I read these books in 2014. I didn't reach my goal of one book a week, for 52 books for the year. I did okay, though. Instead of doing full book reviews, I'm just dumping them all in this list. Hopefully, I'll be better in 2015.

• The Shining Girls (Lauren Beukes)
  

  Fast read, a bit jarring in the plot twists that come with trying to span two stories that occur 100 years apart.

• Darkness Visible (William Styron)
  

  Styron's account of depression, and the closest account I've read that describes the descent into the hell that blackness is.

• Acceptance (Jeff VanderMeer)
  Authority (Jeff VanderMeer)
  Annihilation (Jeff VanderMeer)
  

  I did not like these books. I read them as fast as I could. I was confused after the first one, slightly less confused after the second and ready to throw the third book into the fire. I was never able to see the world VanderMeer was trying to create. It was one gigantic white blur of crappy story-telling.

  Plot is some event happened that made this dome of the East Coast impenetrable, where time is accelerated and man's influence (toxins and poisons and the like) are removed. It's a bizarro worm hole to another world, but you never really know that and it's all a giant fog, like the writing. I do not recommend these books.

• The Witch with No Name (Kim Harrison)
  

  Final book of the Hollows series. An eye-roll but expected ending to the series. I enjoyed all of the books, though I think Andy stopped reading a few books back.

• Hidden (Alex Verus 5) (Benedict Jacka)
  

  Enjoying the series. Read it. Enjoyed this one.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to include graphic novels in my "I have read" book reviews. I'm uncertain why I was hesitant. There are good ones, bad ones, poorly-drawn but well-written ones, well-drawn but poorly-written ones, worth-reading ones, and not-worth-reading ones. Which is to say, they are books. As such, they can be reviewed; perhaps with different criteria, but reviewed none-the-less.

So, with that said, I am now including the graphic novels in my reading list (I should probably add the multiple readings of the Dresden Files, too. To ponder later...). This year, I read the first three Walking Dead graphic novel "books". I don't know what else to call them other than "books" in that if you look for the Compendiums, you will get a different set of comics than you do with the "books." Each book is about 12 issues of the Walking Dead comics. The series started in 2006, which shows you just how long it took me to become aware of the series. Yes, yes, it was the television show that brought these to my awareness.

I read the first one ZOOM fast. The second was less fast. The third one the speed of the second. There is a lot of death. So much, that I slowed in my reading.

There are a number of places where the television series diverges from the books (no CDC in the books, Rick's life is a little more gruesome, more and different people dying). However, the series sticks fairly true to the books, diverging to keep the story interesting or explain some plot point.

Read this book.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. Aside from the fact that Atul Gawande's writing is wonderful and engaging, the topic of end-of-life care is too important not to read about it, especially when you're young enough to be able to do something about it. Saving for retirement is not enough. Thinking about this and preparing can't be stressed enough. Having read it, I am no-way-no-how going to move my mom or my dad or Eric or anyone elder and well-established whom I need to care for, from their homes when they are older.

I can seriously hope that if I'm faced with "do this procedure, get maybe 3 more years of questionable-quality life" vs "don't do this procedure, get maybe 1 more year of quality life" I have the strength and wisdom to choose the latter.

Read. This. Book. I mean it. I'll buy a copy, I mean it so much.