katelisim's slightly more realistic goal of 75 for 2010

I haven't finished the 75 for 2009. . . yet?

I decided to try the 1010(10) challenge, but think this will be a bit more practical, maybe. So I will be doubling up, using the same books in each challenge.

I'll come back a later, when there's more time, to fill you in on my categories.

Welcome back!

Glad to see you joining us again for 2010. Good luck with your 1010 challenge as well.

Thank you, thank you :)

Here are the *tentative categories that I'm using in the 1010 challenge

1. Drawn Out: Graphic Novels/Comics/Manga
2. Supernatural: Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires, Ghosts, etc
3. Historical: People, Places, Events, Time-line--fiction and non-fiction
4. Under 20: Children and YA
5. I Got Me Lern-ed: Textbooks from class
6. By Non-Author Famous People: tv personalities, movie stars, musicians, etc
7. What Will We Become?: Sci-fi, dystopias, etc, set in future
8. 1001 List
9. Familiar Faces: Favorite authors & continued series
10. Jumble: Whatever else

I have some also *tentative books plotted out on my 1010 thread
http://www.librarything.com/topic/74530

Hey Kate *waves* I'm going to star you :)

Ooh, your list should be interesting this year! Good luck on those categories. :)

Looks like some interesting categories you have there! Starred :)

Hi Jessica!

I feel so popular with all of these starrings :)

I think I will also aim to review every book I read this time through-- I think I actually reviewed 2 or 3 last time, and gave 10 more a sentence or two. Hefty goals :P

1. Nightmares and Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Time 3.5 Stars
A dark comic that twists some classic fairy tales in a modern setting. The stories are connected by a doll that sees all the events. While it sounds a little cheesy, it is done really well. The doll has consciousness, that some of the characters can hear. So the doll tries to save them from these morbid situations.

2. The Picture of Dorian Gray 4.5 Stars
I learned of this story while in Chicago for a school art trip. One of the museums had a set of portraits of Dorian Gray and his degraded portrait. There was a short description of the story. Then, I saw the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen which had a character based off of Gray. These influenced the expectations I had of the story.

The actual story was quite different. It starts with the completion of Dorian Gray's portrait and his wish that the portrait would age, rather than himself. Following Gray, the story shows how beauty and youth aren't what makes a person and how choices and actions will change a person's soul.

Much deeper than I had thought it would be. There was also a lot of humor that I didn't expect.

I just finished Dorian Gray a few nights ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think I'll put book #1 on my TBR list as well, sounds like it might be something I'd be interested in! I like twisted fairy tales, what can I say...

Dorian Gray sounds like something that would interest me. Adding it to my TBR pile.

I will be staying far, far away from your first book. A doll with consciousness - Eeeeeeeek!!!!! Dolls just creep me out. (Also marionettes, puppets and clowns.)

The Picture of Dorian Gray is my favorite novel. When it comes to Oscar Wilde I am a ridiculous fan girl. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I read The Picture of Dorian Gray at the end of last year, and I think it was my favourite classic that I read in 2009. It was more accessible than I thought it would be.

I read it last year, and was not at all impressed. The central premise has been poisoned because it's so well known - whatever shock or surprise it may have originally generated has long since gone. And the writing was terrible - all those said-bookisms, for example.

>12 Fourpawz2: Fourpawz2-- There are several books I own that contain evil dolls and clowns

>15 iansales: iansales-- My imagination had gone so far with the known portion of the story line, that I was much more affected by the philosophical and internal aspects of the novel. I agree that it's too well known to cause shock, but I feel that it offers more than just a 'shocking' premise--at least for those who don't read too many classics, such as myself.

3. Alchemy and Alchemists 3 Stars
A brief look at alchemy through the ages. Focuses on some of the influential practicing alchemists and how they affected modern sciences. Interesting, but a little too basic for my tastes, and repetitive. There were a lot more big names that practiced alchemy than I thought--Sir Isaac Newton and St. Thomas Aquinas being the most surprising.

4. The Farseekers 5 Stars
I am deeply enthralled by this series :)
This is book 2 of the Obernewtyn Chronicles. This installment continues with the strengthening of Obernewtyn as a safe haven to all Misfits, those with mental abilities such as telepathy, empathy, etc who are persecuted by the new government that arose after an apocalyptic event. Elspeth must journey to the lowlands to find a Misfit as powerful as she, find a lost library of the Oldtimers (pre-apocalypse peoples), and find out who of their enemies is investigating Obernewtyn.

Both books have been fast-paced with characters that you can connect to. I already have the next 4 books and just started the 3rd. I hope the rest are just as good!

@16: I guess I'm just out of the loop. The only thing I knew about Dorian Grey was that he was supposed to be immortal? So I still got the nice shock since I had no idea how the portrait was a part of the story. All these years, I thought the title meant a... character... portrait :)

#17: I knew about Newton and alchemy, but not Aquinas. I will have to look for that book.

The Obernewtyn Chronicles look like something I would enjoy, so I will look for them as well.

Thanks for the recommendations!

Hmm... the Alchemy book looks very interesting... I might see if I can track it down just for the sake of curiosity!

Oh good another Obernewtyn fan. I've read them all and am eagerly awaiting the last book which was delayed from coming out last year to May 2010. She sure has spread them out if you look at the original publication dates. I started reading them in about 2001.

Yay, other people that like Alchemy :)
I've been into it for quite a while, the belief side of things anyway. I found A&A at a Half Price Books for about $6 or $7. They had a few different books on alchemy, but most were the new wave medicine style, not what I wanted.I just need to find a more in-depth book on it, since I knew about half of what was in it.

>21 avatiakh:: I picked up the first book early last year and got to it in Dec. I am devouring them :) I bought 2-6 on B&N.com, but they don't have 7 or 8. . . that's how many are in the series, right?

5. Ashling 5 Stars
This is book 3 of the Obernewtyn Chronicles. This time through, Elspeth goes to Sutrium to return a gypsy to her people and try to convince the Rebels that the Misfits are worthy to join their alliance. We also get our first look at the Sadorians and how Elspeth's quest is linked to all people and creatures of the world. Like the previous books, Ashling offers a lot of action with twists and turns. The Obernewtyn Chronicles are becoming a very elaborate series :)

6. Nightlight 2.5 Stars
This was lent to me by a friend and is a parody of the Twilight series. It was horrible, but to be fair my friend did say it was so. It gets the 2.5 stars simply because it did make me laugh several times with its ridiculousness and phrasings.

7. The Keeping Place 5 Stars
This is book 4 of the Obernewtyn Chronicles. Rushton is missing and the rebellion is about to start, oh no! And during it all, Elspeth needs to search for the signs of her quest to prevent the next Great White. Like the others of the series, lots of action and an increasing complexity of characters and plot. We see more of the Dreamtrails and how the Misfits' abilities are growing.

8. The Lightning Thief 4 Stars
So, you grew up -mostly- normal, a little ADHD and learning problems, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Then some weird stuff starts happening, like your math teacher turning into a giant bat. I guess it doesn't help that you accidentally vaporized her. Then more supposedly* mythical creatures start attacking. Well, turns out your a demigod--half-human, half-god. Oh, and did I mention Zeus thinks you stole from him and is threatening a war? And you have to find whatever it is and return by the summer solstice to stop that war? Good Luck!

I like your description of The Lightning Thief, I haven't read it yet, but intend to do so sometime.

^Thanks :)
That's kind of the feel of the book.

I had it for about a year before I read it, and I'm wondering why it took me so long to do so. It's wonderful. I figured I should read it before the movie too, I think it comes out in February. . . The ads make it look amazingly epic. And I think it has the potential to translate really well to film

>27 katelisim:: I think so too! I can't wait for the film, I'm hoping it does justice to the book.

#25/26: I really enjoyed the entire series, which improved from book to book.

9. Sea of Monsters 3.5 Stars
Book 2 of the Percy Jackson series
Okay, so some cannibals decided to join my school dodgeball game. Safe to say, I'm expelled again, but that's the least of my problems. Annabeth shows up after being chased by monsters and we get to camp while it's under attack by giant metal bulls. Turns out, someone poisoned Thalia's protective tree and now camp isn't safe anymore. Now we have to save camp and avoid a whole lotta monsters -and people- attacking us.

A good follow up to the first, but not quite as riveting. A section uses a very similar progression of events from the Odyssey, which wore on me, but I still enjoyed it. I plan on trying to read the next before school starts, if I find it at HPB today.

Interesting thoughts on the Percy Jackson series. I keep seeing them in bookstores, but haven't picked them up. I've been told that it's a bit 'young' for adult readers, but been waiting to see what 75-ers have to say about it. From your comments I might just pick up the first one and be hesitant about picking up the second.

^I'm 21, and agree that it is a bit young for adult readers. And, I admit, I saw a few of the twists before they arrived, but getting there is fun. It's just such an intriguing way to bring Olympus into the present. I'm a sucker for past-meets-present books, though.

I see the second as a necessary transition, as the 3rd is now my favorite so far. A couple things happen that set up major events in the following books. It also does well to interest kids today about the Odyssey and some of the classic literature they probably haven't read yet.

10. The Titan's Curse 4.5 Stars
Book 3 of the Percy Jackson series
So, we went to pick up a couple of Half-bloods the Grover said were in trouble. Turned out to be A LOT of trouble. The kind that makes a friend disappear over a cliff and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, to be worried. She goes off on a hunt for the big monster, while her hunters come with us and the new Half-bloods to camp. We aren't there long before another quest is under way to prevent another disaster in Olympus.

Today is the first day of classes, so I will most likely be on a 'reading-for-fun' hiatus. Goodbye thread, see you in 3 months?

Good luck with the classes!

@32: Or interest adults who haven't gotten around to the Odyssey? :D I love Greek mythology and feel really bad that I've never gotten around to actually reading the whole Odyssey. Or the Iliad. *ducks head in shame* I've read parts!

There was an interview with Rick Riordan in the Guardian about the Percy Jackson books: I read it in the Family section of Saturday's paper but the website has it down as an article from yesterday.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/feb/08/percy-jackson-rick-riordan

Apparently they were partly written for his son who has ADHD and dyslexia.

>34 Cauterize:: I guess since I had to read them in school, I incorrectly assume that everyone else had to as well. I remember really liking the stories, but having trouble getting past the language sometimes. Which, for some incorrect reason, I place towards the younger crowd. My youth impedes my vision sometimes. . . No worries on not reading it, there are plenty that I haven't that I should have read by now.

>35 elkiedee:: Thanks for the link. The article was very interesting and shed a lot of light on where his influences came from.

