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I met my goal of reading 120 books (although a good 11 of them were under 100 pages and one was only 5 pages, so it does feel a little like cheating). 33,872 pages of reading and 70.57 hours of listening. 18 were audiobooks. Several were rereads. 20% were nonfiction. I only had one book that I officially gave up on (A Short History of Nearly Everything) – eta, I forgot about Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out which I tried to read last month and gave up, but I have 2 that have been languishing for months that I haven’t decided on (and I still may go back to A Short History).

January

  • Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher. A novella about war as experienced by goblins. As usual from a TK book, a little gory, a lot witty, with some fun characters.
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I’ve read so little of Neil Gaiman’s books and I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was quite inventive and I liked how the passing of time was framed.
  • Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. It’s an odd experience reading a book written by a person who has died. He had a lot of mental health problems, and I’m so sad that the medical world failed him so much.
  • All Systems Red by Martha Wells (audiobook). I read the novella last year and have been wanting to read the whole series, but I had already forgotten details, hence the audiobook. It was a great way of seeing things through Murderbot’s eyes. I just got the next book from the library, so that will be my next listen, I think.
  • Miss Buncle’s Book by D.E. Stevenson. A very charming book about a woman who scandalized her hometown by writing a book about them. Reminded me a lot of L.M. Montgomery’s short stories.
  • Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson. A book of poetry exploring love and family and gender. So much emotion packed into every poem. Truly lovely.
  • The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. I’ve also not read much of Sir Terry’s and everybody has recommended the Tiffany Aching series. It was a lot of fun and had some very unique characters.
  • Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. This is not high fantasy, but when the frozen world was coming down around me, this was exactly the kind of escape fiction I needed.
  • Weyward by Emilia Hart. Three stories woven into one about generations of women who are witches. There wasn’t anything that really unique about the book, but it had great atmosphere.
  • An Unexpected Twist by Andy Borowitz. Not sure I should really count an 18 page essay as a book, but I enjoyed this perspective of the medical system from somebody experiencing complications.
  • Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan. Okay, it mostly stretched credibility, but I enjoyed the banter between the love interests. And I especially liked the way the MC was dealing with her grandmother’s dementia.
  • Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn. I enjoyed this one. I appreciated that while it was a “going home to the small town” trope, it also didn’t paint that as solving all of the problems.
  • Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver. I started reading this last year and it took me a while to finish. Some of the essays were gorgeous, some felt unfinished, and others felt like book reports.
  • The Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang. I nearly DNF at 90% because I was so mad at the “chivalrous” macho possessive behavior of the male character. There was a lot of gender roles and conformity and casual (and not so casual) sexism throughout. Oh the other hand, the sex was plenty and pretty well described.

February

  • Solito by Javier Zamora. A haunting, lyrical memoir about a young boy who migrated from Guatemala to California alone. It was a hard read but beautiful and important.
  • A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. It took a little while for this story to develop, but I really loved the last few chapters.
  • Cloud Cuckoo Land by Antony Doerr. Friend recommendation. Lots of interwoven stories from several different time periods - I loved reading as they all came together.
  • The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush. I enjoyed learning about the different astronauts, but it also felt like Wikipedia articles in places.
  • Poverty. by America by Matthew Desmond. Audiobook. Will break your heart, make you despondent about how poorly we are carrying for a significant portion of our society, but is also hopeful. Well worth listening to.
  • Beartown by Fredrik Backman. Friend rec. A very different novel than Anxious People, but as a person who grew up in a struggling small town, it also felt very real.
  • The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher. This may be one of my favorite fairy tale retellings of hers. It felt very much like a Robin McKinley book.
  • Starter Villain by John Scazi. Friend rec. My first Scazi. It was a lot of fun and the unionized dolphins were the best.
  • Artificial Condition by Martha Wells. Audiobook. The second Murderbot book. I enjoyed meeting ART (although I cannot picture what it looks like). Looking forward to continuing the series.
  • Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett. I loved every minute of this book. Such an excellent sequel and I can’t wait for book 3.
  • A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers. The second Monk and Robot book. Again, I really loved the last quarter of the book.

March

  • The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. The latter half struggled a bit and lost a plot, but it was still good and the ending was lovely if a little wistful. I do feel like it’s one that would benefit from a rereading.
  • Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey. It’s a short book. It could have been a New Yorker article and that would have been sufficient. One of the reviews suggested thinking of it as a sermon, which helps somewhat with the framing, but it still needed help.
  • The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory. The last ¼ of the book infuriated me so much I nearly DNF, even though I had enjoyed the first ¾. The MC completely and totally pushes on FC’s established boundaries and then throws an absolute fit when she doesn’t give into him.
  • Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa. A sweet trans retelling of Pride and Prejudice. A few minor quibbles: the author aged Oliver/Elizabeth down to 17 which was not needed and was annoying and the setting was moved to London, which did not work with the scene where Oliver tramps across mud to take care of Jane.
  • The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older. The second book of the Mossa and Pleiti murder mystery series that takes place on Jupiter. Overall, I enjoyed the story a lot; I have issues with “does she really like me or is she just spending time with me” internal diatribes with adults.
  • Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. I’ve enjoyed the Netflix Bridgerton series as the smutty cotton candy that they are and the ebook was on sale. It was fluffy and light (and light on the smut too, hurumph) and I didn’t appreciate that the plump herione slimmed down before she was attractive.
  • How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith. Audiobook. He’s a sociology professor and a poet, which made for a wonderful combination in this exploration of how slavery is written into our foundation and our current mindset. Excellent book.
  • At First Spite by Olivia Dade. The story was a touch unbelievable, but it’s a romance so that’s forgivable. There were some really lovely scenes in this book as the protagonist battles depression. The medical stuff was almost believable. But. I’m not sure if describing plump female characters as “lush” is any better than “voluptuous.”
  • A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck. The author is LDS and I’m not sure that he really realized that his version of Hell (that we are all young and white and delightful and the same) is what the church has taught as what eternal life with God would be like and why I had nightmares at 12 about dying.
  • The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. Such beautiful prose. There were some descriptions that will linger with me for a long time, I think.

