It 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.
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.
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.
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!
Showing posts with label pretentious hack writer identity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pretentious hack writer identity. Show all posts
Saturday, January 04, 2014
Thursday, February 02, 2012
January 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.
01. The Three Musketeers*, Alexandre Dumas.
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.
02. Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher
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.
03. Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man, Chaz Bono
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.
04. Bossypants, Tina Fey
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.
05. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, Julia Quinn
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.
06. Among Others*, Jo Walton
I will copy and paste my review from Goodreads because I think it sums this book up:
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.
07. The Virgin's Lover*, Philippa Gregory
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.
08. Miserere: An Autumn Tale, Teresa Frohock.
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.
09. Some Dream for Fools*, Faiza Guène
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.
10. 4000 Years of Uppity Women: Rebellious Belles, Daring Dames, and Headstrong Heroines Throughout the Ages, Vicky Léon
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.
Right now I'm working through 2 books: Smilla's Sense of Snow, Peter Hoeg, and World Without End, 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.
01. The Three Musketeers*, Alexandre Dumas.
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.
02. Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher
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.
03. Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man, Chaz Bono
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.
04. Bossypants, Tina Fey
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.
05. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, Julia Quinn
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.
06. Among Others*, Jo Walton
I will copy and paste my review from Goodreads because I think it sums this book up:
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.
07. The Virgin's Lover*, Philippa Gregory
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.
08. Miserere: An Autumn Tale, Teresa Frohock.
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.
09. Some Dream for Fools*, Faiza Guène
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.
10. 4000 Years of Uppity Women: Rebellious Belles, Daring Dames, and Headstrong Heroines Throughout the Ages, Vicky Léon
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.
Right now I'm working through 2 books: Smilla's Sense of Snow, Peter Hoeg, and World Without End, 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.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Book wrap-up!
Now let's talk about my best/worst list for books.
Worst Book: Rosamund's Revenge, Madeleine Conway. TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE BOOK. This wasn't surprising though.
Unexpected Terrible Book: The Other Queen, Philippa Gregory.
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.
Worst Series: Three Days to Dead, Kelly Meding. There's a whole series behind these books but I stopped after one. SO predictable.
Unexpected Surprise, Nonfiction: 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!
Unexpected Surprise, fiction: 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.
And now, dun dun dun:
Runner Up Best Series of the Year: Parasol Protectorate Series, (Gail Carriger). A great fun steampunk Victorian series.
Best Series of the Year: 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.
Runner up Best Young Adult Novel of the Year: 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.
Best Young Adult Novel of the Year: 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.
Most Important Book I Read This Year: 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.
Best Book of the Year: Feed & Deadline, Mira Grant. Seriously, I'm still thinking about these books months after I read them. SMH.
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.
Worst Book: Rosamund's Revenge, Madeleine Conway. TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE BOOK. This wasn't surprising though.
Unexpected Terrible Book: The Other Queen, Philippa Gregory.
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.
Worst Series: Three Days to Dead, Kelly Meding. There's a whole series behind these books but I stopped after one. SO predictable.
Unexpected Surprise, Nonfiction: 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!
Unexpected Surprise, fiction: 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.
And now, dun dun dun:
Runner Up Best Series of the Year: Parasol Protectorate Series,
Best Series of the Year: 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.
Runner up Best Young Adult Novel of the Year: 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.
Best Young Adult Novel of the Year: 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.
Most Important Book I Read This Year: 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.
Best Book of the Year: Feed & Deadline, Mira Grant. Seriously, I'm still thinking about these books months after I read them. SMH.
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.
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Books, 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.
Roll Call!
January:
01. Highway to Hell: Dispatches from a Mercenary in Iraq, John Geddes
02. Esperanza's Box of Saints, Maria Amparo Escandon
03. Memories of My Melancholy Whores, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
04. The Lady in the Tower, Alison Weir
05. The Men Who Stare at Goats, Jon Ronson
06. The Translator: A Tribesman's Memory of Darfur, Daoud Hari
07. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, David Grann
08. Body of Work: Meditations on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab, Christine Montross
09. Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
10. The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell
February:
11. A Place Where the Sea Remembers, Sandra Benitez
12. Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley, Alison Weir (aka the book that Ate February)
13. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, Lauren Willig
14. Playing Baseball With the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and the Long Journey Home, Gary W. Moore
March:
15. The Manual of Detection, Jedediah Berry
16. Rough Justice, Peter Elkind
17. Ash, Malinda Lo
18. The Breaking of Eggs: A Novel, Jim Powell
19. The Better Part of Darkness, Kelly Gay
20. Poison, Sara Poole
21. Dime Store Magic, Kelley Armstrong
22. Harem, Dora Levy Mossanen
23. The Ghost Writer, Robert Harris
24. Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman
25. The Darkest Edge of Dawn, Kelly Gay
26. The Chess Machine: A Novel, Robert Lohr
27. Hunting Eichmann, Neal Bascomb
April:
28. Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, Romeo Dallaire
29. A Game of Thrones, George RR Martin
30. The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
31. Three Days to Dead, Kelly Meding
32. Podkayne of Mars, Robert Heinlein
33. Finding Nouf, Zoe Ferraris
34. Amalia's Tale: A Poor Peasant, an Ambitious Attorney, and a Fight for Justice, David Kertzer
35. The Other Queen, Philippa Gregory
May:
36. and the shadows took him, Daniel Chacon
37. A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages, Kristin Chenoweth
38. Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters
39. Working for the Devil, Lilith Saintcrow
40. Sixty-One Nails, Mike Shevdon
41. Bury Me Deep: A Novel, Megan Abbott
42. Naamah's Curse, Jacqueline Carey
43. Telex from Cuba, Rachel Kushner
44. Blue Nude, Elizabeth Rosner
45. Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta
46. A Northern Light, Jennifer Donnelly
June
47. Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World's First Computer, Jo Marchant
48. Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love, and Death in Renaissance Italy, Sarah Bradford
49. Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Alison Weir
50. Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain, Portia de Rossi
51. The Greatest Knight, Elizabeth Chadwick
July
52. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
53. Heartless, Gail Carriger
54. Escape, Carolyn Jessop
55. Surrender the Dark, L.A. Banks
56. Guerrillas: Journeys in the Insurgent World, Jon Lee Anderson
57. Mistress of Rome, Kate Quinn
58. Slammerkin, Emma Donoghue
59. Blindness, Jose Saramago
60. The Bad Girl, Mario Vargas Llosa
61. PopCo, Scarlett Thomas
62. The Welsh Girl: A Novel, Peter Ho Davies
63. The Flanders Panel, Arturo Perez Reverte
August:
64. The King's Pleasure: A Novel of Katharine of Aragon, Norah Lofts
65. Feed, Mira Grant
66. Point Omega, Dom Delillo
67. The Scarlet Lion, Elizabeth Chadwick
68. The Wars of the Roses, Alison Weir
69. Daughters of Rome, Kate Quinn
70. Classic Stories 1: The Golden Apples of the Sun/R is for Rocket, Ray Bradbury
71. Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves, Crystal Renn
72. Christ Stopped at Eboli: A Story of a Year, Carlo Levi
73. Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
74. Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris
75. Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul
September:
76. Chicks Kick Butt, Rachel Caine (ed.)
77. Rosamund's Revenge, Madeleine Conway
78. The Lady Matador's Hotel: A Novel, Cristina Garcia
79. A Single Man, Christopher Isherwood
80. Caesar's Women, Colleen McCullough
81. Living Dead in Dallas, Charlaine Harris
82. Club Dead, Charlaine Harris
83. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary, Simon Winchester
84. A Palace in the Old Village: A Novel, Tahar Ben Jelloun
85. Dead to the World, Charlaine Harris
86. Dead as a Doornail, Charlaine Harris
87. Rat Girl, Kristin Hersh
88. The Second Duchess, Elizabeth Loupas
89. Definitely Dead, Charlaine Harris
90. To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitane, Christy English
91. All Together Dead, Charlaine Harris
October:
92. From Dead to Worse, Charlaine Harris
93. Snow, Orhan Pamuk (aka the book that ate October)
94. Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris
95. Dead in the Family, Charlaine Harris
96. The Other Tudors: Henry VIII's Mistresses and Bastards, Philippa Jones
97. Dead Reckoning, Charlaine Harris
98. Deadline, Mira Grant
99. Tomorrow Sucks, Greg Cox (ed.)
100. A Partisan's Daughter, Louis de Bernieres
101. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
November:
102. Louisiana Vampires, Lawrence Schimel
103. The Story of a Marriage, Andrew Sean Greer
104. America Libre, Raul Ramos y Sanchez
105. Grave Sight, Charlaine Harris
106. The Life of Elizabeth I, Alison Weir (aka the book that ate November)
107. The Time Machine, HG Wells
108. The War of the Worlds, HG Wells
December
109. Mr Cavendish, I Presume?, Julia Quinn
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.
110. Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Philip K. Dick
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.
111. The Illuminator, Brenda Rickman Vantrese
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.
112. Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury
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.
113. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury.
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.
114. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith
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!
115. Hell Hath No Fury: True Stories of Women at War from Antiquity to Iraq, Rosalind Miles and Robin Cross.
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.
So that was my 115 books!
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.
I will be posting my best/worst list sometime soon, so keep an eye out for that!
Roll Call!
January:
01. Highway to Hell: Dispatches from a Mercenary in Iraq, John Geddes
02. Esperanza's Box of Saints, Maria Amparo Escandon
03. Memories of My Melancholy Whores, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
04. The Lady in the Tower, Alison Weir
05. The Men Who Stare at Goats, Jon Ronson
06. The Translator: A Tribesman's Memory of Darfur, Daoud Hari
07. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, David Grann
08. Body of Work: Meditations on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab, Christine Montross
09. Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
10. The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell
February:
11. A Place Where the Sea Remembers, Sandra Benitez
12. Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley, Alison Weir (aka the book that Ate February)
13. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, Lauren Willig
14. Playing Baseball With the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and the Long Journey Home, Gary W. Moore
March:
15. The Manual of Detection, Jedediah Berry
16. Rough Justice, Peter Elkind
17. Ash, Malinda Lo
18. The Breaking of Eggs: A Novel, Jim Powell
19. The Better Part of Darkness, Kelly Gay
20. Poison, Sara Poole
21. Dime Store Magic, Kelley Armstrong
22. Harem, Dora Levy Mossanen
23. The Ghost Writer, Robert Harris
24. Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman
25. The Darkest Edge of Dawn, Kelly Gay
26. The Chess Machine: A Novel, Robert Lohr
27. Hunting Eichmann, Neal Bascomb
April:
28. Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, Romeo Dallaire
29. A Game of Thrones, George RR Martin
30. The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
31. Three Days to Dead, Kelly Meding
32. Podkayne of Mars, Robert Heinlein
33. Finding Nouf, Zoe Ferraris
34. Amalia's Tale: A Poor Peasant, an Ambitious Attorney, and a Fight for Justice, David Kertzer
35. The Other Queen, Philippa Gregory
May:
36. and the shadows took him, Daniel Chacon
37. A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages, Kristin Chenoweth
38. Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters
39. Working for the Devil, Lilith Saintcrow
40. Sixty-One Nails, Mike Shevdon
41. Bury Me Deep: A Novel, Megan Abbott
42. Naamah's Curse, Jacqueline Carey
43. Telex from Cuba, Rachel Kushner
44. Blue Nude, Elizabeth Rosner
45. Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta
46. A Northern Light, Jennifer Donnelly
June
47. Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World's First Computer, Jo Marchant
48. Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love, and Death in Renaissance Italy, Sarah Bradford
49. Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Alison Weir
50. Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain, Portia de Rossi
51. The Greatest Knight, Elizabeth Chadwick
July
52. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
53. Heartless, Gail Carriger
54. Escape, Carolyn Jessop
55. Surrender the Dark, L.A. Banks
56. Guerrillas: Journeys in the Insurgent World, Jon Lee Anderson
57. Mistress of Rome, Kate Quinn
58. Slammerkin, Emma Donoghue
59. Blindness, Jose Saramago
60. The Bad Girl, Mario Vargas Llosa
61. PopCo, Scarlett Thomas
62. The Welsh Girl: A Novel, Peter Ho Davies
63. The Flanders Panel, Arturo Perez Reverte
August:
64. The King's Pleasure: A Novel of Katharine of Aragon, Norah Lofts
65. Feed, Mira Grant
66. Point Omega, Dom Delillo
67. The Scarlet Lion, Elizabeth Chadwick
68. The Wars of the Roses, Alison Weir
69. Daughters of Rome, Kate Quinn
70. Classic Stories 1: The Golden Apples of the Sun/R is for Rocket, Ray Bradbury
71. Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves, Crystal Renn
72. Christ Stopped at Eboli: A Story of a Year, Carlo Levi
73. Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
74. Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris
75. Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul
September:
76. Chicks Kick Butt, Rachel Caine (ed.)
77. Rosamund's Revenge, Madeleine Conway
78. The Lady Matador's Hotel: A Novel, Cristina Garcia
79. A Single Man, Christopher Isherwood
80. Caesar's Women, Colleen McCullough
81. Living Dead in Dallas, Charlaine Harris
82. Club Dead, Charlaine Harris
83. The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary, Simon Winchester
84. A Palace in the Old Village: A Novel, Tahar Ben Jelloun
85. Dead to the World, Charlaine Harris
86. Dead as a Doornail, Charlaine Harris
87. Rat Girl, Kristin Hersh
88. The Second Duchess, Elizabeth Loupas
89. Definitely Dead, Charlaine Harris
90. To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitane, Christy English
91. All Together Dead, Charlaine Harris
October:
92. From Dead to Worse, Charlaine Harris
93. Snow, Orhan Pamuk (aka the book that ate October)
94. Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris
95. Dead in the Family, Charlaine Harris
96. The Other Tudors: Henry VIII's Mistresses and Bastards, Philippa Jones
97. Dead Reckoning, Charlaine Harris
98. Deadline, Mira Grant
99. Tomorrow Sucks, Greg Cox (ed.)
100. A Partisan's Daughter, Louis de Bernieres
101. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
November:
102. Louisiana Vampires, Lawrence Schimel
103. The Story of a Marriage, Andrew Sean Greer
104. America Libre, Raul Ramos y Sanchez
105. Grave Sight, Charlaine Harris
106. The Life of Elizabeth I, Alison Weir (aka the book that ate November)
107. The Time Machine, HG Wells
108. The War of the Worlds, HG Wells
December
109. Mr Cavendish, I Presume?, Julia Quinn
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.
110. Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Philip K. Dick
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.
111. The Illuminator, Brenda Rickman Vantrese
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.
112. Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury
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.
113. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury.
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.
114. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith
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!
115. Hell Hath No Fury: True Stories of Women at War from Antiquity to Iraq, Rosalind Miles and Robin Cross.
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.
So that was my 115 books!
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.
I will be posting my best/worst list sometime soon, so keep an eye out for that!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Year In Summation Meme
What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
Got an e-Reader. Worked as a blogger for the Times Union.
Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't really make them and I probably won't this year.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
Raquel, Amanda, Kim. Aww yeah, baby palooza.
Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank God.
What countries did you visit?
None. I barely even went out of the state I was so broke-sauce.
What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
More travel. That is the mega deficit in my life.
What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
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.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Reading 115 new books. I am amazed at myself - the original goal was 75.
What was your biggest failure?
I don't think I really had one. Lots of minor ones, but nothing major.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
...Surprisingly, no!
What was the best thing you bought?
Bus tickets to see BFFL Candice in NYC.
Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Many people. But first and foremost Jesse, because he actually knows me at this point and still enjoys my company. SMDH.
Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Besides the customers that I have some days? No one, really.
Where did most of your money go?
Rent, student loan repayment program.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Seeing my BFFL Candice 2x in one year. Seriously? That never happens. EVER.
What songs will always remind you of 2011?
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.
Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder? Happier.
ii. Thinner or fatter? Ugh, heavier again. I usually don't mind, but I hate buying new clothes.
iii. Richer or poorer? I think it's about even, actually.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Travelling! Cleaning all of the things.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Cleaning all of the things.
How did you spend Christmas?
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!
What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in 2011?
I dunno. I had a surprisingly unembarrassing year. Although I get all embarrassed talking about things relating to the BF.
Did you fall in love in 2011?
Yeah, I did. Dammit.
How many one-night stands?
LOL no.
What was your favourite TV program?
American Idol, even though I wanted to throttle the television.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
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.
What kept you sane?
Jesse.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope. Someday I will update the hate list, which really consists of like 3 people eve.
What was the best book you read in 2011?
I would have to say Feed by Mira Grant. Despite being about Zombies, I can't get it out of my head and for good reason.
What was your greatest musical discovery?