So, I'm starting to look for interesting historical books for my 1010 category. This is my 'try something new' category, and am not really sure where to start. I read the alchemy book, and my friend is going to lend me the other boleyn girl, but that's it so far. Does anyone here have any suggestions for me to add to the list? It can be either fiction or non. . . I'm going very loose on the definition of historical for this.

Is there a particular era you are interested in, Kate? I can make all kinds of suggestions, but if you are interested in one historical period over another that would be helpful information.

Really I'll read most histories that aren't modern. I think I've got my fill of holocaust for awhile though. Lately, I've been learning a bit about the Anglo-Saxons and tribes from that time and find that interesting. Medieval too. I like ninjas. And quirky things. And morbid--in high school we had 'torture week' learning all about the iron maiden, thumb screws, etc. I like art related things too. Hmm, this isn't narrowing things down too much. . .

Mostly, I just don't want anything really dry or overly technical.

If you are looking for historical fiction, Edith Pargeter, who wrote mysteries as Ellis Peters, wrote The Heaven Tree Trilogy and The Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet that are both set in the medieval period. Ken Follett, best known as a thriller writer, has written a couple of hefty tomes, World without End and Pillars of the Earth that are also set in that time period. Bernard Cornwell also writes good historical fiction and has a series called the Saxon Chronicles that consists of 4 books: The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horsemen, Lords of the North, and Sword Song.

For nonfiction, you might try The Celts: The People Who Came Out of the Darkness by Gerhard Herm. Also, The Man in the Ice is a pretty good one as well.

Hope that helps!

^Thanks! Helps a bunch :)

I gladly accept all suggestions and recommendations. I would never have found a couple of my favorites without them.

Glad I could help!

I really like Pauline Gedge's historical fiction set in ancient Egypt. Child of the Morning is about the only woman who declared herself Pharaoh, and House of Dreams was good as well.

^Was Hatshepsut the one that did that? I like Ancient Egypt. . . especially their myths. I have a translation of The Book of the Dead that I'm slowly working my way through, but my goodness is it a massive tome!

11. The Longman Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1A 3.5 Stars
Covers major works from the Middle Ages including Beowulf, Taliesin, The Wanderer, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (and other Arthurian stories), Chaucer, and others. I was already familiar with several of the selections. I especially enjoyed the anglo-saxon writings. It loses points for not-so-complete translations of the Middle English--translated words that are still in use (i.e. sepulcher) and didn't translate words that no longer exist (i.e. everichoon). While I enjoy learning new words/languages, I don't appreciate it when I need to read 100 pages and take notes for the next day.

12. Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes 4 Stars
This is a comic series I've heard all sorts of praise for, but nothing by way of the story. It's very different from what I had even sort of expected. I was right about it being nice and dark with some interesting evil being committed. . . but I thought it would be the Sandman doing those things. On the contrary, he's the victim, trapped for a century by occultists and just trying to get free, get his things back. . . and maybe a little revenge. But he's kind of a good guy. I really liked it, and as a Gaiman fan, thought I would. Definitely plan on reading the rest of the series, especially when my friend is willing to lend them to me :)

@44: Sorry for taking so long to get back to you! But yes, Child of the Morning is about Hatshepsut and it covers her whole life from being a child, being declared Crown Prince, her architect, her struggles to become Pharaoh. House of Dreams is about a fictional woman of exceptional beauty who is groomed to become a physician and becomes a concubine for Pharaoh. For historical-ness, I enjoyed that book because it had parts of the story that detailed the women's compound where the concubines and wives lived, which I didn't know anything about.

Gedge has a new series out that details the life of a male Oracle, but I haven't enjoyed that one as much, probably because I enjoy reading these types of stories with remarkable women.

Ha, no worries. They definitely sound interesting. I might like the oracle series, since I gravitate towards weirder-not-quite-in-the-realm-of-reality books, and oracles are just plain fascinating. I wonder if there are any books about the oracle at Delphi? That would be pretty neat, especially if they incorporated the Greek gods.

@46 Haha, I have to say I've had those same misconceptions about the Sandman series. Nice review; I'll have to check it out myself, finally!

^Thanks! There are also some nice tie-ins to previous comic worlds, i.e. batman and the Justice League. And some interesting takes on myths/legends/religion (sort of, the story side, not the preachy side).

Spring Break officially starts tonight. . . so my goal for this week in addition to my heaping stack of homework is to read 2 books. Low goals, I know, but it really is a massive amount of class work. Plus St. Patrick's day, which, if I'm being honest, will make 2 days pretty useless. Plus The Big Pink concert. So, here's to a hopefully productive week!

Good luck, Kate!

Good luck, and enjoy your break! I'm just coming back from mine tomorrow.

Well I feel terrible that I only just stumbled upon your thread Kate but I've got it starred now so I won't lose it again.
It's terribly ironic that you've read the first three Percy Jackson books since I've read that far into the series just in the last week or so. I've gotta see if my library has the last two books or whether I may have to resort to mooching them or not.
Also if your looking for medieval historical fiction, I can recommend any book by Elizabeth Chadwick as her books are really good for the whole 12th-14th century period.

Thanks all!

^Well, considering I only found yours last week. . . I think you're forgiven ;P I'm really enjoying the Percy Jackson series. I have the fourth, but I'll wait til the 5th gets to paperback. . . or check the library, but I have a feeling there will be a long wait list. Thanks for the recommendations, I'll definitely look into them once I get a few minutes

Well, I totally didn't read any books for fun over break. . . I got sidetracked by a video game. I couldn't make myself do it, since I had so much reading for class I couldn't sit still to read for fun. Loud music and a DBZ game stole my time. But I did beat the story mode on the game, so not a complete loss. And that book for class is almost done, so it'll be up here soonish. I should see if my library has DBZ mangas. . .

So, I think I will just end up reading mangas while I have classes, or at least while I have English classes with an exorbitant amount of reading to begin with. They go faster, and I can read these while moving around. . . pacing?. . . and with music without losing my place or only retaining/comprehending 1/2 of the words :P

13. & 14. Trigun vol. 1 & 2 4 Stars apiece
These are rereads. I love this series. Finding the anime when I was but a wee little middle-schooler, I've devoted some serious hours to this series.

Vash the Stampede has a sixty billion double dollar bounty on his head. But our sharp-shooting pacifist doesn't want any trouble, just to live a quiet life. Of course, there are plenty of bounty hunters that make that completely impossible. Through the comedy, we learn about Vash's past and how the human race ended up on a desert planet. Plenty of action, adventure, and comedy. Also, Vash's amazing ability to dodge bullets and bad guys to win, usually without hurting anyone.

15. The Longman Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1B 3.75 Stars
Massive book #2 down for my English class! It picks up after Vol. 1A, surprise surprise. Includes More's Utopia, Spenser's The Faerie Queene (parts of it anyway), Marlowe's The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, poetry by Jonson and Donne, and a ridiculously long section on Milton with Paradise Lost. Those were the favorites of the bunch, I don't even want to talk about how painful it was to get through the essay section. What I liked, I -really- liked and what I didn't like, I -really- didn't like. There wasn't anything in the middle. So sometimes I found it easy to fly through and understand everything, other times, I didn't retain a damn thing which will kill me on the next test.

#58: Well, at least you made it through the book if nothing else.

. . . And the comic trend continues

16. Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House 4 Stars
Continuing from the first, The Sandman, or Morpheus, or any of the other names he goes by, is still fixing things after his imprisonment. He gathers a few of his straying subordinates. We see him getting them, but also how they've been interacting with the mortal world. More of Morpheus and his personality, as well as how it has changed through history. Some fun references to literature in these sections. We also get a tiny peek at the rest of his 'family' and the Dreaming world.

17. The Good Neighbors: Book One: Kin by Holly Black & Ted Naifeh 3 Stars
Definitely in the tradition of previous Holly Black works. Rue's mother goes missing and her father is accused of murdering one of his students. Her estranged grandfather comes to claim her, but she doesn't know him, so stays with a family friend. Rue digs into her family history and finds out her mother is a faerie. Slowly her ability to see the faerie realm increases. It seems that the faerie world is beginning a takeover of the city.

A good start to a new story. It hints at some future plot changes/twists in the upcoming books. If you like Holly Black's other works (Tithe + others in series, or Spiderwick Chronicles) you'll probably like this story as well.

#61: I just picked up The Good Neighbors the other day at the library. I have never read anything by Holly Black so it will be interesting to see how I do with it.

My favorite by her is Tithe, but most of her stories have a similar pattern of: kid doesn't quite fit in (slightly, as in the way every kid/teen feels they don't fit in), stumbles into the world of Faerie, is tricked by the creatures of the world, sort of figures out how to navigate the world. . . then the endings fit with the specific story, not so much patterned. They're fun. Pretty young though, aimed at the younger side of YA, imo.

I also picked it up from the library. I'm always slightly surprised when they have a comic/manga that I want to read, instead of the 'shallow', not sure if that's the right word I'm looking for, but basic story that I'm bored with half way through.

#63: I understand what you mean regarding graphic novels, Kate. I was rather worried about what I would find in them when I started looking, but with the recommendations I have gotten here on LT, I have come across some very good, if not excellent graphic novel reads: Maus and Maus II, Asterios Polyp, Stitches, Persepolis etc.

hmmm, I've only read Persepolis of that bunch. I've heard of Maus, I'll have to check them out.

Outside of what I've read this year, I also like FLCL--and its nonsense, it's one of those you have to read a few times to understand anything that's going on. Demon Diary was good and so was Princess Ai. Those both have their shallow moments, but if you read through the series (8 vol and 3 vol respectively) they have an interesting take on how the characters fit in when they actually don't. . . if that made any sense

FLCL? No idea what that is.

I will have to check out the ones you mentioned. My problem is getting my hands on graphic novels - my local library has very few!

I know there are websites that let you read some series for free, I'm not sure which ones though. I usually just buy them or borrow them. I'll ask my friends, see if they're actually reputable sites, and not illegal pirating business. I'll let you know what I find out

Thanks!

>63 katelisim:: I really liked Holly Black's Spiderwick series, and while I read and liked Tithe for the most part, I wouldn't say they're for the younger side of YA -- there was a lot of swearing, sexual content (implied) and excess drug use, though I think the drug use is mostly in Valiant and Ironside... I don't plan on reading either one simply for that reason, but I agree that she's a brilliant writer, albeit with a very odd dark side! :) I plan to give Good Neighbors and White Cat a try, as I'm not willing to give up on her just because I didn't like a few of her first YA books!

