There's nothing too shocking in here, but most of my entries are now friends-locked. If you're the nosy type, just comment to be added.

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed."
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them ;-)


( There are a lot of classics I haven't read- it's kind of humbling... )

tvaddictgurl asked me the following questions (see previous entry):

1. What do you think of The Mitchell Report?

2. When did you last break into spontaneous singing?

3. David Duchovny or Hugh Grant and why?

4. What did you have for breakast?

5. What's your favorite Sarah McLachlan song?

6. How would you spend $500, if you couldn't spend any of it on yourself or Brian?

7. Who would you most like to see perform a duet?

( My answers here... )
That was fun! If anyone else wants to ask me some questions, just see the previous entry and ask away!

tvaddictgurl did this and I'm copying.

Ask me seven questions. Not just any seven questions though. No, to keep it interesting, use the seven questions as per below - just copy and paste the following, replace the blanks with something you want to know/ask (e.g. 3. Donkeys or sandcastles and why?), anything you want, personal, silly, surreal or deep, comment away and I'll answer honestly as I can! Then post this in your own LJ and see what kind of things people want to ask you!

1. What do you think of _____________ ?

2. When did you last ____________?

3. __________ or ___________ and why?

4. What did you ______________?

5. What's your favorite ______________?

6. How would you ______________?

7. Who would you most like to ________ ?

I'm falling behind again! Here are some of the books I've recently read. I've also finished a book of fabulous short stories, but I don't have that on hand to properly review right now. I'm also nearly finished with one by Ruth Rendell as well as Marcus Sakey's latest. Those reviews will be up later this week.

For now, though:

10. To the Power of Three by Laura Lippman (448 pp)
This is the second stand-alone book by Laura Lippman I've read and I am finding I like these much better than her series (so far). In this, three best friends are shot in a high school bathroom. One dies, one has a minor wound and one is critical. The story is told from the point of view of one of the girls, a detective trying to figure out what happened, the father of the dead girl, and a high school outcast. Lots of POVs here, but they all work and it's easy to follow the storyline as it goes back and forth in time. My only beef is that the ending seemed rather tacked on and anticlimactic.

11. Go with Me by Castle Freemen (176 pp)
Go with Me tells the story of Lillian, a young woman being stalked by the local bad guy, Blackway. Not finding help from the law, she is steered toward some local characters who are determined to "go through" and set Blackway straight. Lillian takes up with two of them, an old man and a young one, and is dubious about chances of success.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's not long, less than 200 pages, but it's compelling, intense and so beautifully written. The book takes turns focusing on Lillian and the two men set to help her and a group of locals telling the back story of the town and of Blackway. The dialogue is sharp and convincing and the pacing is so well done for such a short novel. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Seriously. Go read this now.

12. Truth Catcher by Anna Salter (281 pp)
I guess it's only fitting that I follow up one of the best books I've read recently with one of the worst. The jacket copy drew me in to this story about a forensic psychologist who sees voices as colors and can tell when someone is lying. Breeze Copen is called in to evaluate whether or not Daryl Collins should be released after his prison sentence is complete or be civilly committed. While talking to Daryl, she sees a vision of a little girl and asks Daryl what he might know about her, opening up a huge can of worms in the process.

I wanted to like this, I really did. The premise is intriguing, but the execution blows. The author switches between first and third person POVs, but it's random and not all that coherent. There are numerous editing errors throughout the book, an irritating distraction, and the story lacks credible tension and suspense.

Total Pages Read: 3,652

Before I fall too far behind, here is a quick reading update:

7. The Colorado Kid by Stephen King (184 pp)
I really enjoyed this short novel by King (my second time reading this book), his contribution to the Hard Case Crime series. A young college graduate takes an internship at a small island paper off the coast of Maine. Her two elderly mentors draw her into the tale of a man found dead on the beach some years before. As always, King nails the dialogue and the setting and his characters are people I can see having a beer with quite easily. This story gets surprisingly deep into our need to know “why.”

