This was a decent year. Definitely not my BEST year, but a decent year, especially compared to last when I looked over everything I read and was kind of like "Ugh. :-/" But this has been a good year. Only two books I really hated and no bad graphic novels (even though a few were mediocre or I didn't connect to them.

Enjoy!

( Poll within!Collapse )

Books Without Pictures (27)
The Road by Cormac McCarthy :(
The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank :)
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath :)
The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath :)
Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes :)
Awoken by Serra Ellinsen :)
Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer :)
The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death :/
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs :)
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin :)
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin :)
Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck :(
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin :)
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin :)
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin :)
If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino :)
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell :)
A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz :)
Sikes and Nancy & Other Public Readings by Charles Dickens :)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak :/
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens :)
The 613 Mitzvot: A Contemporary Guide to the Commandments of Judaism by Ronald L. Eisenberg :/
Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts ed. by Barry W. Holtz :)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn :)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens :)
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn :)
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett :(

Books Finished This Year (1)
Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison :(

Books With Pictures (34)
The Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and others :)
Owly Vol. 5: Tiny Tales by Andy Runton :)
Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story by Peter Bagge :)
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Rift Part 1 by Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru and others :)
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh :)
Level Up by Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham :)
Nemo: The Roses of Berlin by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill :)
X-Men: Days of Future Past by Chris Claremont, John Byrne and others :)
Unlikely by Jeffrey Brown :)
The Legend of Bold Riley by Leia Weathington :)
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Rift Part 2 by Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru and others :)
Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley :)
Summer Blonde by Adrian Tomine :/
Sailor Moon, Vol. 2 by Naoko Takeuchi :)
Sailor Moon, Vol. 3 by Naoko Takeuchi :)
I Am a Wildlion that Cannot Be Tamed by Harold Buchholz :/
Little Wildlion and Lamb by Harold Buchholz :/
Alone Forever: The Singles Version by Liz Prince :)
You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack: Cartoons by Tom Gauld :)
Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton :)
The Seawitch by Laurel Holden :)
Smut Peddler by Various :)
Green Lantern: Rebirth by Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver and others :)
Smile by Raina Telgemeier :)
Smut Peddler: 2014 Edition by Various :)
Sisters by Raina Telgemeier :)
Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona & others :)
Kids Are Weird: And Other Observations from Parenthood by Jeffrey Brown :)
Finder Library Vol. 1 by Carla Speed McNeil :/
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Rift Part 3 by Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru and others :)
The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang, Sonny Liew & others :)
Pretending You're Not Crazy by Ryan Dow :)
A Matter of Life by Jeffrey Brown :)
If the Shoe Fits by Ann Uland and Emily Willis :/

Movies Seen in Theaters (20)
Saving Mr. Banks :)
Pompeii :)
The Lego Movie :)
12 Years a Slave :)
Noah :)
The Grand Budapest Hotel :)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier :)
The Other Woman :)
X-Men: Days of Future Past :)
Belle :)
Godzilla (2014) :/
Obvious Child :)
Rifftrax: Sharknado :)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes :)
Chef :)
Guardians of the Galaxy :)
Ida :/
The Book of Life :)
Gone Girl :)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 :)

Movies That Didn't Come Out This Year (22)
Pacific Rim :)
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls :)
Showgirls :)
Despicable Me 2 :)
Inn of the Sixth Happiness :)
The Departed :)
Tarantula :(
After Earth :(
Mean Girls :)
A Clockwork Orange :)
20 Feet From Stardom :)
Small Town Gay Bar :/
The Way, Way Back :)
Blade Runner (Final Cut) :)
Silent Running :(
Red State :(
Cloud Atlas :)
Super :)
Super Mario Brothers (Rifftrax'd) :)
Les Miserables (1935) :/
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom :/
Sita Sings the Blues :)

TV (15)
Charlie Brooker's 2013 Wipe :)
Kroll Show Season 1 :)
You Have Been Watching Season 1 :)
Puella Magi Madoka Magica :/
Game of Thrones Season 1 :)
Game of Thrones Season 2 :)
Game of Thrones Season 3 :)
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6 :)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked! Season 6 :)
Game of Thrones Season 4 :)
My Cat From Hell Season 1 :)
Arrested Development Season 3 :)
My Cat From Hell Season 2 :)
Legend of Korra Season 3 :)
Legend of Korra Season 4 :/

It's that time of year again! Small change this year - since I didn't have many books I "finished," I added the one I did to the top of the "read books without pictures" poll. Enjoy and happy new Year!

