52 books in 52 weeks (2020 edition)

Wow! What a year it has been, in a not good way... 2020 has been surprising, difficult, tiring, irritating, and more. Never did the world think we would be suddenly facing a pandemic as we entered a new decade & faced an important Presidential election, but HERE. WE. ARE. 

Quarantined inside, separated from loved ones, and doing everything through glitchy video meetings. It's been tough.

And if you think being stuck inside made it easier to read 52 books in 52 weeks, you would be wrong. It was still as difficult as ever. Reading was hard to feel motivated to do, but I did it. And read some pretty good books.

For those keeping track, my goal to read every Agatha Christie book is trekking along. This year I read 8 more of her capers. Some were... not good. Dame Aggie can't hit every book outta the park.

And as for my Shakespeare quest, I only managed to read 2 of his plays. Oop. Look, I just didn't feel up to slogging through ol Willy Shakes' words this year. 

I did read a bunch of teen horror books by Christopher Pike. Lots of fun was had in those pages. Out of the 33 authors I read this year, 13 were female and 20 were male. Narrowing that gender gap. I also tried to read more BIPOC authors. 

I can always do better -- looking to continue reading different books from a variety of authors going forward.

I read some classics, read some books for work, some for the book/movie (boovie) club that I am a part of. Reading remains fun even when it is hard to be motivated to do it. 

Let's stop prolonging the best part of this post--my lists! See below.

Least Favorite Book: Normal People - Sally Rooney (So boring & not for me!)

Longest Book: The Once and Future King - T.H. White (So Long, So Arthurian & Witchy weird)

Biggest Letdown: The House with a Clock in Its Walls - John Bellairs (So much potential just quickly thrown down the drain...or, into the walls or w/e)

Most Depressing Book: Mood Indigo - Boris Vian (c'est tragique!); the Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead (the tragedy of slavery is fucking awful)

Least Favorite Character: Honestly, I find Sherlock Holmes quite awful & annoying & arrogant & not that fun. Throw in Tummy & Tuppence from Agatha Christie's books too.

Most Batsh*t Character: Any Villain in a Christopher Pike novel -- truly wild people, perhaps the most wild in Remember Me.

Favorite Book: Mood Indigo - Boris Vian (I don't know if because it's translated from French or one of the most beautiful movies I've seen, but it just really hit home for me in this year 2020)

Shortest Book: The Lemesurier Inheritance - Agatha Christie

Favorite Character: Deborah Lacks from The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Deborah is a real-life person, so she's not technically a character, but she was astounding to read about. 

Most Surprising Character: Grace Randolph from You Should Have Known - Jean Hanff Korelitz. Let's just say she was nothing like Nicole Kidman and her many coats and accents in the Undoing and it changed the whole way I looked at the story.

Favorite Author: Dame Agatha (durp), Christopher Pike, Boris Vian

And that's it for 2020. Maybe next year is the year I can finally conquer Shakespeare and/or Christie. Maybe George R.R. Martin will complete The Winds of Winter. Time will tell. 7 years of 52 books in 52 weeks. Here's to 7 more years aka 364 more books! CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. STAY INSIDE. WEAR MASKS. BE SAFE AND BE EMPATHETIC. We can get through this.  