Everyone is gonna say Adele, but they're not wrong.
What did you want and get?
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.
What did you want and not get?
A middling camera and a new bed, but I will, oh I will next year.
What was your favourite film of this year?
The Muppet Movie. Haters may hate.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
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.
What three things would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More travel, more music, more time with friends.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Henry Cavill and Michael Buble and David Cook. AKA the usuals.
What political issue stirred you the most?
Women's rights, but really any social justice issue.
Who(m) did you miss?
Candice & Phil & Julie & Raquel and all the other denziens of the internet I love of everyone ever.
Who was the best new person you met?
uh Clearly Jesse. I guessssssssssssssss.
What is a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011?
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.
What quote can be used to sum up your year?
HATERS GONNA HATE. :D
Got an e-Reader. Worked as a blogger for the Times Union.
Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't really make them and I probably won't this year.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
Raquel, Amanda, Kim. Aww yeah, baby palooza.
Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank God.
What countries did you visit?
None. I barely even went out of the state I was so broke-sauce.
What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
More travel. That is the mega deficit in my life.
What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
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.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Reading 115 new books. I am amazed at myself - the original goal was 75.
What was your biggest failure?
I don't think I really had one. Lots of minor ones, but nothing major.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
...Surprisingly, no!
What was the best thing you bought?
Bus tickets to see BFFL Candice in NYC.
Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Many people. But first and foremost Jesse, because he actually knows me at this point and still enjoys my company. SMDH.
Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Besides the customers that I have some days? No one, really.
Where did most of your money go?
Rent, student loan repayment program.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Seeing my BFFL Candice 2x in one year. Seriously? That never happens. EVER.
What songs will always remind you of 2011?
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.
Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder? Happier.
ii. Thinner or fatter? Ugh, heavier again. I usually don't mind, but I hate buying new clothes.
iii. Richer or poorer? I think it's about even, actually.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Travelling! Cleaning all of the things.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Cleaning all of the things.
How did you spend Christmas?
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!
What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in 2011?
I dunno. I had a surprisingly unembarrassing year. Although I get all embarrassed talking about things relating to the BF.
Did you fall in love in 2011?
Yeah, I did. Dammit.
How many one-night stands?
LOL no.
What was your favourite TV program?
American Idol, even though I wanted to throttle the television.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
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.
What kept you sane?
Jesse.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope. Someday I will update the hate list, which really consists of like 3 people eve.
What was the best book you read in 2011?
I would have to say Feed by Mira Grant. Despite being about Zombies, I can't get it out of my head and for good reason.
What was your greatest musical discovery?
Everyone is gonna say Adele, but they're not wrong.
What did you want and get?
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.
What did you want and not get?
A middling camera and a new bed, but I will, oh I will next year.
What was your favourite film of this year?
The Muppet Movie. Haters may hate.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
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.
What three things would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More travel, more music, more time with friends.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Henry Cavill and Michael Buble and David Cook. AKA the usuals.
What political issue stirred you the most?
Women's rights, but really any social justice issue.
Who(m) did you miss?
Candice & Phil & Julie & Raquel and all the other denziens of the internet I love of everyone ever.
Who was the best new person you met?
uh Clearly Jesse. I guessssssssssssssss.
What is a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011?
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.
What quote can be used to sum up your year?
HATERS GONNA HATE. :D
Monday, July 25, 2011
Lament to Borders
I 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Exhuming the 1970s American Foreign Policy
I'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.
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.
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.
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.
In January, the Chilean government announced that it had exhumed Allende's body to put to rest whether he killed himself or he was assassinated. (Even if he killed himself, he was still assassinated, clearly.)
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.)
As I went looking for an article in English for this post, I found also that Nathaniel Davis, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In January, the Chilean government announced that it had exhumed Allende's body to put to rest whether he killed himself or he was assassinated. (Even if he killed himself, he was still assassinated, clearly.)
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.)
As I went looking for an article in English for this post, I found also that Nathaniel Davis, 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.
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.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
I should forget my book more often.
So I went to work yesterday and I forgot my book and I can't be without one, that would be scandalous. So I had to get coffee (that's required by Act 1434 of my Bloodstream) and I searched the "Bargain" books at B&N. Borders has mad cheaper books, that's for sure.
I got Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates bc I had seen her on The Daily Show years back and remembered she was funny. This book is about the Puritan origin mythos of America, and her investigation into it. And within the first 25 pages I was cracking up left, right, and center. Tonight though, less than halfway into the book, I found the winning line:
"If Nancy Drew were trying to get to the bottom of Winthrop's petty rivalry with Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley, the book might be titled The Mystery of the Pretentious Wainscotting. What happened was, the assistants had agreed to build a fortified new town across the Charles River from Boston, which, per New England's usual creativity with naming things, they called "New Town." (It would eventually be renamed Cambridge, after they founded a university there. Because whatelse would men who attended England's Cambridge University name a university town?)"
This book is precisely what I would write if I wrote history books. Complete with sarcasm and pop culture references. It's like she hacked my brain. Or rather, I hacked hers.
Also, can we talk about the repeat names in New England. New York, you are no exception either. Duplicate town names make the baby AJ cry. (Try to find another Gouverneur. I DARE YOU.)
I got Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates bc I had seen her on The Daily Show years back and remembered she was funny. This book is about the Puritan origin mythos of America, and her investigation into it. And within the first 25 pages I was cracking up left, right, and center. Tonight though, less than halfway into the book, I found the winning line:
"If Nancy Drew were trying to get to the bottom of Winthrop's petty rivalry with Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley, the book might be titled The Mystery of the Pretentious Wainscotting. What happened was, the assistants had agreed to build a fortified new town across the Charles River from Boston, which, per New England's usual creativity with naming things, they called "New Town." (It would eventually be renamed Cambridge, after they founded a university there. Because whatelse would men who attended England's Cambridge University name a university town?)"
This book is precisely what I would write if I wrote history books. Complete with sarcasm and pop culture references. It's like she hacked my brain. Or rather, I hacked hers.
Also, can we talk about the repeat names in New England. New York, you are no exception either. Duplicate town names make the baby AJ cry. (Try to find another Gouverneur. I DARE YOU.)
Thursday, June 03, 2010
I'm gonna love you with my hands tied.
Day 01 - Your favorite song
Day 02 - A song that makes you happy
Day 03 - A song that makes you sad
Day 04 - A song that reminds you of someone
Day 05 - A song that reminds of you of somewhere
Day 06 - A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 07 - A song that you can dance to
Day 08 - A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 09 - A song from your favorite band
Day 10 - A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 11 - A song that describes you
Day 12 - A song from your favorite album
Day 13 - A song that you listen to when you're angry
Day 14 - A song that you listen to when you're happy
Day 15 - A song that you listen to when you're sad
Day 16 - A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 17 - A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 18 - A song that makes you laugh
My music is so eclectic I'm not sure what would surprise you to learn that I love. I am that rare person who literally DOES listen to everything, including Rap and Country, the two exceptions to all music "fans."
My friend Tabitha was surprised to find out I liked Death From Above 1979 but that's in my indie/rock/alt rock wheelhouse, so I can't consider them.
McFly is too British and Boy-Band-y for me to choose for this one. Those are also strong sets in my wheelhouse.
I can pick songs people would be surprised that I hate, but that's not the point of this meme. (Although it would be a good one.) If it was a "what group did you hate that people would be surprised that you like now" question that would be easy -- The Decemberists.
And you guys know I love me some Idol, whether it's Pop, American, or Canadian. So any of those contestants are right out. (Except Danny Gokey, because he's just annoying.)
So I thought long and hard about this (heh, I said long and hard). The only answer I could reasonably come up with was this:
The answer for the Facebook readers: Lady Gaga - Teeth.
I dunno why, but the Lady Gaga hath grown on me. And this song is just FUN.
Day 02 - A song that makes you happy
Day 03 - A song that makes you sad
Day 04 - A song that reminds you of someone
Day 05 - A song that reminds of you of somewhere
Day 06 - A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 07 - A song that you can dance to
Day 08 - A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 09 - A song from your favorite band
Day 10 - A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 11 - A song that describes you
Day 12 - A song from your favorite album
Day 13 - A song that you listen to when you're angry
Day 14 - A song that you listen to when you're happy
Day 15 - A song that you listen to when you're sad
Day 16 - A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 17 - A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 18 - A song that makes you laugh
My music is so eclectic I'm not sure what would surprise you to learn that I love. I am that rare person who literally DOES listen to everything, including Rap and Country, the two exceptions to all music "fans."
