{"id":775,"date":"2017-02-08T06:55:04","date_gmt":"2017-02-08T14:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/?p=775"},"modified":"2019-04-14T16:03:29","modified_gmt":"2019-04-14T23:03:29","slug":"100-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/?p=775","title":{"rendered":"100 Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

(or, The Pointlessness of Data)<\/span><\/p>\n

As promised earlier<\/a>, I return to announce that I have now read 100 books — according to the database I keep of my books. When previously i made such announcement, I had to express three caveats, to wit:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The ‘books’ referred to previously included graphic novels and comics, which perhaps cannot lay claim to full ‘book’ status.<\/li>\n
  2. The earliest dates of books read are an approximation only (more on this below).<\/li>\n
  3. I wrote: “whilst the unexamined life is deemed to be unworthy of living, the micromanaged and databased life may only be a debasing of the actual substance of life itself.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This note is primarily a discursion upon the last point.<\/p>\n

    How long did it take me to read 100 books? Well, this is where the second caveat becomes noteworthy. As stated above, the dates given for completing each book are only approximations for the first few books in the list. Thus the beginning of the period can only be given by a date ante quem<\/em> rather than an exact start date. However, given the fact that I didn’t note down in each instance (or any, for that matter) just when I began<\/strong> to read a volume, this was always going to be the case. With that repeated dead horse caveat given, I can state that the 100 books read by me were read between June 17, 2015 (approx.) and October 11, 2016. This is a period of 483 days (I include the ending day), giving an average speed of 1 book per 4.83 days.<\/p>\n

    1 Book per 4.83 Days<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Over the past year or so, I’ve engaged in ‘comfort food’ reading, which perhaps explains the dominance of genre fiction among The One Hundred Books. I might have assumed more of an even split between fiction and non-fiction, given my penchant for history reading. (Though perhaps this is merely delusional aspirations towards intellectual pretensions which I will never, could never, achieve.) In fact, fiction overall outnumbered ‘non-‘ by a factor of about 3-to-1. Specifically, 73 fiction books were read while 27 of the ‘other’ category fell beneath my gaze. Of those 73, the preponderance were mysteries, followed by Science Fiction & Fantasy and (some) literature. To be specific:<\/p>\n

    Books Read by Genre<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Mystery<\/span><\/td>\n32<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    SF & Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n24<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Literature<\/span><\/td>\n17<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Nonfiction<\/span><\/td>\n27<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    Or, for those who prefer charts…<\/p>\n

    \"readbygenre\"<\/a><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Of course, ‘Nonfiction’ as a category categorizes nothing. Especially given the fact that much so-called ‘nonfiction’ actually peddles outright lies and misstates the truth with an almost religious fervor. Fortunately, we can dig deeper due to the diligence of the book database. Here’s how the ‘Nonfiction’ read over the past 100 books breaks down:<\/p>\n

    Nonfiction Read<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Arts & Photography<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Children’s Books<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Foreign Language<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    History<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Humor<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Indians of North America<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Mythology & Folklore<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Philosophy<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Poetry<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Politics & Social Sciences<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Psychology<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Religion & Spirituality<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Science & Math<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    Apparently I like funny books, even when I exempt comics from my lists…\n<\/p>\n

    Wow, isn’t this analysis fun? What else can we do with the data? Well, we can look at just how each (broad) category was read (since obviously the broken-down ‘Nonfiction’ genre presents too many subcategories and too few data points to be statistically significant). After playing with those bits a bit, normalizing the data (some of which was done earlier without mentioning it before), and then playing and massaging the spreadsheets, we see the following:<\/p>\n

    \"booksread\"<\/a><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    From this it appears that I’ve been reading nonfiction (called ‘Other’ in this chart, which is as good a name as any) at a fairly steady rate over this period, while my perusal of mysteries and science fiction increased pretty recently. Also, so-called ‘literature’ has not been part of my reading diet since the summer. Aren’t we flabbergasted with this insight into my reading history?<\/p>\n

