It’s a new year; a new 52 weeks, and a new 52 books. Well, perhaps not entirely new, because one of the new ground rules I’m laying for myself is that I can reread books (I do this a lot), but only use them once for this meme (for any year). This will be main page listing of all the books I read this year, added as I finish them. This time, I get to start on the first of the year. Ready, set, go! Update: Some other people partaking of this meme are
- Snooble
- Exxie
- Largehearted Boy
- Marisa [ announcement post, 52 books in 52 weeks blog]
- EscapeGrace
- ZeroTwoHero
- Elkit in Wonderland
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The Physics of Superheroes by James Kakalios
- Publisher: Gotham
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 384
- In Brief: This heady scientific approach to Golden Age superheroes is an excellent piece of work, but suffers from its varying degrees of difficulty; some too easy, some too complicated. Overall, however, Kakalios has managed an impressive feat.
- №1
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Kornwolf by Tristan Egolf
- Publisher: Grove
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 384
- In Brief: Egolf’s final work, dealing with an Amish community terrorized by a werewolf that resembles Richard Nixon. A delightful romp of language and story, as well as a heaping helping of social and political subtext.
- №2
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They Made America by Harold Evans
- Publisher: Little, Brown
- Year: 2004
- Pages: 496
- In Brief: A decidedly impressive work filled with beautiful colored illustrations simply failed to leave a lasting impression on me. I found it a bit strong on anecdote and short on science, but of course my opinion is obviously favorably biased to the latter.
- №3
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
- Publisher: Summit
- Year: 1985
- Pages: 256
- In Brief: Sacks spends far less time describing the pathologies themselves than waxing philosophical about their effect on one’s humanity or sense of self. The book was written in 1985, so the last two decades’ insights about such matters certainly aren’t present; reading The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat isn’t not like reading a recent periodical about neurological maladies. Rather, it’s a philosophical or spiritual dissertation using brain-based problems as examples for further rumination.
- №4
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A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
- Publisher: Broadway
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 624
- In Brief: Bryson, who normally devotes his page space to linguistics or travel, here decides to tackle the whole of the scientific umbrella. It’s a fascinating starting points for those wishing to tickle their interest and move on to further, more scholarly works (a look at the endnotes would be a good bet).
- №5
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Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
- Publisher: Little, Brown
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 352
- In Brief: A quirky compendium of odd and far-ranging topics, this serves as a good primer for some of Wallace’s more complicated works; or, if you aren’t particularly interested in tackling his novels, it’s just a fun collection of essays for intellectuals.
- №6
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Candyfreak by Steve Almond
- Publisher: Harvest
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 288
- In Brief: A poorly-executed blend of personal narrative and glimpse into the world of candy manufacturers promises a treat and ends up a bitter pill.
- №7
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Dave Barry’s Money Secrets by Dave Barry
- Publisher: Crown
- Year: 2006
- Pages: 240
- In Brief: Typical Dave Barry humour, which is simple, easy to read, and laugh-out-loud funny. Nothing special here, but recommended to fans.
- №8
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The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman
- Publisher: Dutton
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 240
- In Brief: Somewhat high-brow humour is too random and ridiculous to be particularly funny. This book, I think, falls flat on its face, which underrepresents its author.
- №9
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The Shroud of the Thwacker by Chris Elliott
- Publisher: Miramax
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 368
- In Brief: Quirky jaunt in fiction for actor-turned-writer is madcap, but will grow on you in the way that, say, MST3K grows on you.
- №10
Comments (6 comments)
Since you did 64 in 39 weeks, which is almost 2 per week, why not attempt a lofty 104 books in 52 weeks?
Granted, it doesn’t have the same ring to it, but it would be mighty impressive :)
Considering that I’m getting through an average of 2+ books a week, that’ll probably be what my final numbers look like, but I don’t think I’m going to change the name of the meme.
Dating Application at A Modest Construct / June 6th, 2006, 11:06 pm / #
[...] Approximately how many books do you read per year? Last year, 64. This year, I’m on track to read between 70 and 90, depending. [...]
You’re not going to get near 104 in 52, I’m disappointed with you :(
I know. I’m very sad about it, but I’ve had some dry spells because of other media, and because of long spells of busyness at work and at school.
I want to at least surpass my total from last year, but I’ve really dropped the ball—my actual rate was better last year, because I started three months late.
Reverse Logic » Blog Archive » Day 14 / January 14th, 2007, 10:08 pm / #
[...] rate, it will take me a little under 2 weeks to finish the book. Several bloggers online like Heliologue, Large-Hearted Boy are attempting the “52 Books in 52 Weeks” challenge, but I’m [...]
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