January round-up

Read:

Non-Fiction:
*Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule (Suspense/Thriller Challenge, Dewey Decimal Challenge)

Young Adult Non-Fiction:
*Science and Society by Robert Snedden (homeschool)
*Tanzania by Joan Vos MacDonald (homeschool)
*Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole (homeschool)

Fiction:
*And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (homeschool, 999 Challenge)

Young Adult Fiction:
*A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti (YA Challenge, 21 Cultures Challenge, Countdown Challenge, 999 Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge)

Plays:
*The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Dewey Decimal Challenge, 21 Cultures Challenge, homeschool)
*"Ten Little Indians" by Agatha Christie (homeschool)

Graphic Novels/Manga:
*Bizenghast One by M. Alice LeGrow (Manga Challenge, Countdown Challenge)
*Bizenghast Two by M. Alice LeGrow (Manga Challenge, Countdown Challenge)


Picture Books:
*Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones by Judy Schachner (Young Readers Challenge)
*Have You Seen My Purr? by Judy West (Young Readers Challenge)
*Toots the Cat by Karla Kuskin (Young Readers Challenge)

Short Stories:
*"Down to the Sunless Sea" by Mathias B. Freese (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"I'll Make It, I Think" by Mathias B. Freese (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"The Father Thing" by Philip K. Dick (Sci-Fi Experience, 42 Challenge, 100 Shots of Shorts)
*"Orange" by Neil Gaiman (Sci-Fi Experience, 42 Challenge, Out of This World Mini-Challenge, 100 Shots of Shorts)
*"Ass-Hat Magic Spider" by Scott Westerfeld (Sci-Fi Experience, 42 Challenge, Out of This World Mini-Challenge, 100 Shots of Shorts)
*"The Menace From Earth" by Robert Heinlein (Sci-Fi Experience, 42 Challenge, Out of This World Mini-Challenge, 100 Shots of Shorts)
*"The Home Team" by Greg Wickenhofer (Sci-Fi Experience, 42 Challenge, Out of This World Mini-Challenge, 100 Shots of Shorts)
*"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury (Sci-Fi Experience, 42 Challenge, Out of This World Mini-Challenge, 100 Shots of Shorts)
*"Cheats" by Ann Halam (Sci-Fi Experience, 42 Challenge, Out of This World Mini-Challenge, 100 Shots of Shorts)
*"The Fluted Girl" by Paolo Bacigulupi (Sci-Fi Experience, 42 Challenge, Out of This World Challenge, 100 Shots of Shorts)
*"The Harvest" by Amy Hempel (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"The Surfer" by Kelly Link (Sci-Fi Experience, 42 Challenge, 100 Shots of Shorts)
*"The Chatham Bear" by Mathias B. Freese (100 Shots of Shorts)

Essays:
*"Bugs in the Brain" by Robert M Sapolsky, from Monkeyluv and Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals (Essay Challenge)

Watched:

On DVD:
*Liberia: An Uncivil War directed by Jonathan Stack and James Brabazon (homeschool)
*10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America by History Channel (homeschool)
--episode 1 "Massacre at Mystic"
--episode 2 "Shay's Rebellion: America's First Civil War"
--episode 3 "Gold Rush"
*The Crucible directed by Nicholas Hytner (homeschool)
*The Day After directed by Nicholas Meyer (for fun)

In the Theater:
*Inkheart directed by Iain Softley

On TV:
*House, "Painless" (for fun)
*Criminal Minds, "Bloodlines" (for fun)
*House, "Big Baby" (for fun)

Created:

Cards:
1 birthday, 1 Christmas, 1 "just because" (not pictured)

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea...random thoughts

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti.

Again with the short and sweet here.

I really, really wanted to like this book. Okay, that's a dumb thing to say, because of course, I want to like every book I read. But still, do you know what I mean? I hoped this book would be simply wonderful, because it involves such important issues.

Because of this, I have to admit when I first began reading, I was a bit disappointed. It started out feeling so cliche. Tal Levine, a 17-year-old Israeli girl, begins writing after a suicide bomber blows up a cafe in her neighborhood. A diary sorts. She feels nearly compelled to write. As she says:

When the fear comes back, like now, we all seem to forget who we are. We all become potential victims, bodies that could end up lifeless and covered in blood just because someone chose to blow themselves up right next to us. I want to know who I am, what I'm made of. What would make my death any different from any other? If I said that to my parents or friends, they'd be really shocked and would tell me gently that I needed to rest. That must be why I've decided to write: so I don't frighten the others with what's going on inside my head...and don't let them declare me a raving lunatic.

Tal decides to reach out in the only way she can think of...by putting a letter in a bottle and throwing it into the Gaza Sea. She imagines that a Palestinian girl her own age will find the letter, and that they'll begin this amazing friendship through e-mails.

But it's not a girl who finds her letter. Gazaman, as he calls himself, seems angry and bitter and sarcastic. See what I mean about stereotypes--the sweet, peace-loving Israeli girl and the angry, hate-filled Palestinian boy.

Gazaman also writes in a journal of sorts. But a journal he can't keep. He explains his reasons:

I get angry very quickly if I think too much, but I don't want to stop thinking. My head is the only place where no Tsahal soldier, no guy from Hamas, and not even my father or my mother can get in. My head is my home, my only home, a bit small for everything I've got to put inside it, and that's why I started writing, several years ago now. I didn't have to wait for that spoiled little Tal from Jerusalem to get me started. I write and then I burn the paper, tear it up, soak it, and throw it down the toilet; I'm too frightened someone will find it. But at least it does me some good, it soothes me a bit. There are too many people I hate, too may people stopping me from living my life, and too many signs (which aren't actually there but I can see all over the place) that say: EVERYTHING IS BANNED.

And it is through Tal's and Gazaman's "diaries" that we read part of the story. The other part is read through their e-mails. As this "conversation" between them begins, I have to admit that I was still feeling a bit let-down. It felt too pat, too unoriginal. But guess what--I am so very grateful that I stuck with the book. Somewhere along the way, it seemed to grow in depth. I began to see these characters as more than caricatures. Tal experienced a life changing event and grew. And while she didn't lose her yearning for peace, she did lose some of her naivete. And as the book moves forward, we get to know much more about Gazaman and his life. He is, in reality, far from the stereotype we are first introduced to.