April

  • Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones (audiobook). I had forgotten how hysterical Howl is as a character. A fun story, but. Even with me trying actively to be less judgemental about the ending… the ending still doesn’t make sense and was the weakest part of the story.
  • Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Book club book and friend recommendation. Overall enjoyed it, certainly more than [profile] ckerouac did (you’re more than welcome to go off if you like!). The dog and kid were too precocious to be believable.
  • Bride by Ali Hazelwood. Who knew that you could write mainstream novels and still bring in your knotting kinks from your fanfic days? Again, I liked it more than [profile] darriness did, but it was far from my favorite.
  • The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. I have this one and Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, both written about the women in the Appalacian mountains who delivered books in the 1940s, both published around the same time (apparently there’s controversy). It felt very light on tone for the seriousness of the issues (such as racism, sexism, rape, alcohol use, murder). The friendships were the best part.
  • The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. I could have used a little less of the infantilizing of the main female character (she’s a bodyguard – she can take you down) and I didn’t really like the coded “change from a hardened city girl to a sweet country lass” but they were minor quibbles.
  • Funny Story by Emily Henry. So much better than Happy Place and full of her witty humor. I consumed it in a day. It unfortunately was released when I was in the middle of the Bodyguard so the two books are blended together in my head.
  • How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang. It was fine. I liked the first half better than the second, both of the protagonists definitely need a therapist and I’m really not sure I like this trend of trauma bonding romances. Also the unemotional Asian woman. And how everybody has panic attacks. And what is with men carrying women everywhere??
  •  Counting Descent by Clint Smith. I realized yesterday that I hadn’t read any poetry to National Poetry month. Luckily my library had this one available. It’s my 3rd book of his and his writing is so so good – I promptly listened to the audiobook as well.

May

  • Fangs by Sarah Andersen – a cute little collection of comics about a vampire and her werewolf boyfriend.
  • Tom Lake by Ann Pratchett (audiobook). The audiobook was read by Meryl Streep, so it sounded like a one woman play. And made me want to go pick cherries.
  • Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana. It was such a debut book. She needed tighter editing, somebody to help her with all of the dangling plots. There’s supposed to be a sequel (definitely ended on a cliffhanger), but I’m not sure I’ll be picking it up.
  • Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun. So much better than Kiss Her Once for Me. I love me a good road-trip self-discovery story and this was just the escape that I needed.
  • Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. Really enjoyed this look at what William Shakespeare’s domestic life might have looked like. I loved that while he was a character in the story, he was never referred to by name.
  • Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar. I’ll admit to watching the train wreck that was the Duggar reality series occasionally. This was a fast read and it was great seeing her stand up for herself more. But so many of her emotions remained on the surface level, and she never quite got to the level of deconstruction that I was hoping for.
  • Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (audiobook). MIKI was the bestest and Murderbot is starting to recognize its feelings. Very much enjoying this series.
  • Night by Elie Wiesel. Always hard to rate autobiographies, particularly ones dealing with atrocities, but his writing was haunting.

June

  • Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu. A cute comic, if a litttttle heavyhanded.
  • The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence. This took me forever to read. It picked up the second half, but it still felt like a slog – maybe because most of it featuring a huge library that the protagonist just ran down endlessly. It ended on a cliffhanger of course and it’s a to-be-published trilogy, but I’m not sure I’ll finish the series.
  • Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (audiobook). The fourth Murderbot story. I enjoyed seeing all of our friends from the first book, even if I couldn’t figure out why the villain would have taken one of the characters captive.
  • The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley. I loved The Guncle, it was such an unexpected emotional exploration about family and grief. This was not as good, a little more mean and a lot more superficial.
  • The Museum of Rain by Dave Eggers. My favorite musician wrote a beautiful song based around this story. There are some absolutely lovely sentences packed in this story and it’s left me mediating on memory and finding beauty and the legacy we leave.
  • Wolfsong by TJ Klune. It’s a gay werewolf series, which thankfully, did not feature knotting, but did feature TJ’s brand of found family and emotions.

    July

  • All Systems Red by Martha Wells (audiobook) – I drove down to Yosemite with my sister for a vacation and suggested that we listen to the Murderbot Diaries on our trip. So yes, this is the third time I’ve read this book in the last year. Still a lot of fun.
  • Artificial Conditions by Martha Wells (audiobook). When listening to them back to back (rather than with a couple of months in between, it does help to see it as one big arching story. I still love ART and hope to see it again.
  • Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (audiobook). I must say, I still struggle to completely understand the intricacies of the plot on this one. But I do love MIKI.
  • The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner. A random pickup at the library – magical realism and some oblivious pining, a favorite combination. I liked the characters and their growth.
  • The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. It’s been a long time since I was a teenager, but this was a great book in the form of poems. Would have been great as an audiobook, as the author is a beat poet.
  • Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell (audiobook). I thought Euan Morton’s voice was great the first book (Carry On), and just not as consistent with this one. I do love a road trip across America though.
  • The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai – a novel about the AIDS epidemic in Chicago alternating with one of the characters dealing with the aftermath 30 years later. I have some quibbles about the structure of the novel, but it was engrossing and well written.
  • Half A Soul by Olivia Atwater. A regency fairy tale. I would have liked a little more motivation of the fairies, but I did enjoy the exploration of social justice from a magical perspective.
  • The Lord Sorcier by Olivia Atwater. Short story prequel. Added some nice character development.
  • Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater. Sequel to above. I liked this one even better than the first one – the main fairy MC was endearing and I loved the romance, as well as the twisting of fairy tale motifs. It was fun.
  • Longshadow by Olivia Atwater. The last book so far in this series. I felt it was a touch heavy on the preachiness and I didn’t really buy the romance, but I still enjoyed it. Also, I love how nerdy the author gets in her author notes at the end.

