My 2017 reading tally: 64 books
Yeah, I've been reading plenty. I miss it when I don't.
In 2017 I finished 64 books and book-length things: short story collections, film scripts, graphic novel compilations of comic books, and so on.
33 of those 64 books were written by women. I'd wanted to read more by women; in 2016, I'd read 26. So in 2017 I finished re-reading all seven Harry Potter novels, and (for example) finally read stories and novels by Leigh Brackett, who was wonderfully eclectic: space opera science fiction here, crime noir there. And as I haven't read all that much poetry written by women, I started making a conscious effort to do so.
I have plenty to read now; here's what I read then.
January
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling, 1999
Not Flesh Nor Feathers - Cherie Priest, 2007
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling, 2000
Revenge of the Jedi - rough draft script, dated 6/12/1981
Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: a decade of Whatever, 1998-2008 - John Scalzi, 2008
The Hudsucker Proxy - screenplay by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, and Sam Raimi, 1994
Fargo - screenplay by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, 1996
Hyperbole and a Half: unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem, and other things that happened - Allie Brosh, adapted from Brosh's blog. Published 2013.
Essex County Vol. 3: The Country Nurse - written and drawn by Jeff Lemire, 2005-2008, collected 2008.
February
Star Trek: a comics history - Alan J. Porter, 2009
You’re Watching It Wrong: A Film Nerd 2.0 Guide To Star Wars - Drew McWeeny, 2017
The Eclogues of Virgil - pastoral songs translated by David Ferry, translation published in book form 1999
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling, 2003
The Happy Failure: Stories - Herman Melville.
Collection reprints "Bartelby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street," "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo! or The Crowing of the Noble Cock Beneventano," "The Two Temples," "The Happy Failure: A Story of the River Hudson," "The Lightning-Rod Man," "The Fiddler," "The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids," "I and My Chimney," "The Piazza," and "Daniel Orme." Includes modern short story "The Beast of Beddgelert" by Alex Burrett.
Weird Al: the Book - Nathan Rabin with Al Yankovic
March
Joyland - Stephen King, 2013
No Good from a Corpse - Leigh Brackett.
Book also includes crime short stories and novellas "Murder Is Bigamy," "Red-Headed Poison," "Murder in the Family," "Design for Dying," "I Feel Bad Killing You," "No Star Is Lost," "So Pale, So Cold, So Fair," and "The Misfortune Teller." Stories originally published 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1957; collection published 1999.
April
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling, 2005
The Secret History of Twin Peaks - Mark Frost, 2016
Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How we made a billion dollars at the box office and you can, too! - Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, 2011
Without a Summer - Mary Robinette Kowal, 2013
George Lucas: a Life - Brian Jay Jones, 2016
The Sword of Rhiannon - Leigh Brackett, 1953 (originally published as "The Sea Kings of Mars," 1949)
May
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling, 2007
Secret Six: Vol. 1: Villains United - Gail Simone and various artists. Originally published 2005-2007.
The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Non-Fiction - Neil Gaiman. Essays, speeches, introductions, etc. from 1993 to 2015. Collection published 2016.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - playwright Jack Thorne, based on a story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Thorne. First performed 2016.
Death's Daughter - Amber Benson, 2009
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman, 2013
June
The Cold Eye - Laura Anne Gilman, 2017. Book 2 of The Devil's West.
Jem and the Holograms 3: Dark Jem - story by Kelly Thompson and Sophie Campbell. Written by Thompson, drawn by Campbell. Collects issues 11-16. Collection published 2016.
Fletch and the Widow Bradley - Gregory McDonald, 1981
July
Delta of Venus - erotica by Anaïs Nin. Originally written early 1940s, publicly published 1969.
An Interrupted Cry: Sylvan Investigations # 4 - Laura Anne Gilman, 2015
Alien III - unused script by William Gibson, written 1987
The Essential X-Men Vol. 1 - Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, John Byrne and others. Collects "Giant Size X-Men # 1" and "Uncanny X-Men" issues 94-119, originally published 1975-78.
'U' is for 'Undertow' - Sue Grafton, 2009
Inkheart - Cornelia Funke, 2003
August
Kinsey and Me: stories - Sue Grafton, 2013
Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie, 1938
Star Trek: How Much for Just the Planet? - John M. Ford, 1987
The Constant Rider Omnibus: stories from the public transportation front - Kate Lopresti. Collects zones originally published 2000-2005. Omnibus published 2007.
