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52 down, 0 to go

The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How To Do Them) by Peter Sagal

I made it. Barely. I finished up my 52nd book of the year, Peter Sagal's The Book of Vice, at about 7pm on December 31st during a train ride home from New York. To be honest, I knew I was cutting it close and was going to pick something, well, maybe with fewer than 250 pages and probably with lots of pictures--just to make sure I got there. I had, seriously, thought about picking up my wife's childhood copy of The Gas We Pass and knocking it out in ten minutes.

Once I started reading Peter's book, I breezed through it really quickly (it is a lot of fun and quiet interesting, too). So, for no particular reason or for with no significant meaning, it was the one to end this year-long quest...with less than five hours to go.

A few people have asked "How long will it be until you want to read another book?" The answer: today. While some might expect me to take some time off after burning out from so much reading, the truth is that I've always been a big reader. While my 2nd biggest book year was 42 books in 52 weeks, I rarely sink below 30.

So, that is done. You can read the entire list/process/obsessive chronicle here.

51 down, 1 to go

The Pixies' Doolittle by Ben Sisario

This is one of the Continuum 33 1/3 series of books about specific albums--some are heavy criticism, others (like this one) are a collection of interesting history and context about the aritst and their most popular work, others are novels or barely have any direct connection to the album they are about. That's all good. The series is wonderful and I read as many as I can.

All I have to do is finish one book by the end of the day next Monday. While that seems like a pretty unremarkable goal--when you've been reading and reading and reading...it just doesn't seem accomplishable. I'm not sure what #52 will be (I have a few books started), but I can tell you it won't be anything particularly challenging.

Wish me luck.

50 down, 2 to go

    Stone Cold by David Baldacci, 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales by Steve Niles and Matt Fraction

I'm fighting every urge I'm feeling to just walk down to the library, grab two Dr Suess books off the shelf, knock them out in 15 minutes, and be done with it. Two more to go and 8 days to do it. It will be close. Beside my hatred of deadlines, I will be reading on New Years Eve, for sure. Hey, I have until 11:59, right?

Despite their slight lameness, I do enjoy reading David Baldacci books. Even though the plots are sometimes totally unbelieveable, the characters say ridiculous, and I always feel like I have to explain why I'm reading it--I always tune out the world for the last 60 pages because I'm so into it and want to know what happens.

I'm down to only one remaining 30 Days of Night book. This one was okay, though I'm curious if these books are just running out of gas. In this one, you aren't quite sure who is a vampire and who isn't. Maybe that's the point. Whatever.

48 down, 4 to go

 

A Boy Named Shel by Lisa Rogak, Other People’s Love Letters edited by Bill Shapiro, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

A few friends have commented about my lack of postings since the book promotion ended. It isn't because I'm burned out or tired, it's because I'm reading all the time. I'm now completely caught back up and have to knock out four final books by December 31st. All year I've had my "emergency backup" sitting in wait: the four-part Lucifer graphic novels (a spin-off of the Sandman series). Gee, I may actually read them because I want to--after January 1st. I also have a bunch of "hard" books that I'm saving until I hit 52 for the year--then I'll read Norton critical edition of The Odyssey.

I'd recommend all three of this installment's titles (to varying degrees). A Boy Named Shel is a great read if you have been a fan of Shel's cartoons, books, and music. He was an interesting character and the book gives a vivid image of who he was as a person. Other People's Love Letters is a voyeuristic thrill ride, though there is quite a bit of filler in there as well. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is absolutely delightful, fun, and surprising.

Back to more reading.

45 down, 7 to go

   

30 Days of Night: Dark Days by Steve Niles, Rock On by Dan Kennedy, and The Devil, The Lovers, and Me by Kimberlee Auerbach

I'm smackin' 'em and rackin' 'em this week!

I'm actually feeling much better about my chances of hitting #52 by December 31st. With a long holiday this week, I should propel myself past my self-imposed "have only 6 left by December 1 or you are screwed" threshold.

Even though I mentioned the third installment of the 30 Days of Night series in my last post, I somehow forgot to mention that I'd read the second part. Seeing that they are sequential novels, that would make sense (that I'd read the second installment).

I picked up advance reading copy of Rock On at work. Great premise--wanted it to be great book. While the book has some very funny moments, I get kinda lost trying to understand what I, as a reader, am supposed to get out of all this. For 204 pages, not a lot happens.

