Everything You Need to Know to Survive English Class Lecture 1: F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby

The first lecture from “Everything You Need to Know to Survive English Class” is now online! In this lecture, we discuss F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby.

And don’t forget, the book is available from Amazon.com!

What I’m Reading in 2011

And now, like I did with the movies yesterday, it’s time to begin my running tally of the books I’ve read/am reading in 2011. I’m always a little ashamed that this list is invariably shorter than the movie list, even though it takes considerably longer to read most books (exception: Billy’s Looking at Me: A Family Circus Collection) than watch most movies (exception: Avatar). But I try to take comfort in the fact that I read more books in January than most of my students will read all year. As always, if it’s a book I’ve reviewed, I’ll make it a link.

1. Assholes Finish First (2010) by Tucker Max, B
2. Stupid American History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions (2009) by Leland Gregory, B-
3. Feed (2010) by Mira Grant, A
4. Twisted Toyfare Theater Vol.11 (2011), B*
5. Tangled: The Graphic Novel (2010), C-*
6. The Inner Circle (2011) by Brad Meltzer, A
7. The Customer is Always Wrong (2008) edited by Jeff Martin, B-
8. The Complete Peanuts: 1975-1976 (2010) by Charles M. Schulz, A*
9. The Onion Presents The Finest Reporting on Literature, Media, and Other Dying Art Forms (2010), B
10. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale Vol. 1: My Father Bleeds History (1986) by Art Spiegelman, A*
11. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale Vol. 2: And Here My Troubles Began (1991) by Art Spiegelman, A*
12. The Crucible (1953) by Arthur Miller,A+•
13. Cake Wrecks (2009) by Jen Yates, B+
14. The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America (2008) by David Hajdu, A
15. The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them) (2007) by Peter Sagal, B+
16. Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2 (2010), A*
17. The War For Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy (2010) by Bill Parker, A-
18. The Night of January 16th (1933) by Ayn Rand, B•
19. American On Purpose (2009) by Craig Ferguson, B+
20. Superman: Our Worlds At War-The Complete Collection (2006), B+*
21. Comic Books and Other Necessities of Life (2002) by Mark Evanier, B
22. Your Flying Car Awaits (2009) by Paul Milo, B-
23. John Dies at the End (2009) by David Wong, B
24. “When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth” (2007) by Cory Doctorow, B-
25. “The Black Cat” (1843) by Edgar Allan Poe, A
26. Room (2010) by Emma Donoghue, A
27. Limitless (2001) by Alan Glynn, B
28. Your Wildest Dreams, Within Reason (2011) by Mike Sacks, C+
29.  “How Interesting: A Tiny Man” (2010) by Harlan Ellison, B-
30. Crescent (2009) by Phil Rossi, B
31. The Secret World Chronicle Book 1: Invasion (2006) by Mercedes Lackey & Steve Libby, B^
32. Son of Superman (2000) by Howard Chaykin & David Tischman, B*
33. Blood is Red (2011) by Scott Sigler, B+
34. The Throne of Fire (2011) by Rick Riordan, B
35. Fiends Vol. One (2011) by Paul Eldard Cooley, B+
36. Subculture Vol. 1: The Wrath of Geek (2011) by Kevin Freeman & Stan Yan, B*
37. The Hunger Games (2008) by Suzanne Collins, A
38. Peanuts: Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011) by Craig Schulz & Stephan Patsis, B*
39. Catching Fire (2009) by Suzanne Collins, B
40. Mockingjay (2010) by Suzanne Collins, B+
41. Secret Warriors Vol. 1: Nick Fury-Agent of Nothing (2009) by Jonathan Hickman, A*
42. Deadline (2011) by Mira Grant, B+
43. Zombies!: An Illustrated History of the Undead (2011) by Jovanka Vuckovic, B-
44. Cujo (1981) by Stephen King, B
45. Locke and Key Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft (2008) by Joe Hill, A-*
46. Penny Arcade Vol. 7: Be Good, Little Puppy (2011) by Jerry Holkins & Mike Krahulik, B*
47. New Teen Titans: Games (2011) by Marv Wolfman & George Perez, A*
48. Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God From Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human (2011) by Grant Morrison, A-
49. Clients From Hell (2011) by Anonymous, B
50. Lisey’s Story (2006) by Stephen King, C
51. Locke and Key Vol. 2: Head Games (2010) by Joe Hill, A*
52. Locke and Key Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows (2010) by Joe Hill, A*
53. On Writing (2000) by Stephen King, A
54. Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psyco (1990), Stephen Rebello, B+
55. “Mile 81” (2011), Stephen King, B
56. The Stand (1990 unabridged edition), Stephen King, A+
57. The All-Pro (2011), Scott Sigler, A
58. Heaven (2011), Mur Lafferty, B+
59. Hell (2011), Mur Lafferty, B
60. Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (1993), by Alan Ball, B•
61. The Scribbler’s Guide to the Land of Myth (2008), Sarah Beach, A
62. The Gunslinger (2003 revised edition), Stephen King, B+
63. The Starter (2010) by Scott Sigler, A^
64. Who Goes There? (1938) by John W. Campbell, B+
65. The Drawing of the Three (1986), by Stephen King, B
66. “The Monster in My Closet” (2011), by Wil Wheaton, B+
67. Bill Shakespeare’s Next Big Mistake (2011) by Renee Harrell, B-•
68.  “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839), by Edgar Allan Pe, B
69. The Waste Lands (1991), by Stephen King, A
70. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1981), by Alvin Schwartz, B-
71. More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (1984), by Alvin Schwartz, B-
72. Wreck the Halls (2011) by Jen Yates, B+
73. 11/22/63 (2011), by Stephen King, A
74. The Son of Neptune (2011), by Rick Riordan, B
75. Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross (2003), by Chip Kidd, A
76. Batman: Noel (2011) by Lee Bermejo, B+*
77. Storm Front (2000) by Jim Butcher, B
78. The Adventures of Chrissie Claus Vol. 1 (2009), B*
79. A Christmas Story (2003) by Jean Shepherd, A
80. The Book of  (Holiday) Awesome (2011) , by Neil Pasricha, C+
81. The Great Gatsby (1924), F. Scott Fitzgerald, A
82. A Married Man’s Guide to Christmas (2011), by Robert Henry, B+
83. Batman: The Black Mirror (2011) by Scott Snyder, A*
84. Zombies Christmas Carol (2011) by Jim McCann, B+*
85. Walt Disney’s Christmas Classics (2009), B
86. Archie’s Classic Christmas Stories Vol. 1 (2002), B
87. “Nicholas Was…” (1989), by Neil Gaiman, A
88. Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King (2011) by Laura Geringer & William Joyce, B-