8. The Ruins by Scott Smith (528 pp)
Pacing/character issues aside, this was a claustrophobic (in a good way), heart-pounding read. A group of friends decides to leave the sunny beaches of Mexico for a day trip into the jungle to find some ruins. Big mistake. I wanted to smack the main characters numerous times, but the sometimes annoying mix of personalities sets up their downfall perfectly. The suspense kept me turning the pages. This was a good airplane read, but I am passing this book on with no regrets.

9. Where The Heart Is by Billie Letts (384 pp)
After seeing this movie countless times (it’s always on tv and I always get sucked into it- I know…), I thought it was time I read the book it was based on. Novalee Nation, seven months pregnant, is left behind at a Wal-Mart by her shiftless boyfriend. She is friendless and alone at the start and lives in the Wal-Mart for two months. The story follows her as she gives birth to her daughter (in the Wal-Mart, natch), meets the townspeople and starts a new life. You know, the movie isn’t that bad and neither is the book.

Total Pages Read: 2,747

More books! I'm trying to stay on top of this. :)

5. Women Who Kill: Profiles of Female Serial Killers by Carol Anne Davis (288 pp)
This was a fascinating read, really. Female serial killers of all stripes are portrayed here, from Myra Hindley (one of the "Moors Murderers" along with Ian Brady) to Judith Neelley to Rose West. Davis does a good job of classifying the different types of killers (Black Widow, Team Killers, etc) and does not white-wash or try to defend these women. It's a scary read, but a good resource for understanding why certain women stray down that bloody dead end.

6. More Home Cooking: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin (240 pp)
More Laurie Colwin essays on life and cooking. As with the first one, I could not put this second book I've read by her down. She has a way of writing about something as simple as lentil soup that makes me so happy. I want to get my own copies of this and her other book of essays so that I can make her biscuits and cakes and yes, lentil soup.

Total Pages Read: 1,651

3. What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy by Gregory Maguire (304 pp)
Three young kids and their cousin are riding out what appears to be a natural disaster of epic proportions when Gage, a young man and cousin to the children, tells them a story about a creature named What-the-Dickens. What-the-Dickens is born in an empty tuna can and after narrowly escaping a nasty death at the hands (claws) of a cat, sets out on a journey to find out who he is. He stumbles across the path of another creature like himself and learns that he is a skibberee, aka tooth fairy. The title is somewhat misleading, as I don't think What-the-Dickens is really a rogue: he's just someone with a lot of questions about his place in the world and doesn't follow the rules as they are laid out to him- not out of spite but out of curiosity. The story-within-a-story format works for the most part here, and Gregory Maguire's characters are captivating and sympathetic. I found that the ending was too abrupt and left me wanting more, but overall I enjoyed this story quite a bit.

4. The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce (320 pp)
Sam is seven years old when he meets the tooth fairy for the first time, and it is not a good thing. "Oh, that's bad," it says, when it realizes Sam can see it. Freaky. It turns out to be male at this first meeting, but as Sam grows up the tooth fairy appears again and again, changing from male to female, and causes all sorts of problems for Sam and his friends. This is a coming-of-age story that managed to both freak me out and make me laugh. This was the first book by Graham Joyce that I've read, and I look forward to reading more by him.

Picking two books about the tooth fairy was entirely coincidental, but I enjoyed reading two very different takes on the myth. Next on my list is a nonfiction book about a British double agent and another book by Laurie Colwin.

Total Pages Read: 1,123

2. Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin (183 pp)
This was just a brilliant read: part memoir, part cookbook, Home Cooking is a collection of essays that covered everything from her favorite ways to cook red peppers to different ways to make potato salad to how to feed 150 people at once. Laurie Colwin's voice is so warm and casual and her stories make me want to spend the rest of the day in the kitchen putting together homey, simple-but-divine meals. She died very young- at 37, I believe- but managed to write several novels and short stories. She has another collection of cooking stories that I cannot wait to read. Again, this comes highly recommended.

Total Pages Read: 499

Starting a new year of the 52 Book Challenge- this time I plan on keeping better track.

1. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill (316 pp)
This is an amazing group of short stories. The majority are horror, but there are some great gems that fall out of that genre as well. Joe Hill (incidentally, son of Stephen King) has a gift for setting and characterization that is crucial in a good short story. My favorites- and these may change upon further readings- are "Best New Horror", "The Black Phone", "The Widow's Breakfast" and "Voluntary Committal." I highly recommend this collection.

Total Pages Read: 316

DONE. Thank God.



In my haste to get it finished in time, I made it smaller than I wanted. I showed it to a fellow knitter at work though, and she thinks it's just perfect. I don't know about that, but I do know that J will love it. I can't wait until her sweet boy makes his grand appearance.



Now I just have to block the damn thing overnight and find something to wrap it in. And then it's on to the next crafty thing. It feels good to finish something I've started. Maybe I'll start another blanket...who knows- maybe it will be for me?

More books!

17. Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Richard Yancey (384 pp)
The author gets a job with the IRS and offers a fascinating inside look at the machine. This could have been a dry, boring read but it isn't. Yancey is a perceptive writer and his experiences are eye-opening.

18. Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff (230 pp)
Oh, I really like Matt Ruff. Set This House in Order is an amazing book (and maybe due for a reread at some point), so I was really looking forward to this one. After being arrested for murder, Jane Charlotte tells police she is a member of a ultra, top-secret organization devoted to snuffing out evil people. The cops think she's a nutter, of course, and send in a shrink to get the real story. The twists and turns are many, but easy enough to follow, and there are parts in which I laughed out loud. The ending had me going 'what the fuck?' and I am so glad I picked this one up at the library.

19. 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King (427 pp)
Vampires in a small Maine village. God, I love this book. I just finished reading it again for the xxth time. It never gets old and it never fails to scare the shit out of me. Or make me laugh. Or make me tear up. King is at the top of his game here. Ben Mears, Mark Petrie, Father Callahan, Matt Burke...some of my favorite characters in literature that I never tire or revisiting. King brings all of the people here to life (or Death) in a most believable way and every time I read this book, I come away feeling like I just ate a huge plate of chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes with gravy- very satisfied and very happy.

Coming up: Kim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong, and more...

Total pages read: 6,125

I'm conceding that I will not remember all of the books I've read, but I'll continue to list what I do remember.

13. Peyton Amberg by Tama Janowitz (336 pp)
One word: Ew.

14. The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal by Jonathan Mooney (288 pp)
This is a wonderful book. Jonathan Mooney overcame his learning disorders to graduate with honors from an ivy league university, but never felt he fit in anywhere. He buys a (short) bus and sets off on a journey to discover what "normal" is and finds there really is no such thing. I couldn't put this one down. It's not overly sentimental or sappy, just a really good read.

15. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (759 pp)
I read this in one sitting, just could not put it down. A bit uneven in parts, but a fitting finale to a fantastic series.

16. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman (384 pp)
Thirty years ago, two sisters vanish from a shopping mall and no trace of them is ever found. Now a woman involved in a car accident claims to be one of the missing girls but refuses to elaborate. Lippman is near perfect in this one. She moves back and forth between the two periods without skipping a beat and the characters are fully fleshed out and believable. Just a marvelous story.

Total pages read: 5,039

The year is drawing to a close and so is the 52 Book Challenge tvaddictgurl and I created for ourselves. She has done an awesome job of keeping up with her books. I, on the other hand, have not. I know I've read a good number of books, but I just don't remember all of them. Here's my feeble attempt to catch up. In the interest of time, I've scrapped the format I was using and am just going to list some of the books with a comment or two.

9. Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Preditory Lending by James D. Scurlock (256 pp)
This is was an interesting, albeit depressing as hell, read that looks at the history of credit and how it's evolved into the monster it is today. The author talks to everyone from the guy who invented the credit card to peope who have lost everything to bad debt. I enjoyed it and found it eye-opening in many respects.

