tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-184473232024-03-13T13:13:36.420-07:00ALLCAPSDOOMTeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-63213344687861477242016-02-25T19:37:00.002-08:002016-02-25T19:37:43.753-08:00TEAM LA'PORSHA *THROWS SHOES*Tonight, on Idol, we selected our Top 10. Well, we picked our top 6 out of 10 from yes....well you read yesterday's math.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here's who made the top 10:<br />
<br />(Yesterday)<br />
Olivia<br />
LaPorsha<br />
Dalton<br />
Trent<br />
<br />
(Today)<br />
Tristan<br />
Sonika<br />
Gianna (Mr Jesse then said, "I'm Brenda K. Cited!")<br />
Mackenzie<br />
Avalon (yay!)<br />
Lee<br />
<br />
Bye, Bedazzled Eyebrows. Bye Jessie from Toy Story. Oh, bye T-String. And Manny.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here's tonight's singing:<br />
<br />
ALSO ALSO SPECIAL GUEST JUDGE MY FAVE KELLY CLARKSON<br />
<br />
<b>Olivia, Unconditionally (Katy Perry)</b><br />
<br />
<br />
a rough start but I love this kid (she's 15). Sweet, and a good cover! (She's first so we have to vote extra hard). Also she sang with David Cook the previous week so she gets a special bye.<br />
<br />
<b>Gianna, Listen (Beyonce)</b><br />
whoever did her makeup pancaked her a little too much, she looks like a ghost. Mr Baby chattered over the whole song so I didn't get any idea of how she did. The audience seems to be eating it up though. But J Lo started with "sweetie pie." so it was not good.<br />
<br />
<b>Lee, Skinny Love (Bon Iver)</b><br />
<br />
Did they put all the 15 year olds at the front end? It's kind of scary that they are the same age as the show. Also I forgot about Chris Medina (incidentally one of my Doctors was named Chris Medina)<br />
<br />
Mr Baby providing occasional backing vocals (EEEEE, he sings) This was a nice cover. I think I've heard the original before. You can definitely tell that Lee is a fan of contemporary singers.<br />
<br />
Creepy Scott Borschetta appeared and Mr Baby farted at him. I agree. #driveby<br />
<br />
<b>Avalon, Stitches (Shawn Mendez)</b><br />
Incrementally increasing her makeup. I just like this girl. I don't have a reason, she doesn't belt high notes, but I just like the sound of her voice. Everyone vote for her plz. Harry is using his musical knowledge on us. Kelly loves her. Like love loves her. (Even though she was Team #Guarini in Season 1. Although Mr Jesse is #TeamLilSweets<br />
<br />
<b>Dalton, Hey There Delilah (Plain White Ts)</b><br />
I fucking hate this song. HATE. but Like Kelly with Avalon, I really like Dalton's cover of this! It reminds me of my FBR fandom days, and he even wears eyeliner! I could have done without the "OH THE LADIES LOVE YOU" and Kelly called Harry out on it by saying "there were guys cheering too!" and I am quite pleased because geez, don't assume everyone on stage is straight js.<br />
Anyway, Mr Jesse hopped off Lee's bandwagon and onto Dalton's.<br />
<br />
Also, we learned that Mr Jesse never heard my other husband David Cook's cover of "Always Be My Baby."<br />
<br />
<b>Tristan, Nothing Like You (Dan + Shay)</b><br />
I'm gonna assume she did a good job, because it sounded like a baby laughing. I will give you 3 guesses as to which Slumbersaurus talked over Tristan's song. At least it wasn't a ballad?<br />
Oh she's 15 too, so there goes my frontloading theory.<br />
Harry told her not to sing songs that aren't so obscure.<br />
<br />
<b>Mackenzie, I See Fire (Ed Sheeran)</b><br />
he was like Oh me and my mom watched American Idol. SO WHY DID YOU TRY OUT FOR THE VOICE FIRST?!<br />
Oh, this is why Lee did Bon Iver, huh?<br />
He does have a lovely voice. I forsee a Dalton-Mackenzie finale. It's early yet though. I wish he'd done "Song of the Lonely Mountain" by Neil Finn though. SOMEONE COVER CROWDED HOUSE PLEASE.<br />
<br />
<b>LaPorsha, Diamonds (Rihanna)</b><br />
This song choice does explain her jewelry choice. Kelly is dancing in her chair already. Holy crow, I love this rendition. SHUT IT DOWN.LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. Pretty much how Kelly and J Lo felt. Harry's comment of "there's your critique" to Kelly miming a mic drop (don't actually drop the mic -- we saw what happend last season).<br />
<br />
<b>Sonika, Bring Me to Life (Evanescence)</b><br />
Oh hello 2005 me. Also, I figured out why I thought Lara Fabian did I Surrender, it was because I was hearing Kelly mashed up with Celine singing. The more you know.<br />
I am a little disappointed. She didn't really go toe to toe with Amy Lee here. Competent, but it's hard when you hear the original running through your head. At least we know she can hit high notes.<br />
<br />
"If you wake up, we will have a real competition this year."<br />
<br />
<b>Trent, Like I Can (Sam Smith)</b><br />
Can we talk about how much I love that shirt? And the hat, But mostly the shirt. Also, I wondered how he was going to top the ladies who preceded him (LaPorsha and Sonika) but damn, he did a good job. LaPorsha owned it though. Mr Mono seems to have made a fantastic recovery.<br />
<br />
SOOOOOOOOOO<br />
My BEST OF THE NIGHT: La'Porsha, La'Porsha, La'Porsha. 4th is Trent.<br />
<br />
Top three (for realsies) La'Porsha, Trent, Olivia<br />
Bottom three: Lee, Gianna, and (rewatched) Tristan.<br />
Going home: Lee or Gianna.<br />
<br />
Mr Jesse's BEST OF THE NIGHT: Dalton<br />
Going home: Gianna, possibly Avalon.<br />
<br />TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-22212314876222438642016-02-24T18:49:00.000-08:002016-02-24T18:49:39.441-08:00American Idol Series FinaleIn case you were unaware, American Idol's 15th season is its last until its inevitable reboot 10 years from now. And it's been trimmed down so its finale is in April this year, giving us less than 2 months to declare the "bookend to Kelly Clarkson."<br />
<br />
So I decided to revive my recaps for the live episodes....and just in time too, because Idol decided to make it mega complicated. You see, we didn't vote until this week. The judges (Harry Connick Jr, Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban) picked our top 14 for us.<br />
<br />
Then there was tonight.<br />
<br />
Ryan announced that we would fill the 10 chairs on the stage for the top 10, but here's the catch. 4 of the singers would not be singing! The judges picked four contestants to proceed to the top 10 because America can't be...trusted? Anyway. The 4 chosen ones don't have to sing this week, which I think puts them at a disadvantage. They haven't had to sing for a live television audience yet!<br />
<br />
So the judges selected <b>Dalton, LaPorsha, Olivia,</b> and <b>Trent</b>. How did the rest do, singing their best songs from this audition cycle?
<br />
<br />
<b>Manny Torres - Master Blaster</b><br />
Okay, I don't remember him doing this from the audition rounds, and he's just as forgettable here. I am reminded of <b>Deandre Brackensick's</b> far better rendition, and this was just bleh. I think Manny's one of our 4 casualties tomorrow.<br />
<br />
<b>Gianna Isabella - I Put A Spell on You</b><br />
She literally did this song last week. She did it better this week, but I am annoyed she repeated her song. At least there weren't as many cutaways to Brenda K. Starr this week. I wonder if Gianna's last name is Starr too. Is that even Brenda's real last name? I wonder what dirt she has on J. Lo? ANYWAY.<br />
<br />
<b>Thomas Stringfellow - Story of My Life</b><br />
I would say next season they should stop letting people do the same songs over and over on this show (<b>Alex Preston</b> did this better). At least he didn't use any weird pronunciations. And Harry called him on his weird affectations that are so obnoxious. But no, Ryan, we do not want T-String to happen.<br />
<br />
<b>Tristan McIntosh - What Hurts the Most</b><br />
Okay, at least we were spared our 500th viewing of her audition video with her mom surprising her by coming home from Afghanistan or something. And while she sobbed and stole this song from another girl in solo rounds because OMG ITS THE SONG SHE LOVES WITH HER MOM she did an amazing job this time out. Get it, girllllllll.<br />
<br />
<b>Avalon Young - Yo (Excuse Me Miss)</b><br />
I kinda dig Avalon. She doesn't give a fuck. No/minimal makeup, shapeless sweaters, and she sings the songs without changing genders (No Excuse Me Sir or Mister). She has such a great voice! I kind of want to hear more -- a less annoying Avril Lavigne, I think.<br />
<br />
<b>Jenn Bloss - True Colors</b><br />
Two words:<br />
<b>BEDAZZLED EYEBROWS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
oh she sang too<br />
it was just okay<br />
but<br />
<br />
<b>BEDAZZLED EYEBROWS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Lee Jean - Make It Rain</b><br />
Yawn. Mr Jesse liked it though. We will allow it.<br />
<br />
<b>Sonika Vaid - I Surrender</b><br />
Why don't I remember <b>Celine Dion</b> doing this song, and somehow think it was Lara Fabian? I don't know. I will spend some time on Youtubes tonight figuring this out. Sonika is lovely. She is one of our two The Voice contestants on American Idol, FYI.<br />
<br />
<b>Jeneve Rose Mitchell -- Ring of Fire</b><br />
I'm over her. I'm not sure I was ever really under her? But her mountain woman schtick is wearing thin. And I don't like her cover of Ring of Fire at all. I'm not sure why.<br />
<br />
<b>Mackenzie Bourg - Roses </b>(original song)<br />
Mackenzie was on The Voice, I believe he was a top 20 contestant. He was an annoying hipster then, and he's an annoying hipster now. At least he sings his own songs nicely though.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, for who I think will go through, and who I *want* to go through. But first, Mr Jesse's six picks.<br />
<br />
Avalon, Lee, Tristan. That's all he wants. Just those three. The ones he really likes are already safe, haha.<br />
<br />
My six pack: Avalon, Tristan, Sonika, Mackenzie, BEDAZZLED EYEBROWS, and grudgingly T-String..<br />
<br />
Who will actually make it (Thanks America): Mackenzie, Tristan, Avalon, T-String, Lee, Jeneve.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-2295256662333586212015-01-03T21:23:00.001-08:002015-01-03T21:23:02.569-08:00Books in review Part Two! <br />
<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">BOOK REVIEW TIME</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">So here's the second part to my 2014 book recap!</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">What's the best book you read this year?</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="color: #665b33; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">I can't choose, as per usual: <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8442457-gone-girl" target="_blank">Gone Girl</a></i>, Gillian Flynn; <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2815590-serena?ac=1" target="_blank">Serena</a></i>, Ron Rash, and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2187.Middlesex?ac=1" target="_blank">Middlesex</a></i>, Jeffrey Eugenides. All three were the highlights of my year.</span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Any other reading highlights?</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="color: #665b33; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">I read two very important books this year --<i> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2767.A_People_s_History_of_the_United_States?ac=1" target="_blank">A People's History of the United States</a>,</i> by Howard Zinn, and Elie Wiesel's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1617.Night?ac=1" target="_blank">Night</a></i>. </span></span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">What's the most challenging book you read this year?</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Defining challenging is the trick here. Was anything difficult reading level wise? Not particularly. Wrapping my brain around the thoughts and ideas, a little more so. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201901.Always_Coming_Home?ac=1" target="_blank">Always Coming Home</a>,</i> by Ursula K. Leguin definitely fits the bill. It's a future anthropological survey of a post-apocalyptic society.</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">What's the worst book you read this year?</span><br />
<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18780192-the-reflections-of-queen-snow-white?ac=1" target="_blank">The Reflections of Queen Snow White</a></i>, by David Meredith, and<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15776309-reconstructing-amelia?ac=1" target="_blank"> <i>Reconstructing Amelia</i></a>, by Kimberly McCreight. Reflections was a weak take on the Snow White mythos, while Amelia just jumped (literally and figuratively) into soap opera territory.<br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Which authors featured most prominently for you in 2013?</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="color: #665b33; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">I joined Gail Carriger's reading group, which led to a lot more female authors in my life. I also finally caught up on George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, so those were the Big Authors this year. I also met an author at work, whose book I am going to order as well.</span></span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Were you part of a reading challenge? Did you meet it?</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="color: #665b33; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">My initial goal was 100, because I planned to write more. I did not, because I did other things too -- I learned roller skating, and I achieved my lifelong dream of appearing on the show Jeopardy. Needless to say, reading wasn't one of my top priorities. So I dropped the goal to 75 about midway through the year, and I did ace that. I got to 77.</span></span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Are you signed up for any in 2014?</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">I'm going to shoot for 100 books, because I will have a small baby in May, and I assume I won't have a lot of time to read for pleasure then.</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">What books did you get for Christmas?</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">I actually did not get any books for Christmas! People know better than to do that for me. I am using my Amazon money for some of that though -- here are the titles I purchased so far:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0066c0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Battles Of Cuba - Containing An Authentic Account Of The Battles Fought On That Island In Her Late Struggle For Independence</span><br />
<a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008PGN02G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066c0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">Colombia and the United States : War, Unrest, and Destabilization (Open Media Series)</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0066c0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">A Dangerous Inheritance: A Novel of Tudor Rivals and the Secret of the Tower</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0066c0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Between Resistance and Adaptation: Indigenous Peoples and the Colonisation in the Choco, 1510-1753 </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0066c0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Talabarske: The True Story of Two Brothers with One Extraordinary Bond Finding Life After Ruin in World War II</span><br />
<a class="a-link-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008SLY2NO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066c0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">More than Petticoats: Remarkable Illinois Women</a><br />