*-Denotes graphic novel or comic strip collection
•-Denotes stage play or screenplay
^-Denotes audiobook

Last updated on December 30, 2011.

What I’m Reading: 2010 Edition

Like I did last year, I’m going to keep a running tally of my reading list this year. This includes both prose books, graphic novels, short stories (if I read them independently of an entire book, that is), and audiobooks that I listen to. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, I’ll place a link to this post on the righthand “Blakestuff” column, and periodically update this page with new material. Also, if I happen to review the book either here, for the Amazon Vine program, at Comixtreme.com, or otherwise, I’ll make the title a link. Because I know you would want it that way.

1. Desperate Times by Chris Eliopoulos (2009), B-*
2. Under the Dome by Stephen King (2009), A-
3. Little Adventures in Oz Vol. 1 by Eric Shanower (2010), A-*
4. Replay by Ken Grimwood (1987), B+
5. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954), A+
6. The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures by Dave Stevens (2009), A*
7. 7th Son: Descent by J.C. Hutchins (2009), A- @
8. The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King (1987), A
9. Star Comics All-Star Collection Vol. 1 (2009), B-*
10. “The Call of Cthulhu” by H.P. Lovecraft (1928), B
11. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (2002), A-
12. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (2009), B+
13. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (2008), B+
14. The Magic Book of Oz by Scott Dickerson (2009), B+
15. More Blood, More Sweat, and Another Cup of Tea by Tom Reynolds (2009), A-
16. PVP Vol. 6: Silent But Deadly by Scott Kurtz (2009), B-*
17. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865), A-
18. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (1951), A
19. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (1900), A
20. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (2001), B
21. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (2003), B
22. “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving (1824), A
23. Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies by Michael Adams (2010), A
24. Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis (2008), A
25. Doom Patrol: Crawling From the Wreckage by Grant Morrison (1990), B*
26. Doom Patrol: The Painting that Ate Paris by Grant Morrison (1990), B+*
27. The Lost Books of the Odyssey by Zachary Mason (2008), A-
28. “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1836), B+
29. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin (1894), B-
30. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley (2004), B-*
31. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce (1890), A
32. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (1595-ish), B
33. “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain (1865), A
34. Lost Ate My Life by Jon Lachonis & Amy J. Johnston (2008), B-
35. All the Great Books (Abridged) by Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor (2005-Stage Play), A-
36. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max (2006), B
37. Reduced Shakespeare by Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor (2006), B+
38. The Zombie Wilson Diaries by Timothy W. Long (2009), B
39. Lurline and the White Ravens of Oz by Marcus Mebes (2008), B-
40. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper (2004), B
41. “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1922), B
42. Blockade Billy by Stephen King (2010), B+
43. Honor Brigade by Tom Stillwell & Bradley Bowers (2009), A-
44. Age of Bronze: A Thousand Ships by Eric Shanower (2001), A*
45. Marvel Zombies 4 by Fred Van Lente (2010), B*
46. The Toxic Avenger and Other Tromatic Tales edited by Tim Seeley (2007), B-*