- ben fleck

1. Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

2. A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle

3. The Lemesurier Inheritance - Agatha Christie

4. Leia: Princess of Alderaan - Claudia Grey

5. N or M? - Agatha Christie

6. Cards on the Table - Agatha Christie

7. Parker Pyne Investigates - Agatha Christie

8. By the Pricking of My Thumbs - Agatha Christie

9. The House with a Clock in Its Walls - John Bellairs

10. Dumb Witness - Agatha Christie

11. Artemis - Andy Weir

12. The Collectors - Philip Pullman

13. Remember Me - Christopher Pike

14. Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng

15. The Eternal Enemy - Christopher Pike

16. Bury Me Deep - Christopher Pike

17. Road to Nowhere - Christopher Pike

18. Tales of Terror: Volume 1 - Christopher Pike

19. Tales of Terror: Volume 2 - Christopher Pike

20. The Tachyon Web - Christopher Pike

21. Weekend - Christopher Pike

22. Postern of Fate - Agatha Christie

23. The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead

24. Normal People - Sally Rooney

25. The Once and Future King - T.H. White

26. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

27. Morning Star - Pierce Brown

28. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Frank L. Baum

29. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot

30. Mañanaland - Pam Muñoz Ryan

31. Bayou Magic - Jewell Parker Rhodes

32. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier

33. Mood Indigo - Boris Vian

34. The Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle

35. City - Devin Grayson

36. Murder in the Mews - Agatha Christie

37. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel García Márquez

38. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green

39. The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde

40. The Canterville Ghost - Oscar Wilde

41. Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie

42. The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan

43. The Two Gentleman of Verona - William Shakespeare

44. The Case of the Missing Marquess - Nancy Springer

45. I Know What You Did Last Summer - Lois Duncan

46. The City of Ember - Jeanne DuPrau

47. You Should Have Known - Jean Hanff Korelitz

48. Rip Van Winkle - Washington Irving

49. Serpentine - Philip Pullman

50. Julius Caesar - William Shakespeare

51. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

52. Chain Letter - Christopher Pike

52 Books in 52 Weeks (2018 Edition)

Another year has gone by which means it's time for my annual update to this mostly defunct blog to list the 52 books I read in these last 52 weeks. Before I get into any listicle fun, let me just say that another year has gone by without The Winds of Winter by Mr. George R.R. Martin. GEORGE! SRSLY?! I am respecting your process, but come on... the show is ending in 2019 and we still haven't gotten book 6!

Anyways sidestepping that rage, I continued the tradition of reading my way through ol' Dame Agatha Christie's collection of mysteries, but only 3 this year. I'm still not done because she wrote a hell of a lot of mystery novels and I can't just keep Jessica Fletchering myself all day, e'ryday. But I did get to visit London and watch one of her plays LIVE (Unfortunately, The Mousetrap wasn't one of her bests).

Also, re-read a Harry Potter because DUH.

ALAS, I am also taking a trip down the old William Shakespeare train, trying to get through as many of his works as I can. So far, comedies > tragedies. His wit and hijinks far outweigh the death, gore, and drama.

Let me implore you, devoted blog reader: reading fiction for fun is fun! It's nice to escape from the hellscape of reality and dip into another world for a few hours. I mostly read fiction, sci-fi, mystery, and fantasy -- but more power to all those who read whatever book brings them joy. READ PEOPLE, COME ON. Also, check out my Goodreads page for more in-depth reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2018/23079812

Without further ado, it is time to get to listing stuff. Because lists are fun. Almost as fun as reading.

Favorite Book: It's a tie: Kindred - Octavia Butler & The Princess Bride - William Goldman.

Least Favorite Book: Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis. HATED.

Longest Book: A Column of Fire - Ken Follett.

Shortest Book: Oleanna - David Mamet (Also, the most explosive & thought-provoking!)

Biggest Letdown: Mortal Engines Sequels (Infernal Devices, A Darkling Plain). They just weren't as good as the first novel.

Most Depressing Book: A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara.

Favorite Character: Starr Carter (The Hate U Give), Professor Trelawney (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), every character in The Princess Bride.

Least Favorite Character: Every single character in Less Than Zero. THEY ALL TRASH! Also, Joe Goldberg from You was not great.

Most Misogynistic/Racist Character: James Bond (from Casino Royale & Live and Let Die). He's pretty terrible.

Most Surprising Character: Mary Poppins was quite the asshole.

Most Read Author: William Shakespeare. Sorry, Dame Agatha!

Favorite Author: Octavia Butler, William Goldman, JK Rowling (duh).

Okay, y'all that's it for 2018. See ya next year. 2018 was hard and at times awful, but here's to hoping 2019 is better. Vive la resistance! Happy reading.

