The final chapter!
This is the part of the year where I was like, "eh, what's 15 more books?" Which is a ridiculous statement that no one should ever be able to say! I had too much time on my hands and a willingness to avoid doing almost anything else. I'm not even certain I watched a movie during the last....half of 2020. Ah well, here we are.
The List Part G (and technically part of H, if we're dividing by 50s): 301-365
301. The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh - Everyone has a secret in this small isolated town. When someone starts murdering them one by one, how will they save themselves?
302. Rascal by Jean-Luc Deglin - Cute graphic novel about a cat and their owner.
303. Celebrating Time Alone: Stories of Splendid Solitude by Lionel Fisher - Good to read while quarantined in a full house! Sign me up for my own apartment, please and thank you!
304. Spillover: Animal infections and the next human pandemic by David Quammen - Good god this was not the year to read this book. But also, the perfect year? It’s nonfiction but could also be shelved in horror, thanks 2020
305. Saga Vol. 2 (issues 7-12) by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples - Important to read in order, and everyone should read it.
306. O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton - O is for Oh, actually I liked this one.
307. Chase darkness with me by Billy Jensen - Great option for fans of My Favorite Murder and related podcasts. Jensen talks about how to investigate crimes in real life. I like that this is a little more considerate about the human impact of crimes than a lot of true crime stuff can be.
308. Dracula, Motherfucker by Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson - Absolutely gorgeous graphic novel inspired by Blaxsploitation films
309. The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill - Cute kid’s book about tea dragons!
310. Hedy Lamarr: An Incredible Life by William Roy - I learned that Hoopla was doing a “Bonus Borrows” program so that you could have unlimited reads of a selection of novels during the pandemic….during the last month they hosted it, damn it. But I’m glad I picked this up, Hedy Lamarr was a fascinating woman and I wouldn’t have read this without the “pressure” of choosing just the right book from my 10-a-month-limit taken off.
311. Saga Vol. 3 (issues 13-18) by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples - Not a heartwarming series but I love love love it.
312. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew Sullivan - This is physically associated fro me with pulling blackberry weeds since that's when I listened to it. Achingly sad but very good story - just agree with yourself to suspend your disbelief about a couple plot points.
313. Evil Star by Anthony Horowitz - Second in the Raven's Gate series, and has some uncomfortable brown face issues (surely there is a more responsible way for your protagonist to disguise themselves in South America rather than having them dye their skin brown?)
314. The Word for Woman is Wilderness by Abi Andrews - Reads like a true travelogue, but is entirely fiction.
315. Luisa: Now and Then by Carole Maurel - I mentally called this “Louisa Once in a While” and it wasn’t until I tried to find it on Goodreads that I realized I was wrong. Graphic novel coming of age story, about a woman who suddenly has to babysit herself from the past. I liked it a lot.
316. At the end of your tether by Adam Smith - Noir-style graphic novel about a teenage boy searching for his missing ex-girlfriend and unburying secrets. I didn't really like the art but I did really like that his mom is a body builder, it was a nice contrast to a lot of ways that women are usually portrayed in comics.
317. Laughing at my nightmare by Shane Burcaw - Memoir about growing up with spinal muscular atrophy. Really funny and informative.
318. Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession by Sarah Weinman - Anthology of excellent recent true crime essays. Audiobook recommended. It starts with the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard which is just a mind-boggling story.
319. The house next door by Anne River Siddons - 1970s haunted house horror. Excellent "foundational" book if you're into horror fiction. Also contains one of the best, WASP-iest lines I've ever read in a book:
320. Border : a journey to the edge of Europe by Kapka Kassabova - Narrative nonfiction about the border zones of Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. Absolutely important book about a part of European history that often gets left out, and beautifully written.
321. The Hike by Drew Magary - I checked this book out from the library and it sat for pretty much a full year because I just wasn’t feeling it. Then I finally picked it up and blasted through the thing and stayed up way too late to finish it. It’s hilarious and well-plotted and just way too much fun. Don’t let the blurb about it being “the next Palahniuk” turn you off, that really just means it’s a male author who writes weird fiction.
322. A furious sky: The five-hundred year history of America's hurricanes by Eric Jay Dolin - I just can't with books about weather. It's so dull! But if you think it's interesting, this is a really great book.
323. Rose Vol. 1: A Double Life by Denis Lapière, Émilie Alibert and Valérie Vernay - Great graphic novel mystery about a young girl who has the ability to travel out-of-body.
324. Just Beyond: the Scare School by R.L. Stine - "Fun" fact! I wasn't allowed to read Goosebumps growing up, so this is technically my first Goosebumps story ever. Twilight Zone for kids, what's not to like about it?
325. Fence Vol. 1 by C. S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad, Joana LaFuente - See, this is what I was expecting with Check Please! Gay sports romance - loved Check Please!, totally meh about Fence.
326. Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona - Yayyy Ms Marvel! Great envisioning of the story.
326. The Silent Invasion: Red Shadows by Larry Hancock - I see what he's wanting to do, but the art made it so dang hard to follow the story, I couldn't be bothered with this at all.
327. Everything is an emergency by Jason Adam Katzenstein - Funny/sad graphic memoir about growing up with OCD. Recommended!
328. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix - GRADYYYY HENDRIIIIIIXXXXX! Loved it. Best summarized by the author: “I wanted to write about how my mom would deal with a vampire.” (not an exact quote since I’m remembering from the audiobook). I've seen some reviews that talk about how boring the story is, but I think the pacing is actually what I like about it. It's a character study sort of horror story - and that will either make you say please yes or please no, no in between.
329. Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses by Bess Lovejoy - Not terrible. Collection of short essays about what happens to the bodies of famous people.