    August

  • The Will of the Many by James Islington. Excellent world building and an interesting magical premise. I didn’t understand the ending at all.
  • Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (Murderbot #4), audiobook. Listened to this one on a trip to the beach. Ah, Murderbot and its feelings.
  • Possession by A.S. Byatt. Book club books. Took me over 2 months to read this one. There were parts I enjoyed and then other parts that were slogs. I didn’t really like either of the main couples, which really made it hard to connect to the story.
  • A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher. The Goose Girl is a favorite fairy tale and TK definitely increased the creepiness factor here. The horse will give me nightmares for weeks.
  • The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Lots of fun characters and twists.
  • The Year Without Sunshine by Naomi Kritzer. A post on Tumblr recommended her short stories as dystopias with hope and community. They’re well worth it to track them down.
  • Compulsory by Martha Wells. Before going on to the next book in the series I tracked down some of the short stories in the verse. I like early Murderbot where it’s figuring out its morals.
  • Home by Martha Wells. Another short story this one from Mensha’s perspective.
  • The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by Victoria Schwab. I really loved this book, I loved Addie’s character throughout the years, and I loved the ending.
  • Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell, audiobook. There were definitely flaws to this last book. The motivations of the villain character were never fully fleshed out and I really missed the Trio’s friendship.
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I started reading A Short History About Nearly Everything which was great for a couple of chapters and just turned into a name dropping essay. This was much funnier and more engaging, but holy hell fatphobia.
  • A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab. Again, excellent world building and fascinating magic world. There’s another two books in the series that I hope to read soon.
  • Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May. I started reading this back in February while I was also reading Rest is Resistance and I just wasn’t feeling it. It resonated more now and I thought it was a lovely book about allowing yourself to experience the hard times.

September

  • The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson. I really liked the focus on the three individuals, which created a narrative to follow the central premises.
  • Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt. My teenage self would have eaten this book up with a spoon, because I read a lot of historical Christian/LDS fiction back then. Adult!Me saw many more flaws with the story and pacing.
  • The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith.  I liked the different mysteries that the book had, although the resolution of the main mystery was a let down. The structure of the book was unique – the flashbacks of events were incorporated into the different cases the protagonist was investigating.
  • A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings. Engrossing, horrifying, and very much not surprising.
  • The Pairing by Casey McQuinton. I’m starting to think that my love of Red, White, and Royal Blue was a one time win for this author. The premise was supposed to be lightly based on A Room With A View, which I love, and this was not that. Felt pretentious.
  • Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper (audiobook). The little recordings of birds were delightful. It was a lovely memoir (not a birding book although it made me want to go birding), but it felt a little long in places.
  • Marlow Banks, Redesigned by Jacqueline Firkins. There was a lot that was enjoyable, but I didn’t relate to the heroine at all. Also, I thought I understood the difference between a “closed door-fade to black” and an “open door” love scene, but being explicit in the details to just prior to orgasm and then fading away is a new one for me.
  • The Turner Series by Courtney Milan (3 books: Unveiled, Unclaimed, Unraveled; 1 novella: Unlocked; and 2 short stories: Birthday Gift and Out of the Frying Pan). A friend recommended these books as romance books without toxic masculinity – I thought there was still some throughout the books (some brawls, a lot of temper tantrums), but the men do apologize and work through their feelings. I also feel that I have been completely spoiled by fanfic, where after the love declaration, there is lots of intimate scenes afterwards. And all of these seem to be 1-2 scenes prior to the wedding/HEA and that’s it. Overall, I read them in a weekend back to back.
  • I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle. You know, I have never read (or watched) The Last Unicorn, so I have no idea how this compares. It was cute and a fast read, but it took until halfway through before there was any plot and the villain wasn’t introduced or even hinted at until 3/4th through, so pacing was definitely odd.


October
  • The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (friend recommodation). Some absolutely incredible world building here; I was completely absorbed in the story, but I’m also not sure if I want to read the sequels?
  • The Reformatory by Tananarive Due (friend recommendation). At one point, I had to go find the summary to make sure the kid made it through the story alive and unhurt (he does). The villain was a little too cartoonish, but it was a really creepy, haunting story.
  • Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell. Slow burn second chance romance. I liked alternating between the different time periods, the romance was definitely real and messy and I had serious issues with the proposal. The part that intrigued me the most: the call out to Stephenie Meyer in the acknowledgements. Maybe Corienne was written by them both?
  • Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune. The House in the Cerulean Sea is what got me into reading and I really enjoyed going back to this universe. Did we need a sequel? No. Did it get awfully preachy in places? Yes. Were the kids the best and did we need even more of them? Absolutely.
  • Swordcrossed by Freya Marske. There was a little too much focus on world-building here and the story got lost, but still, it’s a romance novel, and that romance was smoking.
  • The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Bloom (friend recommendation, audiobook). Fascinating history (man, what old medical examiners had to do to get answers on toxins!), lots of science that was easy to understand, and dramatic cases. The narrator had a weird voice and rhythm though and there were parts that dragged.

