Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Reading Wrap-Up

I started keeping (a little) better track of the books I've read this year, or at least since the last blog update.(June Reading Update) I'm just going to throw them all down with some comments. It seems I average about a book a week, plus whatever reading I have to do for school, not counting whatever trash novels (ahemNoraRobertsahemDanielleSteele) I read while flying back and forth over the pond on my international jet-setting adventures, of which there have been ahem several. This year more than any other has also been marked by books I've started but not managed to finish. Usually once I start something I see it through, but several books have been off-putting, boring, or, just not in a style that grips me, and I decided not to see them through. And I don't even feel guilty about it! (Zeitoun was one of those. I fully expected to enjoy it, or at least find it compelling, because of the Louisiana-Katrina angle, but just. Did. Not. Like.)

Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys. This one is set in 1941 and after with a Lithuanian family's deportation to Siberia by the Soviets. If you love art, and love, and stories of human triumph, and aren't put off by the realities of labor camps and freaking cold weather, read it.

Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes. An oldie but a goody, and is really about the pulls between brains and emotion, interaction and introversion, love and acceptance. Science fiction story about a not-smart guy who is scientifically made smarter after a mouse named Algernon undergoes the same procedure. I may have cried. Fine, all right, I did cry.

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman. LOVED IT! Music and magic and dragons!!!! C'mon, aren't you intrigued already/

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. Somehow I never read this one as a kid and decided I couldn't live life without that rite of passage. Turns out, I could've.

A Brief History of Montmaray, by Michelle Cooper. Meh. Pre-WWII crumbling royal family on a crumbling island, kids and teens and distant-but-doting-but-strict aunts. It was slow but had a great, if pat, ending. I think I may enjoy this more if I read it in a different frame of mind. As in, not stressed out by school and feeling pulled in a bunch of different directions.

To Marry an English Lord, by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace. This one was a pretty fascinating look into the exodus of rich American women overseas looking for titles, namely late 1800s to early 1900s, and broke lords coming to America looking for moneyed wives.  If that sounds interesting to you, go for it.

Before I Fall, and Panic, both by Lauren Oliver. In Before I Fall, a teenager relives one horrible day over and over and over. I thought it would be boring, or too much Groundhog Day for me, but the author miraculously hits another angle in each version, and gives the reader lots to think about. In Panic, teenagers in a small town play a dangerous and life-changing game for money. Hard to say more without spoiling anything. These books made me want to read everything else by Oliver (that I haven't already read.)

Sophie's Choice, by Willian Styron. I'd never seen the movie or read the book, and I rectified both those things this year. The movie was a better experience for me than the book, which I can honestly say has only happened once before (Memoirs of a Geisha, though I find many stories equally as enthralling on screen as on the page (Harry Potter)). The book is just too damn slow and meandering.

Unbearable Lightness, by Portia de Rossi. I knew this was a memoir about Portia and largely focused on her  struggles with anorexia, but that's about it. It was fascinating, appalling, and beautiful. I just want to hug her and cheer for her and stalk her on Twitter.

Looking for Alaska, by John Green. I'm a fan of the author, but this was probably my least favorite.

The Grisha Trilogy, by Leigh Berduco.  Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising. More magic, and special powers, and foreign lands!

The Shining, by Stephen King. Another case of never having seen the movie or read the book until recently, though of course there's so much in the pop culture lexicon that I felt I knew all about the story already. It made me remember why I used to love Stephen King so much, and also kind of why I outgrew him.

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore. (And Fire, and Bitterblue). This ranks up there with Seraphina as one of my favorite finds this second half of the year. Not a series exactly, but another trilogy. Fire was more of a companion book and then Bitterblue was kind of a sequel or epilogue even. More magic, and special powers, and foreign lands! Multiple strong and flawed heroines!

The Matched Trilogy, by Ally Condie. I read the first one a long time ago and never read the others. I'd kind of forgotten all about it when the first one fell in my lap again, and then I zoomed through the others. More distopian future YA stuff. The third book was a little predictable in its second half, but I really enjoyed the journey to getting there.

