Avid Reader . . . Still Collecting Book Experiences

I’ve never kept a reading log before. I always thought that it missed the point. I read because I enjoy it, because it’s a great way to experience stories, because I love the written word, and because I am a writer and appreciate the craft.

This year, I decided to at least keep track of everything I read and so far I have blogged about every single title.

I have read 42 books already in 2012 and I am not slowing down. You can find the complete list here with links to each particular book. I will continue to update it as well.

Here are the latest titles I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta

This book tells the story of a sex-ed teacher who is faced with a big dilemma. She believes that the kids in her high school deserve to know about sex in a real, open, and honest way. She’s been teaching the program for several years but is faced with a new curriculum that stresses abstinence only. She stays on as the health teacher despite her objections to the new program.

I liked the idea for the novel and I enjoyed most of it, but it just petered out at the end. The main issues for the characters never got resolved and I felt kind of cheated because of it. I hate when a novel doesn’t have a powerful ending that ties things all together.

That being said, I understand that in real-life, our stories rarely get wrapped up in neat ways. This story felt real and I could identify with some of the characters, but I still want my literature to end nicely. Or to at least have something more poetic at the end.

Green Lantern Corp – The Weaponer by Tony Bedard, Tyler Kirkam, Batt

The Weaponer forged the first yellow power ring for Sinestro but now he has developed an even greater weapon and is bent on revenge. Meanwhile, the truce between the Green Lantern Corp and the Sinestro Corp is about to be put to the test. If the yellow and green ring-wielders fight each other without rings, the truce still holds, right?

Lanterns without their rings? A huge battle against an opponent with a very powerful weapon. The excitement keeps building in the Green Lantern books. This is the ninth trade paperback I’ve read this years and I must say that I am really enjoying the series.

Batman: A Death in the Family by Jim Starlin, Jim Aparo, and Mike DeCarlo

I hadn’t read this book since it came out in 1988. It was really cool to take it out of the plastic cover. It had the unmistakable comic book smell. The newsprint pages and the lightly coloured pages are a stark contrast to today’s comics.

In this story, Robin actually dies at the hands of The Joker. The scene was quite brutal for the time and it still is. There have been several Robins over the course of the comic, but this second lad to take on the role wasn’t universally liked by all of the readers. DC Comics actually had readers vote on whether or not Jason Todd should live or die in this story.

2012 Reads – My Ever-Growing List

There are over three dozen books in this list so far and I keep adding to it all the time. I wonder how many titles I will have read by the end of the year?