<br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">What books are you going to buy next?</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="color: #665b33; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">One of my customers is an author on books on human trafficking, so I am going to purchase that. I will also probably be purchasing other books in Gail Carriger's reading group, so I'm looking forward to seeing what else she has for us.</span></span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Which books are you most looking forward to reading in 2015?</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" />I really want to read Alison Weir's books --- it seems like a few new ones have gotten away from me. Gail Carriger is releasing new books next year as well. There are also a lot of unread books in my library!<br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">(these questions I stole from last year's post)</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Unexpected Terrible Book: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1017699.Two_Lives?ac=1" target="_blank">Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice</a>. I guess I didn't realize how terrible a person Gertrude Stein was, but this book just bored me.</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Worst Series: Ugh, Insurgent & Allegiant were so bad. Way to ruin everything, Veronica Roth.</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Unexpected Surprise, Nonfiction: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21530228-murder-in-the-mountains?ac=1" target="_blank">Murder on the Mountains</a>, Emily Monroe! I was so pleased that she finally was able to finish the book she's been working on for years, and I was never so happy to purchase a book!</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Unexpected Surprise, fiction: Gone Girl. That twist, man. And I know everyone freaked out about this book, but I thought it was overhyped. IT IS NOT. </span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Best Series of the Year: Gail Carriger's </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/58635-finishing-school" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #888888; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Finishing School</a><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"> Series! Love these books. They're targeted at YA, but I find them to be utterly adorable. (This is still true this year!)</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Best Young Adult Novel of the Year: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13335037-divergent?ac=1" target="_blank">Divergent </a>was really good. The sequels, NOT SO MUCH.</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;" /><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Most Important Book I Read This Year: Again, Night (Elie Wiesel) or A People's History of the United States (Howard Zinn)</span>TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-52172046758958266582015-01-01T19:14:00.001-08:002015-01-01T19:14:12.647-08:00<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
I managed *only* 77 books this year. Here we go, in chronological order, under the cut.</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
The * designates my favorites, while ** designates the ones I hated the most.</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<a name='more'></a>January</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
01. The Scorpio Races, Maggie Stiefvater</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
02. 13 Women: Parables from Prison, Karlene Faith</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
03. Divergent, Veronica Roth</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
04. A Study in Silks, Emma Jane Holloway</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
February</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
05. The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker*</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
06. Skeleton Women, Mingmei Yip</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
07. The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
08. Serena, Ron Rash*</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
09. Stalina, Emily Rubin</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
10. Relic, Heather Terrell</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
11. Thirst, Andrey Gelasimov</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
12. Insurgent, Veronica Roth</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
13. Rebel Rose: Life of Rose O'Neal Greenhow, Confederate Spy, Ishbel Ross</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
March</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
14. A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present, Howard Zinn</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
15. Extinction Point, Paul Antony Jones</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
16. Elizabeth Street: A Novel Based on True Events, Laurie Fabiano</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
17. The Duke and I, Julia Quinn</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
April</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
18. Murder in the Mountains, Emily Monroe*********** So exciting to see my friend's book published! Go read it!</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
19. Wise Women: From Pocahontas to Sarah Winnemucca, Remarkable Stories of Native American Trailblazers, Erin Turner</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
20. Lighthouse Island: A Novel, Paulette Jiles</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
21. Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice, Janet Malcolm</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
22. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn*</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
23. The Reflections of Queen Snow White, David Meredith</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
May</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
24. I am Livia, Phyllis T Smith</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
25. Gods of the Steppe, Andrey Gelasimov</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
26. Rubyfruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
27. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
28. Allegiant, Veronica Roth</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
29. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
30. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides*</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
June</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
31.The Orchardist, Amanda Coplin</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
32. Indexing, Seanan McGuire</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
33. Fortune's Pawn, Rachel Bach</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
34. The Sugar Queen, Sarah Allen Addison</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
35. Always Coming Home, Ursula K. LeGuin</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
36. From Achilles' Heel to Zeus' Shield, Dale Corey Dibbley</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
July</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
37. O Pioneer!, Frederik Pohl</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
38. The Seeds of Time, Kay Kenyon</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
39. Jaran, Kate Elliott</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
40. Lady of the English, Elizabeth Chadwick</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
41. As Red as Blood, Salla Simukka</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
42. Not a Drop to Drink, Mindy McGinnis</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
43. Four: A Divergent Collection, Veronica Roth</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
August</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
44. Cinder, Marissa Meyer</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
45. Reconstructing Amelia, Kimberly McCreight**</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
46. The Windup Girl, Paolo Baciagalupi</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
47. Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
48. Lesbian Crushes at School: A Diary on Growing up Gay in the Eighties, Natasha Holme</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
49. Clockwork Heart, Dru Pagliassotti</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
50. Dragonflight, Anne McCaffrey</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
September</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
51. The Eye of the Heron, Ursula K. Le Guin</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
52. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
53. Children of the Night, Mercedes Lackey</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
54. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Erik Larson</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
55. A Storm of Swords, George RR Martin</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
October</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
56. A Feast for Crows, George RR Martin</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
57. Carpe Demon, Julie Kenner</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
58. The Kingmaker's Daughter, Philippa Gregory</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
59. Magic Burns, Ilona Andrews</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
60. A Dance With Dragons, George RR Martin</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
November</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
61. Grave Mercy, Robin LaFevres</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
December</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
62. Zelda, Nancy Milford</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
63. Sandman Slim, Richard Kadney</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
64. The Golden City, J. Kathleen Cheney</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
65. Waistcoats & Weaponry, Gail Carriger</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
66. Alanna: the First Adventure, Tamora Pierce</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
67. Night, Elie Wiesel</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
68. Princess in the Spotlight, Meg Cabot</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
69. The Witch Sea, Sarah Diemer</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
70. Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
71. Hellraisers: The Life and Inebriated Times of Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, and Oliver Reed, Robert Sellers</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
72. Sweating Sickness: In a Nutshell, Claire Ridgway</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
73. In a Handful of Dust, Mindy McGinnis</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
74. Daughter of the Empire, Raymond Feist & Janny Wurtz</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
75. Patience and Sarah, Isabel Miller</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
76. Scarlet, Marissa Meyer</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
Okay I know there are 77, but I can't figure out which one I skipped. So uh, I'll figure it out later and update it.</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">
<br /></div>
TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-3113528397222633832014-01-04T20:23:00.004-08:002014-01-04T20:23:56.979-08:00Writing prompt attempt 1It wasn't really stealing. Not really. That's what she kept telling herself as she pounded the pavement, her shoes thudding as she picked up the pace. It's a big store, no one will miss it, they'll just refill the shelves and never notice that ti's gone. She needed it more than the rich person who was going to come in for it would. Dodging puddles, she didn't even notice that it had stopped raining and it had turned to soft white fluffy flakes of snow.<br />
<br />
She was almost home when she slipped on the ice that had formed outside her doorway. But the item was safe, and she gingerly sat up, her pants ripped at the knee, blood welling to the surface, but barely bubbling out of the scratch she'd achieved. Grumbling, she slowly got off the ground, trying to avoid touching the knee to any surface as she did. Hobbling up the stairs, she dug her keys out of the bag, digging past the papers, all the coupons for various items, for the random business cards, her phone, and felt around for the thing. It was in one of those useless compartments of the bag, those things that collect the dust and candy wrappers and coins.<br />
<br />
Unlocking the door, she took a quick look round and then headed up the stairs, limping ever so slightly as she did. When she finally did get inside to take a look at it, she noticed it wasn't that deep, but she very carefully removed the gravel and dirt from it. Luckily, there was still some bacitracin from the last literal scrape she had gotten herself into, and she added that to the cut. The more pressing problem was the pants, as that was her last pair that was in any kind of shape. She thought of going back and perhaps stealing a pair, but that was entirely laughable. She wasn't a thief. Most of the time. Just the one thing.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<i>This is my first in a series of quick writings in an attempt to get back into my writing hobby. Opinions, thoughts welcome, of course!</i>TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-19403671313033008882014-01-03T20:34:00.002-08:002014-01-03T20:34:21.269-08:002014 Goals, Books and otherwise.One of my goals for this year is to write every day, as much as possible. I know I am capable of reading 100 books a year, so that's my goal for that. But I let writing slide this year because of wedding prep and just not having the time. I'm making time this year.<br />
<br />
I have 3 other goals this year:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Set up a home business, where I can make money outside of my day job.</li>
<li>Get breast reduction surgery</li>
<li>Get my license, and purchase my first car. (A jeep, if I have my way and $$)</li>
</ol>
<div>
Today's post is part of my writing project. Even if it's just a blog post I want to have written something every day. (There will of course be days where I can't get it done, but everyone has those. I don't need to spend 2 hours a night on tumblr when I can be writing instead! [Don't worry, I'll still spend 2h on Tumblr, mwahahah])</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I wanted to make a top 10 list of books I read this year. I usually don't do a top 10, but I read enough books I think I could make a quick and dirty list for y'all.</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>The Universe Versus Alex Woods, Gavin Extence</li>
<li>Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell</li>
<li>Below Mercury, Mark Anson</li>
<li>All That I Am, Anna Funder</li>
<li>The Prisoner of Heaven, Carlos Ruiz Zafon</li>
<li>Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir, Jenny Lawson</li>
<li>Written on the Body, Jeannette Winterson</li>
<li>Started Early, Took My Dog, Kate Atkinson</li>
<li>Farthing, Jo Walton</li>
<li>Heading Out to Wonderful, Robert Goolrick</li>
</ol>
<div>
Any of these are great books, and you should read them! Haha.</div>
</div>
TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-13072575817089942452014-01-02T16:56:00.002-08:002014-01-02T16:57:23.709-08:00Part Deux, the Books!BOOK REVIEW TIME<br />
So here's the second part to my 2013 book recap!<br />
<br />
What's the best book you read this year?<br />
I don't like to choose, so I selected 3: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15789480-below-mercury" target="_blank">Below Mercury</a>, Mark Anson; <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12399975-all-that-i-am" target="_blank">All That I Am</a>, Anna Funder; and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15984268-the-universe-versus-alex-woods" target="_blank">The Universe Versus Alex Woods</a>, Gavin Extence.<br />
<br />
Any other reading highlights?<br />
Runners up would be <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15054.Written_on_the_Body" target="_blank">Written on the Body</a>, Jeannette Winterson, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16089320-let-s-pretend-this-never-happened" target="_blank">Let's Pretend this Never Happened</a>, Jenny Lawson. I read a lot of different genres, and I definitely was pleased with most of the books I read this year. Those would be my top 5, between this question and the last one.<br />
OH! I have to say I absolutely ADORED <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6348764-wives-and-daughters" target="_blank">Wives and Daughters</a>, by Elizabeth Gaskell. So we'll make it a top 6.<br />
<br />
What's the most challenging book you read this year?<br />
Defining challenging is the trick here. Was anything difficult reading level wise? Not particularly. Wrapping my brain around the thoughts and ideas, a little more so. I think the most "challenging" book was for me was Adrian Nicole LeBlanc's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15800945-random-family" target="_blank">Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx</a>, which was a decade long study of teenagers in the Bronx. It was eyeopening and heartbreaking.<br />
<br />
What's the worst book you read this year?<br />
Ugh, that would probably go to the final book in the House of Comarre series, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18296772-last-blood" target="_blank">Last Blood</a> by Kristen Painter. I was SOOOO disappointed in it. I also hated <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13120190-jane-was-here" target="_blank">Jane Was Here</a>, by Sarah Kernochlan for similar reasons. (Basically use of racial stereotypes, and all the people of color died in both books).<br />
<br />
Which authors featured most prominently for you in 2013?<br />
Isabel Allende and Alison Weir had new books out, and I was thrilled to read them. I read a lot of Lilith Saintcrow, and I was mostly pleased with the books I read from her. I tried to make sure I read a lot more female authors, and books that I already owned instead of buying more.<br />
<br />
Were you part of a reading challenge? Did you meet it?<br />
