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Finish Line 2009! >
Tiffany vows to work less and read more in 2009
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54. Nick & Norah's Infinite PlaylistA re-read. I just find this book so charming and enchanting... it makes me happy, in a syrupy sweet, gee-I-believe-in-love high-schooler sort of way. But every now and then, we need that.
You know, I do often feel like Eeyore when it comes to football! :P(And, well, usually baseball, too. And basketball.)
Tiffany wrote: "lol! Hey, we've had a few good moments ... you know, there was one game in '87... and a few games in 2005 ... :D"
Hmm. I suppose today's game full under the "Ugly" chapter. I had a roommate in the early 90's who was a huge Seattle fan. He was a lot like Eeyore - rain cloud always following him and the Seahawks around all the time.
lol! Hey, we've had a few good moments ... you know, there was one game in '87... and a few games in 2005 ... :D
Tiffany wrote: "53. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Seattle Seahawks Heart-pounding, Jaw-dropping, and Gut-wrenching Moments from Seattle Seahawk History
I was disappointed, but I kind of expected..."
I didn't enjoy the Patriots version of this series of books either. Too much homerism for me - wasn't an in depth, new look that I was anticipating.
P.S. - What exactly is the "Good" part for the Seahawks anyway? ;0)
53. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Seattle Seahawks Heart-pounding, Jaw-dropping, and Gut-wrenching Moments from Seattle Seahawk HistoryI was disappointed, but I kind of expected it. This was very similar to Then Zorn Said to Largent The Best Seattle Seahawks Stories Ever Told (Best Sports Stories Ever Told the Best Sports Stories Ever T) with CD, which was disappointing, therefore I wasn't surprised that this was disappointing.
51. Reading Oprah How Oprah's Book Club Changed the Way America ReadsAn interesting study of Oprah's Book Club, book clubs in general, and the study of novels. Also an interesting reflection on the Oprah Book Club backlash (i.e. books lose credibility with some literature elites after Oprah has included them in her book club).
Oh my! Am I here??50. Six Tales of the Jazz Age
I love Fitzgerald's writing, especially his short stories. I still find it amazing that I didn't read my first Fitzgerald until my late twenties -- he's been one of the best finds of my adult life.
Woohoo! At times this year it definitely didn't feel like I'd make it to my 50. I still have 3 books to finish, and a quick read I might do at Christmas.
48. The Sun Also RisesA good book ... I don't quite get what all of the hubbub over this book is about, but maybe if I'd read it in its own era...
Still, a good read.
47. Shuffle and BreakdownI took my time with this small book of poetry because I wanted to be able to enjoy every poem on its own merits, and to not rush through them. Very enjoyable!
Phew! I finally finished reading all of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die! Well, okay, I didn't read all of the books, but I read all of the book about the books :)46. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
Let's face it: our lifetimes are limited, and I doubt I'll have time to read all 1001 books, along with non-list books that I want to read. So I made my way through the Big Book, and made a list of all of the books that I might want to read, thus weeding out the stuff I know life is too short to begin.
Now I just have to add that list to my to-read shelf ... another big project.
45. The Best in Rock FictionNot so much "the best," actually. Not horrible, either, though. Some stories were really good, and some... well, maybe someone else would like them, but not me.
A big weekend for me, book-wise, already -- 40. Myths and Mysteries of Washington
I realized late last year that I'd never read The War of the Worlds, even though we listened to the radio broadcast for Halloween when I was in sixth grade, so I decided that October would be the perfect time to finally read it, and I kind of went wild with it this month.
41. The Complete War of The Worlds
I also wanted to hear the radio version again, and I found a book at my local library that 1) was about H.G. Wells and his The War of the Worlds, 2) was about science fiction and our fascination with visitors from other planets, 3) was about Orson Welles' radio broadcast, 4) included a CD with Welles' radio version.
42. The War of the Worlds
The above book also included the full text of Wells' story, so I'm counting them as two separate books read.
43. The War of the Worlds
And to round it all out, I'll be listening to the audiobook of TWotW this week at work. I think this is a wonderful way to get in the Halloween spirit -- a whole month of Martians!
44. Vanishing Seattle
Has anyone noticed the theme of me liking Seattle history? This time, I did actually follow along with a map, so I could try to visualize what is currently in the various locations mentioned.
39. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet A NovelI'm in love. This is an amazing and beautifully-written historical fiction about a Chinese American boy and his Japanese American (girl)friend during World War II in Seattle.
The story was so captivating, I couldn't put the book down. I even stayed up late tonight (well, "late" for my current schedule) so I could finish it, then resented Ford for not writing a longer book! :)
38. The Marrow of TraditionI bought this book for an English class I ended up not taking, but once I buy a book, I almost NEVER return it without reading it. So despite the fact that I didn't think I'd like it (I figured Chesnutt would be very heavy-handed with the moral of race riots), I read it.
I ended up really enjoying the book. Chesnutt's such a good storyteller that even though the moral was heavy-handed at times (especially the last few chapters), his writing flows so well that I wanted to keep reading.
I enjoyed the book so much that I made up reasons to read. This was a book that I intended to read on the bus or at my night job, but after a while, I started sneaking in a few pages here and there at my day job, too. "Oh, well, my computer takes so long to start in the morning, I'll sit here and read." "Well, my computer is *on* now, but, um, my mail is still downloading, so I'll read." "Um, I get 2 15-minute breaks a day, so I'm going to go read." "Um, the internet is down, and my work needs the internet, so I'll read until it's back up." :)
37. Tender Is the NightTender Is the Night (With Author's Final Revisions)
The original version of Tender Is the Night wasn't the big success that F. Scott Fitzgerald thought it should be, so he thought that perhaps readers were confused by the order of the sections. He re-ordered them in chronological order, hoping that would help the story make more sense to readers, rather than a timeline that bounced around.
I don't think the chronology made the story make more or less sense, but this version gave a new way of reading the story.
36. Birds of a FeatherI didn't think this was as good as the first Maisie Dobbs book, but it was still good.
32. The Pat Hobby StoriesLoved these short stories!
33. The Book on the Bookshelf
Awesome book for bookgeeks and people interested in the evolution of furniture and structures.
31. Pride and Prejudice audioSurprisingly, I didn't dislike the book! I've always thought I'd hate Austen, or that her novels would be too smart for me, but I actually thought it wasn't bad. Even enjoyable!
30. The Voyage of the Dawn TreaderGood book! A delightful read! I know I read this in elementary school, but I didn't remember any of it as I read it this time around.
Thanks to the heat wave we've been having in western Washington, I spent the nights this past week looking for ways to spend hours while waiting for my room to cool down enough to sleep. On Wednesday, I decided to watch Slumdog Millionaire. I didn't really like it that much... I don't know if it was because the heat was affecting my concentration, or because I was so tired I couldn't focus, or because it's so different from the book, or I just didn't like it in general, but for whatever reason, I didn't like it that much. Not that it was bad, I just thought it was a letdown from the book.
Tiffany wrote: "I haven't seen it, but kind of wanted to. After reading the book, though, I'm really curious about the movie. Have you seen the movie and read the book? If so, which did *you* like better?"
I saw the movie before reading the book. I can't pinpoint why but I didn't like it too much. I mean I love Dev Patel but something just didn't hit me right. Then I read the book and loved it, it was quite different from the movie. But that's just me. :)
27. Then Zorn Said to Largent The Best Seattle Seahawks Stories Ever Told (Best Sports Stories Ever Told the Best Sports Stories Ever T) with CDMeh.
28. Prince Caspian
*happy sigh* I read this book today. Just today. How nice it is to get up in the morning, not have to go to work, and decide to just forget your obligations for a few hours and read a good fantasy. It took me 7 hours, start to finish, which includes a 3.5-hour break for baseball and laundry.
I don't really remember this book from the first time I read it in elementary school, but reading it today, I absolutely could not put it down -- so wonderful!
29. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories: The Quest of the Missing Map
I haven't seen it, but kind of wanted to. After reading the book, though, I'm really curious about the movie. Have you seen the movie and read the book? If so, which did *you* like better?
Tiffany wrote: "26. Q & A A NovelWonderful book! I read almost half of it the first night, and probably would have stayed up to finish it if I didn't have to go to work the next morning. (Stupid wo..."
Have you seen Slumdog Millionaire? If you have, which did you like best? :)
26. Q & A A NovelWonderful book! I read almost half of it the first night, and probably would have stayed up to finish it if I didn't have to go to work the next morning. (Stupid work. Getting in the way of my reading again.)
24. Midnight in the Garden of Good and EvilWonderful!
25. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #11: The Clue of the Broken Locket
Finally halfway there, and a little over halfway through the year. We'll see if I can make it ...
22. CoralineVery cute. I could imagine being a kid and reading this and getting scared, but still continuing on :)
Okay, I'll admit it ... even as a very old kid, I was reading this and getting scared and "Oh!"ing out loud :P
21. Bee SeasonOh my God ... this was an absolutely amazing book. Funny, though, I didn't remember the warnings I received from Dawn's review in her 2008 list until I'd finished reading the book :P I went back and reread her review, and everything she said makes absolute sense. While reading the book, I often found myself trying to figure out what age group it was written for--the main character is in fifth grade for the majority of the book, but there are quite a few sex scenes and references to sex and drugs.