. . . I seem to have forgotten some of those issues brought up. My childhood was -interesting- to say the least, so I forget some of the things I learned of then most don't learn of til late high school/college. Silly me projecting my own experiences on everyone else

18. Demon Flowers, Vol. 1 2.5 Stars
Manga from the library. It's very meh to me. Since it's volume 1, it's mostly set-up for the future installments. And there are some awkward moments that I think are intentional, but not completely sure since they aren't obvious on that aspect. Since the library has them, I will probably continue reading them--I really hate to leave a series unfinished, especially mangas that end in action. . .

A demon assassin is sent to kill the gods' half mortal offspring, called the kuruizaki no hana. The demons are able to steal their powers by eating them. He sees something in a young boy knh that he just cannot kill. So, he leaves the demon family and takes the boy with him. Somewhere along the line the two accumulated an orphaned girl. Now they are on the run from the demons, but only the assassin knows why they're constantly moving or the boy's past. Can they continue living as they are when the truth comes crashing in?

> alcottacre:

I asked my friends what sites they use to read manga, and they replied with mangafox.com and onemanga.com so far. I took a cursory glance at them, and they both give publisher info and promote purchasing/supporting the publishers and authors. They seem reputable on first glance. Both also have a huge catalog. . . but I can't testify on how good most of the series are. Hope this helps with acquiring manga/graphic novels.

#72: Thanks for the info, Kate. I will investigate.

Historical #2
19. The Castle of Otronto 3 Stars
I read this one for my British Literature class. It was written in 1764, and set earlier. . . not 100% on when, but will fit this category nicely :P

The Prince of Otranto, Manfred, arranges the marriage of his 15 yr old son, Conrad, to Princess Isabella. An unfortunate event on the wedding day, in the form of a huge falling helmet from the sky, kills poor Conrad. Instead of sending Isabella back home, Manfred decides he will marry her, since his wife hasn't produced a suitable heir for him. Of course, Isabella is completely against that.

This is the original gothic novel. And being such, is filled with castles, underground tunnels, ghostly activity, and a prophecy.

I thought this book was a fast fun read. Some of its over dramatic bits were hilarious, including the line "Ah me, I am slain" -- just wonderful. It was easier to read than I thought, with it being written well over 200 yrs ago. The story also moved nice and fast, instead of getting hung up on trivial details like so many modern novels do.

#74: I downloaded that one on to my Kindle-for-PC, but have not gotten around to reading it yet. Thanks for the reminder, Kate.

^No prob :D

20. Dragon Ball Z 5 Stars
Any review I do of this is going to be ridiculously high in praise and nostalgia, as I've been watching this series since I was in elementary school. I like it waaaay more than I should. So I'll just stick with what happens in the book :P

The one I read is a mega 3-in-1 of DBZ 1-3 (aka DragonBall 17-19). It starts with Raditz, a Saiyan from outer space, landing on Earth. He's a big bad fighter dude finding out why Goku, aka Kakarrot, hasn't destroyed the planet yet. Well, he's good, that's why. So now Goku and friends, who are much weaker, must defend the planet from the invading Saiyans.

--I swear I don't only read comics, but at this rate my category will be filled very soon :}

I read graphic novels too, so just go with the flow. You will catch up in the other categories soon, I wager.

Oh, I'm sure I will. Summer break is almost here! I have 1 wk left of classes then finals wk then freedom :D Soon, so very soon I will be able to read actual novels for fun again :D :D :D

Yay! It's the end of the semester! Finals next week, which is not quite so yay, but just means I get to read for fun again :D These will be some short reviews, I really don't feel like spending much more of my time with these at the moment

21. The Longman Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1C 3.75 Stars
Similar to the previous 2. This one had some scathing satire that I greatly appreciated, especially A Modest Proposal where Swift promotes eating young children to help solve the hunger and poverty issues in Ireland. Included: Swift and Pope, some of the early novelists, and poetry.

22. Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective 4 Stars
This is how a textbook should be formatted. It was easy to read and had a lot of information. It was set-up so I could go back and easily find what I needed. Clear headings and titles. I rent my textbooks from my school, but when they get the next editions they sell the previous ones for cheap. So I will buy this book from textbook services in a couple years for my sparse reference section of my book collection.

23. Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility 1 Star
This book would be okay for general reading, but as a textbook it was such a fail. It referenced Wikipedia for a definition that could be found elsewhere--all credibility gone, which is ironic since it has a section on credibility. It would bold words and not define them for a couple sentences later (sometimes in the next paragraph). It just felt chaotic and rambley. Not my ideal style of learning.

24. The Philosophy of the Visual Arts 3.5 Stars
I enjoyed the theories and perspectives. They were all copies of the philosophers' original works so it was difficult to get through some. And some of their ideas were very abstract and described in the context of a century ago. This was just a compilation, the editor didn't make any comments on the works, though I wish he had for some--just to update the comparisons and to clarify the some concepts with modern context.

25. Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy 3.5 Stars
Formatted well. Good information. Came with a disc that we didn't use for class--I tinkered with it but without further explanation I couldn't quite understand all of the abbreviations used in the tables (though, I think it was comparative data with dimensions in product, service, and consumer segments).

In Progress: Sandman Vol. 3 & Incarceron

#79: Glad to hear it is the end of the semester for you and you can get some fun reading done! Some of those books look terribly boring to me :)

26. Incarceron 4.5 Stars
So at some unspecified time in the future, there is a "Time of Rage" --which is also fairly undescribed, but is alluded to be war and dissension. So in response to these events, the leaders of the time had the Sapienti, their scientists, build a self-contained prison called Incarceron. It is an artificial intelligence that has ultimate authority and let's nothing go to waste. The Sapienti built it to be a paradise, but over time it degraded to the opposite. Now, almost 2 centuries later, it has small groups that are like tribal war societies. There is widespread violence, starvation, people being born with mechanical parts, and fear.

The same leaders that commissioned Incarceron decided they wanted better control over their people. To accomplish this they essential undid progress, so everyone must live according to Protocol-- as if they were in the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries. Most technology has been outlawed, well, unless you're part of the aristocracy or Sapienti-- but they have restrictions. Now, it is a world of deception and games that can have deadly consequences. With only Incarceron's warden knowing the state and location of the prison, it's failure is one big secret.

Whew, now that I'm done with the world set-up I can get to the actual storyline. It follows 2 characters. The first is Claudia, the daughter of Incarceron's warden who has plotted for years to make her queen. Not happy with her fate, she starts digging into the mysteries surrounding Incarceron and the past events of the outside world that has been hushed-up. The second is Finn, a prisoner of Incarceron who only remembers the last 3 years of his life. He is part of a fierce group of thieves and murderers, though he doesn't quite fit in. One of Incarceron's remaining Sapienti thinks he is a Starseer, one who gets visions of the outside world and will lead them to escape.

Claudia and Finn both find keys to Incarceron. They discover that they can communicate with each other through the keys. Together, they work for Finn's escape from Incarceron to try to save the people inside and out.

27. The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country 3.75 Stars
On par with the first 2, but not really a continuance of the story. This one has 4 different short, stand-alone episodes: Calliope, the muse, being kidnapped; a cat's view of human tyranny; the first performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream; and a metamorphae that wants to die but can't figure out how. We see more of Morpheus' personality and some fun new creatures. We also see some fair folk. Calliope's story is the only one that has any continuance with the previous 2, but it's still good and has interesting ideas of how these characters have interacted with mortal creatures and the world itself.

28. Bite Me: A Love Story 4 Stars
This is the third story in Christopher Moore's comedic vampire series. From Abby's point of view, a perky high school goth minion of the vampires Jody and Tommy (who are complete vamp noobs). After bronzing Jody and Tommy so they wouldn't split up, Abby and her boyfriend Foo set up in Jody and Tommy's loft, nick named the love lair. All is going smooth since all the vampires are gone until they figure out Chet, a huge cat, had been turned vamp by Elijah and is now running around San Francisco making a horde of kitty vamps. Then they start to eat all the homeless people and the hookers. Things get out of control, so all the players of the last books are brought in to help stop Chet, who is getting bigger by the day.

Hilarious like the first two. You don't need to read them in order, as there is a mini sum-up at the beginnings. Official order of the books = Bloodsucking Fiends, You Suck, Bite Me. I read them 2, 1, 3. Order of liking is 2, 3, 1-- although the margins are very slim.

IP: Poison by Sara Poole, received through ER

29. Poison by Sara Poole, 3 Stars
This is an advance reader edition I received through Early Reviewers.
It's Rome, 1492. Francesca Giordano just poisoned a Spaniard to secure her place as Borgia's official poisoner and her father's successor. But being the poisoner of a high-ranking family isn't quite what she expected. Right away she is pulled into a plot to kill the Pope. Francesca does what is needed and much more, accumulating friends, enemies, and a broader knowledge of what is truly happening in her world. Filled with conspiracies, action, and a representation of Rome that feels real.

The first couple of chapters were exciting, but then it hit a slump that took forever to get through. It was a lot of talking and walking and not much else. Although it was necessary set-up for the later chapters and excitement. Once through the slump, the story got better and better. This is the first book of a series, so I hope the series follows the trend. Now that several elements have been set-up, I see it as a good possibility. I will definitely be reading the follow-up.

29. Poison by Sara Poole, 3 Stars
This is an advance reader edition I received through Early Reviewers.
It's Rome, 1492. Francesca Giordano just poisoned a Spaniard to secure her place as Borgia's official poisoner and her father's successor. But being the poisoner of a high-ranking family isn't quite what she expected. Right away she is pulled into a plot to kill the Pope. Francesca does what is needed and much more, accumulating friends, enemies, and a broader knowledge of what is truly happening in her world. Filled with conspiracies, action, and a representation of Rome that feels real.

The first couple of chapters were exciting, but then it hit a slump that took forever to get through. It was a lot of talking and walking and not much else. Although it was necessary set-up for the later chapters and excitement. Once through the slump, the story got better and better. This is the first book of a series, so I hope the series follows the trend. Now that several elements have been set-up, I see it as a good possibility. I will definitely be reading the follow-up.

I have Poison in the BlackHole, but my local library does not have it and I am not going to rush right out and get it. I hope you enjoy your next read better, Kate!

30. Fallen by Lauren Kate 4 Stars
After a terrible accident and a dubious record of sanity, Luce is sent to Sword and Cross Reform School. As she learns how to navigate her new foreign surroundings, Luce also starts to piece together mysterious events that are happening at the school and from her past. She falls for Daniel, who wants nothing to do with her. Cam wants to be more than friends, but she can't get past Daniel.

