Book Challenge 2021

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READING, BOOKS

The goal this time was 37! But my goal was to actually read 247 books. This way my completion rate would overkill into 666%, thus summoning Belial. Alas, like last year, this too failed to happen because the final value was 668%. Picture of completion stats This year, instead of writing about every book I read, I decided to highlight the following interesting patterns.

Much Manga

I normally read a lot of Manga but the year 2021 is when I decided to include each available book into the Goodreads challenge. This makes bigger goals more achievable.

Mushoku Tensei

Simply said, a loser is reincarnated into a child’s body in another world. It’s definitely one of the better Isekai stories out there. I read books 1 through 7.

Yu-Gi-Oh

Watching the abridged series got me thinking about the original Yu-Gi-Oh story so I read the first seven volumes. The game mechanics are varied and interesting. Of course, designing different games and puzzles must be tiresome and not as lucrative as simply riding on a children’s card game!

Dramacon

A coming-of-age story that revolves around anime conferences. Three volumes. Fun to read.

Prophecy

Prophecy is a three volume manga that deals with a vigilante on the web. At heart, it’s a revenge story. I enjoyed it despite how grim it got at times.

Genkaku Picasso

Yet another three volume manga; this one’s about a kid who can draw people’s inner trauma and then dive into them to solve their problems. In particular, I liked the story that revolved around a character who was like Walt Disney.

Can You Just Die, My Darling?

What if something drove people to kill the one they loved? It starts out well but the roller-coaster ride goes up and down and eventually concludes in a very dissatisfying way. Finished all 10 books.

Devilman Grimoire

Five volumes of retelling Devilman without one of its most important characters and their signature arc. It also has characters from other Devilman spin-offs so it’s like a blended smoothie of the Devilman Universe.

Various Works by View

I loved View’s surreal manga works. I read three of their books and still want more.

Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

I watched the anime and wanted to know how the story continued. It’s nothing compelling. Like with many manga I’ve read, the hook is interesting but the story just meanders, often rendering the hook meaningless.

Jadou: The Corrupt Path

Also called Risky Business. The mangaka loves writing about the dangers of ambition. Bank-king is quite similar in tone and style. This 4 volume manga is interesting mainly because of its depiction of the wily economics of running a ramen restaurant.

BTOOOM!

I was really hoping I’d finish the series in 2021. I only have 9 more books to go! Well, 2022 it is.

World Trigger

Typical Shonen Jump fare.

Gleipnir

Same story as Death March. Watched the anime. Cool story. Oh, it has no second season. What happens next? Gotta read the manga.

And Many More

Other series include Bakuman, Kaiji, Batman Justice League, Devil May Cry, etc.

Graphic Novels

I too have passion for Western Manga! But most call these Graphics Novels.

The Infinite Horizon

It’s The Odyssey but it happens in the present, which makes it rather bizarre. How does one depict a gigantic Cyclops in the present day?

The Mask

Finally, I read the source material of the Jim Carrey movies. Hollywood really deviated from the original like it often does. I read the omnibuses, the crossovers and the weirdly political modern-day sequel.

Vertigo Crime

I read 3 books from this label:

  • A Sickness in the Family
  • The Chill
  • Area 10

Each one was different but they were all thematically dark. I’ll probably read more soon.

Rich Dad’s Escape from the Rat Race

A comic book adaptation of Rich Dad Poor Dad. I feel like this version was more honest in its messaging than the other renditions. I consider the whole organization to be a borderline swindling operation but the core tenet i.e. “Not thinking like the Poor Dad” is the undeniable truth that they ride on to make money with board games, real estate shenanigans and other nonsense.

Jason Shiga

I read all of Demon and Meanwhile. Well…technically…I cannot read all of Meanwhile because it has a bazillion ways to be read but I read till I explored all major plot points and possibilities. Both works are sheer genius!

Labyrinth

A fun way to read about Sartre’s philosophy!

Something is Killing the Children

I read volumes one, two and three. It’s a good premise and I could see this show getting a Netflix treatment. Perhaps that was its intention from the get-go. Stranger Things but many kids die!

Works of Jodorowsky

Consumed a little of both Megalex and Technopriests. It’s odd but intriguing.

Stray Bullets

I liked Murder Me Dead a lot but Stray Bullets did not do it for me

Books without Speech Bubbles

Yes I did read normal text-heavy books too!

Self-Helpish

Titles include:

  • The One Thing
  • The Hustle Economy
  • An Hour to Live, an Hour to Love
  • I Am Magic: How To Create Your Best Life
  • Anxiety: Overcoming The Inner Critic

Rebooted Fiction

Old stories retold for my modern senses:

  • Beowulf: A New Translation
  • Dante’s Inferno in Modern English

Books that many other readers of Goodreads read:

  • Arsenic and Adobo
  • The Humans
  • Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Isekai Fiction

Hey, isn’t this cheating? No it’s not! It’s like a manga but it’s not, it’s a book! Light Novels include:

  • I Was Teleported to a Fantasy World after Being Hit by a Truck and for Some Reason I Was Ridiculously Popular with the Girls There so They Took Me to Their Magical High School…
  • The Rising of the Shield Hero

Non-Fiction

Books that are not stories but contain them such as:

  • Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s Legendary CEO
  • Follow This Thread: A Maze Book to Get Lost In
  • 30-Second Psychology

How-to Books

Follow the steps and do something with books like:

  • Writing Interactive Fiction with Twine
  • The Do-It-Yourself Escape Room Book
  • The Urban Sketching Handbook Sketch Now, Think Later

For the full list, go to https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/24865037