Things I Read During 2007

[roadrunnertwice]

Things I Read During December

K. Thor Jensen -- Red Eye, Black Eye (graphic novel) (12/2)

I read the first part of this comic when it was running on Serializer.net, and it was one of my faves from their lineup. It doesn't really go anywhere huge, big, and exciting, but that's kind of the point. Jensen's character is pretty close to being a Beat in the classic sense, and Beats don't really get catharsis, or even much of a plot; they have to just keep on going, even when they're mostly broken.

(Also, did that fucking landlord never give him his thousand bucks back? WTF!)

Brian Lee O'Malley -- Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together (12/3)

More of the same, still getting better, not much more to say. If you're not reading this series, y'oughta start.

Oh, and I loved it when Scott's head started glowing. I still don't get it, but it's some funny turnaround.

Charles Stross -- Halting State (12/6)

Scottish cops, Orcish bank robbers, Chinese gold farmers, cryptographic infrastructure, The LARP That Ate MI-5, and saving the free world from griefers. Serious fun.

Carla Speed McNeil -- Finder: The Rescuers (graphic novel, reread, 12/11)

This one's reach exceeded its grasp, I thought, but it's still pretty strong.

Elizabeth Bear - "Tideline" (short story; free at link)

I'm gonna go ahead and call it the best short story I read all year. That might be an exaggeration, but really, check it out.

I'm gonna name my band "She Buried Her Platoon In Camelot."

Bob Shaw -- "Light of Other Days" (short story) (12/25)

Meh.

Lois McMaster Bujold - The Sharing Knife: Beguilement (12/29)

Is this a romance novel? I think it is. Tricky! Anyway, I really liked the first half of the book, what with all the mysterious demonic life forms and miscarriage and well-drawn ranger culture... and then it kinda lost me, what with all the meeting the family and preparing for the wedding and rugged 50-something male lead sweeping the young farm girl off her feet and taking her away from it all. Yes, it's more complicated and interesting than that. No, it's still not really my bag. Not sure if I'm gonna read the other half of the duology or not.

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And that's it for Things I Read During 2007! I think I clocked somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 novels and 25 graphic novels over the year.

So what did everybody think of this little exercise? I've been having fun with it, but I'm wondering whether to keep doing it. I mean, for one thing, I could probably be having approximately the same fun on something slightly more productive.

[Poll #1113857]