This book surprisingly sucked me in. I love the fallen angel lore, but sadly there was only the beginnings of it in this book. I thought it was a stand alone book, but I was wrong--it's the first of a series. So hopefully it goes more into in the next book. There was one spot (totally insignificant tho) that bothered me ***Possible Spoiler*** Daniel tells Luce not to be shocked at Cam's style of warfare, but it doesn't say/show what that is--only the dust that shows up after all angel battles. . . did I just read too fast and sort of miss what was pointed out/not obvious?

30. Fallen by Lauren Kate 4 Stars
After a terrible accident and a dubious record of sanity, Luce is sent to Sword and Cross Reform School. As she learns how to navigate her new foreign surroundings, Luce also starts to piece together mysterious events that are happening at the school and from her past. She falls for Daniel, who wants nothing to do with her. Cam wants to be more than friends, but she can't get past Daniel.

This book surprisingly sucked me in. I love the fallen angel lore, but sadly there was only the beginnings of it in this book. I thought it was a stand alone book, but I was wrong--it's the first of a series. So hopefully it goes more into in the next book. There was one spot (totally insignificant tho) that bothered me ***Possible Spoiler*** Daniel tells Luce not to be shocked at Cam's style of warfare, but it doesn't say/show what that is--only the dust that shows up after all angel battles. . . did I just read too fast and sort of miss what was pointed out/not obvious?

#88: I will give that one a shot, even though I see that at least 2 follow up books are planned, one this year and one next.

I know! I was so excited to see that I found a stand alone book for once, then the last page dashed my hopes telling me to purge my bank account on another series. . . *sigh*

I just looked at the last page of my current read, Malice, and guess what. . . the story continues in Havoc coming soon. I thought this was also a stand alone. This has happened too many times to even try being annoyed with it anymore.

#90: It seems as if authors are incapable of writing stand alones any more, doesn't it? Geez Louise.

31. Malice by Chris Wooding 4 Stars
There's a rumor of a comic called Malice that can literally suck you in. You do a little ritual and call upon Tall Jack to take you there. But be careful, this is no empty request. Malice is a very real world full of danger. Most don't make it out. Seth and Kady lose their friend Luke to Malice and are now trying to figure out this new reality and how to bring it down so more kids don't die.

The formatting of this book is sooooo cool. The cover is in relief (yes, an actual 3D book cover!). Inside, it is part novel, part comic. And there are a couple other fun visual formatting of text and pages. Again, I read this thinking it was a stand alone, only to find out that it is the first of a series. Book 2, Havoc, is due this fall. And I can't wait! It left off where I would have much preferred it to continue.

32. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld 4.5 Stars
How does 'cool' make it from its beginning to a phenomenon? It is Hunter's job to find cool new innovations to send them up the chain to become a fad. His specialty, shoes and laces. On a search he meets Jen, an innovator type who creates unique ways to tie her laces. He brings her to a focus group and the trouble begins. Hunter's boss goes missing, big thugs are chasing them through abandoned buildings and release parties, and a whole new breed of technology is making people talk befuddled. And all this over the coolest shoes ever. Or maybe it's a bigger plan, one to end the high-speed trend cycle?

I love Scott Westerfeld's books. And I'm going into marketing communications. And I was part of ridiculous corporate street teams that they had to find out if their stuff was cool, being paid in free advanced products and discounts, etc. So, maybe I'm a little positively biased on this book. It's amazing to see some of the marketing/consumer concepts so simply put that a middle schooler could understand it. It's also a good look at how creativity is both exploited and crushed. I hate that. It's one reason I want to do it, to be creative while still practical (creative ads win awards, not sales unfortunately).

#92: The local library does not have Malice, but it does have So Yesterday. Thanks for the recommendations, Kate.

^I think it would be really awkward to try and put a 3D cover in the stacks. But shockingly, Malice costs less than most new releases even w/ the cover, comics, and nice thick paper-- listed @ $14.99. I found it at Half Price Books for $8 and they had a sale going so I only ended up paying a little over $6. So, if you dig I'm sure you could find it at a pretty good price, definitely worth it :D

#94: Thanks for the heads up! I will check into that.

Kate, you might enjoy Bellwether by Connie Willis. Although just a touch dated now, it's a tongue-in-cheek looking at the academic investigation of fads, and lots of fun.

That looks very interesting! Thanks for the recommendation! Too bad my library doesn't have it. It looks like it goes pretty cheap on half.com :D

I keep picking up Malice at the bookstore but haven't purchased it yet. Wooding always has such unique ideas, I really should just suck it up and buy it one of these days -- if not for the cover alone, haha.

@dk - For once I was not misled by the cover :P

33. So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow 3.5 Stars
Ari dreams of indie-rock glory, but he is stuck in a wealthy Jewish school in the suburbs buried in SAT prep. Sneaking behind his parents backs he starts The Tribe and they knock out an instant favorite with a ska rendition of Hava Nagilah. Ari now needs to deal with his fellow band mate's inflated ego, his unrequited love who pines for his best friend, and all the other pitfalls of instant pseudo-fame.

This one is really funny. Ostow writes in a straight forward way that is completely real and able to relate too. Descriptions of the music scene is dead on, but I can't vouch for the Jewish part. It felt right, and there is a nifty section in the back that described the terms. Somehow, I found another book that was part comic, didn't even realize it until I started reading it. It completes the artistic feel. I especially like the comic jab at Bono's photo-sensitivity :P

34. Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow 3.75 Stars
Dru Anderson has been around the strange her entire life. Her grandmother was a wisewoman who could do some mystical workings and her father hunts the things that go bump in the night, bringing her along after her grandmother died. Or, at least he did right up until he was turned into a zombie and sent to kill her. Now Dru has to figure out what to do next about the looming threat. Go to school like a normal kid, find her father's killer, or get the heck out of town before she ends up with the same case of reanimation.

It's a fast read that never gets boring or slow. Constant action and suspense. If you've ever seen the CW/WB (or whatever the station goes by nowadays) show Supernatural, it's a bit like that. . . except from a teenage girl's perspective. Strange Angels bad guys are mostly suckers (vampires) or werwulfen (werewolves) and the strange creatures they get to do their bidding. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that the author had a few favorite phrases that you would see repeated within a few pages and a couple redundant paragraphs. But it doesn't detract from the story. . . I mean, if I were being chased by things that are most likely going to shred me to pieces, I would also keep returning to that thought, among a couple others.

35. The Poison Eaters by Holly Black 3.5 Stars
A collection of short stories. Some are supernatural, some hearken back to her Modern Faery series, but all are quirky. Like In Vodka Veritas when the Latin club play the role of Maenad and drug the school dance. They're all entertaining and very Holly Black in style. I liked her take on vampires in The Coldest Girl in Cold Town.

So Punk Rock and The Poison Eaters both sound like a lot of fun!

^They are both pretty humorous. SPR is one of the most light-hearted/funny books I've read this year.

36. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 4 Stars
Androids were created to assist people on Mars essentially as slaves. However, they don't like that, so they flee to Earth to try and live their lives free. Police stations employ bounty hunters to capture and 'retire' the escaped androids without the public finding out that they roam amongst them. The new Nexus-6 type androids are almost indistinguishable from humans and are giving the bounty hunters a tough time. Rick Deckard has just obtained the position of lead bounty hunter in San Fransisco after his predecessor got lasered by one of the 8 Nexus-6's he's been hunting. Now, he needs to find the remaining 6 before they know they're being hunted. But it's not as easy as finding the older models. They can play human very well, and Rick starts to feel empathy towards them, threatening his view of how the world is.

For liking this type of sf, I haven't read a whole lot of it. It's short but insightful, unlike many of the modern books I've been reading. It brings up many philosophical issues pertaining to technological advancement, societal structure of a dying world, empathy, equality, and depression. I feel like this would probably appeal to those that don't necessarily read sf.

37. Massively Multiplayer 3.75 Stars
Andrew is a college student on summer break without motivation to do much of anything, except playing the online virtual reality game Crucible. It's an MMORPG* that utilizes the best physics probability generator, which has made it one of the top online community games. But when Archimago, Crucible's creator company, has a shift in management and a rollout of a huge new update, things get dicey for everyone. Andrew is drawn into a quest with murderous companions and monsters, not to mention his parents in real life completely not understanding. The established Archimago staff is overrun by problems from the new owners, a hacker, and what is shaping up to be a conspiracy. All of which could pose problems for all Crucible players.

An interesting and captivating look at the gaming industry. Issues of technological advancement, psychology, law, ethical business practices, morality in general, and family are all explored--however, it feels natural, not at all pushed or like it's trying too hard. You don't need to be a gamer to enjoy this either. Concepts are clearly explained, though not overly technical. And acronyms are kept basic or explained.

I would've given it 4 Stars, but the early review copy I have is riddled with typos. It didn't take anything away from the story, though, just a little distracting. Hopefully they clean it up a bit for the actual release.

*massively multiplayer online role playing game

#104: I will have to look for that one when it is available. Thanks for the recommendation, Kate!

Hmm... a novel about an MMORPG? Interesting... I'll keep an eye out for it!

#106--yeah, it's the first book I've read that has dealt with the video game industry. I'm going to see if I can find some more/similar books.

38. The Nimble Man 3.5 Stars
I'm really sleepy right now, so I'll be back later to review it.

ETA: This book reminded me of the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. It's a mash up of characters from other places. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is alive and kicking monster butt as a mage/alchemist. Next to him is Eve, the original vampire, who helps him out while searching for her evil offspring to kill. The rest are a shapeshifter as old as time, the ghost of an explorer from the last century, a faerie princess with mad magic skills, and a 16 year old boy just discovering that he's a demon. Spooky signs start popping up, including raining frogs, a red fog/mist, and the dead rising as zombies. Doyle and his crew learn of the apocalyptic plans that include freeing his once mentor and teacher to steal his power. And they intend on stopping it.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The mash ups didn't feel overly forced, in fact pretty on the DL if you don't get the clues until the overt reveal. Sometimes it was a little thick and overly worded, but it fit with the 'old' personalities and the times they came from. This is the first in the series, but there is a lot of history before its beginning, which made it feel much more plausible.

If you're interested in books that use gaming as a vehicle, I read a dirt-cheap (less than $1) Kindle book about a year ago, Metagame, that did. I thought it fair—given the price, I wasn't upset.

Of course, there's the classic Dream Park, which doesn't use MMORPG (it predated them somewhat) but does use the concept of a computer game as a basis.