So, in the end, I found this a satisfying read. Not perfect, but well worth the time it took to read.

And Then There Were None...random thoughts

Short and sweet here. Loved this book when I first read it all those many, many years ago when I was in seventh grade. Loved it again this time around.

Annie and I are doing a unit on plays this quarter. We actually read the play "Ten Little Indians" first. And I decided it would be worthwhile to then read the novel, so Annie could get a feel for the differences. This was the first of Christie's novels for which Christie herself wrote the stage version. She had been disappointed in some attempts that had been made by others in turning some of her other novels into plays, feeling that they had tried to stick too closely to the original novel. I found that rather interesting, always assuming that authors would not want their novels "messed with." But of course, Christie was far smarter than I am, and she realized that what works in a book, won't necessarily work on a stage. So while the basic story is similar in both the novel and the play, there are definitely major differences as well. And she brilliantly pulled off both versions.

In the unlikely event that someone doesn't know the basic gist of the story, ten people are "lured" to an island under false pretenses. Each is then accused of committing a murder in their past, and judgment falls upon them one by one.

If pressed, I suppose I would say I enjoyed the novel a bit more. For what is probably the obvious reason...there is simply more depth in the novel. And I do admit, too, that I'm just not as practiced at reading plays.

There is one thing that makes me uncomfortable. There is definitely a pervading racism displayed. And yes, I realize that it is a reflection of the times when it was written. But somehow that fact can never quite take away the sadness it still brings.

*****

For more thoughts:

*Joy at Thoughts of Joy

And if you've got a review you'd like me to add here, just leave a link in the comments. Thanks.

in the mail this week...

Almost let Monday get by without doing Mailbox Monday. Just been a tad overwhelmed lately, which is also why I'm soooooo far behind on my blog reading. But I thought I'd better squeeze this in as once again I have a few of points to award.


Two points for Nymeth! Her review of Fun Home by Alison Bechdel made it irresistible! It's an added bonus that I can use it for the Lambda Challenge. And I've had Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides on my wish list for such a long time, simply because Nymeth loves it so much and she has yet to steer me wrong.

The blame for Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri goes to NPR. I'm afraid they're to blame for a lot of books on my wish list, so heck, why not let them in the game, right? I'm sure they'd be glad to get a little more of our money should they win.








The Ha-Ha by Dave King and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe don't earn anyone points, but they are further proof that I'm giving Paperback Swap quite a workout lately.

library loot

I have to admit that despite the fact that we did hit the library yesterday, laziness almost had me skipping Library Loot this week. But then I realized that I had a point to award from my latest haul, so I'd better just get over the lazy streak.






Just picked up a few this week:

Castle Waiting by Linda Medley. Gosh darn that Eva! How was I to resist requesting this one after her review?!! I simply can't be held responsible.









Comic Adventures of Boots by Satoshi Kitamura. Just thought this would be a fun one to read with Max.










Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe by James R. Arnold and Roberta Wiener and House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb. These ones are for homeschooling.

out of my comfort zone

Please feel free to make fun of me. But tonight was the first time in almost 17 years that I've been to the theater to watch a movie. It wasn't exactly easy to drag myself in there, but I'm glad I did it. It's not that I was afraid of the whole theater experience or anything; it's just that it drove me bonkers because I couldn't stand to sit still and do "nothing" for that long of a period of time.

Yep, tonight was a real breakthrough. I came, I saw, and I actually enjoyed! I didn't get the slightest bit antsy. I just sat and relaxed...what a concept!

Anyway, I won't review the movie, because frankly, I wouldn't have a clue how. I'm not particularly critical of movies. As long as a movie isn't overwhelmingly boring, I generally enjoy it. But I can say that Inkheart the movie was quite different in many ways from Inkheart the book. But even so, I really did like it quite a lot.

must-read sci-fi/fantasy

Shamelessly swiped from Carl's. From The Guardian's 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read, comes a list of 124 must-read sci-fi and fantasy. Done as Carl did, the bold are ones read, the italicized are ones owned and sitting in the TBR piles.

1. Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979)

2. Brian W Aldiss: Non-Stop (1958)

3. Isaac Asimov: Foundation (1951)

4. Margaret Atwood: The Blind Assassin (2000)

5. Paul Auster: In the Country of Last Things (1987)

6. Iain Banks: The Wasp Factory (1984)

7. Iain M Banks: Consider Phlebas (1987)

8. Clive Barker: Weaveworld (1987)

9. Nicola Barker: Darkmans (2007)

10. Stephen Baxter: The Time Ships (1995)

11. Greg Bear: Darwin’s Radio (1999)

12. Alfred Bester: The Stars My Destination (1956)

13. Poppy Z Brite: Lost Souls (1992)

14. Algis Budrys: Rogue Moon (1960)

15. Mikhail Bulgakov: The Master and Margarita (1966)

16. Edward Bulwer-Lytton: The Coming Race (1871)

17. Anthony Burgess: A Clockwork Orange (1960)

18. Anthony Burgess: The End of the World News (1982)

19. Edgar Rice Burroughs: A Princess of Mars (1912)

20. William Burroughs: Naked Lunch (1959)

21. Octavia Butler: Kindred (1979)

22. Samuel Butler: Erewhon (1872)

23. Italo Calvino: The Baron in the Trees (1957)

24. Ramsey Campbell: The Influence (1988)

25. Lewis Carroll: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)

26. Lewis Carroll: Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871)

27. Angela Carter: Nights at the Circus (1984)

28. Michael Chabon: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (2000)

29. Arthur C Clarke: Childhood’s End (1953)

30. GK Chesterton: The Man Who Was Thursday (1908)

31. Susanna Clarke: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (2004)

32. Michael G Coney: Hello Summer, Goodbye (1975)

33. Douglas Coupland: Girlfriend in a Coma (1998)

34. Mark Danielewski: House of Leaves (2000)

35. Marie Darrieussecq: Pig Tales (1996)

36. Samuel R Delaney: The Einstein Intersection (1967)

37. Philip K Dick: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)

38. Philip K Dick: The Man in the High Castle (1962)

39. Umberto Eco: Foucault’s Pendulum (1988)

40. Michel Faber: Under the Skin (2000)

41. John Fowles: The Magus (1966)

42. Neil Gaiman: American Gods (2001)

43. Alan Garner: Red Shift (1973)

44. William Gibson: Neuromancer (1984)

45. Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Herland (1915)

