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Mar. 2nd, 2008 11:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
angela_oWow! It's been two months since I last posted. That's hard to believe. Real life has been very busy and that, coupled with one of my periodic bouts of posting ennui, translates to my long absence.
For those who might be interested in my life in the the past two months here's a highly random roundup.
We finally came to the end of basketball season (J's team finished second in the conference. The best performance by the girls' varsity ever).
Had February Parent/Teacher conferences in which there were happy surprises and some less happy surprises. The happy outweighed the less happy, but the ongoing challenges of an LD kid continue to be an issue.
I've been doing a lot of volunteer work both at school and with the Friends of the Library.
I finished the edits on two manuscripts.
Have started a weekly chick flick viewing with my daughter as I've decided it's up to me to introduce her to the classics. Thus far we've watched "The Notebook" and "10 Things I Hate About You". I'm thinking that "The Cutting Edge" will be next week's viewing selection. She's already sampled some of the best of the John Hughes oeuvre on her own because everyone needs to know about Jake Ryan.
I've seen some recent releases in the actual theater on date-like outings alone with my husband (enjoyed both "Jumper" and "Definitely, Maybe").
Spent many fun hours trolling YouTube for clips and vids of shows from my fannish past with forays into vast quantities of nostalgia fic as well. Ah, LFN and GH in the Jax/Brenda and Carly/Jason years with some GG fic thrown in for good measure. *happy sigh*
I've also done some reading of actual books, but I'm thinking this is going to be a low output sort of year as I've been fairly unmotivated. Here's my relatively paltry output thus far.
1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
I was amazed by Alexi's ability to deal with unremittingly grim issues in an accessible and uplifting way.
2. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
This book was absolutely fascinating. A look at what would happen to the Earth if humans were to suddenly disappear. At times chilling, but totally engrossing. I highly recommend this one.
3. Up Close and Personal by Fern Michaels
A little brain candy.
4. Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
More brain candy set in Andrews' Savannah universe.
5. Swim to Me by Betsy Carter
A quirky look at life through the lens of a girl who feels most herself when in the water who becomes one of the famed Weeki Wachee mermaids. I saw this on the New Fiction shelf at the library and picked it up.
6. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
Probably my favorite fiction book of the year thus far. Chabon melds a variety of genres (noir, alternate history, Jewish history, thriller, and romance to name only some) into a unique and thrilling result. Read it. It's unlike anything else that you'll ever read. And this comes from someone who couldn't get into The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay at all.
7. Quarantine by Laura Burns
This one turned up at a Book Sale sorting and I picked it up to see how series tie-ins compared with fanfic. This was comparable with average fic. The only noteworthy point is that this is apparently when Liz told Max about Future Max. Do tie-ins count as part of canon? Do I care anymore? lol
8. A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer
A fantasy set in a Victorian era type world where magic is real. I've read the author in collaboration with Patricia Wrede and so thought I'd try this one. The beginning was slow, but I ended up quite enthralled.
9. Slam by Nick Hornby
Hornby takes on teenage pregnancy from the point of view of the expectant father. A sixteen year old skateboarder who treats Tony Hawk's book as a Bible. This one hit pretty close to home as I have a sixteen year old with a serious girlfriend who's moving perilously close to that degree of intimacy.
10. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (also A Christmas Memory)
I'd never read the source material for the movie and thought I should rectify that oversight. Capote does have a supple use of language, but this may be one of the few instances where I find the movie adaptation superior to the book (along with "Children of Men" and "Blade Runner"). Or perhaps novella is a more accurate description as it's surprisingly brief. A Christmas Memory made me cry though.
11. A Scholar of Magics by Caroline Stevermer
A sequel of sorts to A College of Magics as it's set in the same universe. Again, quite enjoyable.
12. The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig
The next entry into The Pink Carnation universe. This one was somewhat different in that the protagonists are characters who are set up as antagonists in earlier books. I liked the twist and since there was finally some movement in the Colin/Eloise relationship I found this one more entertaining than the previous book in the series.
13. When the King Comes Home by Caroline Stevermer
This book is tangentially in the same universe as the other two, but in the Renaissance period of that universe. I found the ending unfulfilling, but the story up to that point was engaging.
14. The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares
Brashares first foray into the adult fiction market. I thought this one was flawed, but interesting. I prefer the Sisterhood books though.
15. My War: A Love Story in Letters and Drawings by Tracy Sugarman
I adored this book. The author was a naval officer in WWII who took part in the Normandy invasion. He was also an artist and he sent home sketches of his wartime experience to his wife who he married just after he was commissioned. She kept the sketchbooks and his letters in the cellars of their various houses for 50 years and he never inquired about them until the 50th anniversary of the invasion. Reading this made me realize how letter writing is a nearly extinct art form. The intensity and love that Tracy feels for June is beautiful to behold. While I love the immediacy of the internet era, the use of language and the sense of something tangible and permanent that letter writing promotes is something worth remembering and attempting to hold on to. It's been said before that I'm a sucker for WWII-related things, but this book was simply lovely.
16. Local Hero by Nora Roberts
Brain candy.
