Reading Roundup Wrapup: December 2022

Pick of the month: A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett. It's been a long time since my previous Discworld novel, the first Tiffany Aching one, which I struggled with. So thankfully, not only did I enjoy the second one, I loved it! Good jokes, good characterization. What more does one want?

All books read:

1. The Yellow Knight of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson, illustrated by John R. Neill
2. Doctor Who Magazine: Special Edition #58: Directing Doctor Who edited by Marcus Hearn
3. In the Serpent’s Wake by Rachel Hartman
4. The Blood of Azrael: Collected Comic Strips from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine by Scott Gray, Mike Collins, Adrian Salmon, and David A Roach
5. JSA: Strange Adventures by Kevin J. Anderson, Barry Kitson, and Gary Erskine
6. The Hopes and Fears of All the Years and Other Doctor Who Christmas Short Trips
7. Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It by David M. Ewalt
8. Doctor Who: Blue Box by Kate Orman
9. The Eye of Torment: Collected Comic Strips from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine by Scott Gray, Martin Geraghty, Mike Collins, Jacqueline Rayner, and David A Roach
10. A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
11. The Highgate Horror: Collected Comic Strips from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine by Mark Wright, David A Roach, Mike Collins, Jacqueline Rayner, Martin Geraghty, et al.
12. Doorway to Hell: Collected Comic Strips from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine by Mark Wright, Staz Johnson, Mike Collins, David A Roach, and John Ross
13. Daleks: The Ultimate Comic Strip Collection, Volume 1: Collected comic strips from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine by Richard Alan, Steve Alan, Paul Cornell, Steve Dillon, Dave Gibbons, David Lloyd, Pat Mills, Steve Moore, Paul Neary, Lee Sullivan, John Wagner, et al.
14. The Phantom Piper: Collected Comic Strips from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine by Scott Gray, Martin Geraghty, Staz Johnson, Mike Collins, et al.
15. Daleks: The Ultimate Comic Strip Collection, Volume 2: Collected comic strips from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine by Richard Alan, Alan Barnes, Paul Cornell, Martin Geraghty, Scott Gray, Robin Smith, and Lee Sullivan
16. The Clockwise War: Collected Comic Strips from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine by Scott Gray, John Ross, Alan Barnes, Adrian Salmon, Charlie Adlard, et al.

Back in November 2020, I started a project to read all the collected editions of the Doctor Who Magazine comics. I didn't think it would take me very long. Yes, there are thirty-one of them, and yes, I wanted to add some stuff that would bring it up to (as of now) forty-six total installments... but they're not very long, so surely I could read five or six a month? I'd be done in less than a year.

This was not true. Not because of the graphic novels themselves, but because of all the books I read between them, which usually resulted in me averaging one or two per month. But this month, as I neared the end, I finally cleared out a bunch of backlogged reading and blew through eight of them! Only one to go.

All books acquired:

1. JSA: Strange Adventures by Kevin J. Anderson, Barry Kitson, and Gary Erskine
2. Pirates in Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson, illustrated by John R. Neill
3. Daleks: The Ultimate Comic Strip Collection, Volume 2: Collected comic strips from the pages of Doctor Who Magazine by Richard Alan, Alan Barnes, Paul Cornell, Martin Geraghty, Scott Gray, Robin Smith, and Lee Sullivan
4. League of Dragons: The Final Temeraire Novel by Naomi Novik
   
5. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wicker
6. Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold
7. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
8. Novels & Story Cycles: The Martian Chronicles / Fahrenheit 451 / Dandelion Wine / Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
   
9. The Illustrated Man / The October Country / Other Stories by Ray Bradbury
   
10. Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
11. Americana: The Making of the Cities: Cincinnati by Lee Davis Willoughby
12. Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids by Scott Hershovitz
13. Strange Adventures edited by Scott Nybakken

Obviously, mostly Christmas presents: #4-12. I do have to question the wisdom of my LibraryThing secret Santa, who picked the ninth book of a nine-book series where I have read no previous installments! #10-11 are both Cincinnati-set books picked by my sister, for my project to read books set in my hometown.

Books remaining on "To be read" list: 685 (up 1)

Wow, actually reading books from my list actually helps!