Movies:

1. True Grit
2. Rabbit Hole
3. Another Year
4. The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2011: Live Action
5. The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2011: Animated
6. The Illusionist
7. All About Eve
8. Cedar Rapids
9. Source Code
10. Scream 4
11. POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
12. Bridesmaids
13. Potiche
14. Meek’s Cutoff
15. Midnight in Paris
16. Super 8
17. X-Men: First Class
18. The Future
19. The Prestige
20. The Help
21. Griff the Invisible
22. The Debt
23. Weekend
24. The Skin I Live In
25. Martha Marcy May Marlene
26. Le Gamin au Velo
27. The Deep Blue Sea
28. The Descendants
29. Shame
30. Hugo
31. Young Adult

Books:

1. Voodoo Heart by Scott Snyder
2. The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan
3. The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter
4. Last Summer by Michael Thomas Ford
5. Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
6. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
7. The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa
8. This Is NPR: The First Forty Years by NPR
9. The Diary of a Dr Who Addict by Paul Magrs
10. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
11. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
12. Trouble on Triton: An Ambiguous Heterotopia by Samuel R. Delany
13. The Gaslight Dogs by Karin Lowachee
14. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
15. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
16. Twinkle Twinkle by Kaori Ekuni
17. D.C. Noir edited by George Pelecanos
18. Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Make Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Chutneys & More by Ashley English
19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
20. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8. Lee
21. The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
22. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
23. Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy edited by Ellen Datlow
24. Bob the Book by David Pratt

Fiction Magazines, Chapbooks, and Zines:

1. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #23
2. Lightspeed Magazine, January 2011
3. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #24
4. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #26
5. Lightspeed Magazine, February 2011
6. Fantasy Magazine, March 2011
7. Fantasy Magazine, April 2011
8. Lightspeed Magazine, March 2011
9. Lightspeed Magazine, April 2011
10. Fantasy Magazine, May 2011
11. Lightspeed Magazine, May 2011
12. Fantasy Magazine, June 2011
13. Lightspeed Magazine, June 2011

Graphic Novels:

1. Tintin in America by Hergé
2. Kurozakuro Vol. 1 by Yoshinori Natsume
3. Twin Spica Vol. 5 by Kou Yaginuma
4. Cigars of the Pharaoh by Hergé
5. The Blue Lotus by Hergé
6. The Broken Ear by Hergé
7. Hikaru no Go Vol. 20 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
8. Hikaru no Go Vol. 21 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
9. Toys in the Basement by Stéphane Blanquet
10. Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
11. Batman – The Annuals Vol. 1 by Various
12. The Complete Ouija Interviews by Sarah Becan
13. Justice League International Vol. 5 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Bart Sears
14. Bakuman Vol. 2 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
15. Bakuman Vol. 3 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
16. Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga by Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, Pat Broderick, and Larry Mahlstedt
17. Cross Game Vol. 1 by Mitsuru Adachi
18. Cross Game Vol. 2 by Mitsuru Adachi
19. Ivy by Sarah Oleksyk
20. Gaylord Phoenix by Edie Fake
21. A Friendly Game by Lindsay Hornsby
22. Shadoweyes Vol. 1 by Ross Campbell
23. Aria Vol. 6 by Kozue Amano
24. Yotsuba&! Vol. 9 by Kiyohiko Azuma
25. Prince Valiant Vol. 2: 1939-1940 by Harold Foster
26. Lewis and Clark by Nick Bertozzi
27. Tsubasa Vol. 23 by CLAMP
28. Tsubasa Vol. 24 by CLAMP
29. Tsubasa Vol. 25 by CLAMP
30. Tsubasa Vol. 26 by CLAMP
31. Tsubasa Vol. 27 by CLAMP
32. Tsubasa Vol. 28 by CLAMP
33. Twin Spica Vol. 6 by Kou Yaginuma
34. Scenes from an Impending Marriage by Adrian Tomine
35. Finder: Voice by Carla Speed McNeil
36. Hikaru no Go Vol. 22 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
37. Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder, Jock, and Francesco Francavilla
38. Suicide Squad: Trial by Fire by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell
39. 7 Billion Needles Vol. 3 by Nobuaki Tadano
40. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden
41. Brody’s Ghost Vol. 1 by Mark Crilley
42. Brody’s Ghost Vol. 2 by Mark Crilley
43. The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 11 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki
44. Salt Water Taffy, vol. 4: Caldera’s Revenge! Part 1 by Matthew Loux
45. Love and Rockets: New Stories Vol. 3 by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez
46. Earl & Mooch: A Mutts Treasury by Patrick McDonnell
47. The Complete Peanuts 1963-1964 by Charles M. Schulz
48. It Was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi
49. Bunny Drop Vol. 1 by Yumi Unita
50. Bunny Drop Vol. 2 by Yumi Unita
51. An Elegy for Amelia Johnson by Andrew Rostan, Dave Valeza, and Kate Kasenow
52. Tonoharu Part Two by Lars Martinson
53. I Will Bite You! and Other Stories by Joseph Lambert
54. Bunny Drop Vol. 3 by Yumi Unita
55. Daytripper by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon
56. Astro City: Shining Stars by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
57. Hikaru no Go Vol. 23 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
58. Paying for It by Chester Brown
59. Torpedo Vol. 3 Enrique Sanchez Abuli and Jordi Bernet
60. Cross Game Vol. 3 by Mitsuru Adachi
61. Empire State: A Love Story by Jason Shiga
62. Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: Race to Death Valley by Floyd Gottfredson
63. Real Vol. 9 by Takehiko Inoue
64. Justice League International Vol. 6 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Adam Hughes, Bart Sears
65. La Quinta Camera: The Fifth Room by Natsume Ono
66. Cross Game Vol. 4 by Mitsuru Adachi
67. Twin Spica Vol. 7 by Kou Yaginuma
68. The Summit of the Gods Vol. 2 by Baku Yumemakura and Jiro Taniguchi
69. Bakuman Vol. 4 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
70. Wandering Son Vol. 1 by Shimura Takako
71. Wimbledon Green: The Greatest Comic Book Collector in the World by Seth
72. Americus by M.K. Reed and Jonathan Hill
73. Congress of the Animals by Jim Woodring
74. Cul de Sac Golden Treasury: A Keepsake Garland of Classics by Richard Thompson
75. Bake Sale by Sara Varon
76. Troop 142 by Mike Dawson
77. Stargazing Dog by Takashi Murakami
78. A Zoo In Winter by Jiro Taniguchi
79. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
80. Holy Terror by Frank Miller
81. X 3-In-1 Vol. 1 by CLAMP
82. Any Empire by Nate Powell
83. Loserville Vol. 1: And Then You Might Explode by Alex Cox
84. Feynman by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick
85. Who is Jake Ellis? Vol. 1 by Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic
86. Twin Spica Vol. 8 by Kou Yaginuma
87. The Walking Dead Book One by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charles Adlard
88. iZombie Vol. 2: uVampire by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred
89. Celluloid by Dave McKean
90. Twin Spica Vol. 9 by Kou Yaginuma
91. Prince Valiant Vol. 3: 1941-1942 by Hal Foster
92. Bubbles & Gondola by Renaud Dillies
93. Kobato Vol. 4 by CLAMP
94. Freddy Stories by Melissa Mendes
95. Tesoro by Natsume Ono
96. Twin Spica Vol. 10 by Kou Yaginuma
97. Picket Line by Breena Wiederhoeft
98. Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: Trapped on Treasure Island by Floyd Gottfredson
99. Yotsuba&! Vol. 10 by Kiyohiko Azuma
100. The Hidden by Richard Sala
101. Nina in “That Makes Me Mad!” by Hilary Knight
102. A Waste of Time by Rick Worley
103. Rust Vol. 1: Visitor in the Field by Royden Lepp
104. Criminal Vol. 6: Last of the Innocent by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
105. Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes by Carl Barks
106. The Punisher Vol. 1 by Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto
107. American Vampire Vol. 3 by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, Sean Murphy, and Danijel Zezelj
108. Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton
109. Wandering Son Book Two by Shimura Takako
110. Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Vol. 1 by Brian Holguin, Barbara Randall Kesel, Alex Sheikman, and Lizzy John

And then, of course, two years ago I got an e-reader and the number of physical books entering my home shrunk again. But all of this did nothing to change the number of unread books that I have owned, waiting for that day where they got tackled. So once we moved, I created one or two bookshelves with nothing but unread books, and now I’m going to try and make my way through them. The majority of them are ones that once read I’ll be giving away, so there’s added incentive to get moving through them.

(More importantly, having them all in one location makes it easier for me to hear their siren call, “Read me, Greg, read me.”)

So far I’ve finished off one book (Twinkle Twinkle by Kaori Ekuni) and am almost halfway through a second one (DC Noir edited by George Pelecanos). Loved the first one, and am enjoying the second one. Now, I don’t see myself blasting through the multiple “to-read” shelves anytime soon, but it is gratifying to finally start tackling them. But heck, I’ve had that copy of Twinkle Twinkle for eight years now. It was time to finally cross it off the list. Between that and finally watching my copy of The Prestige from Netflix (which sat on my coffee table for several years, waiting)… well, I might make it 2010′s books by the end of the decade. Such progress!