Postcards from the Edge - Carrie Fisher, 1987
Who Fears Death - Nnedi Okorafor, 2010
September
Jimmy Buffett: a Good Life All the Way - Ryan White, 2017
The Forgotten Tyrs, Book 2: Rise of the First City - Aaron Duran, 2017
The Name of the Star: Shades of London, Book 1 - Maureen Johnson, 2011
The Essential X-Men, Vol 2 - Chris Claremont, John Byrne and others. Collects issues 120-144, published 1979-1981.
Henry and June: from the unexpurgated diary of Anaïs Nin. Originally written Oct. 1931-Oct. 1932; published 1986.
Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1: The Shrike - Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios. Collects Issues 1-5, originally published 2013-2014; collected 2014.
October
The Glass Town Game - Catherynne M. Valente, 2017
Stardust - Robert B. Parker, 1990 (a Spenser novel)
Contact - Carl Sagan, 1985
Rosemary and Rue - Seanan McGuire, 2009. October Daye book # 1.
Mary Oliver: new and selected poems, Volume One. Collects poems originally published from 1963 to 1992. Collection released 1992.
On Writing: a memoir of the craft - Stephen King, 2000
November
Jem and the Holograms 4: Enter the Stingers - written by Kelly Thompson, art by Jen Bartel and Meredith McClaren. Collects issues 17-23. Collection published 2017.
Eric Brighteyes - H. Rider Haggard, 1890 (audiobook)
Crazy Enough - Storm Large, 2012
December
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen. Written 1798-99, published posthumously 1817.
My-Te-Fine Merchant: Fred Meyer's Retail Revolution - Fred Leeson, 2014
Wisława Szymborska: Poems New and Collected 1957-1997 - English translation published 1998
Wormwood - Poppy Z. Brite, 1994.
Formerly titled Swamp Foetus. Contains "Angels," "A Georgia Story," "His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood," "Optional Music for Voice and Piano," "Xenophobia," "The Sixth Sentinel," "Missing," "Footprints in the Water," "How to Get Ahead in New York," "Calcutta, Lord of Nerves," "The Elder," and "The Ash of Memory, the Dust of Desire."
The Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy, 1984
In 2017 I finished 64 books and book-length things: short story collections, film scripts, graphic novel compilations of comic books, and so on.
33 of those 64 books were written by women. I'd wanted to read more by women; in 2016, I'd read 26. So in 2017 I finished re-reading all seven Harry Potter novels, and (for example) finally read stories and novels by Leigh Brackett, who was wonderfully eclectic: space opera science fiction here, crime noir there. And as I haven't read all that much poetry written by women, I started making a conscious effort to do so.
I have plenty to read now; here's what I read then.
January
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling, 1999
Not Flesh Nor Feathers - Cherie Priest, 2007
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling, 2000
Revenge of the Jedi - rough draft script, dated 6/12/1981
Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: a decade of Whatever, 1998-2008 - John Scalzi, 2008
The Hudsucker Proxy - screenplay by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, and Sam Raimi, 1994
Fargo - screenplay by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, 1996
Hyperbole and a Half: unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem, and other things that happened - Allie Brosh, adapted from Brosh's blog. Published 2013.
Essex County Vol. 3: The Country Nurse - written and drawn by Jeff Lemire, 2005-2008, collected 2008.
February
Star Trek: a comics history - Alan J. Porter, 2009
You’re Watching It Wrong: A Film Nerd 2.0 Guide To Star Wars - Drew McWeeny, 2017
The Eclogues of Virgil - pastoral songs translated by David Ferry, translation published in book form 1999
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling, 2003
The Happy Failure: Stories - Herman Melville.
Collection reprints "Bartelby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street," "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo! or The Crowing of the Noble Cock Beneventano," "The Two Temples," "The Happy Failure: A Story of the River Hudson," "The Lightning-Rod Man," "The Fiddler," "The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids," "I and My Chimney," "The Piazza," and "Daniel Orme." Includes modern short story "The Beast of Beddgelert" by Alex Burrett.
Weird Al: the Book - Nathan Rabin with Al Yankovic
March
Joyland - Stephen King, 2013
No Good from a Corpse - Leigh Brackett.
