My Year in Reading
This is most definitely my most productive year of reading, and the main reason is not that I had more time, but as a Ringo Awards judge, I had 647 submissions to wade through, and I found out that I read more of them cover to cover than I suppose might have been wise.
In addition to my regular graphic novel reading, it was quite the year. Here’s the breakdown:
Print - 26
Digital - 16
Audio - 24
Graphic Novels (all formats) - 212
That doesn’t quite square with Goodreads’ accounting, but I trust my record keeping over their digital log. Still, 66 books without pictures is pretty good.
I was somewhat disappointed with Niall Williams’ follow-up to his brilliant This is Happiness. Time of the Child was good, but had a different tone and feel. I was much happier with Lev Grossman’s The Bight Sword, a refreshing take on the Arthurian legends.
In a rarity, I abandoned a novel. Jane Austen’s Emma, which I was listening to at the wonderful CraftLit podcast, is the Seinfeld of stories, where nothing happens, and I couldn’t care for the characters.
Every year I make certain to try different authors and the faculty book club is a great place for that, although I discover these bestsellers aren’t all that. Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods and Lisa Jewell’s None of This Is True are good examples. I was far more interested in Kaliane Bradley’s The Ministry of Time and Marc Guggenheim’s In Any Lifetime. Remarkably Bright Creatures from Shelby Van Pelt was another highlight, one we added to the sophomore summer reading list and they liked it too.
I went for science fiction classics this year, rereading Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy for the first time in about 50 years. I also finally got around to Dangerous Visions, which feels decidedly less deadly these days but still a good read. Another non-SF book I finally read and liked was The Godfather.
Interestingly, I found myself consuming quite a few memoirs and certainly enjoyed the tandem of Ron and Clint Howard narrating their The Boys. Ed Zwick also narrated his memoir, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions, which was a nice peek into the filmmaking process as was Directed by James Burrows about television production. I also enjoyed reading about the making of two favorite films: Fat, Drunk, and Stupid: The Inside Story Behind the Making of Animal House and The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic.
I also read some history, notably The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum, about a now-forgotten notorious New York fence, and Erik Larson’s The Demon of Unrest.
The year ends with my reading a book that is not due until mid-2025, but an ARC was sent for a blurb, so I am already stepping into the future.
Beyond books, I continue reading two newspapers, several magazines, and comic books each month. Few things surpass sitting with a hot cup of coffee and reading something interesting.
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