23. A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley
24. Emma, Vol. 8 (These have sort of lost momentum for me. I had to get Volume 6 through ILL, and the waiting sort of got me out of the story. Also at this point the author is following Emma's supporting characters, and I just don't care about them nearly as much, but I like a certain amount of comic book reading in my life, so...)
25. Emma, Vol. 9
26. Fried Butter: A Food Memoir by Abe Opincar (There is a sensuality to the style of writers who relate strongly to food that I really get into, this was a great example of that. See also Reckless Appetites: a Culinary Romance by Jacqueline Deval & Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber.)
27. So, Now You Know... : A Compendium of Completely Useless Information by Harry Bright & Harlan Briscoe (Exactly what it sounds like, a nice, humorous, light read.)
28. Paris in Mind, edited by Jennifer Lee (Been reading this off & on for over a year. Reading about Paris is good for a particular kind of melancholy, but causes another when overdosed.)
29. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (Another wonderful collaboration between this two favorite YA authors. Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist also not to be missed, but avoid the film at all costs. *shudder*)
30. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia &Margaret Stohl (Did this as an audiobook. Having a the guy's point of view in a romance with a paranormal was interesting. I'm pretty much burned out on the YA paranormal romances, probably wouldn't have finished this if it hadn't been an audiobook.)
31. This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson (I've been working on this off and on for a couple months. Great cure for a crisis of faith cause by bureaucracy.)
32. Other People's Rejection Letters, edited by Bill Shapiro (At first I was amused by this book, but by the end it just was horribly depressing.)
33. Fables 14: Witches (I almost didn't get this. The previous volume relied varily on a character I hate, and was just plain tedious, but Fable seems to be back on track and it's nice to seem some of the characters who have been at war for so long finally com into some small happinesses. I am however still considering this series on probation.)
34. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier (Interesting merge of vampire mythos & the Twelve Dancing Princes, with a strong dose of Transylvanian historical novel, good cure for the common YA paranormal romance.)
35. Love is a Four-Legged Word by Kandy Shepard (Not proud of this. This novel took -10 off my street cred as a reader, but if you want to read something that takes no effort whatsoever...)
36. And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman (I love this lady, this is a personal journal with illustrations with meditations on the historical figures in early U.S. history & whatever else crosses her mind.)
37. We Could Almost Eat Outside: An Appreciation of Life's Small Pleasures by Phillippe Delerm (A pleasant collection of musing a small, nice daily things.)
38. Our Paris; Sketches from Memory by Edmund White & Hubert Sorin (This is like hanging out with your gay best friend bragging about his wonderful life in Paris, don't be jealous, be happy for him. Sweet for his delight in their daily life & a guilty pleasure of being the one dished-to in gossip rather than the one dished-on. For a more literary-minded version of Edmund White's Paris check out The Flaneur: A Stroll Through the Paradoxes of Paris.
39. Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block (I boycotted this for a while because it is sad to see an author I admire as much as I do Francesca Lia Block give in to the YA paranormal romance genre, not once, but twice. This does however bring interesting material to the table, female werewolf protagonist, also racial prejudices, and small-town small-mindedness. While this is by no means Block's best work, or even in her top five, if you aren't familiar with her you won't miss the difference.)
40. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (This was fun & mischievous read. YA. Kind of made me want to go pull large-scale overly-intellectual pranks.)
41. Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer, edited by Robert Swartwood (I love this. I wanted to hand it to everyone! It's so wonderfully compact and so interesting and satisfy, I only with their were more books like this. See also the Six Word Memoir books. Excellent!)
42. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (Audiobooked. This got be through a lot of commuting. And I can think of teens I would recommend it to. Intriguing world theory, a country that used to have extremely advanced technology gave it up by royal decree, and now lives in a Georgian high-court world of politics & protocal, the ever hanging threat & mystery of a massive inescapable prison that's physical location is a mystery. The characters didn't hold me through the book and I knew it was going to be a cliff-hanger ending long before it arrived which made the end seem needlessly drawn out... but might give the sequel a shot, we'll see...)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
February Readings
11. Emma. Vol 6. (Kudos to ILL for getting this for me.)
12. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell (Audiobooked. Not sure if I would have read this but it was a good listen. I liked the shifting point of view between the adult granddaughter & the elderly sisters, one of who has been in a mental institute for 60 years, the other with dementia. I like how she used the later two characters to explore internal coping mechanisms. And I liked the adult grand daughter, maybe not liked exactly, but she made a lot of sense to me, her choices & shifting point of view.)