My friend Tabitha was surprised to find out I liked Death From Above 1979 but that's in my indie/rock/alt rock wheelhouse, so I can't consider them.
McFly is too British and Boy-Band-y for me to choose for this one. Those are also strong sets in my wheelhouse.
I can pick songs people would be surprised that I hate, but that's not the point of this meme. (Although it would be a good one.) If it was a "what group did you hate that people would be surprised that you like now" question that would be easy -- The Decemberists.
And you guys know I love me some Idol, whether it's Pop, American, or Canadian. So any of those contestants are right out. (Except Danny Gokey, because he's just annoying.)
So I thought long and hard about this (heh, I said long and hard). The only answer I could reasonably come up with was this:
The answer for the Facebook readers: Lady Gaga - Teeth.
I dunno why, but the Lady Gaga hath grown on me. And this song is just FUN.
Friday, May 14, 2010
I just don't get folks sometimes.
You know, one of my friends on FB joined one of those groups on FB. And while ostensibly I should know how horrific the commentary on that page is, it just horrifies me that people feel this way about other living, breathing people.
It makes me sick, and the fact that they are doing it in the name of the flag of our country, one that embraced immigrants from every walk of life and every nationality, just makes me want to throw things. I often wonder how many of these people actually have seen the "welfare abusing Mexicans" that they claim to be defending their flag and country from. (It doesn't hurt that most of these posts are written in increasingly illiterate forms of English). I don't know how to reach out to people with this viewpoint and try to help reach a compromise. It really bothers me to see such a divisive split in schools of thought, where any little bit of dissent is a bad thing.
Maybe I'm an over-educated college graduate liberal, but all I can think of is this wonderful speech from The American President, which is one of my top ten movies of all time. It says exactly what I want to, but far more eloquently. Thank you, Mr. Sorkin, for writing such an amazing speech.
America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free". --Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), The American President
It makes me sick, and the fact that they are doing it in the name of the flag of our country, one that embraced immigrants from every walk of life and every nationality, just makes me want to throw things. I often wonder how many of these people actually have seen the "welfare abusing Mexicans" that they claim to be defending their flag and country from. (It doesn't hurt that most of these posts are written in increasingly illiterate forms of English). I don't know how to reach out to people with this viewpoint and try to help reach a compromise. It really bothers me to see such a divisive split in schools of thought, where any little bit of dissent is a bad thing.
Maybe I'm an over-educated college graduate liberal, but all I can think of is this wonderful speech from The American President, which is one of my top ten movies of all time. It says exactly what I want to, but far more eloquently. Thank you, Mr. Sorkin, for writing such an amazing speech.
America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free". --Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), The American President
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
travel travel travel, plus bonus AI coverage
If any of you are familiar with my mall layout and maybe two of you are, you will note that there's a Liberty Travel agency next door to my store. This is one of the worst things for me to have as a neighbour.
Every day they change the destinations and prices of round trip tickets to far off destinations. The prices for round trip to London keep going down, and I keep my eye on the Sydney and Santiago prices. I am very lucky I have no vacation time accrued yet to spend my hard earned money on a trip to some cool place like those. But it's not helping my wanderlust. I want to get up and go somewhere cool, not just across town to Colonie every day.
I have to keep telling myself, once I get moved into the new apartment, once I get settled in a new place I can work toward the goal of getting into the Peace Corps. My goal is to have an apartment chosen in the next two weeks, and if possible, moving most of my stuff by early May. This is of course contingent on finding a place that will allow me to move in early and is ok'd by my roommate.
I just... I want to be irresponsible and go somewhere different. I want to go and visit far off locales. I want to do what Emma did and spend three months travelling North America, or Europe, or South America. I feel trapped, and that this is very much a #firstworldproblem.
I think that's partially why I am more interested in moving to Schenectady instead of somewhere else in Albany. It's going to help, living in a place I'm not as familiar with, and at the same time it will remain basically the same.
PS: American Idol keeps cracking me up. Tim Urban, the first genuine VFTW candidate since Sanjaya! keeps squeaking through. He got Didi eliminated tonight, and I'm both horrified and amused by the whole thing. Additionally, to torment Laura, Lennon/McCartney songs are the theme for the next week. I look forward to the trainwreck.
Every day they change the destinations and prices of round trip tickets to far off destinations. The prices for round trip to London keep going down, and I keep my eye on the Sydney and Santiago prices. I am very lucky I have no vacation time accrued yet to spend my hard earned money on a trip to some cool place like those. But it's not helping my wanderlust. I want to get up and go somewhere cool, not just across town to Colonie every day.
I have to keep telling myself, once I get moved into the new apartment, once I get settled in a new place I can work toward the goal of getting into the Peace Corps. My goal is to have an apartment chosen in the next two weeks, and if possible, moving most of my stuff by early May. This is of course contingent on finding a place that will allow me to move in early and is ok'd by my roommate.
I just... I want to be irresponsible and go somewhere different. I want to go and visit far off locales. I want to do what Emma did and spend three months travelling North America, or Europe, or South America. I feel trapped, and that this is very much a #firstworldproblem.
I think that's partially why I am more interested in moving to Schenectady instead of somewhere else in Albany. It's going to help, living in a place I'm not as familiar with, and at the same time it will remain basically the same.
PS: American Idol keeps cracking me up. Tim Urban, the first genuine VFTW candidate since Sanjaya! keeps squeaking through. He got Didi eliminated tonight, and I'm both horrified and amused by the whole thing. Additionally, to torment Laura, Lennon/McCartney songs are the theme for the next week. I look forward to the trainwreck.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
another day, another writer's block post.
What's the first major news event that you remember hearing about as a child? Where did you learn about it? How did it impact your world view?
I like this question because it made me think a lot about memory and how it works. The minute I read the question my mind jumped to the Challenger Explosion in 1986. I was all set to answer it when I felt that wasn't quite right. For one thing, I was three when it happened. Now, my parents taped the footage from that day when we lived in Burlington VT. (Nikerym was almost a year old at this time.) (Yes, I lived in Vermont as a small child.) (Yes, I am aware that this may explain a few things about me.) Anyway, they taped it and bought the paper from the next day with the articles and preserved it.
A few years later, when we'd settled in Gouverneur NY, I remember finding the newspaper in the downstairs closet and carefully reading the articles and asking my parents about it. I think we watched the footage then (RIP, Peter Jennings -- they don't make newsmen like you any more, sir). Since my family's got a devoted interest in sci-fi and space things, it didn't surprise me.
When I was in the 4th grade, we were given an assignment to write a short little essay on something that someone in our family lived through -- a major event in history. Alas, I didn't really have anything like that, my mom tried to come up with some ideas for me from her side of the family but all we had was the parts for the radiator that my great-grandfather invented, and that my grandfather served during WWII, but none of that really fulfilled the assignment.
She suggested the Berlin Wall falling, but I wasn't really keen on that, and then she remembered the Challenger disaster. I want to say she said we watched it together when it happened but I really don't remember too well -- I was nine or so when this conversation took place. So I went in depth on the Challenger explosion in my paper.
As you can see, the Challenger sticks in my brain because of that, but I don't think it was the first thing I heard about as a child. I tried to think of other things but none of them made that big an impression on me.
Also, I got one of those formspring things. Feel free to question me there.
I like this question because it made me think a lot about memory and how it works. The minute I read the question my mind jumped to the Challenger Explosion in 1986. I was all set to answer it when I felt that wasn't quite right. For one thing, I was three when it happened. Now, my parents taped the footage from that day when we lived in Burlington VT. (Nikerym was almost a year old at this time.) (Yes, I lived in Vermont as a small child.) (Yes, I am aware that this may explain a few things about me.) Anyway, they taped it and bought the paper from the next day with the articles and preserved it.
A few years later, when we'd settled in Gouverneur NY, I remember finding the newspaper in the downstairs closet and carefully reading the articles and asking my parents about it. I think we watched the footage then (RIP, Peter Jennings -- they don't make newsmen like you any more, sir). Since my family's got a devoted interest in sci-fi and space things, it didn't surprise me.
When I was in the 4th grade, we were given an assignment to write a short little essay on something that someone in our family lived through -- a major event in history. Alas, I didn't really have anything like that, my mom tried to come up with some ideas for me from her side of the family but all we had was the parts for the radiator that my great-grandfather invented, and that my grandfather served during WWII, but none of that really fulfilled the assignment.