17. Dual Image by Nora Roberts (both from the Truly, Madly Manhattan collection)
More brain candy.
For those who might be interested in my life in the the past two months here's a highly random roundup.
We finally came to the end of basketball season (J's team finished second in the conference. The best performance by the girls' varsity ever).
Had February Parent/Teacher conferences in which there were happy surprises and some less happy surprises. The happy outweighed the less happy, but the ongoing challenges of an LD kid continue to be an issue.
I've been doing a lot of volunteer work both at school and with the Friends of the Library.
I finished the edits on two manuscripts.
Have started a weekly chick flick viewing with my daughter as I've decided it's up to me to introduce her to the classics. Thus far we've watched "The Notebook" and "10 Things I Hate About You". I'm thinking that "The Cutting Edge" will be next week's viewing selection. She's already sampled some of the best of the John Hughes oeuvre on her own because everyone needs to know about Jake Ryan.
I've seen some recent releases in the actual theater on date-like outings alone with my husband (enjoyed both "Jumper" and "Definitely, Maybe").
Spent many fun hours trolling YouTube for clips and vids of shows from my fannish past with forays into vast quantities of nostalgia fic as well. Ah, LFN and GH in the Jax/Brenda and Carly/Jason years with some GG fic thrown in for good measure. *happy sigh*
I've also done some reading of actual books, but I'm thinking this is going to be a low output sort of year as I've been fairly unmotivated. Here's my relatively paltry output thus far.
1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
I was amazed by Alexi's ability to deal with unremittingly grim issues in an accessible and uplifting way.
2. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
This book was absolutely fascinating. A look at what would happen to the Earth if humans were to suddenly disappear. At times chilling, but totally engrossing. I highly recommend this one.
3. Up Close and Personal by Fern Michaels
A little brain candy.
4. Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
More brain candy set in Andrews' Savannah universe.
5. Swim to Me by Betsy Carter
A quirky look at life through the lens of a girl who feels most herself when in the water who becomes one of the famed Weeki Wachee mermaids. I saw this on the New Fiction shelf at the library and picked it up.
6. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon
Probably my favorite fiction book of the year thus far. Chabon melds a variety of genres (noir, alternate history, Jewish history, thriller, and romance to name only some) into a unique and thrilling result. Read it. It's unlike anything else that you'll ever read. And this comes from someone who couldn't get into The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay at all.
7. Quarantine by Laura Burns
This one turned up at a Book Sale sorting and I picked it up to see how series tie-ins compared with fanfic. This was comparable with average fic. The only noteworthy point is that this is apparently when Liz told Max about Future Max. Do tie-ins count as part of canon? Do I care anymore? lol
8. A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer
A fantasy set in a Victorian era type world where magic is real. I've read the author in collaboration with Patricia Wrede and so thought I'd try this one. The beginning was slow, but I ended up quite enthralled.
9. Slam by Nick Hornby
Hornby takes on teenage pregnancy from the point of view of the expectant father. A sixteen year old skateboarder who treats Tony Hawk's book as a Bible. This one hit pretty close to home as I have a sixteen year old with a serious girlfriend who's moving perilously close to that degree of intimacy.
10. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (also A Christmas Memory)
I'd never read the source material for the movie and thought I should rectify that oversight. Capote does have a supple use of language, but this may be one of the few instances where I find the movie adaptation superior to the book (along with "Children of Men" and "Blade Runner"). Or perhaps novella is a more accurate description as it's surprisingly brief. A Christmas Memory made me cry though.
11. A Scholar of Magics by Caroline Stevermer
A sequel of sorts to A College of Magics as it's set in the same universe. Again, quite enjoyable.
12. The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig
The next entry into The Pink Carnation universe. This one was somewhat different in that the protagonists are characters who are set up as antagonists in earlier books. I liked the twist and since there was finally some movement in the Colin/Eloise relationship I found this one more entertaining than the previous book in the series.
13. When the King Comes Home by Caroline Stevermer
This book is tangentially in the same universe as the other two, but in the Renaissance period of that universe. I found the ending unfulfilling, but the story up to that point was engaging.
14. The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares
Brashares first foray into the adult fiction market. I thought this one was flawed, but interesting. I prefer the Sisterhood books though.
15. My War: A Love Story in Letters and Drawings by Tracy Sugarman
I adored this book. The author was a naval officer in WWII who took part in the Normandy invasion. He was also an artist and he sent home sketches of his wartime experience to his wife who he married just after he was commissioned. She kept the sketchbooks and his letters in the cellars of their various houses for 50 years and he never inquired about them until the 50th anniversary of the invasion. Reading this made me realize how letter writing is a nearly extinct art form. The intensity and love that Tracy feels for June is beautiful to behold. While I love the immediacy of the internet era, the use of language and the sense of something tangible and permanent that letter writing promotes is something worth remembering and attempting to hold on to. It's been said before that I'm a sucker for WWII-related things, but this book was simply lovely.
16. Local Hero by Nora Roberts
Brain candy.
17. Dual Image by Nora Roberts (both from the Truly, Madly Manhattan collection)
More brain candy.