46. William Golding: Lord of the Flies (1954)

47. Joe Haldeman: The Forever War (1974)

48. M John Harrison: Light (2002)

49. Robert A Heinlein: Stranger in a Strange Land (1961)

50. Frank Herbert: Dune (1965)

51. Hermann Hesse: The Glass Bead Game (1943)

52. Russell Hoban: Riddley Walker (1980)

53. James Hogg: The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824)

54. Michel Houellebecq: Atomised (1998)

55. Aldous Huxley: Brave New World (1932)

56. Kazuo Ishiguro: The Unconsoled (1995)

57. Shirley Jackson: The Haunting of Hill House (1959)

58. Henry James: The Turn of the Screw (1898)

59. PD James: The Children of Men (1992)

60. Richard Jefferies: After London; Or, Wild England (1885)

61. Gwyneth Jones: Bold as Love (2001)

62. Franz Kafka: The Trial (1925)

63. Daniel Keyes: Flowers for Algernon (1966)

64. Stephen King: The Shining (1977)

65. Marghanita Laski: The Victorian Chaise-longue (1953)

66. Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu: Uncle Silas (1864)

67. Stanislaw Lem: Solaris (1961)

68. Doris Lessing: Memoirs of a Survivor (1974)

69. David Lindsay: A Voyage to Arcturus (1920)

70. Ken MacLeod: The Night Sessions (2008)

71. Hilary Mantel: Beyond Black (2005)

72. Michael Marshall Smith: Only Forward (1994)

73. Richard Matheson: I Am Legend (1954)

74. Charles Maturin: Melmoth the Wanderer (1820)

75. Patrick McCabe: The Butcher Boy (1992)

76. Cormac McCarthy: The Road (2006)

77. Jed Mercurio: Ascent (2007)

78. China Miéville: The Scar (2002)

79. Andrew Miller: Ingenious Pain (1997)

80. Walter M Miller Jr: A Canticle for Leibowitz (1960)

81. David Mitchell: Cloud Atlas (2004)

82. Michael Moorcock: Mother London (1988)

83. William Morris: News From Nowhere (1890)

84. Toni Morrison: Beloved (1987)

85. Haruki Murakami: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (1995)

86. Vladimir Nabokov: Ada or Ardor (1969)

87. Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveler’s Wife (2003)

88. Larry Niven: Ringworld (1970)

89. Jeff Noon: Vurt (1993)

90. Flann O’Brien: The Third Policeman (1967)

91. Ben Okri: The Famished Road (1991)

92. Chuck Palahniuk: Fight Club (1996)

93. Thomas Love Peacock: Nightmare Abbey (1818)

94. Mervyn Peake: Titus Groan (1946)

95. John Cowper Powys: A Glastonbury Romance (1932)

96. Christopher Priest: The Prestige (1995)

97. François Rabelais: Gargantua and Pantagruel (1532-34)

98. Ann Radcliffe: The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794)

99. Alastair Reynolds: Revelation Space (2000)

100. Kim Stanley Robinson: The Years of Rice and Salt (2002)

101. JK Rowling: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)

102. Salman Rushdie: The Satanic Verses (1988)

103. Antoine de Sainte-Exupéry: The Little Prince (1943)

104. José Saramago: Blindness (1995)

105. Will Self: How the Dead Live (2000)

106. Mary Shelley: Frankenstein (1818)

107. Dan Simmons: Hyperion (1989)

108. Olaf Stapledon: Star Maker (1937)

109. Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash (1992)

110. Robert Louis Stevenson: The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)

111. Bram Stoker: Dracula (1897)

112. Rupert Thomson: The Insult (1996)

113. Mark Twain: A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur’s Court (1889)

114. Kurt Vonnegut: Sirens of Titan (1959)

115. Robert Walser: Institute Benjamenta (1909)

116. Sylvia Townsend Warner: Lolly Willowes (1926)

117. Sarah Waters: Affinity (1999)

118. HG Wells: The Time Machine (1895)

119. HG Wells: The War of the Worlds (1898)

120. TH White: The Sword in the Stone (1938)

121. Gene Wolfe: The Book of the New Sun (1980-83)

122. John Wyndham: Day of the Triffids (1951)

123. John Wyndham: The Midwich Cuckoos (1957)

124. Yevgeny Zamyatin: We (1924)

Yeah, that was horribly embarrassing... Guess I better go do some reading.

Bizenghast (One and Two)...random thoughts

Let me say right up front here that I feel sort of foolish even attempting to babble about these books. This was my first foray into the world of Manga, so I really have no base for comparison. Please forgive me if I sound like an idiot.

First of all, a bit about the story...

Dinah loses her parents in an auto accident as a young girl. She is sent off to live with her aunt in the unsettling little town of Bizenghast. Dinah's aunt, while not cruel, never intended to have children and frankly, doesn't seem to know what to do with Dinah. Especially since Dinah isn't quite well. They live on the grounds of the old St. Lyman's School, which was a reform school of sorts. Except for the main house, the school burned to the ground years ago under mysterious circumstances.

I'm not exactly sure how old Dinah is now, though I'm guessing in her teen years. Dinah would be completely alone were it not for her best friend Vincent. One night, as they were taking a shortcut through the woods, they stumble upon a graveyard. Dinah meets the spider-like creature, Bali-Lali, and finds herself saddled with a mission she never wanted. She is to free the tortured souls of the forty who "live" there. So every night, Dinah must return, solve a riddle, and discover a way to free another soul. To fail is to die herself.