November

  • The Ex-Hex by Erin Sterling: I wanted to read a low intensity Halloween story and didn’t quite finish it in time for Halloween. Cute story with Gilmore Girls small-town vibes.
  • North Woods by Daniel Mason. Friend recommendation. There was a lot that I really really loved, particularly discussing how the forest has changed over time with humans and climate change. But it was obviously written by a man and his descriptions of nearly every woman in the story bugged me.
  • Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw. Friend recommendation. Mostly accurate medicine featuring vampires and demons with some fun characters. It’s a series, so I’m sure I’ll be coming back.
  • The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. Friend recommendation. A very fast read (I read it in one sitting flying back from Thailand) which was a completely inaccurate portrayal of psychologists, and a stupid twist at the end. Also obviously written by a man. Still, it was an engaging mystery.
  • Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat. Friend recommendation. I admit that I did not include the recipes as part of reading the book, although I did skim them. I loved the easy to understand science behind the flavor explanations and chemical changes. She does do a lot of name dropping, which if you’re an amateur cook as I am, mean absolutely nothing.

December

  • The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. Friend recommendation. I loved this book. I loved the historical aspect and I loved the characters.
  • The Wedding People by Alison Espach. I had seen this floating around and picked it up on a whim. One, do not date your patients and two, do not date your doctor. I loved the premise – I’m digging this “middle-age reexamination of the life you thought you had, but I wish that the bride character had just been a touch more developed.
  • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. I mean, I’ve already been against the death penalty, but this certainly gave even more light to innocent people caught up in the system. Highly recommended.
  • Finding Me by Viola Davis. Friend recommendation. Audiobook. I knew very little about Viola Davis before reading this book, just that she was in a TV show that I hadn’t watched. Boy did she have a rough life. Her voice was awesome to listen to.
  • The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Friend recommendation. I don’t think it knew what kind of story it was supposed to be – as an obvious parable, it overall works, but I can’t say that it was my favorite.
  • Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. Friend recommendation. I haven’t seen the movie, so I don’t know how it relates. I think the author could have used a Native editor or coauthor, as there were some stereotypical depictions, but it really was an engrossing read.
  • The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke. It was lovely to get a glimpse back into the Jonathan Strange world and the illustrations were lovely but I needed more – I needed a stronger tie in to the universe and it could have been longer. Still, I’m glad to see that she’s still percolating on the ‘verse and I hope that means eventually we might get the Raven King prequel I’m dying for.
  • The Carrying by Ada Limon. She was the 24th Poet Laureate and it’s a well deserved award because her poetry is stunning.
  • The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina. A beautiful book exploring and living through unimaginable grief.
  • The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner. Audiobook. A slow blossoming book (it took until half way through before you were introduced to all of the characters). I loved all of characters, although I wish the book had focused on all of them more equally. And RIchard Armitage’s voice is so sexy.
  • What Walks These Halls by Amy Clarkin. Friend recommendation. A pretty solid YA debut book – there were definitely scenes that were intense.
  • You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, compiled by Ada Limon. Overall, a really solid collection of verse – there were poems that grabbed me more than others. It also isn’t a comforting book of poems – these were verses that examined climate change and neglect, as well as beauty and rebirth.
  • Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Friend recommendation. Honestly, this may be my biggest disappointment of the year as I have been wanting to read this series for years. I couldn’t keep any of the characters apart and I couldn’t visualize the setting at all. About 30% in, I went searching for a summary because I was getting so frustrated (when the secondary characters have at least 4 different names and honorifics it gets pretty challenging), and even reading the spoilers didn’t help. It got a little better around the 60% mark, but I was still dragging to finish it. I’ve been so looking forward to the second book because I heard it was in second person, but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to read more.

 

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My goal was to read 120 books this year. I just finished number 129. (Some of these I reviewed as part of my WWW posts).

October:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I had high expectations for this book, as it had been so praised, and I felt let down by it. Still enjoyable, but needed more octopus.
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Read as part of Banned Books week.
The Romance Rx by Kathryn Riya. I wanted more medicine and medicine-related residency drama.
Unraveling: What I Learned about Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater by Peggy Orenstein. Just a really lovely memoir about life changing and feeling present in the world.
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall. Such a disappointing book.
Deerskin by Robin Mckinley. Reread. Not my favorite book of hers, but it’s still a great retelling.

November:
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. A retelling of an old Hindu religious myth, a story I was only passingly familiar with. I enjoyed the world building, I had trouble with some of the motivations of the characters. And I think it’s hard to write a retelling of a story that a major religion is based on.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. This is such a wonderful book, with the mystery and characters slowly being revealed.
The Halcyon Fairy Book by T. Kingfisher. Just witty retellings of fairy tales with a lot of humor and grim.
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green. I really loved this collection of essays on our world.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Audiobook. A beautiful exploration of our connection with the world and how we can heal that relationship.
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abby Waxman. Library find. Cute light book, (although if I had a boss who didn’t pay the rent for 6 months straight and I was threatened with losing my job because of it, I wouldn’t be all “oh she’s just that way”) but one that I probably won’t remember in a year or two.
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher. The atmosphere in this book is almost its own character. I loved the secondary characters, but the middle sagged a lot.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I struggled so much with the beginning, because the set up was so ridiculous. It picked up after that and ended strongly. I don’t know how she’s going to write a 5 book series though.
The Magical Language of Others by E.J. Koh. NPR did a write up on her debut novel, but it wasn’t available at the library. It was a quick read but I found the writing to be confusing in places and lacking in emotional growth.
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood. Charming, nerdy, engaging. Just a fun new adult book.
Sweet Like Jasmine: Finding Identity in a Culture of Loneliness by Bonnie Gray. This book was not for me. Ugh.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu, and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke. Audiobook. Just a lot of fun going back into the world of Jonathan Strange. I really want her to write a prequel with The Raven King.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I loved Rocky and the ending.
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez. Still on the lookout for the perfect doctor romance. This one was enjoyable and mostly accurate.