    Truth be told, I’m slightly less than flummoxed by these data insights. I knew already, for instance, that I’d been on what I referred to as a ‘mystery kick’ in my recent reading, so these Moneyball details are somewhat wasted on me. Also, I am troubled by the collapsing of each book’s experience into a point exactly like that of every other book. Nor do I believe that the reductionism objected to here would be relieved by giving some sort of weighting mechanism to account for such metrics as number of pages, average reading level, importance as judged by reviews in major literary critiques, etc. I have actually given a rating for each — which I won’t provide here — but reducing the subjective experience of reading a book to a single (or even multiple!) points on a 5-point or 10-point or 100-point scale seems not only losing proposition, but simply silly.<\/p>\n

    The problem is similar to that of value in economics, I believe. The question was sidestepped by John von Neumann in his analysis of games in economics by instead using the concept of ‘utility’ — but even this can lead to some treacherous places. In analysis of such mathematical games as the Prisoner’s Dilemma, for example, if the prison sentence is not a term of years but a possible death penalty, how is one to assess a utility for actually dying? (Putting aside the usual pragmatic difficulties related to assessing application vs. theory, which in this case would necessitate evaluating the likelihood of actual execution as well as the time spent in appeals, etc., etc.) The concept of utility has other intractable difficulties as well, as was noted by Walter Otto in the opening remarks of his commentary on Dionysus, wherein he pointed out that taking a utilitarian perspective of religion was akin to reducing the artistic impulse to a question of “Do I need tapestries to make this room more cozy?”<\/p>\n

    In the case of my reading, I am at a loss to make an assessment of the utility or even the value of this versus that book. Does reading a mystery about a modern Navaho policeman have a measurable ‘value’ which can be compared to that of reading Dante’s Divine Comedy<\/em>? How does the ‘value’ of such a modern mystery compare to that of an ancient Chinese mystery? Does reading a 1000-year-old Icelandic saga confer more benefit than re-reading The Hobbit<\/em>? Perhaps such questions are meaningless, or can only be answered by reading the works themselves.<\/p>\n

    To which end, I present the list of The One Hundred Books<\/strong>. I’ve included the comic books for merely historical interest (ha!), though of course these do not contribute to the running total, the count being given in the first column of each listing. Herewith, The Books:<\/p>\n

