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.
