DECEMBER 2008
51. Oranges by John McPhee
50. Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
49. Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Another re-read
48. The Ecology of Games, edited by Katie Salen
:: Scavengings
NOVEMBER 2008
47. The Intuitionist, by Colson Whitehead
A re-read for me. In December 2002, I wrote: "Like other books that see the true New York, this postmodern noir thriller feels like it's set in both a science-fictional future and a dusty, rotting past. The book has a verbal style that's unmatched by anything else I read this year, but it also manages to sustain an irreducible political core."
46. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Yes, I'm joining the GTD cult, at least for the time being.
45. The Everlasting Story of Nory, by Nicholson Baker
Another re-read.
OCTOBER 2008
44. The Art Lover by Carole Maso
A re-read for me.
43. Ghost World by Dan Clowes
A re-read for me.
42. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
SEPTEMBER 2008
41. Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett
40. Europeana, by Patrik Ourednik
A re-read for me. In June of 2006 I wrote : "Twentieth-century events, intriguingly reordered and recontextualized into something that more closely resembles experimental fiction than a history book. No characters as such: Ourednik instead works mostly with collective masses such as 'scientists' or 'soldiers' (although a few representative individuals shimmer through occasionally). Fascists and communists factor in as the big baddies, with capitalists and neoliberals getting more of a free pass than I'd be inclined to give. But then again I'm not Czech."
39. No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories, by Miranda July
Miranda July's great strength is her ability to maintain child-like innocence even while discussing some of the most horrific emotional violence that people can visit onto one another. If that sounds like something you'll like, then this book is for you!
38. Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson
37. Cruddy: An Illustrated Novel, by Lynda Barry
AUGUST 2008
36. Towelhead, by Alicia Erian
35. 100%, by Paul Pope
34. The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
33. The Revisionist, by Miranda Mellis
JULY 2008
32. Essential Deren: Collected Writings on Film by Maya Deren
:: Scavengings (47)
31. Jennifer Government, by Max Barry
30. The Beach, by Alex Garland
It's not exactly high art, but it could be considered as an entrant within the larger genre of anti-Utopian literature. Like other works in that genre, this book makes the points that Utopias are doomed to failure, and that people, when freed from social restraints, will tend to revert towards barabarism. These points are essentially conservative, and Garland's not the first person to make them, but they do make for good dramatic tension, perhaps the book's prime strength.
JUNE 2008
29. Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje
MAY 2008
28. Planetary Vol. 1: All Over the World by Warren Ellis
27. Global Frequency Vol. 2: Detonation Radio, by Warren Ellis & co.
APRIL 2008
26. Tank Girl: The Gifting by Alan Martin and Ashley Wood
25. The Daredevil Omnibus Companion by Frank Miller & co.
A little less hefty than the other Daredevil Omnibus, but perhaps of higher quality. This volume contains two great arcs, the Miller / Mazzuchelli "Born Again" storyline (in which the Kingpin learns Daredevil's secret identity), and the Miller / Romita Jr. "Man Without Fear" (an extended retelling of Daredevil's origin). Miller fans should note that he is writing both of these, not doing the art-- the only Miller art in here is two relatively standard-looking issues of "Spectacular Spider-Man," in which Dardevil features as a guest star. The book is rounded out with some extras-- script pages, pencil roughs, etc. If you're not interested in that level of thing and wanted to save some money you could probably buy the "Born Again" and "Man Without Fear" stand-alone trades.
24. B.P.R.D. Vol. 1: Hollow Earth and Other Stories by Mike Mignola
23. Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3: Torn by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
Another solid volume of Whedon / Cassady's "Astonishing X-Men" run. The heavy reliance on psychic sequences / fake-outs in this one requires a second read to clarify exactly what's happening, but it's still good fun, by and large.
22. The Daredevil Omnibus, by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
A huge whompin' chunk of comics, charting a pretty steady rise from the wince-inducing (Miller's first issue features Daredevil fighting Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man) to the canonical (the introduction, death, and resurrection of Elektra). A look into the creative development of one of the greats of comics.
21. B.P.R.D Vol. 7: Garden of Souls by Mike Mignola & co.
20. Enemies of Promise: Publishing, Perishing, and the Eclipse of Scholarship by Lindsay Walters
19. The Hours, by Michael Cunningham
MARCH 2008
18. Cronenberg on Cronenberg, edited by Chris Radley
17. Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2: Dangerous by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
16. The Terminator by Sean French
15. New X-Men Vol. 2: Imperial by Grant Morrison & co.
Typically solid Morrison story (the (nearly) wordless issue a high point), but the art for a few issues (by fill-in artist Igor Kordey) is frankly wretched, rendering those issues unappealing at best and incomprehensible at worst. A black eye for the series.
14. Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1: Gifted by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday
13. Jeremy: The Complete Strip Collection by Jon Morris
12. Zombies Calling by Faith Erin Hicks
FEBRUARY 2008
11. Hellboy Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola and John Byrne
10. Bob and Harv's Comics by Harvey Pekar and Robert Crumb
9. Fantastic Four 1 2 3 4 by Grant Morrison & co.
8. Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman & co.
7. Ghosts in the Machine: The Dark Heart of Pop Cinema by Michael Atkinson
6. Girls Volume 1: Conception by the Luna Brothers
5. Ghosts in the Machine: The Dark Heart of Pop Cinema by Michael Atkinson
4. Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, by John Layman & co.
3. Quentin Tarantino by Edward Gallafent
2. Pretend We're Dead: Capitalist Monsters in American Pop Culture by Annalee Newitz
:: Scavengings (12)
JANUARY 2008
1. Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film by Carol Clover
:: Scavengings (50)
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