Mischief Managed, Mostly: A #Readaroundtheworld update

Posted on by Luther M. Siler

I am forty pages into Annie Proulx’s Barkskins, which is the duly designated novelistic representative of the great state of Wyoming, meaning that I have completed my goal of reading one book from each of the 50 US States, with Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. thrown in for shits and giggles. I’m currently at 39 different countries, a metric I intend to continue to pay attention to for a bit, as I’m still enjoying it, but I have to admit I’m glad to have this particular reading goal in the rear-view mirror. Barkskins is a bit of a doorstopper at 700+ pages, but based on the beginning of the book I think it’ll be a pretty quick and enjoyable read for all that, and once I finish it I have a beta read that I’ve been sitting on (for much too long) for a friend and an ARC to read and review, and then I can move into 2022’s project, which is to read whatever the fuck I want for a year and not worry about the details at all. I’ve had fun with my reading projects for the last several years and I’m sure I’ll revisit the idea again in the future but I want this year to be less about hitting a metric of some sort.

If you’re curious, here’s the list. Hopefully it doesn’t look too heinous outside the editor:

Archaeology from SpaceParcak, Sarah2/13/212/14/21US/Alabama
The Raven’s GiftRearden, Don5/13/215/15/21US/Alaska
Son of the StormOkungbowa, Suyi Davies6/26/217/2/21US/Arizona
True GritPortis, Charles11/7/2111/7/21US/Arkansas
BumpWallace, Matt1/29/211/29/21US/California
The Future of Another TImelineNewitz, Annalee5/9/215/13/21US/California
The Hill We ClimbGorman, Amanda5/30/215/30/21US/California
The Hidden PalaceWecker, Helene7/12/217/18/21US/California
Savage BountyWallace, Matt7/20/217/24/21US/California
Fear and Loathing in Las VegasThompson, Hunter6/10/216/10/21US/Colorado
Rebel SistersOnyebuchi, Tochi2/20/212/23/21US/Connecticut
The Book of Unknown AmericansHenriquez, Cristina10/24/2110/26/21US/Delaware
Robbing the BeesBishop, Holley10/22/2110/24/21US/Florida
Treason of HawksBowen, Lila9/4/219/6/21US/Georgia
Sharks in a Time of SaviorsWashburn, Kawai Strong6/24/216/26/21US/Hawai’i
IdahoRuskovich, Emily10/1/2110/2/21US/Idaho
The Queen of Gilded HornsJoy, Amanda4/19/214/23/21US/Illinois
Hood FeminismKendall, Mikki5/23/215/26/21US/Illinois
Rise to the SunJohnson, Leah7/24/217/25/21US/Indiana
NightbitchYoder, Rachel9/6/219/8/21US/Iowa
Nubia: Real OneMcKinney, L.L.2/26/20212/21/21US/Kansas
Narrative of the Life of Henry Bibb, an American Slave, Written by HimselfBibb, Henry10/17/2110/18/21US/Kentucky
Into the DarkGray, Claudia6/17/216/18/21US/Louisiana
Billy SummersKing, Stephen8/10/218/14/21US/Maine
StillbrightFord, Daniel1/1/211/4/21US/Maryland
First, Become AshesSzpara, K.M.7/2/217/3/12US/Maryland
How the Word is PassedSmith III, Clint9/16/219/18/21US/Maryland
The Lightning ThiefRiordan, Rick12/29/2012/31/20US/Massachusetts
A Queer History of the United StatesBronski, Michael1/17/211/22/21US/Massachusetts
Unknown Man #89Leonard, Elmore5/19/215/23/21US/Michigan
John Crow’s DevilJames, Marlon8/18/218/20/21US/Minnesota
Concrete RoseThomas, Angie2/27/20212/27/21US/Mississippi
The Puppet MastersHeinlein, Robert10/12/2110/15/21US/Missouri
An Absolutely Remarkable ThingGreen, Hank2/7/212/8/21US/Montana
The Meaning of NamesShoemaker, Karen Gettert11/7/2111/10/21US/Nebraska
The Necessary BeggarPalwick, Susan11/23/2111/25/21US/Nevada
The Hotel New HampshireIrving, John10/31/2111/7/21US/New Hampshire
The Empire of GoldChakraborty, S.A.7/26/218/4/21US/New Jersey
The Assassination of Fred HamptonHaas, Jeffrey6/3/216/4/21US/New Mexico
The Traitor Baru CormorantDickinson, Seth1/10/211/14/21US/New York
The Monster Baru CormorantDickinson, Seth1/22/211/27/21US/New York
The Tyrant Baru CormorantDickinson, Seth1/30/212/6/21US/New York
Light of the JediSoule, Charles2/6/212/7/21US/New York
The Dead are Arising: The Life of Malcolm XPayne, Les & Tamara3/17/213/21/21US/New York
The Girl in the RoadByrne, Monica2/11/212/13/21US/North Carolina
Queen of the UnwantedGlass, Jenna10/4/2110/10/21US/North Carolina
The Haunted MesaL’Amour, Louis9/2/219/4/21US/North Dakota
African SamuraiLockley, Thomas & Girard, Geoffrey6/5/216/8/21US/Ohio
JuneteenthEllison, Ralph6/18/216/19/21US/Oklahoma
Cemetery BoysThomas, Aiden1/4/211/9/21US/Oregon
Jade LegacyLee, Fonda8/4/218/10/11US/Oregon
A Court of Thorns and RosesMaas, Sarah5/5/215/9/21US/Pennsylvania
The Book of AccidentsWendig, Chuck8/21/218/24/21US/Pennsylvania
When I Was Puerto RicanSantiago, Esmeralda11/25/2111/26/21US/Puerto Rico
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird StoriesLovecraft, H.P.10/31/2110/31/21US/Rhode Island
Bastard out of CarolinaAllison, Dorothy10/2/2110/4/21US/South Carolina
Parasites Like UsJohnson, Adam11/17/2111/18/21US/South Dakota
Crush the KingEstep, Jennifer3/10/20213/13/21US/Tennessee
Ash and QuillCaine, Rachel12/26/2012/29/20US/Texas
Smoke and IronCaine, Rachel2/24/20212/27/21US/Texas
Pen and SwordCaine, Rachel3/31/214/2/21US/Texas
Persephone StationLeicht, Stina5/15/215/18/21US/Texas
Wings of EbonyElle, J.6/22/216/24/21US/Texas
Escaping Exodus: SymbiosisDrayden, Nicki7/8/217/12/21US/Texas
Heartbreak BayCaine, Rachel7/19/217/20/21US/Texas
LegionSanderson, Brandon9/13/219/15/21US/Utah
Open SeasonMayor, Archer10/10/2110/12/21US/Vermont
The House on the Cerulean SeaKlune, TJ6/8/216/10/21US/Virginia
Across the Green Grass FieldsMcGuire, Seanan1/29/211/30/21US/Washington
Calculated RisksMcguire, Seanan4/11/214/16/21US/Washington
A Promised LandObama, Barack5/30/216/3/21US/Washington DC
The Unquiet EarthGiardina, Denise10/15/2110/17/21US/West Virginia
When the Tiger Came Down the MountainVo, Nghi1/27/211/27/21US/Wisconsin
The Speaker for the DeadAddison, Katherine10/18/2110/21/21US/Wisconsin
BarkskinsProulx, Annie11/27/21US/Wyoming

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Luther M. Siler

Teacher, writer of words, and local curmudgeon. Enthusiastically profane. Occasionally hostile.