My one consolation, of course, is that I bet at least half of the people reading this have similarly groaning to-read shelves… possibly more. Admit it.

Just over a year ago, I was lucky enough to get a Kindle for an amazingly low price (only the new WiFi-only editions are lower priced) and I’ve loved it. And in the past year or so, it’s meant that I’ve been able to swap out some print edition books with electronic copies.

The easiest ones to replace were books that’ve fallen out of copyright, of course. So my copies of books like Alice in Wonderland, Dubliners, Howards End, and Jane Eyre (to name just a few examples) were donated to the library, and free ebooks from Project Gutenburg took their place. But it’s everything else, of course, that’s a bit harder to simply replace. Although some times I’ve been lucky, like the time that (and to this day I’m not sure if it was a pricing error or an unannounced great deal) that a whole slew of Iain M. Banks books were knocked down to 99 cents. That sort of thing. So that’s helped thin the herd a great deal. (I do wish there was a program where if you sent back mint editions of books, or pledged to give them to your library, that you could exchange them for some ebooks, though.) But still, there are a lot of books that I’m just not willing to buy an additional copy of in the name of saving space. So that’s a little frustrating.

And of course, there are some books that even if I could swap out, I wouldn’t. Some first editions and signed limited editions, for instance, that sort of thing. And some sets of books that (even though I should) I just can’t bear to start breaking up. There’s something asthetically pleasing about them that makes me want them to keep sticking around.

On the other hand, I did make one important leap recently. One of my favorite publishers, Small Beer Press, is a company that I buy just about all of their books. It’s fun to walk by the shelf that has just about all of their titles on display. But in December and January, I picked up two books from them in ebook edition. It was a tough call at first, but at the end of the day I’m still getting the great publishing choices from them that I like, but my overly full bookshelves don’t have to strain that much more. And my copies of Under the Poppy and Redemption in Indigo were slightly cheaper than the print editions, so that’s an added bonus.

(I’m also careful to back up my ebooks in case of catastrophic computer failure, not only onto an external hard drive but also automatically onto an online backup service, lest the house itself burn down. So I’m in some ways more protected than with my actual books.)

Will I ever get rid of all my physical books? Of course not. The majority of them? Also probably not. But a sizable chunk? Eventually. And more and more, the new ones coming in won’t be physical ones. (Well, prose books anyway. Those pesky graphic novels are another story entirely, of course.) I’m sure whenever I move next, there will some very happy movers that there aren’t even more books to get carried into and out of the truck…

In my head, there are three tiers for Shakespeare plays and my experience with them. First tier is seen them performed; second tier is never seen them performed but I have read the play; third tier is never even read them (or at least have no memory of doing so — I came down with the flu during one of my Shakespeare classes and I have a sneaking suspicion there’s at least one on that list which we read/studied that has been wiped from my brain in a haze of medicine). There’s a huge hole in my historical play list (never seen a single one performed, only studied the Hal plays), something which is rather regrettable.

(I suppose I could also add in an even higher tier of ones I’ve been in performances of, although that’s limited to As You Like It, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet. Since that list is unlikely to ever expand, though, probably not.)

Anyway, I’ve noticed that the Shakespeare Theatre here in DC is performing Cymbeline starting later this month, which is a third tier play for me. But on the downside, it’s directed by the person who did a not good job with Twelfth Night two years ago. Hmm. Decisions, decisions. (I’m also kicking myself for missing the Folger Theatre’s production of Henry VIII a few months ago, because really, how often is that performed in the DC area?)

For those of you who like that sort of thing in general, what are your feelings on Cymbeline? And if I were to try and read one or two of the “third tier” plays this year, any recommendations? (I suspect Richard II would be an obvious choice.)

Seen performed:

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• All’s Well That Ends Well
• Antony and Cleopatra
• As You Like It
• Hamlet
• Julius Caesar
• King Lear
• Macbeth
• Measure for Measure
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Othello
• Romeo and Juliet
• The Comedy of Errors
• The Merchant of Venice
• The Taming of the Shrew
• The Tempest
• Titus Andronicus
• Twelfth Night

Read but never seen a stage production:

• Henry IV, Part 1
• Henry IV, Part 2
• Henry V
• Love’s Labour’s Lost
• The Merry Wives of Windsor
• The Winter’s Tale

Never read:

• Coriolanus
• Cymbeline
• Henry VI, Part 1
• Henry VI, Part 2
• Henry VI, Part 3
• Henry VIII
• King John
• Pericles, Prince of Tyre
• Richard II
• Richard III
• The Two Gentlemen of Verona
• The Two Noble Kinsmen
• Timon of Athens
• Troilus and Cressida