The author of The Devil, The Lovers, and Me, Kimberlee Auerbach, and I read together at KGB in New York this past week. I basically picked up the book so I'd have an idea of who I was reading with. I was so pleasantly surprised when I started reading. I really liked this book. I think it gets unfairly characterized as chick lit. I can easily see why it happens, but it is just good storytelling. Super fun and very clever

42 down, 10 to go

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain and 30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow by Steve Niles

I'm getting closer. Seriously, I'm still thinking I can make it. I have a bunch of books partially read and I'm burning through them like a mad man. Now that the breathless book promotion stuff is, for the most part, over, I can get myself caught up. If I can get through November with a half dozen to go, I'll make it.

These two books left me with, frankly, mixed feelings. Heartsick starts off very well, but ends in a rather predictable and unsurprising place. For all the attention this got when it came out, I was pretty disappointed by how unimaginative the last half of the book was. Return to Barrow is part 3 in the 30 Days of Night series. Like the second installment, this starts out in a great place, leading you to think that the story is going to get pulled in a really interesting direction. But, as with the last book, it ends in a pretty ridiculous manner that makes you feel a bit disappointed.

40 down, 12 to go

     

Skate Crazy by Lou Brooks, The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, Chance in Hell by Gilbert Hernandez, and 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles

I'm still in trouble, but I'm not in as bad of trouble as I thought earlier. Basically, I'm two books behind. That said, I have a few things half read. If I put in a good effort, I may be able to hit #52 by December 31st. While this quest was never going to be easy, it really isn't going to be easy over the next 9 weeks.

Lou Brooks drew the illustration for The Dead Travel Fast (as well as the Monopoly man and a bunch of other things). We agreed to swap signed books when mine came out. He sent me a copy of Skate Crazy.While it was obviously meant to be a very visual book, I was really taken in by the text as well. I always knew that rollerskating was a huge fad in the 50s and 60s, but I had no idea how huge a phenomenon it was.

The World Without Us is great--it will blow your mind. Chance in Hell wasn't what I was expecting. While I finished it, it was kinda too dark and disturbing. Knowing my tastes, that is really saying something!

I read 30 Days of Night to prep for a well-deserved slaughtering I wrote for the DCist. I loved the book (so much so that I ordered the other installments in the series), the movie...well, reading the review will clear up ambiguity about that one.

36 down, 16 to go

 Babylon's Ark by Lawrence Anthony

Because I've been so busy with puppies, new shows, and promoting my OWN book, I'll screwed away my lead on my "book a week" quest. In fact, I'm now 2 books behind.

Fear not, I do have a few things half read that just might get me through. Though, in truth, it will be a struggle to finish #52 by December 31st. I am not nervous.

33 down, 19 to go

The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard, Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan, Was She Pretty? by Leanne Shapton

The Hot Kid: It's an Elmore Leonard book about a US Marshall in the 1930s--you can probably figure out the rest on your own from there.

Exit Wounds: On of my favorite graphic novels in recent memory. I like it because it is actually set up like a novel, rather than a serial collection of short stories (even though I do believe it was originally serialized in four parts). Exit Wounds has complex situations and characters, events unfold, the plot twists, and motivations are questioned and revealed--just like a "real" novel. And it is stunningly illustrated, too.

Was She Pretty?: A series of vignettes, each comprised of a short statement about a former lover, accompanied by a dimple drawing of the person. It is amazing for how brief these are, they really do create some vivid characters. For example, "Estefania's ex-boyfriend suggested she wear darker jeans." Or "Milosz scrupulously updates his address book with his ex-girlfriends' current numbers, even if he hasn't spoken to them in years."

30 down, 22 to go

Finally...

  The Sandman #9: The Kindly Ones and The Sandman #10: The Wake, both by Neil Gaiman

2167 pages over ten books, spread and scattered over almost a year. Literary merit aside, I'm just happy to be finished with The Sandman series of comics-turned-graphic novels. I started reading these because I had several friends who were big fans. While reading, I'd even have complete strangers stop me on the subway to comment on how much he or she liked the series.

I'll probably get strung up by my innerds for saying this, but to me...it was ok. I kept reading (and reading...and reading...and reading) hoping the story would eventually pull itself out of its surrealistic haze and, oh, I don't know, tell a narrative story or something crazy like that. If you are unfamiliar, here is the Wikipedia entry on the series, as I am simply too lazy to recall it here.

Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of great moments in the series, and frankly some books were far better than others. However, I'd never feel the need to read them again.

Time to move on...