Didn't hit my goal this past year, but I expect to have much more free time on my hands this year. Let's set a goal of 12 this year!

Finished up Race Matters by Cornel West today. Great read.

Josh Sawyer is the first guy to come to mind, as well as TotalBiscuit R.I.P.

Finished up The Book of Flaco by David Gessner today. Solid book and nice guy when I met him in L.A.

Just finished "A Raisin in the Sun." Solid play and a nice (not nice content but nicely written) time capsule of racial history post WWII.

Just finished Imperium in Imperio by Sutton E. Griggs. Hopefully will be able to throw another two or three on the finished list in the next few weeks.

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Another audiobook under the belt and one that will be hard to top, having the author read the book, and said author being Bourdain made it a fantastic listen.

Just finished my first audiobook. Listened to Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose. Definitely a lot more information that the HBO series.

Finally read The Stranger by Albert Camus last weekend, nearly forgot to post about it.

Just got back from the AWP conference in Los Angeles. Managed to finish two books while out there.

2. I Hate It Here, Please Vote for Me: Essays on Rural Political Decay by Matthew Ferrence

3. Places We Left Behind: a memoir-in-miniature by Jennifer Lang

1. Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor

This year has been a lot of poetry reading for myself, so not a lot of finishing of books happening, but happy to report I've knocked out a classic to start my year. It was a pretty easy read and is shockingly more of its time than I expected. Definitely see why it's preached as a classic, even if some sections are a bit more dated than others.

Let's swing for 15 this year!

17. Firebird by Mark Doty

16. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

15. Dark Days: Fugitive Essays by Roger Reeves

These essays are reference-heavy and sometimes a mental slog to get through, not because they're not good, but because there are so many layers of meaning to unpack. The main themes across the essays revolve around Race and the power of poetry and silence. This is the newest thing I've read in some time, being released in 2023.

14. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

This was my first foray into Baldwin's work and what a fantastic first expedition. I'm excited to read more of him in the future. I knew his reputation, but I had no idea his work would be this enjoyable.

13. The Wet Engine by Brian Doyle

A great creative nonfiction essay focused on Doyle's son and his heart issues. A great short and emotional read. This can be knocked out in one sitting if you can handle the moments of information and emotion overload.

I'm not surprised, but it still hurts to hear. I'm glad we can at least get a yearlong retirement tour. I'm quite curious about what it will entail.

Also, I think Heatwave may have been better than Money in The Bank.

12. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I was given this when I visited a bar in my hometown a few weeks ago. I gave it a go and enjoyed it much more than I expected. It felt a bit darker than I would have imagined, especially since a lot of people recommend this to teens. It was a fine enough read that I may buy the sequel. I haven't heard much about the other books in the series.

https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1513119

This thread from two years mentioned dropping the four piece requirement, but upon further reading it states that under four is only for mods. I'm guessing they dropped the moderator requirement and now scouted artists and mods alike can scout people with less than four pieces.

What a fortnight, with Forbidden Door last weekend and Money in the Bank this weekend! Also with Raw going to Netflix, is that just Raw? Will the PLE's, Smackdown, and NXT stick to Peacock and USA/Fox?

I'm guessing he wants to be successful without his name attached to his family. Odd choice since most people seem to know about it anyway.

Haha one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

I haven't had a chance to check it out. How is it?

I thought it was a pretty decent long weekend of wrestling from both WWE and AEW. My highlights would have to be Sami Zayn vs Chad Gable vs Bronson Reed, Adam Copeland vs Malakai Black (though I could have done without the insane jump off the cage that caused Copeland's injury) and Bron Breakker on RAW was terrifying.

11. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

A classic for good reason. I don't have much to add besides that. The reputation of this book speaks for itself. Glad to have finally read it.

10. Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

Modern take on the vampire novel. Focuses on mental health, eating disorders, colonialism, aging parents, and all sorts of depressing topics that I won't go into greater detail about. This was easy to read and it contained several scenes that caught me off guard or made me expect the book to turn one way before it would turn a different way. It's a solid book that has an ending that comes a bit too fast but is rewarding regardless.

9. The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez

A tale of queer vampires, focusing on a runaway slave turned vampire as she lives her life from 1850 to 2050. Great to just read, but the issues it tackles by way of the vampire novel are deep and impressive.

I've found the 3WA youtube channel, definitely gonna check you folks out.

I'm four hour hours from Harrisburg and five hours from York so doubtful I ever make it out that way unfortunately.

Whoa! You're deep in the biz. I've been to some Keystone State Wrestling Alliance events since I'm located in the west of the state. Never been to anything in PA east of Gettysburgh though.