This Week in Reading

BOOKS:

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman, pages 98 – 129

Dead Men’s Boots, by Mike Carey, page 67 – 151 

Sneaky Pie for President, by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown, pages 1 – 121 

COMICS:

Batman 1 – 6, & Rebirth

Justice League Europe 7

King Conan 9, 10, 16, 17

Who’s Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes 1 & 2

Wonder Man 6 & 7

Wonder Woman 14

My Podcast Awards: 2016!

Since I (1) listen to a lot of podcasts, and (2) have a blog, I believe I am qualified to talk about my favorites podcasts of 2016.


Favorite Podcast That I Guested On In 2016
Runners-Up: Action Comics Weekly, Back to the Bins, Batgirl to Oracle, The Book Guys Show, Fear the Walking Deadcast, I'm the Gun, Pod Dylan, Pop Culture Affidavit, Secret Origins, Views From the Longbox, 90s Comics Retrial.
Winner: Unofficial 75 Greatest Marvels Countdown.

Best Produced Podcast
Runners-Up: The Arkham Sessions, Secret Origins, The Spirit Blade Underground.
Winner: No Agenda.  

Off Into the Sunset Award, for a show that wrapped up its mission in 2016, and rode off victoriously into the sunset.
Runners-Up: The Riverdale Podcast, Uncovering the Bronze Age, Unofficial 75 Greatest Marvels Countdown
Winner: Secret Origins.

Where Have You Been All My Life? Award, for a show that started in or before 2015, but that I didn't start listening to (or even heard of, in some cases) until 2016.
Runners-Up:  Comic Reflections, The Catch with John Fischer, Men in Blazers, To The Batpoles!
Winner:  Deconstructing Comics.

Podfaded But Not Forgotten Award, for a show that ended (or maybe seems to have ended) in 2016, and it's hard to know if or when it's coming back.
Runners-up: Mike's Amazing World of DC History, Superman & Batman, Traveling Through the Bronze Age, Who True Freaks.
Winner: Tales of the Justice Society of America.

Back From The Dead Award, for shows that seemed to maybe have been dead, but released at least one episode in 2016!
Runners-up:The Book Guys Show, Bookworm Banquet, The Jen and Dave Show.
Winner: Geeks On!


And now on to the two most prestigious awards ...

Best New Podcast of 2016
Runners-Up: The Fear of God, Is It Jaws?, Greystoked, Jaig Eyes & Jedi, The Parliament of Rooks, Pod Dylan, Radio Free GOP, Xenozoic Xenophiles.
Winner:  Mark's Mess Podcast


Favorite Overall Podcast
Runners-Up:  No Agenda, Secret Origins, The Tolkien Professor, The Tony Kornheiser Show.
Winner: Men in Blazers



SPECIAL COMMENDATION: Best Single Podcast Episode, 2016:
"The Minority Report," episode 116 of Batgirl to Oracle. In this episode, host Stella and guest Donovan talked about the state of various minority groups in comic books. It was in-depth, insightful, and interesting.

This Week in Reading

BOOKS:

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman, pages 47 – 98.  

Dead Men’s Boots, by Mike Carey, page 1 –  67.

Prince Lestat, by Anne Rice, COMPLETED.                     

COMICS:

Action Comics 715, 717, 852 – 854

Devil Kids 35

Green Arrow 15

Enemy Ace Special (1990)

Hot Stuff Sizzlers 26

King Conan 2, 5, 6 & 7

Peanuts 2

Trinity 5

This Week in Reading

BOOKS:

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman, pages 1 – 47.

Prince Lestat, by Anne Rice, pages 272 – 397.

Alienation, by Jon S. Lewis, COMPLETED.

COMICS:

Archie’s Pal Jughead 71

Blackhawk 1 – 5

DC Bombshells 21

Doom Patrol 122

Green Arrow 14

Incredible Hulk 144

Spotlight 1

Superman 1 – 6 & Rebirth

Xenozoic!, pages 176 – 196 (*)

(*) covering the first story that was discussed by Ruth & Darrin Sutherland in episode7 of their excellent Xenozoic Xenophiles podcast.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

Grab your current read.

Open to a random page.

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and the author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday!

From Page 16 of Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman.

"Change is scary. You're not alone in feeling anxious about jeopardizing what you already have. But despite the worrites, it's time for a shift in thinking."

This Week in Reading

BOOKS:

Prince Lestat, by Anne Rice, pages 107 – 272. 

Alienation, by Jon S. Lewis, pages 1 – 112.

COMICS:

Archie’s Funhouse Christmas Annual

Doom 2099 11 – 13

Dreadstar 53

Green Lanterns 10 – 12

Hawkworld 1

Jerry Iger’s Famous Features 1

Morbius the Living Vampire 5

Scooby Doo Team-up 1 – 6

Wonder Woman 13

2016 Reading Analysis

I have been keeping track of my annual reading for about 10 years now. In 2016, I read 49 books. This compares to 50 book read last year, 55 in 2014, 66 in 2013, 75 in 2012, 84 in 2011, 73 in 2010, 80 in 2009, 110 in 2008, and around 140-150 in the few years before that.

This decrease from the mid 2000s is because I listen to an absolute ton of podcasts, which cut into my reading time. I have also stopped counting graphic novels and comic book collections, after I started listed them weekly on this site, and preparing the monthly Comic Reading Journal episodes. I hope that I can again read 50 books in 2017. That seems a reasonable goal.

I have always been a fan of audio, and 32 of the 49 books I consumed this year were via unabridged audio. 16 were traditional dead-tree books, and 1 was on my Nook.

The 39 novels I read break down as follows: (note that the total exceeds 39, as many books fit into more than one category)
Mystery/Thriller -- 15
Fantasy/SF -- 17
Comics / YA -- 11
Religious/Christian -- 6
Historical -- 2


The 10 non-fiction works I read break down as follows: (note that the total exceeds 10, as many books fit into more than one category)
Christian/Theology -- 6
Memoir/Biography -- 2
Business -- 1
Parenting -- 1
Entertainment -- 1