- ben fleck

52 Books in 52 Week (2018 Edition)
1. The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
2. The Ice Dragon - George R.R. Martin
3. The Book of Dust - Philip Pullman
4. Endless Night - Agatha Christie
5. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood
6. Oleanna - David Mamet
7. A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennessee Williams
8. The Glass Menagerie - Tennessee Williams
9. Equus - Peter Shaffer
10. Casino Royale - Ian Fleming
11. Nightflyers - George R.R. Martin
12. Red Sparrow - Jason Matthews
13. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
14. A Column of Fire - Ken Follett
15. Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis
16. The Man in the Brown Suit - Agatha Christie
17. Mary Poppins - P.L. Travers
18. The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides
19. Timekeeper - Tara Sim
20. The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett
21. Infernal Devices - Philip Reeve
22. The Shape of Things to Come - H.G. Wells
23. A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara
24. Speed the Plow - David Mamet
25. Jamaica Inn - Daphne Du Maurier
26. You - Caroline Kepnes
27. The Merry Wives of Windsor - William Shakespeare
28. Bioshock: Rapture - John Shirley
29. Atonement - Ian McEwan
30. A Simple Favor - Darcey Bell
31. The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick
32. Death in the Clouds - Agatha Christie
33. The Girl who takes an Eye for an Eye - David Lagercrantz
34. Othello - William Shakespeare
35. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer
36. The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
37. All's Well that Ends Well - William Shakespeare
38. Lethal White - Robert Galbraith
39. A Darkling Plain - Philip Reeve
40. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
41. A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
42. Kindred - Octavia Butler
43. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? - Maria Semple
44. The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare
45. The Princess Bride - William Goldman
46. Love's Labour's Lost - William Shakespeare
47. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
48. Live and Let Die - Ian Fleming
49. If Beale Street Could Talk - James Baldwin
50. The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
51. The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry
52. The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah

52 Books in 52 Weeks (2017 Edition)

Another year has gone by, another reading challenge has been completed, and another year without The Winds of Winter by George R.R. Martin. 2017 was at times a shitty year, but, come on George! We need GoT Book 6! We need it now more than ever!

Regardless, I am back to writing on this blog (exactly one year since I last wrote on it) to report that I have once again read 52 books in 52 weeks. It may not have been a good year for most things, but it was a good year for books. I re-read the first two books in the Harry Potter series because sometimes you just need them in your life. (Also, read a special Ravenclaw version of the Philosopher's Stone, because I'm going in on Ravenclaw this year. Thanks new Pottermore sorting quiz!)

Carrie Fisher passed away at the end of 2016, so I made sure to read everything I could that she had written. She was so wise, funny, and truthful. It hurts that someone like that is now gone.

I also continued to earn that Agatha Christie Fan Club badge as I make my way through every novel she has written.  Seven more this year. She certainly knew what she was doing, but did have some stinkers too (At Bertram's Hotel, you hot, hot mess!)

Reading has always been so fun for me and nothing is more fun in reading than LISTS. So here are some lists!

Favorite Book: S. - J.J. Abrams. ('Twas so rich, complex, and immersive! Also, this is not counting my re-readings of the first two HP novels)

Least Favorite Book: Crash and Burn - Michael Hassan. (Truly the worst!)

Longest Book: Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens (Bud needed an editor!)

Biggest Letdown: A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess (Maybe I just didn't get it.)

Favorite Character: Lisbeth Salander (The Girl in the Spider's Web), Dobby (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), Lady Edgware (Lord Edgware Dies)

Least Favorite Character: All of the characters from Crash and Burn. THE WORST.

Most Read Author: Agatha Christie. Love that old broad.

Most Read Genre: Mystery / Sci-Fi / Fantasy

Favorite Author: Well, besides J.K. Rowling, Agatha Christie, and Madeleine L'Engle (the OG ladies), I'd have to say Jeffrey Eugenides.

2017 was the beginning of the world changing. Glass ceilings were broken. Hard truths were learned. And the resistance is getting fueled up. Can't wait to see what 2018 has in store for us all.

- ben fleck

52 Books in 52 Weeks (2017 Edition)

1. S - J.J. Abrams
2. As You Like It - William Shakespeare
3. A Separate Peace - John Knowles
4. The Beatrice Letters - Lemony Snicket
5. Lord Edgware Dies - Agatha Christie
6. The Princess Diarist - Carrie Fisher
7. Wishful Drinking - Carrie Fisher
8. Who Could That Be at This Hour? - Lemony Snicket
9. When Did You See Her Last? - Lemony Snicket
10. Once Upon a Time in the North - Philip Pullman
11. Tulip Fever - Deborah Moggach
12. A Caribbean Mystery - Agatha Christie
13. Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens
14. Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography - Lemony Snicket
15. File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents - Lemony Snicket
16. A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. Le Guin
17. The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman
18. Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie
19. The Lost City of Z - David Grann
20. Aenir - Garth Nix
21. Above the Veil - Garth Nix
22. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
23. Shouldn't You Be in School? - Lemony Snicket
24. Mortal Engines - Philip Reeve
25. At Bertram's Hotel - Agatha Christie
26. The Girl in the Spider's Web - David Lagercrantz
27. Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones
28. Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights? - Lemony Snicket
29. Nemesis - Agatha Christie
30. My Cousin Rachel - Daphne du Maurier
31. Crash and Burn - Michael Hassan
32. Into Battle - Garth Nix
33. The Violet Keystone - Garth Nix
34. Postcards from the Edge - Carrie Fisher
35. A Ring of Endless Light - Madeleine L'Engle
36. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
37. The Taming of the Shrew - William Shakespeare
38. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling
39. Predator's Gold - Philip Reeve
40. The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
41. Three Act Tragedy - Agatha Christie
42. Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn
43. Troubling a Star - Madeleine L'Engle
44. Mr. Kiss and Tell - Rob Thomas
45. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
46. Sleeping Murder - Agatha Christie
47. Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
48. Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
49. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
50. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling
51. Orpheus Descending - Tennessee Williams
52. Suddenly Last Summer - Tennessee Williams

