52 Books - April update: 46/52

A previous post of mine said that I will be reading 52 books in this year's 52 weeks. I fully intend to achieve that goal. Here is my progress:

As of my most recent post, belatedly recapping March's readings, I had tallied 37 books on my "read" (past tense) list. I'm now recapping April's progress, again belatedly (but somewhat less exaggeratedly so), and I've conservatively counted 46 as my total so far this year. Needless to say, I am well on pace to achieve 52 books this year; indeed, I'm strongly considering reupping my goal to 100. I'll consider that change later; for now, I'll share what I read last month.

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Here's what I've managed to ingest since my last update::

38/52: Low Moon, by Jason
Jason is quickly becoming my favorite graphic novelist (Paul Hornschemeier being the main competitor). His panels are stark but utterly engaging, and the stories make me alternately chuckle, ponder, and tear up. You just have to experience his stories. There's no other way to get a sense for how accomplished he is, as an artist/writer/story-teller/engager. Some of his books I have enjoyed much more than others, but I've thoroughly enjoyed them all, so there's almost no point to the exercise. This one is great, plain and simple.

39/52: Spaceland, by Rudy Rucker
I recall reading some of Rucker's writings for an interdisciplinary math/literature course in college. I remember that he was weird. Intelligent. And weird. This novel supports those memories. I took this book out from the Emmanuel library months ago when I was toying with designing a First Year Seminar course about mathematics and fiction; I love Flatland but had never read Sphereland nor Spaceland, so I decided to read this. That course never panned out, so I forgot about this book until ... well, I spotted it on my desk and started reading. I was hooked. It's plot is notably 90s and dot-commy, strangely enough, mixed with a metaphysical and veritably physical consideration of the 4th dimension. While reading, it felt a lot like Douglas Coupland had decided to become a philosopher/mathematician. I thoroughly enjoyed all this, mind you. But this might only appeal to a certain crowd. If you already read and liked Flatland, considering adding this to your queue, at least.

40/52: What I Did, by Jason
I already described Jason's greatness above, so I won't attempt to reiterate here. More powerful stories, beautifully told and artistically-rendered. I will read anything this guy creates, to sum up.

41a/52: Howl & other poems, by Allen Ginsberg
April was National Poetry Month, so I sought out several collections and famous poems that I had been meaning to read / wanted to read / ought to have read / etc. This collection fit all of those desires/needs. I probably read "Howl" back in college, but I decided I really needed to revisit it and make it stick in my head. This is arguably the most famous American poem of (at least the latter half of) the 20th century, so what better way to celebrate Poetry Month? It was (indeed, is) beautiful and powerful. Some phrases struck me and made me want to use them in daily conversation but, now, not even a month or so later, the particular words Ginsberg used are already slipping quickly from my memory. But I do recall the atmosphere, the tone of this whole collection. It just makes me want to reread it again, every month.

41b/52: Scattered Poems, by Jack Kerouac
More poetry to celebrate April! (I actually read a few more collections this month, but these short chapbooks couldn't quite count as a "full read", I thought. Instead, I selected these two to represent my readings of this month. I have a few more that are still being read, so I'll count those in the May post.) I've read a lot of Kerouac, and I've even read a fair amount of his poetry, but these were all new. I think I was more acquainted with his "American haiku", having flipped through a collection of those poems. These poems were, well ... obviously Kerouac. He has a notable and identifiable way with words and phrases and images. I particularly liked the poem about "how to meditate" (that might even be the title). You can read this collection in this here pdf.

42/52: Barrel Fever and Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, by David Sedaris
I listened to these two as audiobooks from the Boston Library. I like David Sedaris's stories, but I like him reading his stories even more. It's not that the entertainment disappears on the printed page; rather, Sedaris does well to bring the stories to life through his voice. I liked Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls a lot. Not quite as much as Me Talk Pretty One Day. But I'd say those are my two favorite collections of his. Barrel Fever earned a big fat MEH from me, though. I was excited that Amy Sedaris did some voices on that audiobook, and she did kinda steal the show during those stories, but overall it was just a far weaker collection of tales. Sobeit. I'm still looking forward to hearing more of David in the future.

43/52: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen, by Lucy Knisley
This was absolutely awesome! Wonderful drawings, wonderful writing, wonderful stories, wonderful recipes. This book made me fucking hungry. Constantly. I gathered several cooking ideas and inspirations from it and am looking forward to using them. More broadly, this book told Knisley's story of a life built around food. Her parents were both involved in the food industry and she, naturally, has an interesting attachment to food. But she's far from a snob, and mocks her history, at times, telling a story about getting McDonald's fries in Rome despite her dad's admonitions, for instance. This is the kind of book I want to keep around in my kitchen and by my coffee table. It's a delightfully fun read and is chock-full of wisdom and recommendations.

