It’s Monday, What are you Reading?

December 21, 2009 at 7:45 am (Uncategorized) (, , , , )

It’s Monday, What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog to discuss what we are reading this week, as well as books completed the previous week.

Books I Completed Last Week:

The Walking Dead Vol. 5: The Best Defense by Robert Kirkman.  Yep, still tearing through this series.

The Walking Dead Vol. 6: This Sorrowful Life by Robert Kirkman.  It’s really compelling.

Revelation by Kate Brian.  I can’t stop with this one, either.

Books I’m Reading This Week:

Nanny Returns by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin.  I didn’t even know there was going to be a sequel to The Nanny Diaries, but I’m kind of excited about this one.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer.  This book is so boring and so irritating that I only get 10-15 pages read before I toss it aside in rage.

The Walking Dead Vol. 7: The Calm Before by Robert Kirkman.  I’m getting close to some huge events happening.

The Walking Dead Vol. 8: Made to Suffer by Robert Kirkman.
So what are you reading this week?

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It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

December 14, 2009 at 10:53 am (Uncategorized) (, , , , )

It’s Monday, What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog to discuss what we are reading this week, as well as books completed the previous week.

Books I Completed Last Week:

The Walking Dead Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman.  This series is compulsively readable.

The Walking Dead Vol. 2 by Robert Kirkman. Obviously, I’m unable to put it down.

The Walking Dead Vol. 3 by Robert Kirkman. Even when it gives me nightmares.

The Walking Dead Vol. 4 by Robert Kirkman. On a nightly basis.

Ambition by Kate Brian.  I’m nearly caught up with the series, and I’m more than a little worried about what to read next.  I need my gym books.
Books I’m Reading This Week:

The Walking Dead Vol. 5 by Robert Kirkman

The Walking Dead Vol. 6 by Robert Kirkman

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer.  Le sigh.

Revelation by Kate Brian.  Seriously, I cannot stop reading this series.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy: I forgot I had stashed this in the trunk of my car, so I’m going to dive back in this week.

So, what are you reading this week?

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It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

December 7, 2009 at 10:09 am (Uncategorized) (, , , , )

It’s Monday, What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog to discuss what we are reading this week, as well as books completed the previous week.

Books I Completed Last Week:

Legacy by Kate Brian: I keep trucking on through these books.  What can I say?  They’re like book crack.

I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure by Smith Magazine, ed:  This quick read was fascinating and provided a lot of thought about the teens who penned their memoirs using only six words.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer:  Eh.

Books I’m Reading This Week:

The Walking Dead Volume 1 by Robert Kirkman et al: The Boy has been pushing this series on me for a long time now, and I figured I’d throw him a bone and read it before I ask to borrow Y: The Last Man again.

The Walking Dead Volume 2 by Robert Kirkman et al: See?  Told you.

Ambition by Kate Brian: The covers are getting uglier, but I’m still reading them compulsively.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer: It’s so embarrassing.

So what are you reading this week?

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It’s Monday, What are You Reading?

November 30, 2009 at 8:40 am (Uncategorized) (, , , )

It’s Monday, What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog to discuss what we are reading this week, as well as books completed the previous week.

Books I Completed Last Week:

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: I finished this book up at The Boy’s cabin over Thanksgiving, and I got a lot of shit for it.  Whatever.

Confessions by Kate Brian: I’m flying through the Private series.  They are the best books to read when I’m working out.

 

Books I’m Reading This Week:

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer: It’s painful, but not as painful as Breaking Dawn.  I don’t know why I subject myself to it.

Inner Circle by Kate Brian: I told you I’m flying through these.

Daphne by Justine Picardie: It’s about Daphne DuMaurier, author of Rebecca.  I haven’t started it yet, but it’s the book I’m bringing with me when I sub this week (New Moon is too embarrassing to read in public and is relegated to my apartment).

The Road by Cormac McCarthy: I’m still working on this one, too.  I’d like to finish it so I can stop putting it in these posts.

 

So what are you reading this week?

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It’s Monday, What are you Reading?

November 23, 2009 at 3:22 pm (Uncategorized) (, , )

It’s Monday, What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog to discuss what we are reading this week, as well as books completed the previous week.

Books I Completed Last Week:

Invitation Only by Kate Brian: I started this series two weeks ago, and I can’t seem to stop.  I am obsessed.

Untouchable by Kate Brian: See above.

Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin: I love her, and while the book wasn’t as laugh-out loud funny as I was expecting, it was sweet and honest and fun to read.

 

Books I’m Reading This Week:

The Road by Cormac McCarthy: I’ve had this book forever, and I’m slowly making my way through it.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Okay, yes, seeing the movie made me want to reread the series.  But I’m not linking to the book.  That’s me being subversive.

 

So what are you reading this week?