December:
Mister Magic by Kiersten White.
Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper.
Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher.
Paladin’s Grace, Paladin’s Strength, Paladin’s Hope by T. Kingfisher. Reread these in anticipation of the release of her latest Saints of Steel’s book. Just excellent world building and romance and humor.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller. Book club book. Harrowing memoir, but what I really appreciated was the description of how the justice system is so awful for victims.
Paladin’s Faith by T. Kingfisher. I cannot wait for the other 3 books.
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, the sequel to Part of Your World. I liked this one better and it was almost the doctor romance that I’ve been craving.
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan. I’d read it if you like dystopian novels, but I’m still grousing about how the villains were single, childless women.
A Restless Truth by Freya Marske. Reread. I liked it better than the first time, maybe because I skipped over a lot of the romance (it’s a trope that I just don’t like).
Carry on by Rainbow Rowell. Reread, audiobook. The audiobook was a lot of fun and I’ve forgotten a lot of details in the last 5+ years.
A Power Unbound by Freya Marske. A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, but the first book was definitely the best of them all.
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree. The prequel to Legends & Lattes, which I adored last year, and I think I liked this one even better

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July:
Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal. My last of Chris Colfer’s audiobooks and his first book. Not sure that a journal really was the best format, but I’m going to miss his voice.
The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA’s Double Helix. In honor of the 70 year anniversary coming up, I’ve been reading a lot of books on the discovery of DNA. There was some uncomfortable fixation of Rosalind’s sexuality (much like Brenda Maddox books but she came to a completely different conclusion), and I truly loath James Watson now.
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher. Oooh. A short, dark fairy tale. Highly recommend.
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo. The last book published (so far) of the Gishaverse. Definitely not a stand alone novel, but overall, a satisfying end to the series and leaving room for more books.
On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi. There really aren’t that many good fictional books about being a doctor, much less about going through medical school. This really captured the stress and drama of med school.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrows. Reimagined history, some strong characters (although maybe a wee bit too much of leaning into the maiden, mother, crone archetypes), beautiful story telling.
Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World by Nina Kraus. Audiobook. Fascinating insights into how our ears and brain receive and perceive sound, and how it influences our language and cognitive development, if a bit redundant at times.
Orphan Black: The Next Chapter. Maybe a little bit of a cheat, since it’s a  episodic podcast, but it was on goodreads. I rewatched Orphan Black this spring and was eager to listen. Tatiana’s voices were amazing and I loved the new characters (her male voices were the weakest. 


August:
Heat Wave (The Extraordinaries, #3) by TJ Klune. An excellent conclusion to the trilogy and so much familial love.
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. I’m not a big horror person, but I adore T’s writing. A retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher, with some cool biological explanations.
A Middle-Earth Traveller: Sketches from Bag End to Mordor  by John Howe. I loved his work for the Lord of the Rings movies, so I thought this would be a good introduction to my next audio project. Lovely sketches, some lovely behind the scenes insights.
Orphan Black: The Next Chapter (Season 2). This time, Jordan, Kristian, and Evelyn returned to voice their roles. I hope there’s another.
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. A fun little regency romp involving a trans heroine. Lots of feelings.
Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall. The story opens with one of my least favorite tropes: lying outrageously and then getting caught and I almost didn’t finish it, but I’m glad I stuck with it, because it really had all of the charm of the Great British Bake Off in a novel.
Husband Material by Alexis Hall. (All of my library books became available at the same time, so I read three of Alexis’s books in a week period). I had been charmed by Boyfriend Material; it wasn’t the best fake dating book that I’ve ever read, but I was invested enough that I looked for the sequel and I liked it even better than the first one. Laugh out loud hysterical, following the plot of Four Weddings and Funeral while still giving it at twist. Looking forward to Father Material.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, read by Andy Serkis. This will be my listening project for the next year probably. Andy Serkis’s voice is amazing – deep and rich in timbre. I haven’t reread this one since early in college, it was much darker than what I remembered.
You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. Terrible stories, presented in a light-hearted, easy to approach manner. I’m planning on introducing it to my family and friends because it’s a really great way to highlight the pervasiveness of racism.


September
The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin. I really wanted to like this book as it was written by an emergency medicine doctor about a group of medical school friends. And I didn’t. There were parts that truly resonated, such as when one of the main characters loses a patient, but the drama was so over the top.
Ramón and Julieta by Alana Albertson. Just a sweet little Romeo and Juliet retelling. A fluffy, easy to read romance which was just want I was craving.
The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin. I checked out all three of her books at the same time, so I was really hopeful that this one would be better. And it was, but it still felt lacking. It also felt like the author was trying too hard to emphasize that “not all Christians” are homophobic, but there was still homophobic and transphobic views (one character was the definition of sassy gay friend) that belied that conclusion.
East by Edith Pattou. A reread because I found out that a sequel had been written and it had been literal years. Almost as good as I remembered, an excellent retelling of the fairy tale “East of the Sun West of the Moon.
West by Edith Pattou. I’m not sure that East really needed a sequel, but this one was well done and it completed the story.
Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches by Harry Cook. My god, did this book need better editors. So many sloppy mistakes.
So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo. I started reading this 2 years ago and got distracted. A practical book, with some great real-time examples, but I’m not sure that it really made it easier to talk about race with some of my white relatives for example.
Doctors and Friends by Kimmery Martin. I almost didn’t read this because I had been so disappointed by her previous books, but I’m so glad that I did because it was the best of the 3. She started writing this book back in 2019, about a pandemic that affected the world, and it was a much deeper, emotional story than the other two (although many of the same characters were in it).
George (Melissa’s Story) by Alex Gore. Picked it up as part of Banned Books Week and you guys, I’m just tired of fake outrage. It was cute.
The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani. Sequel to Thorn, which I read earlier this year. Thorn was good, but this really developed the world. I’m excited for the 3rd book.