52 books in 52 weeks - 2015 Edition!

Oh, yes, I'm still blogging! It's 2016. Can everyone believe it? Because I can't. This post is more of a mini-update. I'm on the last chapter of my novel and I once again finished reading 52 books in just 52 weeks! Which means I've read 104 books in the last 2 years, which hurts my head. But, alas, it is time to update thee ol' blog again!

The first half of the year was going strong, but then in June, I got a new job and my daily readership spiked downward heavily. However, I managed to do it with only 5 hours to spare til the clock struck midnight on December 31st! Hooray! It was an interesting year for books and I didn't get to read everything I wanted. But there were some great books I read this year. Maaaan, I love reading. #NerdWinner2015.

Lists! Are! Fun! So here's some catorgorized facts about the 52 books I read this year.

Favorite Book: 

THREE WAY TIE:

1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie

2. Son - Lois Lowry

3. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

Least Favorite Book: Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

 

Longest Book: World Without End - Ken Follett

 

Shortest Book: Burn Lake - Carrie Fountain

Biggest Letdown: The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett

Favorite Character: James Sheppard (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd) and Agatha Trunchbull (Matilda)

Least Favorite Character: Celeste Price (Tampa) or anyone in Catch 22.

Most Read Author: Agatha Christie, love that old broad!

Most Read Genre: Mystery & Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Favorite Author: Margaret Atwood, Roald Dahl, and, of course, Agatha Christie!

2016 should be an interesting year and I'm once again on to 52 more new exciting books. Let us all hope that The Winds of Winter is among them. COME ON, GEORGE R.R. MARTIN, we are counting on you! Cheers!

- ben 

52 books in 52 weeks (2015 Edition)

1. The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith

2. The Last Command - Timothy Zahn

3. The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie

4. The Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie

5. Messenger - Lois Lowry

6. The 13 Problems - Agatha Christie

7. Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie

8. The Body in the Library - Agatha Christie

9. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie

10. Son - Lois Lowry

11. The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett

12. A House Like a Lotus - Madeleine L'Engle

13. The Moving Finger - Agatha Christie

14. The Turn of the Screw - Henry James

15. Sabriel - Garth Nix

16. Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut

17. Red Rising - Pierce Brown

18. This Side of Paradise - F. Scott Fitzgerald

19. The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick

20. The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett

21. World Without End - Ken Follett

22. Every Secret Thing - Laura Lippman

23. Paper Towns - John Green

24. A Murder is Announced - Agatha Christie

25. Meet the Austins - Madeleine L'Engle

26. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

27. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

28. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn

29. Leviathan Wakes - James S. Corey

30. The Steel Remains - Richard K. Morgan

31. Tampa - Alissa Nutting

32. The Big Four - Agatha Christie

33. The Mystery of the Blue Train - Agatha Christie

34. The Martian - Andy Weir

35. Room - Emma Donoghue

36. Fantastic Mr. Fox - Roald Dahl

37. The Princess, The Scoundrel, & The Farm Boy - Alexandra Bracken

38. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Tennessee Williams

39. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

40. The Witches - Roald Dahl

41. The Moon by Night - Madeleine L'Engle

42. The Pearl - John Steinbeck

43. Castle - Garth Nix

44. The BFG - Roald Dahl

45. Aenir - Garth Nix

46. Burn Lake - Carrie Fountain

47. Look Back in Anger - John Osborn

48. The Stranger - Albert Camus

49. The Death Cure - James Dashner

50. Matilda - Roald Dahl

51. The Hedge Knight - George R.R. Martin

52. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

Day 0 - Less Than 24hrs til NaNoWriMo

Day: 0
Word Count: 0

It is finally here, folks! NaNoWriMo 2014 (or, National Novel Writing Month, in case you've come down with a case of finely tuned amnesia!).