She suggested the Berlin Wall falling, but I wasn't really keen on that, and then she remembered the Challenger disaster. I want to say she said we watched it together when it happened but I really don't remember too well -- I was nine or so when this conversation took place. So I went in depth on the Challenger explosion in my paper.
As you can see, the Challenger sticks in my brain because of that, but I don't think it was the first thing I heard about as a child. I tried to think of other things but none of them made that big an impression on me.
Also, I got one of those formspring things. Feel free to question me there.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Books, or why I love them.
Livejournal's Writer's Block Question for yesterday:
Is there any book you can read over and over again without ever getting sick of it? Do you discover something new every time you read it?
Why yes, there are two books in my life that I can simply read over and over and over and over and over and never get sick of them. I've read one in its original language and the other I'm working my way through. (Who is surprised that my two favourite books were not originally in English? Bueller?)
My favourite book of all time, and one I am constantly re-reading as a source of inspiration in both my life and my writing is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. This book is so amazing and means so much to me. My current facebook quote is from the last lines of the novel:
My own philosophy toward my reading materials and my interests in life comes from the middle of the text:
It's a long read (over a thousand pages) but entirely life-changing for me, who encountered it in French class.
My second favourite book, and one I read all the time (except right now because I damaged my copy far beyond repair and need to buy a new one) is The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende.
In a previous post I mentioned that I love the country of Chile, and I never truly explicated why. This book is the gateway to that love. It's not just the history of Chile, it's a family story, with bits of spirituality and just a bit of supernatural beauty that makes this book a winner. It was Allende's first novel and she's only gotten better (ask my friend Phil if I'm wrong). Like Monte Cristo, this book influenced the type of books I want to write, and how I write. It's a little more accessible than Dumas, but just as important to me.
Since the book was originally written in Spanish, I'm trying to read through it in that language. It's a little harder for me because I have a deeper background in French than Spanish, so I have to keep pausing to absorb what I've read, even though I know the story by heart. I will persevere though.
Is there any book you can read over and over again without ever getting sick of it? Do you discover something new every time you read it?
Why yes, there are two books in my life that I can simply read over and over and over and over and over and never get sick of them. I've read one in its original language and the other I'm working my way through. (Who is surprised that my two favourite books were not originally in English? Bueller?)
My favourite book of all time, and one I am constantly re-reading as a source of inspiration in both my life and my writing is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. This book is so amazing and means so much to me. My current facebook quote is from the last lines of the novel:
"Darling," replied Valentine, "has not the count just told us that all human wisdom is summed up in two words? - `Wait and hope.'"
My own philosophy toward my reading materials and my interests in life comes from the middle of the text:
My kingdom is bounded only by the world, for I am not an Italian, or a
Frenchman, or a Hindu, or an American, or a Spaniard -- I am a cosmopolite. No country can say it saw my birth. God alone knows what country will see me die. I adopt all customs, speak all languages.
It's a long read (over a thousand pages) but entirely life-changing for me, who encountered it in French class.
My second favourite book, and one I read all the time (except right now because I damaged my copy far beyond repair and need to buy a new one) is The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende.
In a previous post I mentioned that I love the country of Chile, and I never truly explicated why. This book is the gateway to that love. It's not just the history of Chile, it's a family story, with bits of spirituality and just a bit of supernatural beauty that makes this book a winner. It was Allende's first novel and she's only gotten better (ask my friend Phil if I'm wrong). Like Monte Cristo, this book influenced the type of books I want to write, and how I write. It's a little more accessible than Dumas, but just as important to me.
Since the book was originally written in Spanish, I'm trying to read through it in that language. It's a little harder for me because I have a deeper background in French than Spanish, so I have to keep pausing to absorb what I've read, even though I know the story by heart. I will persevere though.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Books, books, and more books!
I attended this today. Since it started at 1 and it's not even 2, you can figure out how well I felt it went.
I got there, then realized I needed money, so I ducked to CVS to get out some money, and came back. I wandered around and realized that most of the presses setting up there were for poetry, and that's just not my bag, baby. I like occasional poetry but to buy a whole book is kind of pushing it for me. So I wandered over to a press out of Kingston that had some real thick hardcovers. YES. This was the jackpot. Every single title he had was something I would read. I had to listen to a young St Rose student try to get a possible submission to this guy who would have none of it, as he said he was backed up by two years. I bought two of his books, since they were half price and one wasn't even out yet. (It'll be out in April!) Twenty bucks, which I thought was a pretty good deal.
I really came not only for the books and publishers but for the book swap that was advertised. I brought a whole bag of books to swap and I was dismayed to see that there was no swapping in sight. I ended up at the English Club table where they were doing a fundraiser: for a dollar you got to "fish" for a prize. If you got a blue square, you got a book. iIf you got a red square, it was a bag of like two swedish fish, and a literary quote. The green square was a five dollar gift certificate to a local bookstore. I got a blue square, so I picked out a book.
I thought about giving them the books I had brought to swap, but I think I'll do BookCrossing instead. Candice has been pimping it and I think it would be fun. My aunts do PaperbackSwap, though.
Anyway, I came home and I realized goddamn, I really do have piles of books all around my house. Even after I built the bookshelf and PUT books on it. So no more books for me for a while (You: Hahahahaha just wait til Borders does another $1 sale; Me: STFU, but you're right.)
I got there, then realized I needed money, so I ducked to CVS to get out some money, and came back. I wandered around and realized that most of the presses setting up there were for poetry, and that's just not my bag, baby. I like occasional poetry but to buy a whole book is kind of pushing it for me. So I wandered over to a press out of Kingston that had some real thick hardcovers. YES. This was the jackpot. Every single title he had was something I would read. I had to listen to a young St Rose student try to get a possible submission to this guy who would have none of it, as he said he was backed up by two years. I bought two of his books, since they were half price and one wasn't even out yet. (It'll be out in April!) Twenty bucks, which I thought was a pretty good deal.
I really came not only for the books and publishers but for the book swap that was advertised. I brought a whole bag of books to swap and I was dismayed to see that there was no swapping in sight. I ended up at the English Club table where they were doing a fundraiser: for a dollar you got to "fish" for a prize. If you got a blue square, you got a book. iIf you got a red square, it was a bag of like two swedish fish, and a literary quote. The green square was a five dollar gift certificate to a local bookstore. I got a blue square, so I picked out a book.
I thought about giving them the books I had brought to swap, but I think I'll do BookCrossing instead. Candice has been pimping it and I think it would be fun. My aunts do PaperbackSwap, though.
Anyway, I came home and I realized goddamn, I really do have piles of books all around my house. Even after I built the bookshelf and PUT books on it. So no more books for me for a while (You: Hahahahaha just wait til Borders does another $1 sale; Me: STFU, but you're right.)
Friday, February 12, 2010
THE BOOK.
Tonight I'm working on the book. I'm just writing the ending, because I wasn't satisfied with the one I wrote this summer. I'm adding a bit more exposition, and explaining a few things I left untied. My plan is to print it out and put it in a binder so I can edit the paper copy. I'm super duper excited, because it's coming closer to being done. EEE So excited. I'll be able to move on to finishing the prequel and starting the sequel/prequel. (It makes sense in my head).
So today I got up and thought I had to work, and as I checked the bus schedule I noticed my handwritten worksched by the computer and it said nothing for Friday. Paranoid, I hopped the bus anyway and arrived to find no, I didn't have to work today. Whoops! I know that Tabby and Kathy got a good laugh out of me this AM. i don't mind. I went into Borders and came out with three more books. Shut up. I'm working my way through a really long book right now but I am really enjoying it except for one teensy tiny little thing that you'll see when I review it and four other books at the end of the month. But yeah Borders had dollar books again. There weren't many left of quality, but I picked out three and I think I will enjoy them.
So from there I hopped the bus to Colonie Ctr to see my buds at the other store and go to Christmas Tree Shop because I heart that place. Then I came home and I've been home ever since, yay me. That's my life.
So today I got up and thought I had to work, and as I checked the bus schedule I noticed my handwritten worksched by the computer and it said nothing for Friday. Paranoid, I hopped the bus anyway and arrived to find no, I didn't have to work today. Whoops! I know that Tabby and Kathy got a good laugh out of me this AM. i don't mind. I went into Borders and came out with three more books. Shut up. I'm working my way through a really long book right now but I am really enjoying it except for one teensy tiny little thing that you'll see when I review it and four other books at the end of the month. But yeah Borders had dollar books again. There weren't many left of quality, but I picked out three and I think I will enjoy them.
