2020 Books - with commentary!

1 – Version Control by Dexter Palmer

A re-read from 2016/2017. Excellent. One of my favorite novels.

2 – Star Wars #57: Battle on Bespin

This was a weird vintage Star Wars comic that a student gave my husband.  It’s weird.

3 – The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk

A must-read for clinicians, even if you don’t “do trauma work.”  It was a HARD read, and triggering to a lot of my own shit. But, it will change the way you understand the actions and reactions of others.

4 – High Moon #1 and #2 by Gallaher and Ellis

An excellent “Weird West” graphic novel that was gorgeous and had some nice surprises.  I wish there were more I could read.

5 – Star Wars Darth Vader: Vader by Gillen and Larroca

I have a soft spot for genocidal and deeply flawed Darth Vader.  This comic’s power isn’t in its overall narrative, but in some amazingly powerful scenes.

6 – 90 Days to Learn the Tarot by Lorri Gifford

Excellent book for tarot readers of all experience levels. A bit repetitive but mastery is the result of accurate repetition.

7 – Star Wars X Wing: Rogue Leader #1

8 – Star Wars X Wing: Rogue Leader #2

9 – Star Wars X Wing: Rogue Leader #3

I barely remember this series. It was fine.

10 – The Ray Bradbury Chronicles #2 – Bradbury, Reese, Parsons, Segrelles, Williamson

I’d rather just read the actual stories.  These were fine. I adore Bradbury, but seeing his stories in graphic novel form didn’t really add anything to the experience.

11 – Star Wars: General Grievous #1

12 – Star Wars: General Grievous #2

13 – Star Wars: General Grievous #3

14 - Star Wars: General Grievous #4

It was about this time that I started watching the Clone Wars series.  Some fandom friends of mine complain that one shouldn’t have to engage too deep into expanded universes in order to get a full character story.  I tend to agree with this (like Marvel movies… blech.)  But I have mixed feelings about it in Star Wars.  For one, I LOVE diving deep into the Star Wars lore.  However, it’s easy to get lost and overwhelmed.  Thank goodness for Wookiepedia.  With “just” the movies AND series with seven seasons AND hundreds of comics AND video games AND obscure references, the Star Wars Universe has the potential to leave a lot of loose ends if you don’t dive into the lore and Expanded Universe.  But, it’s a commitment.  It’s a lot of time for an investment that is… eh.

15 – Saga #1 by Vaughan and Staples  

16 – Saga #2 by Vaughan and Staples 

17 - Saga #3 by Vaughan and Staples 

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

18 – The Dark Tower by Stephen King

I started this series back in 2002, started re-reading it about five years ago, and finished in March/April of 2020.  That was such a deeply STRANGE time, and I remember waking up every day asking myself “is this real life?”  Stephen King/Dark Tower doesn’t make reality verses fiction any easier to grapple with.  I remember one deeply drunken night with Steve and I drinking white Russians and screaming cowboy songs in the kitchen, long past midnight.  I felt very close to the Dark Tower that evening.

19 - Saga #4 by Vaughan and Staples

OMG

20 – Athena by George O’Connor

It’s fine. There are better ways to spend time with Athena.

21 – Lucifer: Book One by Mike Carey

A spin-off series of the Sandman comics.  It’s not Sandman, and that’s good.  Lucifer is very good.

22 - Saga #5 by Vaughan and Staples 

OMG

23 – The Walking Dead Compendium One: Days Gone By by Kirkman and Moore

24 - The Walking Dead Compendium One: Miles Behind Us by Kirkman and Moore

25 - The Walking Dead Compendium One: Safely Behind Bars by Kirkman and Moore

26 - The Walking Dead Compendium One: The Heart’s Desire by Kirkman and Moore

27 - The Walking Dead Compendium One: The Best Defense by Kirkman and Moore

28 - The Walking Dead Compendium One: This Sorrowful Life by Kirkman and Moore

29 - The Walking Dead Compendium One: The Calm Before by Kirkman and Moore

30 - The Walking Dead Compendium One: Made to Summer by Kirkman and Moore

A re-read, for the most part.  The Walking Dead isn’t my favorite series by far, but a lot of what bothered me about the series in my first read-through didn’t bother me the second time around.  We’re deep into COVID at this point, so maybe I was just feeling desensitized?

31 – Saga #6 by Vaughan and Staples

OMG

32 – Euthanauts: Ground Control by Howard, Tini, Robbles

A friend’s friend wrote this, and my friend sent it to me.  I really liked it, and I really would like to read more. Necronauts and Necromancers probably have some thoughts/feelings about the content, which is a unique take on the topic.

33 – Star Wars: Skywalker Strikes

I have no idea what this was.

34 – Lucifer Book Two by Mike Carey

Very good, recommend

35 – Saladeen by Panther Black

A self-published disaster with a cute idea that isn’t as unique as the author thinks it is, and it’s poorly executed.

36 – Malika: Warrior Queen #1 by Okupe

A re-read.  Malika is really gorgeous and a lot of fun.

37 – Diary of a Teenage Girl by Phoebe Gloeckner

Phew, what a journey.  Reminds me of Go Ask Alice or Ghost World.

38 – Breath Taker #1 by Mark Wheatley

39 – Breath Taker #2 by Mark Wheatley

40 – Breath Taker #3 by Mark Wheatley

41 - Breath Taker #4 by Mark Wheatley

If you’ve read the Sandman comics, you’d recognize this artwork. I wasn’t a huge fan.  I mean, I didn’t hate reading this series, but also, the gender/sex stuff is bleh.

42 – Independence Day (Marvel

It’s basically a verbatim recap of the movie.