^Thanks! I haven't heard of either of them. But I will look into them :D

39. Chasing the Dragon: Quantum Gravity Book 4 3 Stars
Picks up right after book 3, no time gap. Lila has been catapulted 50 years into her own future. Much has changed: Zal is missing, The Agency employs cyborgs-advanced versions of herself, Mal has taken more of his ancient fey qualities, Teazle is now Lightbringer-whatever that's supposed to be, and now there is the Signal--a constant buzz of mechanical chatter trying to do something. But in all this change there is some consistancy: problems galore, The Agency telling her what to do, and Lila still losing herself to her machinery and the plots/schemes of beings from other planes.

Not the best of the series. Too much going on and I wasn't completely sure which story line was supposed to be the main one (although I will assume Lila's, even though it didn't seem the most important a lot of the time). I also assume when they story lines merged was supposed to be the climax but it doubled as the conclusion. It was a little confusing and disappointing. But it left a lot of loose ends, so hopefully there is a next one that ends a bit better.

In the series the character Zal fronts the band The No Shows. Justina Robson had the real band Cynic Guru make a few of the songs and I finally got around to listening to the song Doom. I really like it :D Here's a link if you want to check it out too:
http://www.garageband.com/mp3player?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSlZVm-Zms

Congratulations on passing the halfway point of the challenge!

^Thanks! :D

40. Betrayals: Strange Angels 2 3.5 Stars
Picks up with Dru and Graves at the Schola, where they thought they'd be safe. But some inky things are going on. Dru isn't being taught anything, Christophe has been m.i.a., and the Schola keeps getting attacked by suckers bent on killing her.

A good follow up novel-so if you liked that one, you will like this one. Kept the action and suspense. We also learn more about the suckers, djhampir, werwulfen, and Loup-garou and some of the things they're capable of doing. I could have done without the prolonged re-acquaintance period and stretching of the beginning though.

41. The Road by Cormac McCarthy 3.5 Stars
This is the bleakest book I've ever read. McCarthy has done a brilliant job of creating our future world of ruin without hope. It is beautifully and simplistically written. A father and son journey to find food, warmth, and good people. McCarthy also explores the psychology of a post-apocalyptic world: how far will I go to survive?

42. Candide or Optimism by Voltaire 3 Stars
An amusing satire on the literature, criticisms, and politics in Voltaire's time. Again, I am surprised at how easy it is to read some of these classics. Very simple language with short chapters. The chapter titles amusingly tell you most of what happens in the chapter. Recognition scenes are my favorite; they are like a soap opera with their excessiveness and swooning. Basically, a bunch of bad things happen to Candide and the other characters, but they have the philosophy of "alls for the best". And then silly luck happens to where they are reunited or get fortune, etc, but it's not always good luck as they assume.

Hi, Kate! I'm trying to catch up on 75-book threads, and found a lot of good books here on your thread! I am also working on the 1001 Books project, and I just got an ILL of Castle of Otronto! My last 1001 Books read was The Once and Future King, as part of the group read.

Nice to meet you!

Karen O.

Hi Karen! My reading has been pretty good this year, only a handful of duds so far. I'm only 26 books into the 1001 challenge so far, but I'm using it to broaden and expand away from my usual reads. I haven't read The Once and Future King, did you enjoy it? I have a copy of Le Morte D'Arthur by Malory that I've been meaning to get around to. . .

43. The Essential Calvin and Hobbes 5 Stars
This is a reread, I think I've had this since middle school--over a decade at least. Anyway, there was a storm last night that was super windy. So I assume a big tree fell and that's the reason my power went out on one of the hottest and muggiest nights of the year. I figured of everything I had, this would be easiest to read by dimming storm-light. And it's been quite a while since I read my most favorite-est of Sunday comics ever :P

>115 katelisim:: Nothing else has really come close to Watterson's stuff, imo. I still re-read them periodically and my son loves them.

I made the mistake of introducing my son to Calvin and Hobbes back when he was in late elementary school. He immediately made it his life's ambition to become as Calvin-like as possible. Most memorably, he let this big belch out at a nice dinner one night in front of a bunch of people, then when asked "What do you say?" responded with "Is there a barge comin' through?" It turned out to be a pretty good test for who at the table was a C&H fan!

>drneutron- That's hilarious! I'm sure if I had any of my 5 C&H books in elementary school there would've been much more raucous and prolific moments. Though we did have several dangerous wagon rides. . . there's a very steep hill next to my house that we would frequent with wheeled devices, always forgetting that there was a sharp turn covered in sand at the bottom. Never ended very well, lol.

In my 1010 challenge I have a category of 'By non-author people'. This is the first I've read for the category. Basically, it's famous people I know for something other than writing books. So, for these I will give a little background and then talk about the book.

Oh My Goth! Version 2.0 by Voltaire 3.5 Stars
Not to be confused with the French philosopher, Voltaire is an icon in the goth community. He got his start in stop-animation. I know him best for his hilarious music that satires goth culture, nerd-isms, and life in general. The closest he's gotten to main stream is his songs Brains! and Land of the Dead being used in Cartoon Networks animated series The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Oh My Goth! Version 2.0 is a omnibus collection of short comics originally used to promote his live shows.

Now, on to the actual story. Heironymous Posche is an alien who is intent on making a peaceful connection with the humans on Earth. He arrived centuries ago, but the humans were never ready for him, resulting in humorous attempts at his death. Cut to the late 90s, and he finds an outcast goth girl that gives him faith again. However, now he has his home-world bosses and a bunch of Satan's demon slaves out to kill him. Heironymous, his frankenstein-ish monster servant, a floating tombstone, and a "dancing pocket goth" must now save Earth. Highly satirical, like his music, and often his lyrics make cameos. There are several pop-culture references too.

If you enjoy other things by him, you'll enjoy this as well. I recommend to people who like really quirky things, have been in the goth (or related) scenes, or like dark-ish humor. If your not sure on this one, check out some of his songs on youtube or whatever online radio station. . . good ones that fit/relate to the comic: The Vampire Club (several references made in Oh My Goth to this one), The U.S.S Make S**t Up (Star Trek satire), When You're Evil, Day of the Dead, and Brains.

45. Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin 3.5 Stars
Kathy Griffin is most famous for her celebrity skewering stand-up and tv roles in My Life on the D-List and Suddenly Susan. In this book she talks about her childhood, breaking into Hollywood, family, and celebrity reactions to her comedy routine. I'm not into memoirs. . . usually; they have to be really weird or really funny for me to enjoy. Kathy Griffin's humor is everywhere in this book, even when the subject is serious, which made it very entertaining and very easy to like.

46. Johnny the Homicidal Maniac: Director's Cut by Jhonen Vasquez 5 Stars
Reread and comic. Johnny, who prefers the name Nny, is crazy. But he has the inkling that what he experiences isn't in the norm: talking statuettes, urges to kill, a wall that needs a constant coat of fresh blood--to keep the monster at bay. Despite it at all, he feels he is doing society a small favor by killing those who deserve it or cause pain and hatred in the world. As he starts to question the motives of the 'voices', things start to get a little weird, to say the least.

Jhonen is the creator of Nickelodeon's animated series Invader Zim. This has the same styling and viewpoint, just sans the aliens. . . and not for children. It isn't a mindless gore-fest either. He pulls apart the reasoning behind insanity and what it entails, adding his dark humor too.

47. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 5 Stars
Reread. While at Pandemonium, an all ages dance club, Clary sees something no one else can: a demon being lured away and killed by teenage hunters with strange markings. Brushing it off as possible temporary insanity, she goes about life the next day only a little preoccupied. But then, she sees one of the hunters again. And her mom is taken. And there are monsters trying to kill her. And there is a love triangle of unrequitedness. Now she must rely on the hunters to help find her mother and keep her alive while navigating this new world of deadly creatures.

I love this series. Their fast-paced and fun. Figured I would reread them before the next books come out. The prequel series starts with Clockwork Angel comes out tomorrow. The sequel series starts with City of Fallen Angels in April.

48. Hero by Mike Lupica 3 Stars
Billy Harriman had a pretty good life: swank apartment next to Central Park, parents that worked for the president and a senator, and a great best friend named Kate. His biggest problems were homework, a bully, and his mediocre basketball skills. But the day his father died in a suspicious plane crash, everything changed. Billy could sense when things were wrong, like when a mugger was about to attack a lone jogger. And weirder things were starting to happen. Not only that, but some old guy was talking to him about 'the magic', whatever that was. But if it all has to do with continually being attacked by masked strangers, it may be bigger and worse than Billy could have ever expected.

I got this one through the early review program. I believe it's due for November. Overall, I really liked the concepts in the book. It's a very interesting take on the superhero--not vats of this, experiments gone wrong, or radioactive spiders. The problem I had was with the beginning. It's very slow and depressed emo teenager. If he would have condensed it a bit, I probably would've given it 3.5 stars, maybe even 4. But as it was, I struggled through the beginning, often only reading a couple short chapters at a time and coming back to it later. Hero is pretty good as a stand-alone novel, resolving the main story lines, but does leave it open for a possible sequel. What was left unanswered are the vague questions that in real life may never have answers or take several years to decades to get.

IP: My Booky Wook by Russell Brand
School's back in session, so that means decline in reading and back to mostly comics :P

I've never heard of Oh My Goth!, but I always have a good chuckle when I listen to "Vampire Club."

I've always enjoyed Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, and was just thinking about Invader Zim the other day. Is it still playing?...

Oh, I adore his music. I got see him live a couple years ago. And even acoustically it's a treat (just him and his guitar, no full band that time).

Well, Invader Zim got canceled quite a while ago. I don't think all of the episodes aired. But I own the set, so I revisit frequently. I believe they are still played on the extra-costing Nickelodeon channels though.

Hi Katie!

Mmmm, cartoons, they're so much different now. Every once in awhile I'll switch over to see what the kids are watching nowadays. They seem so much...darker now. Vampires and ghosts and zombies, and little girls in dark clothing and...grim reapers and stuff. Sheesh, and when I was a kid all they played was Doug. (Does anyone remember that?) Then again, all I had was saturday morning cartoons, no fancy satellite dish! :P

Hi Stephen!

I seem to be having this cartoons-of-the-past conversation a lot lately (3rd time this week!). I definitely remember Doug. We had fancy cable til I was in middle school, then demoted to regular cable, which was more than a lot of kids. There were a handful of darker cartoons on--Invader Zim, Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Ahh! Real Monsters, Batman Beyond, and if you could get your hands on anime you were golden for dark creepy f'ed up cartoons --so naturally I had them :P

Ohh! Right, I remember Ahh! Real Monsters. That's probably one of the first 'dark' ones that I can remember. Well, unless you count Ren and Stimpy. =P I think that was more of an 'adult' cartoon though.

