Saturday, December 31, 2005
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Total Books Read: 334
That's rounding up, as I've yet to finish the one I'm reading, but I have faith that I'll be done before Saturday night. So 334 books read this year. November was my slowest month (15), January my heaviest (38). But I can tell which months I felt really horrid during, just by looking back at my book log - some months are filled with re-reads of favorites, while others are more adventurous. Some have a ton of book reviews, others have a line or two here or there, but nothing too deep. It's an interesting view of my past year. (Although it's maybe only interesting to me?)
Anyways - Here's a few of my top books from this past year: (not always published in 2005, just that I read them this year)
Outlander- Diana Galbadon
I know I'm way behind here, but I finally got to read about Jaime & Claire this year --- and was not disappointed... I'm waiting for my library list to get to the next in the series
Tales from The Bed Jennifer & Valerie Estess
The autobiography of a very courageous woman. Very Moving.
Wicked Gregory Maguire
I was not lucky enough to see the musical in person, but have been listening to the soundtrack nonstop for at least a year. The book was a bit more complex than I expected, but it was still very good.
Sex & The Single Vampire Katie MacAlister
I'm not usually into vampires, but there was strong dialogue and smart characters, as well as a ton of humor, so I really enjoyed this.
Goddess of The Sea P.C. Cast My favorite find of the year... her Goddess series is wonderful!
Any book put out by Nora Roberts/J.D Robb is an auto-buy for me. This years excellent contributions include Origin in Death, Survivor in Death, & Blue Smoke
Some other very good (and very different) books:
Diana's Story Deric Longden
My Sister's Keeper Jodi Pocult
Encyclopedia of An Ordinary Life Amy Krouse
Harry Potter & the HBP JK Rowling
Angus, Thongs & Full-Frontal Snogging Louise Rennison
Hypocrite in A Poufy White Dress Susan Gilman
I Sleep At Red Lights Bruce Stockler
All in My Head Paula Kamen
Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children
Dorie McCullough Lawson
The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green Joshua Braff
So, now, if you didn't have a list going for 2006, you've got someplace to start!
If you've got some I should add to my list (ok, so, I don't exactly have one list, I have about 12 in different places, but still), please share...
If I don't see you till then - happy new year!
Anyways - Here's a few of my top books from this past year: (not always published in 2005, just that I read them this year)
Outlander- Diana Galbadon
I know I'm way behind here, but I finally got to read about Jaime & Claire this year --- and was not disappointed... I'm waiting for my library list to get to the next in the series
Tales from The Bed Jennifer & Valerie Estess
The autobiography of a very courageous woman. Very Moving.
Wicked Gregory Maguire
I was not lucky enough to see the musical in person, but have been listening to the soundtrack nonstop for at least a year. The book was a bit more complex than I expected, but it was still very good.
Sex & The Single Vampire Katie MacAlister
I'm not usually into vampires, but there was strong dialogue and smart characters, as well as a ton of humor, so I really enjoyed this.
Goddess of The Sea P.C. Cast My favorite find of the year... her Goddess series is wonderful!
Any book put out by Nora Roberts/J.D Robb is an auto-buy for me. This years excellent contributions include Origin in Death, Survivor in Death, & Blue Smoke
Some other very good (and very different) books:
Diana's Story Deric Longden
My Sister's Keeper Jodi Pocult
Encyclopedia of An Ordinary Life Amy Krouse
Harry Potter & the HBP JK Rowling
Angus, Thongs & Full-Frontal Snogging Louise Rennison
Hypocrite in A Poufy White Dress Susan Gilman
I Sleep At Red Lights Bruce Stockler
All in My Head Paula Kamen
Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children
Dorie McCullough Lawson
The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green Joshua Braff
So, now, if you didn't have a list going for 2006, you've got someplace to start!
If you've got some I should add to my list (ok, so, I don't exactly have one list, I have about 12 in different places, but still), please share...