 

 

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Reading Meme

October 9, 2008 at 11:41 pm (Uncategorized) (, , )

What was the last book you bought?

I bought Strangers in Paradise (book 1) the other day.  I also picked up a copy of Inkheart.  Half Price Books is my crack-cocaine.

Name a book you have read MORE than once

I’ve read Summer Sisters by Judy Blume at least 3 times.  I’ve also read Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty at least 4 times each, easy.  There are a lot of books that I’ve read more than once, actually.  I tend to find comfort in my favorite books.  Oooh!  Bridget Jones’s Diary.  Princess Furball.  Etc. etc.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

I don’t think I have an answer for this.  Jenny Downham’s Before I Die was incredibly powerful and moving, but did it alter the way I see life?  I don’t know.  Probably not.

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews

It tends to be a combination of all those things.  It used to be that I’d select books based on cover design, but these days, it tends to be summary, recommendations, and reviews.  I read a lot of book blogs, and I do a lot of reading about books, so my list of to-be-read is astronomical.  I’ll never get to all of them.  I realize this.  But the list keeps growing.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

I generally prefer fiction.  But I do have favorite topics of non-fiction.  I like things having to do with body image and eating disorders, I like media studies, I like books about books, and I love, love, love memoirs.

What’s more important in a novel – beautiful writing or a gripping plot?

I can ignore mediocre writing if the plot is good enough.  But I have to feel a connection to the characters, so if the plot is fast-paced but everything else about the book sucks, I won’t stay invested.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

Marcus Flutie from the Jessica Darling series.  I still believe that he’s my future husband.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?

Silver by Norma Fox Mazer, Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?

It’s been a while since I’ve finished a book, to be honest.  It’s kind of embarrassing, actually.  I keep starting things and getting distracted.  I’ll finish Silver in a few days.  Does that count?

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

All. The. Time.

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Screaming baby sounds in the background.

August 30, 2008 at 8:33 pm (Uncategorized) (, )

I’m babysitting tonight, and the little girl has a cold and is therefore quite fussy. I’ve plopped her in front of the TV with some Baby Einstein DVD thing playing on a loop, and I’m just counting the minutes until it’s time for her to get her evening bottle and go to sleep.

In the meantime, a meme. I hate the word meme.

A. Attached or single? I’m kind of somewhere in between, to be honest. The boy slipped up the other day and almost called himself the boy I’m dating, but still remains adamant that that’s not what we’re doing.

B. Best friend? My mama.

C. Cake or pie? I’d choose a brownie over either, but I guess cake. If it’s cheesecake.

D. Day of choice? I’ve always really liked Fridays. There’s something about them that causes excitement in me.

E. Essential item? Deodorant. And my cell phone.

F. Favorite color? I really like bright green. I tend to wear a lot of black, but am attracted to brightly colored objects. Like hot pink.

G. Gummy bears or worms? Worms, I guess. I actually really like those gummy-cherries.

H. Hometown? A northern suburb of St. Paul. It’s totally upper-middle-class, white, and privileged. I live in South Minneapolis now, and that’s what I consider home.

I. Favorite indulgence? Cheap, uncomfortable high-heeled shoes.

J. January or July? Ugh. January, I guess, cause I’d rather be cold than hot.

K. Kids? Okay, this is a subject on which I could write a novel-length explanation, but for brevity’s sake, no. I do a lot of nannying and babysitting, and I’m a student teacher, but I don’t know that I want my own kids. I’ll jump off that bridge if and when I come to it.

L. Life isn’t complete without? Laughing until it hurts, used books, really great sex, ice cream.

M. Marriage date? I’m determined to get married on Halloween. It will be in October, at the very least.

N. Number of brothers and sisters? I have one sister, who resides in Washington state. She’s in town for the RNC, and we’re currently housing about 6 anarchists in our basement.

O. Oranges or apples? Apples. Hands down, every time.

P. Phobias? Wasps, deep water, plane crashes.

Q. Quotes? Anything by Dorothy Parker.

R. Reasons to smile? The boy calling for no reason. Dancing around in my pajamas at any hour of the day. The Office starts its new season soon. I passed my teacher-license tests. I’m generally happy and in a good place.

S. Season of choice? Fall. I love everything about it. My closet is full of cardigans, I love the crunching of leaves under my feet, and Halloween is my favorite day of the year.

T. Tag 5 people. Pass.

U. Unknown fact about me? I think that Tori Spelling is completely underrated as an actress and comedienne.

V. Vegetable? Broccoli.

W. Worst habit? I pick my nose.

X. X-ray or ultrasound? What an odd question. Neither, if I have the choice.

Y. Your favorite food? I like grilled cheese sandwiches with tomatoes. I also love rootbeer floats.

Z. Zodiac sign? Taurus. I think that means I’m stubborn or something.

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Where I Stood

June 30, 2008 at 1:29 pm (Uncategorized) (, , , )

Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 100 New Classic books. Bolded are ones I’ve read, and italicized are those I’d like to get to soon. Possibly before the end of the year. Probably not.