I may make it to a 100 books this year. *crosses fingers*

jcd1013: (Default)

I’ve had an unofficial goal to read 52 books this year – a book a week. Last year I read 49. For most of the past 20 years, since entering med school, I’ve read at most 5-10 books a year, so it felt like an ambitious goal.

I just hit 45 books so far. Some of them have been shorter books, but still. Reading had always been my escapism – is it a good thing that it’s becoming so again?

January:
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee (hated the first book due to the protagonist but liked the secondary characters and the overall premise. Much much more enjoyable).
A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding, #1) by Freya Marske (reads exactly like a fanfic with lots of longing and emotions. A favorite.)
A Modest Independence by Mimi Matthews (for a facebook book club). Victorian woman travels to India along with her not-quite-boyfriend. The descriptions were lovely, even if nothing happened the majority of the book.
Thorn (Dauntless Path #1) Intisar Khanani. A Muslim retelling of The Goose Girl. Really original and well told; the sequels are on my list for the year.

February:
The Last Cuentista by Donna Higuera (my friend recommended the day before the Newberry Medal was announced).
Dread Nation and Deathless Divide by Justine Ireland (I am such a squeamish person that the fact that I read a zombie book AND it’s sequel says something). The sequel was not as good as the first book, but it ended satisfactorily.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reed. I didn’t love it quite as much as everybody else has.

March:
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson. A book of prose/almost poetry. Just lovely.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. I watched Shadow and Bone on Netflix and really loved it, so I had to find the books. It’s a really enjoyable series, just different enough from the tv series to keep them exciting.
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall (started it in February for Black History Month, finished in March).
A Tale of Magic read by Chris Colfer. A year ago, I started listening to Chris Colfer’s books on the way to and from work. My commute’s only 15 minutes away, so I don’t make a lot of progress. Chris is an excellent voice actor, and while his books aren’t high literature, they are engaging and his characters live.
Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall. I read Boyfriend Material last year which I liked. I didn’t like this one as much, but it ended better than it started.
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. Sequel to Shadow and Bone. Definitely a middle book.

April:
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo. Conclusion to Shadow and Bone. I didn’t dislike the ending; I also thought that it was weak.
A Tale of Witchcraft read by Chris Colfer. Another middle book. His descriptions of teenage love are so hilariously earnest.
Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox (again started for Women’s History Month in March…). Rosalind Franklin is a bit of an ideal of mine. This book frustratingly focused on answering whether or not she was pretty.
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. A random find and what a great one. A baker with a little bit of magic has to defend his city. It’s a younger adult book, but it doesn’t shy from hard topics, such a death and poverty.
The Huntress by Kate Quinn (facebook book club). Hunting down Nazis after the war – told both in flashbacks and current time, with the flashbacks getting closer and closer to current time.
So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens. I loved their Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths and Magic, so I couldn’t wait to read other books. This one was so delightfully tropey- happily ever afters, soulmates, misunderstandings. Perfect.
Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher. After A Wizard’s Guide, I had to read others of her books. This was the first book of a trilogy of related books. One of those where I couldn’t put it down from nearly the first page.
In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens. Another charming story.
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn. I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while – an epistolary story where every chapter loses a letter that the townspeople can use. It felt very fitting for this authoritarian world we’re getting into.

May: 
A Spindle Splintered by Alix Harrow – I love fractured fairytales and this one was a fun novella.
A Tale of Sorcery read by Chris Colfer (audiobook). The last book of his “Tale Of” series and it was a satisfying tie-up to the series.
Hyperbole and A Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things that Happened by Allie Brosh. I loved her blog back in the day and her comics would have me gasping for air. They weren’t quite as funny now, and I’m not sure why.
What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon. I still have complex feelings about this book.
Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Kaz my beloved. Inej my beloved. Nina my beloved. Jesper my beloved.
Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Jaigirdar Adiba. Sweet, if not very deep.
Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher. It took me way too long to figure out the twist. But it was worth it.
Paladin’s Hope by T. Kingfisher. Hot. So hot.

June:
I’m So Not Over You by Kosoko Jackson. A great idea (exboyfriends fake-dating) and so poorly executed.
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. A direct continuation of Six of Crows – so many twists I did not see coming.
Stranger Than Fanfiction read by Chris Colfer (audiobook). It’s not Shakespeare, but man, do I love hearing him make his characters come to life. I still have thoughts about the ending.
Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher. I love these stories about ordinary people with just a touch of magic.  
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo. Nina my beloved.
The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer. I read this in a day – really absorbing while reading it, falls apart if you spend too long thinking about the premise.
Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher. I love this world. I love these complex, world-weary, broken women and men who come together to try to save their world.
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher. I had to wait for the Wonder Engine to be available from the library. I need the sequels now.
A Mirror Mended by Alix Harrow. A Spindle Splintered didn’t need a sequel and I’m not sure that this was the sequel that should have been written.
The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher. An excellent finish to the series.
Here’s To Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. I really didn’t like What If It’s Us that much – the characters were too young and differentiating between their first person perspectives was iffy. This was much better. I still would have made them a touch older, but it works.
One Last Stop by Casy McQuiston. I liked Red, White, and Royal Blue better and I wasn’t expecting a time-travel story. Still there was a lot of atmosphere and sweetness to the story.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. I really liked this although I still have so many questions. But this captured the feel of the outer Sunset district of San Francisco and made me homesick.