So, what did I think of these books...

Well, first of all I was entranced by the artwork! It's beautiful, haunting, sometimes downright scary. Truly lovely.

Secondly, while I enjoyed the story itself, it felt very disjointed to me. Never so much that I didn't understand what was going on, but occasionally frustrating nonetheless. I was sometimes bothered by how much I was left to fill in on my own, if that makes sense. As I said, I am a total neophyte in the world of Manga, so I have no idea if this is the way Manga is intended to be, or if it is simply the way this series is written. But all that said, I obviously liked the first book enough to immediately pick up the second and read it as well.

Will I continue on from here? Probably, if the library has the next ones. Otherwise, who knows where the Manga Challenge will lead me next...

better late than never...

Okay, I was waaaaay too happy finally having Rich home yesterday to do any blogging. But I didn't want to skip Mailbox Monday altogether...'cause I got me some good looking books! Plus, I thought I would use this as a chance to start up the Blame Game again. I'd stopped the last game early, because in my heart, it was so closely associated with Dewey. As any of you who would read the comments on those posts already know, Dewey and Nymeth had a hilarious little competition going on. The two of them never failed to make me smile, or laugh right out loud, when I posted the most recent tallies. Anyway, when I stopped the game, Nymeth was the winner. And when I asked her if she used the U.S. version of Amazon, she asked that instead of sending her a gift card, I donate the money to RIF in honor of Dewey. (Nymeth, I so hope it's okay that I shared that...it just was such a perfect thing to do.) And Nymeth's wonderful idea inspired me to start the game again...

Yep, the Blame Game is on again. And Dewey will still earn her points. And should she win, RIF will again get the prize. It just feels right.

So, what arrived in my house during the past week? And who's to blame?

*The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan. Arrived just in time for Carl's mini-challenge over the weekend. But it was Becky's review of the first several stories that made me absolutely need to order it. :)









*A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet by Pamela Constable and Arturo Valenzuela and The End of Poverty by Jeffrey D. Sachs. These two don't actually earn anyone any points. Though I sort of feel like I should being giving Eva part of the blame. See, I put those books on my wish list long ago, without help from anyone. But...Eva's World Citizen Challenge gave me just the excuse I needed to go ahead and order them. Thanks, Eva! :)

*Pay the Piper by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple. The blame for this one is laid solely at Nymeth's feet for her review. I'd put this on my Paperback Swap wish list right after her review, and someone finally added it. :)








*Freak Show by James St. James. This is one of those dual points books. It was the combined "efforts" of Dewey's and Renay's reviews.










(This game will last through June 30th.)

By the way, I'm having a lot of fun watching the blame pile up over at Chris's and DesLily's, too!

a weekend of sci-fi shorts

The weekend has arrived for Carl's Out of This World Mini-Challenge! He's hosting it as a part of Dewey's Books Reading Challenge, but anyone is welcome to participate. Of course, it also corresponds with Carl's Sci-Fi Experience, which runs through the end of February. Basically, it just involves reading one or more science fiction short stories. Sounds like fun, right? Yeah, I thought so, too!

Not sure what the best way to do this might be. First thought I'd just keep this as a draft and then post it at the end of the weekend. But I think instead, I'll just post it and update it as I read more stories. I hope to get in quite a few, but who knows what the weekend will bring. (After all, Rich is still in the sunny Bahamas, so all emergencies, large and small, from spider captures to cat barf clean-ups to mustard on the couch, are solely mine to deal with.)

Okay, on with the short stories:

1. "The Father Thing" by Philip K. Dick. This story actually doesn't count for the mini-challenge, as I read it a couple of days ago, but since we're talking sci-fi shorts, I figured I mention it. A few days back, Carl had a great post about a bunch of sci-fi stories he'd read on-line, along with links to them. He described this story with, "Picture a Leave It To Beaver episode written by H.P. Lovecraft." Come on, am I the only one who finds that description irresistible?!! And the story really was a treat! I have to admit that there were a few places where it felt a bit disjointed...almost like there were supposed to breaks in the text to let you know there had been a change in time or place, but the breaks were missing. But the story itself was really fun. Fun in a creepy, slightly gross sort of way. It totally reminds me of one of those old 1950s horror movies. Little boy discovers his dad's body has been "taken over" by...something. Employs the help of a couple other neighborhood boys. Discovery of what the "something" is, and of what's in the bamboo patch...still leaves me a little skitchy.

2. "Orange" by Neil Gaiman. (From The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan.) This morning's first story was again one of pure fun. Very original. Not the events, so much. As again we've got a person being "taken over" by something. We've got beings from outer space. But the way that this story is written is something quite unique. One reads the answers, given by a seventeen-year-old girl, to some sort of questionaire or interview. However, the questions themselves are not included, so the reader is left to fill these in on his/her own. In a weird sort of way, it almost felt interactive. Anyway, it made for a great start to the mini-challenge.


Whew...the kids aren't making it easy, but I finally snuck in another story:

3. "Ass-Hat Magic Spider" by Scott Westerfeld. (From The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan.) I honestly don't know how to describe this story. And frankly, I'm not sure I want to, because it's a little treasure that needs to be discovered completely on one's own. But I will tell you this, if you're reading this then you almost certainly love books. And if you love books, you'll love this story. Really. It's wonderful.


Okay, been wanting to get this one in all day, but as it's on-line (here), and everyone seems to "need" the computer today, it hasn't been easy:

4. "The Menace From Earth" by Robert Heinlein. Another good story. You know what is truly amazing me with this mini-challenge? The variety. This story was so completely different from the others. It sort of had a "young adult" feel to it, if that makes any sense. It's told by Holly, a very smart and sassy 15-year-old. You can't help but love her. This is sort of teen romance sort of story, and yet so very sci-fi. Oh, and one other thing, if Carl hadn't mentioned that this story was written in the 1950s, I never would have believed it. Honestly, it really feels so very today.


If you have just a couple minutes, go read this:

5. "The Home Team" by Greg Wickenhofer. Super short little story. You know how frustrating it is to buy new appliances only to have them act up immediately? Well, it may just get worse in the future. Or better. Depends on how you look at it.