I had a goal of 115, because I missed that # last year. I succeeded, mightily!<br />
<br />
Are you signed up for any in 2014?<br />
I'm going to shoot for 100 books, because I plan to write more this year instead.<br />
<br />
What books did you get for Christmas?<br />
I actually did not get any books for Christmas! I did buy books for my birthday (Nov. 17) with my Amazon gift card, and those are:<br />
13 Women: Parables from Prison, Karlene Faith<br />
Bittersweet, Nevada Barr<br />
Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice, Janet Malcolm<br />
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak<br />
Rubyfruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown<br />
Wise Women: From Pocahontas to Sarah Winnemuca, Remarkable Stories of Native American Trailblazers, Erin H. Turner<br />
<br />
What books are you going to buy next?<br />
I don't know! I usually purchase Kindle daily deals, and I also check my local Goodwill for books on the cheap. Although Alison Weir and Kate Atkinson both have books out that I need to acquire. I do have a $50 gift card that I should use up, mwahahaha.<br />
<br />
Which books are you most looking forward to reading in 2014?<br />
I'm looking forward to reading the Native American anthology mentioned above, because I'm working on a "badass lady" project. I also want to finish Jo Walton's Farthing trilogy.<br />
<br />
(these questions I stole from last year's post)<br />
<br />
Unexpected Terrible Book: I was disappointed in the Kindle serials I read. I think that the cliffhanger idea, while neat does not make it easy to read when the chapters are finally reconstituted into the whole. I know that it is an old idea (Dumas did it for most of his books) but I think that the segues should have been neater. (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16142351-disenchanted" target="_blank">Disenchanted</a>, by Robert Kroese and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16148873-the-scourge" target="_blank">The Scourge</a>, by Roberto Calas).<br />
<br />
Worst Series: I really really really was disappointed in Last Blood. Like everything was squished into one book, a hanging thread left behind, and I just did not approve of the ending at all.<br />
<br />
Unexpected Surprise, Nonfiction: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1907630.A_Brief_History_of_British_Kings_Queens" target="_blank">A Brief History of British Kings and Queens</a>, Mike Astley. This is an excellent reference work, and actually included Scottish kings and Welsh kings. Incredibly helpful for elucidating chronologies!<br />
<br />
Unexpected Surprise, fiction: Wives and Daughters. Oh man, when I learned she never finished the novel I wanted to cry! I loved the story, I loved the characters, and I love that there wasn't an "evil" character. I really really really enjoyed that book!<br />
<br />
Best Series of the Year: Gail Carriger's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/58635-finishing-school" target="_blank">Finishing School</a> Series! Love these books. They're targeted at YA, but I find them to be utterly adorable.<br />
<br />
Best Young Adult Novel of the Year: Again I have to submit the Finishing School series! Loved them. A good runner up would be <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12883645-silhouette-of-a-sparrow" target="_blank">A Silhouette of a Sparrow</a>, by Molly Beth Griffin, a book I won on Goodreads Giveaways. Great LGBTQIA book.<br />
<br />
Most Important Book I Read This Year: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/282201.Fearless_Girls_Wise_Women_and_Beloved_Sisters" target="_blank">Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from Around the World</a>, Kathleen Ragan. This is a book that I will read to any future children I may or may not have. Just saying.<br />
<br />
So I'm still working on my first two books of this year, carry-overs from last year. I am working on The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt (I do not really like this book, but I am nearly done with it), and 13 Women: Parables from Prison, by Karlene Faith (this is better than Orange is the New Black).TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-39490399347146300292014-01-01T19:35:00.002-08:002014-01-01T19:35:35.171-08:00Book Roundup 2013 style!Hello friends, it's that time of year where I list all the books I read and talk about my feelings on said books!<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I managed 116 books this year, surpassing my goal of 115! All this even with the fact that I got married this year and my boss swore I wouldn't be able to read as many, mwahahaha. Anyway, here we go, in chronological order, under the cut.</div>
<div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div>
The * designates my favorites, while ** designates the ones I hated the most.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
January:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir, Jenny Lawson</li>
<li>Yesterday's Gone: Season One, Sean Platt</li>
<li>Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America's Heartland, Patricia L. Bryan</li>
<li>Below Mercury, Marc Anson*</li>
<li>My Dead Friend Sarah, Peter Rosch</li>
<li>Mary Boleyn: Mistress of Kings, Alison Weir</li>
<li>The Dark Wife, Sarah Diemer</li>
<li>Dead[Ish], Naomi Kramer</li>
<li>Paradoxia: A Predator's Diary, Lydia Lunch</li>
<li>Whatever Happened to Tanganyika: The Place Names History Left Behind, Harry Campbell</li>
<li>The Pox Party, M.T. Anderson</li>
<li>The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Jennifer E. Smith</li>
<li>Jane Was Here, Sarah Kernochan**</li>
<li>The Woodcutter, Kate Darnley</li>
</ol>
<div>
February</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>The Battle of Betazed, Charlotte Douglas</li>
<li>Beyond the Ties of Blood, Florencia Mallon</li>
<li>Junglee Girl, Ginu Kamani</li>
<li>Through the Door, Jodi McIsaac</li>
<li>Tears in Rain, Rosa Montero</li>
<li>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum</li>
<li>A Brief History of British Kings and Queens, Mike Ashley</li>
<li>Q-Squared, Peter David</li>
<li>All That I Am, Anna Funder*</li>
</ol>
<div>
March</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>The Lives of Dax, Marco Palmieri, ed.</li>
<li>Etiquette and Espionage, Gail Carriger</li>
<li>Swan Song, Robert R. McCammon</li>
<li>Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen, Mary Sharratt</li>
<li>Disenchanted, Robert Kroese</li>
<li>Maya's Notebook, Isabel Allende</li>
<li>Before I Go to Sleep, S.J. Watson</li>
<li>The Disappeared, Gloria Whelan</li>
<li>Started Early, Took My Dog, Kate Atkinson</li>
</ol>
<div>
April</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>The Scourge, Roberto Calas</li>
<li>Miral, Rula Jebreal</li>
<li>Mornings in Jenin, Susan Abulhawa</li>
<li>The Night Lives On: The Untold Stories and Secrets Behind the Sinking of the "Un-Sinkable" Ship Titanic, Walter Lord</li>
<li>My Theodosia, Anya Seton</li>
<li>Girl With a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier</li>
<li>AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers, Ivor W. Hartmann, ed.</li>
</ol>
<div>
May</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Queen By Right, Anne Easter Smith</li>
<li>The Sixth Surrender, Hana Samek Norton</li>
<li>Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation, Vol. 2, David Tipton</li>
<li>The Kingmaking, Helen Hollick</li>
<li>Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales From Around the World, Kathleen Ragan, ed.</li>
<li>In the Land of the Long White Cloud, Sarah Lark</li>
<li>The Sixth Wife, Suzannah Dunn</li>
<li>The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern</li>
<li>Miles from Nowhere, Nami Mun</li>
<li>The Lady and the Unicorn, Tracy Chevalier</li>
<li>Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards, Kit Brennan</li>
<li>The Memory Eater, Matthew Hance, ed.</li>
<li>Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain, A. Lee Martinez</li>
</ol>
<div>
June</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Newspaper Diapers, M.T. Johnson</li>
<li>The Persistence of Memory, David Mack</li>
<li>The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi</li>
<li>A Brief History of the Tudor Age, Jasper Ridley</li>
<li>Silent Weapons, David Mack</li>
<li>The Body Electric, David Mack</li>
<li>Regarding Ducks and Universes, Neve Maslakovic</li>
<li>A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin</li>
<li>Escape, Perihan Magden</li>
<li>When Men Became Gods: Mormon Polygamist Warren Jeffs, His Cult of Fear, and the Women who Fought Back, Stephen Singular</li>
<li>The Far Time Incident, Neve Maslakovic</li>
<li>Macbeth, A.J. Hartley</li>
<li>Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead, Sara Gran</li>
</ol>
<div>
July</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>The Red Queen, Philippa Gregory</li>
<li>The Princes in the Tower, Alison Weir</li>
<li>The Prisoner of Heaven, Carlos Ruiz Zafon*</li>
<li>This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald</li>
<li>By Night in Chile, Roberto Bolano</li>
<li>The Awakening and other Stories, Kate Chopin</li>
<li>Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones</li>
<li>Girl, Interrupted, Susanna Kaysen</li>
<li>The Reptile Room, Lemony Snicket</li>
<li>Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell*</li>
<li>Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots, Deborah Feldman</li>
<li>The Iron Wyrm Affair, Lilith Saintcrow</li>
<li>The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot</li>
<li>The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt</li>
</ol>
<div>
August</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Damocles, S.G. Redling</li>
<li>Heroine Addiction, Jennifer Matarese</li>
<li>Dead Man Rising, Lilith Saintcrow</li>
<li>The Sky Unwashed, Irene Zabytko</li>
<li>The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin</li>
<li>How Green this Land, How Blue this Sea, Mira Grant</li>
<li>Last Blood, Kristen Painter**</li>
<li>The Devil's Right Hand, Lilith Saintcrow</li>
<li>Saint City Sinners, Lilith Saintcrow</li>
<li>Written on the Body, Jeannette Winterson*</li>
<li>I am the Chosen King, Helen Hollick</li>
</ol>
<div>
September</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>The Physician, Noah Gordon</li>
<li>Lucky Man: A Memoir, Michael J. Fox</li>
<li>Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews</li>
<li>The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow, Rita Leganski</li>
<li>Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini: The Secret Female Pope, Eleanor Herman</li>
<li>A Place Beyond Courage, Elizabeth Chadwick</li>
<li>Silhouette of a Sparrow, Molly Beth Griffin</li>
<li>The Watcher in the Shadows, Carlos Ruiz Zafon</li>
</ol>
<div>
October</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Sister Mine, Nalo Hopkinson</li>
<li>Blood Royal: The Story of the Spencers and the Royals, John Pearson</li>
<li>The Book of Latina Women: 150 Vidas of Passion, Strength, and Success, Sylvia Mendoza</li>
<li>Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc</li>
<li>To Hell and Back, Lilith Saintcrow</li>
<li>Farthing, Jo Walton</li>
<li>Gods of Night, David Mack</li>
</ol>
<div>
November</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Curtsies and Conspiracies, Gail Carriger</li>
<li>The Serpent of Venice, Christopher Moore</li>
<li>Mere Mortals, David Mack</li>
<li>Lost Souls, David Mack</li>
<li>Heading Out to Wonderful, Robert Goolrick</li>
<li>The Universe Versus Alex Woods, Gavin Extence</li>
<li>Queen's Gambit, Elizabeth Freemantle</li>
<li>Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, Piper Kerman</li>
</ol>
<div>
December</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Pump Six and Other Stories, Paolo Bacigalupi</li>
<li>Oz Reimagined, John Joseph Adams, ed.</li>
<li>A Slender Tether, Jess Wells</li>
</ol>
<div>
That's my 116! Rather than crowd up this entry with talking about these books, I will discuss them tomorrow, along with best/worst, etc.!</div>
</div>
TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-77003456197114168062013-03-05T19:34:00.004-08:002013-03-05T19:34:32.639-08:00American Idol, aww yeah!<br />
American Idol Top 10 Ladies Night...<br />
<br />
<b>Zoanette </b>chose "What's Love Got to Do With It," by Tina Turner. A really rough start to the song. And middle. And end. She's got a really aggressive sound, but this doesn't seem like the song for it. Yeah and that shriek at the end was pretty painful. The audience seems to love it, but I don't.<br /><br />
Judges reactions: Keith says it was "an interesting song choice." Nicki straight up tells her "that wasn't it." Someone got blanked out for swearing. Randy used 4 yos, so you know he means business. "That was a mess, babe." He kinda repeats himself 5 more times. Mariah says this "wasn't her favorite performance that" she'd done. But YOU GUYS ZOANETTE IS PERSONALITY UNBRIDLED, WE LOVE HER. Not.<br />
<br />
<b>Breanna </b>picked a song that was a little high pitched for her, because that opening was painful. PAINFUL. "Flaws and All," by Beyonce. (I had to look that one up, I didn't know it. Is it because Aubrey did Beyonce great last week.)<br />
Judges reactions: Keith loves her song choices. But to not out-Beyonce Beyonce. Nicki calls her "sexy lady." And disagrees with everything Keith said. "You sounded like you were straining throughout the performance." DAMN RIGHT NICKI. Randy "I agree with Randy." Mariah says "I feel like that was a unique song choice for you."<br />
<br />
<b>Aubrey </b>sings "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie. Nearly a paint by numbers cover. I kinda wish she'd do SOMETHING different from Fergie's original, because I'm hearing both running through my head. Also, she has a hard time with the pace Fergie sets in the song. Still, she's better than the first two. Oh, except for that really bad "yeahhhh" she did toward the end.<br />
Judges reactions: Keith "could hear [her] personality." He wanted her to "soar more at the end." I don't buy that. Nicki says she doesn't even hear Keith. She loves Aubrey's humility. Randy thinks "we all love you." I got bored and didn't hear the rest of Randy or Mariah's commentary.<br />
<br />
<b>Janelle </b>was dismayed by the judges' reactions last week so she chose a slower song this week. "If I Can Dream," by Elvis Presley. This is more suited to her voice. Much much much better, but I'm still mad over Rachel losing out to her last week. But yeah, this is the girl who we saw in Hollywood Week, goddamn.<br />
Judges Reaction: Keith: "I loved that, baby." He says she's got a classic country voice. Mr Jesse said she sounded like Patsy Cline, so I can dig it. Nicki said she wants to eat Janelle. Randy copied all three of them, even Mr Jesse who he couldn't hear. Mariah says she's "an American sweetheart kind of thing."<br />
<br />
<b>Tenna </b>Torres talks about her hair, and how Nicki told her to change it. Now she's got a different head. This didn't work well for Erika Van Pelt last season, so let's see how it plays out. She's doing a Faith Hill song called "Lost Lyrics," which I love. Waaaaay too much vibrato for my taste. She sounds like a goat. Otherwise she's doing pretty well.<br />
Judges Reaction: Keith loves the song, and says Faith is a great singer. He wants her not to get distracted by the camera. He was too busy paying attention to the camera to notice the goat. Nicki was distracted by Tenna's boobs and wins because she actually told Randy to shut up. LITERALLY. And Randy copied all of Keith's ideas.<br />
<br />
<b>Angie</b>...ie Angela Miller is doing one of Colton's songs. Apparently she changed names over the last week. But yay! I loved Colton last season, so I am excited to see her cover his song. Let's see! Song is called "Never Gone," so it's one of those great Christian songs that could be interpreted as not about God. We heard Colton perform it during the tour, but I really like her vocal on this song. This girl is IT, as Nicki has been saying all night. Or well, she said "not it." Anyway, best of the night so far.<br />
Judges Reaction: Keith is singing "Angie" by the Rolling Stones at her, he's so excited. Nicki says "trumpets should sound when you walk into the room, girl!" Nicki yells to Nigel to get her Angela's album asap. Randy says "Angie is what they say, she's going places!" And rehashes everything the other two said AGAIN.<br />
<br />
<b>Amber </b>decided to do "I Believe in You and Me," by Whitney Houston. At least it's not Mariah. I guess Mariah songs will be hard to come by because she's sitting at the table now. YAY. This girl's got mad control over her voice. Where was Nigel hiding her all these weeks? She's great!<br />
Judges Reaction: Standing Ovation. Keith says it's the perfect song for her. Nicki said something, but I wasn't paying attention. And Randy informs us all Amber is in it to win it. Mariah says everyone will love her.<br />
<br />
<b>Kree </b>"takes on" a Faith Hill song. Keith clearly loved it as he's the only one on his feet. I enjoyed it, but I was trying to figure out the name of the song. Keith used the name of the show as a pun. He's talking music and I have no idea what he's talking about, but it sounds about right. He says she fits in with the tradition of country music artists. Nicki went with her British accent for this and decided she married Kree now. "I'm just trying to do my wife proud," Kree says. Hur hur, Randy's decide Kree's in it to win it.<br />