I was lucky to have a younger sister, so after I was 'too old' to watch cartoons, I was still 'forced' to watch them in my early teens because she still liked them. So I also saw the Spongebobs and Catdogs that she loved so much. :)

Oh! I also remember Rocko's Modern Life. Loved that one!! :)

Ahhh, childhood memories. And here I am about to start a children's book tomorrow, a sequel to a childhood favorite that has been sitting in a box all these years. Maybe I'll go plug in my old Super Nintendo while I'm at it...

Ha! I didn't need a younger sibling, just kept watching them myself. . . still do in fact. Some of the new ones are weird, but entertaining.

I was playing me some Galaga on the NES just the other day :D

Ah, see, I had an NES but for some reason I don't really remember the games I played. I remember playing it...but no specific titles jump out at me, and I don't have a system any more.

Now, the SNES and Sega Genesis...how many afternoons I spent playing Sonic and Mario and Shaq Fu (no, really, I'm serious!)

I have Shaq Fu!!!! It's a great mess of awesome ridiculousness :D
I've made it to the last stage of Sonic (the brains) but I could never beat that level >:(
We didn't have an SNES though. But we had the older Atari and Caleco systems and we have a bunch of the newer systems (some not that new anymore)-- N64, PS1 & 2, XBox 360, and my brother has a PS3 but I've never played it. I swear half of my dislike of outside sprang from these.

Yeah, I still play the newer games but...I can't really afford them right this instant. I have an N64, PS2, PS3, Wii, and DS.

$60 for a video game is just too much right now though. Fortunately I realized you can buy like new 'used' games on Amazon for $10-$15 a lot of times, but even those I can't afford right now! Oh well, more time for reading I suppose. :)

And yes, my dislike for outside spawned from the video games as well. Probably my love for dark curtains to instill perfect darkness even in broad daylight came from them as well. :P

ETA: Oh, and yes, Shaq Fu is definitely the awesome-ist. I loved it as a kid, didn't realize how many problems it had. I don't have a Genesis system any more though so I can't play my games for it, so no Shaq Fu...or Battletoads!!

Exactly. I haven't bought any for awhile either (or books for that matter). Strictly on a finish-what-you-already-own-or-can-borrow video game and book diet. . .

Haha, my problem is I have finished every game I own. :( Well, all the PS3 games anyway. It's not unusual for me to finish a game in a week or less...which makes the $60 price tag all the more unappealing. Fortunately I have plenty of those 'endless' games to spend my time with. Many countless hours playing Oblivion (ok, not countless, 120+ hours so far), Fallout 3, Madden, etc. :)

My attention span is too short and fickle to finish most games the first time through. So I go back a few months (sometimes years!), reteach myself the controls, and finish it. PS1 games had the highest rate of completion purely from Crash Bandicoot. A lot of my fighting games are ridiculously repeatable (Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. . . hells yes, I've gone through that like 4 times). It's the long rpg-ish games that lose me part-way through to something new and shiny :P

I was that way in high school, but eventually got all OCD and now I obsessively play a game not only until it's complete, but until I have 100 percent completion and find every little unlockable and collectable and everything, then fall twitching on the floor until someone comes and resuscitates me. :P

The PS3 trophies are the death of me because it takes so much work to get the Gold ones...and I'll play a game for hours and hours to unlock just 1 trophy. And it doesn't even matter because I don't play online and no one can see it anyway! :P

Thank goodness I have no strong OCD tendencies. . . I would have never made it alive with the house and family I have.

Do you listen to nerdy music about video games and books? I've been stuck on it for awhile now, especially Antisoc. It's kinda electronic-y 8-bit background with newer hip-hop and techno thrown in with raps about games, books, current events, and general nerdiness. This is his one of the only ones I could find on youtube called Caffeine Trip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YczxrJe5TKs&feature=related

I don't, actually. I'll have to look into them. Unfortunately I can't do the youtube stuff because I have a dial-up internet connection though! :(

:(
I've only found them online, they have a free (or you can donate) download of his newest album with references to BioShock, Hitchhiker's Guide, Doctor Who, Firefly, Guitar Hero, etc. But I don't know how well that works with dial-up. Here's the link anyway if it does work: http://antisocialrap.com/Future_Hop/

49. My Booky Wook by Russell Brand 3 Stars
He is a comedian and actor. His stand-up has been on Comedy Central and he has had roles in the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek.

Bit busy now, I'm afraid, so this will be short. Funny, with his specific humor. And explains a lot. . . I mean, A LOT. If you've seen his stand-up and enjoyed it, you will like it and feel like you mind was illuminated with insight towards this crazy person.

While I love school, it is really getting in the way of my reading right now >:(

#140: Sorry to hear that, Kate!

I know the feeling, I've read a grand total of 4 books since this month started and two of those were in the last two days :S I just have no energy to read unless I stay up stupidly late and then I oversleep and miss lectures. I just can't have both it seems :(

So, I've been doing a bunch of reading for class, but a fair amount of it isn't in book form (random poems, short stories, essays, etc). . . And others are snippets out of a HUGE (I mean bigger than the bible huge) anthology that we (thankfully) aren't reading the whole of. . . so I'm just going to list some of these and decide later if I'm actually counting any towards the goal. Finished text books/class books that count will come at the end of the semester.

"In Mind" - Denise Levertov
"Design" - Robert Frost
"Young Goodman Brown" - Hawthorne
"The Flea" & "Batter My Heart, Three Personed God" - Donne
"My Last Duchess" - Browning
"Metaphors" - Sylvia Plath
"Theme for English B" - Hughes
"The Difference Between Despair" - Dickinson
"A Worn Path" - Welty
"Spirit of Health or Goblin Damned?" - Prosser (a chapter of a full book)
and Hamlet - Shakespeare ~again. . . will probably count this one. Though, on the bright side of re-reading this one (4th?): it gets funnier every time :P

In process of 2 books about Levertov for a paper. Definitely will be counting those.

50. Hamlet 4 Stars
Re-read for a lit class, around the 4th time reading it. Like I said before, gets funnier every time I read it. So much hidden humor and Hamlet is so angsty and emo and everything is soooo soap opera. So in my head it gets super over-dramatized to the point of ridiculousness. Just makes me smile. . . even though it's supposedly a tragedy :P

51. The Letters of Denise Levertov and William Carlos Williams 3 Stars
Just that, letters between them--a few by their spouses. Interesting.Lots of insight into poetry, publishing, and the 60s. Read it as background and quotable material for a paper. . . . which I should be working on right now instead of being on LT, but need Levertov break--and to finish other Levertov background book first, which is in direct opposition of each other :/

Congratulations on passing 50 books for the year, Kate!

Thank you :)

52. Conversations with Denise Levertov 3.25 Stars
Collection of interviews of Denise Levertov. Slightly more interesting than the letters, purely because there was direct conversation-y-ness rather than letter-listing formats all the way through. But. . . yay! Paper's done :)

Congrats on getting your paper finished!

53. Coffee by Marc Fiszman 4 Stars
Let's get into the mind of the newest prophet, shall we? Being nothing and everything. Suddenly thrust into a corporeal human body that is a cog in the white collar society. Not sure what's going on, but it sure is boring. That is, until consciousness is duplicated and displaced into steaming mugs of coffee. It's the beginning, the beginning of ascension.

I'm not really sure how to classify this. It uses its words, but has plenty of visual elements--that look computer generated from the early days. I wouldn't really call it a comic or graphic novel, but I think I'll go with 'visually enhanced'. Coffee is very quirky. Small moments reminded me of both Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the movie Office Space. I don't think this will get popular in the mainstream, but I see potential to be a cult book--highly popular with some groups.

54. The Gargoyle Prophecies: The Savior Rises 4.5 Stars
Stefani's life has been filled with tragic events and loneliness, all starting when she saw her mother killed in her home. After that, anyone who got close to her died. So, resolved to isolate herself, she doesn't talk to anyone and works two jobs: waitress by day, stripper by night. It is in her strip club that she first encounters the gargoyle world when a free-for-all battle breaks out over who will be taking her. The story following is all about trying to figure out what is real. Is she really turning into a gargoyle? Is everyone lying? Why are they tricking her left and right? Or is she just going crazy?

I got this through Early Reviewers and it definitely took me by surprise. It was much better than I had anticipated. It's been a while since I read anything not 1st person, so it took me a couple chapters to reacquaint myself with the omniscient pov. It does get confusing towards the end, but it all fits with the story and works itself out. It's a magnificent start to a series, and I will definitely be reading the second.

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55. Sh*t My Dad Says 4.5 Stars
Justin Halpern's dad is blunt. . . and that's putting it nicely. Some of his truth-isms have hilarious metaphors and similes. Funniest book I've read this year!

One of my least favorite weather situations is occurring. . . . mushy rain snow. So all I want to do is curl up with hot cocoa and a book. But alas, I must go to work all day and then to a going away party. Stupid weather >:(

Stay safe, Kate!

Thanks, and will do. We go through this every year, but it's amazing how many people forget how to drive in the snow. . . tsk tsk people, tsk tsk

I always dread my first-snowy-drive-of-the-year. We in Minnesota got hit with several inches of snow last night/today. I haven't been out in it yet--I'll wait until tomorrow, I think.

Karen O.

lol, MN is where I am
Out to work this morning before the plows hit the residential streets, always nerve wracking.

You are in MN, too?! Howdy, neighbor!

You are completely right about people forgetting how to drive in snow. Of course, I complain all the time about how it seems that most people learned to drive by playing a video game (no signals, lane changes and turns with no warning, following mere feet away from the vehicle in front of them. Sheesh!

Karen O.

Hallo! *waves. Small world. The roads were much better than I expected.

*ducks head
I had very little driving before I took my driving test--most of my 'driving' experience was video games. But I passed the first time the morning after a fairly big snow. Sooo. . . . yeeeeaaaah, lol. Worked for me, but I know that wouldn't work for most people. We were all very surprised I actually passed.

Driving tests...ha! When I took my driving test, it lasted...literally, about 45 seconds. I drove out of the parking lot, 10 seconds down the road, turned onto a gravel road that cricled around back to the road we left, which we turned on back in the direction of the BMV and we went straight there. What a joke! I didn't have much driving experience either when I took it...but anyone could have passed it.

I did have to do the cone test though, which I did fine at.

