A year of reading!

AS OF OCT. 27, this list is being discontinued. My apologies. I just can't keep up. Suffice it to say I cracked 10,000 pages, surprising even myself.

So Stewie has his Metro Reading and HorrorTalk has its books forum...

But I've tried without much success to keep track of what I've been perusing lately. So here's what I'm going to do... (before I finish the two other posts I promised last weekend that I never got to...)

I'm going to make a list, like my 101 in 1,001 list...

Of a year worth of reading. I'm starting on Feb. 10 of this year, because that was when I got several books for my birthday, and I'm going to (try to) keep this list through Feb. 10 of next year.

Thus:

As of July 5, 2008:

• King of Russiaby Dave King (256 pages), a coach's story of his year in the Russian hockey league. Thumbs-up - nothing I love better than a good year-in-the-life-of-a-team book
• The GMby Tom Callahan (288 pages), the fascinating - and remarkably prescient - story of retired N.Y. Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi. Thumbs-up for another year-in-the-life type
• 30 Days of Night(re-read) by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith (104 pages), the popular graphic novel of vampires and an Alaskan town. Thumbs-up, if you like the type, which I do
• Seven Deadly Wonders(re-read) by Matthew Reilly (400 pages), the first Jack West Jr. novel from my favorite author. Thumbs-up; more of Reilly's trademark nonstop action
• The 6 Sacred Stonesby Matthew Reilly (448 pages), the second and latest Jack West Jr. novel. Thumbs-up, though we'll have to wait a year for Part 3
• Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer(re-read) by Brian D. O'Neill (454 pages), a look at the World War II daylight bombing campaign through the eyes of one B-17 crew. Thumbs-up for one of the best war histories I've ever read
• Carlisle vs. Armyby Lars Anderson (368 pages), a social and sports history focused on the 1912 football game between Jim Thorpe's "Pop" Warner-coached Carlisle Indian School and Dwight Eisenhower's U.S. Military Academy team. Thumbs-up - for history and sports fans alike, and I'm both
• Aliens Omnibus, Vol. 1by Mark Verheiden, et al. (384 pages), the first collection of the movie-inspired Dark Horse comics. Thumbs-up, but just barely - it's a bit too not-quite-the-movie
• Aliens Omnibus, Vol. 2by various authors (448 pages), the second collection of the movie-inspired Dark Horse comics. Thumbs-up; it's better than Vol. 1, but not much
• An Incomplete and Inaccurate History of Sportby Kenny Mayne (256 pages), a bit of humorous light reading that mixes some truly interesting and touching biography with the ESPN anchor's love-him-or-hate-him snarkiness in a way that makes me like the man far more than I ever have on "Sportscenter," which may be damning with faint praise. A half-hearted thumbs-up
• Aliens Omnibus, Vol. 3by various authors (376 pages), the third collection of the movie-inspired Dark Horse comics. Thumbs-up, but like the first two, for fans only
• Blasphemyby Douglas Preston (416 pages), the inconsistent latest solo novel by one of my favorite authors, dealing with technology and religion, but, disappointingly, not tied in - in any noticeable way - to the Preston-Child "pangea." Thumbs-up, though probably the least of all the Preston and/or Child books
• Skinny Bitchby Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (224 pages), a chick-lit snarkfest of a diet book that my fiancee wanted me to read for some reason. Thumbs-down, though certainly thumbs-up for those who want to either a) go vegan; or b) be disgusted with how your meat is made
• The Fortune Cookie Chroniclesby Jennifer 8. Lee (320 pages), a look at Chinese-American culture through the window of American Chinese food. Thumbs-up, for total awesomeness about Chinese food from General Tso to the titular dessert
• Son of the Morning Star(re-read) by Evan S. Connell (448 pages), the seminal one-volume account of Custer's doomed battle at the Little Bighorn. Thumbs-up, though I'm eager to get a hold of a new book on the battle, this is a fine standard
• The Hellbound Heartby Clive Barker (112 pages), the anniversary edition of the novella upon which the "Hellraiser" movies are based. A slightly dubious thumbs-up for a well-written book in great LE form, but a touch overhyped
• Gleefully Macabre Tales by Jeff Strand (288 pages), a collection of comic/horror short stories from one of my new favorite horror fiction authors. Thumbs-up, particularly for the wiener dog
• Landscape Turned Red(re-read) by Stephen W. Sears (464 pages), a study of the battle at Antietam and the events around it, by one of the great Civil War historians. Thumbs-up for one of the great Civil War writers on America's deadliest day
• Disaster in the West Woods(re-read) by Marion V. Armstrong (77 pages), a focused study on Gen. Edwin "Bull" Sumner's disastrous II Corps charge at Antietam. Thumbs-up, making me look forward to Armstrong's full-length book on the subject
• Donnybrookby David Detzer (576 pages), a nice one-volume read on the first Battle of Bull Ran, the first major engagement of the Civil War. Thumbs-up, though it could use more maps and photos
• Graven Imageby Ray Garton (90 pages), a special not-for-sale Cemetery Dance limited edition featuring an unholy crucifix. A mild thumbs-up, as it's creepy, if a touch predictable
• Basic Blackby Terry Dowling (314 pages), a limited edition from Cemetery Dance featuring short stories by an Aussie writer. Thumbs-down, I'm afraid - maybe it's the Aussie factor, but these just didn't do it for me
• The Number 121 to Pennsylvania & Othersby Kealan Patrick Burke (550 pages), another Cemetery Dance LE of short stories, this time by the author of the great "The Turtle Boy" and its sequels. Thumbs-up, a distinct improvement over the previous short-story collection
• Slivers of Boneby Ray Garton (508 pages), a third Cemetery Dance LE of short stories by well-known genre writers. A thumbs-up with a caveat, as some stories are genuinely predictable, but others are genuinely scary
• Last in Their Classby James S. Robbins (500 pages), the story of West Point's "goats" of the 19th century, including George Armstrong Custer and George E. Pickett. Thumbs-up, though a bit dry, generally interesting, assuming you are interested in Civil War and Indian wars history
• Moneyball(re-read) by Michael Lewis (320 pages), the seminal text on small-market baseball and the Oakland A's. Thumbs-up for one of the great sports books of all-time
• The Mistby Stephen King (178 pages), which I read after seeing the movie as part of "Skeleton Crew" along with the following story, which I couldn't resist because it was called "The Monkey." Thumbs-up, as the story is much better than Darabont's fairly good film,particularly the ending

Total pages: 9,177

Currently reading:
• King Ratby China Mieville (320 pages), though I'm reading the version from Earthling Publications, the first novel in its "Modern Classics" line.

On deck:
The rest of the Earthling Modern Classics series.