31 March 2015

Reading Roundup Wrapup: March 2015

Pick of the month: When in Rome by Jeph Loeb. Slim pickings, I'm afraid. This is another month where I'm limited by what I actually managed to read-- almost all low-to-mid-range superhero books. But When in Rome was probably the best in terms of accomplishing what it set out to do, though I also enjoyed Robin: Year One. Summa Technologiae is a book I wanted to like but... boy, it made it tough. Mostly all I did this month was continue my Batman reading project, but I think I am on track to rediversify my reading a little bit.

All books read:
1. Moving Pictures by Kathryn & Stuart Immonen
2. Absolute Batman: Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
3. Catwoman: When in Rome by Jeph Loeb
4. Batman: Year Two: Fear the Reaper by Mike W. Barr
5. Robin: Year One by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty
6. 52 by Greg Cox
7. Electronic Mediations, Volume 40: Summa Technologiae by Stanisław Lem
8. Countdown to Final Crisis: 51…50…49…48…47…46…45…44…43…42…41…40…39… by Paul Dini with Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray, Tony Bedard, Adam Beechen, Sean McKeever, and Keith Giffen
9. Countdown to Final Crisis: 38…37…36…35…34…33…32…31…30…29…28…27…26… by Paul Dini with Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti, Adam Beechen, Tony Bedard, Sean McKeever, and Keith Giffen

All books acquired:
1. Kleptomania: Ten Stories by Manjula Padmanabhan
2. Fantastic Four by Matt Fraction Omnibus by Matt Fraction with Chris Sebela, Karl Kesel, Lee Allred, and Michael Allred
3. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: Manga, Volume Three by Toshiki Kudo
4. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: Manga, Volume Four by Toshiki Kudo
5. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: Manga, Volume One by Shin-ichi Hiromito
6. The New Adventures: Twilight of the Gods by Mark Clapham & Jon de Burgh Miller

03 March 2015

Reading Roundup Wrapup: February 2015

Pick of the month: Traitor by Matthew Stover. Whoa, I did not read a lot, huh? But still this is a good book. Not as good as Stover's later Star Wars works-- The Shadows of Mindor is definitely his masterpiece-- but this is the book that makes the inane philosophical ponderings of the early New Jedi Order worth it, by giving someone an actual philosophical crisis. And Stover makes that interesting and relevant, by grounding it in action: this book never lets up intellectually or physically, and the climax is certainly one of the all-time great moments in Star Wars literature.

All books read:
1. Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand by Aaron Allston
2. Doctor Who: The Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
3. Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Traitor by Matthew Stover
4. Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou

Yeah... that ties for August 2010 as my worst-ever reading month.

All books acquired:
1. The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith edited by James A. Mann
2. Three Virgins and Other Stories by Manjula Padmanabhan
3. Hot Death, Cold Soup: Twelve Short Stories by Manjula Padmanabhan
4. Escape by Manjula Padmanabhan
5. Star Wars: A New Hope: Manga, Volume Three by Hisao Tamaki
6. Star Wars: A New Hope: Manga, Volume Four by Hisao Tamaki
7. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: Manga, Volume One by Toshiki Kudo
8. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: Manga, Volume Four by Shin-ichi Hiromoto

Books remaining on "To be read" list: ???