365 Books a Year Challenge: 32 Books in July
The numbers are in and I made 32 books this month, putting me at a total of 224 books in total this year, putting me within 40 books of meeting last year's accomplishment. So what are my thoughts about this month's reads?
I've picked up a couple of Mike Mignola's graphic novels. He's most famous for his Hellboy series but he does a variety of other projects and titles. I tend to like his art and some of his more interesting characters. Additionally, I like the universe that he's slowly crafted with Hellboy, B.R.P.D., and other characters. He's worth picking up for a look at the fictional supernatural worlds that he creates and how his characters move through them.
Hands down, Dan Savage is someone I admire and appreciate even before reading American Savage. His work with the It Gets Better project is a great contribution to the progress of the human condition in our country. I've listened to his podcasts and read his previous book, The Commitment. American Savage was just delightful. His articulate and cunning prose coupled with a good sense of humor destroys all logical argument for some of the most caustic and negative elements of our culture and its values.
Star-Begotten by H. G. Wells is a book that few have read but many should. After having read it and considered it's place within the wider culture upon publication, I'm contemplating writing an article about it. It's not a novel where much happens but given the time and place of the book, it has some curious implications.
As I've passed the half-way mark and am thinking about future challenges when it comes to reading, I've come up with a couple that I thought might be interested (even more so if others want to join in with me and share our experiences--either though conversation, co-blogging, or some other dynamic). I'd love to hear people's thoughts on these challenges:
So there are my potential challenges, what do you think?
Here's the full list thus far (or check it out on GoodReads):
Did you enjoy this read? Let me know your thoughts down below or feel free to browse around and check out some of my other posts!. You might also want to keep up to date with my blog by signing up for them via email.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
I've picked up a couple of Mike Mignola's graphic novels. He's most famous for his Hellboy series but he does a variety of other projects and titles. I tend to like his art and some of his more interesting characters. Additionally, I like the universe that he's slowly crafted with Hellboy, B.R.P.D., and other characters. He's worth picking up for a look at the fictional supernatural worlds that he creates and how his characters move through them.
Best Reads of the Month
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| A quick view of the books thus far by covers. |
Star-Begotten by H. G. Wells is a book that few have read but many should. After having read it and considered it's place within the wider culture upon publication, I'm contemplating writing an article about it. It's not a novel where much happens but given the time and place of the book, it has some curious implications.
As I've passed the half-way mark and am thinking about future challenges when it comes to reading, I've come up with a couple that I thought might be interested (even more so if others want to join in with me and share our experiences--either though conversation, co-blogging, or some other dynamic). I'd love to hear people's thoughts on these challenges:
1 Short Story a Day:
I have about 20+ anthologies of different sorts. I'm a bit of a short-story fan and find they're a great way to get a taste of different authors. I'm thinking that maybe dedicating myself to reading 1 short story a day. This may seem like a step back from the 365 books a year of this year, but I see it as a slightly different interest and approach.The entire work of a fairly prolific author:
After reading Star-Begotten and doing a little research, I can see how prolific he was and that has me wondering, what if I tried to read all of his books in a year. This could be interest. Finding the right author would be key. I couldn't do Isaac Asimov whose works come in around 450+ books, but someone who has a hefty oeuvre to them. I'd say Stephen King, but I've already read at least 50% or more of his works.A year of the big books:
Here, I'm thinking of tackling the "big books." I'll need to better define that but books that are "classic" maybe and 500+ pages. I've done The Count of Monte Cristo, which is still one of my favorites, but I'm thinking Moby-Dick, War & Peace, Anna Karenina, Don Quixote any number of Dickens books, etc. The goal would be to read one a month.So there are my potential challenges, what do you think?
Here's the full list thus far (or check it out on GoodReads):
- June - 25 Books
- May - 41 Books
- April - 30 Books
- March - 32 Books
- February - 33 Books
- January - 33 Books
Here's a breakdown of the books for this month:
BOOKS
- Star Begotten: A Biological Fantasia by H.G. Wells
AUDIOBOOKS
- Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography by Christine Jorgensen
- Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking by Christopher Hadnagy
- Stoker's Manuscript by Royce Prouty
- American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics by Dan Savage
- Artful by Ali Smith
- A World Out of Time (The State, #1) by Larry Niven
GRAPHIC NOVELS
- Darth Vader and the Lost Command by W. Blackman
- Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison by W. Blackman
- B.P.R.D., Vol. 2: The Soul of Venice and Other Stories by Mike Mignola
- Gandhi: A Manga Biography by Kazuki Ebine
- Trinity of Sin: Phantom Stranger, Vol. 1: A Stranger Among Us by Dan DiDio
- Captain Atom, Vol. 1: Evolution by JT Krul\
- Abe Sapien, Vol. 1: The Drowning by Mike Mignola
- B.P.R.D., Vol. 1: Hollow Earth and Other Stories by Mike Mignola
- Cherubs! by Bryan Talbot
- All-New X-Men, Vol. 2: Here to Stay by Brian Michael Bendis
- Baltimore: The Plague Ships (Baltimore, #1) by Mike Mignola
- Alpha Girl, Volume One by JP Bonjour
- Detective Comics, Vol. 2: Scare Tactics by Tony Daniel
- X-O Manowar Vol. 2: Enter Ninjak by Robert Venditti
- X-O Manowar Vol. 1: By The Sword by Robert Venditti
- Archer & Armstrong Vol. 1: The Michelangelo Code by Fred Van Lente
- X-Men Legacy, Vol. 1: Prodigal by Simon Spurrier
- First X-Men by Neal Adams
- Harbinger Vol. 1: Omega Rising by Joshua Dysart
- The Superior Spider-Man, Vol. 1: My Own Worst Enemy by Dan Slott
- Alabaster: Wolves by CaitlÃn Kiernan
- The Ravagers, Vol. 1: The Kids from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. by Howard Mackie
- The Creep by John Arcudi
- Superboy, Vol. 2: Extraction by Tom DeFalco
- Indestructible Hulk, Vol. 1: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. by Mark Waid
Did you enjoy this read? Let me know your thoughts down below or feel free to browse around and check out some of my other posts!. You might also want to keep up to date with my blog by signing up for them via email.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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