    The One Hundred Books<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    #<\/td>\nRead<\/td>\nAuthor<\/td>\nTitle<\/td>\nGenre<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    1<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/17\/15<\/span><\/td>\nMartin Gardner<\/td>\nThe Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener<\/em><\/td>\nPhilosophy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    2<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/17\/15<\/span><\/td>\nAmir D. Aczel<\/td>\nFermat’s Last Theorem: Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem<\/em><\/td>\nScience & Math<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    3<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/17\/15<\/span><\/td>\nFritz Leiber<\/td>\nSwords Against Death<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    4<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/17\/15<\/span><\/td>\nFritz Leiber<\/td>\nSwords and Deviltry<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/15<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nWeird Love #1<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/15<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nPopeye #34<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/15<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nPopeye #13<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/15<\/span><\/td>\nSergio Aragon\u00e9s<\/td>\nSergio Aragon\u00e9s Funnies #1<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/15<\/span><\/td>\nSergio Aragon\u00e9s<\/td>\nGroo Friends and Foes #6<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/15<\/span><\/td>\nSergio Aragon\u00e9s<\/td>\nGroo Friends and Foes #5<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/15<\/span><\/td>\nSergio Aragon\u00e9s<\/td>\nGroo Friends and Foes #4<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/15<\/span><\/td>\nSergio Aragon\u00e9s<\/td>\nGroo Friends and Foes #3<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/15<\/span><\/td>\nSergio Aragon\u00e9s<\/td>\nGroo Friends and Foes #2<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/15<\/span><\/td>\nSergio Aragon\u00e9s<\/td>\nGroo Friends and Foes #1<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/23\/15<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nHaunted Horror #5<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/23\/15<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nHaunted Horror #9<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/24\/15<\/span><\/td>\nSergio Aragones<\/td>\nGroo vs. Conan<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/24\/15<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nHaunted Horror #14<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/25\/15<\/span><\/td>\nDave Sim<\/td>\nCerebus, Volume 1<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    5<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/6\/15<\/span><\/td>\nRoger Price, intro<\/td>\nThe MAD Reader<\/em><\/td>\nHumor<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    6<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/8\/15<\/span><\/td>\nWilliam M. Gaines<\/td>\nThe Brothers MAD<\/em><\/td>\nHumor<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    7<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/14\/15<\/span><\/td>\nHarvey Kurtzman<\/td>\nWilliam M. Gaine’s Inside Mad<\/em><\/td>\nHumor<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    8<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/24\/15<\/span><\/td>\nPhilip Jose Farmer<\/td>\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    9<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/5\/15<\/span><\/td>\nJohn Cohen, ed.<\/td>\nThe Essential Lenny Bruce<\/em><\/td>\nHumor<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    10<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/11\/15<\/span><\/td>\nAlice Miller<\/td>\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self, Revised Edition<\/em><\/td>\nPsychology<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    11<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/14\/15<\/span><\/td>\nDavid King<\/td>\nThe Commissar Vanishes: The Falsification of Photographs and Art in Stalin’s Russia<\/em><\/td>\nArts & Photography<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    12<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/23\/15<\/span><\/td>\nAlice Miller<\/td>\nThou Shalt Not Be Aware<\/em><\/td>\nPsychology<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    13<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/27\/15<\/span><\/td>\nDouglas Adams<\/td>\nDirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    14<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/29\/15<\/span><\/td>\nMark Nelson and Sarah Hudson Bayliss<\/td>\nExquisite Corpse: Surrealism and the Black Dahlia Murder<\/em><\/td>\nArts & Photography<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n10\/2\/15<\/span><\/td>\nThe Usual Gang Of Idiots<\/td>\nThe MAD Archives Vol. 1<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    15<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/2\/15<\/span><\/td>\nLynd Ward<\/td>\nGods’ Man: A Novel in Woodcuts (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)<\/em><\/td>\nArts & Photography<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    16<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/6\/15<\/span><\/td>\nG. K. Chesterton<\/td>\nThe Annotated Innocence of Father Brown<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    17<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/6\/15<\/span><\/td>\nG. K. Chesterton<\/td>\nFour Faultless Felons<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    18<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/18\/15<\/span><\/td>\nEustace M. Tillyard<\/td>\nThe Elizabethan World Picture<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    