 

Turn up the music! Bring on the tea! It's time to write a novel again. Errrr, or in my case, it's time to FINALLY finish my novel that I began a mere two...three....years ago. Don't ye worry your fine self, I promise you, this is the year it shall be finished! You hear that, Buoyancy, you're gonna be as finished as Amanda Bynes' illustrious career! We miss you, Ashley!

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, so I hope that I get to typing. It is the final day in the Hollywood house that I've lived in with my five other roommates (and a dog and a cat) for the past year. AU REVOIR, SELMA HOUSE. It's been a crazy year of ups and downs, but regardless, things were learned and lived.

Pause. I am listening to David Bowie's "I'd Rather Be High (Veneitian Mix)" and it is just maaaaagical. Mr. Bowie, my personal baby-snatching hero, is definitely going to be one of the artists I will be listening to as I take back up on my novel. Music for me sets the mood for writing. I'm a fan of ambient sounds, rain/thunder, movie soundtracks (Add "Gone Girl" soundtrack to all your playlists, please), and video game music. It is surprisingly a beautiful genre full of many various melodic, soothing tunes.

You may or may not know that my novel is set from eight different point-of-views in the third person. Obviously, George R.R. Martin (you know that guy) is partly my inspiration. He wrote some books... Well, music helps me get into each of my different characters perspectives because obviously a poor, young thief doesn't listen to the same music as a rich, older housewife! DUH.

Oh, and my novel is Steampunk-Fantasy, which just so happens to be the theme of NaNoWriMo this year. If that isn't a sign that I need to finish it this year, then I don't know what is.

There are going to be a lot of distractions and excuses, but I shall remain strong. GET AWAY FROM ME, NETFLIX!

Cheers to a happy, fun NaNoWriMo! And remember, "There Is Nothing Wrong With Hating Rock Critics" or in this case, "Book" critics. JUST WRITE AND CREATE! Thanks, Of Montreal!

- ben josé

currently listening to: this smashing hit, gruntilda's lair, from banjo & kazooie. DON'T JUDGE ME.

The Eve of NaNoWriMo!

Well guys, the time has finally come! NaNoWriMo officially begins tonight at 12:00am. AHHH! Thus, commences 30 days of hardship, sobriety, and creativity. I feel like I'm about to enter the arena in the "Hunger Games" even though I have never been more mentally prepared for a NaNoWriMo before than I am this year. Cinna, give me a Mockingjay pin for protection please. Katniss don't need yo help, Lenny! As you can leave, I've already lost my mind... more on that in a few weeks...

In order to prepare for this NaNoWriMo this year, I have gone through everything I have ever written about my novel and re-read it. I have started new outlines. I charted out the plots with more detail than ever before. I actually know the ending to each book and the ending to the series. I know where each character starts and where each character ends. And folks, you better prepare yourself for one crazy ride.

One of the greatest influences on my novel is "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin. If you haven't read it or don't know what it is than I don't know what you are doing here or if we can be friends. If I said, "Winter is Coming" or "A Lannister Always Pays His Debts," you better damn well know what I am talking about!

While reading Book 3, A Storm of Swords, I threw my book across the room and screamed when I came across a certain scene I will just call the "RW." Damn you, George R.R. Martin!!! Seven hells!

George creates a vast world called Westeros and inhabits it with a multitude of interesting and complex characters! Everyone has both good and bad qualities and no character easily falls into any cliches or boring normalities. The novels are written from the POVs of the main characters. My novel (which is tentatively titled "Buoyancy" at the moment) follows this same procedure. I tell the story from the perspectives of 8 very different characters in one very unique city called Annonay. Through the forced 3rd person limited perspectives of each character, so much creative storytelling has been opened up to me.

Jon Snow: You know nothing

Daenerys Targaryen: Mother of Dragons

Jaime Lannister: A handful

But, enough babbling, I will share more and more with you about my characters and my world as the month continues on... Check out my page on NaNoWriMo.

Now, I must decide if I am going out for one last hurrah on Halloween, or if I really am just going to buckle up and start this bitch... My knuckles are cracked. My fall "cold" is in full swing! My eyeglasses are scratched!

Lessss'go! 11 hours remain!

-ben josé