13. 77 Love Sonnets by Garrison Keillor (This is not mushy love poetry, it isn't even all poetry about romantic love, but it is poetry about loving life & living loves, if that makes any sense. I can't think of anyone I wouldn't hand this to if they were at all open to poetry.)
14. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Another entry to the YA-supernatural-doomed-love genre. the twist is that it fallen angels rather than vampires & the heroine has a a more developed sense of self-preservation than Bella. not bad. only recommending to people who haven't seen past the Twilight glitter entirely yet.)
15. Lover's Dictionary: a novel by David Levithan (Genius Levithan strikes again. Nobody else I'm aware of is writing such good prose about what love is, the frothy as well as the gritty. And I'm a sucker for fiction with footnotes or in a encyclopedic format so this is doubly good.)
16. Emma Vol. 7 by Karu Mori
17. They Call Me Naughty Lola:Personal Ads from the London Review of Books. edited by David Rose (I didn't like this quite as much as the sequel, Sexually, I'm More of a Switzerland, but I might just have not been so in the mood for it. It didn't seem so sad before.)
18. It all changed in an instant: more Six Word Memoirs by authors Famous & Obscure, edited by Smith Magazine (I love this series!)
19. The Strange Affair of the Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder (Steampuck mystery, it this becomes a series I'd check out the next one. The premise was odd, but it is steampunk is it pretty much has to be. Burton & Swinburne were hilarious once they got together, I'd have enjoyed it more if that had happened sooner.)
20. The Book of Eleven: An Itemized Collection of Brain Lint by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (She's had me hooked since Encyclopedia of An Ordinary Life. This wasn't as good as that, but I laughed some.)
21. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (Really, really good! Punk smart Brooklynite falls into revolutionary Paris, really great soundtrack if you recognize the songs they mention.)
22. How Did You Get This Number: essays by Sloane Crosley (Not exactly humor, but not not funny, odd, but good odd. I will read anything she puts her name to, I like the way she thinks.)
12. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell (Audiobooked. Not sure if I would have read this but it was a good listen. I liked the shifting point of view between the adult granddaughter & the elderly sisters, one of who has been in a mental institute for 60 years, the other with dementia. I like how she used the later two characters to explore internal coping mechanisms. And I liked the adult grand daughter, maybe not liked exactly, but she made a lot of sense to me, her choices & shifting point of view.)
13. 77 Love Sonnets by Garrison Keillor (This is not mushy love poetry, it isn't even all poetry about romantic love, but it is poetry about loving life & living loves, if that makes any sense. I can't think of anyone I wouldn't hand this to if they were at all open to poetry.)
14. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Another entry to the YA-supernatural-doomed-love genre. the twist is that it fallen angels rather than vampires & the heroine has a a more developed sense of self-preservation than Bella. not bad. only recommending to people who haven't seen past the Twilight glitter entirely yet.)
15. Lover's Dictionary: a novel by David Levithan (Genius Levithan strikes again. Nobody else I'm aware of is writing such good prose about what love is, the frothy as well as the gritty. And I'm a sucker for fiction with footnotes or in a encyclopedic format so this is doubly good.)
16. Emma Vol. 7 by Karu Mori
17. They Call Me Naughty Lola:Personal Ads from the London Review of Books. edited by David Rose (I didn't like this quite as much as the sequel, Sexually, I'm More of a Switzerland, but I might just have not been so in the mood for it. It didn't seem so sad before.)
18. It all changed in an instant: more Six Word Memoirs by authors Famous & Obscure, edited by Smith Magazine (I love this series!)
19. The Strange Affair of the Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder (Steampuck mystery, it this becomes a series I'd check out the next one. The premise was odd, but it is steampunk is it pretty much has to be. Burton & Swinburne were hilarious once they got together, I'd have enjoyed it more if that had happened sooner.)
20. The Book of Eleven: An Itemized Collection of Brain Lint by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (She's had me hooked since Encyclopedia of An Ordinary Life. This wasn't as good as that, but I laughed some.)
21. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (Really, really good! Punk smart Brooklynite falls into revolutionary Paris, really great soundtrack if you recognize the songs they mention.)
22. How Did You Get This Number: essays by Sloane Crosley (Not exactly humor, but not not funny, odd, but good odd. I will read anything she puts her name to, I like the way she thinks.)
