Tuesday, January 16, 2024

2023 Book Review and 2024 Plans

My reading plan from last year worked out well. I finished the last book in early December, so it must have been just right. 

Here's the rundown...

Fiction--
  • The Blazing World and Other Writings by Margaret Cavendish--reviewed here.
  • The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones--reviewed here.
  • A bunch of books from A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast
    • Saint Thomas Aquinas by G. K. Chesterton--reviewed here. (Not fiction)
    • The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells--reviewed here.
    • The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde--reviewed here.
    • Bearing False Witness by Rodney Stark--reviewed here. (Not fiction)
History--
  • The Complete Writings of Thucydides--I gave this 40 pages and gave up, it just was not interesting enough.
  • The Shadow of His Wings by Gereon Goldmann--reviewed here.
  • The Pope and the Holocaust by Michael Hessmann--reviewed here.
Theology--
  • The Sword of the Spirit by Msgr. John Steinmueller--reviewed here.
  • Vibrant Paradoxes by Robert Barron--reviewed here.
  • Selected Commentaries on the New Testament by Thomas Aquinas--reviewed here.
Philosophy--
  • The 4 Dimensions of Philosophy by Mortimer J. Adler--reviewed here.
  • The Republic of Plato translated by Allan Bloom--reviewed here.
  • Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by David Hume--reviewed here.
  • On Liberty by John Stuart Mill--reviewed here.
Folklore/Mythology
  • Northumberland Folk Tales by Rosalind Kerven--reviewed here.
  • Scottish Folk Tales by various authors--reviewed here.
  • Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston--reviewed here.
  • The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton--Reviewed here.
  • The Great Book of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by John Matthews--reviewed here.
Self-Improvement
  • MicroShifts by Gary Jansen--reviewed here.
  • Bringing Up Geeks by Marybeth Hicks--reviewed here.
  • Get-It-Done Guy's 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More by Stever Robbins--reviewed here.
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey--reviewed here.

I have been getting a lot of graphic novels on Hoopla through my local library and some actual books from the library (and the occasional present or purchase). Here's this year's reads...
  1. Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club--reviewed here.
  2. Giraffes on Horseback Salad--reviewed here.
  3. One-Punch Man Volume 5--reviewed here.
  4. One-Punch Man Volume 6--reviewed here.
  5. Abe Sapien Volume 9--reviewed here.
  6. Fantastic Four Masterworks Volume 2--reviewed here.
  7. Hellboy: The Bones of Giants--reviewed here.
  8. One-Punch Man Volume 7--reviewed here.
  9. One-Punch Man Volume 8--reviewed here.
  10. Batman: Gates of Gotham--reviewed here.
  11. Daredevil: Born Again--reviewed here.
  12. Ghost/Hellboy Special--reviewed here.
  13. Uncanny X-Men: House of M--reviewed here.
  14. One-Punch Man Volume 9--reviewed here.
  15. One-Punch Man Volume 10--reviewed here.
  16. Buffy '97--reviewed here.
  17. B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 1--reviewed here.
  18. Shuna's Journey--reviewed here.
  19. One-Punch Man volume 11--reviewed here.
  20. Hellboy and the B. P. R.D.: The Return of Effie Kolb and Others--reviewed here.
  21. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 1--reviewed here.
  22. Hellboy: Weird Tales--reviewed here.
  23. The Librarian of Auschwitz--reviewed here.
  24. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 2--reviewed here.
  25. Spy x Family Volume 9--reviewed here.
  26. Planet Hulk--reviewed here.
  27. Peter Porker: The Spectacular Spider-ham--reviewed here.
  28. Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham--reviewed here.
  29. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 3--reviewed here.
  30. Slam Dunk Volume 9--reviewed here.
  31. Slam Dunk Volume 10--reviewed here.
  32. Incorruptible Volume 1--reviewed here.
  33. World War Hulk--reviewed here.
  34. B.P.R.D. Ominbus Volume 2--reviewed here.
  35. Batman Adventures: Batgirl In a League of Her Own--reviewed here.
  36. A First Time For Everything--reviewed here.
  37. Incorruptible Volume 2--reviewed here.
  38. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Lost and Found--reviewed here.
  39. B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 3--reviewed here.
  40. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 4--reviewed here.
  41. Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story--reviewed here.
  42. Incorruptible Volume 3--reviewed here.
  43. Tombs--reviewed here.
  44. B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 4--reviewed here.
  45. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 5--reviewed here.
  46. Batman: One Bad Day: The Riddler--reviewed here.
  47. Incorruptible Volume 4--reviewed here.
  48. B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 5--reviewed here.
  49. Incorruptible Volume 5--reviewed here.
  50. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 6--reviewed here.
  51. Batman: One Bad Day: Catwoman--reviewed here.
  52. Incorruptible Volume 6--reviewed here.
  53. British Paranormal Society: Time Out of Mind--reviewed here.
  54. Batman: One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze--reviewed here.
  55. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 7--reviewed here.
  56. Incorruptible Volume 7--reviewed here.
  57. Frankenstein: New World--reviewed here.
  58. Batman Adventures: Cat Got Your Tongue?--reviewed here
  59. Big Bangs and Black Holes--reviewed here.
  60. Geiger--reviewed here.
  61. Messenger: The Legend of Muhammad Ali--reviewed here.

I plan to get some more books off the shelf of opportunity in the new year. Here is the categorical breakdown...

Fiction--
  • The Strain Volume 1 by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hagan
  • The Strain Volume 2 by Guilermo del Toro and Chuck Hagan
  • Star Trek: The New Voyages edited by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath
  • Jennifer the Damned by Karen Ullo
  • The Fall by Albert Camus (maybe this goes under philosophy?)
  • Probably another bunch of books from A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast 
History--
  • Failure Is Not an Option by Gene Kranz
  • A History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland by William Cobbett
  • How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas E. Woods, Jr. 
  • Lincoln's Battle With God by Stephen Mansfield
  • Reformation Myths by Rodney Stark
Theology--
  • The Witness of Early Christian Women by Mike Aquilina
  • Women of Hope: Doctors of the Church by Terry Polakovic
  • Dark Passages of the Bible: Engaging Scripture with Benedict XVI and Thomas Aquinas by Matthew J. Ramage
  • God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat by Robert Cardinal Sarah
  • I saw Satan Fall Like Lightning by Rene Gerard
  • Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture Volume VII: Psalms 1-50
Philosophy--
  • Pensees by Blaise Pascal
  • Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  • Philosophy of Democratic Government by Yves Simon
  • Hooked on Philosophy: Thomas Aquinas Made Easy by Robert A. ODonnell
  • How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas from the Cultural Abyss by Peter Kreeft
  • Socrates' Children by Peter Kreeft
Folklore/Mythology
  • Le Morte de Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory
  • Mythology by Edith Hamilton

I will still read a lot of graphic novels available on Hoopla and through my local library. And the handful that I buy or are given as gifts!

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