Didn't manage to get in nearly as many stories as I'd hoped yesterday. You know, there were chess games to be played, and t-shirts to be painted, and snowballs to be thrown. But today's a new day, and we'll see what we can squeeze in. Of course, my ability to concentrate is somewhat worse than normal (and normal's pretty bad), because I'm just so damn excited that Rich will be arriving home late tonight!!!

But back to stories. Eva has a great post with tons of links from the stories she read yesterday. I'd planned to focus on more stories from The Starry Rift today, but some of the stories she talked about just sound too good to pass up. In fact, that's where my first read of the day came from. It can be found here (just scroll down for the link to the story) at Rusty's BestScienceFictionStories.com. By the way, isn't his site incredible?!! Okay, to the story:

6. "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury. What can I say...it's Ray Bradbury!!! And it's that beautiful Ray Bradbury writing that I could just lose myself in for days on end. It's a wonderful little story. But so very, very sad. Very. A story of childhood cruelty that could happen anywhere, but not in quite the same manner as it happens here on Venus.

7. "Cheats" by Ann Halam. (From The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan.) To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure I was going to like this one. I'd read both in Becky's and Chris's reviews that it had to do with gaming. And I hate to admit it, but that is just a subject on which I have zero knowledge. Yep, completely clueless. So I was really afraid that I just wouldn't understand this story. But you know what, while it wasn't my favorite read of the mini-challenge, I really did like it! And while I do have to say I didn't totally understand the science of it, that in no way detracted from my overall enjoyment of the story. I wish I could talk a little about the story itself, but I'm afraid I'll word it wrong...a girl, her little brother, lost in a game world. Yeah, see that totally doesn't get to the depths of this story at all. Sorry.


Another of Eva's recommendations:

8. "The Fluted Girl" by Paolol Bacigulupi. (Can be found here.) Wow. Seriously, wow. I have no clue how to describe this story. But it is achingly beautiful. And horrendously disturbing. Set in the future, but in many ways feeling like the past. And again, this story is so very different from any of the other stories I've read this weekend. I cannot get over how incredibly diverse the world of science fiction is.

oops...

Yes, I believe I have secured my nomination to the Dim-Witted Hall of Fame. The other day, Chris posted about his mental lapse in drawing his book contest winners. I believe I commented that that sounded just like something I would do. Now, one might think that reading a post like that would jog a person's memory if they too were to be giving away a book, wouldn't one? Well, apparently that's not the case for frazzle-brained people like me. Yes, despite the fact that I left the book sitting on my dresser just so I wouldn't forget, I forgot.

Okay, time to remedy the situation. Since only two people expressed interest, random.org just seemed like overkill. So I decided to have the kids wrestle for it...

Oh, come on, surely you knew I was joking. (Though they probably would have done it gladly.) Instead, we flipped a coin. Chris, I'll have your book in the mail in a few days.

babbling about picture books

I know I seldom do the book babbling about the picture books we sneak in. You know, it's actually kind of sad...we don't read them by the truckload anymore. We manage to fit in a few here and there, but mostly we stick to bigger kid chapter books now. I really need to make a conscious effort to include more picture books though, as I know Maxidoodle really does enjoy them. And that is one of the main reasons I joined Becky's Young Readers Challenge. (Oh okay, there's also the fact that I just love them myself.)

Anyway, since this is a challenge and all, I thought I should probably say a few words about the books we've read...


Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones by Judy Schachner. What can I say...Max absolutely adores these books! But that's hardly surprising, when our little hero is a Siamese cat who thinks himself a chihuahua. And honestly, I think I love these books as much as Max does. Funny. Adorable. Lyrical. Just plain fun to read aloud, especially with sprinkling of Spanish thrown in. Oh, and there's the fact that I get sing, something the kids groan at any other time I do it. (Don't worry, if you heard me sing, you definitely wouldn't hold their groaning against them.) But back to Skippito. In this book, we find Skippyjon raiding Darwin's, the neighborhood dog, bone stash. He's stealing the bones to build himself a dinosaur skeleton. Yes, Skippyjon now wants to be a paleontologist. And when he heads off into his closet this time for adventure, he and the Chimichangos (his chihuahua pals) find real live dancing dinosaurs. Yep, these books are a pure delight!


Have You Got My Purr? by Judy West. This is a sweet little story about a kitten who desperately wants to find her purr. She searches the barnyard, asking all the animals if they have her purr. Each animal that she asks sends her on to another, until she finally asks the wise owl. He sends her home to her mom, where she learns that her purr has been inside her all along. Max thoroughly enjoyed the story (we are talking cats here), though in actuality, it is a book aimed at a slightly younger audience. One reason I hate those age labels...had I told Max it was a book for preschoolers, he would never have let me read it to him and thus would have missed out on a story that made him smile. Oh, and I must add here, that the illustrations for this book, done by Tim Warnes, are simply charming! It's really what led me to pick up this book to start with.


Toots the Cat by Karla Kuskin. What a fun book! It's the story of Toots, but it's told in a series of poems. There's a poem for many an occasion included. We learn about how Toots showed up a stray on the doorstep, and about how Toots spends her nights, and about how Toots acts in the snow. Let me share one of my favorites:

In or Out?

When she's in
she meows to be out.
When she's out
she prefers to be in.
Whatever wherever whichever
however forever moreover
from cover to cover
from housemat to clover
she makes it quite clear
she would rather be here
if she's there.

She would like to there
if she's here.
She would rather be far
if she's near
and near
if she's anywhere far.
Her preference is whimsical,
wide and far-ranging...
well, what's a mind for
if it isn't for changing?

And I was not the only one who enjoyed this book...no, Max was entranced! Poetry books are generally not at the top of his favorites list, but he really liked this one. Of course, there's the whole, "Well, of course, it's about a cat" thing. But I think in addition to that, he really enjoyed the variety. While the poem I shared uses rhyme very effectively, the poems contained in this book are not all just the simple rhyming poems that so many poetry books for young children contain. I feel like the author respected a child's ability to appreciate the sounds of language in many forms. Then again, maybe I'm totally off base, and that really has nothing to do with why Max enjoyed it so much. (I didn't want to ask him a bunch of questions about it, like I usually do when we read together. I'd like him to become more comfortable with poetry in general first, so I don't do anything to scare him off.) Anyway, whatever the reason, this book was a definitely hit for both of us.