<br />
<b>Adriana </b>is our youngest girl. She's from Alaska, and singing "Stand Up for Love" by Destiny's Child. Apparently Beyonce is this season's Mariah and Whitney, where everyone sings her songs. It's a really pretty rendition. And she's dressed really pretty. But she's a little nasally. I also feel like she's talk-singing. If that makes sense.<br />
Keith says that wasn't the best song choice for her. Says it took too long to cook. "Do you really hope you're wrong, Keith?" Nicki smartmouths. She says that Adriana needs to work on it and she should come back next year. Randy went with the "pageanty" line. I keep accidentally ignoring Mariah. Whoops.<br />
<br />
<b>Candice </b>did "Ordinary People" by John Legend. I ...I think I would listen to Candice nonstop. This girl OWNS it. It just comes easy for her. Randy and Keith were nodding and bobbing along to the song. Stealing Nicki's line for Angie...I want Candice's album now. YES YES YES AND MORE YESES.<br />
Judges Response: Keith gives a Standing O. Well deserved too. "The level of singers tonight is crazy. Through the roof." Nicki salutes her, and says "That's it, that's my comment." Randy couldn't figure out how to copy her. And now he's copying Keith. He thinks we need a wild card. Probably, but Mariah says "thank you for that performance."<br />
<br />
I'd select my best of the night, but it's the same as my top 5 list. Here's MY top 5:<br />
<b>Candice, Kree, Angie, Amber, and Janelle.</b><br />
Who will be top 5 on Thursday? I'd love to say the same group, but I worry about <b>Amber's </b>popularity. I think that <b>Zoanette</b>, with the VFTW vote could be a spoiler, but also look out for <b>Adriana</b>, who comes from Alaska and could get the pity vote. <b>Amber </b>or <b>Janelle </b>could tumble. The other three seem to have established fanbases.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-19936788222826817972013-01-16T19:11:00.007-08:002013-01-16T19:11:57.247-08:00Reality Singing Show Time!<br />
NYC American Idol auditions<br />
<br />
So much has been made of teh dustup between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, but no one is talking about how much I want to see some fool try to sing one of Mariah's greatest songs to her. SERIOUSLY. You know someone did. The woman is a great singer/songwriter (haters may hate), an amazing singer. She was one of the best mentors this show had (S7: See David Cook's choice of "Always Gonna Be My Baby").<br />
Also, millions of Americans just realized that Keith Urban, a country star -- was actually Australian.<br />
Of course, this appears it to be the season of focus on the judges again. We're 17 minutes in, including a couple of commercial breaks, and we've seen one audition. First auditioner who isn't a joke is singing a Mariah song. At least this one's not horrible.<br />
<br />
And of course Randy Jackson asks himself how he votes. It's not American Idol if Randy Jackson isn't trying to steal the spotlight.<br />
<br />
Oh and of course it's time to make fun of the Asian teenager who has an accent and thinks he's the next Justin Bieber. Mariah gave a wonderful reply to the kid, telling him that if he really does love music, he could consider DJ. But Randy tries to ruin it of course.<br />
<br />
<b>I think the theme of this season is clearly SHUT UP RANDY.</b><br />
<br />
aaand we have achieved white guy with guitar and sob story. So he's the winner of season 12, right? Whoa, he was sent away. I'm shocked, because he broke out both the Jason Mraz and Bon Jovi.<br />
<br />
Another quirk this season is allowing people to be nominated to Idol. Totally stolen from The Voice -- Carson Daly hand delivers invites to the blind auditions, and for some reason they send Randy Jackson to invite the white girl with guitar plays. And apparently a capella auditions are a thing of the past if you're a dude or lady with a guitar. Randy told her to play the guitar and Nicki won't let her sing again. So unfair.<br />
<br />
After an hour and 15 minutes I've heard 2 people who could sing and one who I guess could outside of her screeching (Israeli megastar). I know it's episode one, but SHOW US THE TALENT JFC.<br />
<br />
Also I love the girl with the country singing both Carrie Underwood and Nicki Minaj -- then Randy tried the pigeonhole crap with her and got Keith Urban thrown under the bus.<br />
<br />
And again with the tired trope of pushing the Asian dudes who can't sing. Way to play to stereotypes, Idol.<br />
<br />
So we heard like 5 people actually going through. Let's hope that next episode has a little bit more in the way of auditions.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-13108520462383683832013-01-06T15:51:00.001-08:002013-01-06T15:51:44.925-08:00BOOK REVIEW TIMESo here's the second part to my 2012 book recap!<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;">What's the best book you read this year?</span><br />
I can't decide between Emma Donoghue's <i>Room </i>and Jo Walton's <i>Among Others</i>.<br />
<br style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;">Any other reading highlights?</span><br />
I also loved Bernard Beckett's <i>Genesis</i>, which was a great throwback to older sci-fi stories, and <i>Miserere</i>, by Teresa Frohock. This was the year of sci-fi, I think.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;">What's the most challenging book you read this year?</span><br />
Genesis and Room were pretty tough, but the winner probably was <i>Perfume</i>, by Patrick Suskind.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;">What's the worst book you read this year?</span><br />
Self-published tripe: <i>Henry VIII's Seventh</i>, by Steve Farndon. What a load of BUNK. And poorly edited to boot. I think <i>His Last Duchess</i>, by Gabrielle Kimm would be my least favourite published book.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;">Which authors featured most prominently for you in 2012?</span><br />
Mira Grant, even though I was ultimately disappointed by <i>Blackout</i>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;">Were you part of a reading challenge? Did you meet it?</span><br />
I had a goal of 120 books, and 52 from countries around the world. I missed the former by 6, the latter by a lot. It's really difficult to do!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;">Are you signed up for any in 2013?</span><br />
Just to read 115, since I missed that number last year.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;">What books did you get for Christmas? </span><br />
<i>Weird-O-Pedia</i>, and the box set of<i> The Hunger Games</i> series. I also got amazon gift cards that I will use to purchase many more books.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;">What books are you going to buy next? </span><br />
<i>Ettiquette and Espionage</i>, by Gail Carriger (comes out Feb 5). The rest I decide upon when they're up on Kindle Daily Deals or I suddenly learn of their existence.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: justify;">Which books are you most looking forward to reading in 2013?</span><br />
Definitely <i>E&E</i>, along with the books I got for my birthday -- including two Alison Weir books I hadn't acquired before. I also plan on finishing Elizabeth Chadwick's oevre.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #665b33; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>(these questions I stole from last year's post)</b></span></span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><b style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Unexpected Terrible Book</b><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">: I think I was most surprised that<i> Empire State</i> by Adam Christopher was so terrible. The concept was great but the execution was so BORING.</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><b style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Worst Series</b><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">: This was more about ultimately unsatisfying conclusions to trilogies: Mira Grant's as well as Jacqueline Carey's Naamah trilogy.</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><b style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Unexpected Surprise, Nonfiction</b><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">: <i>Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter</i>. JUST KIDDING. No, it would be <i>While the World Watched</i>, by Carolyn Maull McKinstry.</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><b style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Unexpected Surprise, fiction</b><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">: <i>Miserere</i>, Teresa Frohock</span><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><lj style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" user="gailcarriger"><b>Best Series of the Year</b>: I still love Kelly Gay's Charlie Madigan series. If you're not reading them, and you like truly kickass lady heroines, you should check that series out.</lj><br />
<lj style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #665b33; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" user="gailcarriger"><br /><b>Best Young Adult Novel of the Year</b>: A Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events #1, Lemony Snicket. YES I REALIZE THEY HAVE BEEN OUT FOREVER. YES I AM A SLACKER.<br /><br /><b>Most Important Book I Read This Year:</b> The Nuremberg Trials, Ann Tusa and John Tusa. This was long and detailed but totally worth it.<br /></lj><br />
<span style="color: #665b33; font-family: Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Right now I'm reading books 4 and 5 of the year!</span></span>TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-22305483927330391512013-01-05T13:03:00.000-08:002013-01-05T13:03:58.262-08:00End of the Year Book ROUNDUP!<br />
This book list is all 114 books I read last year. Missed my ultimate goal by six, missed my LY by 1. Not too shabby, though.<br />
<br />
January:<br />
01 The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas (started at the tail end of 2011)<br />
02 Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher<br />
03 Bossypants, Tina Fey<br />
04 Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man, Chaz Bono<br />
05 The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, Julia Quinn<br />
06 Among Others, Jo Walton<br />
07 The Virgin's Lover, Phillipa Gregory<br />
08 Miserere, Teresa Frohock<br />
09 Some Dream for Fools, Faisa Guene<br />
10 4000 Years of Uppity Women: Rebellious Belles, Daring Dames, and Headstrong Heroines Through The Ages; Vicky Leon<br />
<br />
February<br />
<br />
11 Islands, Alistair MacLeod (I had been reading it off and on in 2011)<br />
12 Blood Rights, Kristen Painter<br />
13 Perfume, Patrick Suskind<br />
14 Right Hand Magic, Nancy Collins<br />
15 The Borgias and Their Enemies: 1431-1519, Christopher Hibbert<br />
16 Rapunzel, Leila Bryce Sin<br />
17 The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily; Nancy Goldstone<br />
18 Zazen, Vanessa Veselka<br />
19 The Sum of Our Days, Isabel Allende<br />
20 Fear of Landing: You Fly Like a Woman, Sylvia Wrigley Spruck<br />
<br />
March<br />
<br />
21 Flesh and Blood, Kristen Painter<br />
22 Bad Blood, Kristen Painter<br />
23 Timeless, Gail Carriger<br />
24 Of Blood and Honey, Stina Lecht<br />
25 This Side of the Grave, Jeaniene Frost<br />
26 Empire State, Adam Christopher<br />
27 Scandalous Women: The Lives and Loves of History's Most Notorious Women, Elizabeth Kerri Mahon<br />
28 Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages; Leland Gregory<br />
29 Finnikin of the Rock, Melina Marchetta<br />
30 Heidi, Johanna Spyri<br />
31 The Hour of Dust and Ashes, Kelly Gay<br />
32 A Princess of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs<br />
<br />
April<br />
<br />
33 Go the Fuck to Sleep, Adam Mansbach<br />
34 Ladies Coupe, Anita Nair<br />
35 The Warrior's Path, Catherine M. Wilson<br />
36 The Nuremburg Trials, Ann Tusa<br />
37 For the Sake of Sin, Suzie Grant<br />
38 The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands, Mary Seacole<br />
39 Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters, Logan Marshall<br />
<br />
May<br />
<br />
40 Game of Survival, Marijane Meaker<br />
41 Smilla's Sense of Snow, Peter Hoeg<br />
42 The Stolen Crown: The Secret Marriage that Forever Changed the Fate of England, Susan Higganbotham<br />
43 The Loss of the SS Titanic: Its Story and Its Lessons, Lawrence Beesley<br />
44 Vixen; Samantha Derr, ed.<br />
45 Naamah's Blessing, Jacqueline Carey<br />
46 The Hangman's Daughter, Oliver Potzsch<br />
47 Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Jeannette Winterson<br />
48 Lesbian Crushes and Bulimia: A Diary on How I Acquired My Eating Disorder, Natasha Holme<br />
49 Blackout, Mira Grant<br />
50 Countdown, Mira Grant<br />
51 The Lost World, Arthur Conan Doyle<br />
52 Wicked Desires, Eliza Lloyd<br />
<br />
June<br />
<br />
53 The Whiskey Rebellion: Frontier Epilogue to the American Revolution, Thomas P. Slaughter<br />
54 Finding Oscar: Massacre, Memory, and Justice in Guatemala, Ana Arana<br />
55 A Cold Day for Murder, Dana Stabenow<br />
56 Red Velvet and Absinthe: Paranormal Erotic Romance, Mitzi Szereto<br />
57 After the Apple: Women in the Bible: Timeless Stories of Love, Lust, and Longing; Naomi Harris Rosenblatt<br />
58 The Castle of Otranto, Horace Walpole<br />
59 Far Above Rubies, Cynthia Polansky<br />
60 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Seth Graeme-Smith<br />
61 Vlad: the Last Confession, CC Humphries<br />
62 The Forever Queen, Helen Hollick<br />
63 America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines; Gail Collins<br />
<br />
July<br />
<br />
64 Henry VIII's Seventh, Steve Farndon<br />
65 Steamlust: Steampunk Erotic Fiction, Kristina Wright<br />
66 Taking Instruction, Cheyenne McCrae<br />
67 Fed, Mira Grant<br />
68 San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the Californa Browncoats, Mira Grant<br />
69 On Call in Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story, Dr Richard Jadick<br />
70 Veil of Pearls, ML Tyndall<br />
71 Island in the Sea of Time, SM Sterling<br />
72 Sicko, I Set You Free: A Treasury of Erotica for the Easily Amused, Soren Narnia<br />
<br />
August<br />
<br />
73 World War Z, Max Brooks<br />
74 50 Shades of Romney (Hint, They're All White), Tim Young<br />
75 Futility or The Wreck of the Titan, Morgan Robertson<br />
76 Isaac's Army: The Jewish Resistance in Occupied Poland, Matthew Brzezinsky<br />
77 Romans de la Table Ronde: Erec et Enide, Cliges, Lancelot, Yvain; Chretien de Troyes<br />
78 Shadows Before the Sun, Kelly Gay<br />
79 Different Strokes: How I (Gulp) Wrote, Directed, and Starred in an X Rated Movie; Lawrence Block<br />
80 The Gate 2: 13 Tales of Isolation and Despair, Robert J. Duperre, ed.<br />
81 Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton<br />
82 Kidnapped at the Altar, Laura Jean Libby<br />
83 Gregor the Overlander, Suzanne Collins<br />
84 Grace Doll, Jennifer Laurens<br />
<br />
September<br />
<br />
85 Deadgirl, BC Johnson<br />
86 Navajo Code Talkers, Nathan Aaseng<br />
87 While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement, Carolyn Maull McKinstry<br />
88 Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, Sandra Cisneros<br />
89 John Dies at the End, David Wong<br />
90 Pollyanna, Eleanor Porter<br />
91 Dark Futures: Tales of Dystopia SF, Jason Sizemore ed.<br />
92 Time Up, Justin McLaughlin<br />
93 The City of Refuge, Diana Wilder<br />
<br />
October<br />
<br />
94 The Unruly Passions of Eugenie R, Carole DeSanti<br />
95 Breakdown, Katherine Amt Hanna<br />
96 For the King's Favor, Elizabeth Chadwick<br />
97 The Gate: 13 Dark and Odd Tales, Robert J. Duperre ed.<br />
98 Room, Emma Donoghue<br />
99 Master of Disguise, Antonio J Mendez<br />
100 After the Rising, Orna Ross<br />
101 City of Women, David Gillham<br />
<br />
November<br />
<br />
102 Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic, Jennifer Niven<br />
103 Out for Blood, Kristen Painter<br />
104 Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, Michael Oren (the book that ate November)<br />
<br />
December<br />
<br />
105 The Kings' Mistresses: The Liberated Lives of Marie Mancini, Princess Colonna, and Her Sister Hortense, Duchess Mazarin; Elizabeth Goldsmith<br />
106 The Ships We Sail, Miriam Oudon, ed.<br />
107 In My Skin: A Memoir, Kate Holden<br />
108 The Bloodletter's Daughter, Linda Lafferty<br />
109 Russian Disco, Wladimir Kaminer<br />
110 Genesis, Bernard Beckett<br />
111 Gathering of Waters, Bernice McFadden<br />
112 Bitten: Dark Erotic Stories, Susie Bright,ed.<br />
113 The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket<br />
114 His Last Duchess, Gabrielle Kimm<br />
<br />
