Each year, for reasons various and sundry, I keep track of the books I’ve read between January 1 and December 31. The list does not include short stories, individual comics issues, or magazines — only books: novels, non-fiction, collections, anthologies, graphic novels, and trade comics collections. I suppose it’s for posterity, or maybe it’s just for fun, but whatever the reason, here is the list of books I read in 2012, in the order in which I read them:
King’s War by Maurice Broaddus
Hellboy: Weird Tales, Volume Two by Mike Mignola
Hellboy: Strange Places by Mike Mignola
Hellboy: The Troll Witch and Others by Mike Mignola
Hellboy: Darkness Calls by Mike Mignola
Hellboy: Masks and Monsters by Mike Mignola
A Twisted Ladder by Rhodi Hawk
Mr. X by Peter Straub
Magic Terror by Peter Straub
Hellboy: The Wild Hunt by Mike Mignola
Hellboy: The Crooked Man and Others by Mike Mignola
Hellboy: The Bride of Hell and Others by Mike Mignola
lost boy lost girl by Peter Straub
Hellboy: The Storm and the Fury by Mike Mignola
In the Night Room by Peter Straub
Zombies vs. Robots: This Means War! edited by Jeff Conner
Monsters In the Movies: 100 Years of Cinematic Nightmares by John Landis
The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Catching Lucifer’s Lunch by T.J. May & Jason May
32 Fangs by David Wellington
The Legacy by John Coyne
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Nobody Gets the Girl by James Maxey
5 Stories by Peter Straub
Shada by Gareth Roberts & Douglas Adams
Haunted Legends edited by Ellen Datlow & Nick Mamatas
Every Shallow Cut by Tom Piccirilli
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
A Dark Matter by Peter Straub
A Special Place: The Heart of a Dark Matter by Peter Straub
The Green Woman by Peter Straub & Michael Easton
Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid & Alex Ross
American Vampire, Vol. 1 by Scott Snyder & Rafael Albuquerque & Stephen King
That’s 35 books this year. A satisfying amount, though I know many people who read two or three times that in a year (my wife included!). This year’s number is slightly more than my usual average of 30, but that’s probably because of all the graphic novels and trade comics collections, which can be read a whole lot faster than your average novel.
In related news, as we move into 2013, I’ve decided to stop reviewing books regularly in my blog. It’s extremely time consuming, and I just don’t have the time to commit to it anymore. I hope over these past eight years or so of reviewing pretty much everything I read that I’ve introduced you to some good books and warned you away from some stinkers. It’s been a pleasure. From now on, though, that’ll be someone else’s job.
Here’s wishing you all a happy 2013, and happy reading!
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