Midyear book review:

 

ExpandRead more... )

 

Anne girl

Sep. 16th, 2007 11:12 pm
jcd1013: (Anne - Trouble)
2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of Anne of Green Gables. 100 years, can you believe it? Wow. Prince Edward Island, in continuing their traditions of pandering to the tourists, is celebrating the occasion with year long festivities. There's a big part of me, that pesky, sentimental tourist (I do realize that I'm a hypocrite, but not so much that I can embrace the idea of "meeting" Anne and Diana in the streets), that really, really wants to be in PEI for the festivities

Of course, equally verbal in the inner dialogue is the frugal, money-panicked me who is trying to calculate airfare, lodging and transportation costs and wondering how I can possibly save up the money plus get the snow blower that I so need to make this winter more bearable.

Choices, choices.

Anybody inclined to tag along?

***
Today was my day off; 16 days without any time off is a very, very long time to survive. I was getting a wee bit punchy by the end. I only accomplished one thing today... I slept in until 11, which was exactly what I wanted to do. :) I got up in time to prepare my lesson for church (on marriage, which everybody groaned when I mentioned the topic, but I think I pulled it off well--got a few laughs and some good discussion until the end where it veered off into pointless tangents), went to church and then have spent the rest of the afternoon and evening on the couch, doing absolutely nothing. It's been great. Unfortunately, I'm on call tomorrow, so the reprieve was very short. Hopefully, this call will go a little nicer than the last, and I can actually get a few minutes or even better a couple of hours of sleep. Last one, I came home so exhausted that I went straight to bed and woke up around 3 in the morning. Hence the reason for no posts recently.

I take Step 3 of my boards in 12 days. I'm starting to get nervous now, because I really have had little time to study. And I still can't tell my dermatologic diseases apart. All of this schooling and training and I still don't know half of what I really ought to know.
jcd1013: (Mischief managed)
I am the proud owner of The Book.

Which is currently in the front seat of my car, locked, so that I'm not tempted to stay up all night and read. I have to be at the hospital in the morning, and even though I have no patients, I have to be alert enough that if one came in, I wouldn't kill them.

Went to the local bookstore with some of the other neuro residents and one of my attendings, met up with his family. So much fun oohing over the kids and their costumes and how excited they were. Of course, the first thing they all did when they got the book was open it up and read the last word. I succeeded in not listening to carefully, so I'm still not spoiled. :)

Kinda sad that it's all over now.
jcd1013: (Read - pause from the world)
Found at [livejournal.com profile] bookish

Re: Ella Enchanted

The movie is one of my favorite movies ever! I actually wore out the DVD watching it...

The book is good as well, but it's so very different from the movie. It's much darker, and the plot is quite different. It's still a really good book, but if you go into it thinking it's going to be like the movie, you will be disappointed.


Ah yep. *sigh* The only good thing about that movie was that it only cost me a dollar and was truly one of the best mock fests that Liz and I have had. "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights" probably squeezes by a hair, but otherwise... My friend Brooke put it best in her blog, when she was talking about her ten favorite children's books that ought be made into movies, with Ella as her first choice: "Yeah. And let's get it right this time."

Question. Name me one movie that you liked better than the book. I'm really curious, because I can't come up with much.

Book Meme

Nov. 28th, 2005 11:54 am
jcd1013: (GG-Jess reads by Ali (watcher_junior))
Snagged from [livejournal.com profile] angel_grace

Bold those you've read. Italicize those you haven't finished/have only read excerpts. Underline those you own. And then add a few of your own :)

ExpandThe books )

The sad thing is, this probably isn't even a noticeable fraction of the number of books that I have read. I'm probably the only person whose mother actually limited the number of times we could go to the library with the accusation that I read too much. With med school, that's hardly the case anymore.

Looking over the list, I definitely see spots of weakness in my reading (and a whole slew of books that I will never read, on purpose). I'm dying to read "Wicked" and "I Capture the Castle". I need to finish the "The Eyre Affair" books, since I heard that the second's even better than the first. Haven't read any Terry Prackett or Neil Gaiman, which I know is a crime. I'm strong on the children's books, mostly likely because it's been my goal to read all of the Newberry Medal and Honors books (all the way from the 1920s)--and I'm probably not even half way done.
jcd1013: (AoGG-Lost in books by joyfulsong)
Literature Abuse: America's Hidden Problem Self-Test For Literature Abusers

ExpandFor Your Own Good, Take It Immediately! )
jcd1013: (Default)
Well, since I keep getting asked to do this!

ExpandBook Meme! )
I'll do the music one tomorrow!

*waves*

Sep. 29th, 2004 11:02 pm
jcd1013: (Default)
Just popping in to say I'm alive and well.

I changed rotations, finished with Internal Medicine last week. I was so sad to see it go, because I had such a great time. It's definitely on the list of career possibilities--however, I have another 6 weeks of it next spring, so I'll hold off until then to make my decision. It has everything that I like--the patient interaction, getting to see neat cases (I saw a guy with mercury poisoning... it was so cool!) that I've only read about in textbooks, making medical decisions, the integration of all different fields...

So, now I'm radiology.... and I miss Internal Medicine even more. I decided to postpone my surgery rotation because of the problems with my shoulder and so I'm doing a 4th year elective. I'm the only third year--and because of that, I have the residents convinced that I'm a gunner and going into radiology. One resident practically told me that I HAD to get honors. I don't like having that kind of pressure. I like to do a good job, I'm trying to do a good job, but please don't expect me to blow you away!

It's been *interesting* so far. Everyday, I go to work, where I sit in a darkened room and stare at a computer screen trying to differentiate between grey blobs. I have 4 hours of lecture of day, where I sit in a darkened room staring at a Power Point presentation, trying to differentiate between grey blobs. I have fallen asleep at every noon lecture. And I was 45 minutes late today, because I could not make myself care enough to get there in time to just fall asleep, when I could be having much better sleep in my own bed.