10. The Big Girls by Susanna Moore (224 pp)
This is first book I've read by Moore. It's from the point of view of a woman incarcerated in prison for killing her children, the prison's chief psychiatrist, a prison guard and an actress. It's a fast-paced, very intense read. I enjoyed it for the most, but there seemed to be too much going on to really absorb the story.

11. The Unquiet by John Connolly (418 pp)
Connolly's Charlie Parker series continues with this one and it did not disappoint at all. The private detective is hired by a woman to protect her from a stalker and a can of worms is opened as Parker digs deeper. This was a great, great read. Connolly is a lyrical writer who knows how to pace his story for maximum effect. I highly recommend this author's stuff, and not just his Parker stories.

12. Alva & Irva: The Twins Who Saved a City by Edward Carey (224 pp)
Observatory Mansions by Carey is one of the best books I've ever read, so I had high expectations for this one. The twins of the title are an eccentric pair, one a recluse and one who wants to travel, who've created a model of their city, Entralla. The book serves as the only existing guidebook to the city as it explores the people and places of Entralla. I liked this very quirky book, but I could never quite get into it like I could with his first book. I think this deserves a reread at some point.

Total pages read: 3,242

I have a long ways to go before I'm caught up (I know I've read dozens more by now), but this is a start. Next year I'll stay on top of the books.

It's the start of another lovely week in the cube and already I'm wishing it was Friday. Today is going to be particularly pleasant. But in my quest to find something positive in every situation, I will say that it's nice to be in an air-conditioned office. The humidity we've had for a week now has almost killed me. My hair died sometime around last Wednesday, and the rest of me isn't doing much better.

Oh, my poor hair. It is very, very sad right now. I have been transported back to the summer before my sophomore year in high school, a time when I was cursed with the possibly the Worst Hair Ever. That wasn't a good time for me to begin with (my period started when I was 14 1/2- right in the middle of my freshman year- and triggered a massive growth spurt of at least 3 inches. H E L L on earth, people, Hell on earth), and my hair was just the icing on a really nasty cake. Frizzy in some parts, flatter than my chest (if that was at all possible) in others. It wasn't until I cut most of it off right before the start of 10th grade that things started to right themselves, follicly-speaking anyway. So yeah, that's me right now in a nutshell. Frizzy, flat and feeling like a big pile of steaming crap.

Moving on...

I'm still writing every day, but not managing to get a lot of words down. I'm getting hung up on some plot issues, but am trying to bust through those right now. Once I get the first draft down, then I can worry about the gaping holes. The story is coming along, though it might be going places I didn't originally plan on. I'm not doing well with the 70 Days of Sweat challenge in the sense that I'm not writing 4-6 pages a day. However, I'm writing more than I was previously and that is good enough for now.

Lordy, but it is hot in this house. We've had 80+ degree weather all week, and it's been humid as hell. Well, at least to me, but then I grew up in a part of the country where humidity basically does not exist... So I'm a wimp, what can I say? Nellie the cat looks miserable and is being a swipey bitey bitch. Can't say I blame her. I feel swipey and bitey too.

There have been lots of doin's around the neighborhood lately. Cops have been called (by me and others), and frankly, it's getting old. The atmosphere is louder, rowdier. Maybe it's just the heat, but I can't blame all of the assholery on humidity. There are days in which Brian and I cannot wait to pull up stakes and head out west. We love our house, but the hood? Not so much anymore.

My period has been teasing me for over a week now, the cramps coming and going...the spotting starting and stopping. Just fucking get here already, will you? I'm wasting good tampons in my paranoia. Oh, that reminds me of something else that is pissing me off. Why in the name of all that is holy did Tampax fuck with their tampons? I had no problems with the old version, thankyouverymuch. There are few things in this world I can rely on; it hurts to cross one off of my list.

Let's see...what else is pissing me off. Oh, the latest Executive Order signed by Bush that could potentially see anyone cast as an opponent of the administration lose all of their wordly belongings. Oh sure, it is meant to target terrorists...

Did I mention it's hot in here?

Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts...

I've done horribly with the 70 Days of Sweat challenge. Horribly. However, I renewed my resolve on Sunday and am happy to report that I have written seven pages (think it's 1,700 words but I can't remember) in the last two days. Sure, it's nothing to set off fireworks over, but I'm writing again and that's the point.

One of my big problems is the inability to let go. I am going to write shit. A lot of it, actually, and I need to accept that and move on. The perfect story is not going to come out in the first draft, so I need to shut up already and just write the first damn draft. Can't edit anything into 'perfection' if it's not written to begin with. I am allowed to write a big steaming pile of crap, and then I am allowed to turn it into something that might not stink so badly.

It's time to stop making every excuse under the sun. I have to write. You should see all the bits and pieces I have written over the years. I want to finally finish something I've started. I don't know that I'll be able to keep the 4-6 page pace of the challenge all the way until the end, but I will do what I can.

One day later, I'm still riding the Deathly Hallows high. A proper review is still to come, as I just don't have it in me right now to think too hard. I'm still processing everything and having more fun reading the reactions of others to come up with a coherent one of my own.

Brian and I went to the clam fest and ate our way through the festivities. We had clams, of course. Battered clams. We were good and split a pint, and then we were even better and split an enormous strawberry shortcake. Actually, I ate most of that while Brian worked on a 'pork paddle' (a nice piece of bbq pork on the bone). We washed it down with a lime rickey, watched some of the Diaper Derby, and called it a day. It was hot and sunny, so to cool off afterwards, we stopped by Gritty's for a pint. The festival was a great distraction for us, something we sorely need. Sometimes you just have to step away from reality and eat a lot of bad food.

It's been a good day so far: I picked up Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at 8 am and finished it just before the dealership called shortly after 1 to let us know that our car was decked out with new belts and ready to go for $50 less than we were quoted. And to top it all off, I am having hot dogs for dinner. I know, they're repulsive, but I loooooove hot dogs.

But Harry Potter...wow. I am going to read it again soon, more slowly this time. There was a clunker or two in there, some bits that made me cringe, but damn it was an intense read. I teared up once or twice. Or maybe more, but I'm not saying. Once the book has sunk in a bit more, I'll post a more coherent review. For now, suffice it to say that I was not disappointed.

I've had a chance to read some reactions to the book and they range from absolute hatred to utter love. Amazing. I've dipped my toes once or twice into HP fandom and holy shit, it is something else. I understand some of the anger towards what happens to some of the characters, but in the end it is J.K. Rowling's world and she can do with it what she wishes. That said, the fanfic to come will be fun to read.

It's a gorgeous sunny day and I've spent a good chunk of it locked away in a book. There's still plenty of time to bask in the sunshine and that's just what I plan on doing.

I'm halfway through my last day of work this week, and THANK GOD is all I can say to that.

This has been a trying week and one I'm not sad to see the end of. No period yet, but I took another test and it was negative. My surgery still has not been scheduled, but I'm looking forward to it so that we can move on and get me pregnant.

My desire for children has waxed and waned over the years, and up until recently Brian and I had so many reasons why it wasn't the right time. But now we're as ready as we'll ever be. I'm 35, he'll be 35 in September. We've been together for six years, married for four and have a rock-solid relationship. We're ready. Money will be tight, but then it always is and we still manage to make it work. Nothing in life is a given, however, so we'll see where the journey takes us. All I know is that I'm finally ready.

Last night I picked up a voucher for the new HP. We went to a local bookstore, so I paid full price for the damn thing. They did give me a $10 gift certificate, so that works out to a decent discount. While I inwardly cringed at the price, I'm glad to support a local business. No midnight parties for me though. Hell, no. I'm getting my copy when they open at 8 am tomorrow morning and then it's off to get the timing belt replaced on our car. After we shell out over $400 (guh) for that, we're off to the Yarmouth Clam Festival for fried clams, lime rickeys, strawberry shortcake and excellent people-watching. If I can drag myself away from Harry Potter, that is...