365 Books a Year Challenge: 41 Books in May!

Ok, so I did not expect to read 41 books this month.  If you remember (those 3 people who are reading this), my forecast for May was going to be low since I was going to be travelling for 3 weeks but apparently, I was quite wrong about this.  The various flights and train rides allowed me much time to read and the many miles walked and bike-riding afforded me some good time to listen as well.

This is actually good since I really don't think I'll make the count for June, since we're at June 9 and I've only read 2 books (there is at least one I'm very close to finishing, another I'm about 2/3 through and another about half).  Upon returning  from my trip, I've had very little time to catch up on the reading.

So here are a few of my favorite reads from the month!

The Devil's Church And Other Stories by Marchado de Assis 

This was my first introduction to Marchado de Assis and the anthology was off to a great start but stumbled along the way.  However, I did enjoy the stories overall, even if the later ones didn't live up to the earlier ones.  I found this anthology in a second-hand bookstore in Zwolle and it was handy since it was small enough to fit into my pocket or took up a small space in my travel bag.

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

I quite enjoyed this book and the approaches to mindfulness that Kabat-Zinn offers up.  His discussion and easy explanations about how to move into mindfulness coupled with good examples and methods of doing so were useful.  What was reassuring in some ways was to learn that I was already practicing mindfulness in varying degrees and that his explanations help me better understand why I do some things and how that helps to center me.

A Queer and Pleasant Danger: The True Story of a Nice Jewish Boy Who Joins the Church of Scientology and Leaves Twelve Years Later to Become the Lovely Lady She is Today by Kate Bornstein

I loved Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us but was a little hesitant to pick up A Queer and Pleasant Danger--where can one really go after providing such a fascinating look and exploration of sex, gender, and sexuality.  Wow--Bornstein sends readers in some awesome directions in this memoir that leaves you in stitches with some of the more zany events in her life.

Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek

Jurek is now the second book on ultra-marathon running that I've read.  Born to Run was the first.  Though inspiring and motivating as I train to run a marathon this year and who knows what, next year, I found the book couldn't quite decide if it was a memoir or a how-to guide.  There was some great information and tips but Jurek's goal felt a bit diluted.  Regardless, it's a must read for runner looking for some extra pep and encouragement.

The Revolution Was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers and Slayers Who Changed TV Drama Forever by Alan Sepinwall

Sepinwall's book reminded me to some degree of Steven Johnson's Everything Bad for You Is Good in that he creates a strong and coherent argument about the amazing complexity of modern television--one that destroys the idea that the television is an idiotbox.  In his exploration, Sepinwall shows the depth and power of storytelling provided by some of the best shows of the last 15 years including Oz, Sopranos, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mad Men, and The Shield.

Red Diaper Baby: Three Comic Monologues by Josh Kornbluth

Josh Kornbluth is awesome.  If you have not seen Haiku Tunnel yet and are a fan of office comedies, go see it now!  This collection of monologues, performed by Kornbluth (I listened to it) is a fun and quirky trip through his childhood and second childhood (or what some might call adulthood).

Here's the tally so far or you can check the full list of books this year at GoodReads:

BOOKS

  • Selected Fables by Jean de La Fontaine
  • The Devil's Church And Other Stories by Marchado de Assis 
  • Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
  • The Genius Of William Hogarth by William Hogarth

AUDIOBOOKS

  • Aging as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser by Lewis Richmond
  • A Queer and Pleasant Danger: The True Story of a Nice Jewish Boy Who Joins the Church of Scientology and Leaves Twelve Years Later to Become the Lovely Lady She is Today by Kate Bornstein
  • Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek
  • The Revolution Was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers and Slayers Who Changed TV Drama Forever by Alan Sepinwall
  • Echoes of my Soul by Robert Tanenbaum
  • Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation Is Changing Your World by Don Tapscott
  • Final crisis by Greg Cox
  • The Way Hollywood Tells It: Story and Style in Modern Movies by David Bordwell
  • Red Diaper Baby: Three Comic Monologues by Josh Kornbluth
  • Seduction of the Innocent by Max Allan Collins
  • Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business by Jeff Howe
  • Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge by Cass Sunstein

GRAPHIC NOVELS

  • Two Guns by Steven Grant
  • Possessions, Vol. 2: The Ghost Table by Ray Fawkes
  • Clay County by Bruce Brown
  • Possessions, Vol. 1: Unclean Getaway by Ray Fawkes
  • Nothingface by Kel Nuttall
  • The Black List by Salvatore Pane
  • The Traveler Vol. 1 by Stan Lee
  • The Traveler Vol. 2 by Stan Lee
  • Salem: Queen of Thorns by Kevin Walsh
  • Spike: A Dark Place by Victor Gischler
  • Butcher Street by Justin Robinson
  • The Curse of Dracula by Marv Wolfman
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9, Volume 3: Guarded by Andrew Chambliss
  • Ark by Peter Dabbene
  • Unemployment Adventures of Aqualung by Alex Schumacher
  • Green Hornet, Vol. 1 by Kevin Smith
  • Happy! by Grant Morrison
  • Crossed: Wish You Were Here Volume 1 by Simon Spurrier
  • Moving Pictures by Kathryn Immonen
  • Daredevil, Volume 1 by Mark Waid
  • The Incredible Hulk, Vol. 1 by Jason Aaron
  • The Incredible Hulk, Vol. 2 by Jason Aaron
  • Avengers: Season One by Peter David
  • Superman: Earth One, Vol. 2 by Michael J. Straczynski
  • Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Vol. 2: Secrets of the Dead by Jeff Lemire

Creative Commons License
By Any Other Nerd Blog by Lance Eaton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Comments