Movies:

1. Avatar
2. Invictus
3. Alice in Wonderland
4. Greenberg
5. How to Train Your Dragon
6. Iron Man 2
7. Please Give
8. The City of Your Final Destination
9. Micmacs
10. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
11. Winter’s Bone
12. Toy Story 3
13. Despicable Me
14. Inception
15. The Kids Are All Right
16. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
17. Salt
18. Christmas in Connecticut
19. A Letter to Three Women
20. Easy A
21. Heartbreaker
22. Never Let Me Go
23. Waiting For “Superman”
24. The Social Network
25. Red
26. Fair Game
27. Certified Copy
28. Tangled
29. Black Swan
30. The King’s Speech
31. Somewhere

Books:

1. Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
3. Hapworth 16, 1924 by J.D. Salinger
4. Aye, and Gomorrah: And Other Stories by Samuel R. Delany
5. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
6. Blackout by Connie Willis
7. Ash by Malinda Lo
8. Twelve Stories by Paul Magrs
9. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
10. The City & The City by China Miéville
11. Stealing Fire by Jo Graham
12. Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison
13. Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans: The Best of McSweeney’s Humor Category ed. by Dave Eggers
14. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
15. Second Line by Poppy Z. Brite
16. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa
17. The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff
18. Soulless by Gail Carriger
19. Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson
20. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
21. All Clear by Connie Willis

Fiction Magazines, Chapbooks, and Zines:

1. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #25

Graphic Novels:

1. Real Vol. 6 by Takehiko Inoue
2. Bokurano: Ours Vol. 1 by Mohiro Kitoh
3. All My Darling Daughters by Fumi Yoshinaga
4. Biomega Vol. 1 by Tsutomu Nihei
5. Nightschool: The Weirn Books Vol. 2 by Svetlana Chmakova
6. Refresh, Refresh by James Ponsoldt, Benjamin Percy, Danica Novgorodoff
7. Yotsuba&! Vol. 7 by Kiyohiko Azuma
8. Smile by Raina Telgemeier
9. Sweet Tooth Vol. 1: Out of the Woods by Jeff Lemire
10. Tsubasa Vol. 21 by CLAMP
11. Tsubasa Vol. 22 by CLAMP
12. xxxHolic Vol. 14 by CLAMP
13. Aria Vol. 5 by Kozue Amano
14. One Piece: East Blue 1-2-3 by Eiichiro Oda
15. Usagi Yojimbo Vol. 23: Bridge of Tears by Stan Sakai
16. Zig and Wikki: Something Ate My Homework by Nadja Spiegelman and Trade Loeffler
17. The Return of King Doug by Greg Erb, Jason Oremland, and Hunter Clark
18. The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade: The 11 1/2 Anniversary Edition by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik
19. 20th Century Boys Vol. 6 by Naoki Urasawa
20. Grendel: Behold The Devil by Matt Wagner
21. Missile Mouse Vol. 1: The Star Crusher by Jake Parker
22. Spell Checkers Vol. 1 by Jamie S. Rich, Joelle Jones, and Nicolas Hitore de
23. Tekkon Kinkreet: Black & White by Taiyo Matsumoto
24. Ristorante Paradiso by Natsume Ono
25. Crogan’s March by Chris Schweizer
26. Bronx Kill by Peter Milligan and James Romberger
27. 20th Century Boys Vol. 7 by Naoki Urasawa
28. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 7 by Naoki Urasawa
29. Real Vol. 7 by Takehiko Inoue
30. Yotsuba&! Vol. 8 by Kiyohiko Azuma
31. Oishinbo A La Carte: Izakaya – Pub Food by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
32. The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks and Ibraim Roberson
33. A Home for Mr. Easter by Brooke A. Allen
34. Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 1 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Don Heck
35. The Stuff of Legend Vol. 1: The Dark by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith
36. Real Vol. 8 by Takehiko Inoue
37. Wilson by Daniel Clowes
38. Hellboy Vol. 9: The Wild Hunt by Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo
39. Twin Spica Vol. 1 by Kou Yaginuma
40. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 8 by Naoki Urasawa
41. Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit Vol. 5 by Motoro Mase
42. RASL Vol. 2: The Fire Of St. George by Jeff Smith
43. Black Blizzard by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
44. Hikaru no Go Vol. 17 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
45. Hikaru no Go Vol. 18 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
46. Hikaru no Go Vol. 19 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
47. xxxHolic Vol. 15 by CLAMP
48. Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson
49. Afterschool Charisma Vol. 1 by Kumiko Suekane
50. John Constantine, Hellblazer: Hooked by Peter Milligan, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Landini, and Simon Bisley
51. Prime Baby by Gene Luen Yang
52. Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel
53. Moomin Book Four: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip by Tove Jansson and Lars Jansson
54. Octopus Pie: There Are No Stars in Brooklyn by Meredith Gran
55. Suicide Squad: From the Ashes by John Ostrander and Javier Pina
56. Children of the Sea Vol. 3 by Daisuke Igarashi
57. Foiled by Jane Yolen and Mike Cavallaro
58. Bakuman Vol. 1 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
59. Kobato Vol. 1 by CLAMP
60. Kobato Vol. 2 by CLAMP
61. Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O’Malley
62. Secret Six: Depths by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott
63. Rabbi Harvey Vs. the Wisdom Kid by Steve Sheinkin
64. Jellaby: Monster in the City by Kean Soo
65. Twin Spica Vol. 2 by Kou Yaginuma
66. Moomin Book Five: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip by Tove Jansson and Lars Jansson
67. Moving Pictures by Kathryn Immonen and Stuart Immonen
68. Sandman Mystery Theatre Vol. 8: The Blackhawk and the Return of the Scarlet Ghost by Matt Wagner, Steven T. Seagle, Guy Davis, and Matthew Smith
69. House of Five Leaves Vol. 1 by Natsume Ono
70. The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier
71. The Unwritten Vol. 2: Inside Man by Mike Carey and Peter Gross
72. Hellboy Vol. 10: The Crooked Man and Others by Mike Mignola, Joshua Dysart, and Richard Corben
73. Villains United by Gail Simone and Dale Eaglesham
74. The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Eric Shanower, and Skottie Young
75. American Vampire Vol. 1 by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, and Rafael Albuquerque
76. Whirlwind Wonderland by Rina Ayuyang
77. Pang, the Wandering Shaolin Monk Vol. 1: Refuge of the Heart by Ben Costa
78. Drinking at the Movies by Julia Wertz
79. Ooku: The Inner Chambers Vol. 2 by Fumi Yoshinaga
80. Wonton Soup Vol. 1 by James Stokoe
81. Twin Spica Vol. 3 by Kou Yaginuma
82. Bokurano: Ours Vol. 2 by Mohiro Kitoh
83. Nancy Vol. 1: The John Stanley Library by John Stanley and Dan Gormley
84. The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 9 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki
85. The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 10 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki
86. Slam Dunk Vol. 12 by Takehiko Inoue
87. 7 Billion Needles Vol. 1 by Nobuaki Tadano
88. Louis – Night Salad by Metaphrog
89. The Sisters’ Luck by Shari Chankhamma
90. Koko Be Good by Jen Wang
91. Secret Six: Six Degrees of Devastation by Gail Simone and Brad Walker
92. Johnny Wander Vol. 1: Don’t Burn the House Down by Ananth Panagariya and Yuko Ota
93. Korea As Viewed by 12 Creators by Various
94. Secret Six: Danse Macabre by Gail Simone, John Ostrander, J. Calafiore
95. A Drunken Dream and Other Stories by Moto Hagio
96. Make Me a Woman by Vanessa Davis
97. Kobato Vol. 3 by CLAMP
98. Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 2 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
99. Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan
100. AX Vol. 1: A Collection of Alternative Manga by Various
101. Twin Spica Vol. 4 by Kou Yaginuma
102. Saturn Apartments Vol. 2 by Hisae Iwaoka
103. Genkaku Picasso Vol. 1 by Furuya Usamaru
104. Children of the Sea Vol. 4 by Daisuke Igarashi
105. The Summit of the Gods Vol. 1 by Baku Yumemakura and Jiro Tanaguchi
106. Dungeon Monstres Vol. 3: Heartbreaker by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Carlos Nine, and Patrice Killoffer
107. Dungeon Zenith Vol. 3: Back in Style by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, and Christian Boulet
108. Fogtown by Andersen Gabrych and Brad Rader
109. Justice League International Vol. 1 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire
110. X’ed Out by Charles Burns
111. xxxHOLiC Vol. 16 by CLAMP
112. The Sixth Gun Vol. 1 by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt
113. Emitown: A Sketch Diary by Emi Lenox
114. Grand Guignol Orchestra Vol. 1 by Kaori Yuki
115. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
116. 7 Billion Needles Vol. 2 by Nobuaki Tadano
117. Justice League International Vol. 2 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire
118. Elmer by Gerry Alanguilan
119. Ooku: The Inner Chambers Vol. 3 by Fumi Yoshinaga
120. Ooku: The Inner Chambers Vol. 4 by Fumi Yoshinaga
121. The Return of the Dapper Men by Jim McCann and Janet Lee
122. Justice League International Vol. 3  by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire
123. Justice League International Vol. 4  by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Ty Templeton
124. Ooku: The Inner Chambers Vol. 5 by Fumi Yoshinaga

Obviously I know who Tintin is, and when that stupid hair flip was in style a few years ago I referred to those who had it as Tintins. But while my good friend Marc introduced me to Asterix back in 1980, for some reason I never raided his Tintin books while I was at it.

