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Updating the Books Read List

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:56:29 GMT

Completed:
1. Infected by Scott Sigler
2. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
3. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
4. The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
6. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
7. Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher
8. Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynn Jones (L)
9. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
10. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
11. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
12. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
13. Obsession by Ted Dekker (L)
14. Night by Elie Weisel
15. The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation by Katherine Ramsland, PhD
16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (L)
17. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
18. A Slow Death: 83 Days of Radiation Sickness by NHK-TV "Tokaimura Criticality Accident" Crew (L)

19. Breakfast At Tiffany's by Truman Capote (L)

20. CSI: Binding Ties by Max Allan Collins (L)

21. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (L)

22. Songbird by Walter Zacharius (L)

23. Hot Dish Heaven: Classic Casseroles from Midwest Kitchens by Ann L. Burckhardt (L)

24. Apocalypse Dawn by Mel Odom (L)

25. The Casebook of Forensic Detection: How Science Solved 100 of the World's Most Baffling Crimes by Colin Evans (L)

26. Sima's Undergarments For Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross (L)

27. Death Was In The Picture by Linda L. Richards (L)

28. Apocalypse Crucible by Mel Odom (L)

29. Futureland by Walter Mosley (L)

30. Girl Meets God: A Memoir by Lauren F. Winner

31. Jewish Ritual: A Brief Intro for Christians by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky & Rabbi Daniel Judson (L)

32. Columbine by Dave Cullen (L)

33. The Prosecution Rests: New Stories About Courtrooms, Criminals, And The Law - Edited by Linda Fairstein (L)

34. Special Topics In Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl (L) [SRS]

35. Fault Lines by Nancy Huston (L)

36. A Survival Guide for Paralegals: Tips from the Trenches by Alan Gelb & Karen Levine

37. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

38. Secret Lives of Great Authors by Robert Schnakenberg (L)

39. Double Indemnity by James M. Cain (L)

40. Ender In Exile by Orson Scott Card (L)

41. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum (L)

42. The Winter Of Her Discontent by Kathryn Miller Haines (L)

43. Winter In June by Kathryn Miller Haines (L)

44. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

45. Feeling Sorry For Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty (L) [SRS]

46. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (L)

47. The Last Jihad by Joel C. Rosenberg (L)

48. The Ezekiel Option by Joel C. Rosenberg (L)

49. The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty (L)

50. Darker Than Night: The True Story of A Brutal Double Homicide And An 18-Year-Long Quest For Justice by Tom Henderson

51. Bee Season by Myla Goldberg (L)

52. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (L)

53. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (L)

54. Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (L)

55. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (L) [SRS]

56. Looking for Alaska by John Green (L)

57. The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen (L)

58. How To Buy A Love Of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson (L)

59. This Will Kill You: A Guide To The Ways In Which We Go by HP Newquist & Rich Maloof (L)

60. Singularity's Ring by Paul Melko (L)

61. The Plutonium Blonde by John Zakour & Lawrence Ganem

62. The Rapture by Liz Jensen (L)

63. Charity Girl by Michael Lowenthal (L)

64. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (L)

65. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (L)

66. Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (L)

67. When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris (L)

68. The Day The Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan (L)

69. Disgusting Things {A Miscellany} by Don Voorhees (L)

70. The Morgue and Me by John C. Ford (L)

71. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (L)

72. The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine (L)

73. Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters by Major Dick Winters, Commander, Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment with Colonel Cole C. Kingseed

74. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

75. Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson (L)

76. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (L)

77. An Echo In The Bone by Diana Gabaldon

78. Panic In Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science by Richard Preston

79. Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss

80. Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (L)

81. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (L)

82. Cuban Missile Crisis: In The Shadow of Nuclear War by R. Conrad Stein (L)

83. War Dances by Sherman Alexie (L)

84. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson [SRS]

Dinnertime Amusement

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:07:48 GMT

My sister and I decided to make "easy chicken bake" for dinner, from a recipe on the back of the Stovetop Stuffing box. I was skeptical, and remained so as we were dishing it out fresh from the oven, and this conversation ensued.

Me: *skeptical look*

Beck: Come on, it'll be just like chicken pot pie.

Me: hmmm

Beck: You don't like chicken pot pie, do you?

Me: Not at all

Beck: It'll be nothing like chicken pot pie.

This is called putting a good face on any situation. :)

Another Book List Update

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:46:49 GMT

Completed:
1. Infected by Scott Sigler
2. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
3. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
4. The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
6. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
7. Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher
8. Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynn Jones
9. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
10. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Currently Reading:
1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
2. The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie
3. Night by Elie Weisel (another re-read)
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
5. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
6. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks

And We're Back, Folks! - January Playlist

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:09:48 GMT

After a lovely Christmas break, which coincided with losing my internet connection for the month of December and consequently being unable to download any new music, I am back with new stuff. Here's some of what caught my ear during this cold, cold January.

* Bruises - Chairlift
I tried to do handstands for you
I tried to do headstands for you
Everytime I fell on you, yeah, everytime I fell
I tried to do handstands for you
But everytime I fell for you
I'm permanently black and blue, permanently blue for you.