44/52: The Psychopath Inside, by James Fallon
I found this one in the "new non-fiction" section at the library, which I've been exploring recently to learn more about current science. I was intrigued by the idea that a neuroscientist would turn his studies towards his own brain and life and, indeed, a lot of this book did exactly that. I was a little put off by the apparent egotism of the author and, occasionally, the lack of scientific rigor and anecdotal "evidence" to support his theories. But this was admittedly a singular case study and so, of course, I shouldn't expect perfect analysis. Ultimately, this amounts to a uniquely appealing memoir, combining scientific know-how, extensive family history, self-awareness, interviews, and research evidence to develop an understanding of psychopathy and what it truly means and how it hardly ever (if at all) conforms to society's understanding of the term. I'd recommend at least starting to read this, or skimming through it; if you get intrigued, keep going with it, otherwise no big deal.

45/52: Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage., by Rob Delaney
I know Rob Delaney from his Twitter account. But I admit that I didn't really know his Twitter account beforehand. I just knew it existed and it was popular and I'd seen some of his tweets and laughed at them. Then I heard him promoting this book on a recent episode of the Comedy Bang Bang podcast so I queued it up on audiobook via, yup, the library. I ended up listening to this over many sessions, while walking to/from campus, riding in the car with my parents, sitting around at home, etc. Many of Delaney's stories were funny. All of them were oddly interesting. And, in sum, I found that Delaney is just a weirdly entertaining guy. He's not really a comedian. He's not really a writer. He's just a guy who's lived through some strange experiences and can tell you about them. Go into this book expecting no less and no more and you will be richly rewarded.

46/52: Junky, by William Burroughs
I was already on a beat generation fix, what with First Thought, Best Thought and then Ginsberg and Kerouac, so I went all out and picked out this newly-restored edition of this novel from the library. This story is stark and spare. It is honest. Brutally so and unapologetically so and it shows no pretense for even needing to apologize for being so. It is perfect, in those regards. The appendices that showed letters/writing by Burroughs and Ginsberg to/about their publishers pushing for this novel's release really added to my understanding of this novel's importance, actually, and I'm glad they were included. Had I just read this book in a metaphorical vacuum, I wouldn't have gained nearly as much. It's absolutely worth remembering, before/while/after reading, that this book's events are set in the 1950s and were meant to be shared then, as well.

Other readings that count:
I Think I Am In Friend-Love With You, by Yumi Sakugawa:
A short graphic story about a little monster with a friend. Light fluff. Pretty enjoyable but ultimately forgettable.

The Three Paradoxes, by Paul Hornschemeier:
Really enjoyed this. Horsnchemeier is wonderful, and his treatment of Zeno's paradoxes here is highly commendable. I have a special attachment to this book.

Lucky, by Gabrielle Bell:
More from another favorite graphic novelist of mine. This one explores her time in NYC. Really enjoyed this, and recommended if you're already into her work or want to know more.

I Killed Adolf Hitler, by Jason:
More Jason. Greatness. This is a short story about time travel and its implications. Highly recommended!

The Herald of the Autochthonic Spirit, by Gregory Corso:
Part of my poetry month celebrations. I'm reading more Corso now, mostly due to how much I enjoyed this collection. His writing is exuberant and engaging.

The Company, by Robert Creeley:
Picked this out from the library's poetry collection while I was already scanning through it. Enjoyed it mostly, but nothing stood out as memorable.

Up next:
Much like my last post, I'll say that I'm already well into way so there's kinda no point in sharing what I'd started reading. Still, I'll mention here some books that I'm working through and hopefully will finish in the next two weeks. (I've already finished several books in the interim of this post's scope and the current day, so these are actually ongoing reads...)

Feynman, by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick:
A graphic novel about the life of Richard Feynman. What's not to love?

The End Of Your Life Book Club, by Will Schwalbe:
Recommended by my mom. A book apparently about mothers and sons and reading. Sounds appropriate!

In the Shadow of Man, by Jane Goodall:
I recently read a graphic novel about some female scientists who studied primates (see next post for more) and was inspired to seek more source material. This is part of that goal.