43 – Saga #7 by Vaughan and Staples

44 – Saga #8 by Vaughan and Staples

45 – Saga #9 by Vaughan and Staples

OMMGGGGG

46 – Manhunter Origins by Andreyko, Pina, Blanco

I do NOT like Superhero stories, or masked vigilante stories, or superpower stories.  (With very, very few exceptions, such as the Umbrella Academy.)  Part of why I don’t like superhero stuff is that the cannon has been around and expanded on for DECADES. And, much like Star Wars Extended Universe, I hate being dropped down in the middle of the scene, in the middle of a time/place/people who I have zero emotions about.  Anyway, this was basically “HEY, REMEMBER HOW 2005 IT WAS BACK IN 2005?” which was funny but dated.  (That’s when I was an undergraduate.)  But honestly it’s just not a good story and Manhunter is a weak concept for a character and also more weird gender/sex stuff.

47 – Get Jiro! by Anthony Bourdain

48 – Get Jiro! Blood and Sushi by Anthony Bourdain

Re-reads.  I miss Anthony Bourdain a ton.  I binge watched his shows when I was stuck on my couch with a broken foot.  He showed me the world.  He loved food and people and culture, like really really loved.  These stories aren’t perfect, but they’re very much him.

49 – Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Amazing, soothing balm for my spirit, especially during the crisis of COVID.  This book soothed my soul.  The deep wisdom of indigenous cultures is a gift and I’m kind of convinced that reciprocity and animism are the only things that will save us from ourselves.

50 – The Plague by Albert Camus

It was so weird reading The Plague while being in an actual plague.  I waited until a few months into COVID to read this book, and I’m glad I read it in 2020 but also waited.  March/April would have been too soon, July/August was just right.  It was SO relatable in so many ways, surreal.  Every single time I go out in public I think “how can we just live real life when there is a plague going on?” Sitting on a street corner, eating Mediterranean food, under the awning of a window, watching the world and eating olives.  It’s just a scene from Camus.

51 – The Sandman (audio) by Neil Gaiman

Any criticism is unfair, elitist, fanboyish and dumb.  This was amazing and beautiful.  Amazingly and lovingly crafted.  If you’re a fan of audio books, audio narratives, radio dramas, and podcasts, you’d love this.  Excellent. I hope they do the whole series.  It was a delight.  Don’t re-read the series before listening to the audio – there’s no need.

52 – Malika: Warrior Queen #2 by Okupe

A great conclusion, but not what I was expecting. I’d have to read spin-off comics to find out what happens next. Meh.

53 – Traditional Wicca: a Seeker’s Guide by Thorn Mooney

My friend! An easy and useful read. It’s been years years years since I’ve just -read- a Pagan book for fun and not for study. This was a treat. And useful.

54 – Uzumaki by Juni Ito

IT’S SO WEIRD. Gorgeous and macabre and gross and weird.

55 – The Beautiful Thing that Awaits Us All: Stories by Laird Barron

I kind of wish I hadn’t wasted my time reading this. It’s vaguely Lovecraftian, and in general while I tend to enjoy Lovecraft-derived pieces, in this case, I wish I had just read Lovecraft.  For being a contemporary collection of short stories, there’s a lot of weird and annoying gender/sex stuff, especially male machismo BS.

56 – A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan

How sweet! How delightful! I can’t wait to dig into the rest of this series. Very reminiscent of Mists of Avalon.

57 – Llewellyn’s Little Book of Halloween by Mickie Mueller

Meh, it’s fine. I’m a bit of a know-it-all when it comes to folklore, especially Halloween lore.  I’m not saying I don’t have new stuff to learn because that will never be true, but this book really left me wanting more. (and more citations.) Mickie Mueller seems like a cool person, though.

58 – Trick r Treat: Days of the Dead by Dougherty

A seasonal re-read for me. I wasn’t feeling very Halloweenie but I was happy to find a place for this one.  The lore is WHACK and way wrong but Dougherty really, really has a keen way of getting down to the core of the archetypes.  Reminds me of Bradbury’s Halloween Tree.

59 – Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon

This was kinda great.  Way better than “Ritual” by David Pinner, the book that The Wickerman was loosely based off of.  A really fun book.

60 – The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Oooh! So spooky!

61 – The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen volume 1 by Alan Moore

A re-read.  I’m always humbled by Moore’s depth of detail, but I didn’t like this as much as the first time I read it.  I recommend From Hell if you want more bona fide history and less literary fun and games.

62 – The Walking Dead Compendium Two: Here We Remain by Kirkman and Moore

63 - The Walking Dead Compendium Two: What We Become by Kirkman and Moore

64 - The Walking Dead Compendium Two: Fear the Hunters by Kirkman and Moore

65 - The Walking Dead Compendium Two: by Kirkman and Moore

66 - The Walking Dead Compendium Two: Too Far Gone by Kirkman and Moore

67 - The Walking Dead Compendium Two: No Way Out by Kirkman and Moore

68 - The Walking Dead Compendium Two: We Find Ourselves by Kirkman and Moore

69 - The Walking Dead Compendium Two: A Larger World by Kirkman and Moore

I spent a lot of time on google, trying to remember who all of these characters were in both the show and the movie.  Brutal, gruesome.

70 – The Girl With All the Gifts by Mike Carey

OMG I LOVE IT EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS

71 – Alice Isn’t Dead by Joseph Fink

Listen to the podcast instead. It’s the same story, and the production value brings the story to life in a way that the book could not.

72 – 300 by Miller and Varley

It’s exactly the movie and also Herodotus.

73 – Llewellyn’s Little Book of Yule by Jason Mankey

It’s a gorgeous book for sure. I enjoyed this read, and it was nice starting after Thanksgiving and reading a bit until after the New Year.  I like Mankey a lot and he puts a lot of himself into this book.  However, for Winter holiday lore, I’d recommend The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas by John and Caitlin Matthews instead.