So from there I hopped the bus to Colonie Ctr to see my buds at the other store and go to Christmas Tree Shop because I heart that place. Then I came home and I've been home ever since, yay me. That's my life.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Books, books, and more books!
I'm numbering the ones I read this year to track how many books I devour. There is at least one that I read last year and never reviewed. Or if I did I forgot. So oh well. Here you go:
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, Laila Lalami.
This is a collection of related short stories by blogger Lalami and she is wonderful. The stories are set in Morocco and Spain, and deal with young Muslim women and men who come of age in a society that is at the mercy of Western influences and strong traditional ties.
Lalami wraps all these tales around a boat full of illegal immigrants crossing the Strait of Gibraltar to the promised land of Spain. It evoked memories of Cuban and Haitian refugees in Florida, and Mexican immigrants in the Southwest. She does a masterful job of giving these people both good and bad rationales for hopping on this barely watertight "boat." Keep in mind that not everyone gets their happy ending. Definitely a keeper though.
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008, ed: Dave Eggers intro: Judy Blume.
I picked this up because it was a dollar. And it turned out to be a really good pick. It's not just short stories; this includes articles that were written for Maxim, lists of the best Facebook groups that year (and yes I was already a member of most of them ;), and of course an intro written by the woman who wrote most of the books we read as kids: Judy BLume. I didn't even know she was still alive, but apparently so.
Highlights:
Marjorie Celona's "Y" is a cliffhanger of a story, which left me wanting more. One of the few times I read a short story and wanted her to turn it into a book.
J. Malcolm Garcia's "The White Train" is an article he had published in The Virginia Quarterly, and rightfully so. I went into it thinking it was a fiction story but it is a very moving, well written article on scrap metal collectors in Argentina.
Emily Raboteau's "Searching for Zion" is a fantastic look at what multiculturalism wrought: she details her struggle being an African-American Jewish woman in New Jersey, dealing with class issues as well.
1) An Island Like You, Judith Ortiz Cofer.
This one I had sitting around for years, ever since I saw Ms Ortiz Cofer do a reading at St. Lawrence. She impressed me enough to buy one of her books, and she autographed it for me. I kind of forgot about it for a while and then I was going through my books and rediscovered it.
Like Lalami's book, Cofer wraps her stories around each other -- a group of Puerto Rican teenagers in 1990s Paterson NJ. She writes both boys and girls, and does quite well with each. Nothing really stands out as better than anything else, but it's a quick, enjoyable read.
2) Work Shirts for Madmen, George Singleton.
I had such high hopes for this one. Singleton's book is about a metal sculptor who, after becoming deeply alcoholic loses most of his ability to work, and turns to ice scuplting. After a horrific run-in with the GOP convention, he is completely out of a job. His wife tries to save him by getting a commission for giant angel statues for Birmingham, AL.
This could have been so good. Instead, it was horrifically confusing and ridiculously stupid. I wanted to throw the book and never pick it up again. I persevered only because I wanted to see if Singleton could clarify everything in the end. I felt like I was drunk reading it and not in a good way.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS ONE.
3) A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick.
This book grabbed me by its back cover alone, and the front cover art is simply beautiful. It belies the horror that is to occur during this book. I could NOT put this one down. It is a little slow at the beginning, but totally worth it. Ralph orders a mail-order bride, and she is not exactly what he expected. In fact, she plans to kill him. But he has plans of his own, and it's so amazing how Goolrick twists everything around and manipulates his characters. The stark Wisconsin winter at the turn of the century is a major character in this book. Do NOT miss this book. This is definitely in my top fifteen books I've read easily.
I just found a bunch more books I haven't read yet, along with the ones I got for my birthday. This precludes the ones I picked up Saturday waiting for a ride. I should never be left alone in Borders, it is a bad bad move. ;)
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, Laila Lalami.
This is a collection of related short stories by blogger Lalami and she is wonderful. The stories are set in Morocco and Spain, and deal with young Muslim women and men who come of age in a society that is at the mercy of Western influences and strong traditional ties.
Lalami wraps all these tales around a boat full of illegal immigrants crossing the Strait of Gibraltar to the promised land of Spain. It evoked memories of Cuban and Haitian refugees in Florida, and Mexican immigrants in the Southwest. She does a masterful job of giving these people both good and bad rationales for hopping on this barely watertight "boat." Keep in mind that not everyone gets their happy ending. Definitely a keeper though.
The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2008, ed: Dave Eggers intro: Judy Blume.
I picked this up because it was a dollar. And it turned out to be a really good pick. It's not just short stories; this includes articles that were written for Maxim, lists of the best Facebook groups that year (and yes I was already a member of most of them ;), and of course an intro written by the woman who wrote most of the books we read as kids: Judy BLume. I didn't even know she was still alive, but apparently so.
Highlights:
Marjorie Celona's "Y" is a cliffhanger of a story, which left me wanting more. One of the few times I read a short story and wanted her to turn it into a book.
J. Malcolm Garcia's "The White Train" is an article he had published in The Virginia Quarterly, and rightfully so. I went into it thinking it was a fiction story but it is a very moving, well written article on scrap metal collectors in Argentina.
Emily Raboteau's "Searching for Zion" is a fantastic look at what multiculturalism wrought: she details her struggle being an African-American Jewish woman in New Jersey, dealing with class issues as well.
1) An Island Like You, Judith Ortiz Cofer.
This one I had sitting around for years, ever since I saw Ms Ortiz Cofer do a reading at St. Lawrence. She impressed me enough to buy one of her books, and she autographed it for me. I kind of forgot about it for a while and then I was going through my books and rediscovered it.
Like Lalami's book, Cofer wraps her stories around each other -- a group of Puerto Rican teenagers in 1990s Paterson NJ. She writes both boys and girls, and does quite well with each. Nothing really stands out as better than anything else, but it's a quick, enjoyable read.
2) Work Shirts for Madmen, George Singleton.
I had such high hopes for this one. Singleton's book is about a metal sculptor who, after becoming deeply alcoholic loses most of his ability to work, and turns to ice scuplting. After a horrific run-in with the GOP convention, he is completely out of a job. His wife tries to save him by getting a commission for giant angel statues for Birmingham, AL.
This could have been so good. Instead, it was horrifically confusing and ridiculously stupid. I wanted to throw the book and never pick it up again. I persevered only because I wanted to see if Singleton could clarify everything in the end. I felt like I was drunk reading it and not in a good way.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS ONE.
3) A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick.
This book grabbed me by its back cover alone, and the front cover art is simply beautiful. It belies the horror that is to occur during this book. I could NOT put this one down. It is a little slow at the beginning, but totally worth it. Ralph orders a mail-order bride, and she is not exactly what he expected. In fact, she plans to kill him. But he has plans of his own, and it's so amazing how Goolrick twists everything around and manipulates his characters. The stark Wisconsin winter at the turn of the century is a major character in this book. Do NOT miss this book. This is definitely in my top fifteen books I've read easily.
I just found a bunch more books I haven't read yet, along with the ones I got for my birthday. This precludes the ones I picked up Saturday waiting for a ride. I should never be left alone in Borders, it is a bad bad move. ;)
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Things I just do
I was wandering through Barnes & Noble, while waiting for my friend Amanda to meet me at the mall when I spotted an endcap of books about writing. I've been thinking about getting one, because I'm so paranoid that I'm not as good a writer as I think I am, and I'd like some reinforcement in one direction or the other. (Ash, I did promise to upload my novel for you to read and I will tonight.) I want to publish it but I'm worried that no one will take me or my little story seriously.
I'm not banking my whole life on getting published, nor will I stop writing (you'd have to chop off both my hands and possibly my feet to make me do that and even then I might just learn how to hold a pen in my teeth). But I would like my stories to be read by someone who isn't me.
I've been seeing a lot of resolution talk going around the internet, and I just want to say I've made my own set of resolutions. I do it every year, but I actually intend to go through with them and make it so, as Sir Patrick Stewart used to say. SO here's my small list:
-Get a place to volunteer in Albany a few days a week. Ideally I'd like to tutor children, but I don't have any certifications or anything like that. I also wouldn't mind working in a setting helping people who are underpriveleged; someplace like the Social Justice Center on Central Ave. I dunno. This I want done by the end of the month, so I need to get a move-on on it. Anyone in Albany got any ideas on how to find a place to volunteer at?