January Readings
1. Sexually, I'm More of a Switzerland: More Personal Ads from the London Review of Books. Edited by David Rose. (Hilarious & sweet. Perfect for when you might feel like the oddest crayon in the box. Will put a hold on the first one. Thanks to J. for handing it to me.)
2. House of Dolls by Francesca Lia Block (My favorite rockstar author takes a crack at kids books... It's okay, but it's no Dangerous Angels.)
3. All Things Alice by Linda Sunshine (Cute little book of Lewis Carroll quotes with masses of vintage illustrations.)
4. Almost French by Sarah Turnbull (Memoir. It was interesting to see Paris from the point of view of an outsider trying to make a life there & that kept me in it even though I was not enthralled by her writing style.)
5. Dandelion Fire: Book 2 of the 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson (I really enjoyed 100 Cupboards but in its trilogy I found myself just barely keeping track of the multiple characters roaming separately and by the end I just didn't care anymore. Have not put the third on hold.)
6. Matched by Alley Condie (Very cool. Utopia/dystopia/futuristic. What is you lived in a society that found your perfect mate for you? What if it was wrong? Fans of Hunger Games, Brave New World, 1984... anyway, it's great fun. Question authority, read poetry.)
7. Walks with Men: fiction by Anne Beattie
8. The Frozen Thames by Helem Humphreys (A collection of short stories that take place on or around the Thames at various times when it was frozen. Interesting meditation on cold, ice, celebration, life in London over a long period of time in snapshots of lives.)
9. Baby, Remember My Name: An Anthology of New Queer Girl Writing. Edited by Michelle Tea. (My favorite was "Homo Marriage Redux" by Zoe Whittal. Some fun stuff, some sad stuff, some strange stuff, that's how anthologies go.)
10. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride (I got through this because I liked the main character, but I'm a little critical of bringing this many kind of magical people into a reality (werewolves, necromancers, witches & more) theres a certain point where it just feels like someone pulled out a myth dictionary and started opening it at random & tossing out types. I think there were also parts that were supposed to be funny (idea propagated by Sherman Alexie quote on cover) that just weren't my kind of funny.... Not hating, but it wasn't quite for me.)
2. House of Dolls by Francesca Lia Block (My favorite rockstar author takes a crack at kids books... It's okay, but it's no Dangerous Angels.)
3. All Things Alice by Linda Sunshine (Cute little book of Lewis Carroll quotes with masses of vintage illustrations.)
4. Almost French by Sarah Turnbull (Memoir. It was interesting to see Paris from the point of view of an outsider trying to make a life there & that kept me in it even though I was not enthralled by her writing style.)
5. Dandelion Fire: Book 2 of the 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson (I really enjoyed 100 Cupboards but in its trilogy I found myself just barely keeping track of the multiple characters roaming separately and by the end I just didn't care anymore. Have not put the third on hold.)
6. Matched by Alley Condie (Very cool. Utopia/dystopia/futuristic. What is you lived in a society that found your perfect mate for you? What if it was wrong? Fans of Hunger Games, Brave New World, 1984... anyway, it's great fun. Question authority, read poetry.)
7. Walks with Men: fiction by Anne Beattie
8. The Frozen Thames by Helem Humphreys (A collection of short stories that take place on or around the Thames at various times when it was frozen. Interesting meditation on cold, ice, celebration, life in London over a long period of time in snapshots of lives.)
9. Baby, Remember My Name: An Anthology of New Queer Girl Writing. Edited by Michelle Tea. (My favorite was "Homo Marriage Redux" by Zoe Whittal. Some fun stuff, some sad stuff, some strange stuff, that's how anthologies go.)
10. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride (I got through this because I liked the main character, but I'm a little critical of bringing this many kind of magical people into a reality (werewolves, necromancers, witches & more) theres a certain point where it just feels like someone pulled out a myth dictionary and started opening it at random & tossing out types. I think there were also parts that were supposed to be funny (idea propagated by Sherman Alexie quote on cover) that just weren't my kind of funny.... Not hating, but it wasn't quite for me.)
Friday, February 4, 2011
A good breakfast better include tea
A short survey of my breakfast for Plinkyness, the usual, the ideal...
tea
Tea is warm & I'm always cold in the morning. It's enough caffeine to get me moving without the overpoweringness of coffee. It's gentle, & mornings seem so harsh.
protein & carb
Usually this is eggs & toast for me, but I greatly prefer having a noodle+tofu dish left over from the night before. Leftover phad thai or #17 from the pho shop is fantastic.
vitamins
I don't really like my little collection of moring pills, often make me gag a little, but the multi, rosemary, cranberry, flax seed oil, & allergy tablet keep my body happier than it is without them. If I don't take them after breakfast it just isn't going to happen.
I can't say 'no' to books
I can't not give book recommendations. If someone asks me I have to answer & sometimes I tell people about books when they don't really feel like listening.
I can't say no to greatly discounted dk yarn in blacks and or blues, espcially if machine washable or has any silk content.
...beach glass, sweet & sour "chicken," Heath or Skor bars, salads that include pear & walnuts...
....chai, earl grey, jasmine tea, anything in the antique shop with lace that fits me at all...
....my department manager, anyone crying on the phone, little kids reading books that remind me of anything I read as a kid (I just start jumping through hoops like its my job; it might be my job)...
...dogs-- they want petting & I'm their girl--
...boxes of book donations, even when everything on top looks trashy, & they smell a little heinous, there could be something really cool at the bottom, some Anne Sexton, or T.S. Eliot, or anything!
...wicked old dictionaries with beautiful curly typeface, even if the binding is dead the pages come home to become endpapers & other things...
...papercrafts, cut out constructables or origami, decoupage or bookmarks left by other people in library books...
...blank books of a roughly paperback size with sewn bindings & creamy paper...
...black pens with real ink (not Bics), hard tips, thin unbroken lines...
...very thin tipped paint brushes, neither weak nor too stiff, even though I already own more of these then I'll likely ever use up...
...double sided tape in handheld dispensers & glue in purse-sized quanities...
...shiny blue things...
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Best of 2010 Book List
So, the great recap of the year. No particular order...
Ooku: The Inner Chambers. by Fumi Yoshinaga.(series. manga. fantastic alter-history. Good enough that I got her entire early series, Antique Bakery, through ILL. Looking forward to anything she does in the future.)
Portable Childhoods: Stories by Ellen Klages (Wonderful fantasy short stories of a similar vein as Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things, only found because Gaiman did the introduction. She should be better known.)
The Anxiety of Everyday Objects by Aurelie Sheehan (Wonderfully written. The adventures of whimsical dreamer in an office job. You can relate? Excellent.)
The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault (A fun little mystery in a dictionary office. A treat for etymology geeks. Found by using that Amazon Recommends thing at the bottom of the page for Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie.)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: a Flavia De Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Flavia has definately joined Witch Baby & Lisbeth Salander on my list of Fictional Rolemodels. She may be eleven but she's a chemistry genius with a knack for poisons, oh but she's the good guy/gal. I don't read a ton of mysteries but I can imagine resisting any bit of snooping Flavia might let me tag along for. Waiting for the third Flavia book in Feb 2011.)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson (The original title in Swedish translates to "Men Who Hate Women," and although fitting in many ways I would probably not have read this if that had been the title in english. I love this book and the main female character even if she is only sparsely characterized early in the book. She was instantly added to my fictional rolemodels. Not for the faint of heart; well worth the time.)
The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger (This is a picture book look graphic novel. Very different style graphicly from Three Incestous Sisters and the Adventuress, and not as thematically difficult as the former & Her Fearful Symmetry. This is a the perfect bedtime story for bibliophiles in general, bibliophiles who work in libraries in particular.)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (If Harry Potter were written for adults then it would be The Magicians. Excellent, also the mechanism of the magic system were way more likely than in the Potter-verse. Followed this up with Grossman's Codex, same main character for all purposes so is prbably standing in for Grossman himself, but I kind of like him so I didn't mind. Feel free to hit Codex instead if you'd rather paly with old books than magic.)
A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse' (I love this book! I made pages of notes on things to read, and there's some really lovely quotes on the importance of good books. It's a book about books, a mystery, a love story. Little bit of a slow start but well worth it. Sort of want to mail this to almost everyone I know.)
The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious--and Perplexing -- City by David Lebovitz (This was a fun little foodie's biography as a Paris transplant. Great for getting great gritty daily city details & the otherness of being a cultural transplant.)
Ooku: The Inner Chambers. by Fumi Yoshinaga.(series. manga. fantastic alter-history. Good enough that I got her entire early series, Antique Bakery, through ILL. Looking forward to anything she does in the future.)
Portable Childhoods: Stories by Ellen Klages (Wonderful fantasy short stories of a similar vein as Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things, only found because Gaiman did the introduction. She should be better known.)
