Part V gets us all the way to September 10th. It's a long quarantine summer but I was trucking along. And then, the wildfires started. After the pandemic and a small house flood (did I mention that?), I was so wiped out by trauma that I felt like I looped all the way back around to healthy. Except for the times I needed to just sit and stare into space. Fortunately, I had a large queue of graphic novels I could read when I couldn't think enough to get through a big book.
201. The namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri - I’m so glad I finally read this. Family saga about immigrants from India to America.
202. Blind Goddess by Anne Holt - Scandinavian detective noir. I like that the main detective is a lesbian and it is kind of just her background, nbd.
203. Taking on the system : rules for radical change in a digital era by Markos Moulitsas Zúniga - Written by the founder of the Daily Kos. I started this book right after Tr*mp’s election and had a panic attack in the first chapter at how overwhelming the solution to the problem is. I forced myself to read it this year and had a better time (I’m also on better anti-anxiety medications lololol). Excellent read and should be part of any social justice consciousness group, although I’m not sure his solution is actually going to fix any of our problems. I would very happily read this as part of a book group.
204. White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig - Great YA thriller with some queer representation!
205. Black Hammer vol 1 by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormiston, Dave Stewart - Liked it a lot! Definitely want to re-read this as part of an omnibus. X-Men if they were totally dysfunctional.
206. Peepland by Christa Faust and Andrea Camerini - If you liked both Sin City and Bitch Planet, you’ll like this graphic novel.
207. Infidel by Pornsak Pichetshote, Aaron Campbell, Jose Villarrubia, and Jeff Powell - YES read this book! Horror graphic novel, no spoilers so no summary, sorry!
208. Gideon Falls vol 1: The Black Barn by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart - Sci-fi horror graphic novel. I liked it. This is another one that I want to re-read as part of an omnibus, since there wasn't quite enough story arc in the first few issues to be really satisfying.
209. Girl Town by Carolyn Nowak - The artist from Lumberjanes wrote and illustrated a short story collection and it is perfect.
210. Something is killing the children #1 by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell 'Edera, Miquel Muerto - Hands down one of my favorite titles. Easy “Stranger Things” parallels here. Looking forward for there being an omnibus edition so I can read it in one go, rather than the individual issues.
211. The tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert - I….really liked this book? It’s a Beatrix Potter cozy mystery, but it’s not so cozy that it’s saccharine. It’s comfy. I’d read more.
212. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson - I just don’t like nonfiction about weather. I’ve tried and tried, but even Erik Larson, one of my favorite pop history authors, could not make the weather interesting for me.
213. Rolling in the deep by Mira Grant - Prequel to Into the Drowning Deep, but you definitely want to read Into first. If you liked that one, then definitely check this one out.
214. Many love: a memory of polyamory and finding love by Sophie Lucido Johnson - Well it’s not my experience with polyamory, but it’s nice to read a memoir about it and get at least some representation, even if it doesn’t totally resonate with me. Warning, it’s pretty straight and it’s definitely on the hierarchical side of polyam.
215. Check Please! Vol 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu - Aww this book! It’s the heartwarming gay hockey sports romance that I completely did not expect I’d fall in love with. But the writing is awesome, the friendships are touching, and the jokes are hilarious. Plus pie!
216. The uncommon reader by Alan Bennett - Cute novella with extremely dry humor about how books can change your life.
217. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - Wowww I should not have read this during a pandemic, but also, it was exactly what I needed. BRB, stockpiling my needed medications for the next calamity. Absolutely beautiful, wrenching book.
218. Murder by the book: the crime that shocked Dickens's London by Claire Harman - Super interesting history of the rise of detective fiction during 1800s England and its parallels and interaction with the public's views of crime.
219. In the hall with the knife by Diana Peterfreund - There is no reason for this book to be based on Clue other than it rides on the coattails of Clue's popularity. If this had just been advertised as a murder mystery set in a prep school, I would have been super into it.
220. Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik - Now this was fun. It's a chatty "history and science of liquids", set on the backdrop of an international flight. Definitely recommended for pop science fans.
221. Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger, Melanie R Anderson - Grr this added way too many books to my TBR! It's a "gifty" book - it's more about the look than the content - but the histories were interesting and included mini biographies of several authors I hadn't heard about before.
222. Good talk: a memoir in conversations by Mira Jacob - SO good. Required reading. Sorry, I make the rules.
223. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe - Oh hello book that made me bawl my eyes out. My spiel: This book is the first time I’ve seen myself reflected in someone’s memoir…up to and not including the part where e starts writing One Direction slash fiction.
224. The guest list by Lucy Foley - Lucy Foley writes a solid thriller. Rich people on an island with a killer on the loose? Sold.
225. The library of the unwritten by A. J. Hackwith - For a book set in hell, this was a lot fluffier than I expected. The premise is that Hell keeps a library of books that are imagined but never written. Occasionally, characters from those books escape, and it's the job of Hell's Librarian, Claire, to track them down and get them back in their books. It's a quest-style fantasy with some romance thrown in, and it was decent but not great, probably because "library as a Majestic and Silent Hall of LEARNING" is so eye-rolly to me.
226. Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable and Ellen T Crenshaw - Aww recommended. It’s always good to see complex books about coming out.
227. Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson - A serial killer is murdering folks in the style of "Eight Perfect Murders" from literature. 1000% an homage to Agatha Christie, so this will either be a must-read for you or a hard pass. Pretty well done but like Christie, the author doesn't play fair.
228. Europe: A Natural History by Tim F. Flannery - I thought I would love this book, but as the number of times I had to renew it shows, I really had to drag myself through it.
229. This is going to hurt: Secret diaries of a junior doctor by Adam Kay - This book is hilarious and gut-wrenching. Imagine someone telling you the funniest joke in the world, then stabbing a scalpel in your eye. Five out of five stars, recommended.
230. My Age of Anxiety by Scott Stossel - Not to be confused with Pete Townshend's rock novel. This one is a memoir of a Stossel's life with anxiety and phobias. Even though I have a pretty bad anxiety disorder, I'm so, so glad I don't have phobia like his.
231. The old ways: A journey on foot by Robert Macfarlane - "Wow this book is really interesting, and it has so many parallels with that Mountains of Mind book I read earlier this year--oh wait, it's the same author."
229. This is going to hurt: Secret diaries of a junior doctor by Adam Kay - This book is hilarious and gut-wrenching. Imagine someone telling you the funniest joke in the world, then stabbing a scalpel in your eye. Five out of five stars, recommended.
230. My Age of Anxiety by Scott Stossel - Not to be confused with Pete Townshend's rock novel. This one is a memoir of a Stossel's life with anxiety and phobias. Even though I have a pretty bad anxiety disorder, I'm so, so glad I don't have phobia like his.
231. The old ways: A journey on foot by Robert Macfarlane - "Wow this book is really interesting, and it has so many parallels with that Mountains of Mind book I read earlier this year--oh wait, it's the same author."
232. The best we could do by Thi Bui - A graphic memoir about Thi Bui's escape with her family from Viet Nam in the 1970s. It's all about parenting the best you can in crisis, and learning to accept your past. Heartbreaking and I hope everyone reads it.
233. The Orphan of Salt Winds by Elizabeth Brooks - Past-meets-present novel set in a remote house in an English marsh during World War II. If you like atmospheric historical fiction, this one is for you.
234. Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Lane - This was the lighthearted break I needed! I've heard it compared to Adventure Time and Steven Universe - embarrassingly, I haven't seen either of those, so I couldn't tell ya.
235. Something is killing the children #2 by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell 'Edera, Miquel Muerto - Read this series in order.
236. American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan - Ooh, you know what's not a good look in 2020? A book that gushes over how cool the Texas Rangers are. Yeesh.
237. Dept. H. #2 by Matt Kindt - Again, I liked this series, but I didn't love it. Read it if you're a diehard graphic novel fan, but skip otherwise.
238. Can you ever forgive me? Memoirs of a literary forger by Lee Israel - This book is absolutely shameless and so much fun. Apparently now a movie starring Melissa McCarthy which I definitely will seek out.
239. The undying by Anne Boyer - I unintentionally started this the same day a friend of mine announced they had cancer, so this may have been the most brutal read of the year. (the friend seems to be doing well).
240. Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh - Hands down my favorite take on Batman. Even if you don't like superhero comics, check this one out - it's a much more sensitive take on the genre than you'd expect, and so much fun.
241. March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell - Absolutely everyone should read this history of the Freedom Riders.
242. El Deafo by Cece Bell - Great late elementary-age memoir about growing up deaf.
243. Grease Bats by Archie Bongiovanni - GREASE BATS!!! How did I miss out on these?! Required reading for all baby queers.
244. Dreadnought (Nemesis #1) by April Daniels - Just before the superhero Dreadnought dies, he passes his powers on to Danielle, a young transgirl. Great #ownvoices superhero book, with trigger warnings for plot points related to being misgendered (handled really well and important for the story, but still hard to read)
245. Fixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions by Susan R Barry - Did you know some folks don't have depth perception? Susan Barry is a neuroscientist with stereoblindness, and her memoir about learning how to see three dimensionally is fascinating.
246. Blanche among the talented tenth by Barbara Neely - Fun series! Definitely read them in order (Blanche on the Lam is the first). Mystery novel with a Black housekeeper as the protagonist. Hilarious but grounded.
247. M is for Malice by Sue Grafton - M is for Must-push-through-to-finish-series
248-250. Something is killing the children by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell 'Edera, Miquel Muerto #3, #4, and #5 - I wasn't sure if it was cheating to count each issue as a separate book, since normally I read graphic novel series in omnibus issues. But these weren't published as an omnibus until recently so whatever, I'm counting it.
233. The Orphan of Salt Winds by Elizabeth Brooks - Past-meets-present novel set in a remote house in an English marsh during World War II. If you like atmospheric historical fiction, this one is for you.
234. Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Lane - This was the lighthearted break I needed! I've heard it compared to Adventure Time and Steven Universe - embarrassingly, I haven't seen either of those, so I couldn't tell ya.
235. Something is killing the children #2 by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell 'Edera, Miquel Muerto - Read this series in order.
236. American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan - Ooh, you know what's not a good look in 2020? A book that gushes over how cool the Texas Rangers are. Yeesh.
237. Dept. H. #2 by Matt Kindt - Again, I liked this series, but I didn't love it. Read it if you're a diehard graphic novel fan, but skip otherwise.
238. Can you ever forgive me? Memoirs of a literary forger by Lee Israel - This book is absolutely shameless and so much fun. Apparently now a movie starring Melissa McCarthy which I definitely will seek out.
239. The undying by Anne Boyer - I unintentionally started this the same day a friend of mine announced they had cancer, so this may have been the most brutal read of the year. (the friend seems to be doing well).
240. Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh - Hands down my favorite take on Batman. Even if you don't like superhero comics, check this one out - it's a much more sensitive take on the genre than you'd expect, and so much fun.
241. March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell - Absolutely everyone should read this history of the Freedom Riders.
242. El Deafo by Cece Bell - Great late elementary-age memoir about growing up deaf.
243. Grease Bats by Archie Bongiovanni - GREASE BATS!!! How did I miss out on these?! Required reading for all baby queers.
244. Dreadnought (Nemesis #1) by April Daniels - Just before the superhero Dreadnought dies, he passes his powers on to Danielle, a young transgirl. Great #ownvoices superhero book, with trigger warnings for plot points related to being misgendered (handled really well and important for the story, but still hard to read)
245. Fixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions by Susan R Barry - Did you know some folks don't have depth perception? Susan Barry is a neuroscientist with stereoblindness, and her memoir about learning how to see three dimensionally is fascinating.
246. Blanche among the talented tenth by Barbara Neely - Fun series! Definitely read them in order (Blanche on the Lam is the first). Mystery novel with a Black housekeeper as the protagonist. Hilarious but grounded.
247. M is for Malice by Sue Grafton - M is for Must-push-through-to-finish-series
248-250. Something is killing the children by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell 'Edera, Miquel Muerto #3, #4, and #5 - I wasn't sure if it was cheating to count each issue as a separate book, since normally I read graphic novel series in omnibus issues. But these weren't published as an omnibus until recently so whatever, I'm counting it.
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