Yes, this is the song from the iPod commercial. I didn't know that when I downloaded it as part of a mix CD someone had made. It's catchy and cute, and I love it anyway.

* Shelter From The Storm - Bob Dylan
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
Ill always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm.
Come in, she said,
Ill give you shelter from the storm.

Heard this one at the end of a Criminal Minds episode from this season.

* Shambala - Three Dog Night
Wash away my troubles, wash away my pain
With the rain in Shambala
Wash away my sorrow, wash away my shame
With the rain in Shambala

Another one from Criminal Minds. This one gets stuck in my head, but in a good way, not that horrible earworm-y way, like "It's a Small World" does. (I know that will be stuck in your head now - you're welcome... lol!)

* The Moment I Said It - Imogen Heap
Just put back the car keys,
Or somebody's gonna get hurt
Who are you calling at this hour?
Sit down, come round, I need you now
We'll work it all out together,
But we're getting nowhere tonight
Now sleep, I promise it'll all seem better,
Somehow in time

Yet another one first heard on Criminal Minds (I can't help it, they use such good music!). This was from a third season episode about a little girl who was kidnapped in a shopping mall, and this song played over the climatic scene of the show. It really highlighted what was going on in the montage of scenes we were shown. I love when music does that - enhances the viewing experience. So good.

* Ritz - Shiny Toy Guns
If you're blue
And you don't know where to go to
Why don't you go where fashion sits?
Puttin' on the Ritz
Different types who wear a day coat
Pants with stripes and cutaway coat
Perfect fits
Puttin' on the Ritz

A new version of an old classic.

* Never Again - Remedy
Never again shall we march like sheep to the slaughter
Never again shall we sit and take orders
Stripped of our culture, robbed of our name
Raped of our freedom and thrown into the flames
Forced from our families, taken from our homes
Moved from our God then burned of our bones

Normally I'm not a fan of rap, but this song is powerful. Remedy is a white Jewish rapper from New York (strange combination, I know) who wanted to know more about his heritage, and in digging through his family history discovered that he had lost family members to the Holocaust. This is a reminder than something like this shouldn't happen again.

* Princes and Frogs - Superchick
All princes start as frogs
All gentleman as dogs
Just wait till it's plain to see
What we're growing up to be..
Coz some frogs will still be frogs
Some dogs will still be dogs
But some boys can become men
Just don't kiss us till then

Just a cute song about waiting for love - sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs... :)

* Sour Cherry - The Kills
Shout when you wanna get off the ride
Shout when you wanna get off the ride
Shout when you wanna get off the ride
'Cause you crossed my mind, you crossed my mind
Made my blood thump 7-8-9
Make my heart beat double time
Now I'm only sour cherry on the fruit stand, right
Am I the only sour cherry on the fruit stand

A good dance around the room song, because we always need more of those.

* My Best Friend's Hot - The Dollyrots
Won’t you apologize to me to me to me
For being such a tease a tease a tease
You know I’m not gonna tell you all the things I might like

My best friend’s hot
My best friend’s hot
No matter what I do you love me not
Woah oh oh, woah oh oh
Na na na na na not
You love me not

Another dancing around the room song. I find that these are also good to listen to while doing housework. Makes the time go by much faster, and makes cleaning the bathroom almost tolerable.

* The Dance - Bear McCreary/Richard Gibbs
(Instrumental - from the Battlestar Galactica episode "Unfinished Business")

* The World's Not Falling Apart - Dar Williams
Welcome to the golden age of speed with grace
waiting for the angry gods to smite our race
i logged on to Africa in just one day
i opened a door and that's OK
it's not an end it's just a start
not an end it's just a start

This one came from an Obama-themed mix I found. Good for those who think now that Obama is president, everything is going to hell in a handbasket. Also good for those who think everyone will start farting rainbows and puppies. Everything in moderation, people.

* Be OK - Ingrid Michaelson
I just want to be ok, be ok, be ok
I just want to be ok today
I just want to be ok, be ok, be ok
I just want to be ok today

I just want to feel today, feel today, feel today
I just want to feel something today
I just want to feel today, feel today, feel today
I just want to feel something today

My song for those icky days when you're tired of the cold and the snow and never seeing the sun, and you feel like everything is frozen inside you.

* December in New York - Thea Gilmore
Friday's humming summer
And the whiskey sun is running
out the night sky
I am here watching your form
Slowly pacing in the dawn
as all the stars die
Yeah you're like a hit you are tailored just to fit
the changing season
Baby what is this we are two star crossed bits
of an equation

Is it that you're shining
Is it your endgame talk
You're like a suntan in November
Or December in New York

A nice slow introspective song - gorgeous guitar accompaniment, and her voice is beautiful and soothing.

* Waves and the Both of Us - Charlotte Sometimes
I want the moon and the stars
I want the whole nine yards
I want your hands on my hips
I want you kissing my lips
I want the moon and the stars
I want the whole nine yards
I take off your shirt, you pull up my skirt

And I can't wait forever boy
And the moon and the stars
The look in your eyes better find its way into me

Sometimes you just need a sexy song.

