August Reading Log

This was an odd month in that I actually did a lot more reading than this log indicates.

Let me explain. I subscribe to two excellent magazines, The New Yorker and Texas Monthly. Both magazines are renowned for their in-depth journalism, insightful looks at culture, and stellar writing. However, they are both also known for looooong articles, the kind of pieces that require 30, 45, even 60 minutes of undivided attention if you're going to read them in one sitting. As such, it doesn't take long for old magazines to start piling up in my nightstand, saved for those rare moments when I have extended time to kill and the brainpower for a hard-hitting look at the war in Ukraine.

So I decided August would be a month devoted to working through the pile, article by article, as well as all my old saved articles on Instapaper (some of which, embarrassingly enough, had been in my queue for 3+ years). The morning hour normally spent in a novel or biography would instead go to these articles until my to-read pile was no more.

And I did it, with 2 days to spare! So just two books this month (both, not coincidentally, about the love of books, because absence makes the heart grow fonder), along with the long-awaited conclusion to my journey reading every issue of Fantastic Four. Back to a more normal log next month, but here's August, including the best articles I read.

Favorite Articles:

The Secret History of Family Separation by Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic.

Country Music's Culture Wars and the Remaking of Nashville by Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker.

The Queen of Highland Park by Tom Foster, Texas Monthly

Everyone in Stephenville Thought They Knew Who Killed Susan Woods by Bryan Burrough, Texas Monthly

Elon Musk's Shadow Rule by Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker

Reading Through the Fantastic Four- (6th series) #1-46 and several one-shot issues

There's a balance that a good writer needs to strike with the Fantastic Four. They're Marvel's First Family, so the book should be nostalgic and sentimental, but not saccharine. They're fundamentally explorers, not superheroes, so the book should be suffused with wonder and imagination, though not at the expense of storytelling. And at the end of the day, they're a preposterous, only-in-comics mixture of cosmic grandeur and screwball comedy, so the book should have a requisite amount of both head, heart, and humor.

It's not an easy task, especially with legends like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby—so revered in the industry that their nicknames are literally "The Man" and "The King"—providing the archetype. The best creators—think John Byrne, Mark Waid and Mike Weiringo, and Jonathan Hickman—manage to strike the balance, at least most of the time.

Dan Slott, who just finished his 5-year run on Fantastic Four last year, nailed it, forever adding his name to the Mount Rushmore of FF creators. Over 50-some-odd issues (counting various special one-shots) he manages to reset a few ill-considered decisions by previous creators and put his own stamp on the team, all while ensuring that this feels like the FF you know and love. In a way that even as gifted a storyteller as Jonathan Hickman didn't, Slott gets this team and this book, delivering stories which veer between cosmic and comedy without ever feeling disjointed or inconsistent.

Character-wise, his most notable move is giving Ben Grimm his own immediate family, first by finally letting Ben and his longtime (I'm talking all the way back to Lee and Kirby) love Alicia Masters tie the knot, and then by having them adopt two kids (a Kree and a Skrull, naturally.) Making the Thing, who has been great with kids since his nephew Franklin was calling him "Unca Ben" back in the 1970s, a father is a stroke of genius, and feels natural almost immediately.

Speaking of kids, Slott also leans into the idea of Franklin and Valeria as older kids now (Franklin is firmly in his teenage years and Valeria is a preteen.) For Franklin especially this offers new storytelling opportunities, as we get to see him sulk, rebel, and be selfish in ways that feel entirely appropriate for his age, and it gives a new dynamic for the family. Slott's take on Valeria isn't as nuanced—she is largely off to the side throughout his run—and I'll admit I miss the fun of having a 4-year-old who was smarter than Reed Richards running around. Nevertheless, in Slott's hands the two kids are fully main characters now; long gone are the days of Reed and Sue rushing into battle without the writer accounting for the whereabouts of their children.

Plot-wise, there's too much to list in detail. But to name just a few storylines, we see Doctor Doom almost get married to his new herald, Victorious (a Slott creation), the revelation of a planet whose people actually caused the cosmic ray storm that birthed the FF, and a war against the Watchers' age-old enemies. It's a lot, but never as overwhelming as Claremont or Hickman's biggest stories.

As I conclude my years-long quest to read every FF comic, the Dan Slott run was a great note to end on, and I'm sorry to see him go. He understands the things that matter most about my favorite superhero team: imagination, family, and fun. What more could you ask for from a comic book?

1,000 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE: A LIFE-CHANGING LIST by James Mustich

First, a disclaimer: I didn't actually read this book, at least not every word in its 870 pages. But I did turn every page, read the summaries of all the books I recognized, and write down a lot of its recommendations on my 24-page-and-counting book wish list.

The title of James Mustich's book makes its purpose rather self-explanatory, so let me just tell you how the book is laid out. Alphabetized by author, he offers a brief review of each book on his list, a list of other notable books by that author, as well as an Amazon-esque list of books you might like if you like this one. The end result is that, if you want to read every book mentioned, it ends up closer to 10,000 than 1,000.

Mustich does a good job hopping between genres, while certainly giving the most attention to novels. He also offers a great deal of variety in terms of time period, going from Greek tragedies to Victorian novels to even a few notable 21st century offerings. Nearly all the classics make the cut, and there are also enough surprises to keep things interesting.

If I have any criticisms of this fairly straightforward book, it's that with some authors, Mustich gets a little too cute with which book he selects—for example, choosing a collection of John Updike stories instead of Rabbit, Run. But these sorts of exceptions are unusual enough that the list remains reliable if not unimpeachable.

For anybody wanting a literary wish list, this is a great book to check out from the library. I did, and my shopping list is the better (or at least the longer!) for it.

I'D RATHER BE READING: THE DELIGHTS AND DILEMMAS OF THE READING LIFE by Anne Bogel

I love books. Shocker, I know. I love reading books, borrowing books, buying books, flipping through books, and thinking about books. I love bookstores and libraries, bargain bins and rare first editions. I love thinking about books from my childhood and wondering about what books I'll read in my twilight years. I love lists of classic books, lists of upcoming books, and everything in between. I just love books.

So this collection of essays from Anne Bogel, whose Modern Mrs. Darcy blog is a celebration of "the reading life" was an absolute joy. From recollections of her local library growing up to the story of her day spent as a bookseller, every essay drips with her unabashed love for reading. This was the perfect cup of warm milk every night before bed, a comforting collection of snapshots that, to borrow an overused phrase, made me feel seen.

If you're somebody who spends an inordinate amount of time scanning the bookshelves when you got to a new friend's house, this book is for you. If you're somebody who Googles "local bookstore" every time you travel to a new city, this book is for you. If you have a designated "books" line in your family budget, this book is for you.

Now, you'll have to excuse me. I have some books to read.