JFF: What are the last three books you read?

As embarrassing as it is for me to point out, I've not read an actual novel from cover to cover since I was in high school, and no short stories since I was in my Sophomore year of undergraduate school. I did sort of read the scripts of two or three of famous plays attributed to William Shakespeare, for a cinema class, during my Junior year of undergrad school. I can honestly say that watching a play is much more entertaining that reading what constitutes merely pure dialog if the same. I ought to get back into at least reading short stories, some of the time, lest I may never be able to write one. Seemingly I've long been in the habit of often simply reading synopses and summaries of works (both films and novels alike, along with large video game franchises).

A Gentlemen in Moscow

The Midnight Library

Think of a Number

AUDIOBOOKS:

From Below BY Darcy Coates. 4/5.

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. 2/5.

Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum. 3/5.

First book completed for 2023:

Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1) by Leigh Bardugo. Technically also one of the best books I've read in 2022. 5/5. Preordering its sequel, Hell Bent when my next Audible credit is processed this weekend.

MANGA:

Blood on the Tracks, v. 1 by Shuzo Oshimi. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for such an anxiety inducing psychological thriller/horror work. 3/5. Won't be proceeding to the second volume anytime soon.

Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 5 and Vol. 6. 4/5 and 5/5 respectively. Closing out 2022 with volume 6 and barely scraping by with 52 books read this year. Successfully completing my 2022 book challenge on Goodreads.

GRAPHIC NOVEL/MEMOIR:

The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir in Pictures by ND Stevenson. 4/5. 

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton. 5/5. One of the best books I've read in 2022. 

The Eternal Smile: Three Stories by Gene Luen Yang. 1/5!

Swann in Love by Marcel Proust (15/10).

Marcel Proust is own a class of his own. The worst thing he can write is still a 10/10. Every 5 pages, I feel the need to close the book, and proclaim a masterpiece. And then, I remember that I still have 2000 pages to read. In Search of Lost Time is the greatest artistical achievement I've seen, read, heard, smelled, etc. It might be the greatest achievement of mankind since the discovery of fire (I'm exaggerating a bit, but you understand the idea). There is not a single misplace comma or period.

AUDIOBOOKS:

Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2) by Leigh Bardugo, 5/5.

The Damnation Game by Clive Barker, 4/5.

GRAPHIC MEMOIR:

Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese-American by Laura Gao: 3/5.

MANGA:

Spirit Circle, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Satoshi Mizukami: 3/5 and 2/5 respectively.

Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 7, Vol. 8, 9, and 10 by Tomohito Oda: 3/5, 5/5, 5/5, and 5/5 respectively.

CITY, Vol. 1 by Keiichi Arawi, 3/5.

Four Years in the Stonewall Brigade by J Casler

Personal Reminiscences of the War of 1861-65 by W Morgan

Bloody Roads South by N Trudeau about Grant's Overland Campaign (part one of a trilogy)

Yep, I'm a Civil War buff; been to 11 different CW battlefields. And about that many War of 1812 battlefields but participant accounts of that war are scarce compared to the Civil War which was the first war in history where almost all of the soldiers on both sides were literate.

Swann's Way by Marcel Proust (10/10).

Basically, I read 1/7 of the book. I have finished the first volume.

Currently, I'm still reading:

Mémoires d'Hadrien by Marguerite Yourcenar (244/364)

Royal by Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard (44/288)

Poor Folk by Fiodor Dostoïevski (63/191)

À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs (À la recherche du temps perdu) by Marcel Proust (1st page)

I finished Mémoires d'Hadrien by Marguerite Yourcenar (10/10)

This book will incite me to learn more about Nerva–Antonine dynasty. (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrien, Antonin, Marcus Aurelius)

More than once, during my reading of this book, I found myself citing Hadrien only to realize seconds later that the book is not an actual autobiography, it is a novel. It shows how well-written it is. When I was emerged in by reading, I could no longer remember that it was only pseudo-historical, that despite the historical accuracy, a good part is imagined.

Morel by Maxime Raymond Bock (4/5)

As, I said earlier I'm part of a literary jury. This is the first book I had to read.

Audiobooks:

Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1) by John Scalzi. Reread. 4/5.

The Ghost Brigades (Old Man's War, #2) by John Scalzi. Reread. Went from 4/5 to 5/5.

Tantalus Depths by Evans Graham. 2/5. Could have been an easy 4/5. A book possibly reminiscent of Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama but once again a good book is completely ruined by its terrible ending. This didn't need to become an action/horror movie in its final act.

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata. 2/5. I was waiting for the twist that never came. Thank goodness neither this or TD were too long and that both were on sale by Audible.

GRAPHIC NOVEL:

Flung Out of Space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith by Grace Ellis. 5/5. First time I came across any book with an introduction by the author apologizing for her subject's questionable racist and anti-Semitic history.

MANGA:

Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 11, 12, 13: 4/5, 5/5, and 5/5 respectively. 

CITY, Vol. 2,3, 4, 5, and 6: 4/5, 4/5, 5/5, 4/5, and 5/5 respectively. 

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 1 and 2: Both 5/5. Not sure if it deviates at all from the anime.

Girls' Last Tour, Vol. 1 (Girls' Last Tour, #1) and 2: Both 5/5.

AUDIOBOOKS:

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates. 3/5. 

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. Relatively short book. But what a great mind-blowing experience. 5/5. Don't read up on too much about it. Go into it blind.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse, #1) by Dennis Taylor. Reread. 4/5 from 5/5. There isn't as many pop culture references as say Ready Player One. But it did get pretty annoying this time around.

MANGA:

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 3,  5/5.

Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 15 and Vol. 16. 5/5 and 3/5 respectively.

Four Years with Five Armies by Isaac Gause

The Last Citadel Part 2 of a trilogy

Out of the Storm Part 3 of a trilogy

All Civil War non-fiction.

I Gause listed above was part of the post-Civil War Union army of occupation in Missouri and happened to be one of the jailers holding Wild Bill Hickok after he shot down Dave Tutt on Main St in Springfield which event created the gunslinger "showdown" legend in the old west.

Read:

1-Royal by Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard (3/5) novel

2- Le fil du vivant by Elsa Pépin (3/5) novel

3- Poor Folk by Dostoievsky (4/5) novel

4- The Epic of Gilgamesh (3/5) poetry

6- The Queen of Spades by Pushkin (5/5) novella

7- Le hussard by Pushkin (2/5) mini novella

8- Mélasse de fantaisie by Francis Ouellette (3/5) novel

9- Une poignée de gens by Anne Wiazemsky (4/5) novel

Currently reading:

Enlève la nuit by Monique Proulx novel 34% read

À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs by Marcel Proust novel 1% read

Crime and Punishment by Dostoievsky novel 27% read

Les marins ne savent pas nager by Dominique Scali novel 32% read

These were not in audiobooks. I just have a ton of free time currently. Herman Hesse once wrote: “Lack of friends is a sign that a man has many hobbies and time”. 😢. Never felt so isolated even during the peak of the covid pandemic.

AUDIOBOOKS:

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. Despite having Michael Bay 1 dimensional villain. It's strong world-building and a neat magic system. 4/5.

Roadside Picnic BY Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky. The book that (LOOSELY) inspired Tarkovsky's Stalker. Robert Forster is the perfect narrator for this one. I was expecting this classic to be either majorly problematic and/or quaint. 5/5.

For We Are Many (Bobiverse, #2), 3/5.

MANGA:

(Girls' Last Tour, #4), 5/5.

Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 17, 5/5.

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 4, 5/5.

Enlève la nuit by Monique Proulx (4/5)