I actually behaved myself...

It's time for Library Loot again, jointly hosted by Eva and Alessandra.

What can I say? I'm very proud of myself...I only picked up one book. (Well two, but the second one is for homeschooling and I probably won't even read the whole thing, just bits and pieces of it.) Of course, the reason I was trying to keep my acquisitions down was because when we were there on Monday, I had yet to finish any of the ones I'd picked up the week before. In fact, the plan was to get no books in addition to The Pequot War (the one I'd requested). But come on, you can't fault me for one additional little book, can you? Truthfully, how many of you could walk out with just one book?!!


So, here's what I got. A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti. Pure impulse. Never heard of it before, but it sounds really good. Anybody read it?

ooh, me achin' back...

We were supposed to be on the northern edge of this latest storm. They said 1-3" of snow. They lied. We got about 9" overnight and it's still coming down.

But honestly, I've no business complaining. For one thing, as I begin day 7 of Rich's absence, this is only the second time we've got more than a couple inches and hence, only the second time I've had to shovel. Secondly, it was the light and fluffy type of snow. Not to mention, our driveway really isn't all that big. Yeah, and there's that thing about me really needing the exercise anyway. And finally, I absolutely love snow...so it's really no fair to bitch about it, is it?

Oh, and maybe best of all, as the boys are happily drawing and watching a Scooby Doo movie and Miss Annie has her nose buried in a book, I will feel no guilt as I go curl up with my own book and a large mug of tea. I worked hard enough for one morning...or at least that's what I'm telling myself. ;)

The Crucible...random thoughts

The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

I first read this play decades ago (decades...sheesh!), back when I was in 8th grade. I loved it then, and I still love it today. (Eighth grade was actually a very good year in reading assignments, with winners like The Crucible, The Lord of the Flies, The Pearl, and Flowers for Algernon. It wasn't until high school that they threw in torturous assignments like the reading of Babbitt.) Anyway, The Crucible. For our literature unit this quarter, Annie and I are focusing on plays. So, what better play to start than with my very favorite. (Of course, I've probably read less than ten plays all told, and most of those have been Shakespeare. Nonetheless, this is my favorite.)

Why is it my favorite? (Aside from that thing about me not having many to choose from, that is.) For one thing, the Salem witch trials have always fascinated me. Oh yeah, in case you didn't know, that's what this play is about. A work of historical fiction, I suppose. Miller did fuse a few of the real people together to create certain characters, and of course, dramatic license was used. But the story is essentially the true story of the events in Salem in 1692. (And yes, of course, everyone is never going to agree completely on what happened. Wild theories will always abound, etc.)

But it's more than a simple look at history. It's a look at "witch hunts" in the general sense. Miller wrote this at the time of McCarthyism in the U.S., and this play can certainly be seen as an allegory. Annie and I discussed that a bit, but honestly we focused more on the paradox of the Puritan beliefs and their behavior. (Which is a kind of nice tie-in with our history studies at the moment, looking at the Pequot War.) How could a society so "God-fearing" and pious ultimately treat people so horrendously. The townspeople of Salem are definitely brimming with human frailties, as all people are. But how did they go from these "God-fearing" people to essentially murderers?

The version we read also had commentary by Miller mixed in. It was quite interesting to see his view of the characters, in his own words, in addition to how we saw them brought to life through the play. There was also an appendix, a scene he'd originally written for the play but decided to leave out as he felt it destroyed the flow. He stated that he really wished he could come up with a way to work it in. I wish he could have, too...as it really does change slightly the way I viewed one of the characters. But I don't want to give away too much there.

*****

Okay, so if you've been here before, you know already how much I despise my so-called book reviews, right? Despite how sweet you all are about them, I just feel like a phony. I have no analytical skills whatsoever. Face it, I seldom leave anyone with a clue as to what the book is even about. Well, guess what. I've come up with a solution! Now, I will no longer feel like I'm trying to fool anyone. I will no longer label these posts as "book reviews"...henceforth, they will be known as "book babble." Perfect, I'd say, as that is an honest look at what I really do...babble.

And hey, I think I'm going to use this as one of my 21 Cultures reads. It definitely showcased the culture of the Puritans in early New England. You don't think that's cheating, do you?

suggestions?

Since I got just the help I was looking yesterday, I'm back now asking for more help. Yes, thanks to the blessing of fellow addicts, I signed up for the the 21 Cultures Reading Challenge. And I put together a tentative list using books already on my shelves (or in one case, already ordered from Paperback Swap). But I'm still a few books short, and I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with a few I have on my list.

So, here's where I ask for help. Any suggestions? They just need to be books, fiction or nonfiction, that give a feel of the culture of the country where they are set. Modern culture or traditional culture. And the more suggestions, the better! :)

Green River, Running Red...random thoughts

Okay, I told myself that I was going to be better about reviewing the books I read this year. Not that I would write better reviews, just that I would review more of the books I read. And here I am, procrastinating already. I finished Ann Rule's Green River, Running Red a week ago, but just haven't been motivated to write about it. But since I'm about to finish another book (finally!), I figured I'd better just go ahead and jot down a few thoughts.

I know I've talked before about trying to figure out why I even enjoy reading true crime books, because frankly, on the surface, it just seems a rather morbid way to spend one's time. The best I've been able to figure is that it's the mixture of psychology and police work that intrigues me. Or maybe I should say "used to intrigue me." Because honestly the last couple I've read have not been particularly satisfying reads. And I don't think it's because they were poorly written books; I think it's just that my tastes have changed.