52 Books - February update: 21/52

A previous post of mine said that I will be reading 52 books in this year's 52 weeks. I fully intend to achieve that goal. Here is my progress:

As of last post, I had 10 books down and now, with the year's shortest month done and gone, I have 21 (!?!?!) completed! I've had to improvise some rules lately about what "counts" as "reading a book this year", as you'll see, but, ultimately, I'm trying to be generous towards encouraging myself to read more, which is the goal of the project anyway, right? So, even with some "lax" rules about counting books, I'm making significant progress towards the ultimate goal:

I finished a series of novels I started within the last post; they were fun, quick reads, and I even experienced some funny coincidences around them (and have plans to continue with more … books, that is). I finished a dense book I technically started before Jan 01, but I counted it (because of external explorations). I read a series of graphic novels and ended up counting some of them as fractions of a book (but I don't want this to be a comment on graphic novels, as a genre, only on my ability to read them at a brisk pace and their smaller page counts). And I'm looking forward to many of the books I'm diving into next …

Here's what I've managed to read since my last update:

11/52: Sunny Side Down, by Levni Yilmaz
This was a fun one. I've followed Lev's YouTube channel for a few years and have always enjoyed his quirky, self-deprecating humor, interesting voice, and "in the moment" drawing style. I spotted this book at the Harvard Book Store (not the Coop) a couple months ago for a dirt cheap price and had to buy it. It reads a bit like a collection of thoughts/stories/opinions and a bit like a graphic novel. It's laid out chronologically over Lev's life, from high school to college and to becoming an "adult" and then to "becoming" an adult. His humor shines through, and the drawings are simple yet lively. I think the organization doesn't do much to display his creativity, unfortunately. I found myself laughing out loud to some of it, smirking at other parts, yet just flipping through the rest. Meanwhile, his YouTube videos have me chuckling and smiling the whole way through. Perhaps this says more about my attention span than his comic stylings, but sobeit. I think Lev was hamstringed by the written format, and he did quite well with it. I will still recommend this to anyone who follows Tales of Mere Existence, especially, as well as anyone who just wants to laugh about some awkward times in their life (i.e. high school, dating, finding a job, dealing with parents, etc.)

12/52: Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
I can't recall exactly how I decided to read this book. I have a distinct memory of the film version being shown at CMU a few years ago, and a friend recommending it. But how did it reenter my consciousness recently? I have no idea. Perhaps it's because I've lately been stopping by the "graphic novels" section of the Boston Public Library every time I go there (I mean, it's right by the front desk) and this popped back into my brain, or perhaps … the author's name stuck in my head all these years and it spilled out of my mind. Whatever the reason, I found myself looking up this book and finding it upstairs in the "teen graphic novel" section. I almost awkwardly walked into the actual young adult section of the library before realizing the "graphic novel" section is on a shelf just outside. There was only a librarian inside‘an elderly-looking lady‘and then some kids who looked no more than 14. Then, I spotted the right shelf and found the book I sought. At that moment, a teenager at an adjacent table caught my attention to ask about my beard. He was sitting with a lady-friend, and he asked me how long I had been growing my beard. I said, "Since last summer", which was not entirely true, since I've trimmed a couple times since then, but I find it's the easiest way to phrase the true answer of "I've had a beard for like 8 years but the last time I trimmed down to almost nothing was last summer". He said he was trying to grow, as well, and stroked the 4 hairs protruding from his chin. I wished him luck and moved on.

Anyhow, this book was amazing. The stories are very well told, and the drawings are entertaining and engaging. I read this book over a handful of coffee shop excursions and, on several occasions, I found myself tearing up and wondering whether it would be appropriate to start sniffling and tear-shedding in public. How many books have made you debate that? I thought about how sheltered my life is, in comparison; I thought about how, even despite Satrapi's breadth of experiences, she still felt under-appreciative of her life, at times; I thought about the tragedies of war and the futility of it all; I thought about the universality of love, personality, and humanity. It was beautiful.

13/52: Ask The Dust, by John Fante
This was the 2nd stop on my Bandini excursion, having read The Road to Los Angeles last month. Typical Bandini here, and typical Fante, in a great way. He has a way with words, and I can see why (and how) Bukowski was influenced by his blunt yet evocative prose. I worry that the more removed society becomes from the culture of the 1930s and 1940s, the less interesting the love story in this novel will become, the less believable the characters will be, and so on. Regardless, this is a solid novel, and an enjoyable read.
What's more, I learned in the last few weeks that there is a film version of this novel. I have no pre-conception for how good of a film it is, let alone how accurate it might be. Turns out, the Boston library system had it, and I now hold the DVD in my hands. It stars Salma Hayek and Colin Farrell. I'm already kinda cringing. But I hope it's good … The novel was great, anyway!

