150 Books 2012 and New Year's Resolutions
While I didn't manage to post as often as I'd like, I did manage to complete the resolution I made for this year which was to read 150 books (manga counts) and for them all to be books off my own shelves, not any that had been loaned to me... argh... no wait, that last batch of scanslations wasn't off my shelf, DARN IT! but I still hit 150 without it.
The standouts include:
Jan: 23
1 - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland on a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M. Valente
2 - A Betrayal in Winter - Daniel Abraham
3 - Hotel Insomnia - Charles Simic
4 - An Autumn War - Daniel Abraham
5 - The Price of Spring - Daniel Abraham
6-7 - La Esperanca (6)-(7) - KAWAI Chigusa (English)
8 - Circle of Magic: Sandry's Brook - Tamora Piece
9 - Circle of Magic: Tris's Book - Tamora Pierce
10 - Circle of Magic: Daja's Book - Tamora Pierce
11 - Circle of Magic: Briar's Book - Tamora Pierce
12-16 - Full Metal Alchemist (1)-(5) - ARAKAWA Hiromu (reread; English)
17-23 - Full Metal Alchemist (6)-(12) - ARAKAWA Hiromu (English)
Feb: 17
24-38 - Full Metal Alchemist (13)-(27) - ARAKAWA Hiromu (English)
39 - The Northern Girl - Elizabeth A. Lynn
40 - Songs of Love & Death - George R. R. Martin & Gardner Dozois, Eds.
Mar: 22
41 - Mariner's Luck - Kirby Crow
42 - The Land of Night - Kirby Crow
43 - The Man Who Folded Himself - David Gerrold
44 - Order of the Stick: Snips, Snails & Dragon's Tails - Rich Burlew
45-48 - Clover (1)-(4) - CLAMP (reread; 日本語)
49 - Winter Demon - Yamila Abraham
50 - Alone in My King's Harem - HOSHINO Lily (English)
51 - The Lily & The Rose - Dany & Dany
52 - The Jungles of Randomness: A Mathematical Safari - Ivar Peterson
53 - Innocent Bird (1) - KISARAGI Hirotaka (English)
54 - The Juniper Game - Sherryl Jordan
55 - 耳をすませば - 柊あおい (English)
56 - Wolf Woman - Sherryl Jordan
57 - The Innkeeper's Song - Peter S. Beagle
58 - The Judged - HONMA Akira (English)
59 - The Unicorn Sonata - Peter S. Beagle
60 - Totally Captivated - Hajin Yoo (English)
61 - Giant Bones - Peter S. Beagle
62 - The Journals of Scheherazade - Sheryl St. Germain
April: 13
63 - Rain in the Trees - W. S. Merwin
[Sick]
64 - Through a Brazen Mirror - Delia Sherman
65 - Waltzing on Water - Norma Fox Mazer & Marjorie Lewis, Eds.
66 - A Time of Darkness - Sherryl Jordan
67 - Hearing Voices - Brian Andreas
68 - Bone Dance - Emma Bull
[Homestuck] (This should absolutely count)
69 - Singer of Souls - Adam Stemple
70 - Steward of Song - Adam Stemple
71 - How I Live Now - Meg Rossoff
72-75 - Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne (1)-(4) - TANEMURA Arina (reread; English)
May: 11
76-78 - Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne (5)-(7) - TANEMURA Arina (reread; English)
79 - The Book of Three - Lloyd Alexander
80 - The Black Cauldron - Lloyd Alexander
81 - The Castle of Llyr - Lloyd Alexander
82 - Taran Wanderer - Lloyd Alexander
83 - The High King - Lloyd Alexander
84 - Soulbound - Heather Brewer
85 - The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
86 - The Vor Game - Lois McMaster Bujold
June: 9
87 - Emergence: The Collected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson
88 - Mostly True - Brian Andreas
89 - Palimpsest - Catherynne M. Valente
90 - Hero - Perry Moore
91 - Lord of the White Hell, Book 1 - Ginn Hale
92 - Heart Sense - K. L. Richardsson
93 - When I Was Older - Garret Freymann-Weyr
94 - Magic Steps - Tamora Pierce
95 - Street Magic - Tamora Pierce
July: 11
96 - Cold Fire - Tamora Pierce
97 - Shatterglass - Tamora Pierce
98 - Wind, Sand, and Stars - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
99 - Tricky Prince - HASHIDA Yukari
100 - Wifey - Judy Blume
101 - Phonetics - Peter Roach
102 - Redwing - Holly Bennett
103 - Homeric Hymns - Anonymous, Thelma Sargent, Trans.
104 - Conversations with Ursula K. Le Guin -- Carl Freedman
105 - The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (reread)
106 - Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins (reread)
August: 13
107 - Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (reread)
108 - Star Songs of an Old Primate - James Tiptree, Jr.
109 - Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books - Lynne Sharon Schwartz
110 - The Order of the Stick Vol. -1: Start of Darkness -- Rich Burlew
111 - The Order of the Stick Vol. 0: On the Origin of PCs -- Rich Burlew
112 - The Order of the Stick Vol. 1: Dungeon Crawlin' Fools -- Rich Burlew
113 - Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore
114 - The Order of the Stick Vol. 2: No Cure For the Paladin Blues -- Rich Burlew
115 - Reincarnation - Suzanne Weyn (read 75% & abandoned)
116 - The Order of the Stick Vol. 3: War & XPs -- Rich Burlew
117 - The Order of the Stick Vol. 4: Don't Split the Party -- Rich Burlew
118 - Cetaganda - Lois McMaster Bujold
119 - Borders of Infinity - Lois McMaster Bujold
September: 8
120 - Brothers in Arms - Lois McMaster Bujold
121 - Midnight City - J. Barton Mitchell
122-127 - ミントな僕ら (1)-(6) (Mint na Bokura) - 吉住 渉 (YOSHIZUMI Wataru) (reread; 日本語)
October: 6
128 - The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances - Peter S. Beagle
129 - The Line Between - Peter S. Beagle
130 - We Never Talk About My Brother - Peter S. Beagle
131 - Can't Win With You (1) - TAKAGUCHI Satosumi (English)
132 - Sleight of Hand - Peter S. Beagle
133 - The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There - Catherynne M. Valente
November: 11
134 - The King of Elfland's Daughter - Lord Dunsany
135 - The Bridge - Jane Higgins
136 - The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
137 - Eve - Anna Carey
138 - Ever - Gail Carson Levine
139 - Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac - Gabrielle Zevin
140 - Unspoken - Sarah Rees Brennan
141 - Seraphina - Rachel Hartman
142 - Return - Peter S. Beagle
143 - Plain Kate - Erin Bow
144 - Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
December: 17
145 - Sapphique - Catherine Fisher
146-153 - 電撃デイジー (1)-(8) - 最富 キョウスケ (English)
154 - Tender Morsels - Margo Lanagan
155-156 - 電撃デイジー (9)-(10) - 最富 キョウスケ (English)
157 - Divergent - Veronica Roth
158 - Chaos: The Making of a New Science - James Gleick
159 - Memorial: A Version of Homer's Iliad - Alice Oswald
160 - Angelfall - Susan Ee
161 - Change as a Curved Equation - Donald Evertt Axinn
161/150
10 日本語 manga
62 English manga/comics
89 Books
Hmm... this probably means I need a shorter commute, since I read this whole list to and from work and on my lunch breaks. I never read when I'm home or sick, only when waiting or traveling.
2008 List 61/50
2009 List 74/50
2010 List 150/75
2011 List 88/75
The standouts include:
- Everything by Beagle and Valente (does this even need to be said?)
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which is a beautiful, romantic, and passionate metaphor for capital-A Art, Artists, and their Audiences. (Well, that's how I read it.) I have a particular love for the performing arts precisely because of the way that the audience participates in the creation of the art and the ephemeral nature of it all. Audience is important to all art, because ultimately art is communication, but there is a unique vitality that comes with being able to respond real-time that causes recursive feedback. If I were a writer I could explain it better, but I'm not, and that's ok because this book exists to say it for me.
- and the Long Price quartet by Daniel Abraham which knocked my socks off! Seriously, It's been a year and still can't stop thinking about it. The fourth book was a dagger in the gut and a freaking revelation. It was like nothing I've ever encountered in the sff genre. The closest thing I can compare it to is Dune, and that's because of the emphasis on the difficulty of making complicated choices with long-term consequences. This is unusual because fantasy normally has a tendency to be short-sighted. Anyway, the first book is A Shadow in Summer, and it's getting a new reprint and it's totally worth your dollars.
Jan: 23
1 - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland on a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M. Valente
2 - A Betrayal in Winter - Daniel Abraham
3 - Hotel Insomnia - Charles Simic
4 - An Autumn War - Daniel Abraham
5 - The Price of Spring - Daniel Abraham
6-7 - La Esperanca (6)-(7) - KAWAI Chigusa (English)
8 - Circle of Magic: Sandry's Brook - Tamora Piece
9 - Circle of Magic: Tris's Book - Tamora Pierce
10 - Circle of Magic: Daja's Book - Tamora Pierce
11 - Circle of Magic: Briar's Book - Tamora Pierce
12-16 - Full Metal Alchemist (1)-(5) - ARAKAWA Hiromu (reread; English)
17-23 - Full Metal Alchemist (6)-(12) - ARAKAWA Hiromu (English)
Feb: 17
24-38 - Full Metal Alchemist (13)-(27) - ARAKAWA Hiromu (English)
39 - The Northern Girl - Elizabeth A. Lynn
40 - Songs of Love & Death - George R. R. Martin & Gardner Dozois, Eds.
Mar: 22
41 - Mariner's Luck - Kirby Crow
42 - The Land of Night - Kirby Crow
43 - The Man Who Folded Himself - David Gerrold
44 - Order of the Stick: Snips, Snails & Dragon's Tails - Rich Burlew
45-48 - Clover (1)-(4) - CLAMP (reread; 日本語)
49 - Winter Demon - Yamila Abraham
50 - Alone in My King's Harem - HOSHINO Lily (English)
51 - The Lily & The Rose - Dany & Dany
52 - The Jungles of Randomness: A Mathematical Safari - Ivar Peterson
53 - Innocent Bird (1) - KISARAGI Hirotaka (English)
54 - The Juniper Game - Sherryl Jordan
55 - 耳をすませば - 柊あおい (English)
56 - Wolf Woman - Sherryl Jordan
57 - The Innkeeper's Song - Peter S. Beagle
58 - The Judged - HONMA Akira (English)
59 - The Unicorn Sonata - Peter S. Beagle
60 - Totally Captivated - Hajin Yoo (English)
61 - Giant Bones - Peter S. Beagle
62 - The Journals of Scheherazade - Sheryl St. Germain
April: 13
63 - Rain in the Trees - W. S. Merwin
[Sick]
64 - Through a Brazen Mirror - Delia Sherman
65 - Waltzing on Water - Norma Fox Mazer & Marjorie Lewis, Eds.
66 - A Time of Darkness - Sherryl Jordan
67 - Hearing Voices - Brian Andreas
68 - Bone Dance - Emma Bull
[Homestuck] (This should absolutely count)
69 - Singer of Souls - Adam Stemple
70 - Steward of Song - Adam Stemple
71 - How I Live Now - Meg Rossoff
72-75 - Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne (1)-(4) - TANEMURA Arina (reread; English)
May: 11
76-78 - Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne (5)-(7) - TANEMURA Arina (reread; English)
79 - The Book of Three - Lloyd Alexander
80 - The Black Cauldron - Lloyd Alexander
81 - The Castle of Llyr - Lloyd Alexander
82 - Taran Wanderer - Lloyd Alexander
83 - The High King - Lloyd Alexander
84 - Soulbound - Heather Brewer
85 - The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold
86 - The Vor Game - Lois McMaster Bujold
June: 9
87 - Emergence: The Collected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson
88 - Mostly True - Brian Andreas
89 - Palimpsest - Catherynne M. Valente
90 - Hero - Perry Moore
91 - Lord of the White Hell, Book 1 - Ginn Hale
92 - Heart Sense - K. L. Richardsson
93 - When I Was Older - Garret Freymann-Weyr
94 - Magic Steps - Tamora Pierce
95 - Street Magic - Tamora Pierce
July: 11
96 - Cold Fire - Tamora Pierce
97 - Shatterglass - Tamora Pierce
98 - Wind, Sand, and Stars - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
99 - Tricky Prince - HASHIDA Yukari
100 - Wifey - Judy Blume
101 - Phonetics - Peter Roach
102 - Redwing - Holly Bennett
103 - Homeric Hymns - Anonymous, Thelma Sargent, Trans.
104 - Conversations with Ursula K. Le Guin -- Carl Freedman
105 - The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (reread)
106 - Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins (reread)
August: 13
107 - Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (reread)
108 - Star Songs of an Old Primate - James Tiptree, Jr.
109 - Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books - Lynne Sharon Schwartz
110 - The Order of the Stick Vol. -1: Start of Darkness -- Rich Burlew
111 - The Order of the Stick Vol. 0: On the Origin of PCs -- Rich Burlew
112 - The Order of the Stick Vol. 1: Dungeon Crawlin' Fools -- Rich Burlew
113 - Bitterblue - Kristin Cashore
114 - The Order of the Stick Vol. 2: No Cure For the Paladin Blues -- Rich Burlew
115 - Reincarnation - Suzanne Weyn (read 75% & abandoned)
116 - The Order of the Stick Vol. 3: War & XPs -- Rich Burlew
117 - The Order of the Stick Vol. 4: Don't Split the Party -- Rich Burlew
118 - Cetaganda - Lois McMaster Bujold
119 - Borders of Infinity - Lois McMaster Bujold
September: 8
120 - Brothers in Arms - Lois McMaster Bujold
121 - Midnight City - J. Barton Mitchell
122-127 - ミントな僕ら (1)-(6) (Mint na Bokura) - 吉住 渉 (YOSHIZUMI Wataru) (reread; 日本語)
October: 6
128 - The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances - Peter S. Beagle
129 - The Line Between - Peter S. Beagle
130 - We Never Talk About My Brother - Peter S. Beagle
131 - Can't Win With You (1) - TAKAGUCHI Satosumi (English)
132 - Sleight of Hand - Peter S. Beagle
133 - The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There - Catherynne M. Valente
November: 11
134 - The King of Elfland's Daughter - Lord Dunsany
135 - The Bridge - Jane Higgins
136 - The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
137 - Eve - Anna Carey
138 - Ever - Gail Carson Levine
139 - Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac - Gabrielle Zevin
140 - Unspoken - Sarah Rees Brennan
141 - Seraphina - Rachel Hartman
142 - Return - Peter S. Beagle
143 - Plain Kate - Erin Bow
144 - Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
December: 17
145 - Sapphique - Catherine Fisher
146-153 - 電撃デイジー (1)-(8) - 最富 キョウスケ (English)
154 - Tender Morsels - Margo Lanagan
155-156 - 電撃デイジー (9)-(10) - 最富 キョウスケ (English)
157 - Divergent - Veronica Roth
158 - Chaos: The Making of a New Science - James Gleick
159 - Memorial: A Version of Homer's Iliad - Alice Oswald
160 - Angelfall - Susan Ee
161 - Change as a Curved Equation - Donald Evertt Axinn
161/150
10 日本語 manga
62 English manga/comics
89 Books
Hmm... this probably means I need a shorter commute, since I read this whole list to and from work and on my lunch breaks. I never read when I'm home or sick, only when waiting or traveling.
2008 List 61/50
2009 List 74/50
2010 List 150/75
2011 List 88/75