Completed a lot since I last wrote one of these. I’ve been good with always reading something between 10-20 pages in the morning after I get up before I do anything else.And listening I do a lot of in the evenings while giving the dogs an hour walk around the park. So those have been good habits for what I consider positive input. Output I still have to figure out a good set of habits. Writing comes hard but I’m committed to figuring that out.
I have finished two graphic novels so far as I can remember since I last updated this. Han Solo by Marjorie Liu, whose The Monstress is what I should be reading, and East of West by Jonathan Hickman. Han Solo was a fine story but it was a fine self contained story that really didn’t much for the Saga, which is common for the Star Wars comic books. Although when the Star Wars comics do add something to the saga somehow, someway they are at their best. That’s a tough way to write, to make some kind of relevant addition but also contain yourself within the overall plot structure of episodes four and five.
Liu was unable to wonderfully additive.She was only able to be sufficiently additive. Sufficiently additive in this context means the story was very good and very well written but not so great that it’s something that should be read by all who love Star Wars but don’t read the comics (i guess Gillen’s Darth Vader run would qualify as this).
East of West by Jonathan Hickman was dark and funny and weird and gets a lot credit for doing something special and imaginative in the narrative art style that can really only be done as narrative art. Both people who read and don’t read comics don’t realize that as a medium certain stories cannot exist as film or prose or even audio play (even though comics feel like storyboards treated as final drafts). The fantasy element reigns supreme in East of West as a film there would be far too much explaining needed and background. Yet as a comic the four horsemen of the apocalypse just walking around about their business works.
I finished Baby Teeth by Donnie Cates a horror comic. It is good so far but feels like it’s just getting started.
From a prose perspective I got done with two audiobooks and one paper book. I am still working the 60 page novella set in the Expanse universe.
The books Grit by Angelo Duckworth is basically my manifesto. I will be getting that book in print and reading from it the rest of my life and reading anything she writes and following her research until the end of my life.
The Last Wish is a Witcher story. Something I started while living in Poland and quite immediately because the first two volumes of short stories hadn’t been published in 2007 or 2008. I listened to the first set and I’ll probably listen to the second set of short stories. And then the third volume (which is the first full novel) I have laying around somewhere in my office and will read that. The collection is very episodic so it’s more a novel because all the short stories tie together. So I’d rather call it an episodic novel I suppose.
Last but not least from my pile of read books is Other Minds. The vegan lifestyle has lead me to be extremely interested in biology books and Other Minds was part anatomy book, part evolutionary, biology book, part travel journal and part philosophy book. Which all philosophy books should be, not just a mess of obnoxious tedious logic (I’m talking to you Daniel Dennett). It was a beautiful.
Being read right now is Locke and Key a comicbook and the second volume of East of West and also God Country by the same writer as Baby Teeth above. I have also started I book I’m excited to finish called Inside of a Dog another animal book that I am listening to. I reading and nearly finished with Daily Rituals a book that just chronicles the daily rituals of famous artists and scientists and will be starting a book nominated for one of the translation awards called Angel of Oblivion Maja Haderlap tonight.
List of pages read are below the break.
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