Coming Soon: A Summary of The Best/Worst/Other these Were!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-71398159481989100632012-02-02T20:16:00.001-08:002012-02-02T20:16:57.661-08:00January Book Reads!It's that time of month again, where I regale you with what I read. Last month's reading included 10 books. My goal is 120, while I am also reading 52 books from around the world. Those will be delineated with an asterisk.<br /><br />01. <i>The Three Musketeers*</i>, Alexandre Dumas.<br /><br />It's no Monte Cristo, but the adventures of D'Artagnan and his friends the three Musketeers of the title are entertaining. And the character of Milady is as fascinating as it gets in fiction. I rather wish (SPOILER ALERT FOR 200 YEAR OLD BOOK) Dumas hadn't killed her off, because she was a formidable foe. And I don't like the way she went out, it wasn't true to who she was.<br /><br />02. <i>Wishful Drinking</i>, Carrie Fisher<br /><br />Fisher's hilarious memoir of her substance abuse, her movie star family, and of course THAT MOVIE (George Lucas ruined my life is the title of one chapter!) kept me literally laughing out loud the entire time I was reading it. Can't wait to read more of her books.<br /><br />03. <i>Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man</i>, Chaz Bono<br /><br />A memoir of an identity search, Bono tells us how he always felt uncomfortable in his own skin. While his writing can come off as a little sexist, I think it's also his way of working through his issues with women and his shifting paradigm. I found it a fascinating read.<br /><br />04. <i>Bossypants</i>, Tina Fey<br /><br />I expected laugh-out-loud with this one. I didn't get it, but it also didn't disappoint. She reminded me of how much I loved (and still do) love improv. And I like that she didn't sugarcoat the glass ceiling for women in comedy. Highly recommended.<br /><br />05. <i>The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever</i>, Julia Quinn<br /><br />Julia Quinn writes good romance. Holy crap does she ever. Her heroines are Jane Austen-esque, but not in a rip off sort of way. And when she rips those bodices, dayum isn't the word! It's nice and refreshing to read a girly book that doesn't tax my feminist sensibilities.<br /><br />06. <i>Among Others</i>*, Jo Walton<br /><br />I will copy and paste my review from Goodreads because I think it sums this book up:<br /><i> This book is the book for those little girls who grew up reading science fiction and fantasy, who were a bit outside of their peers, who were loners. This book is for me. And I loved the great use of historiography -- I have a wishlist chock full of scifi writers I hadn't even heard of thanks to this book. I know this year is young yet, but this is the best one I've read.</i><br /><br />07. <i>The Virgin's Lover*,</i> Philippa Gregory<br /><br />I keep trying and hoping that Gregory will recapture the magic from the first parts of this series. I am so disappointed -- there was a lot that could have been done with Robert, Amy, and Elizabeth. Instead she went for cliches. I wanted nothing to do with any of them after the first 30 pages.<br /><br />08. <i>Miserere: An Autumn Tale</i>, Teresa Frohock.<br /><br />A debut novel, this is the story of another world between ours and Hell. Lucian betrayed his lover to save his sister, but she didn't want saving. When he encounters the young Lindsay and saves her from Hell, he is given a second chance. A taut and gripping read, with just the right mix of fantasy and reality. I couldn't put this down. I couldn't believe this was a debut, because it was so intense and polished. Definitely worth a read.. It was my 2nd 5 star book of the year.<br /><br />09. <i>Some Dream for Fools*</i>, Faiza Guène<br /><br />The story of a young Algerian immigrant in France as she goes about her day to day life and struggles to keep food on her plate and her brother out of jail. I actually found this pretty funny -- I think that Ahlème is a very relatable character. Guène's characters are sparkling, and the scenes she spins are a great look at the underbelly of France.<br /><br />10. <i>4000 Years of Uppity Women: Rebellious Belles, Daring Dames, and Headstrong Heroines Throughout the Ages</i>, Vicky Léon<br /><br />Like the women in war book I read in December, this book celebrates both well and lesser known women. I was happy to find a lot more emphasis on women outside of Europe and 20th century North America. They're short bits on each woman, but Léon has a bibliography for further reading. <br /><br />Right now I'm working through 2 books: <i>Smilla's Sense of Snow,</I> Peter Hoeg, and <i>World Without End</I>, Ken Follet. They're slow going because they are long, and I will probably switch on and off from another couple of books in the interim. IN the mean time, you only have til 23 March to read THE HUNGER GAMES, dammit.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-36896820264865884502012-01-12T20:34:00.000-08:002012-01-12T20:35:06.985-08:00Book wrap-up!Now let's talk about my best/worst list for books.<br /><br /><b>Worst Book</b>: Rosamund's Revenge, Madeleine Conway. TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE BOOK. This wasn't surprising though.<br /><br /><b>Unexpected Terrible Book</b>: The Other Queen, Philippa Gregory.<br />Even if her books are never historically accurate there is enough bodice ripping and good imagery to go around. This book was historically accurate and SO COMPLETELY BORING.<br /><br /><b>Worst Series</b>: Three Days to Dead, Kelly Meding. There's a whole series behind these books but I stopped after one. SO predictable.<br /><br /><b>Unexpected Surprise, Nonfiction</b>: Hunting Eichmann, Neal Bascomb. Saw this on a National Geographic special and thought I knew the story. It kept me turning pages like nobody's business!<br /><br /><b>Unexpected Surprise, fiction</b>: The Sookie Stackhouse series, Charlaine Harris. SHUT UP DON'T JUDGE ME. The last few books were mediocre bordering on terrible, but those first few? HELL YEAH.<br /><br />And now, dun dun dun:<br /><b>Runner Up Best Series of the Year</b>: Parasol Protectorate Series, <Lj user="gailcarriger"> (Gail Carriger). A great fun steampunk Victorian series.<br /><br /><b>Best Series of the Year</b>: Feed, by Mira Grant. They're a trilogy about zombies. I didn't expect to like it but I can't stop thinking about it. Amazing.<br /><br /><b>Runner up Best Young Adult Novel of the Year:</b> A Northern Light, Jennifer Connelly. This was a book set in MY HOME REGION with a girl that reminded me a lot of myself. I may have shed a few tears. SHUT UP.<br /><br /><b>Best Young Adult Novel of the Year</b>: Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta. A book that probably requires two readings, but is so spectacular and gripping you can't help but to finish it in one sitting.<br /><br /><b>Most Important Book I Read This Year:</b> Shake Hands with the Devil, Romeo Dallaire. It's grisly, soul-destroying, and all true -- an eyewitness account of the genocide in Rwanda. It made me feel incredibly guilty as an American citizen.<br /><br /><b>Best Book of the Year</b>: Feed & Deadline, Mira Grant. Seriously, I'm still thinking about these books months after I read them. SMH. <br /><br />SO that's this year's wrap up! Stay tuned, I'm gonna post a meme that looks pretty awesome about reading habits next time.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-42655905788611961932012-01-07T22:31:00.000-08:002012-01-07T22:33:30.040-08:00Books, Yearly Roundup Style!Okay, so according to my goodreads tabulator, I read 114 books. If I stick with their formatting -- the one that counts Time Machine and War of the Worlds as one book, I lose. If I don't, I win. So therefore, I win.<br /><br />Roll Call! <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">January</span>:<br />01. Highway to Hell: Dispatches from a Mercenary in Iraq, John Geddes<br />02. Esperanza's Box of Saints, Maria Amparo Escandon<br />03. Memories of My Melancholy Whores, Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />04. The Lady in the Tower, Alison Weir<br />05. The Men Who Stare at Goats, Jon Ronson<br />06. The Translator: A Tribesman's Memory of Darfur, Daoud Hari<br />07. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, David Grann<br />08. Body of Work: Meditations on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab, Christine Montross<br />09. Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman<br />10. The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">February</span>:<br />11. A Place Where the Sea Remembers, Sandra Benitez<br />12. Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley, Alison Weir (aka the book that Ate February)<br />13. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, Lauren Willig<br />14. Playing Baseball With the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and the Long Journey Home, Gary W. Moore<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">March:<br /></span>15. The Manual of Detection, Jedediah Berry<br />16. Rough Justice, Peter Elkind<br />17. Ash, Malinda Lo<br />18. The Breaking of Eggs: A Novel, Jim Powell<br />19. The Better Part of Darkness, Kelly Gay<br />20. Poison, Sara Poole<br />21. Dime Store Magic, Kelley Armstrong<br />22. Harem, Dora Levy Mossanen <br />23. The Ghost Writer, Robert Harris<br />24. Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman<br />25. The Darkest Edge of Dawn, Kelly Gay<br />26. The Chess Machine: A Novel, Robert Lohr<br />27. Hunting Eichmann, Neal Bascomb<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">April</span>:<br />28. Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, Romeo Dallaire<br />29. A Game of Thrones, George RR Martin<br />30. The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield<br />31. Three Days to Dead, Kelly Meding<br />32. Podkayne of Mars, Robert Heinlein<br />33. Finding Nouf, Zoe Ferraris<br />34. Amalia's Tale: A Poor Peasant, an Ambitious Attorney, and a Fight for Justice, David Kertzer<br />35. The Other Queen, Philippa Gregory<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">May</span>: <br />36. and the shadows took him, Daniel Chacon<br />37. A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages, Kristin Chenoweth<br />38. Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters<br />39. Working for the Devil, Lilith Saintcrow<br />40. Sixty-One Nails, Mike Shevdon<br />41. Bury Me Deep: A Novel, Megan Abbott<br />42. Naamah's Curse, Jacqueline Carey<br />43. Telex from Cuba, Rachel Kushner<br />44. Blue Nude, Elizabeth Rosner<br />45. Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta<br />46. A Northern Light, Jennifer Donnelly<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">June</span><br />47. Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World's First Computer, Jo Marchant<br />48. Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love, and Death in Renaissance Italy, Sarah Bradford<br />49. Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Alison Weir<br />50. Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain, Portia de Rossi<br />51. The Greatest Knight, Elizabeth Chadwick<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">July</span><br />52. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />53. Heartless, Gail Carriger<br />54. Escape, Carolyn Jessop<br />55. Surrender the Dark, L.A. Banks<br />56. Guerrillas: Journeys in the Insurgent World, Jon Lee Anderson<br />57. Mistress of Rome, Kate Quinn<br />58. Slammerkin, Emma Donoghue<br />59. Blindness, Jose Saramago<br />60. The Bad Girl, Mario Vargas Llosa<br />61. PopCo, Scarlett Thomas<br />62. The Welsh Girl: A Novel, Peter Ho Davies<br />63. The Flanders Panel, Arturo Perez Reverte<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">August</span>: <br />64. The King's Pleasure: A Novel of Katharine of Aragon, Norah Lofts<br />65. Feed, Mira Grant<br />66. Point Omega, Dom Delillo<br />67. The Scarlet Lion, Elizabeth Chadwick<br />68. The Wars of the Roses, Alison Weir<br />69. Daughters of Rome, Kate Quinn<br />70. Classic Stories 1: The Golden Apples of the Sun/R is for Rocket, Ray Bradbury<br />71. Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves, Crystal Renn<br />72. Christ Stopped at Eboli: A Story of a Year, Carlo Levi<br />73. Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal<br />74. Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris<br />75. Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">September</span>:<br />76. Chicks Kick Butt, Rachel Caine (ed.)<br />77. Rosamund's Revenge, Madeleine Conway<br />78. The Lady Matador's Hotel: A Novel, Cristina Garcia<br />79. A Single Man, Christopher Isherwood<br />80. Caesar's Women, Colleen McCullough<br />81. Living Dead in Dallas, Charlaine Harris<br />82. Club Dead, Charlaine Harris<br />83. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary, Simon Winchester<br />84. A Palace in the Old Village: A Novel, Tahar Ben Jelloun<br />85. Dead to the World, Charlaine Harris<br />86. Dead as a Doornail, Charlaine Harris<br />87. Rat Girl, Kristin Hersh<br />88. The Second Duchess, Elizabeth Loupas<br />89. Definitely Dead, Charlaine Harris<br />90. To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitane, Christy English<br />91. All Together Dead, Charlaine Harris<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">October</span>: <br />92. From Dead to Worse, Charlaine Harris<br />93. Snow, Orhan Pamuk (aka the book that ate October)<br />94. Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris<br />95. Dead in the Family, Charlaine Harris<br />96. The Other Tudors: Henry VIII's Mistresses and Bastards, Philippa Jones<br />97. Dead Reckoning, Charlaine Harris<br />98. Deadline, Mira Grant<br />99. Tomorrow Sucks, Greg Cox (ed.)<br />100. A Partisan's Daughter, Louis de Bernieres<br />101. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">November</span>:<br />102. Louisiana Vampires, Lawrence Schimel<br />103. The Story of a Marriage, Andrew Sean Greer<br />104. America Libre, Raul Ramos y Sanchez<br />105. Grave Sight, Charlaine Harris<br />106. The Life of Elizabeth I, Alison Weir (aka the book that ate November)<br />107. The Time Machine, HG Wells<br />108. The War of the Worlds, HG Wells<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">December</span><br />109. Mr Cavendish, I Presume?, Julia Quinn<br />This was apparently book 2, but the first book just tells the story from a different perspective. I'll be reading it later, but for now I wanted to say I really enjoyed this romance novel. It had a pretty strong heroine, and there was a really really steamy bodice ripping scene. YES IT DID.<br /><br />110. Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Philip K. Dick<br />A neglected classic for me, but I picked it up for 50c at Goodwill, and I really enjoyed it. I have a soft spot for dystopias. I want to rewatch the movie though.<br /><br />111. The Illuminator, Brenda Rickman Vantrese<br />Much like Weir's Captive Queen, this is the story of a middle aged woman trying to survive in a man's world. And it's very bleak and depressing and ends terribly. I didn't like the ending at all -- it made little to no sense. Whatever, it satiated my need for historical fiction.<br /><br />112. Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury<br />I think this book loses something in today's world -- we don't have childhoods like these anymore, they're not that 1950s idyll that we imagine and harken back to. I do think that this book is more suited to television and movie than the text. <br /><br />113. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury.<br />Even more prescient today than it was when it was written. We're actually picking up on a lot of the tech he discusses -- the television in any room, projection tvs, the ability to direct and control what we see on the the television. However, the afterword and commentary completely soured me. Instead of responding to critiques about the lack of characters of other races or including women in his stories for more than decoration, he says that the critics should write their own stories and he'll continue to write his just white male universe. SMDH.<br /><br />114. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith<br />Surprisingly, I didn't care about the mysteries. I liked the flashback sequences, the descriptions of the country, the people. I really enjoyed everything in the book. I can't wait to read more of this series!<br /><br />115. Hell Hath No Fury: True Stories of Women at War from Antiquity to Iraq, Rosalind Miles and Robin Cross.<br /><br />YES this was great! It couldn't include anyone and everything, and I take a bit of dismay in the fact that a lot of women from Asia and Africa were merely described and not named, but I hope they'll expand on this topic in future texts. And what was wonderful were some of the source listings that they drew from, so I can harvest more stories of awesome women.<br /><br />So that was my 115 books!<br /><br />This year's challenge is to read 52 books from around the world -- each one from a different country. I received a kindle for Christmas, so this will be a bit easier, I think. I'm also gonna try to get 120 books in total this year, so I don't have to force it.<br /><br />I will be posting my best/worst list sometime soon, so keep an eye out for that!TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-11186181265470080092011-12-30T21:48:00.001-08:002011-12-30T22:08:10.159-08:00Year In Summation Meme<span style="font-weight:bold;">What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?