Still, the book is so beautifully written... it flows and the language is so poetic and illustrative. I could not imagine seeing the movie, as I think it would ruin the magic of the book. The writing presented such PERFECT images in my head (like Miriam's "kaleidoscope" and Eliza's epiphany), seeing someone else's vision of it would absolutely kill it for me.
I think this book (the story and its images) will haunt me for some time to come.
18. Remarks Remade The Story of R.E.MA much better version than the previous editions. Thank God!
19. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor
Another nice little revisiting of my childhood :)
20. The Awakening An Authoritative Text Biographical and Historical Contexts Criticism
Another book in my You-Pay-For-a-300-Page-Textbook-But-Only-Read-100-Pages-Of-It list of books to re-read/re-visit/finish.
17. Stephen Colbert and Philosophy I Am PhilosophySome of the essays seemed to stretch the connection between Stephen Colbert/The Colbert Report and philosophy, but the book does cover two very good subjects (i.e. Stephen Colbert and philosophy), therefore it can't be all that bad. Even the articles that made only a minimal connection between The Man and The Subject were still informative regarding philosophy. The only reason it doesn't receive 5 stars is because of those "Uhh... how is this related to Stephen Colbert?" moments... too many times where it seemed to stray too far from the intended topic. But other than that, good book!
16. Dracula audioI liked this much more than I thought I was going to. Amazing that I've never read it before.
15. Anne of Green Gables audioThanks, Annie . I was saving this for a special occasion, and I decided that "I HATE MY COWORKERS!!!!" was a special enough occasion. I loaded up my iPod with Anne&Annie, and listened to a few chapters at a time. Let me tell you, they made the days SO much more bearable. They made it almost enjoyable to be at work (*almost*). :)
14. Hocus PocusI had this book in a group of books that I wasn't sure if I should keep or give away, so I quickly reread it to decide (and if anyone is curious, it made the cut. Now I just have to find shelf space or box space for it. Too many books!!!).
13. Inside Bartlet's White House An Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to the West WingA quick-and-dirty guide to the episodes in the first 2.5 seasons of The West Wing. The author gives a synopsis of each episode, along with his thoughts on it, and various tidbits categorized into sections such as "A View From the Hill" and "American History X" (for viewers not familiar with US government or history), "The Encyclopedic Mind of Josiah Bartlet PhD" (President Bartlet is a know-it-all geek), and "References" (references to pop culture, American history, consumerism, etc.), among others.
The book is a nice enough overview of each episode, but sometimes the overviews are *too* brief, leaving out major plot lines. Also, the "references" to pop culture are often merely sayings that were used in both the episode and some other piece of pop culture. Just because a song or movie used the saying also doesn't mean The West Wing is quoting/misquoting/referring to it. Also, the "Logic, Let Me Introduce You to This Window" continuity errors and plot problems section seems to have trouble sometimes separating reality from fiction -- yes, a country named in the episode is not a real country, but guess what? Jed Bartlet's not the real president, either. There has to be some leeway for creative license and imaginary worlds.
Other than that, the book is a nice way to reminisce about my favorite show (but I'm sure there are better books out there).
One nice thing about reading so many books at once is that sometimes you have a landslide of books you finish at once:10. Ballet Shoes
Another cute book, but I think I like the 2007 BBC movie better.
11. Me Talk Pretty One Day
Oh, I *so* love David Sedaris.
12: Remarks: The Story of R.E.M.
The 1992 edition. Next up will be the 2002 edition :)
Tiffany wrote: "What a great book! A very detailed and thoughtful analysis of ... well ... how messed up the USA has become in the past few years, and how the next president (now, Obama) should go about getting it back on track."Read "The Limits of Power" by John Bacevich. We have been screwing up since 1945.
9. Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership - Madeleine Albright (for some reason, the link doesn't want to work, no matter how many different ways I try. Then it finally worked, but linked to the wrong edition ... grrrr!)What a great book! A very detailed and thoughtful analysis of ... well ... how messed up the USA has become in the past few years, and how the next president (now, Obama) should go about getting it back on track.
Connie -- Yeah, the work less/read more was a goal for this year, after working 60-70 hours a week a majority of the weeks last year. Unfortunately, I haven't done well in that goal so far this year :/
The 1001 list is interesting, but the list keeps getting updated and revised, so it's probably now up to 1201+ books... It's a moving target, so I know I'll never finish any version of the list, but it's still fun, anyway :)
I don't think I've heard of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I checked out a book (I don't remember the exact title) I think it was The New Lifetime Reading Plan. I made a list of those. I'll have to check out the 1001 list. Good luck & happy reading.