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Movies Seen in Theaters (18)
On the Road :)
Hava Negila: The Movie :)
Iron Man 3 :)
Mud :/
Star Trek Into Darkness :)
Red 2 :/
Rifftrax Live: Starship Troopers :)
Lovelace :)
The World's End :)
In a World :)
Lee Daniels' The Butler :/
Passion (2013) (see on On Demand) :(
Prisoners (2013) :/
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire :)
Frozen :)
American Hustle :)
47 Ronin :)
Philomena :)

Movies That Didn't Come Out This Year (18)
The Amazing Spider-Man :(
Oldboy :)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Girl in the Gold Boots :)
House (1977) :)
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls :)
Hot Fuzz :)
The Great Dictator :)
Grey Gardens :)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Beginning of the End :)
Black Book :)
Sabotage :/
Phantom of the Opera (1943) :/
Paprika :)
The Valley of the Dolls :/ (enjoyed the experience of watching it though)
Silver Linings Playbook :)
Paranorman :)
The Emperor's New Groove :/
Tangled :/

Rifftrax'd Shorts (7)
What Makes Things Float?
Basic Job Skills: Dealing with Customers
The Day I Died :/
Setting Up a Room :)
Norman Krasner, Husband of Irma :)
Le Voyage Dans La Lune :)
Mr. B Natural :)

TV Shows/Series/Specials Watched or Finished (10)
Charlie Brooker's 2012 Wipe :)
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 3 :)
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5 Untucked :/
RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5 :)
The Venture Bros Season 5 :)
Arrested Development Season 1 :)
Arrested Development Season 2 :)
Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan Season 1 :)
Legend of Korra Book 2 :)

* = POC author

Books Without Pictures Read (21)
The Jefferson Bible ed. by Thomas Jefferson :/
Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler* :)
The Lion is In by Delia Ephron :)
Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman :)
The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano :(
My Dog Tulip by J.R. Ackerley :)
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo :)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo :)
The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman :/
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald :)
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides :)
Hot Mama by Jennifer Estep :)
A Wolf At the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs :)
Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong :)
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling :)
Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey :)
The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie :(
All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg :)
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl :)
Only Begotten Daughter by James Morrow :)
The Collected Works of Nikolai Gogol :)

Books Finished This Year (1)
The Source by James A. Michener :)

Books With Pictures Read (29)
Amazing Spider-Man: American Son by Joe Kelly, Phil Jimenez* and others :(
Codename: Sailor V Vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi* :)
Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi* :)
Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi* :)
Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman, George Perez* and others :(
Codename: Sailor V Vol. 2 by Naoko Takeuchi* :/
Nemo: Heart of Ice by Alan Moore, Kevin O'Neill and others :/
Avatar: The Last Airbender The Search Vol. 1 by Gene Luen Yang*, Gurihiru* and others :)
All-Star Superman Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison, Frank Quietly and others :)
All-Star Superman Vol. 2 by Grant Morrison, Frank Quietly and others :)
Avatar: The Last Airbender The Search Vol. 2 by Gene Luen Yang*, Gurihiru* and others :/
Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan Vol. 1 by Hajime Isayama* :/
Saga Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples :)
The Origin of Generation X by Assorted Marvel Writers :(
La Perdida by Jessica Abel :)
Owly Vol. 4: A Time to Be Brave by Andy Runton :)
The Great Showdowns by Scott Campbell :)
Avatar: The Last Airbender The Search Vol. 3 by Gene Luen Yang*, Gurihiru* and others :/
The Fifth Beatle by Vivek J. Tiwary*, Andrew C. Robinson, Kyle Baker* and others :)
From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell :)
American-Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang* :)
Queerotica by Various Artists :/
Marceline and the Scream Queens by Various Artists :)
Batman: Haunted Knight by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale :/
Legend of Korra: The Art of the Animated Series, Book One: Air by Various :)
Batman and Son by Grant Morrison, Andy Kubert and others :)
Saga Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughn, Fiona Staples and others :)
Runaways Vol. 8: Dead End Kids by Joss Whedon, Michael Ryan and others :(
Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang* :)

Here's my yearly poll for books I read in 2012. This was a bad year in general and not a good year for reading. I was busy, I was tired, I wrote a lot and I didn't enjoy a lot of what I read, either, so that accounts for the meager list of titles. Some of the books are anthologies and some are bigger than others. (Our Mutual Friend, for example.) I've also been ending the year reading James Michener's The Source, which I'm only a third of the way done with as of this writing, so that accounts for it as well.

Oh well, have fun playing with the tickys.