19<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/19\/15<\/span><\/td>\nRobert Carter<\/td>\nThe Tao and Mother Goose (Quest Book)<\/em><\/td>\nReligion<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    20<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/22\/15<\/span><\/td>\nColin Wilson<\/td>\nRasputin and the Fall of the Romanovs<\/em><\/td>\nHistory<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    21<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/27\/15<\/span><\/td>\nJoscelyn Godwin<\/td>\nReal Rule of Four: The Unauthorized Guide to the New York Times #1 Bestseller<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    22<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/30\/15<\/span><\/td>\nJohn Carey<\/td>\nPure Pleasure: A Guide to the 20th Century’s Most Enjoyable Books<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    23<\/strong><\/td>\n11\/9\/15<\/span><\/td>\nJorge Luis Borges<\/td>\nLabyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    24<\/strong><\/td>\n11\/16\/15<\/span><\/td>\nDante Alighieri<\/td>\nThe Divine Comedy:Inferno (Galaxy Books)<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    25<\/strong><\/td>\n11\/27\/15<\/span><\/td>\nDante Alighieri<\/td>\nThe Divine Comedy: Purgatorio (Galaxy Books)<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    26<\/strong><\/td>\n12\/10\/15<\/span><\/td>\nDante Alighieri<\/td>\nThe Divine Comedy: Paradiso (Galaxy Books)<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    27<\/strong><\/td>\n12\/22\/15<\/span><\/td>\nP. A. Brunt<\/td>\nSocial Conflicts in the Roman Republic<\/em><\/td>\nHistory<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    28<\/strong><\/td>\n1\/18\/16<\/span><\/td>\nO. Henry<\/td>\nGreat Short Stories<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    29<\/strong><\/td>\n1\/22\/16<\/span><\/td>\nIan Caldwell and Dustin Thomason<\/td>\nThe Rule of Four<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    30<\/strong><\/td>\n1\/22\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMoliere<\/td>\nThe Misanthrope and Tartuffe<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    31<\/strong><\/td>\n1\/22\/16<\/span><\/td>\nPhilip K. Dick<\/td>\nThe Man in the High Castle<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    32<\/strong><\/td>\n1\/23\/16<\/span><\/td>\nGeorge Orwell<\/td>\nAnimal Farm<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    33<\/strong><\/td>\n2\/14\/16<\/span><\/td>\nWilliam Morris<\/td>\nVolsunga Saga<\/em><\/td>\nMyth\/Folklore<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    34<\/strong><\/td>\n2\/18\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMagnus Magnusson & Hermann Palsson, trans.<\/td>\nNjal’s Saga<\/em><\/td>\nMyth\/Folklore<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    35<\/strong><\/td>\n2\/21\/16<\/span><\/td>\nW. P. Ker<\/td>\nEpic and Romance: Essays on Medieval Literature<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    36<\/strong><\/td>\n3\/3\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMichael Alexander<\/td>\nA History of Old English Literature (Broadview Literary Texts)<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    37<\/strong><\/td>\n3\/6\/16<\/span><\/td>\nNorman Spinrad<\/td>\nBug Jack Barron<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    38<\/strong><\/td>\n3\/10\/16<\/span><\/td>\nC.M. Kornbluth<\/td>\nA Mile Beyond the Moon<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    39<\/strong><\/td>\n3\/13\/16<\/span><\/td>\nPhilip K. Dick<\/td>\nFlow My Tears, The Policeman Said<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    40<\/strong><\/td>\n3\/14\/16<\/span><\/td>\nCamille Paglia<\/td>\nBreak, Blow, Burn: Camille Paglia Reads Forty-three of the World’s Best Poems<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    41<\/strong><\/td>\n3\/20\/16<\/span><\/td>\nJules Verne<\/td>\nDe la Terre \u00e0 la Lune<\/em><\/td>\nForeign Language<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    42<\/strong><\/td>\n3\/22\/16<\/span><\/td>\nJ.R.R. Tolkien<\/td>\nThe Hobbit<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    43<\/strong><\/td>\n3\/28\/16<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nThe pulps: Fifty years of American pop culture<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    44<\/strong><\/td>\n3\/30\/16<\/span><\/td>\nCharles Baudelaire<\/td>\nParis Spleen (New Directions Paperbook)<\/em><\/td>\nPoetry<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    45<\/strong><\/td>\n3\/31\/16<\/span><\/td>\nVictor Koman<\/td>\nThe Jehovah Contract<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    46<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/15\/16<\/span><\/td>\nTony Hillerman<\/td>\nThe Blessing Way<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    47<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/17\/16<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nThe Best American Noir of the Century<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    48<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/20\/16<\/span><\/td>\nErle Stanley Gardner<\/td>\nThe Case of the Curious Bride<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    49<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/21\/16<\/span><\/td>\nSmedley D. Butler<\/td>\nWar is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America’s Most Decorated Soldier<\/em><\/td>\nPolitics<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    50<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/21\/16<\/span><\/td>\nIsaac Asimov<\/td>\nBefore the Golden Age Book 3<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    51<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/24\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMark Riebling<\/td>\nChurch of Spies<\/em><\/td>\nHistory<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    52<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/25\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMichael Moorcock<\/td>\nElric of Melnibone<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    53<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/27\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMichael Moorcock<\/td>\nA Sailor on the Seas of Fate<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    54<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/28\/16<\/span><\/td>\nHarry Harrison<\/td>\nStar Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    55<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/29\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMichael Moorcock<\/td>\nThe Weird of the White Wolf<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    56<\/strong><\/td>\n4\/30\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMichael Moorcock<\/td>\nThe Vanishing Tower<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    57<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/3\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMichael Moorcock<\/td>\nThe Bane of the Black Sword<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    58<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/5\/16<\/span><\/td>\nTony Hillerman<\/td>\nTalking God<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n5\/8\/26<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nHarischandra: The Story of the Mythological King Whose Name is Synonymous With Truth<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n5\/9\/26<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nUncle Scrooge (Walt Disney best comics series)<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    59<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/9\/16<\/span><\/td>\nJames Hadley Chase<\/td>\nI’ll Bury My Dead<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    60<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/10\/16<\/span><\/td>\nIsaac Asimov<\/td>\nBefore the Golden Age Book 1<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    61<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/12\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMichael Moorcock<\/td>\nStormbringer<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    62<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/16\/16<\/span><\/td>\nBen Bova, ed.<\/td>\nThe Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume IIA<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    63<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/18\/16<\/span><\/td>\nJohn Sladek<\/td>\nBlack Aura<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    64<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/19\/16<\/span><\/td>\nRobert van Gulik, trans.<\/td>\nCelebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An)<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    65<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/20\/16<\/span><\/td>\nJohn Meade Falkner<\/td>\nThe Lost Stradivarius<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    66<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/23\/16<\/span><\/td>\nRobert van Gulik<\/td>\nThe Haunted Monastery and the Chinese Maze Murders<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    67<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/25\/16<\/span><\/td>\nCarl Fallberg<\/td>\nWalt Disney’s Donald Duck The Fabulous Diamond Fountain<\/em><\/td>\nChildren’s<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    68<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/25\/16<\/span><\/td>\nRobert van Gulik<\/td>\nThe Monkey and the Tiger: Two Chinese Detective Stories<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n5\/27\/16<\/span><\/td>\nDisney Studios Staff<\/td>\nWalt Disney’s Donald Duck and the Golden Helmet<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n5\/30\/16<\/span><\/td>\nWilliam Messner-Loebs & Sam Kieth<\/td>\nEpicurus the Sage, Volume I<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n5\/30\/16<\/span><\/td>\nWilliam Messner-Loebs & Sam Kieth<\/td>\nEpicurus the Sage: The Many Loves of Zeus<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n5\/30\/16<\/span><\/td>\nGardner Fox<\/td>\nThe Golden Age Sandman – Archives, Volume 1 (DC Archive Editions)<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    69<\/strong><\/td>\n5\/31\/16<\/span><\/td>\nPhilip K. Dick<\/td>\nNow Wait for Last Year<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    70<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/14\/16<\/span><\/td>\nEdmund Crispin<\/td>\nLove Lies Bleeding<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    71<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/18\/16<\/span><\/td>\nWilliam Shakespeare<\/td>\nAs You Like it<\/em><\/td>\nLiterature<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n6\/19\/16<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nHoward the Duck #1<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n6\/19\/16<\/span><\/td>\nAl Moore<\/td>\n1963 – Book Five: Horus God of Light<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n6\/19\/16<\/span><\/td>\nR. Crumb<\/td>\nDespair<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n6\/20\/16<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nHoward the Duck #2<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n6\/20\/16<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nHoward the Duck #33<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n6\/20\/16<\/span><\/td>\n<\/td>\nHoward the Duck Annual #1<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n6\/21\/16<\/span><\/td>\nSteve Gerber<\/td>\nDestroyer Duck #1<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    72<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/21\/16<\/span><\/td>\nJohn Mortimer<\/td>\nRumpole of the Bailey<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    73<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/23\/16<\/span><\/td>\nPoul Anderson<\/td>\nEnsign Flandry<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    