My Year in Books: 2018

I think this yearly list of “books I read” has always been more for me than any audience, but it’s a full-blown habit now, so…

Here we go again!

(All my previous Year In Books posts, if you’re so inclined: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.)

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My Year in Books: 2017

It’s that time again! Time to review the last year’s reading habits.

Each year, I track what I read. I post the list here. I jot down some thoughts, and then I rinse and repeat year after year. (I explain the reasoning and history of this habit a bit more in last year’s post.)

(Previous My Year In Books posts: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.)

No long preamble this time. Here’s the list… Continue Reading “My Year in Books: 2017”

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My Year in Books: 2016

I have a love/hate relationship with year end “Best Of” lists. I love them, because I’m curious to see what books, movies, TV shows, styles of yogurts, sweatpants, and cute puppy videos are among the year’s best and most loved. But I hate them because, as Powell’s Staff Picks Top Fives remind me, there are way too many good books that come out each year for me to possibly read a good amount of them, let alone read them all.

Back in 2010, knowing I couldn’t keep up with new releases well enough to do a decent “Best Of” list, I began simply listing all the books I read as a study in… myself, I guess. How much did I read? What did I read about? What time of year did I read most? This probably ends up only being interesting to me, but heck, I’ve been doing it for over half a decade now so I guess I’ll keep it up!

(Check out previous My Year In Books posts: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.) Continue Reading “My Year in Books: 2016”

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My Year in Books: 2015

Continuing my tradition of making a “Here’s What I Read Last Year” list instead of a “Best Books of the Past Year” list—I’m super envious of those folks who have the ability to consume loads of newly published content each year—here’s a list of what I read in 2015.

(Check out previous My Year In Books posts: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.) Continue Reading “My Year in Books: 2015”

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My Year In Books: 2014

Every year, instead of a “My Picks for Best Books of the Year” list, I make a “Here’s What I Read This Year” list. I’m way, way, way behind on this post … 2015’s been a busy one so far! But, in keeping with the grand tradition (Check out previous Years In Books, if you’re so inclined: 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.), here’s what I read in 2014… Continue Reading “My Year In Books: 2014”

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My Year in Books: 2013

Because I’m so busy making books that I end up reading the best books of any given year after they’ve become the best books of last year, I’ve never been able to make a very good “Best Books of [Insert Year here]” list.

Observing a book I midwifed into reality this year.
Observing a book I midwifed into reality this year.

So, instead, I offer you (as I have in 2010, 2011, and 2012) a list of the books that I’ve read this year! Featuring both graphic novels and prose publications, this year—due to my move to digital comics—I added single issues that would eventually be collected to the list once I reached the end of a story arc. Continue Reading “My Year in Books: 2013”

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What ongoing comic series should I begin collecting as graphic novels?

A while back, I asked for suggestions on how to keep up with comics in a price effective way. In the few comments and conversations I had about the subject, the answer came back resoundingly that reading comics once they are collected is cheaper (Math I could do on my own, but glad to get some feedback as well) and just as satisfying, especially as it allows you to avoid a majority of the crap that hits stands.
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What’s a book without an intro? Or, why I love supplementary text in my graphic novels.

Over the past year as a comic reader, I’ve come to a unexpected realization: I love graphic novel introductions and written supplements. Be it the enthralling backup in the first Starman Omnibus where James Robinson explains how his unique series came to be, Brian K. Vaughan apologizing for his early work in DC’s False Faces trade containing some of the scribe’s early superhero tales or the lengthy but informative epilogue’s recapping the life of Robert E. Howard in Dark Horse’s Conan collections, I love reading as much as I can about the process that went into making these great reads.
Continue Reading “What’s a book without an intro? Or, why I love supplementary text in my graphic novels.”

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