( Book Poll 2012 WithinCollapse )

(TW: Rape)

I know I haven't been around a lot and that there are probably things that are more to the interest of you readers (if you're out there), like The Legend of Korra or Before Watchmen or RuPaul's Drag U. (Ok, well, you should be interested in the last one.) But some time ago I forced my way to Books 7 and 8 of the Anita Blake series and I've had this rant in me for awhile, and maybe you guys like rants about ridiculous books.

Oh, Anita Blake. You Ur-Urban Fantasy. You prime go-to example for published Mary Sues. What can I say about you that hasn't been said? And I didn't even have the willpower to make it to the books where you have to fuck someone every couple of hours or die. Heck, I can't force myself through Obsidian Butterfly, because the series pretty much officially lost me in The Killing Dance when Anita Blake had to fend off a wereleopard rape while tied up on a supernatural creatures porno movie set. I've talked already about how Anita is the only female character who is allowed to have any agency or be strong, and that almost everyone else she meets is either a hateable villainess or a victim who should be pitied because she can't do any better for herself.

But as I read through books 6-8, gritting my teeth over the latest completely absurd happening, (like when she set off a ritual that made everyone in a werewolf pack race to rape her ... don't ask because an explanation would only make it worse) I started thinking a lot about the men of the series.

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Hey everyone!

I'm shocked I've been away this long. Well, I haven't really been "away." I come to Livejournal every day, but Twitter and (sorry to say) Tumblr have sort of been where I've posted the random thoughts I have between trying not to die. I know some of you are going through rough times, and I hope for the best for all of you.

I don't have the strength for a big update, but here's kind of an off-beat fanfic if you like. It's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen crossover femslash for kink_bingo: Read Here.

Until then, see you later!. :)

The list for what they're going to be like came out. I'm not convinced that these things should be. I'm not convinced that they're going to be good, and approach this project with, let's say, "cynicism but not complete dismissiveness." But I figured I'd take out a couple of moments to say what, to me, looks promising. I mean, you are looking at one of the few people who played that horrible prequel videogame.

Based on this link here.

RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo

Can I say that I don't really understand why they have pictures for every miniseries EXCEPT this one? You'd think this would be the one that people would be the most interested in. I don't really have an opinion yet. I've heard good things about 100 Bullets, the series that Azzarello is known for, but haven't read it myself. Just didn't seem like something that would interest me. On the other hand, he kind of looks like he could be Jackie Earle Haley's cousin. So there's that.

He's also writing ...

COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH NO. Anybody who's read my blog for awhile knows I do not like J.G. Jones. So I expect this will be a lot of blood and guts and irritating drawings from extreme angles where you can't see what the fuck is happening. This is a no. I kind of hate the first cover, too.

MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke

I've got to eat crow with this. I've never been incredibly interested in the Minutemen, didn't want a Minutemen prequel, never really understood fans who were hugely excited about the characters. And yet ... I do have faith in Darwyn Cooke. He knows how to pay respect to "sacrosanct" works (The Spirit), has worked within that time period, is a good writer and artist and respectful of women ... It really does objectively seem the best.

And he's also writing ...

SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner

And is paired with a pretty awesome artist. Now, on the other hand, I DO NOT LIKE the new outfit they've given her. Especially if they're going to keep those stupid smiley face earrings THAT MAKES NO SENSE. On the other hand ... I don't know. It does seem fairly promising.

DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Adam Hughes
NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert

Here's the thing I feel about J. Michael Straczynski, and you can feel free to agree with me or disagree with me. I think he's a really good at writing individuals and writing interactions between characters. He wrote the cast of Spider-Man really well (and I kind of consider Dan Dreiberg to be Peter Parker without the sense of humor, so he's got a leg up there) and some of his original characters, like Detective LaMont, were a lot of fun. On the other hand, I DON'T think his ideas are great. (Spider-Totem, Superman walking across the country, etc.)

So, I'm a bit more optimistic about the Nite Owl miniseries than the Dr. Manhattan miniseries, because I'm hoping this won't be a springboard for Straczynski to go out there on some really out-there ideas. (DR. MANHATTAN BABY) Then again, if this ends with Dan in the woods talking to the Spirit God Owl (Who Is Totally Not BOB Why Would You Say That) I won't be totally surprised.

As for the art, WTF is Laurie's face on that Adam Hughes cover?

OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee

I find Len Wein kind of boring, and the art doesn't thrill me at all. (Although I've liked some Jae Lee work better before. Is that a different artist on the cover? Or a bad inker?) Though Wein was, as the editor, one of the people closer to the original project. So who knows?

CURSE OF THE CRIMSON CORSAIR, written by original series editor Len Wein and with art by original series colorist John Higgins.

I'm sure it'll be a good reproduction of an aspect of the book most people didn't like that much anyway, but knock yourselves out, guys.