End of the YEAR review, 2003
Yes, I know, it�s been a long time. And it�s not that I haven�t been reading since I got a girlfriend (though it has been less than usual), but I�m finding nearly no time to both read and write about it. So now, on Jan. 27, I�m reviewing the month of December, 2003. And while I�m at it, I may as well wrap up the titles of the year.
Still, now that I think about it, I prefer it this way. Everybody writes a year-end recap on the week before and after December 31. You get sick of lists. Me doing this recap now is just far away from the end of the year so that it doesn�t seem dated, while having enough time to pass so that you�re not saturated with top ten lists. Lucky you! Anyhoo, for the time between December 2nd, 2003 and January 1st, 2004 I...
- Read 17 books.
- Spent $46.96 on the books I read during this time.
- Bought eight more, and received one as a gift.
And so for the year I...
- Read 171 books.
- Spent $610.73 on books I read during this year.
- And I have 97 more books to go.
I also wrote 129 pages of �reviews� on these books, all written in single spaced, 10 point type. That was, in case you were wondering, 102,112 words. By comparison, last year I wrote 146 pages of reviews, or 117,257 words. So at least I didn�t drone on forever. I mean c�mon people! I spared you 17 pages of rambling! You�re welcome!
Also, as any year-end recap should mention there were highlights and low points to this entire endeavor. The best, from top bottom, were:
7: Jim Thompson, The Getaway � Jim Thompson is nearly always good, but I still think of some of the images he used in this book when I�m considering a life of crime, which happens quite a bit, actually. This is the literary world�s version of DMV�s Red Asphalt for the aspiring gangster.
6: Christopher Hitchens, �Letters to a Young Contrarian� � Non fiction media criticism is never easy to do. Hitchens makes the boring aspects of political revolt interesting, and the interesting parts phenomenal.
5: Alan Moore, �Promethea: Book 1� � It�s amazing to me that I hesitated putting this on the list. See, for a person who reads as many graphic novels as I do, I�m still a literature snob of sorts. But the fact that this was so much better than most literature shows, to me at least, that there�s a reason nobody likes a snob. The only thing upsetting about this title is that no other copies of the series have come in, because I would greedily snatch them up in a heartbeat. Which reminds me � I just got a gift certificate for a comic store. I just figured out what I�m buying with it.
4: Ayn Rand, �Atlas Shrugged� � Daunting to read because of its size, and worth every page of it. If you don�t know who John Galt is, you�re missing out. Especially all you political anarco-punks.
3: William Goldman, �The Princess Bride� � Yes it�s cute. So am I. Case closed.
2: Richard Russo, �Nobody�s Fool� � It�s been a long time since a book actually commanded me to slow down and savor the language and form of the written word. Russo made all the bad books in the world worth it, for it restored my faith in fiction. I know I�m going to be reading a lot of this guy�s books in the future.
1: Kevin Murphy, �A Year at the Movies � One Man�s Filmgoing Odyssey� � A book as big as this one, comprised entirely about essays involving film, has the potential to get very stale very quickly. This never did. Murphy is the sole reason to get up early enough to hear NPR�s Weekend Edition. Though I�ve only managed to do that a couple of times myself. If you go to Npr�s Web site and use Kevin Murphy as a search phrase you can hear for yourself why he�s so good, but you should still get this book.
And the worst, which everyone is more interested in, from least worst to the most god awful piece of crap were:
7: Michael J. Nelson, �Mike Nelson�s Mind Over Matters� � Proof that my love of Mystery Science Theater 3000 won�t skew my reviews, this was pointless essays that missed more often than hit. Though not the worst writing I�ve read, I expected so much more Nelson, which proves that perhaps my reviews are skewed after all.
6: Mario Puzo, �Omerta� � Why is it that Jim Thompson can write a bout the same subjects over and over and still appear fresh, while Puzo doing another mob nock off epic comes of as so derivative? I can�t ask either of them, as they�re both dead. In Puzo�s case, I�m actually glad for that point of fact.
5: A.M. Spencer, � Murrow: His Life and Times� � Ever wanted to know what a reporter ate for breakfast? Or where they stayed every day of his life? Or what they did on any given day of his life? Me neither. But I know all these points about Murrow.
4: Garth Ennis, �The Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank� � Since I included Alan Moore in the �best� section, I can put this in the worst section with a clear conscience. All the books I�ve finished in the last two years, even the god-awful ones, are on my bookshelf � sort of a testament to myself that I can finish anything. Except for this book. Now, if I need that reassurance, I have to go to work, as the copy I returned is still there � nobody else wants it either.
3: Henry Miller �Tropic of Capricorn� � There�s an old saying that goes, �Sex is like pizza � even when it�s bad, it�s still pretty good.� This particular tome of sex served up by House of Henry was like making a pizza using three day-old dough made from yeast infections instead of plain old yeast, ladled with menstrual blood and meat curtains. It was not good pizza.
2: Upton Sinclair, �The Cup of Fury� � It shouldn�t be surprising that a book by a writer dealing with the subject of how writers shouldn�t drink didn�t appeal to me. As a matter of fact, I think I�ll make myself a drink right now.
1: Jack Kerouac, �Desolation Angels� � For two years in a row, Kerouac has managed to put out the worst book I�ve ever read. Considering how many books I�ve read in this time, that�s pretty fucking impressive. No, I take that back, that�s pretty fucking depressing. I�ve said it before, but it�s worth repeating: this book, along with Visions of Cody, make me want to take a pilgrimage to Kerouac�s grave, exhume the body, and punch him in the fucking mouth.
