A typical reading year for me, although fewer books in total than usual. A few by friends, a few by acquaintances, many by people I wish were my friends. One from a friend of my son’s. Several by musicians or about musicians, several graphic novels. Several “classics”, several biographies of creative souls, several self-helpish/life improvement books. Each was an enjoyable reading experience; I quit the reading “clean your plate” club a few years ago and will tap out at roughly fifty pages if I’m not enjoying what I’m reading.
Many of these were read on the kindle app on my phone; two of the physical copies are signed by the authors. I bought the Joan Aiken book above at a used bookstore in Northampton, Massachusetts. I bought Nina Simone’s Gum in an airport in Europe, probably Prague. One has been on my shelf, unread, for at least a decade. Several I’d bought years ago; some I began reading the day I bought them. I purchased Bunnyman at Third Man Records in Nashville, and when I was there a guy in a truck kept driving around the block and laying on his horn every time he pulled even with the store, apparently to harass the staff. The third time he did this, a guy came running out of the back room and at first I thought it was Jack White himself, ready to unleash some chin music to protect his people (and customers). Thankfully there was no violence, at least when I was there. I also bought a Detroit Cobras 45s, a couple stickers, and a Conan O’Brien record for my son.
Several were purchased at my favorite bookstore in the world, The Book Barn, which is twenty-two miles from my house. At least two dozen of them inspired me to go to my own writing desk, not because of subject matter or theme necessarily, but because—writing! Yes!
The list is in a loose chronological order, loose because I usually am reading two or three books at a time. The exception being Matthew Dow Smith, who I listed first because I love him.
1. The October Girl Matthew Dow Smith
2. Available Dark Elizabeth Hand
3. The Player Michael Tolkin
4. Thinking 101 Woo-Kyoung Ahn
5. The Return of the Player Michael Tolkin
6. Swamp Thing Bronze Age Vol 1 Wein, Wrightson, et al.
7. Swamp Thing Bronze Age Vol 2 Kraft, Pasko, et al.
8. Exit Stage Left Mick Duerden
9. Haunted Heart Lisa Rogan
10. Mindware Richard Nisbett
11. Stay True Hua Hsu
12. Elevation Stephen King
13. Nina Simone’s Gum Warren Ellis
14. The Magic Mountain Thomas Mann
15. Misfits of Magic Matthew Dow Smith
16. Northanger Abbey Jane Austen
17. The Transposed Heads Thomas Mann
18. A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens
19. The Sick-Bag Song Nick Cave
20. Decline and Fall Evelyn Waugh
21. T-Shirts I Love Haruki Murakami
22. Speaks the Nightbird Robert McCammon
23. Mucha Delphi Classics
24. Angel’s Inferno William Hjortsburg
25. The Harder I Fight the More I Love You Neko Case
26. Not a Speck of Light Laird Barron
27. Mojo Marshall Goldsmith
28. Incidents Around the House Josh Mallerman
29. Swamp Thing, Bronze Age Vol 3 Pasko, Yeates et al.
30. Hellblazer Vol 1 Delano, Ridgway et al.
31. Scared Stiff Ramsey Campbell
32. Lonely City Olivia Lang
33. Queenpin Megan Abbott
34. Hellblazer Vol 2 Delano, Lloyd et al.
35. Asa, As I Knew Him Susanna Kaysen
36. Peak Mind Amishi Jha
37. Bunnyman Will Sergeant
38. Four and Twenty Blackbirds Cherie Priest
39. Hellblazer Vol 3 Delano, McKean et al.
40. Ghosts Come Rising Adam Perry
41. Bossypants Tina Fey
42. Bech, A Book John Updike
43. Bech is Back John Updike
44. The Confessions of Claude Emile Zola
45. Hugging the Shore John Updike
46. Hellblazer 4 Delano, Morrison et al.
47. Bech at Bay John Updike
48. No Certainty Attached Robert Dean Lurie
49. The Road Through the Woods Colin Dexter
50. Strange Pictures Uketsu
51. Nina Simone’s Gum Warren Ellis (yes, again)
52. Something Quite Peculiar Steve Kilbey
53. Born to Be Posthumous Mark Dery
54. Of Human Bondage Somerset Maugham
55. The Moon & Sixpence Somerset Maugham
56. The Case Against Satan Ray Russell
57. David Copperfield Charles Dickens
58. A Touch of Chill Joan Aiken
59. Transurfing in 78 Days Vadim Zeland
60. Crackpot Palace Jeffrey Ford
61. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Muriel Spark
62. Gypsy Rizka Lloyd Alexander
63. Writing for Children Joan Aiken
64. The Twilight Pariah Jeffery Ford
65. The 1-Page Marketing Plan Allan Dib
66. Arabel and Mortimer Joan Aiken
67. The Toll Cherie Priest
68. Owning Up George Pelecanos
69. How To Know A Person David Brooks
70. How Music Works David Byrne
71. The Prague Cemetery Umberto Eco
Did you read any of these in 2025? Any RIYL recs? Let me know!