-Get my student loans in order. This is going to be pretty tough, since I have them from three different schools and probably they are all over the place. I want to at least know and speak to all of them by April 1, so I can try to pull them out of default, and maybe get them into some sort of deferment.
-Get a doctor and a health checkup. Lately I've been feeling under the weather and with my newly earned health insurance I should be taking advantage of its opportunities. This means I have to go and call the stupid health insurance company because its website locked me out, not recognizing that I actually do know the answer to my security question, which is the city where I was born. I'm pretty sure I know that, and if I didn't I have my birth certificate. Assholes. This is going to be done by the end of the month. Tomorrow I'm calling to get the lock picked.
-Get my Peace Corps application done. This will be done slowly because there are a lot of parts to it. ANd I believe that someone on my flist found out that you need at least six months of volunteering time in before they'd look at your application. So if we do the math, this needs to be done at the earliest in July or August.
-Grow a spine. Sometimes I'm too flexible and let people walk over me. I just need to say what I'm feeling and damn the consequences.
-Incorporate other exercises along with my walks. I'm going to learn how to do sit-ups and push-ups. My endurance is severely curtailed by my asthma and this current respiratory illness. When I was home at Thanksgiving, my dad had me try breathing on one of those machines that tests your lung capacity. Mine is severely diminished. If I don't get it up to par, I am fairly certain the Peace Corps won't want me in some remote village in the tropics with an impaired lung system.
-Put all but the most essential of money into my savings account after paying off my sister and my credit card. Yes, I need money for food and essentials.
-Eat as few things with High Fructose Corn Syrup as possible. Coke and Dr Pepper are exempted from this list, because they are the nectars of life. Right, Candice? ;)
I wish you all the best of luck with your new year's resolutions if you made them, and I hope for nothing but good tidings for all of you.
I'm not banking my whole life on getting published, nor will I stop writing (you'd have to chop off both my hands and possibly my feet to make me do that and even then I might just learn how to hold a pen in my teeth). But I would like my stories to be read by someone who isn't me.
I've been seeing a lot of resolution talk going around the internet, and I just want to say I've made my own set of resolutions. I do it every year, but I actually intend to go through with them and make it so, as Sir Patrick Stewart used to say. SO here's my small list:
-Get a place to volunteer in Albany a few days a week. Ideally I'd like to tutor children, but I don't have any certifications or anything like that. I also wouldn't mind working in a setting helping people who are underpriveleged; someplace like the Social Justice Center on Central Ave. I dunno. This I want done by the end of the month, so I need to get a move-on on it. Anyone in Albany got any ideas on how to find a place to volunteer at?
-Get my student loans in order. This is going to be pretty tough, since I have them from three different schools and probably they are all over the place. I want to at least know and speak to all of them by April 1, so I can try to pull them out of default, and maybe get them into some sort of deferment.
-Get a doctor and a health checkup. Lately I've been feeling under the weather and with my newly earned health insurance I should be taking advantage of its opportunities. This means I have to go and call the stupid health insurance company because its website locked me out, not recognizing that I actually do know the answer to my security question, which is the city where I was born. I'm pretty sure I know that, and if I didn't I have my birth certificate. Assholes. This is going to be done by the end of the month. Tomorrow I'm calling to get the lock picked.
-Get my Peace Corps application done. This will be done slowly because there are a lot of parts to it. ANd I believe that someone on my flist found out that you need at least six months of volunteering time in before they'd look at your application. So if we do the math, this needs to be done at the earliest in July or August.
-Grow a spine. Sometimes I'm too flexible and let people walk over me. I just need to say what I'm feeling and damn the consequences.
-Incorporate other exercises along with my walks. I'm going to learn how to do sit-ups and push-ups. My endurance is severely curtailed by my asthma and this current respiratory illness. When I was home at Thanksgiving, my dad had me try breathing on one of those machines that tests your lung capacity. Mine is severely diminished. If I don't get it up to par, I am fairly certain the Peace Corps won't want me in some remote village in the tropics with an impaired lung system.
-Put all but the most essential of money into my savings account after paying off my sister and my credit card. Yes, I need money for food and essentials.
-Eat as few things with High Fructose Corn Syrup as possible. Coke and Dr Pepper are exempted from this list, because they are the nectars of life. Right, Candice? ;)
I wish you all the best of luck with your new year's resolutions if you made them, and I hope for nothing but good tidings for all of you.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
end of the year revizzle.
I'm almost finished with the first book of my novel! I just have to finish writing it up and then I'll print it out to hand-edit it. I find having a paper thing to correct/fix/rewrite makes me feel a lot better. It's how I do the original writing, on a yellow legal pad. Usually sitting out on the lawn with a soda in hand. But delicious nonetheless.
I decided to do one of those memes that everyone else is doing, so here goes:
1) Was 2009 a good year for you?
It was a pretty good year. Not the best, but not nearly as bad as everyone else had it.
2) What was your favorite moment of the year?
Julie's wedding, hands down. I had such an amazing time.
3) What was your least favorite moment of the year?
I can't think of anything really too awful. Maybe there were a few times at work, but I don't even remember them.
4) Where were you when 2009 began?
Either at home or at Laurie's. I don't really remember. But not from drinking, I assure you.
5) Who were you with?
I uh, really don't remember. I suspect I was at my house by myself.
6) Where will you be when 2009 ends?
Great Escape!
7) Who will you be with when 2009 ends?
Wendy, Tom, and Laurie.
8) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2009?
Not really, no. But I made actual concrete plans to get those resolutions under way.
15) Did you break up with anyone in 2009?
Nope!
16) Did you make any new friends in 2009?
Yes! Emma, Melissa, all the wonderful girls at Colonie Center, all the new girls at Crossgates. I'm absolutely forgetting some people, but as usual I liked pretty damned well everyone I met.
17) Who are your favorite new friends?
Hmm, I don't like choosing. But was a blast when she was here. I miss her!
18) What was your favorite month of 2009?
July was super amazing.
19) Did you go abroad in 2009?
As usual, I went to Canada.
20) How many different states did you travel to in 2009?
um, I think I just went to New Jersey this year. And that was only via bus stopping in NJ. I did go to Ontario and Quebec though.
21) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2009?
Thank god, no one died. I did lose a close friend, but I feel that was for the best.
22) Did you miss anybody in the past year?
Yes. All of you, you know who you are. Especially Theresa all the way out in Japan.
23) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2009?
Star Trek!
24) What was your favorite album from 2009?
I liked The Ting Tings' CD, but I also really liked Mika's new album.
26) How many concerts did you see in 2009?
4, I think, if I recall correctly. 1) Tom McRae in New York; 2) The Tragically Hip here in Albany; 3) Laura Pausini in Montreal; 4) Mike Doughty in Troy.
27) Did you have a favorite concert in 2009?
I'm not gonna choose. I loved Laura, the chance to see her live was like a dream come true. The Hip put on an amazing show as always and I got to meet all of them and Mike Doughty at their shows. And Tom McRae was fun as well. So no, no dice.
28) Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2009?
Only when I went out. That was like twice and I believe both times were Jen's fault ;)
29) Did you do a lot of drugs in 2009?
I did the exact opposite -- Zero.
30) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
Not that I recall.
32) What was the biggest lie you told in 2009?
I don't lie anymore. I do not recall telling any in 2009.
33) What was the worst lie someone told you in 2009?
That someone was my friend when she really wasn't.
34) Did you treat somebody badly in 2009?
Not intentionally, but if I did, I really am sorry. I don't mean to do it.
35) Did somebody treat you badly in 2009?
Oh quite possibly.
36) How much money did you spend in 2009?
LOL, most of it.
37) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2009?
Either when I fell off the ladder at work, or when I dropped the bottle of ice wine in a crowded pharmacy in Montréal. I'm gonna go with the former cause I'll never see any of those people again.
38.) What is one thing you did in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Went to Canada and stayed overnight by myself.
39.) Did someone close to you give birth?
Christine did. My sister will next year.
40.) What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
My Peace Corps application completed.
41.) What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Heather's wedding June 6, 2009; Julie's wedding July 4, 2009.
42.) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I got a temporary promotion to work at the Colonie store this summer.
43.) What was your biggest failure?
Not finishing anything I started, be it Peace Corps application or getting my finances in order.
44.) Did you suffer illness or injury?
I fell off a ladder, whacked my wrist, and couldn't use it for a week and a half. I caught a nasty plague right around Thanksgiving and couldn't speak or stop coughing for a week.
45.) What was the best thing you bought?
