Boozy Book Club No. 7

It's been a long time since our last reading update, but things haven't changed much. My book list keeps growing, and I'm behind on my comics. The Civil War list remains unfinished, as my strict adherence to its contents have waned. Instead, as those books remain on the proverbial bedside table, other items will interrupt the progress of that slow endeavor. So, enough throat clearing. Let's get to the good stuff.

Civil War List Reading List
Battle Cry of Freedom is on hold. I make occasional progress on Battle-Pieces. Gone With the Wind will have to wait. Instead, in conjunction with the start spring training, I'm now reading Baseball in Blue and Gray: the National Pastime During the Civil War.

Baseball in Blue in Gray
Author: George B. Kirsch
Genre: History
Status: 48 pages (of 145)
Notes: Baseball was a new sport in the 1800s, and its dramatic rise in popularity in the 1850s was almost derailed when the war between the States broke out. However, the sport became a diversion for troops and civilians alike, at home, on the battle front and in prisoner camps.

Unlisted Reading List
The daunting task of sticking to my giant Civil War list became too much for me. I recently finished Zen Guitar by Phillip Toshio Sudo, a recommendation by a fellow banjo player, who rightly said it applies to all musical instruments. Two additions to the unlisted list are Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb and Train Dreams by Denis Johnson. Look for updates next club meeting.

Comic Book Pull List
Since my return to reading comic books last year, I've felt behind on the ongoing storylines of my favorite monthly reads. I recently caught up with the trade paperbacks of Manhattan Projects and Fatale, and now I just need to catch up on the single issues I've been saving. I'm also up to speed with Grant Morrison's Batman epic, which is set to conclude in the next six issues (I think) of Batman Inc.

I'm now back onto Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run with Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book Four. This week's pull list includes Batman No. 17, the conclusion of the "Death of the Family" story arc, and the newest issues of the aforementioned Manhattan Projects and Fatale.

Fatale
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Publisher: Image
Notes: This series is highly recommended for anyone who likes a good mystery interwoven with some good old-fashioned Lovecraftian creepiness. The first and second story arcs are collected in trade paperback, which will bring you up to Issue 11. The latest issue (No. 12 out tomorrow) is supposed to be a good jumping on point.

New Sites
I've been using GoodReads for a while, but a new option has just launched, called BOOKish. It's supposed to have a fancy algorithm for recommending new books. A high school friend is involved with the website, so I'm totally biased, but it's still worth checking out.

As always, let me know what's on your reading list today and let's continue the conversation in the comments.