This couple of days have been outstanding for my reading progress, and I do mean earth-shattering good. Yesterday finished with a total of 609 pages, and today, with one more reading session left in the tank, my total is a whopping 743 pages, which represents almost 14% of the month quota, and in one day, I hear celebratory fireworks going off in my head.
This is the perfect way to start the next to last full month of my year. My year finishes on June 6, so that gives only April and May in their entirety, and those 6 days of June become the most intense period of reading for the year.
By the way, March ended with a total of 7,153 pages, which is 1,635 pages over the projected quota. I was aiming for over 2,500 extra pages, but I’m not complaining about the end result. Any forward motion is gravely appreciated, more so with the clock winding down freakishly fast.
Today, my reading choices took another pathway, I was focusing on a couple of manga series for most of the week, and I needed a change of pace in order to keep things fresh and exciting. The main reason today’s progress is so amazing is because of the two graphic novels that accompanied me thru the day.
The first is a fresh look on the classic novel by the vampire queen herself, Anne Rice. For this particular adaption of Interview with the Vampire, we get to witness the story thru Claudia’s eyes. If you think the original novel was harrowing, the experience of the child vampire is even more heartbreaking. I loved the artwork by Ashley Marie Witter, who also adapted the story, is simply breathtaking, her color choices of making it Sepia hue with a splash of blood red, gives every panel a dreamlike quality.
The other graphic is the award winning trilogy by one of the best and favorite writers working on comic books right now, Jeff Lemire. Essex County, located in Ontario, Canada, tells the story of the happenings in a rural town, loosely based on the author’s hometown, where the everyday life of a plethora of characters collide over three generations.
As with most of the comic books that Mr. Lemire writes and illustrates, you’ll find conplex stories that will not suit the casual comic book reader. They are filled with such beautiful insight into the harsh and difficult times that most human beings have to traverse in their existence, facing ghosts from the past, sometimes as cathartic moments, and others just as haunting memories. All of this is perfectly captured by the minimalistic approach of Mr. Lemire’s artwork, not one line, is missing or exceeding what the moment needs to be perfectly captured. As you can tell, I just simply love his work.
There’s still a couple of graphic novels buzzing around and begging to be devoured, but I think it is probably best to close out today’s session with a little bit of Robin Hobb’s The Ship of Magic.
Off to read.
azr
Lost In A Million Pages 
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