Anyway, about the book. Ann Rule, former police woman, veteran crime reporter, and author of numerous true crime books, tells the story of the Green River murders. It's a story that covered nearly twenty years, and of course, a story that has never ended for the families of the victims. One of the things I love about the way Ann Rule writes her books is the way she brings the victims to life. It's evident that it is the victims of crime that motivate her. In the case of the Green River murders, most of the victims were prostitutes, young women living on the edge of society. Many in the public choose to not think about these women, many even blame these women for their own deaths. But Rule never treats them with anything less than complete respect. She introduces us to these women, and I can't imagine anyone not caring about them after reading their stories.

Rule also greatly respects the work of the detectives involved. She chronicles the exhausting work carried out by so many. Detectives who also cared about the victims and their families. Detectives who often took a lot of abuse from the media for not solving the case for so many years. Detectives whose own lives suffered, physically and mentally, from the overwhelming strain of this case. But Rule wasn't blind to the occasion mistake made in the investigation. She kept it real.

One thing I didn't like about this book was Rule's personal involvement. Now granted, there were times when she really did have a part in something going on. But at times I felt she inserted herself into the story in places where she didn't need to. That it was simply superfluous.

And there was one very big question left hanging for me. Serial killers generally do not slow down. So why after killing nearly 50 women in just a couple years time, did things change? He did not, in fact, stop murdering innocent women, but he certainly did not follow the typical pattern of escalation. It was mentioned that he didn't feel the need to kill as often after he remarried, but that seems a superficial explanation to me. The psychology-junkie in me just wished that had been discussed in more depth.

Okay then, review done for my first read of the year. I can now cross it off my to-do list. And if anyone out there reads true crime and would like my gently used copy, just say so in the comments. (If there's more than one of you, we'll do the old random.org thing).

a little help here

I'm really, really tempted to join the 21 Cultures Reading Challenge. Could someone please stop me!!!

Either that, or just tell me to go for it. (Then I can blame it on you.)

Library Loot

Annie and I hit the library yesterday, and I was very excited by what I found there. I'd planned on sharing anyway, and when when I saw Eva's Library Loot, well how could I resist, huh?

I hit the graphic novels section in hopes of finding a Manga book to start out Rhinoa's challenge. After flipping through several that I just wasn't sure about, I came across Bizenghast by Marty LeGrow. Picked up the first two. Not sure what I'll think (my very first experience with Manga), but they sure sounded good.



And while I was there, I figured I'd look for a couple books for the Graphic Novels challenge. I've been wanted to read Rose by Jeff Smith for a long time now, and was thrilled to find it. Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi was just a total impulse pick-up...looked fun. And The Doll's House! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it! Our library branch apparently just bought it. I inter-library loaned it one time months back...only to be totally disappointed because a bunch of the pages had been cut out of it. Had to do a little happy dance right there in the library when I found that one. Which, by the way, is a very good way to embarrass one's preteen daughter.



Finally, there's Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata, another one I've been wanting to read for a while. And it will work perfectly for the World War II challenge.



Yep, I was mighty pleased with my little haul.

warm and cozy

The beautiful mittens and neck warmer being modeled by Annie (thanks Annie, you make a much lovelier model than I would have!) arrived in the mail today. I won them from my sweet friend Dawn. Dawn was one of the very first people I met when I started blogging, and she has remained one of my very favorite friends. And the reason for that is simple...Dawn is simply one of the sweetest people on the planet! She's a kindergarten teacher extraordinaire...seriously, I soooo want to be in her class! She's also an incredible Mom and Grandma. And she's a spectacular friend! I'm not sure I've ever met anyone else who so consistently happy and positive...and frankly, it's contagious. I cannot visit her blog without coming away with a big smile! So thank you, Dawn, for the mittens and neck warmer. And thank you even more for being YOU!

feeling lazy...

I've had a book review to write for the past few days, but I just don't feel like it.

I got a wonderful pile of goodies at the library today, but I'm too lazy to take a picture to post.

Jean tagged me with a meme, but I'm seriously lacking the motivation it would take to do that right now.

So, I'll just post a picture of my two favorite furry boys...'cause they're just so dang cute.



*****

Almost 2 days down, 12 days to go.

almost mailbox Monday

One of five came in the mail...Inside Out Girl by Tish Cohen. (Been wanting to read this one for quite a few months now.) Then there was that damn Buy 2, Get 1 Free table at Barnes&Noble. Gets me every time. That's where From Beirut To Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman came from. I wanted it so badly, so I convinced myself I had to find another worth buying so I'd get a third for free. So I picked up Another Day in the Frontal Lobe by Katrina Firlik. And got The Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring for free. And as for Paper Towns by John Green, well that needs no explanation, does it?

*****

Rich,

Just in case you've got a decent internet connection and can read this, here's a picture of your brood today:



Almost one day down, a long thirteen to go.

Looking for Alaska...random thoughts

My first review of the year. But not the first book I finished, because I actually finished it right before Christmas.

This is my first book for the Dewey's Books Challenge. And such an appropriate start to the challenge it is. The story:
1. I bought this book a while back because of Dewey's review. (Oh my goodness, there are so many, many books I can say that about!)
2. The book ended up buried in the TBR piles as more and more books poured into the house.
3. Nymeth wrote this incredible review, which caused me to dig the book out of the piles and put it on my nightstand. (This is supposed to ensure that I will get to a book soon. However, it doesn't really work.)
4. As Nymeth and I spent many hours sharing our shock and grief during the week following Dewey's death, she suggested it might be a good time for me to read this book. That's where things maybe get a bit too personal, and not appropriate for a book review. But suffice it to say, that Nymeth's suggestion was a very special gift. Because it is a very special book. And it will always remind me of the very special friend we lost when Dewey passed away.

So, what's so special about this book anyway? Where do you even start with a question like that? I think I loved everything about it. I didn't make a "top reads of 2008" list, but if I had, this surely would have made the top 3.

Yes, I now understand what Dewey and Nymeth and so many other people love about John Green. This guy can write! I wish so much he'd been out there writing when I was in my teen years. Because he "gets" teenagers. It is so evident in his writing that he likes teens and he respects teens.