<br /></span><br />Got an e-Reader. Worked as a blogger for the Times Union. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?<br /></span><br />I didn't really make them and I probably won't this year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Did anyone close to you give birth?<br /></span><br />Raquel, Amanda, Kim. Aww yeah, baby palooza.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Did anyone close to you die?<br /></span><br />No, thank God.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What countries did you visit?<br /></span><br />None. I barely even went out of the state I was so broke-sauce.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?<br /></span><br />More travel. That is the mega deficit in my life. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?<br /></span><br />Nov. 17. Besides the fact that it was my birthday, it was the (presumably) first of many birthdays shared with both the BF and his mother.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What was your biggest achievement of the year?<br /></span><br />Reading 115 new books. I am amazed at myself - the original goal was 75.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What was your biggest failure?<br /></span><br /><br />I don't think I really had one. Lots of minor ones, but nothing major.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Did you suffer illness or injury?<br /></span><br />...Surprisingly, no!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What was the best thing you bought?<br /></span><br />Bus tickets to see BFFL Candice in NYC.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Whose behaviour merited celebration?<br /></span><br />Many people. But first and foremost Jesse, because he actually knows me at this point and still enjoys my company. SMDH.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?<br /></span><br />Besides the customers that I have some days? No one, really.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Where did most of your money go?<br /></span><br />Rent, student loan repayment program.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What did you get really, really, really excited about?<br /></span><br />Seeing my BFFL Candice 2x in one year. Seriously? That never happens. EVER.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What songs will always remind you of 2011?<br /></span><br />I kiiiiiinda associate Carbon Leaf music with this year, bc when they played Alive at Five is when Jesse and I had our first date. Weaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak I know.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Compared to this time last year, are you:<br /></span><span style="font-weight:bold;">i. Happier or sadder?</span> Happier.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">ii. Thinner or fatter?</span> Ugh, heavier again. I usually don't mind, but I hate buying new clothes. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">iii. Richer or poorer? </span>I think it's about even, actually.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What do you wish you'd done more of?<br /></span><br />Travelling! Cleaning all of the things.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What do you wish you'd done less of?<br /></span><br />Cleaning all of the things.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How did you spend Christmas?<br /></span><br />Back home up north. My broski drove me up there and we watched Captain America, Thor, and X-Men:FC, and entertained two small children!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in 2011?<br /></span><br />I dunno. I had a surprisingly unembarrassing year. Although I get all embarrassed talking about things relating to the BF.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Did you fall in love in 2011?<br /></span><br />Yeah, I did. Dammit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How many one-night stands?<br /></span><br />LOL no. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What was your favourite TV program?<br /></span><br />American Idol, even though I wanted to throttle the television.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?<br /></span><br />I rocked my dress pants and still the NY&C tops I've had for years; off work it was all jeans and my Patriots hoodie. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What kept you sane?<br /></span><br />Jesse.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?<br /></span><br />Nope. Someday I will update the hate list, which really consists of like 3 people eve.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What was the best book you read in 2011?<br /></span><br />I would have to say <i>Feed</i> by Mira Grant. Despite being about Zombies, I can't get it out of my head and for good reason.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What was your greatest musical discovery?<br /></span><br />Everyone is gonna say Adele, but they're not wrong.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What did you want and get?<br /></span><br />An e-Reader. before you get mad at me and say "what about a relationship?" Well, I didn't want one and i wasn't looking. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What did you want and not get?<br /></span><br />A middling camera and a new bed, but I will, oh I will next year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What was your favourite film of this year?<br /></span><br />The Muppet Movie. Haters may hate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?<br /></span><br />It was the first of the tri-birthday -- Jesse and his mom have my birthday as well. We went to see Immortals after breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then we bummed around the mall and bought books, and then had dinner at Cheesecake Factory with his parents and sister. Then there was cake, and we went to Wolff's for our birthday boots, which he finished and I did not. He then encountered the unlocked construction equipment on the way home. Hilarity ensued.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What three things would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?<br /></span><br />More travel, more music, more time with friends.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?<br /></span><br />Henry Cavill and Michael Buble and David Cook. AKA the usuals.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What political issue stirred you the most?<br /></span><br />Women's rights, but really any social justice issue.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Who(m) did you miss?<br /></span><br />Candice & Phil & Julie & Raquel and all the other denziens of the internet I love of everyone ever.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Who was the best new person you met?<br /></span><br />uh Clearly Jesse. I guessssssssssssssss.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What is a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011?<br /></span><br />That opening your heart to others isn't nearly as scary as you expect it to be, and that sometimes people come into our lives when you least expect it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What quote can be used to sum up your year?</span><br /><br />HATERS GONNA HATE. :DTeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-58851025470834391452011-09-30T20:03:00.000-07:002011-09-30T20:04:16.716-07:00September books!The #s represent the position read in year to date. I am closing in on my goal of 115 and and am contemplating upping it to 125. I want to see how October pans out before I do that.<br /><br />76. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9642271-chicks-kick-butt">Chicks Kick Butt</a>, Rachel Caine and Kerri Hughes, Eds.<br /><br />This short story collection of women writers with strong female characters was pretty darn good. It was a mix of authors I had read, others I wanted to read, and a third group that I had never heard of. My GoodReads synopsis (because I can't remember the story names at this point):<br /><br />My favourite stories: "In Vino Veritas," Karen Chance; "Monsters," Lilith Saintcrow; "Nine-Tenths of the Law," Jenna Black; and "Monster Mash," Carole Nelson Douglas.<br /><br />My interests definitely don't cover fey, necromancers, or nearly incomprehensible Norse mythology, so a few of these stories were less relevant to my sci-fi/urban fantasy interests. But you definitely can't go wrong with a bunch of kick-ass heroines.<br /><br />77. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2959905-rosamund-s-revenge">Rosamund's Revenge</a>, Madeleine Conway.<br />I had a great piece of luck picking Mario Vargas Llosa's book off the cheap books table at Christmas Tree Shop, but the last time I went it was covered in crappy romance novels. And I figured I would try one out to see if I was missing anything. At the very least I was hoping for a good old fashioned bodice ripping.<br /><br />Well, Conway ripped something, but it wasn't a bodice. NO BODICES WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF THIS BOOK. I am disappoint. Anyway, it was a bad rip off of Pride and Prejudice.<br /><br />78. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7552074-the-lady-matador-s-hotel">The Lady Matador's Hotel</a>, Cristina Garcia<br /><br />Another entry in the magical realism genre and I absolutely loved it. Garcia uses an interesting story framing device -- it's told from the perspective of several characters at the hotel over the course of the week, as well as the local media in an unnamed city in Latin America. The conclusion is quite obvious, but it is well worth the read.<br /><br />79. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16842.A_Single_Man">A Single Man</a>, Christopher Isherwood<br /><br />A man struggles to live life after his longtime lover's death. Also an interesting framing device -- positing us in as clear observers of the main character as almost a subject in an experiment, but watching him go through the motions of his life in a day. <br /><br />80. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2909220-caesar-s-women">Caesar's Women</a>, Colleen McCullough<br /><br />Book 4 in a series on Ancient Rome. McCullough posits that this story is really about the...errr...women around Caesar, but they are merely a framing device for the great man himself. And boy does she have a crush on him. It's very detail heavy -- I learned more about the Roman Republic in this book than I ever did in all the studying I did in Latin class and in the few history classes I took on Rome. If you can get through it, it's well worth it historically (even if Phil disputes her take on Marcus Tullius Cicero ;).<br /><br /><br />81. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/685385.Living_Dead_in_Dallas">Living Dead in Dallas</a>, Charlaine Harris.<br /><br />What can I say? I really am enjoying these books. They are remarkably easy to get through and they're just like brain candy. Bits of problematic takes on race and sexuality crop up from time to time, so beware of that. And I can't get how all these supernatural people just find Sookie sooooooooo irresistible<br /><br />82. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/685386.Club_Dead">Club Dead</a>, Charlaine Harris<br /><br />See #81.<br /><br />83. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25019.The_Professor_and_the_Madman">The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary</a>, Simon Winchester.<br /><br />I learned many new words! The story was a bit thin to be stretched out like it was, but I also loved the historiography work he put in on it -- the history of dictionaries is something we kind of take for granted. And the impetus for the book was an interesting anecdote in the annals of history. (PS: Americans helped write the OED. Including a guy from Troy NY!)<br /><br />84. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8981613-a-palace-in-the-old-village">A Palace in the Old Village</a>, Tahar Ben Jelloun<br /><br />A man moves his family from Morocco to France to earn a better life for them. As he reaches retirement age, he realizes that it may have been a mistake -- his family has become Frenchified and barely recognizes the heritage he tries to give them. It's an interesting look at a generation gap and the ideas of the parents versus those of the children.<br /><br />85. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140077.Dead_to_the_World">Dead to the World</a>, Charlaine Harris<br /><br />See #81<br /><br />86. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/170210.Dead_as_a_Doornail">Dead as a Doornail</a>, Charlaine Harris<br /><br />See #81<br /><br />87. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8143996-rat-girl">Rat Girl: A Memoir</a>, Kristin Hersh<br /><br />Hersh is the former lead singer for the band Throwing Muses. I knew of her from her solo efforts -- when I belonged to a Michael Penn fanlist on Yahoo groups, the members were raving about her, so I checked out her music. I saw her promoting the book on Twitter and during Borders' closing sale I picked it up. It's an unconventional memoir of an unconventional woman -- she started performing in bars at 14. During a year of her life in 1986 she ended up becoming diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and she had to struggle to adjust to that diagnosis. It's an interesting way of presenting a time in her life where she says she doesn't remember much of it.<br /><br />88. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8312896-the-second-duchess">The Second Duchess</a>, Elizabeth Loupas.<br /><br />You knew I couldn't stray from my historical fiction for long! This one is the story of Barbara of Austria, the second wife of Alfonso d'Este, grandson of Lucrezia Borgia. His first wife, Lucrezia de Medici died in strange circumstances and he is believed to be the cause. As she is learning the lay of her new land, Barbara also must deal with the rumours of her predecessor as well as dodge whoever may be trying to kill her too. Also told from the perspective of Lucrezia's ghost, it's an interesting murder mystery in Renaissance Italy.<br /><br />89. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/140079.Definitely_Dead">Definitely Dead</a>, Charlaine Harris<br /><br />See #81<br /><br />90. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8499733-to-be-queen">To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine</a>, Christy English.<br /><br />I am a sucker for all things Eleanor of Aquitaine. She's one of my favourite historical personages and I can't get enough takes on her personality, either fictionally or historically. This book delves into her early life -- her rise to power in Aquitaine and Poitou, and her marriage to King Louis of France. English does a pretty good job of keeping us on Eleanor's side -- my only critique is that she keeps Eleanor at a bit of a distance from us. Otherwise, I almost think it makes a great bookend to Alison Weir's "The Captive Queen," a novel of Eleanor and her second marriage to Henry II of England.<br /><br />91. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2071683.All_Together_Dead">All Together Dead</a>, Charlaine Harris<br /><br />See #81, although I want more Sophie-Anne Leclerq. Just saying.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-1354769062375426312011-09-12T21:07:00.000-07:002011-09-12T21:08:30.409-07:0011 SeptemberI usually like to write about the Chilean September 11, but I came across this amazing poem on Tumblr and thought it was important to share it with you. It's long, but I'm not cutting it.<br /><br />Emmanuel Ortiz (born 1974)'s poem, Moment of Silence:<br />http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/music/Moment-of-Silence.mp3<br /><br />Before I start this poem, I’d like to ask you to join me<br /><br />In a moment of silence<br /><br />In honor of those who died in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon last September 11th.<br /><br />I would also like to ask you<br /><br />To offer up a moment of silence<br /><br />For all of those who have been harassed, imprisoned, disappeared, tortured, raped, or killed in retaliation for those strikes,<br /><br />For the victims in both Afghanistan and the U.S.<br /><br />And if I could just add one more thing…<br /><br />A full day of silence<br /><br />For the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have died at the hands of U.S.-backed Israeli forces over decades of occupation.<br /><br />Six months of silence for the million and-a-half Iraqi people, mostly children, who have died of malnourishment or starvation as a result of an 11-year U.S. embargo against the country.<br /><br />Before I begin this poem,<br /><br />Two months of silence for the Blacks under Apartheid in South Africa,<br /><br />Where homeland security made them aliens in their own country.<br /><br />Nine months of silence for the dead in Hiroshima and Nagasaki,<br /><br />Where death rained down and peeled back every layer of concrete, steel, earth and skin<br /><br />And the survivors went on as if alive.<br /><br />A year of silence for the millions of dead in Vietnam - a people, not a war - for those who know a thing or two about the scent of burning fuel, their relatives’ bones buried in it, their babies born of it.