No, it's going better than the first day (I seriously thought I was going to die), and it certainly is more enjoyable now that I can identify a few more grey blobs (I'm getting good at the pancreas!), so we'll see. Maybe I'll be singing it's praises by the end. :)

I've just been taking it easy for the last few days... I went to the library and got fiction books for the first time since at least May (stayed up way too late last night reading Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia Wrede... maybe that's why I'm tired?), and Ellie [livejournal.com profile] shirerain and I spent a couple of days playing around with my layout journal, which I lovelovelove. All of the pretty colors is because of her. The painting is by James C Christensen, who is one of my favorite artists of all times. All of his paintings are whimsical and breathtaking and for a moment, convince me that I do believe in magic. And he puts flying fish in half of his art too, can you get any cooler?

Toodles!

Pssst.... If any of you have not checked out [livejournal.com profile] teh_music, may I suggest that you hie there immediately? I've gotten such great music that I have not been able to get my hands on... *contented sigh*
jcd1013: (Default)
I was browsing through my copy of A Room With A View looking for quotes for my story. I love the book. And the movie. But the book is so under-appreciated and just filled with little gems. Like these:

George had turned at the sound of her arrival. For a moment, he contemplated her, as one who had fallen out of heaven. He saw radiant joy in her face, he saw the flowers beat against her dress in blue waves. The bushes above them closed. He stepped quickly forward and kissed her.


George's father, Mr. Emerson to Lucy: "But you do," he went on, not waiting for contradiction. "You love the boy body and soul, plainly, directly, as he loves you, and no other word expresses it. You won't marry the other man for his sake."

And: "You must marry, or your life will be wasted. You have gone too far to retreat. I have no time for the tenderness, and the comradeship, and the poetry, and the things that really matter, and for which you marry. I know that, with George, you will find them, and that you love him. Then be his wife. He is already a part of you. Though you fly to Greece, and never see him again, or forget his very name, George will work in your thought till you die. You will wish that it was. You can transmute love, ignore it, muddle it, but you can never pull it out of you. I know by experience that the poets were right: love is eternal."


He carried her to the window, so that she, too, saw all the view. They sank upon their knees, invisible to the road, they hoped, and began to whisper one another's names. Ah! it was worth while; it was the great joy they had expected, and countless little joys of which they had never dreamt. They were silent.
jcd1013: (Default)
Wow, do you realize that the last time I posted here was back in August?? I realized that today was December, December 2nd my calendar tells me. I'm not really sure what happened to September and October and November--are you sure we really even had a November?

First of all, updates: Yes, to those few people who know what I'm talking about, I'm still working on my Gilmore Girls story, Like Never Before. Honestly, I swear. I'm working on chapter 8 and have been (bit by painful bit) for the past three months. It's sixteen pages long now, sixteen pages and I think I hate it. Which is funny, because when I first started thinking about this story a year and a half ago, this was one of the major chapters of why I wanted to put my ideas to paper. But right now, it's hitting too close to home. I've had a hard time writing this fight scene and having such an easy resolution, when I know from hard, personal experience that it never goes this smoothly. Even when you're trying so hard to communicate, things still get mired and knotted. And yet, to change it, would just lengthen the story out even longer. If it wasn't necessary to move the "plot" along, I'd just trash it. I have one scene left. One scene that's probably less than two pages long, but do you think I can write it? NOOOOO! Stupid story.

Update number two: And I've been once again hit by the drabble bug, so look for an update to my drabbles, as well as some LOTR ones--I've got an inkling to write a Eomer drabble, and I don't know where that one came from!! As of yet, no one has taken my drabble challenge, although Agent M at ff.net wrote a perfectly delightful one entitled Tana and Kirk. Read it, it's fabulous.

And speaking of drabbles, I just finished reading The Da Vinci Code and really really enjoyed it. The author did an incredible amount of research to justify every one of his theories and well as add layers and layers of details and symbolism. I feel like I need to read it again, just to understand all of the symbolism. Right after I read it, I stumbled across another of [livejournal.com profile] fileg's beautiful drabbles that struck me as ironically appropriate: Earth, Water, Fire, Air. Read the Arwen drabble....And then do yourself a favor and go and read the rest of fileg's stories and see why I love her writing so much.

Update number three: We're starting to discuss The Hobbit on my Tolkien discussion group. I just posted the first five chapters of musings and thoughts, the next five chapters will be done by this weekend. I hope to get all the way through it before RETURN OF THE KING opens....Can anybody guess how excited I am??? Today, I saw one of the tv trailers for the first time and it induced the "moment-of-silence" followed by "utter-squeal-of-excitement."

Um, yeah. That's all the business I guess. School's been kicking my butt, mostly because I've become so apathetic towards it. I cannot wait for Christmas. One of my best friends is flying in and spending almost two weeks with me!! I have two lovely weeks with no classes, no endless hours of studying the disease processes of anemia or the electrical circuits of the heart, no trying to avoid certain people because things have gone so horribly wrong. Nothing but sweet, delightful boredom.

And I had to laugh. Last week, driving home for Thanksgiving dinner, I heard the new Evanescence single, My Immortal, and completely, totally, head over heels fell in love with it. Seriously, it was one of those songs that caused an emotional reaction where I felt the words and music just beating in my veins. I haven't been able to get enough of the song since then. And what was the quote from GG tonight "And those who bring Evanescence will be severely mocked." Yeah, I'm ridiculous.

Only 14 more days until ROTK!!!!!!!!! Just wait until the day before, then I'll be shouting it!
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