1. The Road, Cormac McCarthy
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling

3. Beloved, Toni Morrison
4. The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer
12. Blindness, José Saramago
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates
15. A Hearbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers
16. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith
20. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding
21. On Writing, Stephen King
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt
28. Naked, David Sedaris
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst
36. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
41 . The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman
47. World’s Fair, E.L. Doctorow
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
49. Clockers, Richard Price
50. The Corrections, Jonathon Franzen
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe
58. Drop City, TC Boyle
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich
61. Money, Martin Amis
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini,
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel 69. Secret History, Donna Tartt
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields
84. Holes, Louis Sachar
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman
96. The DaVinci Code, Dan Brown
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson
98. The Predators’ Ball, Connie Bruck
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show

Real post soon, I promise.

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Overhsare Meme

June 11, 2008 at 1:04 pm (Uncategorized) (, , , , , )

Found throughout various blogs, I’m a sucker for memes that let me talk about myself, because let’s face it: I like to talk about myself. So without further ado, let’s begin, shall we?

1. Name the singer/band/performer you are most embarrassed to admit you actually paid good money to see in concert.

Most people would argue that I should write the name “Hanson” down here, but I disagree. I first went to see Hanson when I was 12 years old, when they performed the free show at the Mall of America. It was insane on all levels, but it was probably the most fun that I’ve ever had at a concert. I saw them again when I was 19. I don’t regret either concert, nor am I embarrassed to admit that I still listen to them from time to time. They’re good people.

2. Which reality TV show have you watched more than once (come on. I don’t believe you if you say “none,” unless you don’t own a TV)?

I don’t watch much TV in general these days, and the few things I do watch are not reality TV, but I will admit that I watch American Idol every now and then, and I fucking loved Lisa Loeb’s short-lived show on E! called #1 Single. That show was high-quality entertainment.

OH AND ALSO: Kathy Griffin’s My Life on the D-List is starting up again, and even though I don’t have cable, you can be sure I’ll be couch-hopping to various places that do.

3. Which complete trash novelist have you not only read but enjoyed enough to read more than one book of his/hers?

A lot of what I read is trashy. I collect the Sweet Valley series by Francine Pascal as well as an assorted number of other YA series from the days of yore. I’ve also read all three of Stephenie Meyer’s books in the Twilight series (and will pick up Breaking Dawn when it comes out for sure), and while I pretty much hate everything that they are and stand for, I secretly enjoy them.

I’m also a fan of Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series, which is all kinds of trashy. What else, what else? There’s a shit-ton, you guys. I read a lot of crap.

4. What sappy musical could you watch over and over and over again?

Isn’t the phrase “sappy musical” kind of redundant? I like to say that I’m not a big musical fan, but that statement is contradicted by the fact that I know all the words to the soundtracks for Wicked and Rent. I also love the movie Once, which is all kinds of sappy but remains to this day the most beautiful little love story/musical that I think I’ve ever seen

5. Who was your first celebrity crush?

Jonathon Taylor Thomas and Devon Sawa? Yeah, pretty much. I was so in love with JTT. And Devon Sawa’s little cameo in Casper was the stuff of a 9-year-old girl’s wet dream. I still think Devon Sawa is kind of attractive, actually, but the fact that Jonathon Taylor Thomas stopped growing at the age of like, 14 kind of weirds me out.

6. Who is the most embarrassing celebrity on whom you have a slight crush today?

Similar to the question about embarrassing concert-going experiences, I’m not sure that I have any embarrassing celebrity crushes. I have a terrible girl-crush on Jessica Alba. This is only embarrassing in the sense that she cannot act her way out of a paper bag. But she’s so lovely

7. What movie that everyone else and his cousin and even his dog has seen have you never seen?

There are a lot, I’d wager. I’ve never seen The Godfather trilogy, nor have I seen Casablanca. I haven’t seen It’s a Wonderful Life, either. I’m woefully uncultured, and I totally don’t care.

8. What were you drinking the first time you ever got drunk?

This is a tricky question, because I’m not much of a drinker. I got tipsy for the first time when I was 18, on Southern Comfort (woof) and Bud Light (good lord).

The first time that I got rip-roaring drunk, it was on White Russians, screwdrivers, and Red Stripe.

9. Which old re-run will you still pause to watch if you’re flicking through the channels and see that it’s on?

I’ve been known to watch re-runs of Friends, Sex and the City, and Saved by the Bell. But really, thanks the the wonder that is TV on DVD, I don’t really do the whole re-run thing.

10. What book/movie/t.v. show that only a fifteen-year-old would think is funny makes you laugh?

Any Judd Apatow movie, ever.

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