<br /><br />A year of silence for the dead in Cambodia and Laos, victims of a secret war … ssssshhhhh…. Say nothing … we don’t want them to learn that they are dead.<br /><br />Two months of silence for the decades of dead in Colombia,<br /><br />Whose names, like the corpses they once represented, have piled up and slipped off our tongues.<br /><br />Before I begin this poem.<br /><br />An hour of silence for El Salvador …<br /><br />An afternoon of silence for Nicaragua …<br /><br />Two days of silence for the Guatemaltecos …<br /><br />None of whom ever knew a moment of peace in their living years.<br /><br />45 seconds of silence for the 45 dead at Acteal, Chiapas<br /><br />25 years of silence for the hundred million Africans who found their graves far deeper in the ocean than any building could poke into the sky.<br /><br />There will be no DNA testing or dental records to identify their remains.<br /><br />And for those who were strung and swung from the heights of sycamore trees in the south, the north, the east, and the west…<br /><br />100 years of silence…<br /><br />For the hundreds of millions of indigenous peoples from this half of right here,<br /><br />Whose land and lives were stolen,<br /><br />In postcard-perfect plots like Pine Ridge, Wounded Knee, Sand Creek, Fallen Timbers, or the Trail of Tears.<br /><br />Names now reduced to innocuous magnetic poetry on the refrigerator of our consciousness …<br /><br />So you want a moment of silence?<br /><br />And we are all left speechless<br /><br />Our tongues snatched from our mouths<br /><br />Our eyes stapled shut<br /><br />A moment of silence<br /><br />And the poets have all been laid to rest<br /><br />The drums disintegrating into dust.<br /><br />Before I begin this poem,<br /><br />You want a moment of silence<br /><br />You mourn now as if the world will never be the same<br /><br />And the rest of us hope to hell it won’t be.<br /><br />Not like it always has been.<br /><br />Because this is not a 9/11 poem.<br /><br />This is a 9/10 poem,<br /><br />It is a 9/9 poem,<br /><br />9/8 poem,<br /><br />A 9/7 poem<br /><br />This is a 1492 poem.<br /><br />This is a poem about what causes poems like this to be written.<br /><br />And if this is a 9/11 poem, then:<br /><br />This is a September 11th poem for Chile, 1971.<br /><br />This is a September 12th poem for Steven Biko in South Africa, 1977.<br /><br />This is a September 13th poem for the brothers at Attica Prison, New York, 1971.<br /><br />This is a September 14th poem for Somalia, 1992.<br /><br />This is a poem for every date that falls to the ground in ashes<br /><br />This is a poem for the 110 stories that were never told<br /><br />The 110 stories that history chose not to write in textbooks<br /><br />The 110 stories that CNN, BBC, The New York Times, and Newsweek ignored.<br /><br />This is a poem for interrupting this program.<br /><br />And still you want a moment of silence for your dead?<br /><br />We could give you lifetimes of empty:<br /><br />The unmarked graves<br /><br />The lost languages<br /><br />The uprooted trees and histories<br /><br />The dead stares on the faces of nameless children<br /><br />Before I start this poem we could be silent forever<br /><br />Or just long enough to hunger,<br /><br />For the dust to bury us<br /><br />And you would still ask us<br /><br />For more of our silence.<br /><br />If you want a moment of silence<br /><br />Then stop the oil pumps<br /><br />Turn off the engines and the televisions<br /><br />Sink the cruise ships<br /><br />Crash the stock markets<br /><br />Unplug the marquee lights,<br /><br />Delete the instant messages,<br /><br />Derail the trains, the light rail transit.<br /><br />If you want a moment of silence, put a brick through the window of Taco Bell,<br /><br />And pay the workers for wages lost.<br /><br />Tear down the liquor stores,<br /><br />The townhouses, the White Houses, the jailhouses, the Penthouses and the Playboys.<br /><br />If you want a moment of silence,<br /><br />Then take it<br /><br />On Super Bowl Sunday,<br /><br />The Fourth of July<br /><br />During Dayton’s 13 hour sale<br /><br />Or the next time your white guilt fills the room where my beautiful people have gathered.<br /><br />You want a moment of silence<br /><br />Then take it NOW,<br /><br />Before this poem begins.<br /><br />Here, in the echo of my voice,<br /><br />In the pause between goosesteps of the second hand,<br /><br />In the space between bodies in embrace,<br /><br />Here is your silence.<br /><br />Take it.<br /><br />But take it all…Don’t cut in line.<br /><br />Let your silence begin at the beginning of crime. But we,<br /><br />Tonight we will keep right on singing…For our dead.<br /><br />EMMANUEL ORTIZ, 11 Sep 2002.<br /><br />(<a href="http://allcapsdoom.tumblr.com/post/10154170689/guerrillamamamedicine-merf-thinking-is-hard">Link to the tumblr post I found it in</a>.)TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-58705650900692501842011-09-03T21:12:00.000-07:002011-09-03T21:14:17.687-07:00BOOKS FOR JULYHello friends! I just finished another book, and I realized it's Sept 3! Time to talk about the books I read last month.
<br />
<br />64. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6070746-the-king-s-pleasure">The King's Pleasure</a>, Norah Lofts.
<br />
<br />This was a historical Tudors novel written in the 1950s and boy does it show. The maligns on Anne Boleyn's physical character are present, and I felt that Lofts did a lot more telling than showing. I didn't like the foreshadowing usage. Read Anya Seton instead.
<br />
<br />65. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7094569-feed">Feed</a>, Mira Grant.
<br />
<br />In the mid 21st Century, cancer and the common cold are cured, but unfortunately the side-effect was zombies. They're somewhat contained now, but the remaining human population no longer trusts its news media sources and is relying on bloggers for information. So Georgia and her brother Shaun get selected to cover a presidential campaign and end up in way over their heads.
<br />
<br />Now I have such zombie fear as you've never seen. But I loved this book. Yes, there are zombie attacks, and they are scary. and the mysterious conspiracy isn't all that shocking. But the bond between brother and sister is really what drives the book.
<br />
<br />66. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8098721-point-omega">Point Omega</a>, Dom DeLillo.
<br />
<br />I totally misinterpreted what this book was about. An aspiring filmmaker goes to the desert to seek out one of the masterminds behind the Iraq War and interview him. Instead he spends his time in the desert boring the hell out of the reader as he vaguely contemplates banging his host's daughter.
<br />
<br />67. <a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1252193338m/1309082.jpg">The Scarlet Lion</a>, Elizabeth Chadwick.
<br />
<br />A followup to "The Greatest Knight," continuing the Marshal family saga this time in the court of King John. A little repetitive at points, but I definitely enjoyed the story as much as I did TGK. If you're into medieval historical novels that really try to get it right, Chadwick is for you.
<br />
<br />68. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/158620.The_Wars_of_the_Roses">The Wars of the Roses</a>, Alison Weir.
<br />
<br />Another Weir compendium, this time about the historical roots and how the Wars of the Roses came about. It gets complicated especially toward the end when names are repeated apace. Thank goodness for the genealogical trees at the back of the book.
<br />
<br />69. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8577314-daughters-of-rome">Daughters of Rome,</a> Kate Quinn
<br />
<br />A prequel of sorts to "Mistress of Rome," Quinn takes us to the year of Three Emperors by telling us the story through the lives of 4 women all named Cornelia. She continues her themes of having at least one woman in the story bed a strapping man who is a prisoner or in dire straits but is incredibly handsome and amazing. It is damned good reading, although a bit predictable.
<br />
<br />70. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9622.Classic_Stories_1">Classic Stories 1: R is for Rocket & Golden Apples</a>, Ray Bradbury.
<br />
<br />Bradbury's writing always fuels in me a nostalgia for the space race age. The stories are ridiculously outdated, but they are nice to read in a "look how they saw this coming" sort of way. There are some of my favourite pieces in here including "The Long Rain."
<br />
<br />71. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6571027-hungry">Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves</a>, Crystal Renn (TW: eating disorders)
<br />
<br />Renn is a plus-sized model who overcame an eating disorder trying to remain at a size 0 in order to stay in the world of modelling. She is funny, very interested in the statistics and reasons for disordered eating. This was an easy and good read, but I wish the editors had done a better job -- it's riddled with errors and bad transitions.
<br />
<br />72. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65211.Christ_Stopped_at_Eboli">Christ Stopped at Eboli</a>, Carlo Levi
<br />
<br />Levi was exiled to an impoverished region in the mountains of Italy for a sentence of three years. He spent one in Eboli, and wrote a journal of his experiences. It is an incredible look at a place neglected by time and government. Keeping in mind that Levi is a bit sexist and classist, it is nonetheless a unique look at a place and time gone unmentioned in most of history, Italian or otherwise.
<br />
<br />73. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9480534-shades-of-milk-and-honey">Shades of Milk and Honey</a>, Mary Robinette Kowal.
<br />
<br />A science fiction book set in a Regency-esque England. It tries to be Pride and Prejudice, but it was more like The Wayward Muse and merely bored me. The magick in the world was a minor plot point that could have been excised. I was mostly whelmed by this book.
<br />
<br />74. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/301082.Dead_Until_Dark">Dead Until Dark</a>, Charlaine Harris.
<br />
<br />Okay NOW I see what all the hype is about. Everyone and their mom watches True Blood (except me and Phil). But seriously? Sookie Stackhouse is funny, interesting, and I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick little story and I look forward to the rest of the series.
<br />
<br />75. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6001554-chicken-soup-for-the-american-idol-soul">Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul</a>
<br />
<br />Haters gonna hate. Some of the tales in here were really good looks at the contestants' views of the process, others were great looks at back stage workers knowing how they got the show to be the way it was, and others were just there.
<br />
<br />
<br />I've read 3 more books in September so far, but you'll just have to wait til Oct to see what they are. Tell me what you're reading! I have to pick a new book to start, but since I cleaned up again at the Borders' closeout sale, I have plenty of choices! TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-61239613673210611212011-07-25T13:49:00.000-07:002011-07-25T13:59:02.170-07:00Lament to BordersI moved to Albany in August 2006. This will be the 5th year I have lived here on the 23rd. I took my last few remaining bucks and headed for Crossgates Mall to find a job one of the first days I was here. I wandered up and down and I saw that there was a darkened bookstore waiting to open -- I vaguely wondered if it was the same store I had applied for a few months back but ultimately didn't get hired for.<br /><br />A week later, it opened. I started working at the store across the hall from it, New York & Company. As a result, I spent a lot of time inside. I tried many things to save myself money, but I could never resist the bargain books. Or the ridiculous amounts of coupons I would get. <br /><br />I know I was known on sight by the booksellers, even if they didn't know my name. One of the shift supervisors always knew I worked in the mall, even when I moved over to Colonie Center. It was nice -- I always was able to go in, browse, and just be left alone with the books. <br /><br />When Borders instituted their paid rewards program, I was the first to jump on it. I don't regret that decision in the least. I always felt far more comfortable in Borders than in any other bookstore, and the Crossgates Mall bookstore more than any other one -- even the one back home. I never felt the same spirit of camaraderie that I did there with Barnes and Noble, Chapters, you name it. <br /><br />Borders is closing its doors now, and it is so weird, because like I said, it came here at the same time I did. We ventured into Albany at the same time. That's why losing my bookstore, even if it is a chain, hurts. And I have worked liquidation sales before (I worked for Ames at the time they closed) so I know what the booksellers are going through. <br /><br />I went there today, and I didn't expect the ridiculous amounts of people wandering through. I didn't feel comfortable, and while I left with a bag full of books as per usual, I didn't find it as relaxing as I usually do. I don't know really what I expected -- the scavengers come out to play and panic when a liquidation sale is announced. There are plenty of books, and at 10% off, it's not the greatest deal. I'm very grateful to Borders for letting me still use my member discount until Aug 5, which is why I did buy a couple more books than I usually do. <br /><br />When Borders finally closes in September, I will try to dip my toes into the bookstore waters again. But I don't think I'll have that odd sense of kinship with it. It's like a door closing on my story of Albany.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-14648848994735219462011-07-21T19:19:00.000-07:002011-07-21T19:20:37.738-07:00If you're gonna cry history, use the logic.Okay so I don't know if y'all recall me talking about how Chile exhumed Salvador Allende's remains to determine if he died from self-inflicted gunshots or not. <br /><br />Well, the inquest resolved the other day and they said it was <a href="http://bit.ly/q4rp8r">suicide.</a><br /><br />Okay, sure, I can accept this. I went looking for an English language source on the story (gee I don't know why the US news doesn't find this important) and I found this article: <a href="http://bit.ly/pU3GMT">The Left's Big Lie on Allende</a>. Yeah, I don't know why I clicked either.<br /><br />The first line led me to write this post. <br /><i>History: President Salvador Allende of Chile really did commit suicide in 1973, an inquest concluded on Tuesday. Now will the Left stop saying the U.S. and Chile's army did him in?</i><br /><br />History is correct. He did kill himself, according to the inquest. Wanna know why he did it? Because the US Funded coup -- tanks, munitions, guns, ammunition, paid off soldiers and generals were storming the presidential palace to kill him and over throw his government. So, yes President Allende took his own life. But not because he wanted to do so. I'm fairly certain he didn't wake up that morning and say "hey friends, I'm gonna kill myself, k bye." Clearly he tried to defend the LEGALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT that the military should have been supporting and at the last desperate moment, when he could no longer salvage even his own life, he took his. <br /><br />So no, US. We are not off the hook for Allende's (and those of the thousands of desaparacidos that followed) death. Good try though.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-6764099731820531082011-07-04T18:11:00.000-07:002011-07-04T18:12:38.140-07:00June booksI am 1% ahead of my pace for the year -- trying to read 100 books this year. Here are June's:<br /><br />47. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7885500-decoding-the-heavens">Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World's First Computer</a>, Jo Marchand.<br /><br />Marchand tells the history of the Antikythera device -- a forgotten artifact discovered at the turn of the century by sponge divers. She goes back through the history of the historians trying to solve the case, and it's an interesting look. It's very obvious that she's a magazine writer -- the transitions are jarring, and the language is a bit off, but it was well worth the dollar I paid for it. However, all the math did give me some headaches.<br /><br />48. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145269.Lucrezia_Borgia">Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love, and Death in Renaissance Italy</a>, Sarah Bradford. <br /><br />Clearly my love for the television series <i>The Borgias</i> led me to this, but it was definitely well worth the read. Very academic. Bradford digs Lucrezia out of the dungheap of history, and like Alison Weir did with Isabelle of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine, helps repair her reputation using good scholarship. <br /><br />49. Speaking of Weir... <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9635592-captive-queen">Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine</a>, Alison Weir.