Year in Review

I'm going to take a slightly new spin on this and put down the first book of each month too. :) See! I don't just copy and paste quizzes!

Here we are, the titles, first few sentences, and first book of the first post of each month in the past year!

January: Kudos to Dick Clark

We just turned the show on when the ball started to fall, so I didn't hear him speak until after... I had no idea his speech was so affected by the stroke last year. That takes a lot of courage to go on national TV when your affliction is so obvious.

Man and Boy, the author of which I have currently forgotten.


February: Nothing to say, just killing time...

...wrapping a tune, 'round a wasting time rhyme... ("One Minute Song", Artisan).

Otherland, by Tad Williams!


March: Cheers for William and Mary!

I got a phone call from the head of the department telling me that I was accepted! How cool is that?!

Atonement, by Ian McEwan.


April: Feeling crafty?

I went to the craft fair at church this weekend, and there was some really cool stuff there. How about a four-inch cake kit that you can make in your microwave in a minute and 45 seconds? It comes with a bag of cake mix, a measuring cup, a bag of frosting, a tiny spoon, a bag of sprinkles and a tiny candle.

Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman.


May: In my life, I love them all

May Day this weekend...such a mix of emotions, combined with memories. First was my somewhat nervewracking drive to Bryn Mawr, the first time I'd been on the highway since I got my license, and the first time I was doing so by myself. But I made it without incident, and the drive home didn't make me nervous at all.

The Body of Christopher Creed, by Carol Plum-Ucci.


June: I'm at grad school!

Wow, the past two weeks have been...insane. Very many nice things, like surprising Jamie with her baby shower by telling her it was a going away party for me, and then actually getting gifts at said party. But also a lot of annoyances, like cramps and packing and getting there and discovering things which we really should have brought.

Schooling America: How the Public Schools Meet the Nation's Changing Needs, by Patricia Graham.


July: Happy Fourth!

Early wishes for a happy holiday to all, seeing as how all the locations in which I can access the internet will be closed tomorrow. I have tentative plans for a barbecue and firework watching with the girls next door, so we'll see how that happens.

Locked Rooms, by Laurie R. King.


August: I just saw a trailer for a movie called "Snakes on a Plane"

Honestly. And I don't think it's supposed to be a comedy, with Samuel L. Jackson in it and all, but really...how can you not laugh at that?

The Blue Girl, by Charles DeLint.


September: I'm so excited!!

I met with my advisor about my grad assistantship today, and he's going to have me doing some cool things! He's writing a proposal for a book on postmodernism in adolescent literature, so he's going to have me do research for that.

The Wood Wife, by Terri Windling.


October: I forgot about these

Also recently read: Song of Susannah (Dark Tower VII), by Stephen King. A lovely Bookcrosser rescued me from the black hole of the library mending room by sending a copy of this my way.

Well, that takes care of that, no? ;)


November: The one behind the mask

I got dressed up in my complete cat costume before walking over to Lynn's party last night, because I figured I'd look like less of an idiot walking around with a tail if I had the mask on too. So I'm walking across the courtyard, very self-conscious of if people are thinking I'm strange or juvenile to be walking around as a cat. I'm usually anxious over how people are seeing me, and it's only been exacerbated by my education classes and their emphasis on how you're presenting yourself. So I'm starting to feel ridiculous and then I realize--even if they see me, they don't know who I am.

The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt, by Patricia MacLachlan.


December:Answering life's questions with music (aka Godstereo!)

Pulled from my brother's myspace. His results were actually really..apt. Check it out.
Ok, so this is really just a variation on the Life Soundtrack thing - but just as interesting....

Letters from the Inside, by John Marsden.


Hmm, I'm not sure what to say about all this, other than it's obvious this year has been dominated by grad school. May's entry makes me laugh, though; like all new things, I thought I'd never get used to driving on the highway, and now I'm driving hours at a stretch. The variety of books is also interesting too. I'd thought there would be more fantasy. I guess I really have expanded my repetoire of reading material. Though now I seem to be stuck on YA books (not surprisingly!) I am looking forward to reading all Rachel's books from her fantasy class when I come visit. *grins*

Just finished reading: Power, by Linda Hogan. Interesting Native American YA book about a girl who witnesses her aunt kill a panther, the sacred ancestor of her people, and gets pulled into a struggle between the Western ways and the traditional ways. This book deals with a lot of boundaries--crossing them, drawing them, living on them--that make me think of tricksters, even though there isn't a trickster figure in this book. It also has a certain style, not quite lyrical but long and rhythmic, that both distanced me and pulled me along. I can't wait to discuss this book in class!