That sounds so easy! Ours was a closed off course with 3-5 others taking their test at the same time. The stupid snow covered a lot of the signs and ground markings but the stupid guy still took off points thinking I could magically see through ice and snow *grumble*

I'm especially fond of the a couple of the titles I used in my recent paper and have been sharing them with everyone. Overall title- BP's Oil Slick: A Rainbow of Problems. And section titles of Ethical Quandaries and Courtroom Cogitations. This was for a marketing ethics class. Really didn't want to write this one, so I got through by using silly word combos and phrases XD

56. Dracula 2.5 Stars
First of all, I read it for class. . . so automatically drops rating because of that. I can't help it, when I'm ordered to read things I get rebellious and petulant. So in reality that 2.5 is probably a 3, but I can't give it that now. *le sigh
As for the book, ugh, it was boring. It's an epistolary (in letters, journal entries, documents) with several points of view. So it's repetitive. Somewhere around 370 pages could've been cut down to 200 easily imo. I think I read this when I was younger. . . not 100% on that, but feels true. I've seen a couple play versions and Mel Brooks' movie Dracula Dead and Loving It. And I love the horror genre. So, I had trouble taking it seriously. The few times it had stuff happening, I read it as comedy. As positives, some of those comedic readings were great. It's good to see where some of the conventions are rooted. There are interesting ideas buried in the long-windedness.

I know how you feel about being forced to read things! I was the same way in high school, and hated almost everything I read. No wonder so few people are readers in adulthood!

Ha, yeah, I don't even think most of them finish anything in high school. Surprisingly enough, I liked most of my assigned reading in school.

Hi Kate!

Finally gotten around to leaving you a message. :x
What are your favourite bands/singers? I listen to a lot of different stuff and I'm always looking to branch out. There are a lot of 'artists' I hate/dislike as well. I've got about 120GB (blame Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, The Cure, Tom Waits, Depeche Mode and Pink Floyd for releasing so many albums) music and it feels like I'm always running out of songs to listen to lol.

Hey! I've no idea how much actual music I have. My computer kept running out of memory so I have some on there, some on an external drive I can't seem to get working at the mo, on my iPod, and on cd. I have most of DM's discography, so I totally know what you mean in blaming them :P
As for faves, I could never pick! There's just so much good music. But, I can tell you what I've been listening to lately. Let's see. . . Doomtree collective (P.O.S., Dessa, Sims, Mictlan, Lazerbeak, etc), Crystal Castles, Sleigh Bells, Beats Antique, Broken Bells, Tarkan, Die Fantastischen Vier, Wir Sind Helden, Arash, Cursive, AFI's Sing the Sorrow, All American Rejects, The Faint, Yeasayer. . . I could go on, but I should probably get ready for work :P

What are your faves/what are you listening to right now?

BEATS ANTIQUE!!!!!!!!! *cheers*

I know so few people who also know who they are... I know them because we use their music for dance *a lot*, but they're fan-fricking-tastic.

Have you tried Bass Nectar or Gypsy Caravan? Bass Nector is a bit more on the electronic side, and Gypsy Caravan has a more Romani sound. Still, if you like Beats Antique (which has both combined) you may find you enjoy those as well!

I'm listening to Arab Strap, Twin Shadow, Robyn's latest albums, Aaron Sprinkle, Nick Drake and of course Tron: Legacy OST. ;)
I have copies of every music file on my laptop and desktop in case something happens to one of them -- speaking from experience!

I used to have music on external hard drives too, but this computer can hold 930GB of space and I have about 18GB free lol.

Ugh, I don't recognise most of the names you've listed. Making a list now to check them out later.
I LOVE Crystal Castles. Sleigh Bells is cool too but I haven't listened to the album much. Seeing Yeasayer in Feb so pretty excited about that (okay maybe not, it's still far away). AAR is erm...*politely looks away*

I like a LOT of acts, but I get bored quickly so I always need something new and different to listen to, so my favourites change weekly. I guess Daft Punk, Kraftwerk and Leonard Cohen will always be favourites.

@dk_phoenix Now I'll have to check Beats Antique out.
I've heard a couple of tracks by Bassnectar (assuming that's what you mean). Fun stuff.

dk--I know Bassnectar, but not Gypsy Caravan. Do they actually use the Romany language?!? That would be awesome, since Nasvalo is the only Romany song I have ever encountered. And it took me forever to figure it out.

testdummy- Ooh, of those I only know Robyn, Tron, Daft, and Kraft. I'll have to do some searching when I get time. I just put everything on cds, since I don't have memory capacity on anything. My poor iPod is only a 30GB :'( But I had my laptop and iPod die at the same time and lost most of my music. Still recovering *shudder*

I like a lot too, even the really mainstream pop-ish rock stuff. Feel free to politely look away from them all you like. Today at work was mainstream-ish rock-ish music: Linkin Park, Evanescence, OK Go, Trust Company, Papa Roach, Stabbing Westward, and Celldweller.

But you definitely should find Beats Antique!

That's awful! Having to use CDs to store all your music. :( (That comment makes me sound a bit spoilt, but it really is such a pain in the butt having CDs all over the place and everything separated). Invest in an EHD ASAP!
I'd cry if that happened to me lol. I had about 12GB of music all obtained using DIAL-UP a few years ago and you should have seen the slobbery mess I turned into. ;)

Beats Antique is making me giggle.

I really do have cds EVERYWHERE! I buy the tall plastic cases of blank cds, 100ct I think, and I've got a few filled. Plus the bought music in like 2 giant slip cases. On a positive side, I'm using the cases to creating random shelving/furniture.

And today I did a nice 180 from yesterday's music choice to techno, pop, dance: Paul Oakenfold, Paul Van Dyk, Juno Reactor, Cascada, Italobrothers, Gaga, Voltaj, O-Zone, Basshunter, Antisoc (which is actually more electro-hop), Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method, t.A.T.u., & Origa.

Oooooh, and I'm going to the Doomtree Blowout tonight! The whole collective :D

The sky opened up and bury us in snow. A blizzard, ugh. Which got a good start before driving home from the show last night. Thankfully, not a lot of traffic. Not thankfully, no plows. So, my poor little Ford Focus spun out when I was going 20mph. Had to work at 9am, which didn't happen til 10. It took me an hour to get out of my driveway. The snow had been blown under my car a packed so I couldn't move. Estimates are between 15 and 20 inches currently. Still a bit falling. But the whole metro pretty much shut down. Plows stopped because there were too many jack-knifed semis and cars stuck in their way. And for the same reason the freeway was shut down.

Oh, and now our forecast is: Snow, Blowing Snow, Freezing Fog

I hope you do not have to go out in that weather, Kate!

I do :'(
Stupid work staying open.

#175: I agree with you - too bad your workplace is not shutting down. Mine never does either, so I know how it goes. Of course, I do not live in Minnesota :)

Sounds rough. I'm glad I don't have to go out in it! :P

It wasn't too bad today. The streets I used were cleared, but most of the side streets weren't and had a few inches on them. I had the plow drift at the end of my driveway, but I didn't have to shovel :) Our neighbor parked in our cleared driveway last night and hired a bobcat driver to clear this morning. He had to get his car out, so they cleared ours just as I was going down to shovel. Yay for little joys! :D

We (in Roseville, MN) didn't budge at all yesterday. Three of the county branch libraries closed due to snow. It seemed much better today (though I didn't go out today, either! My DH did, to get the newspapers which, understandably, hadn't been delivered).

Sorry you had to work! Snow days are only fun when you can stay out of the storm!

Karen O.

#178: Not having to shovel sounds like a good deal to me!

^Considering I was shoveling for almost an hour Saturday morning, I'm saying it was sent from some higher power :P

179 - I'm super jealous. I had planned to stay home and do homework the entire weekend but that stupid blizzard cut 15 hours out of my homework time from travel and extra working--since no one else seemed able to get through the snow. There will be much late night working the next couple days o_0;

#181: I'm saying it was sent from some higher power :P

Sounds like the hand of Providence to me!

Classes are done! Only finals left and to finish 1 project that I need to print on campus. So naturally I'm here instead of studying :P

A little towards productivity--the books read for class:

57. Statistical Reasoning for everyday life by Bennet
Boring boring boring boring book and class.

58. Reading Lessons by Carpenter
Fun. Had a section on 'reading' The Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie.

59. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice by Bressler
Not too bad.

60. Contexts for Criticism by Keesey
So/so. Pretty dry in some places.

61. A Contemporary Guide to Literary Terms with strategies for writing essays about literature by Barton
Pretty good for definitions and handbook style.

62. Lycidas
We actually read this one a while ago now. . . 2nd time reading this in 2 semesters. Okay, because I like it and I got more the 2nd time. I will presume that Lycidas is one that I'll find new things every time I read it.

63. A Biography of the English Language by Millward
Pretty good. Wonderful formatting though--each chapter followed the same pattern/order as did each section w/in the chapters. Headings, tables, summary boxes. . . did lack on bolding critical terms, but I think I can forgive :P

64. The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way by Bryson
My favorite of the semester. It's meant more for general reading than scholarly learning, but fit well as a class supplement. Broke down concepts well. Best of all, it had SARCASM and funny examples. *Love* One such example is that there used to be a street in Kent called Gropecuntlane that prostitutes frequented. You don't get that fun info in -real- textbooks, lol.

Two books that we had but read hardly any of, so not counting towards totals:

Graphic Design Solutions by Landa
Literature and its Writers by Charters

Woohoo! That bumps me up to 64 books! I've past last years total of 62. May even break 70. Thursday will be the return to fun reading :D

#183: I've past last years total of 62

Good for you, Katie!

65. The Island of Dr. Moreau 3.5 Stars
Edward Prendick thought it a miracle that he was piecked up by the Ipecacua after floating at sea for 8 days without food or water. He befriends the doctor that saved his life who has a strange companion. After an altercation between the doctor's companion and the ship's crew, Prendick is sent off ship by association to their island. Not the ideal, but better than being stranded at sea waiting for death, right? Major hitch, an infamous doctor runs this island with his ethically questionable experiments. And the results sometimes bite back.

I was very entertained even though I had seen the movie a few times when I was little. As usually the movie is different, so the plot and sequence of events wasn't spoiled. As I read I came to a discovery though. . . the song No Spill Blood by Oingo Boingo is totally based off this book :P

#185: I have still not read that one. One of these days I will get to it!