14/52: Homer: The Odyssey & Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales & Dante's Divine Comedy, adapted by Seymour Chwast
I ended up counting all of these as one book because they were super quick reads. I finished each in about an hour or two. (I didn't read these in precisely this order, but it's easier to count them all as 1 book here.) Also, I'd already read The Odyssey and Dante's trilogy before, so that made it easier, I guess. Funnily enough, though, it was the Canterbury Tales adaptation that I liked the most! Chwast was faithful to the underlying stories (from what I remember/could tell) but played around with the graphics. The Odyssey was drawn as an intergalactic journey, played out via ancient Greek war. The journey in the Canterbury Tales occurred on motorcycles. And the narrating protagonist of Dante's trilogy was an Inspector Gadget-looking character, sans gadgets. I admired the ambition of these undertakings, and appreciated the appropriation of classic tales into a more modern (perhaps?) format, but I felt like much of this was just done to be said that it was done. Ya know? I'd recommend the Chaucer version to anyone, and the others only to those who either already know the story and want to experience a "different" telling, or those who don't know the story and want a more visual introduction.

15/52: The Mathematics of Games, by John D. Beasley
I took out this book to potentially find some interesting examples to play in math classes, but also out of interest, and to possibly find some interesting research projects for myself and for students. I ended up reading through it over a couple of weeks, and not getting any good examples for class, per se, but I did find some interesting potential for some Math Club activities or seminar talks/presentations, and research ideas. I was intrigued by some examples like the Sylver Coinage game, where a winning strategy for Player 1 can be proven to exist, and yet actually implementing that strategy is incredibly difficult, conceptually, as well as computationally time-consuming. I'd recommend this for folks who are already kinda mathy and want to learn more about how to analyze games, but anyone who has already studied game theory, in any sense, would just get turned off by the lack of rigor. Likewise, anyone who just likes games but is "not a math person" (as much as I hate that phrase), will be turned off by the lack of explanations. I enjoyed it, though!

16/52: Heads or Tails: Stories, by Lili Carré
These are fascinating, well-told yet sometimes abstract stories. Never mind the fact that the graphics are awesome. These stories are great. Set them into perfectly laid-out panels with eye-grabbing drawings that complement the stories perfectly … and you have a helluva book. I ended up reading through this pretty quickly in one evening out at a coffee shop, but I'm absolutely going to read through it again before I return it to the library. What's even more remarkable, to me, is that none of these stories feels like the centerpiece, nor the filler; they all contribute to the collection. And the graphics are distinct enough between stories that I'm amazed this was all done by one author/illustrator!

17/52: Funny Misshapen Body, by Jeffrey Brown
I picked this one up perusing the graphic novel section at the library. It looked like a longer story format than the other graphic novels I've read recently, so I was intrigued. It has a stark, black and white, panel-by-panel format, but Brown's broad and sketchy strokes really fill it all in and give it some energy. Also, it's an intensely personal telling of his childhood, teens and college years, and later development into a "professional" life. At times, I cringed. Other times, I laughed. Other times, I cringed about how I was laughing. Ultimately, I enjoyed the stories but the drawing left something to be desired. I felt like I had to be someone who already cared a lot about the graphic novel as a visual and story-telling art form to really appreciate this one. Not that I didn't. But I felt like it didn't speak to me as much as some other graphic novels have. Just some thoughts.

Coincidentally, from having this on my Goodreads list, I recently ended up winning a contest for an advance copy of Jeff Brown's new book, Kids Are Weird: And Other Observations from Parenthood! So I'm looking forward to getting that book and reading it! Check out a review next month or so.

18/52: Philosophy of Mathematics: A Contemporary Introduction to the World of Proofs and Pictures , by James Robert Brown
This is the book that I technically started a few days before this year. I remember cracking it open on the MegaBus ride from Boston down to NYC to visit my sister and her bf and some old friends, right after Christmas. This has been a dense read, and has prompted me to have so many "staring out the window and thinking" sessions; it has also pointed me, via the "suggested reading" sections, towards many articles and books that I've perused in the meantime. So I feel fine counting this as a book this year. I still have like 10 post-it notes stuck in the book, reminders of things to look up and read about.
This author is so blatantly and unapologetically Platonist that it almost made me put the book down, on several occasions. But despite that, I actually really liked it, for how broad of a survey it is of interesting topics it is, while simultaneously presenting those topics in sufficient depth to convey their intrigue and open problems/questions. I'd highly recommend this book to any mathematician curious about philosophy, and vice-versa, but I would warn either party about the heavy biases of the author. Take them with large spoonfuls of NaCl, and you'll be fine.