If I don't see you till then - happy new year!
Sunday, December 18, 2005
If you're going to rant, you should be right.
A friend of my dad's was over at the house the other day, ranting. This particular friend only seems to rant: it is his preferred method of communication. After he finished ranting about the war on Christmas, the lack of pro-Bush stories in the media, and about a million other things, he happened to start in on celebrities who are vocal about their beliefs - be they political, moral, etc.
His position was that they should "Shut the F up." Mostly because that's just the way he feels about anybody who disagrees with him, but also because "Nobody really cares about what Susan Sarandon or Sean Penn thinks about anything, and I sure as hell don't want them to tell me what to think about it... Just because they have money doesn't make them qualified to tell people what to do."
I try to avoid this friend for many reasons, his negative outlook on life main among them, but happened to overhear this diatribe. It struck me as odd... although I've heard the argument before, I just don't understand it. To my way of thinking, just because they have money, it doesn't disqualify them from having opinions on the world they live in. Or from doing something about it. Certainly, whatever they choose to do (or not do) is more high profile because of their position in our society, but I don't see that that fact should hinder them from supporting whatever causes they see fit.
And if I believe in a cause, and support it, then why wouldn't I share my opinion with other people? I do that all the time now, in my own little world --- from buying Christmas presents from St. Jude's Hope Catalog to telling everybody I know who shops online about The IGive Shopping Window, which donates a percentage of whatever you buy online (at certain stores) to the cause you select, I tell the people in my life about the causes I care about and support. If I had a larger audience of people, would I stop giving my opinons, my support, my help? I don't think I could, or would want to.
So I think it's pretty ridiculous to suggest that celebrities would or should do any less just becaues they're famous. And I'm obviously not the only one... Check out who's Persons of the Year
Personally, I think if you can make a difference, you should. Period. And everyone can.
His position was that they should "Shut the F up." Mostly because that's just the way he feels about anybody who disagrees with him, but also because "Nobody really cares about what Susan Sarandon or Sean Penn thinks about anything, and I sure as hell don't want them to tell me what to think about it... Just because they have money doesn't make them qualified to tell people what to do."
I try to avoid this friend for many reasons, his negative outlook on life main among them, but happened to overhear this diatribe. It struck me as odd... although I've heard the argument before, I just don't understand it. To my way of thinking, just because they have money, it doesn't disqualify them from having opinions on the world they live in. Or from doing something about it. Certainly, whatever they choose to do (or not do) is more high profile because of their position in our society, but I don't see that that fact should hinder them from supporting whatever causes they see fit.
And if I believe in a cause, and support it, then why wouldn't I share my opinion with other people? I do that all the time now, in my own little world --- from buying Christmas presents from St. Jude's Hope Catalog to telling everybody I know who shops online about The IGive Shopping Window, which donates a percentage of whatever you buy online (at certain stores) to the cause you select, I tell the people in my life about the causes I care about and support. If I had a larger audience of people, would I stop giving my opinons, my support, my help? I don't think I could, or would want to.
So I think it's pretty ridiculous to suggest that celebrities would or should do any less just becaues they're famous. And I'm obviously not the only one... Check out who's Persons of the Year
Personally, I think if you can make a difference, you should. Period. And everyone can.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Did I have a million things to do today?
Yes I did.
Did I get them done?
No I didn't.
Actually, that's not fair - I did do a bunch of things; but the bunch leftover likes to haunt me.
By the way, the blogosphere? The ULTIMATE time eater for me... I promise myself I'm just going to check out this one blog... but then they have a link to another, or I remember that I haven't checked this one or that one lately.... and now it's two hours later, and here I still am. Wandering.
Did I get them done?
No I didn't.
Actually, that's not fair - I did do a bunch of things; but the bunch leftover likes to haunt me.