The characters in Looking for Alaska are so authentic. In fact, if I had to choose one word to describe everything about this book, I think "authentic" would be it. But who are these characters, and what is the book even about? The story is told by Miles Halter. A high school kid from Florida. It's not that he's picked on, or singled out, but he doesn't really have any friends either. He decides to head off to the private school in Alabama that his dad once attended. He goes in search of what he calls the "Great Perhaps."

And what he finds is a place to belong. This place is with his new friends, Chip (the Colonel), Takumi, and the irresistible Alaska Young. Some might label them "the wrong crowd," but they are definitely the right crowd for Miles. With these new friends, Miles is able to accept himself, to grow, to discover what's important in life. And to struggle with the unfairness that is a part of living in this world. This is a story of friendship, of finding one's place.

It is hilarious, and it is heartbreaking. It is one very emotional read. And there is so much to this story that I just don't want to mention, because if you haven't read it, you need to discover it all for yourself.

I know I'm simply not talented at the art of book review. And it seems I do the worst job on the books I love the most. So, instead of trying to say any more, I'm just going to leave off with a few of the myriad of passages I marked in this jewel of a book.

I wanted to be one of those people who have streaks to maintain, who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails.

It as not an eventful day. I should have done extraordinary things. I should have sucked the marrow out of life. But on that day, I slept eighteen hours out of a possible twenty-four.

And so we gave up. I'd finally had enough of chasing after a ghost who did not want to be discovered. We'd failed, maybe, but some mysteries aren't meant to be solved. I still did not know her as I wanted to, but I never could. She made it impossible for me.

Before I sign off here, I just want to say thank you to Chris and Robin for hosting the Dewey's Books Challenge. It means so much to so many people.

the Christmas haul...

I know I tend to whine too much about the timing of Rich's Bahamas class. (And please do keep your finger crossed for me that we have a very light January snowfall this year, as I really don't want the extra chore of snow shoveling each day on top of taking care of three human children, one dog, two cats, six mice, one tarantula, two hissing cockroaches, and a tank full of guppies and snails.) But in actuality, the timing of his trip actually works in my favor. See, he feels great guilt in leaving me here in upstate New York, with the whole crew to take care of, while he's off teaching in the Bahamas. And as this guilt is being felt during those weeks leading up to Christmas, I rake in a pretty good pile of loot! (And if I keep up the "Oh, woe is me!" for long enough, it also relates into a pretty good haul for my birthday which falls a few weeks after he gets home.)

Anyway, this is what I got for Christmas:



*The Best of John Bellairs (A wonderful book for a family read from Nymeth)
*The Best of Roald Dahl (Also from the incredibly sweet Nymeth...I am soooo anxious to crack this one open)
*The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pickwater (another wonderful family gift, this one from Carl)
*Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (Also from Carl...and I have to say that it meant a lot that he would pick out this particular book for me...thank you from the bottom of my heart, Carl!)
*Strange Roads by Peter S. Beagle (Admit it, you're feeling a tad envious, aren't you? It won't help to tell you that it's autographed either, will it? Again, thank you, thank you, thank you, Carl! I want to save this for once OUaT, but I'm not sure I'll be able to wait.)
--And the rest are all from Rich:
*Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos by H.P. Lovecraft and Others
*A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies by John Murray
*Just After Sunset by Stephen King
*The Complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales
*Grimms Complete Fairy Tales
*The Illustrated Treasury of Fairy Tales
*Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
*The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs
*The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
*The Silver Donkey by Sonya Hartnett
*Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
*Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
*The Ghost Writer by John Harwood
*My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier
*Solstice Wood by Patricia A. McKillip
*The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop
*Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America by John M. Barry
*The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al Qaeda by Yaroslav Trofimov
*Yokohama Burning: The Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire That Helped Forge the Path to World War II by Joshua Hammer
*Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

And as if that isn't bad/good enough...I also acquired these over the holidays:



*An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (Because Looking for Alaska for was so freakin' good that I couldn't resist.)
*Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan (My sweet friend, Kara, was kind enough to pass this along.)
*The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Also from Kara. Thank you, sweetie!)
*The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu (Impulse buy.)
*Crimes Against Humanity by Adam Jones (Another impulse buy.)
*The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation by Jonathan Hennessey (Just because it looked fun for school.)

I probably shouldn't mention at this point that Rich also gave me an Amazon gift certificate (free from using using credit card points), and I've got a bunch of books ordered. Or that my brother gave me a big B&N gift card, and we're headed there shortly. Oh my, oh my, oh my. At least I'm among folks who understand...

*****

I just wanted to mention one thing. Many of the books that Rich bought me came from my wish list, and would have earned people points in the Blame Game. And I know the game was supposed to go until the end of January. But I just haven't had the heart to keep up with it the past month. Dewey made it so much fun, with her "friendly competition" with Nymeth and with her not-so-subtle suggestions and such. I'm sure you all understand why I'm just going to end it. Nymeth and Dewey battled back and forth for the lead. And there's no question in my mind that Nymeth now deserves the prize. And of course, even though the game is over, I know you all will still be responsible for more book piles like those above! :)

goals, regrets, and things to come

I'm actually quite happy to be starting a new year. I'm so hoping it will be the magic spark to lift the funk that has been permeating my life for the last month. I had actually decided that I was going to forgo setting goals for the new year this time around, but then I read Carl's post. Something he said totally inspired me. And I've decided to make it my one big goal for the year:

Live each day.

So simple, and yet so totally brilliant. Every day matters, and I will make it my mission to make sure I don't miss another one just trying to "get it all done."

*****

I really, really, really did NOT want to do it, but I finally had to admit to myself that I just couldn't catch up on my blog reading after being out of the loop for more than a week over Christmas. Yep, I hit that damn "mark as read" button. :( Seriously, does it make everyone else as sad as it does me when you have to do that?

*****

The last couple months, I got really bad about reviewing books. And I figure I'll just make a fresh start of it for the new year. With one exception. I finished Looking for Alaska right before Christmas, and I just have to talk about that one. Also coming soon, a look at all the challenges I wasn't supposed to be signing up for. ;) And a look at all the books I got for Christmas!

*****

May each and every one of you have a year filled with all you wish for!