Dodger, by Terry Pratchett. I want to read more by this author! Tale of a young sewer-treasure-picker in Victorian London. He has encounters with Sweeney Todd and is mentored by Charles Dickens. Lots of literary and Victorian pop culture references. Super fun.

OITNB, My Year in a Women's Prison, by Piper Kerman. Book Piper is WAAAAYYYYY less annoying than tv Piper. So glad I read the book.

The Giver books, Lois Lowry. Never read these as a kid, glad I read them now. I didn't find them as life-changing as some people have, but the story is amazing nonetheless.

Without You, There is No Us, by Suki Kim. Writer teaches English in North Korea. Fascinating, depressing, and scary. Makes me want to read more about Korean history of the last 100 years. This book brought out all the feels. I want to help, and feel helpless, and want to learn, and am astounded at my own naivety, and cannot wrap my brain around the reality that is the situation in North Korea. How do you teach generations to think critically when they aren't allowed to be critical?

Yes Chef: A Memoir, by Marcus Samuelsson. I'm a fan of pretty much everything on The Food Network. Or at least, even if I'm not a fan, I will get sucked in and watch anything. I don't know how I found out about this memoir, but I have so much more respect for Marcus Samuelsson after reading this. He has really battled some horrible circumstances and overcome great obstacles, and you can tell he truly cares about food and cooking and some of the causes he mentions, and it all relates directly back to his own experiences.

I Don't Care About Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters, Felons, and Other Guys I've Dated, by Julie Klausner. Ugh. Did not relate at all. Maybe because I'm a mature adult. And yet, I couldn't put it down. Damn. She got me.

My Drunk Kitchen, by Hannah Hart. I don't even know how to classify this, except to say that it's sweet and funny and the best non-cookbook cookbook I've ever read. Go watch her first couple of YouTube videos and see if you're not hooked.

Longbourn, by Jo Baker. (Thanks for the recommendation, Amy!) The last book I read this year, and a fun one to end on. I love all things Pride and Prejudice, including horrible fan fiction. But this isn't horrible fan fiction - it's awesome fan fiction! The P&P story unfolds from the point of view of the servants, who of course have their own lives and stories going on.

Okay, if you're reading this, let me know if you have any recommendations! (Here or on the Facebook post, either way, I'll get them.)



Monday, December 15, 2014

Insomnia Strikes Again

Every few months I tend to go through bouts of insomnia. Sometimes I have nightmares, sometimes I can't fall asleep, and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. Last night was one of those nights I inexplicably woke up around 0100 and stayed awake until around 0330. I think I may have been a little bit warm, explaining the wakeup, but there's no good reason I couldn't go back to sleep. Here's a list of things I did between 0100-0330:

1.   Counted sheep
2.   Counted blessings instead of sheep
3.   Got annoyed at myself for getting ^that song stuck in my head
4.   Stopped being annoyed because I actually like that song
5.   Surfed Facebook
6.   Mentally reviewed my jambalaya "recipe" (methodology, more like) so I can write it down for a friend who requested it
7.   Went through at least three revolutions of back-side-stomach-side and back trying to find a comfortable sleep position
8.   Stared at my husband, mentally willing him to wake up and snuggle me
9.   Researched plane tickets for my mom and mother-in-law to come visit
10. Updated my iPhone iOS
11. Went through a couple more revolutions of back-side-stomach-side-back
12. Played a couple rounds of Spades
13. Had conversation with Tony after he woke up to pee
14. Checked Words with Friends for new plays
15. Made a mental list of things to do today
16. Made a mental list of possible things to do on vacation
17. Mentally rearranged my mom's furniture to accommodate a grand piano (not against an outside wall, not near a fireplace)
18. Imagined all of my family at my mom's house singing carols and opening presents on Christmas Eve
19. Compiled list of people I need to call

Hm, I really wish I could round out this list with a 20th thing, but that's all I remember. I can say it was a productive couple of hours, but I'd much rather have the sleep!