By the way, the blogosphere? The ULTIMATE time eater for me... I promise myself I'm just going to check out this one blog... but then they have a link to another, or I remember that I haven't checked this one or that one lately.... and now it's two hours later, and here I still am. Wandering.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Is there anything better than Christmas?
I think not!
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I haven't talked about it much here yet, but I'm not in the best of health. I'm not really up to the long explainatory post, either, but suffice to say that I spend a lot of time in bed. Depending on how I'm doing, that time can be occupied by books, music, t.v., writing, or the web. Recently, very little brain power and an insane amount of online shopping have left me capable of doing little else but veg in front of the t.v. or listen to the 497 christmas songs on my computer while staring blankly at the walls.
And yet, I'm still enjoying myself:
Because just the idea of Christmas makes me happy.
Because we own The Muppet Christmas Carol. (Yes, I watched it by myself... wanna make something of it?) Muppets Rock!
Because somehow the smell of the Christmas tree has overpowered the smell of all the medicines that live in my room (except the Vicks... but what does overpower Vicks?)
Because so many Christmas movies are funny - Elf, Scrooged, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (all now holiday requirements here), the Santa Clause movies, the first 2 Home Alones.
Because, even though it doesn't really show all the time, everybody in my house at least makes an effort right about now.
Because Robert Downey Jr. can really sing #12
Because, just when I thought I've seen everything a million times, new Christmas movies (worth watching) come out: The Polar Express,
The Happy Elf, Love Actually.
Because you can get any Christmas song you want (and a million you never heard before) online. Today's favorites: #17, Funky, Funky Christmas by the New Kids on The Block (only because I just remembered that I actually owned the original casette tape of this), Anything off this New To Me Album; Baby, It's Cold Outside (of which I now have 8 different versions, including a fabulous rendition by Zooey Deschanel from the Elf soundtrack), and Bette Midler's version of the Home Alone theme (did you know it had words???)
Because I actually LOVE to wrap presents & write Christmas cards... which, once I feel a bit better, I can do from bed.
Because ABC family is playing all the old Christmas cartoons... so there's always something on... which is where I'm heading right now.
----
----------
I haven't talked about it much here yet, but I'm not in the best of health. I'm not really up to the long explainatory post, either, but suffice to say that I spend a lot of time in bed. Depending on how I'm doing, that time can be occupied by books, music, t.v., writing, or the web. Recently, very little brain power and an insane amount of online shopping have left me capable of doing little else but veg in front of the t.v. or listen to the 497 christmas songs on my computer while staring blankly at the walls.
And yet, I'm still enjoying myself:
Because just the idea of Christmas makes me happy.
Because we own The Muppet Christmas Carol. (Yes, I watched it by myself... wanna make something of it?) Muppets Rock!
Because somehow the smell of the Christmas tree has overpowered the smell of all the medicines that live in my room (except the Vicks... but what does overpower Vicks?)
Because so many Christmas movies are funny - Elf, Scrooged, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (all now holiday requirements here), the Santa Clause movies, the first 2 Home Alones.
Because, even though it doesn't really show all the time, everybody in my house at least makes an effort right about now.
Because Robert Downey Jr. can really sing #12
Because, just when I thought I've seen everything a million times, new Christmas movies (worth watching) come out: The Polar Express,
The Happy Elf, Love Actually.
Because you can get any Christmas song you want (and a million you never heard before) online. Today's favorites: #17, Funky, Funky Christmas by the New Kids on The Block (only because I just remembered that I actually owned the original casette tape of this), Anything off this New To Me Album; Baby, It's Cold Outside (of which I now have 8 different versions, including a fabulous rendition by Zooey Deschanel from the Elf soundtrack), and Bette Midler's version of the Home Alone theme (did you know it had words???)
Because I actually LOVE to wrap presents & write Christmas cards... which, once I feel a bit better, I can do from bed.
Because ABC family is playing all the old Christmas cartoons... so there's always something on... which is where I'm heading right now.
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