Tuesday, January 18, 2005 50 Books? Booyah. So the 50 Book Challenge has been buzzing around the internet for the past couple of weeks. I wasn't initially very interested, given that since starting my new job my reading time has decreased, and 50 books means at least 4 books a month, which even for a bibliophile like myself is a bit overwhelming. However, I realized something. I read a lot of comics. Specifically, trade paperback collections. Trade paperbacks are books. Booyah. So I'm a couple of weeks late (which, in my world, means that you can include books that you started reading before the new year), but I might as well get started. 50 Books in 2005 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke: Strange and unsettling, rich and well-crafted, dusty and dry. These are the adjectives I use to describe this book, which I liked an awful lot, but didn't love. 999: Twenty-nine Original Tales of Horror and Suspense: Like most collections, a good mix of interesting and creepy and dry deadly dull. But totally worth the $2 I paid (gotta love those cheap tables at the used bookstore). If I end up renewing a many-years-neglected tradition of the Halloween story party, this book will be heavily involved. Superman: Secret Identity by Kurt Busiak: Lent unto me by Alex, in trade for the Battlestar Galactica miniseries on DVD. Almost totally ignored during its release (I think I saw it mentioned once or twice on LJ, which is what got me interested), but essentially a DC-sanctioned interpretation of JMS's Supreme Powers. With less hyperbole and more human drama. And post-modern. Oh sweet god. Post-modern. So I'll see what happens with this whole reading-and-listing thing. It's a lot more regular effort than I'm used to putting into this blog. But maybe that's a good thing. | permalink blog • archives • photos • about • contact This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. All content © 2004.