The sad thing is that about six or seven years ago, I ended up with an almost complete collection of the Tintin books (everything from Tintin in America through Flight 714) for just a few dollars. I picked them up then and figured I would finally get around to reading them, but a recent article about Tintin reminded me that they’re still sitting on my bookshelf, untouched.

My goal for next year is to finally sit down and read them all. I went ahead and bought a copy of Tintin and the Picaros in anticipation of reading the others. But for Tintin fans out there, here’s a question: should I bother tracking down copies of the first two volumes, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and Tintin in the Congo? I know the first one is of a much cruder style, and the second one has a lot of racist depictions of people that has made it rather verboten. My instinct is to just start with Tintin in America and if, upon reading the others, I’ve enjoyed them enough I can always backtrack to those other two. (Or for that matter, pick up the never-completed Tintin and Alph-Art.) But I figured for those of you who are Tintin knowledgeable, it couldn’t hurt to double-check. (Also, read them in order, or try one of the later ones first and then jump back to the beginning? I’m leaning toward the latter but once again, can’t hurt to ask.)

It’s not quite some of the classic literature that I’ve been telling myself I’ll read soon (although I did finally tackle a few key novels over the past couple of years), but it should be a fun diversion.

Of course, once the weekend arrives the temperature and humidity are both supposed to rise, but until then I’m going to be loving it. As it is I’m tenatively planning to try and hit the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on Saturday, and to pull the camera out and dust it off. After working on a self-portrait-a-day series last year, I slightly burnt out on photography and took some time off. Over the past week or two I’ve started to miss it, though, and that means that the rest period should come to an end. We’ll see how long I last before deciding I don’t want to bake any more.

Finally resumed reading Poppy Z. Brite’s Second Line, which collects two short novels about chefs G-Man and Rickey, the stars of Liquor, Prime, and Soul Kitchen. I’ve only read Liquor but I adored it, reading about their attempt to start their own restaurant in New Orleans and using the theme of alcohol in all of their dishes. I’ve been meaning to read the other books for a while, and now that I’m about a third of the way through Second Line I’m pushing the other books up to the top of the to-read list.

Oh, still no progress on my kitchen reorganization, but the week isn’t over yet.

The Arlington County book sale was this weekend, which made me happy because it means that starting May 1st they’re accepting donations again. I stopped by on Saturday to check out a copy of Malinda Lo’s Ash for book club in a few weeks, and while I was there I wandered through the book sale. I managed to escape with only two books being purchased, thankfully. Three things that jumped out at me while was there, though:

Seeing Books I’d Donated
This got quite a few chuckles from me. Every now and then I see books I’ve donated on the shelves (for instance, the time I was walking through the Pimmit Hills Library and suddenly came across a run of fifteen volumes of The Prince of Tennis, which made laugh since I stopped after volume 15), but I always figure the books more often than not end up in the book sale. I think I must have seen a good twenty copies of books that I’d given them in one section alone; one in particular had the same little fold on the top of the cover that I remembered so well. (No, I’m not saying which books I donated and which ones I kept in my own personal library!)

Seeing Books I’d Wanted But Long Since Forgotten About
Do you have books that you thought about buying over and over again but never did? One of those books for me was Tea From An Empty Cup by Pat Cadigan, which I think I must have picked up and put back down on the shelves at the (no longer in existence) Borders around the corner from my apartment, years ago. I’d read some of Cadigan’s Wild Cards short stories, and I heard great things about the book. But I never, ever bought it. They had a lovely hardcover copy of the book for sale, and for $2 I decided to finally scoop it up. I suspect that once I read it, I will donate it back to the library and let the cycle continue for someone else!

Seeing Books I Didn’t Know Existed
I had no idea until yesterday that Food & Wine magazine publishes an annual collection of all the recipes from that year. There was a copy of their 2006 annual available, and a quick flip through showed off enough I was interested in that I decided it was worth a purchase. And once again, if I end up getting bored with it, well, back to the library! And if I like it, well, it looks like a lot of used copies of the Food & Wine annuals are available for under a buck.

That said? I am glad the big book sale only comes several times a year, for the sanity of my own bookshelves and wallet. After I had my two books, I decided to stop while I was still somewhat ahead and fled for the exit. I’m no fool. I know that path has disaster written all over it for me.

I ended up tying 2007′s movie tally with 20 films, and amusingly enough that was also the number of novels I read. As for graphic novels… well, let’s just say the final tally was a wee bit higher.

Movies:

1. The Women (the 1939 version)
2. Frost/Nixon
3. Watchmen
4. Every Little Step
5. Star Trek
6. Little Ashes
7. Away We Go
8. Up
9. Public Enemies
10. The Hurt Locker
11. (500) Days of Summer
12. Paris
13. Inglorious Basterds
14. An Education
15. Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire
16. A Room With a View
17. A Serious Man
18. Fantastic Mr. Fox
19. Up in the Air
20. A Single Man

Books:

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
2. Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
3. Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
4. All Seated On The Ground by Connie Willis
5. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks
6. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
7. Sea, Swallow Me and Other Stories by Craig Laurance Gidney
8. The Cabinet of Light by Daniel O’Mahony
9. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks
10. Shell Shock by Simon A. Forward
11. Farthing by Jo Walton
12. The Baum Plan for Financial Independence and Other Stories by John Kessel
13. Listening Is an Act of Love edited by Dave Isay
14. A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
15. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen
16. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
17. Psycho by Robert Bloch
18. After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
19. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
20. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Graphic Novels:

1. Dororo Vol. 3 by Osamu Tezuka
2. Solanin by Inio Asano
3. Oishinbo A La Carte: Japanese Cuisine by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
4. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 1 by Naoki Ursasawa
5. Tsubasa Vol. 19 by CLAMP
6. Dead, She Said by Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson
7. MPD Psycho Vol. 3 by Eiji Otsuka and Sho-u Tajima
8. Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 7 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki
9. Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together by Bryan Lee O’Malley
10. Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe by Bryan Lee O’Malley
11. My Mommy is in America and She Met Buffalo Bill by Jean Regnaud and Émile Bravo
12. Call of the Wild by Patrick McDonnell
13. Miss Don’t Touch Me by Hubert & Kerascoet
14. I Saw You…: Comics Inspired by Real Life Missed Connections edited by Julia Wertz
15. Why I Killed Peter by Alfred & Olivier Ka
16. Tsubasa Vol. 20 by CLAMP
17. DMZ Vol. 6: Blood in the Game by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli
18. Phoenix Vol. 8: Civil War, Part Two by Osamu Tezuka
19. Blade of the Immortal Vol. 20: Demon’s Lair by Hiroaki Samura
20. Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Vol. 1 by Koji Kumeta
21. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: 1910 by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill
22. The Complete Peanuts Vol. 6: 1961-1962 by Charles M. Schulz
23. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill
24. Batman: Year One Hundred by Paul Pope
25. Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Vol. 1 by Peter David and Todd McFarlane
26. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 2 by Naoki Ursasawa
27. In the Flesh by Koren Shadmi
28. First Time by Sybiline and various artists
29. Oishinbo A La Carte: Sake by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
30. A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
31. Sandman Mystery Theatre Vol. 7: The Mist & the Phantom of the Fair by Matt Wagner, Steven T. Seagle, and Guy Davis
32. French Milk by Lucy Knisley
33. 20th Century Boys Vol. 1 by Naoki Urasawa
34. A Distant Neighborhood Vol. 1 by Jiro Taniguchi
35. The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa
36. Wolverine: Prodigal Son Vol. 1 by Antony Johnson and Wilson Tortosa
37. Superman Chronicles Vol. 1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
38. Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
39. Bourbon Island 1730 by Appollo and Lewis Trondheim
40. Batman Chronicles Vol. 2 by Bill Finger and Bob Kane
41. Real Vol. 3 by Takehiko Inoue
42. Real Vol. 4 by Takehiko Inoue
43. Fairy Tail Vol. 5 by Hiro Mashima
44. Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi
45. Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip Book Three by Tove Jansson
46. Nana Vol. 14 by Ai Yazawa
47. You Have Killed Me by Jamie S. Rich and Joëlle Jones
48. Hikaru No Go Vol. 13 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
49. Hikaru No Go Vol. 14 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
50. The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
51. Hellblazer: Scab by Peter Milligan, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Stefano Landini
52. Showcase Presents: The Doom Patrol Vol. 1 by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney, Bruno Premiani, and Bob Brown
53. The Best of Simon and Kirby by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
54. Parker: The Hunter by Richard Stark and Darwyn Cooke
55. 20th Century Boys Vol. 2 by Naoki Urasawa
56. Phoenix, Vol. 10: Sun, Part One by Osamu Tezuka
57. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 3 by Naoki Urasawa
58. Mijeong by Byun Byung-jun
59. Detroit Metal City Vol. 1 by Kiminori Wakasugi
60. Yokai Doctor Vol. 1 by Yuki Sato
61. Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith
62. Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry
63. Oishinbo A La Carte: Ramen and Gyoza by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
64. Vagabond Vol. 28 by Takehiko Inoue
65. Children of the Sea Vol. 1 by Daisuke Igarashi
66. Popeye Vol. 1 by E.C. Segar
67. The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert
68. Prince Valiant Vol. 1: 1937-1938 by Hal Foster
69. Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 by Jack Kirby
70. Nana Vol. 15 by Ai Yazawa
71. Hikaru no Go Vol. 15 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
72. 20th Century Boys Vol. 3 by Naoki Urasawa
73. Real Vol. 5 by Takehiko Inoue
74. Black Jack Vol. 2 by Osamu Tezuka
75. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 4 by Naoki Urasawa
76. Barefoot Gen Vol. 1 by Keiji Nakazawa
77. Ôoku: The Inner Chamber Vol. 1 by Fumi Yoshinaga
78. 20th Century Boys Vol. 4 by Naoki Urasawa
79. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee Vol. 1 by Hiroyuki Asada
80. The Big Kahn by Neil Kleid and Nicholas Cinquegrani
81. Hikaru no Go Vol. 16 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
82. Little Nothings Vol. 2: The Prisoner Syndrome by Lewis Trondheim
83. Nana Vol. 16 by Ai Yazawa
84. Awakening Vol. 1 by Nick Tapalansky and Alex Eckman-Lawn
85. Love and Rockets: New Stories No. 2 by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez
86. The Punisher Vol. 10: Valley Forge, Valley Forge by Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov
87. Yotsuba&! Vol. 6 by Kiyohiko Azuma
88. Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 8 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki
89. Japan As Viewed By 17 Creators by Various creators
90. ACME Novelty Library Vol. 19 by Chris Ware
91. Neptune by Aron Nels Steinke
92. Festering Romance by Renee Lott
93. What a Wonderful World! Vol. 1 by Inio Asano
94. X-Men: Misfits Vol. 1 by Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, and Anzu
95. West Coast Blues by Jean-Patrick Manchette and Jacques Tardi
96. Far Arden by Kevin Cannon
97. Thor Visionaries: Walter Simonson Vol. 1 by Walter Simonson
98. Monsters by Ken Dahl
99. What a Wonderful World! Vol. 2 by Inio Asano
100. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 5 by Naoki Urasawa
101. Showcase Presents: Eclipso by Bob Haney, Lee Elias, Alex Toth, and Jack Sparling
102. Driven By Lemons by Joshua Cotter
103. Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
104. Dark Entries by Ian Rankin and Werther Dell’Edera
105. Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka Vol. 6 by Naoki Ursasawa
106. Dungeon, The Early Years Vol. 2: Innocence Lost by Lewis Trondheim, Joann Sfar, and Christophe Blain
107. Year of Loving Dangerously by Ted Rall and Pablo Callejo
108. Oishinbo A La Carte: The Joy of Rice by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
109. Incognito by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
110. Beanworld Book 3: Remember Here When You Are There! by Larry Marder
111. Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture Vol. 1 by Ishikawa Masayuki
112. Luna Park by Kevin Baker and Danijel Zezelj
113. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
114. Children of the Sea Vol. 2 by Daisuke Igarashi
115. not simple by Natsume Ono
116. Filthy Rich by Brian Azzarello and Victor Santos
117. Bloom County: The Complete Library Vol. 1 by Berkeley Breathed
118. Years of the Elephant by Willy Linthout
119. Nightschool: The Weirn Books Vol. 1 by Svetlana Chmakova
120. The Punisher MAX: From First to Last by Garth Ennis, Richard Corben, Lewis Larosa, John Severin
121. 20th Century Boys Vol. 5 by Naoki Urasawa
122. A Distant Neighborhood Vol. 2 by Jiro Taniguchi
123. xxxHolic Vol. 13 by CLAMP

But! Since I now have a Kindle (thanks to a deal I could not refuse!), all was not lost. I went onto the Kindle Store, found a free copy of Dubliners, and before I knew it I was spending Christmas Eve curled up in bed with Gabriel and Gretta Conroy. Christmas was saved, and the future is now. Sometimes, technology is awfully handy.