74<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/25\/16<\/span><\/td>\nPoul Anderson<\/td>\nA Circus of Hells<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    75<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/26\/16<\/span><\/td>\nRobert van Gulik<\/td>\nJudge Dee at Work<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    76<\/strong><\/td>\n6\/29\/16<\/span><\/td>\nBartholomew Gill<\/td>\nMcGarr on the Cliffs of Moher<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/3\/26<\/span><\/td>\nAl Moore<\/td>\n1963 – Book One: Mystery Incorporated<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/4\/26<\/span><\/td>\nAl Moore<\/td>\n1963 – Book Two: The Fury<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    77<\/strong><\/td>\n7\/5\/16<\/span><\/td>\nRex Stout<\/td>\nThree Doors to Death<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/6\/26<\/span><\/td>\nAl Moore<\/td>\n1963 – Book Three: Tales of the Uncanny<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    78<\/strong><\/td>\n7\/6\/16<\/span><\/td>\nRaymond Chandler<\/td>\nPickup on Noon Street<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/strong><\/td>\n7\/6\/26<\/span><\/td>\nAl Moore<\/td>\n1963 – Book Four: Tales From Beyond<\/em><\/td>\n<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    79<\/strong><\/td>\n7\/8\/16<\/span><\/td>\nMichael Gilbert<\/td>\nThe Killing of Katie Steelstock<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    80<\/strong><\/td>\n7\/11\/16<\/span><\/td>\nRobert J. Ray<\/td>\nMurdock for Hire<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    81<\/strong><\/td>\n7\/16\/16<\/span><\/td>\nBenjamin Hoff<\/td>\nThe Tao of Pooh<\/em><\/td>\nReligion<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    82<\/strong><\/td>\n7\/21\/16<\/span><\/td>\nGeorges Simenon<\/td>\nL’Ami De’Enfance De Maigret<\/em><\/td>\nForeign Language<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    83<\/strong><\/td>\n7\/30\/16<\/span><\/td>\nIsaac Asimov, ed.<\/td>\nBefore The Golden Age<\/em><\/td>\nSF\/Fantasy<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    84<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/2\/16<\/span><\/td>\nSabine Baring-Gould<\/td>\nCurious Myths of the Middle Ages: The Sangreal, Pope Joan, The Wandering Jew, and Others<\/em><\/td>\nMyth\/Folklore<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    85<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/7\/16<\/span><\/td>\nR. Austin Freeman<\/td>\nThe Best Dr. Thorndyke Stories<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    86<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/11\/16<\/span><\/td>\nJim Thompson<\/td>\nThe Golden Gizmo<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    87<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/13\/16<\/span><\/td>\nTobias Wells<\/td>\nMurder Most Fouled Up<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    88<\/strong><\/td>\n8\/16\/16<\/span><\/td>\nAlan Watts<\/td>\nTao: The Watercourse Way<\/em><\/td>\nReligion<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    89<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/9\/16<\/span><\/td>\nSir Arthur Conan Doyle<\/td>\nThe New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories (2 Vol. Set)<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    90<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/12\/16<\/span><\/td>\nArthur William Upfield<\/td>\nThe Will of the Tribe<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    91<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/15\/16<\/span><\/td>\nAnne Hillerman<\/td>\nRock with Wings<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    92<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/19\/16<\/span><\/td>\nTony Hillerman<\/td>\nDance Hall of the Dead<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    93<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/21\/16<\/span><\/td>\nW.C. Sellar & R. J. Yeatman<\/td>\n1066 and All That<\/em><\/td>\nHumor<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    94<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/22\/16<\/span><\/td>\nTony Hillerman<\/td>\nListening Woman<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    95<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/23\/16<\/span><\/td>\nTony Hillerman<\/td>\nPeople of Darkness<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    96<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/26\/16<\/span><\/td>\nTony Hillerman<\/td>\nThe Dark Wind<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    97<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/27\/16<\/span><\/td>\nTony Hillerman<\/td>\nThe Ghostway<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    98<\/strong><\/td>\n9\/29\/16<\/span><\/td>\nTony Hillerman<\/td>\nSkinwalkers<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    99<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/8\/16<\/span><\/td>\nFrank Waters<\/td>\nMasked Gods: Navaho and Pueblo Ceremonialism<\/em><\/td>\nIndians of North America<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    100<\/strong><\/td>\n10\/11\/16<\/span><\/td>\nTony Hillerman<\/td>\nA Thief of Time<\/em><\/td>\nMystery<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    (or, The Pointlessness of Data) As promised earlier, I return to announce that I have now read 100 books — according to the database I keep of my books. When previously i made such announcement, I had to express three caveats, to wit: The ‘books’ referred to previously included graphic novels and comics, which perhaps … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading “100 Books”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[87,88],"class_list":["post-775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","tag-books","tag-reading","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/educatedguesswork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}