Book also includes crime short stories and novellas "Murder Is Bigamy," "Red-Headed Poison," "Murder in the Family," "Design for Dying," "I Feel Bad Killing You," "No Star Is Lost," "So Pale, So Cold, So Fair," and "The Misfortune Teller." Stories originally published 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1957; collection published 1999.
April
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling, 2005
The Secret History of Twin Peaks - Mark Frost, 2016
Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How we made a billion dollars at the box office and you can, too! - Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, 2011
Without a Summer - Mary Robinette Kowal, 2013
George Lucas: a Life - Brian Jay Jones, 2016
The Sword of Rhiannon - Leigh Brackett, 1953 (originally published as "The Sea Kings of Mars," 1949)
May
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling, 2007
Secret Six: Vol. 1: Villains United - Gail Simone and various artists. Originally published 2005-2007.
The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Non-Fiction - Neil Gaiman. Essays, speeches, introductions, etc. from 1993 to 2015. Collection published 2016.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - playwright Jack Thorne, based on a story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Thorne. First performed 2016.
Death's Daughter - Amber Benson, 2009
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman, 2013
June
The Cold Eye - Laura Anne Gilman, 2017. Book 2 of The Devil's West.
Jem and the Holograms 3: Dark Jem - story by Kelly Thompson and Sophie Campbell. Written by Thompson, drawn by Campbell. Collects issues 11-16. Collection published 2016.
Fletch and the Widow Bradley - Gregory McDonald, 1981
July
Delta of Venus - erotica by Anaïs Nin. Originally written early 1940s, publicly published 1969.
An Interrupted Cry: Sylvan Investigations # 4 - Laura Anne Gilman, 2015
Alien III - unused script by William Gibson, written 1987
The Essential X-Men Vol. 1 - Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, John Byrne and others. Collects "Giant Size X-Men # 1" and "Uncanny X-Men" issues 94-119, originally published 1975-78.
'U' is for 'Undertow' - Sue Grafton, 2009
Inkheart - Cornelia Funke, 2003
August
Kinsey and Me: stories - Sue Grafton, 2013
Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie, 1938
Star Trek: How Much for Just the Planet? - John M. Ford, 1987
The Constant Rider Omnibus: stories from the public transportation front - Kate Lopresti. Collects zones originally published 2000-2005. Omnibus published 2007.
Postcards from the Edge - Carrie Fisher, 1987
Who Fears Death - Nnedi Okorafor, 2010
September
Jimmy Buffett: a Good Life All the Way - Ryan White, 2017
The Forgotten Tyrs, Book 2: Rise of the First City - Aaron Duran, 2017
The Name of the Star: Shades of London, Book 1 - Maureen Johnson, 2011
The Essential X-Men, Vol 2 - Chris Claremont, John Byrne and others. Collects issues 120-144, published 1979-1981.
Henry and June: from the unexpurgated diary of Anaïs Nin. Originally written Oct. 1931-Oct. 1932; published 1986.
Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1: The Shrike - Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios. Collects Issues 1-5, originally published 2013-2014; collected 2014.
October
The Glass Town Game - Catherynne M. Valente, 2017
Stardust - Robert B. Parker, 1990 (a Spenser novel)
Contact - Carl Sagan, 1985
Rosemary and Rue - Seanan McGuire, 2009. October Daye book # 1.
Mary Oliver: new and selected poems, Volume One. Collects poems originally published from 1963 to 1992. Collection released 1992.
On Writing: a memoir of the craft - Stephen King, 2000
November
Jem and the Holograms 4: Enter the Stingers - written by Kelly Thompson, art by Jen Bartel and Meredith McClaren. Collects issues 17-23. Collection published 2017.
Eric Brighteyes - H. Rider Haggard, 1890 (audiobook)
Crazy Enough - Storm Large, 2012
December
Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen. Written 1798-99, published posthumously 1817.
My-Te-Fine Merchant: Fred Meyer's Retail Revolution - Fred Leeson, 2014
Wisława Szymborska: Poems New and Collected 1957-1997 - English translation published 1998
Wormwood - Poppy Z. Brite, 1994.
Formerly titled Swamp Foetus. Contains "Angels," "A Georgia Story," "His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood," "Optional Music for Voice and Piano," "Xenophobia," "The Sixth Sentinel," "Missing," "Footprints in the Water," "How to Get Ahead in New York," "Calcutta, Lord of Nerves," "The Elder," and "The Ash of Memory, the Dust of Desire."
The Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy, 1984