strange times indeed

Books Read, 2025

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 01:30:20 GMT

Incredibly, I topped last year's total, even with a book that exceeded last year's 644 pager (Anne Rule's 704-page book about the Green River Killer). Goodreads says a total of 21,630 pages read, and again, mostly in the hour or so before bed.

Assume that all reviews are going to spoil the book. I could not be bothered to do special coding tricks to hide spoilers, sorry. I will add stars for ratings, where 5 is the highest. I'm pretty generous with 5 stars.

Without further ado:

( Books Read, 2025: 69 (…nice) )

( Total numbers for 2011-2024 )

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Books Read, 2024

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 05:20:58 GMT

Unbelievably, I managed to top last year's number of books read, and that included a book that came in at a whopping 644 pages (Nelson DeMille's The Charm School). Okay, so some them were shorter, but Goodreads tells me it's a total of 17,556 pages read. Not too shabby, considering I mostly only get to read for an hour on average before going to sleep.

For spoiler reveals, just select what looks like blank space between the brackets.

Without further ado:

( Books Read, 2024: 66 (!!!!!) ) ( Total numbers for 2011-2023 )

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Year-End Meme, 2023

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 21:37:05 GMT

Lookit me, getting this posted before the new year! La dee dah. In summary: it was not the greatest year. :P

( On to the questions and answers! )

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Books Read, 2023

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 19:35:30 GMT

Sooooo, I guess I had a lot more time to read this year. This is the highest number of books I've reached in the years I've been tracking. All of the shorter entries in December are counteracted by my final book, which came in at a very dense 469 pages. Totally worth it.

( Books read 2023: 64 (!!!) )

Total numbers:

2023: 64

( 2011-2022 )

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Books Read, 2021 and 2022

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 22:04:10 GMT

Two! Two! Two years in one (post)!

Hearkening back to 2020's list: I also stillllll need to finish up Strangers in Paradise XXV (the last two issues, YES STILL) and Five Years, that brings all of his universes together. I'm reading his new series, Parker Girls, as each new issue comes out.

( Books read 2021: 10 )

This is when my tracking went off the rails, not that I got much reading done at the end of 2021, with moving and other stresses.

( Books read 2022: 21 )

Total numbers:

2022: 21
2021: 10
2020: 40
2019: 11.5
2018: 10.5
2017: 24
2016: 43
2015: 29
2014: 39
2013: 36
2012: 48
2011: 25

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Year-End Meme, 2022

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 19:20:59 GMT

Well, hey all. Guess what? I’m still here. The end of 2021 was so tumultuous and I was so overwhelmed with everything that I just couldn’t find the bandwidth to do it. I regret it now, of course, because now everything from 2021 and 2022 are all munged together in my mind. Fair warning.

I am looking back at my 2020 list just to refresh my memory and return to things I’d mentioned in that post as warranted.

( Year-end meme, 2022 )

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Books read, 2020

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 19:50:33 GMT

A huge improvement over last year! Yay!

I also still need to finish up Strangers in Paradise XXV (the last two issues). And the new series by Terry Moore, Five Years, that brings all of his universes together.

( 2020's book list )

Total numbers:

2020: 40
2019: 11.5
2018: 10.5
2017: 24
2016: 43
2015: 29

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Year-End Meme, 2020

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 17:23:37 GMT

Keeping up with tradition since 2011, thanks to brinshannara:

( Year-End Meme, 2020 )

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Books read, 2019

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 19:11:01 GMT

Well, a tiny improvement over last year, probably because some of these are audiobooks. I'll take whatever progress I can get.

I also need to finish up Strangers in Paradise XXV (the last two issues), but I don't want it to END.

( 2019's book list. )

Total number: 11.5

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Books read, 2018

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 04:04:26 GMT

Not a good year for reading. (Not a good year for creative endeavors in general.)

( The book list. )

Total number: 10.5

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Books read, 2017

Sun, 14 Jan 2018 05:16:39 GMT

Books, 2017

Two posts in one night!

( Books are behind the cut. )

Total number: 24

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Stranger Things 2, Episode 3-9 (non-spoiler)

Sun, 05 Nov 2017 06:36:09 GMT

Yeah... I binged the rest. I took some notes but there wasn't a whole lot that caught my attention as being out of place.

Episode 3: Not an anachronism; quite the opposite. A dead-perfect costuming choice: I had this damn vest. Even the same damn color.

Also, how much did I love the inclusion of "Go!" by Tones on Tail? I always forget this song is from the 80s.

Episode 4: Pretty sure "romantic comedy" wasn't a term that was used in 1984. I definitely would have remembered that. From what I can find, it wasn't until When Harry Met Sally was released that the term and the genre became popular again.

Episode 5: No notes taken!

Episode 6: I had flagged the saying "Stay frosty" as suspiciously out of time, but apparently it originated in the military (and we learn that the character who said it served in Vietnam) and also appeared in 1979's Alien. So never mind on that one!

Episode 7: Was "mouth-breather" used as in insult in 1984? I can't recall hearing it until much later.

The appliances, oh the appliances! The popcorn popper in particular on one character's countertop delivered quite the sense of nostalgia.

And "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" by Icicle Works, such a perfect 80s song. One of my favorite from the time.

Episode 8: No notes!

Episode 9: Nothing like anachronism--though the one scene that genuinely made me cry occurred near the end of the episode, not the one I would have expected given everything else that happened in this season. It may be spoilery, so I'll put it behind a cut-tag.

( Possible spoilers. )

Anyway. Great season, great homages, and fewer anachronisms than I was expecting.

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Stranger Things 2, Episode 2 (non-spoiler)

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 05:29:50 GMT

Pretty good this episode, re: anachronisms. The only thing that (sort of) jumped out to me is the appearance of "Girls on Film" by Duran Duran. Was that really a thing high schoolers would have been blasting at a kegger? I mean, I would have been blasting it at a party because I was a total Durannie, and I suppose it was on the same album that "Is There Something I Should Know?" was released in 1983 (two years after it and its super-controversial music video was originally released in 1981). The popular kids at my high school might have blasted Van Halen's "Jump" at a party, but "Girls on Film"? *squints eyes* That would have been me, D, R, and C in my basement dancing around like nerds.

Kudos to Samantha for being cool enough to know who Siouxsie Sioux is... and getting that makeup perfect. ;)

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Stranger Things 2, Episode 1 (non-spoiler)

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 04:47:11 GMT

I'm really aware of anachronisms in the show--here are two I noted.

I don't recall the word "homeless" being something kids that age would be using in 1984. Probably would have called him a "hobo" or something. I think awareness of homelessness was just becoming a thing at that time.
"KFC" wasn't "KFC" until 1991. I don't recall anyone calling it "KFC", even as shorthand, in 1984. I'm not even sure the printing on the bucket is right for 1984. It was probably closer to the 1978 packaging in this photo.

Off to a good start, though :)

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O. M. G.

Mon, 02 Oct 2017 23:58:49 GMT

After something like 23 (!) years of knowing each other, something incredible is in the works for this month: I am actually going to meet brinshannara live and in person! She is coming to town for a work thing and this is really going to happen, omgomgomg.

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Books read, 2016

Mon, 02 Jan 2017 06:49:00 GMT

Books, 2016

( Books are behind the cut. )

Total number for 2016: 43

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Well, hello there.

Mon, 02 Jan 2017 06:27:12 GMT

I should have moved here years ago, but didn't. Now seems a good time to do that:

http://www.metafilter.com/164293/LiveJournal-represents-social-media-without-borders

I'll still read the friendslists on LJ and probably comment, and I'll keep the journal there until I can archive it.

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