe this year
but probably next. This book is a case
study and it’s good and was inspiring as I transitioned out of community-based
work and into office-based work.
Lenore:
Noogies #1 by Roman Dirge
Here’s
what I have to say about Lenore: “Normal People Scare Me” is “Live Laugh Love”
for people who like black.
The Walking
Dead #3: Safely Behind Bars by Kirkman, Adlard, and Rathburn
The
Walking Dead #4: The Heart’s Desire by Kirkman, Adlard, and Rathburn
Nothing
to add!
Smoke
Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
When
it comes to my personal religious practices, I often have a “thing” I’m working
on (witchcraft, runes, herbs, Celtic myth, etc.) Right now I’m doing a lot of
life/death/underworld/spooky stuff, and this book was great. I’ve followed Doughty for a few years via her
Order of the Good Death project, which is a critical re-evaluation with our
current relationship with the Death Industry, as well as an exploration of practices
and lore related to death and dying.
This book was great.
We
Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Last
year I read The Haunted of Hill House after Netflix released their
mini-series. Everyone told me that We
Have Always Lived in the Castle was the better of the two novels. I wouldn’t say it was better, just different. I liked them both, and so far, Jackson write
about anxiety in the most relatable way out of any way I’ve ever read it.
Stiff:
the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
More
spooky stuff, and in 2020 I’ll read her book on ghosts and the afterlife.
Hell
House by Richard Matheson
I
really enjoy Matheson, and I’ve seen this movie a few times at the Carolina Theater. The book was good and tense and weird.
American
Psycho by Brett Easten Ellis
I
didn’t especially enjoy this book, and though I’m usually not delicate or squeamish,
there was a point when I wondered if I should stop reading. In college I loved the movie The Rules of
Attraction, and I hope to read it in 2020.
I wonder how I’d relate to it now that I’m an adult, and no longer the
age of the characters? But, similar to
Watchmen, biggest thing to remember about American Psycho is that Patrick
Batement is not a good guy and if anyone says that they “love him and think he’s
so sexy” then you know that they’re someone who you should avoid.
Trick
R Treat: Days of the Dead by Michael Dougherty
LOVE
LOVE LOVE LOVE. I adore the film and
have made it a tradition to watch it every October. Dougherty’s history is a bit… off. But the thing with myth and stories is that
these archetypes exist beyond fact/fiction and just exist. And this is exactly what Days of the Dead is
about – the archetypes of Halloween and how these energies, one way or another,
will never die.
Herbal
Rituals by Judith Berger
One
of my mentors when I was a Baby Pagan taught monthly workshops from this book
back in 2006, and her style has greatly inspired me for my work workshops. I spent 2018 and 2019 re-working through this
book with Gaia’s Circle. My intention
was for folks to get a working knowledge of herbs, magic, and medicine. It was a great experience.
The
Walking Dead #5: The Best Defense by Kirkman, Adlard, and Rathburn
The
Walking Dead #6: This Sorrowful Life by Kirkman, Adlard, and Rathburn
The
Walking Dead #7: The Calm Before by Kirkman, Adlard, and Rathburn
See
above.
From
Hell by Allan Moore and Eddie Campbell
I LOVED
the Johnny Depp film in high school and would watch it often (2001). This was given to me as a gift, and High
School Amanda read it but didn’t quite understand all of the historic or
cultural references. This time around, I
spent careful time with the text and with the excellent annotations provided at
the end. Such a masterful piece of
artwork, and such excellent attention to detail.
30
Days of Night by Niles and Templesmith
Again,
a gift given to me in high school. I
liked it okay, and have re-read it a few times over the years. I think this re-read has been my favorite so
far. I think reading 30 Days of Night, after
reading comics for nearly six months, finally made me realize that I was
beginning to change my relationships with comics as a medium. I found that the aspects that didn’t catch me
prior really were what grabbed my attention this time around. I greatly appreciated the art, the timing,
the expression, the narrative, the attention to detail, and the omission of
details. I found out that there are
quite a few books in this series and I’m undecided whether or not I need to try
and order them for myself.
The
Umbrella Academy #2: Dallas by Way and Ba
Much
to my surprise, I loved this. Gerard Way’s
forward in the beginning of this piece was really helpful. He talks about how the first in the series
(Apocalypse Suite) introduces the characters but doesn’t really get into
anything. He said that in Dallas, the Umbrella
Academy really begins to become real, and I really agree with him. I cried about Klaus, as one does.
Stolen
by Lumby and Mummery
I
think this was a Free Comic Book find from 18434328 years ago. Meh.
Vertigo
Crimes: Special Edition (Filthy Rich, Dark Entries, 100 Bullets) by ???
Meh. Another Free Comic Book find.
The
Astounding Wolfman by Kirkman, Howard
A
Free Comic Book. It was fine.
Occupants
285 by Russ Emanuel
I
watched the movie Occupants at the Nevermore film festival at the Carolina
Theater as part of their Retro film series in 2017. At the time I was a nut for found-footage
films, and I had fun with this one. Case
285 is a little side-comic/story arc by Russ Emanuel that is loosely related to
the film, especially via Robert Picardo’s character (Star Trek Voyager), who is
the head of a institute that specializes in strange phenomena, such as time
travel, alternative realities, and parallel universes. I never did dive deep
into the lore of the film or the Peterson Research Institute online material,
and I wonder what those who were involved in this project are up to now? Also, the one female character of this series
is drawn ridiculously.
A
Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
I
don’t enjoy Christmas but I love this story.
I decided to spend some time with this classic this year, in an attempt
to understand the Christmas Spirit and maybe even experience a bit. I listened to this audiobook, read by Tim
Curry, which was an amazing performance.
I also watched two Christmas Carol movies and I can say that while I
still don’t understand the Christmas Spirit from a heart place (but I have it
in a brain place, don’t worry) I had a very merry Christmas in 2019.
At
the Mountains of Madness by Lovecraft
I
felt like this was more like reading a Lovecraft Wikipedia entry rather than presenting
an actual narrative.
Star
Wars: Rebellion #0 by ???
Star
Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #0 by ???
These
were fine.
Star
Wars: Legacy #2
Star
Wars: Legacy #9
Star
Wars: Legacy #10
Star
Wars: Legacy #11
Star
Wars: Legacy #12
Star
Wars: Legacy #16
Star
Wars: Legacy #17
Star
Wars: Legacy #18
Star
Wars: Legacy #22
Star
Wars: Legacy #29
Star
Wars: Legacy #32
These
were TERRIBLE. For all of those folks who
have complained about Episodes 7/8/9, just be thankful that you didn’t get
THIS.
Star
Wars: Obsession #3 by ???
Star
Wars: Obsession #4 by ???
Star
Wars: Obsession #5 by ???
A Clone
Wars story, and it was actually a little sad and bewildering and also a good
example of the decent of Anakin Skywalker.
His dive into the Dark Side didn’t come out of nowhere and he was a
terrible Jedi and the Clone Wars were devastating.
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