The Anxiety of Everyday Objects by Aurelie Sheehan (Wonderfully written. The adventures of whimsical dreamer in an office job. You can relate? Excellent.)
The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault (A fun little mystery in a dictionary office. A treat for etymology geeks. Found by using that Amazon Recommends thing at the bottom of the page for Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie.)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: a Flavia De Luce Mystery by Alan Bradley (Flavia has definately joined Witch Baby & Lisbeth Salander on my list of Fictional Rolemodels. She may be eleven but she's a chemistry genius with a knack for poisons, oh but she's the good guy/gal. I don't read a ton of mysteries but I can imagine resisting any bit of snooping Flavia might let me tag along for. Waiting for the third Flavia book in Feb 2011.)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson (The original title in Swedish translates to "Men Who Hate Women," and although fitting in many ways I would probably not have read this if that had been the title in english. I love this book and the main female character even if she is only sparsely characterized early in the book. She was instantly added to my fictional rolemodels. Not for the faint of heart; well worth the time.)
The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger (This is a picture book look graphic novel. Very different style graphicly from Three Incestous Sisters and the Adventuress, and not as thematically difficult as the former & Her Fearful Symmetry. This is a the perfect bedtime story for bibliophiles in general, bibliophiles who work in libraries in particular.)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (If Harry Potter were written for adults then it would be The Magicians. Excellent, also the mechanism of the magic system were way more likely than in the Potter-verse. Followed this up with Grossman's Codex, same main character for all purposes so is prbably standing in for Grossman himself, but I kind of like him so I didn't mind. Feel free to hit Codex instead if you'd rather paly with old books than magic.)
A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse' (I love this book! I made pages of notes on things to read, and there's some really lovely quotes on the importance of good books. It's a book about books, a mystery, a love story. Little bit of a slow start but well worth it. Sort of want to mail this to almost everyone I know.)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Dec. 2010
168. I am neurotic (and so are you) by Lianne Kong (Fans of PostSecret check this out.)
169. Emma 1 by Kaori Mori (Manga in 1800's England. Brainy maid meets gentleman, love & caste conflict.)
170. Emma 2
171. Emma 3
172. Scott Pilgrim's Fines Hour (Vol. 6) by Bryan O'Malley (I'm so done with this series.)
173. Eisenstaedt on Eisenstaedt (Photos & his notes. Amazing.)
174.Emma 4
175. A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse' (I love this book! I made pages of notes on things to read, and there's some really lovely quotes on the importance of good books. It's a book about books, a mystery, a love story. Little bit of a slow start but well worth it.)
176. Emma 5
177. Flight, Vol 4.
178. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (If you liked the Thursday Next novels this will be right up your alley. Mystery novel with carnivals and in-dreaming scenes.)
179. The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace (Quite good. Wasn''t sure where it was going, but I liked it.)
180. Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye (Audiobooked. A fun little adventure with mouse characters. Delightful.)
181. The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World Most Elegant Woman by Karen Karbo (Sort of Coco Chanel biography crossed with a self-help book. Great fun.)
182. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson. (Excellent world-in-the-wall fantasy without feeling like a Narnia rehash. Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.)
183. Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jilliam Lauren (Writing style was so-so but I stuck with it for the content.)
169. Emma 1 by Kaori Mori (Manga in 1800's England. Brainy maid meets gentleman, love & caste conflict.)
170. Emma 2
171. Emma 3
172. Scott Pilgrim's Fines Hour (Vol. 6) by Bryan O'Malley (I'm so done with this series.)
173. Eisenstaedt on Eisenstaedt (Photos & his notes. Amazing.)
174.Emma 4
175. A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cosse' (I love this book! I made pages of notes on things to read, and there's some really lovely quotes on the importance of good books. It's a book about books, a mystery, a love story. Little bit of a slow start but well worth it.)
176. Emma 5
177. Flight, Vol 4.
178. The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry (If you liked the Thursday Next novels this will be right up your alley. Mystery novel with carnivals and in-dreaming scenes.)
179. The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace (Quite good. Wasn''t sure where it was going, but I liked it.)
180. Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye (Audiobooked. A fun little adventure with mouse characters. Delightful.)
181. The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons from the World Most Elegant Woman by Karen Karbo (Sort of Coco Chanel biography crossed with a self-help book. Great fun.)
182. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson. (Excellent world-in-the-wall fantasy without feeling like a Narnia rehash. Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.)
183. Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jilliam Lauren (Writing style was so-so but I stuck with it for the content.)
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