My digital camera and my tickets to Laura Pausini. <3
46.) Whose behavior merited celebration?
Most of my friends'.
47.) Whose behavior made you appalled?
A certain ex-friend who remains nameless.
48.) Where did most of your money go?
Rent, trips. LOVE it.
49.) What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Julie's wedding; Laura Pausini concert.
50.) Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or hardened?
Happier
b) thinner or fatter?
Thinner
c) richer or poorer?
Hmm, about even.
51.) What do you wish you'd done more of?
Volunteering.
52.) What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sitting on my ass.
53.) How will you be spending Christmas?
Spent Christmas with my parents, siblings, and niece.
54.) Did you fall in love in 2009?
Nope.
55.) Any one-night stands?
Nope.
56.) What was your favorite TV program?
NCIS, Battlestar Galactica (RIP), Lost
57.) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't hate people. I just choose not to speak to them or have anything to do with them. Life's too short for that.
58.) What was the best book you read?
Hmm, I loved the Kushiel series. We'll go with that.
59.) What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Ting Tings. That's about it, I've been out of the musical loop.
60.) What did you want and get?
A new digital camera.
61.) What did you want and not get?
Bookshelves.
62.) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Justin, Kim, and I went to Golden Dragon for our birthdays and I was 27.
63.) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Having my finances in order and my Peace Corps application processing.
64.) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Go to my store, buy off rack. Done.
65.) What kept you sane?
Lol, Sanity. Actually, reading did. I make sure to have a new book.
66.) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I'm a proud member of the Cavillry (Henry Cavill).
67.) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Life's too short to hold grudges. Let them go, and you'll be happier.
I decided to do one of those memes that everyone else is doing, so here goes:
1) Was 2009 a good year for you?
It was a pretty good year. Not the best, but not nearly as bad as everyone else had it.
2) What was your favorite moment of the year?
Julie's wedding, hands down. I had such an amazing time.
3) What was your least favorite moment of the year?
I can't think of anything really too awful. Maybe there were a few times at work, but I don't even remember them.
4) Where were you when 2009 began?
Either at home or at Laurie's. I don't really remember. But not from drinking, I assure you.
5) Who were you with?
I uh, really don't remember. I suspect I was at my house by myself.
6) Where will you be when 2009 ends?
Great Escape!
7) Who will you be with when 2009 ends?
Wendy, Tom, and Laurie.
8) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2009?
Not really, no. But I made actual concrete plans to get those resolutions under way.
15) Did you break up with anyone in 2009?
Nope!
16) Did you make any new friends in 2009?
Yes! Emma, Melissa, all the wonderful girls at Colonie Center, all the new girls at Crossgates. I'm absolutely forgetting some people, but as usual I liked pretty damned well everyone I met.
17) Who are your favorite new friends?
Hmm, I don't like choosing. But
18) What was your favorite month of 2009?
July was super amazing.
19) Did you go abroad in 2009?
As usual, I went to Canada.
20) How many different states did you travel to in 2009?
um, I think I just went to New Jersey this year. And that was only via bus stopping in NJ. I did go to Ontario and Quebec though.
21) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2009?
Thank god, no one died. I did lose a close friend, but I feel that was for the best.
22) Did you miss anybody in the past year?
Yes. All of you, you know who you are. Especially Theresa all the way out in Japan.
23) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2009?
Star Trek!
24) What was your favorite album from 2009?
I liked The Ting Tings' CD, but I also really liked Mika's new album.
26) How many concerts did you see in 2009?
4, I think, if I recall correctly. 1) Tom McRae in New York; 2) The Tragically Hip here in Albany; 3) Laura Pausini in Montreal; 4) Mike Doughty in Troy.
27) Did you have a favorite concert in 2009?
I'm not gonna choose. I loved Laura, the chance to see her live was like a dream come true. The Hip put on an amazing show as always and I got to meet all of them and Mike Doughty at their shows. And Tom McRae was fun as well. So no, no dice.
28) Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2009?
Only when I went out. That was like twice and I believe both times were Jen's fault ;)
29) Did you do a lot of drugs in 2009?
I did the exact opposite -- Zero.
30) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
Not that I recall.
32) What was the biggest lie you told in 2009?
I don't lie anymore. I do not recall telling any in 2009.
33) What was the worst lie someone told you in 2009?
That someone was my friend when she really wasn't.
34) Did you treat somebody badly in 2009?
Not intentionally, but if I did, I really am sorry. I don't mean to do it.
35) Did somebody treat you badly in 2009?
Oh quite possibly.
36) How much money did you spend in 2009?
LOL, most of it.
37) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2009?
Either when I fell off the ladder at work, or when I dropped the bottle of ice wine in a crowded pharmacy in Montréal. I'm gonna go with the former cause I'll never see any of those people again.
38.) What is one thing you did in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Went to Canada and stayed overnight by myself.
39.) Did someone close to you give birth?
Christine did. My sister will next year.
40.) What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
My Peace Corps application completed.
41.) What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Heather's wedding June 6, 2009; Julie's wedding July 4, 2009.
42.) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I got a temporary promotion to work at the Colonie store this summer.
43.) What was your biggest failure?
Not finishing anything I started, be it Peace Corps application or getting my finances in order.
44.) Did you suffer illness or injury?
I fell off a ladder, whacked my wrist, and couldn't use it for a week and a half. I caught a nasty plague right around Thanksgiving and couldn't speak or stop coughing for a week.
45.) What was the best thing you bought?
My digital camera and my tickets to Laura Pausini. <3
46.) Whose behavior merited celebration?
Most of my friends'.
47.) Whose behavior made you appalled?
A certain ex-friend who remains nameless.
48.) Where did most of your money go?
Rent, trips. LOVE it.
49.) What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Julie's wedding; Laura Pausini concert.
50.) Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or hardened?
Happier
b) thinner or fatter?
Thinner
c) richer or poorer?
Hmm, about even.
51.) What do you wish you'd done more of?
Volunteering.
52.) What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sitting on my ass.
53.) How will you be spending Christmas?
Spent Christmas with my parents, siblings, and niece.
54.) Did you fall in love in 2009?
Nope.
55.) Any one-night stands?
Nope.
56.) What was your favorite TV program?
NCIS, Battlestar Galactica (RIP), Lost
57.) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't hate people. I just choose not to speak to them or have anything to do with them. Life's too short for that.
58.) What was the best book you read?
Hmm, I loved the Kushiel series. We'll go with that.
59.) What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Ting Tings. That's about it, I've been out of the musical loop.
60.) What did you want and get?
A new digital camera.
61.) What did you want and not get?
Bookshelves.
62.) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Justin, Kim, and I went to Golden Dragon for our birthdays and I was 27.
63.) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Having my finances in order and my Peace Corps application processing.
64.) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Go to my store, buy off rack. Done.
65.) What kept you sane?
Lol, Sanity. Actually, reading did. I make sure to have a new book.
66.) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I'm a proud member of the Cavillry (Henry Cavill).
67.) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Life's too short to hold grudges. Let them go, and you'll be happier.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Audience participation time.
Working on the book again, and I have a question.
I wonder if it's too odd/cliche to have a severely injured woman slip away from the bodyguard and her daughter and have one of the following options happen to her:
1) She jumps off a cliff to end her life
2) She surrenders to the people chasing them, and dies in their custody. Daughter and bodyguard escape to safehouse
3) She disappears and is never seen again.
For the purposes of the story -- the daughter is the scion of a fallen house, and the bodyguard is smuggling her and her followers off-world.
I wonder if it's too odd/cliche to have a severely injured woman slip away from the bodyguard and her daughter and have one of the following options happen to her:
1) She jumps off a cliff to end her life
2) She surrenders to the people chasing them, and dies in their custody. Daughter and bodyguard escape to safehouse
3) She disappears and is never seen again.
For the purposes of the story -- the daughter is the scion of a fallen house, and the bodyguard is smuggling her and her followers off-world.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Oh books.
If any of you need a really good, really creepy, one of those books that surprise you with every page, you NEED to read Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind. It started out reminding me of Night Train to Lisbon but it took a very very twisted turn and I love it. I'm not finished with it, but I need to stress how impressed i am by this book. I got to a certain twist and that's when I got to the mall. I almost said, "Oh no" out loud! Then I had a few minutes to eat lunch before I started work and three pages later the book twisted again. But it was time for me to clock in. Damn you, book! And then on the way home it threw me another, albeit expected loop. Goddamn, I love this book so hard. BRB putting the rest of Zafon's books on my wishlist.
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