19/52: Dreams from Bunker Hill, by John Fante
Ah, the closing chapter (chronologically, anyway) of the Arturo Bandini saga. Interestingly, I ended up starting and finishing this entire book in an evening sitting at the Bukoswki Tavern in Cambridge. I've been to their location near the Hynes T stop a lot (I live near there) but had never been to the Cambridge spot. I found myself in Centra Square last Saturday afternoon and ended up going here for the evening. I spent a couple of hours sitting at the bar with some beers, finished this book, and went on my merry way! Good times. I felt that was appropriate, considering the influence on Buk himself.

20/52: Life With Mr. Dangerous, by Paul Hornschemeier
I heard about this author via the Comedy Bang Bang! podcast/TV show. I'm a regular listener (viewer whenever it's available online), so I recently learned that Paul is the guy who does the graphics for the TV show. I found this book at, you guessed it, the Boston library and dove right in. I ended up finishing it in one sitting at a coffee shop later that evening on Newbury Street. I laughed and frowned and sighed and smirked along with it all. This is really a novel in graphic form. This sounds patronizing, given the format, but it bears repeating. This book has great story-telling, compelling characters, and benefits even further from the author's ability to exploit the visual form. Just read this. It'll take you an hour or two. If you like it, awesome; go find more like it. If you don't, fine. I owe you a beer for two hours of your life "wasted".

21/52: The Stranger, by Albert Camus
This has been on my "to read" list for so many years. I'm pretty sure I obtained the paperback copy I have now from a used bookstore, but I can't even remember which one. Maybe it was a library sale? Maybe it was a Pittsburgh bookstore? There's no price penciled in anywhere. There's also a name written in ink on the inside cover, and copious highlighting and margin-notes throughout. So I don't know what to think. Except this: what a book!
Honestly, thank you to whoever Jamie Gilder is, or whoever borrowed this book from Jamie. I loved your highlighting and note-taking (for the most part). It really underscored my reading of this novel as an existentialist description of one man's life; and, ultimately, what else could we ask for, as fellow human beings?
I'm not sure why I'd put this one off for so long. Perhaps I'll dive into more French literature now. (Also, the version I have has a cover illustrated by Leo Lionni, who I know well for Swimmy!)

Up next:
Wait Until Spring, Bandini, by John Fante:
I read so many Fante novels recently that I couldn't resist more! Earlier today, I found this at the (yup, my fave place) Boston library, and started reading it at (yup) Bukowski's. This is the first novel in that Bandini saga, and I'd never read it before! So I have to. I'll be done by the weekend, I predict.

The Mathematical Magpie, edited by Clifton Fadiman:
I started this last month, and described an earlier compilation by the same editor with similar ambitions, Fantasia Mathematica. I'm about 2/3 through this one, and should be finished soon.

Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon:
Yeah yeah yeah, I keep saying it. But this is it. March is the month I fucking tackle this book.

Wise Blood, by Flannery O'Connor:
I saw the film version of this a few years ago, when I was in a "Criterion Collection" phase. (Who am I kidding? I'm still in that phase, it's just less frequently acted-upon.) And then, last weekend, I went to a local concert and saw an artist called Weyes Blood and she reminded me of this. (By the by, her set was amazing. Wonderful singer. Check out her Bandcamp page here.) I found myself in the fiction section at the library today and thought, "Aha, O'Connor!" Here we go.

I have a few other graphic novels in the mix, too. I've been on somewhat of a kick with them recently. Mostly, I think this is because they're "quick reads", and I can easily fit them in between grading and class prep and, ya know, sleep and whatnot. So, my reading list feels unfairly padded this month, and my pace will likely slow over the next few months. Spring break is next week (w00t!) but I'd also like to be more ambitious about reading material (and length) over the next couple of months, so it'll all balance out, I think.

Ultimately, I think the whole project is working out, in the sense that (a) not only am I choosing to spend my free time outside of class/work in reading mode, but (b) I'm actively making time for these adventures. I'm going to the library a lot, both on campus and in Copley, to find new books and explore the shelves. Whenever I have some free time, I crack open a book. At very few times, I do feel like I'm reading so that I can get through some books I'm working on; but, then again, I realize I'm only doing this so I can get ahead and read some more books that I'll love even more. Huzzah!



Until next time! Keep on readin' on, my friends.