For December I decided to lighten up a little.
Sex and Death to the Age 14 by Spalding Gray
I love Gray’s stuff and was fortunate to see him perform before he committed suicide, but had never read this entire book, just bits of it. It’s hilarious and dry, though Gray’s neuroses start to grate after a bit. The story of him trying out for a sitcom is just great. A fast, wildly entertaining read.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
How many folks, like me, know this story without ever actually having read it? I’m not even sure I’ve ever sat through an entire movie of it, with or without muppets. I wrote this blog entry a few years ago, grousing about it, and yet had never actually read the story, so I thought I’d give it a shot. The conclusion? I still think scaring an old man into being nice isn’t quite the Christmas spirit, but what the hell do I know? Also: what’s the deal with Marley saying the ghosts will come on three separate nights and at first it seems like they do but then they don’t and it all gets retconned at the end?
The 2008 Round-Up
So my goal was two books a month. Looking over the blog entries I count 27 books, so I more than made my goal, even with taking a month off to catch up on comics! Awesome!
What was my favorite thing out of these? That’s a tough choice. I’d have to say Oscar Wao, Jeeves, and Invisible Cities were my favorites, especially the last one.
This resolution was a triumphant success and will continue in the new year!
Dave-
I just wanted to congratulate you on a wonderful year of blogging. I check your website daily (usually more), and always find something here to make me laugh or think about. Keep up the great work and writing, and happy new year to you and Mrs. Mancer (Beebo, too!)
Stewart
I would also like to add my congratulations for a year of blogging. Those of us that read, appreciate, and don’t comment may not count for much, but I assure you I got a real kick out of this blog over the last year.
Well done on the reading. 27 books isn’t a huge amount, but it’s a hell of a lot more than the average American, so way to go.
Do you track how many people read your blog, Dave? I suspect there’s a lot of us lurkers that you’ve been entertaining over the past year or so :)
All the very best to you and B & B for ’09!
Hey thanks for the kind words, folks! I’m gonna have a review of this year’s blogging up later today!
Inconsistencies in Dickens’ books are because he published them serially in newspapers/magazines originally. It’s also why they drag on so…being paid by the word.