December is officially the Snowpocalypse here in Minnesota, in my opinion. First that blizzard that dropped 20 inches on us, now another snowing of about 6 inches. Not as much, however, there was freezing rain mixed in. So my windshield wipers froze, leaving me w/ a tiny visibility. And. Black. Ice. Tons of it. A long row of us cars were going 15-25mph on the highway giving lots of room between each other. Stupid people passing us in the uncleared lane. We passed them in the ditch. Worst: the car ahead of me started to brake on the black ice. . . spun and clipped the car ahead of him. . . both spun at me (I was NOT hitting my brakes, better to just play bumper cars in one direction, thank you). . . they parted around me, thank goodness. But the one that had the ditch side flipped upside down. I look in my rearview and see a bunch more people spin out. Only a couple of us made it w/o incident. And there was a cop a ways back whose lights came on pretty fast, lucky for all them. So nerve wracking. My muscles were sore when I got home and I had a headache from the intense gum chewing. I hope to never repeat that. EVER. o_0;

Bright side of today: between finals I read 1/2 of a book. Prolly finish it tonight or tomorrow morning :)

Crazy! And...cool!! I mean, not cool that people can get hurt or killed, but cool (cold?) that it's that cold there. I so badly want to live where it snows and freezes up every year. I'm so sick of the heat here. Of course, only a person who has never seen snow or been in that kind of weather would say that...grass greener on the other side?

I was just talking to someone about the Minnesotan accent, Kate. Really envious if yours is a thick one. :)

Hope you're safe.

Oh, I'm inside and staying that way for a while. Doing Xmas shopping morrow, but that can wait til roads are clear. Normally it's not too bad. Last year was mild so this yr we're naturally getting our asses handed to us. We're on track to beat December's snow record. I think we *only* need around 6 more inches.

As for a strong accent, it's hardly ever natural. I can make it thick. I love saying 'bag' all Minnesota-like. My fave Hollywood renditions, though they are vastly over exaggerated, are Drop Dead Gorgeous and Juno--Allison Janney just does it soooooo over the top but hilariously good :D

testdummy- here's an idea of how cold it gets here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDuPyod1WU
Their other videos are pretty good too. When it gets this cold, it usually isn't too much fun. Cars don't start, frostbite in under 15mins. . . but, then again, you get to see bubbles freeze. . . so, I guess it's pretty dependent on if you get to play or actually have to attempt to get something done.

Haha, awesome. I thought he was going to do it inside the house.

But then if it gets that cold, doesn't everything basically shut down so you get days off work? And you get to walk around looking like marshmallows...

No, I wish. I've only had 2 snow days in my entire 22 yrs of life. . . and one of them was because of the broken water heater. Minneapolis shut down for 2 or 3 days after this blizzard because there was nowhere to put the snow. And most places are a bit more lenient on you if your car or transit is less than happy with the temps. But we are, for better or worse, a hardy bunch of folk ;P

What do you mean by nowhere to put the snow? Where do people usually put snow? It must be difficult sleeping at night with all those clothes on. How tolerant are you of heat?

Usually you can just push it into yards and open areas (vacant lots, ditches, etc). In the city there are fewer of those. So when 20 inches layers everywhere, you get kind of stuck. Takes time to get it to more open areas farther away. In addition, a good portion use transit and sidewalks. So if those aren't at least tolerably available, hardly anyone gets around. I live in the burbs so we get cleared w/in a day usually.

I'm so/so on heat. I prefer my breathing air upper 60s to mid 70s. But we frequent the 90s in the summer and will break 100 a few times. Right now I think my house is about 65-70, so pretty darn good. But we let it drop lower to save on heat costs. Normally we'll have it more around 55-60. I have lots of blankets. I'll sleep in light flannel pj pants and a tank, add a sweatshirt for chillier nights. Have super fuzzy warm pj pants too, but I wear them more for lounging when I'm not under 20lbs of blankets. But I can get away with shorts. . . if I don't mind freezing when I get out of the blankets :P

187: Sounds crazy! I'll do anything and drive anywhere to avoid driving on highways with black ice. *Shudders* It wouldn't be so bad but there are always THOSE PEOPLE who insist on going fast...otherwise the straight-and-flat road would be nice...

If I could've avoided it I would have. My school is a bit in nowhere land and that's the only road that gets me where I need to go.

Testdummy - Oh Oh Oh, I forgot to mention. Once roads are pretty clear there are these machines that vaporize snow. I've only ever seen them used in parking lots at malls though. I tried to find a picture, but I don't know what they're called and kept getting the wrong things.

What is black ice? Yes, I could google but prefer to hear (read) it from people.

Is one of the reasons people hate snow because it gets dirty and brown? Wait, I don't even know if snow is clean or dirty... I mean people make snow cones which is made out of snow, so it must be clean (or mostly), until it falls onto something dirty like car tyres? Er yeah, I'm completely clueless when it comes to this stuff so hoping I don't sound too ignorant.

Take a picture if you see one of those machines in action for me?

197: It's ice that forms on roads. It's called black ice because it's so thin it's invisible (IE it's black like the road.) Your driving along, with nothing apparent to raise alarm, and the next thing you know you are sliding off the road. It sucks. :(

Yeah, black ice super pain. Ways it forms: misting snow, any sort of rain, and worst is when the exhaust from cars immediately freezes on the road--the hardest to see because the exhaust is a darker color to begin with. If you pay attention sometimes you can see the slight glisten, but it's near impossible even when you know what to look for.

I don't hate the 'dirty' snow until spring. Then it's all brown and gross and slushy and slippery. But it's more that it's hugely inconvenient than gross. Snow is fun when you get to play, but it throws a cog in the machine of daily routine. That's where the hatred comes from. Happiness: sledding, snowmen, ice skating, snowball fights, etc.

Nah, the only way to cure ignorance is to make it apparent. Gotta love learning. Have to feel dumb before smart :P

And silly me, was searching for 'snow vaporizer'. . . it's called 'snow melter' *doh
Found a video in action. They dump the snow in, it makes steam out the top and water at the bottom into a drain. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItHcU3ADJQw&feature=related

ROFL...well, snow vaporizer is a way cooler name anyway! :D

Ha, right? I suppose it would actually have to vaporize most of it instead of making puddles to deserve tho

Black ice sounds scary. Do car accidents happen often as a result of it, or people are generally much more careful on the road in such conditions? I wonder if any hoons would dare drive there.

Hmm, snow melter def doesn't sound or look as interesting as I imagined. Thanks for ruining my snow fantasies... :P

Ha, well there's always the make-shift snow melters of a blow torch and hair dryer :P

Most people drive cautiously, but there are always the over confident people with 4 wheel drive and stupid people. For some reason, everyone loses their caution in parking areas and malls. And sometimes it doesn't matter how cautious you are, accidents happen. During the last ice storm we had a record of 911 calls: over 300 in 2 hours. Ice storm will always win.

What are hoons?

Hoons are one of those stupid people (douchebags) you mention that drag race, do burnouts and doughnuts on the road - mostly really lower class people.

In that case, hoons are plentiful in the snow. . . . fishtail into spiraling donuts. And they can do it on frozen lakes.

66. Juggler in the Wind 3.75 Stars
We've all heard of kids running away with the circus, but Randy didn't want that. He just wanted some answers. Why did the mysterious Circus Olympus unnerve his mother? Why were there weird disembodied voices calling him there? And who was this strange man that kept showing up in his dreams? When Randy goes to get these answers he catches the circus at the beginning of their get-away drive. So the only way to get answers is to jump on one of the trucks and hope for the best.

This book was a kind of mash-up between Percy Jackson and Pilo Family Circus, of course still kid friendly. If you happen to have read them both, you may see a difficulty of combination. . . but it's definitely there. From PJ the adventure aspect and myths/people from Olympus--though they don't quite know who they are. Which leads me to the PFC link: this is a circus of forgetfulness. No one fully remembers who they once were. The circus makes them different, realize who they are deep down. That, and people kind of know what's happening subconsciously--acting without understanding.

Surprisingly good and a quick read at 202 pages. Appropriate for the young'ns. I'd recommend for fans of Percy Jackson, new takes on old myths, children's lit, and mysterious magic.

#206: I will give that one a shot! Thanks, Kate.

You're welcome! Maybe give it a little while, it's the first of a trilogy and I'm not sure when the others get released.

Working on a couple ARC's right now: have The Left Hand of God started and just got The Demon Trapper's Daughter in the mail. Only a little into LHG, but is very promising :)

#208: Thanks for the heads up about it being the first in a trilogy. In that case, I will probably wait until the other books are released.

67. The Left Hand of God 3.75 Stars
Being raised by military religious fanatics in a fortress meant to keep in and train young children to be killing machines will do a hefty number on one's psyche. And our main character, Cale, has been singled out by the Lord Militant Redeemer for an even harsher existence. But when he walks in on the Lord of Discipline committing an unforgivable crime, he saves a girl against his better judgement by killing him. Now he must risk an unlikely escape with the girl and 2 of his 'friends', for they'd be killed as an example. But is the outside any better, or will he just find more violence and killing wherever he goes?

I liked it, though it has its flaws. Most annoyingly, using real place names. It is confusing to have Memphis somewhat near Kent. For the first while I couldn't quite tell if he was trying to have a specific setting or a made up one. The religion bit was a little confusing in the beginning too. Talking about a 'Hanged Redeemer'--I thought by rope, because at this point it all seemed made up. But later I decided it was Christianity and Jesus. Which the two together was "Is this crusades related?" -which I never really decided on. Despite these confusions, I liked the story and the odd characters. Oh, and the ending is a real kicker. . . though, just a tad frustrating as it leaves me wanting the next of the trilogy :)

Next year's thread is up, though I may try to race through one these last couple days here

http://www.librarything.com/topic/105738

Well, I bought video games (Borderlands, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, & Fairytale Fights). So the chances of finishing any books are almost zero. I accept that reality. See you all next year! :D

Yay for Borderlands. I finished God of War III so I've been playing it a bit again, although I'm nearing the end of Darksiders I think so I'm still not focusing on it entirely. Still, I have a grenade mod that saps my enemy's hitpoints and gives them to me, gotta love it! :)

Ha, yeah. Haven't started Borderlands yet. Began with Fairytale Fights. . . everything's cute but oh so very evil. The fairytale characters are messing with each other, so to get fame you fix things--with an abundance of violence. So much blood you pretty much ice skate around de-limbing bad(der) guys. And your weapon choice is fabulous, you can kill by hitting people with beavers, whisks, lollipops, rainbow sword, swordfish skeleton, the list goes on and on, literally--the instruction book has 14 pages of weapons.

Haha, sounds funny! I'd never heard of it, but then I'm always a year or two behind everyone else because I always buy cheap used games. :P

I just think their marketing plan sucked. I hadn't heard of it either. Saw it in the store on the used rack for $12--though I got it for free since the used games were buy 2 get 1 free :)