<br /><br />Okay, remember how much I didn't really like <i>Innocent Traitor</i> and <i>The Lady Elizabeth</i>? Forget them. Weir finds her voice in Eleanor. Maybe she's better at writing middle-aged women, because this look at Eleanor's turbulent life with her second husband just worked better. I didn't want it to end. <br /><br />50. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/414641.The_Greatest_Knight">The Greatest Knight</a>, Elizabeth Chadwick.<br /><br />Heh, I was on a definite Middle Ages kick. This book novelizes the life of William Marshal, the stalwart man who rose from humble origins to the confidence of Queen Eleanor and her sons. This too was a very good read. I finally liked a historical fiction book about a time period that I know well. You should be impressed.<br /><br />51. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7841653-unbearable-lightness">Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain,</a> Portia de Rossi.<br /><br />de Rossi is brutally honest about her struggle with anorexia and bulimia. She writes with humour and grace about subjects that were clearly difficult for her to discuss with anyone -- going about her job and hating herself every single day for who she was pretending to be. I found this book mesmerising. Clearly there are trigger warnings for eating disorders in this book.<br /><br />52. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.<br /><br />This book I definitely need a re-read, but I liked it! Marquez pretty much leads the magical realism "genre", and I love books with that sort of trope. I see now why Isabel Allende gets compared to him, not only for being a South American writer -- the story of a family through several generations through an entire book. I still think The House of the Spirits is better, but I respect this one.<br /><br />Right now I am reading the 4th book in the Parasol Protectorate Series, <i>Heartless</i>. This book is by Gail Carriger.<br /><br /><br />This meme is based on books read so far this year.<br /><br /><b>favourite book:</b> Hunting Eichmann, Neal Bascomb. <br />This was un-putdownable -- gripping and intriguing even though we knew the outcome.<br /><br /><b>most powerful book</b>: Shake Hands with the Devil, Romeo Dallaire.<br />Oh god, where to begin. This is Dallaire's memoir of the Rwanda genocide in 1994. Simply stunning.<br /><br /><b>brilliantly funny</b> Esperanza's Box of Saints, Maria Amparo Escandon. <br />This seemed like a particularly predictable prose, but Esperanza's journey is comedic without being pratfallish and is consistently entertaining.<br /><br /><b>best ache-y, heart-breaking, tear-jerker read</b>: We'll go with fiction only in this one: Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta.<br />If you haven't read this, you need to do so.<br /><br /><b>most beautiful story</b> Ash, Malinda Lo.<br />The love story in this book is simply spellbinding.<br /><br /><b>delicious rainy day comfort read</b> Better Part of Darkness, Kelly Gay.<br />This urban fantasy is a quick, fun, entertaining read. Charlie's awesome.<br /><br /><b>adrenalin-fuelled, unputdownable award</b>: I wasn't going to duplicate, but Hunting Eichmann defintely fits here. I kept putting it down and picking it back up over and over.<br /><br /><b>the beautiful prose award</b>: The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield.<br />Oh my gosh, this was deceptively simple and yet well-written.<br /><br /><b>most atmospheric and vivid setting:</b> A Northern Light, Jennifer Donnelly.<br />Turn of the century rural New York town. She does my land justice :)<br /><br /><b>i-so-want-to-go-there award</b>: Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman.<br />I don't even really like Gaiman all that much and I loved Neverwhere. <br /><br /><b>most original and imaginative</b>: Body of Work, Christine Montross.<br />Montross writes of her time in medical school -- the hours spent with her cadaver Eve, and contemplating all that is implied with a cadaver.<br /><br /><b>best under-appreciated, hidden gem book</b> A Little Bit Wicked, Kristin Chenoweth.<br />A cute book, a lot of chuckles, and a bit of sweetness and light. Just like I imagine Ms Chenoweth to be like.<br /><br /><b>i-had-no-idea-i-would-love this-so award</b>: Captive Queen, Alison Weir.<br />Weir's fiction has always been problematic to me, but her latest effort blew me away. She did well!<br /><br /><b>most haunting story</b>: Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta.<br />Read it!<br /><br /><b>outside my comfort zone but gosh how i loved it:</b> Blue Nude, Elizabeth Rosner.<br />I didn't think I would find the story of an Israeli model and a German painter interesting -- I usually don't like "arty" books. But this was a page-turner.<br /><br /><b>series that i'm loving:</b> Charlie Madigan series (Kelly Gay). there are only 2 books so far, and I liked both of them a lot. Urban fantasy set in Atlanta, with a single mom cop character. <br /><br /><b>most memorable voice award</b> Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters. <br />Nan has stuck with me even now, months after I finished the book.<br /><br /><b>completely awesome premise award:</b> The Chess Machine, Robert Lohr.<br />A midget, a chess-playing machine (shaped like a Turk), murder, mayhem, and 18th century politics.<br /><br /><b>would make the best movie</b> Definitely the Charlie Madigan series. <br /><br /><b>want to re-read already:</b> One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.<br />I just finished it, but I definitely want to re-read this. I think it's one of those books that requires re-reads.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-15725071959258504622011-06-02T21:52:00.000-07:002011-06-02T21:53:08.846-07:00Book reviews - April and MayOkay here are April & May's books/reviews:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/916445.and_the_shadows_took_him">and the shadows took him</a>, Daniel Chacon.<br />A young Hispanic boy lives his childhood as he is moved from California to Oregon while his father struggles to become a respectable middle class man in a very white town. This was really good. The characters popped out - they weren't cliches, and their fights and frustrations felt real. It was a bit predictable in parts, but I couldn't stop turning pages on this one.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6948377-a-little-bit-wicked">A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages</a>, Kristin Chenoweth<br />this book turned me into a bit of a stan for her. It reads just like how I think she would speak, despite having a ghostwriter. There's a surprise visit by Mister Writer (aka Aaron Sorkin) in the book. Their romance is really the reason why I picked it up. I lent this out to my coworker Jess who reminds me a lot of her.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56373.Tipping_the_Velvet">Tipping the Velvet</a>, Sarah Waters. <br />This is a novel set in Victorian England, following the career of Nan King, a young woman who falls in love with a performer who appears in men's clothing. She follows her off to London, and ends up on an odyssey of love, sex, and politics. I don't think all the foreshadowing was necessary, but I found this a genuinely enjoyable book. It tugged at my heartstrings a little bit. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/437932.Working_for_the_Devil">Working for the Devil</a>, Lilith Saintcrow. <br />I picked this up for the cover art alone, and tried to read it in March. It didn't grab my attention so I set it aside. Picked it up again a few weeks back and I found it more intriguing. I liked that Danny was a tough chick who kept insisting that she didn't need any help -- she comes to realize that she needs to let others inside at other points. I did see the twist at the end coming, but it didn't make it any less poignant. I will probably continue the series.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8376027-sixty-one-nails">Sixty One Nails</a>, Mike Shevdon<br />Claiming to be "Neverwhere for a new generation," I picked it up. I was not impressed. Sure, it turned pages, but the Gary Stu narrator couldn't be interested in a woman who wasn't stunning looking -- she shapeshifts to match his ideal of beauty. I was more interested in the world building, which was pretty well done. But stick with Neverwhere if you want a really good "wrong side of the tracks" fantasy story.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6085704-bury-me-deep">Bury Me Deep</a>, Megan Abbott<br />One of my favourite books this year, actually. This is a novel set in Arizona in the 1930s. A small town girl moves with her troubled doctor husband to Arizona. While he leaves her to go practice medicine on miners in Mexico, she ends up with some wild friends and embarks on an affair with a prominent town leader. Somehow it goes awry and she ends up in the middle of a giant mess. Incredibly chilling and frightening.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9583525-naamah-s-curse">Naamah's Curse</a>, Jacqueline Carey<br />I love her worldbuilding, but I can't help to draw parallels to her other big heroine, Phedre. I know, I have to stop, they're not the same person. Moirin is a pretty plucky heroine, but I don't know if I'm a big fan of the follow the man all around the known world in order to be reunited" theme, but I do enjoy how Moirin basically convinces everyone ever to sleep with her by merely existing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6521143-telex-from-cuba">Telex from Cuba</a>, Rachel Kershner<br />I didn't think I would get along with this at first. I had to look up "telex" and it's a slightly more advanced form of telegraphing, and a prior take on fax machines. They're still in use today, according to Wiki. But this is the story of several American families in Cuba -- working for the fruit companies and the mining companies that were robbing the Cubans blind. It was an interesting look at the women and children of the American execs who are forced to play nice with the other white people on the island because they are isolated. I didn't really care for the French terrorist/Cuban escort section (her name was Rachel K). But overall, I definitely found this book very interesting.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7890530-blue-nude">Blue Nude</a>, Elizabeth Rosner<br />Rosner is from Schenectady NY, which is why I ended up picking this up after I set it down a few times. It's the story of two foreigners - Danzig, an art professor who has lost his interest in painting, and Merav, an Israeli artist's model who was in their Army in her youth. Rosner writes about painting and modelling, but it's about the fallout from World War II, even a few generations removed, for people of Europe and Israel. Very worthwile read.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7042434-jellicoe-road">Jellicoe Road</a>, Melina Marchetta.<br />GO. Read this book. You will not be disappointed. I can't adequately describe this book without spoilerizing it, so go.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64481.A_Northern_Light">A Northern Light</a>, Jennifer Donnelly<br />You guys, a book was set in my home region! No, I'm serious! This one is simply amazing and made me cry. Set at the turn of the century, a young girl has dreams of going to college and learns a new word of a day to keep her mind limber. But life in the North Woods isn't always that simple and she has to decide between her ambitions and her family.<br /><br />Best quote:<br />"Why did little towns in Herkimer County never get a mention in anyone's book? Why was it always other places and other lives that mattered?" <br /><br />This made me nearly cry. I've always felt this way, and it's part of why I bought this book -- it's set near my home, and I can feel the story -- I can smell it, I can taste it, I can feel the heartbreak, and I know that even though it's set 100 years ago, it's still the same.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-81459742690719538792011-05-23T18:17:00.001-07:002011-05-23T18:33:11.142-07:00Exhuming the 1970s American Foreign PolicyI've spent many a September 11 reminiscing about the heavy handed US policies of the 1970s. When I was in university, I worked on researching the coup d'etat in Chile which happened to take place on 11 September 1973. I find the parallels and the meaning behind both days to be something worth examining.<br /><br />It is telling though, how little American media and Americans nowadays at a whole know or care about Latin American affairs if they don't directly affect our supply of oil or kill our kids, or emigrate illegally (see Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico). This wasn't always so. See in the 1970s, the idea of having a dictatorship that was BFFs with our goverment was far more palatable than a legally elected socialist regime. So the US got into helping fund coups and pretty much endorsing crimes against humanity in parts of Latin America.<br /><br />Salvador Allende was a physician who championed socialist ethos. His election was fraught with controversy but was won fair and square. The US tried to intervene secretly even before he was inaugurated, and his three years in the office were completely undermined by boycotts and other nasty tricks the CIA used to try to force his hand.<br /><br />Allende didnt' back down, and on 11 September 1973, the military revolted. Led by Agustin Pinochet (for whom there is, presumably, a nice spot in hell somewhere), they stormed the Presidential Palace (La Moneda) and in the ensuing firefight, Allende was killed. The official story was that he committed suicide, but many who knew him doubted he would have done so.<br /><br />In January, the Chilean government announced that <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0524/1224297639030.html">it had exhumed Allende's body</a> to put to rest whether he killed himself or he was assassinated. (Even if he killed himself, he was still assassinated, clearly.)<br /><br />I found this article earlier today only in Spanish, and it's telling that the first English link Google came up with for me was from a non-American source. (And the only reason I have the Spanish-language articles is because I added a section on Google News for Chilean news services.) <br /><br />As I went looking for an article in English for this post, I found also that <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/21/local/la-me-nathaniel-davis-20110521">Nathaniel Davis</a>, the ambassador to Chile in the 1970s, recently died. He was famous for saying that the US wasn't really involved in the coup and the machinations to bring down Allende, but de-classified documents released by the CIA at the beginning of the decade showed otherwise. As the ambassador, Davis may not have known what they were up to, but he was responsible for the safety of Charles Horman, the journalist who went missing in Chile and was one of the desaparacidos - thousands of disappeared people who were ultimately murdered by Pinochet and his regime.<br /><br />I am curious to see what the results are of this autopsy. If it was a murder, instead of a suicide, does it make that much difference to the people of Chile who were murdered by the thousands after his death? I'd like to think it would bring renewed war criminal charges against people like Henry Kissenger, but I won't hold my breath.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18447323.post-88357984313581203912011-05-16T18:30:00.001-07:002011-05-16T18:31:14.349-07:00what in the wide wide world of sports is thisIt was a bit of a weird day at work, not gonna lie. I opened up the gates and the usual mall-walkers filed in for their routine touch everything and not buy a damned thing spiel (my favourite is seeing how many of them ignore me or just answer my "Hi How are you," with a "just looking" growl). Then two minutes later a lady walks in with a return. <br /><br />Then as I process that return, a line forms behind her with four other people, all wanting returns.<br /><br />My boss came back from the bank then and panicked a bit. Then I had the lady who paid for a 135 order with two 100 bills and all the change that I had just gotten was wiped completely out. <br /><br />Things settled down after that though and we recovered nicely monetarily wise, which was a+++.<br /><br />My boss went in search of stickers for our board, and I was talking to the other associate, when I heard someone knock over our sign and mumble something. So I walked up to the front of the store and saw one guy standing while two other dudes were on the ground on top of this guy telling him to get on the ground while they cuffed him. It apparently took two tries and the guy lost his hat, money, and shoe in the melee. <br /><br />The presumably plainclothes cops (because they weren't wearing uniforms) then asked the fellow who was standing to open his jacket and checked to see if he'd stolen anything too. I'm guessing, but uncertain that the cuffed buddy was caught stealing sneakers from Champs, and they caught up with him after a brief chase and a collision with my sign.<br /><br />Bizarro.TeamRoslinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15727747214843503670noreply@blogger.com0