47. Iron Man and Philosophy: Facing the Stark Reality edited by Mark D. White (2010), B
48. Sheldon: Living Dangerously With Saturated Fats by Dave Kellett (2009), A-
49. “The Far and the Near” by Thomas Wolfe (1935), B-
50. “In Another Country” by Ernest Hemingway (1927), B-
51. “The Corn Planting” by Sherwood Anderson (1921), B
52. “A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner (1930), A
53. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (1895-Stage Play), B
54. Heaven Book V: War by Mur Lafferty (2008), B@
55. “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Conner (1955), B+
56. Kissyman and the Gentleman by Scott Sigler (2010), B-@
57. Carrie by Stephen King (1974), B
58. Unbeatable: Hotter Than Hell (2010) by Matthias Wolf, A-
59. DC’s Greatest Imaginary Stories Vol. 2: Batman and Robin (2010), edited by Bob Joy, B-*
60. I’ll Mature When I’m Dead (2010) by Dave Barry, B
61. Wertham Was Right (2003) by Mark Evanier, A-
62. Little Adventures in Oz Vol. 2 (2010) by Eric Shanower, B+*
63. Age of Bronze Vol. 2: Sacrifice (2004) by Eric Shanower, B*
64. Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne (2004) by John Byrne, A*
65. The Crypt Book One: The Crew (2010) by Scott Sigler & Various, B+@
66. Vampire Brat (2001) by Batton Lash, B+*
67. Haunt Vol. 1 (2010) by Robert Kirkman & Todd McFarlane, B+*
68. Ancestor (2010) by Scott Sigler, A
69. The Customer is Not Always Right (2009) by A.J. Adams, B
70. Atomic Robo Vol. 1: Atomic Robo and the Fightin’ Scientists of Tesladyne (2007) by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener, A*
71. Starman Omnibus Vol. 4 (2010), by James Robinson, A*
72. Hater (2006) by David Moody, B+
73. “Everything and Nothing” (2010) by David Moody, B
74. Penny Arcade Vol. 6 (2010) by Jerry Holkins & Mike Krahulik, B+
75. And Another Thing… (2009) by Eoin Colfer, B-
76. Dog Blood (2010) by David Moody, B
77. The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) by L. Frank Baum , B+*
78. Sheldon: Still Got It (2009) by Dave Kellett, A*
79. Literature: Unsuccessfully Competing Against Television Since 1953 (2010) by Dave Kellett, A*
80. Drive: A Hero Rises (2010) by Dave Kellett, B*
81. Beneath (2010) by Jeremy Robinson, B-
82. Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories (2010) by Zack Whedon, A*
83. Night of the Living Trekkies (2010) by Kevin David Anderson & Sam Stall B+
84. The Nearly Complete Essential Hembeck Archives Omnibus (2010) by Fred Hembeck, B+*
85. “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839) by Edgar Allan Poe, A
86. Curse of the Were-Woman (2009) by Jason M. Burns, B*
87. A Teacher’s Night Before Halloween (2008) by Steven Layne, B
88. Ghostopolis (2010) by Doug TenNapel, A*
89. Superman: Earth One (2010) by J. Michael Straczynski, A*
90. Sum: Forty Tales From the Afterlives (2009) by David Eagleman, A
91. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010 Graphic Novel), B*
92. The Lost Hero (2010) by Rick Riordan, B
93. Stupid Christmas (2010) by Leland Gregory, B-
94. Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas (2001) by Ace Collins, B+
95. Full Dark, No Stars (2010) by Stephen King, A-
96. The Case For Christmas: A Journalist Investigates the Identity of the Child in the Manger (1998) by Lee Strobel, B
97. Amelia Rules: A Very Ninja Christmas (2009) by Jimmy Gownley, A*
98. The Curious World of Christmas (2007) by Niall Edworthy, C+
99. The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories (2010), edited by Craig Yoe, B*
100. Top Cow Holiday Special 2010 by Phil Smith & Paul Dini, B*
101. Graphic Classics Vol. 19: Christmas Classics (2010), B+*
102. The Truth About Santa (2009) by Gregory Mone, B
103. The Starter by Scott Sigler (2010), B+

*-Denotes Graphic Novel or Comic Strip collection
@-Denotes audiobook
“”-Denotes Short Story

Last Updated on January 1, 2010