2024 Book Review and 2025 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 again! 

Fiction--

• The Strain Volume 1 by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hagan--reviewed here.
• The Strain Volume 2 by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hagan--reviewed here.
• Star Trek: The New Voyages edited by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath--reviewed here.
• Jennifer the Damned by Karen Ullo--reviewed here.
• The Fall by Albert Camus (maybe this goes under philosophy?)--reviewed here.
• Probably another bunch of books from A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast 
• The Hedge Knight by George R. R. Martin--reviewed here.
• The Wolf Leader by Alexandre Dumas--reviewed here.

History--

• Failure Is Not an Option by Gene Kranz--reviewed here.
• A History of the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland by William Cobbett--reviewed here.
• How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas E. Woods, Jr. --reviewed here.
• Lincoln's Battle With God by Stephen Mansfield--reviewed here.
• Reformation Myths by Rodney Stark--reviewed here.

Theology--

• The Witness of Early Christian Women by Mike Aquilina--reviewed here.
• Women of Hope: Doctors of the Church by Terry Polakovic--reviewed here.
• Dark Passages of the Bible: Engaging Scripture with Benedict XVI and Thomas Aquinas by Matthew J. Ramage--reviewed here.
• God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat by Robert Cardinal Sarah--reviewed here.
• I See Satan Fall Like Lightning by Rene Gerard--reviewed here.
• Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture Volume VII: Psalms 1-50--reviewed here.

Philosophy--

• Pensees by Blaise Pascal--reviewed here.
• Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau--reviewed here.
• Philosophy of Democratic Government by Yves Simon--reviewed here.
• Hooked on Philosophy: Thomas Aquinas Made Easy by Robert A. O'Donnell--reviewed here.
• How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas from the Cultural Abyss by Peter Kreeft--reviewed here.
• Socrates' Children by Peter Kreeft
• Volume 1--reviewed last year here.
• Volume 2--reviewed here.
• Volume 3--reviewed here.
• Volume 4--reviewed here.

Folklore/Mythology

• Le Morte de Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory--reviewed here.
• Mythology by Edith Hamilton--reviewed here.

Here's this year's reads on the graphic novel front...

1. Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga Volume 1--reviewed here.
2. Scott Pilgrim Color Edition Volume 1--reviewed here.
3. Star Trek: Defiant Volume 1--reviewed here.
4. She-Hulk Volume 1--reviewed here.
5. Avatar The Last Airbender: Azula in the Spirit Temple--reviewed here.
6. Scott Pilgrim Color Edition Volume 2--reviewed here.
7. Edgar Allan Poe Stories--reviewed here.
8. Spy x Family Volume 10--reviewed here.
9. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Above the Trenches--reviewed here.
10. Scott Pilgrim Color Edition Volume 3--reviewed here.
11. Justice League Dark Volume 2--reviewed here.
12. She-Hulk Volume 2--reviewed here.
13. Justice League Dark Volume 3--reviewed here.
14. Scott Pilgrim Color Edition Volume 4--reviewed here.
15. My Hero Academia Volume 23--reviewed here.
16. My Hero Academia Volume 24--reviewed here.
17. Lunar New Year Love Story--reviewed here.
18. Amulet Book Nine: Waverider--reviewed here.
19. Way of the Househusband Volume 8--reviewed here.
20. Way of the Househusband Volume 9--reviewed here.
21. Scott Pilgrim Color Edition Volume 5--reviewed here.
22. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Volume 1--reviewed here.
23. Hellboy in Love--reviewed here.
24. Spy x Family Volume 11--reviewed here.
25. Scott Pilgrim Color Edition Volume 6--reviewed here.
26. Castle Full of Blackbirds--reviewed here.
27. Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea--reviewed here.
28. Batman and Robin Volume 1--reviewed here.
29. Koshchei in Hell--reviewed here.
30. BRZRKR--reviewed here.
31. Daredevil: Back in Black Volume 1--reviewed here.
32. Panya: The Mummy's Curse--reviewed here.
33. Catwoman: When in Rome--reviewed here.
34. Daredevil: Back in Black Volume 2--reviewed here.
35. Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1957--reviewed here.
36. Batman: One Bad Day: Two-Face--reviewed here.
37. Fantastic Four Ultimate Edition Volume 1--reviewed here.
38. Batman: Haunted Knight--reviewed here.
39. Daredevil: Back in Black Volume 3--reviewed here.
40. Young Hellboy: Assault on Castle Death--reviewed here.
41. Fantastic Four Ultimate Edition Volume 2--reviewed here.
42. The Nameless City Book One--reviewed here.
43. Daredevil: Back in Black Volume 4--reviewed here.
44. Hellboy Volume 10--reviewed here.
45. The Nameless City Book Two--reviewed here.
46. Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Secret of Chesbro House and Others--reviewed here.
47. Batman Adventures: Nightwing Rising--reviewed here.
48. Daredevil: Back in Black Volume 5--reviewed here.
49. Usagi Yojimbo Volume 11--reviewed here.
50. The Nameless City Book Three--reviewed here.
51. Invincible Compendium One--reviewed here.
52. Daredevil: Back in Black Volume 6--Reviewed here.
53. Avatar The Last Airbender: The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Merchant--reviewed here.
54. Clobberin' Time--reviewed here.
55. Spy x Family Volume 12--reviewed here.
56. Daredevil: Back in Black Volume 7--reviewed here.

Plans for 2025 are similar if more ambitious--gotta clear out those unread shelves! Here is the categorical breakdown...

Fiction--

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
• On Basilisk Station by David Weber
• Eclipse of the Sun by Michael O'Brien
• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman
• From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
• Goethe's Faust translated by Walter Kaufman
• Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
• Probably another bunch of books from A Good Story is Hard to Find Podcast

Theology--

• The Path to Rome by Hilaire Belloc
• When the Church Was Young: Voices of the Early Fathers by Marcellino D'Ambrosio
• Practical Theology by Peter Kreeft
• Arguing Religion by Robert Barron
• Catholic Essays by Stanley Jaki
• Saint Katharine Drexel: Apostle to the Oppressed by Lou Baldwin
• The Dialogue by Catherine of Siena
• Life of Christ by Fulton J. Sheen
• Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G. K. Chesteron by Joseph Pearce
• Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture Volume VIII: Psalms 51-150

Philosophy--

• The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy by Etienne Gilson
• Conversations of Socrates by Xenophon
• The Hound of Distributism edited by Richard Aleman
• Love and Friendship by Allan Bloom
• The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos by Sohrab Ahmari

Folklore/Mythology

• American Indian Trickster Tales by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz
• Haunted Hotels: Eerie Inns, Ghoulish Guests, and Creepy Caretakers by Tom Ogden
• Ghosthunting Maryland by Michael J. Varhola and Michael H. Varhola

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!