330. The long call by Ann Cleeves - Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite authors, so I’m pretty excited she has another series out. Also! The protagonist is a gay male and he's in a loving caring relationship and I have ZERO trust that Cleeves will let that stay that way through the rest of the series :/
331. Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton - So good I read it twice! Almost precisely the right length for Sawyer and I to listen to it on the drive to and from Seattle.
332. High Crimes by Christopher Sebela and Ibrahim Moustafa - Graphic novel about murder and mountaineering, so this was an obvious must-read for me.
333. A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell - WOW. "It reads like a novel" is such a cliche review for a book but I kid you not, this reads like a thriller.
334. Dr. Mütter's Marvels by Cristin O'keefe Aptowicz - The Mütter Museum is one of my ultimate destinations, so I was really excited to read this biography. And good news! Dr. Mütter is way less problematic than I expected for a man of his times!
335. Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - This book blew me away. Dark and menacing and intense.
336. The last house guest by Megan Miranda - I liked the concept, but is a little too...emo? for me to really recommend it.
337. Action Park by Andy Mulvihill, Jake Rossen - This book is one enormous pratfall. It's hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. See also the documentary Class Action Park.
338. Saga Vol. 4 (issues 19-24) by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples - Oooh things are getting darker!
339. Agence Interpol Vol. 1: Mexico - La Muerte by Philippe Therault and Marty - Ridiculously full of machismo but a decent noir thriller graphic novel.
340. Bitter Root, Vol. 1 by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene - Great graphic novel introduction with a socially justice lens (but not heavy-handed at all). Recommended!
341. Black Dahlia by Rick Geary - Geary writes true crime graphic novels. They're usually pretty dense with writing (more heavily illustrated essay than a graphic novel). The Black Dahlia murder is infuriating and this is a really good introduction to it.
342. Brittania, Vol. 1 by Peter Milligan, Juan José Ryp and Raul Allen - Meh. I will say the artistic version of Nero was spot on (so far as we know)
343. The great indoors by Emily Anthes - An introspective nonfiction book about what it means to live indoors.
344. Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor - Gonna read this whole series! It's fluffy but I liked it a lot. Fun well-plotted time travelling science fiction. Trigger warning for rape attempt (although may be cathartic due to the assaulter’s immediate comeuppance which I will not spoil for you here).
345. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James - I avoided reading this for a bit because with a title like “Sun-Down Motel”, I thought it would be about sundown towns and I just could not get myself into the right headspace for such a downer. But this has nothing to do with the heinous racism in America and is instead a pretty basic haunted hotel story. Recommended but suspend your disbelief at the door.
346. The Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif - I read this because I've heard it referenced as "the book that started my interest in microbiology" by many folks. Unfortunately, it's racist as shit, including casual usage of the N-word, so absolutely not recommended unless you're needing an example of enduring racism in science education (this got a re-publication in 2002!)
347. A Song for Quiet (Persons Non Grata #2) by Cassandra Khaw - Another noir HP Lovecraft novella, and I liked it even better than the first one.
348. Diary of a murderer: and other stories by Young-Ha Kim, Krys Lee (trans.) - Great anthology but I liked the first story the absolute best which made all the other ones seem worse in comparison.
349. No straight lines: four decades of queer comics by Justin Hall (ed.) - Super important history. I feel like queer comics are how I found out a lot of information and community before I was able to find more people like me so I will always love them.
350. The mountains wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor - Irish police procedural. Solid entry into this genre.
351. Saga Vol. 5 (issues 25-30) by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples
352. Saga Vol. 6 (issues 31-36) by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples
353. An Age of License by Lucy Knisley - Travelogue graphic memoir. Lucy Knisley is always great.
354. A Gift for a Ghost by Borja Gonzalez - Recently translated Spanish surrealist graphic novel that plays with parallel dimensions.
355. The Banks by Roxane Gay, Ming Doyle - Basically Ocean’s 11 and so, so much fun.
356. I will judge you by your bookshelf by Grant Snider - Eh, it was fine. Kind of twee. Feels like the type of book that I’ll be gifted multiple times in my life since I’m a librarian and I’m supposed to be obsessed with books as a physical item.
357. Saga Vol. 7 (issues 37-42) by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples - <3
358. Basketful of Heads by Joe Hill and Leomacs - Yes, yes, YES! This is classic horror comics revised for today. I am SO excited for the rest of this series. All it needs is Uncle Creepy to give an intro/outro.
359. Saga Vol. 8 (issues 43-48) by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples - <3
360. Veritas: a Harvard professor, a con man and the gospel of Jesus' wife by Ariel Sabar - Great audiobook. A little bit thin on story to hang that long of an book on, but it’s interesting enough that even the repetitive parts are worth it.
361. P is for Peril by Sue Grafton - It’s a good car listen, what can I say?
362. Our lost explorers: the narrative of the Jeannette Arctic Expedition by George W De Long - I put this as recommended because I want people to understand and adore polar expedition travelogues as much as I do.
363. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn - Super long and absolutely worth it.
364. Mr. Wilson's Cabinet Of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology by Lawrence Weschler - The title of this book is almost longer than the book itself. It's interesting!
365. These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore - And the best follow-up to People's History. This was hard to get into, but once I listened a little longer, I was completely sucked in. Just as important as People's History, if not more so as it covers even more recent history including the rise of Tr*mp.
366. Buzz: a stimulating history of the sex toy by Hallie Lieberman - Decided to end the year on a bang. Absolutely fun and fascinating history, so recommended.
And that's it! 366 books in a year, I don't recommend it, but I do recommend the books I highlighted.
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