* Science Books - Arrah and the Ferns
Don't try to warn me that you are an island
And there's no room for fighters
And a woman who can't learn how to please a man
Well I've read my fair share of science books
And baby, baby you're no man...
I have no choice but to dissect you with the laser beam that I built last year
when the ice caps melted and oh, the world was captive by your fear!
Or should I kill you while you're sleeping?
I'll give you drugs and drag you to the street
The sun is high and bright, I'll grab that magnifying glass
And watch you die you die you die you die!

It's not good to make a woman angry.

* No Sunlight - Death Cab for Cutie
When I was young
Lying in the grass
I felt so safe
In the warming bath

Of sunlight
Of sunlight

Sometimes all you want is sunlight - especially in the middle of a long cold dark winter.

* White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
I was following the pack
all swallowed in their coats
with scarves of red tied ’round their throats
to keep their little heads
from fallin’ in the snow
And I turned ’round and there you go
And, Michael, you would fall
and turn the white snow red as strawberries
in the summertime

I like the picture the lyrics make.

* 2 Atoms in a Molecule - Noah and the Whale
Last night, I had a dream
We were inseparably entwined
Like a piece of rope made out of two pieces of vine
Held together, holding each other
With no one else in mind
Like two atoms in a molecule
Inseparably combined

Starts out sounding like another idealistic love song, ends up being a lament about why love sucks. But it does it in a charming, upbeat way, not a woe-is-me way.

That's all for this month... more lists to come, I'm sure (even though I'm the only one who cares... lol. Oh well, it's fun to keep track of my musical adventures, so I'm not inclined to stop anytime soon!). :)

Books Read 2009: Yet Another Update

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:11:18 GMT

Completed:
1. Infected by Scott Sigler
2. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
3. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
4. The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
6. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
7. Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher
8. Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynn Jones

Currently Reading:
1. The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie
2. Night by Elie Weisel (another re-read)
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
4. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
5. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks

I'd Forgotten What A Good Show This Was

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:35:40 GMT

I started re-watching The West Wing tonight, I missed a lot of it when it first aired. I lost track of how many times I had to pause the DVD while watching the pilot episode so that I could laugh without missing any of the dialogue. It's brilliant! Some examples:

Leo McGarry: He's a klutz, Mrs. Landingham, your president's a geek.

C.J. Cregg: Is there anything I can say other than the President rode his bicycle into a tree?
Leo McGarry: He hopes never to do it again.
C.J. Cregg: Seriously, they're laughing pretty hard.
Leo McGarry: What do you want me to - the President, while riding his bicycle, came to a sudden arboreal stop.

Toby Ziegler: You think the United States is under attack from 1200 Cubans in rowboats?
Sam Seaborn: I'm not saying I don't like our chances.
Toby Ziegler: It's mind-boggling to me we ever won an election.

[discussing a large group of Cubans currently floating from Havana to Miami on rafts]
Leo McGarry: How many are there?
Josh Lyman: We don't know.
Leo McGarry: What time exactly did they leave?
Josh Lyman: We don't know.
Leo McGarry: Do we know what time they get here?
Josh Lyman: No.
Leo McGarry: True or false: If I were to stand on high ground in Key West with a good pair of binoculars, I'd be as informed as I am right now.
Josh Lyman: That's true.
Leo McGarry: The Intelligence budget's money well spent.

Josh Lyman: You know what, CJ? I really think I'm the best judge of what I mean, you paranoid Berkeley shiksa feminista... Wow, that was way too far.
C.J. Cregg: No. No. Well, I've got a staff meeting to go to and so do you, you elitist, Harvard, fascist, missed-the-dean's-list-two-semesters-in-a-row Yankee jackass.
Josh Lyman: Feel better getting that off your chest there, C.J.?
C.J. Cregg: I'm a whole new woman.

So frakking good, I love it!

Books 2009: Once More, With Feeling

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:28:44 GMT

Completed:
1. Infected by Scott Sigler*
2. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
3. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde*
4. The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen*
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
6. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

Currently Reading:
1. The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory
2. Night by Elie Weisel (another re-read)
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
4. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
5. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks

Books Read: 2009 - The List Goes On

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:58:00 GMT

Currently Reading:
1. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (re-read for the umpteenth time)
2. Night by Elie Weisel (another re-read)
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
4. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
5. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks

*Highly recommended

Quote for A Gray Monday

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:23:12 GMT

For exactly the same reason, it is sometimes satisfying to cut yourself and bleed. On those gray days where eight in the morning looks no different from noon and nothing has happened and nothing is going to happen and you are washing a glass in the sink and it breaks--accidentally--and punctures your skin. And then there is this shocking red, the brightest thing in the day, so vibrant it buzzes, this blood of yours. That is okay sometimes because at least you know you're alive.

~Augusten Burroughs, Running With Scissors

Books Read: 2009 update

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:56:00 GMT

1. Infected by Scott Sigler
2. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir