November 2021
Nonfiction:
The $100 Startup- Chris Guillebeau
Fiction:
Conceal, Don't Feel- Jen Calonita
Cookbooks:
Rebel Homemaker- Drew Barrymore
December 2021
Poetry:
Some Things I Still Can't Tell You- Misha Collins
Fiction:
Valor's Choice- Tanya Huff
My Neighbor Totoro- Miyazaki & Kubo
Non-fiction:
John Quincy Adams- Robert V. Remini
And so we close out the year. Finally!
Next up: The Queenies!
It's been a long while coming, but here is the list you've been waiting for:
October 2021
Fiction:
Briarheart- Mercedes Lackey
Peeps- Scott Westerfeld
Humans Wanted- Vivian Caethe
Humans Are Weird (I Have the Data)- Betty Adams
Non-Fiction:
How Rich People Think- Steve Siebold
Eat That Frog- Brian Tracy
Everything is Figureoutable- Marie Forleo
Graphic Novel:
Legacy of the Fire Nation (Avatar )- Joshua Pruett
Legacy (Avatar)- Michael Teitelbaum
Fake Blood- Whitney Gardner
That's October 2021, in the bag. I'll finish out the year with the next post. And then we can kick 2021 in the tail and move on. (In a lot of ways, 2021 was worse than 2020. I'm glad it's gone and I'll be happy to forget about it...)
That's not a good 'wow'. Have I really not posted anything since October? I'm so sorry....
I knew I'd been away- there's been a lot to deal with lately- but I had no idea it had been that long...
Allow me to explain what I've been up to. [This is not an excuse for my absence, just a list of all the stuff I've had going on. It's still totally my bad for not posting. Since October(!). Sorry.]
It started with the job shopping. I hated my job. It was the worst and every day that I had to get out of bed to go there was worse than the day before. So, a lot of that time was spent looking for something- anything- else. And I was starting to give up all hope, too.
Fortunately, I found a lovely new job, working with great people, doing my small bit to help people get the help they need. It's a much better situation. But it was stressful getting adjusted, learning the new job and all its little rules and regulations. (I'm still trying to get that part down, I think. I almost had it- then they added a lot of new stuff, and now I feel like I'm starting over from the beginning again. Stressful, but I'll get there. Maybe faster this time?)
Then Christmas happened. Nothing gets done during Christmas. Except some cookies. And a tiny bit of candy. And the mandatory Christmas shopping.
Then I'm not sure exactly what happened, honestly. I blinked and it was birthday season*. With Easter thrown right in the middle of it.
A bad case of spring fever and (mostly) minor health issues for several of us brings me... here. Realizing I haven't updated the blog since October...
I didn't stop reading. It slowed down in spots, but it never stopped. So, I'm back and I'll be playing catch-up for the next week or two. We'll finish off the year's lists and hopefully award the long-overdue Queenies before springing into the new year and playing catch-up there.
I'll have my first catch-up post sometime tomorrow. Pinky promise.
*Birthday season officially runs from March through the end of April. Except this year. This year it will stretch on into May (at least) because I am still running behind on everything.
So, this is the first book I've managed to read in October. (I know. It's a terrible thing. The lack of reading, that is. The book is wonderful.) It came last weekend. I picked it up from the post office around noon, came home and started reading.
I didn't put it down until the end.
The end came way too soon. I'm hopeful, based solely on one scene in the book with information that as yet has gone nowhere, that there is at least one sequel planned. I would rather have a whole series.
I forced urged my older daughter to read it as soon as I finished it. A couple of days later, she started it around bedtime. (Can't just immediately do anything Mom says, right? I think it's against the pre-teen laws or something.) Pretty sure she stayed up most of the night reading it, because she was finished with it the next afternoon.
This is very much a fairy tale. It has many of the standard fairy tale trappings: princes (well, one), a princess, fairies and goblins, a dragon, knights... The whole shebang. It's very reminiscent of her 100 Kingdoms books, if you've read any of those. Fairy tales with a twist. And I can't get enough of those stories. Never could. My favorite part of the book is what's missing. This particular fairy tale has absolutely no romance. Doesn't need it. Don't miss it.
The book begins with a reasonably standard Sleeping Beauty set-up. But, Aurora is only a baby. For the entire book. This isn't actually her story. It's the story of her older sister, Miriam. And you should read it.
(I'm trying so very hard not to include any spoilers here. Which means I have to leave out so much!)
Miriam absolutely adores her new baby sister. And when the baby is threatened by an evil fairy, Miri steps in and vows to protect her sister. No matter what.
I better stop before I say too much. Just go read it. Right now. We'll talk about how great it is when you've finished it. Deal?
I spent a large portion of last month skimming cookbooks (and a few other books) without really reading them properly. There were only two that I really read enough to count. I did manage to finish two of the history books I've been in the middle of, though. I guess that counts for something... Right?
So, without further ado, I give you my very short September list:
September 2021
Fiction:
The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith
The Martian by Andy Weir (again. Seriously, any book that starts out with those first three sentences is a winner in my book.)
Comics/Graphic Novels:
Archie 1000 Page Comics Delight
History:
Bad Days in History
More Bad Days in History both by Michael Farquhar
Cookbooks:
Firefly: Big Damn Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel
The Geeky Chef Cookbook by Cassandra Reeder
That's a grand total of only seven finished books. For the whole month! I think I'm very disappointed in myself. But I'm already several days in to the new month without a single finished book, so I'm obviously not so disappointed that I've managed to focus and get things finished.
There's still time.
It's Banned Books Week! And I actually remembered to mention it before it was (completely) over! Yay me.
Which banned books are you reading to celebrate?
Confession: I haven't been reading any banned books this week at all. Isn't that sad? I'm still trying to get through my list of half finished books that I started all at once. I did finish two of them yesterday, so at least I've accomplished some tiny little thing this week.
It's all about looking on the bright side, right? Now if I can just get through my library books before they're due...
Since I did manage to remember it was happening, even if I didn't actually get as far as reading any for myself, I took a few minutes to look up a few banned books. (See? I was totally planning to read one... Ah, well. The best laid plans, you know...) Here's a short sample of some of my favorite banned books.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Go the F*ck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
and many more, it turns out.
Here's a link to one of the articles I found.
I'm a little surprised at some of the titles on these lists I've looked at. For a lot of the books on the list, it's easy to figure out why some obnoxious people decided to whine about them. Anything that deals with sex education is apparently challenged/banned instantly. Heaven forbid kids learn any basic human biology, right? Any reference to LBGT themes, sex of any kind, or anything someone deems profane is also an instant tantrum.
But I cannot figure out what line of reasoning people used on some of these books. If any. Take the aforementioned Drama. One list I found claims it to be sexually explicit. Obviously, I need to reread this book. I think I missed something the first time. I don't remember any sex happening anywhere.
I'm also seriously amused by the fact that anyone actually thought Go the F*ck to Sleep was a picture book meant for kids. I can't think of any other reason anyone would complain about that book. It's very obvious to me that whoever filed that complaint cannot possibly be a parent. Parents of small children feel that book deep in their souls and it was very clearly intended for that specific audience. Some people really do not have any sense of humor at all. Or the need to know that others have experienced that very specific torture only toddlers and preschoolers can dole out. (Infants can also be very talented in that area, as well, actually.)
I have to go cram some kids into their beds, so goodbye for now. Happy reading!
Hello again from the school pickup line! (Seriously, these people need hobbies...) I'm gonna be here for a while. I've put a loaf of dough to rise for the girls' sandwiches for the rest of the week. It should be ready to mess with when I finally get home. Thankfully, it won't need too much work. (That's why I adore this recipe.) Work has about finished me off. If only I knew what I was feeding them for supper...
Anyway...
As promised, I've got my very short little list for August with me. I have really got to make some progress on these half finished books! September's finished list is only one (!) book long so far- one of my daughter's books that she made me read. (It was good. I liked it. But still...)
August 2021
Graphic novels/comics:
The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars
The Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire
Fiction:
All Systems Red
Artificial Condition
Rogue Protocol
Exit Strategy
"Home"
Network Effect
Fugitive Telemetry all by Martha Wells
So, there you go. That's all for August.
I spent the last week without water (for most practical purposes). We had a boiled water advisory. We've had a lot of those this summer. I am officially over it. This one was the longest so far and it just made me cranky. I had the day off today (to take my daughter to an appointment) and I've spent most of the day trying to get caught up on laundry- and more importantly- dishes! Ugh!
After a week of no real cooking and no way to safely wash dishes (that didn't involve a lot more effort than I have energy for after work) my kitchen was a huge disaster. It's about half tamed now. This weekend I have planned a thorough cleaning and organizing spree. Hopefully two days will be enough time to finish the project.
Unfortunately, the boil water advisory has precisely coincided with an urge to get in the kitchen and make messes. So instead, I spent the week flipping through cookbooks and wishing I could bake something. Now that I can finally mess in the kitchen again, I have no idea where to start.
My birthday is over for another year, so I can officially throw myself into pumpkin season wholeheartedly and without regret or reservation. Only now I have no idea what to make first. Pumpkin bread? Pasties? (I think my daughter is voting for this one, actually, Harry Potter nerds that we are.) Doughnuts? Something else entirely?
I made a loaf of sandwich bread today. And I rummaged through the pantry looking for supper ideas. They were few and far between, but I finally settled on fettucine alfredo. And I think I'm going to make a peach crisp for dessert if I don't run out of steam before then.
This isn't really helping my urge to bake, though. Everyday, boring cooking never does. I might have to find a more involved project for the weekend. I think my other daughter is voting for macarons... (That would certainly qualify as more involved, for sure. Not very fall-like, though.)
In other news, I'm still reading half a dozen different books at once. And still making next to no progress on any of them. My August reading list (coming next post) will be correspondingly short. You have been warned.
Part of my reading time has been taken up by a project for my sister. She has asked for a matched set of Christmas stockings. Preferably before Christmas. I'm hoping to be finished by Thanksgiving, to allow time for delivery. But fortunately, I know someone with a big red 'sleigh' who would willingly deliver them with very little notice if I miss my deadline. And I am very bad with deadlines. The self imposed ones, anyway.
Here's a peek. This is what's on my needles today....
As you can see, I've only just started this one. Still a looooong way to go.
However, I do have a little more progress than that on the project as a whole. Thank goodness. Here's a quick shot of the whole thing.
These two have turned out bigger than I remember the others ever being. (Yes. I have made many of these in the past with this exact pattern.) I'm sure it's the yarn that we chose this time around. It's soft and floofy and lovely. But it isn't knitting as I expected from studying the label. It was listed as a chunky yarn but it seems to be knitting up at more of a bulky gauge instead. Which I'm sure the kids will never complain about- more room for stuff in a big stocking after all. But the grown-ups might have a time filling them.
Then again, maybe not. My biggest challenge with stockings is finding enough things to fill it without spending a fortune. Tiny things are so expensive! (Why is that? They're so tiny!) These stockings are big enough for stuffies, and one thing stuffies are good for is taking up space...
Anyway, my day of relaxing and getting chores done is over. I'm typing this in the school pickup line. Yes. The whole entire post. That's how early I have to get in line before school is out, just to get my daughter before she decides that we've abandoned her. Plus I checked my emails and loaded my pictures before I started typing this!
It has always baffled me. Every school my kids have so far attended is like this. People start lining up hours before the kids can be released. Why? Do they have nothing better to do all day than sit here?
On the plus side, all this sitting and waiting has always been good for reading and knitting. Or sewing. Or apparently, blogging! But the buses are finally loading, so it's time to sign off. Until next time!
I don't really have anything exciting going on today. Or this week, really. Just same old boring everyday yuck. So, a quick list of random, semi-related thoughts might have to tide us over for now.
1. I am completely exhausted. Like, I'm always exhausted after a shift at my horrible job, but this last couple of weeks has just been so much worse.
2. My feet and legs have decided they hurt too much to do anything else tonight. My chair is my best friend right now. I will not hobble from it until bedtime.
3. I am in the middle of reading about five different books, and am therefore making nearly no progress on any of them.
4. I should probably learn to focus on one book at a time. But I probably won't.
5. Murderbot is still the best. Ever.
6. I need more stories about it. Preferably right now. I do not want to wait until April.
7. I should be knitting, but my wrist hurts.
8. I hate it when my wrist refuses to let me do anything fun.
9. I need a new job. (Anybody hiring?)
10. My daughter is campaigning for a work-from-home job, which I can't seem to find and which she would not leave me alone to actually do even if I did.
11. I got a summons for jury duty.
12. I am not especially happy about it.
13. It isn't that I'm opposed to doing my civic duty, because I don't mind that part. It's the part that comes before. The part where they take away all my coping mechanisms and sit me in a big room with absolutely nothing to do.
14. I really do not wait well. That's why I have so many hobbies to distract me while I wait.
15. None of those hobbies are allowed in courtrooms.
16. The people who made those particular rules are obviously not crafters. And are apparently fine with mind-numbing boredom.
17. I am not. (See above.)
18. I am in danger of falling asleep right now.
19. Getting up at 4am stinks.
20. I will never understand morning people. Not ever.
21. This list is much longer and more ramble-y than I expected. It is definitely time to stop.
22. Goodnight. I'll try for something a little more interesting next time.
Continuing my efforts to get caught up, we're doing another double feature today.
June 2021
Fiction:
The Oathbound
Oathbreakers
Oathblood
Beyond (new Valdemar book!!!)
The Wizard of London
Home From the Sea all by Mercedes Lackey I was in a rereading sort of mood this month, I guess
Blood Banked
Blood Shot both by Tanya Huff
Graphic Novel/Comic:
Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy another Avatar: the Last Airbender comic
Nonfiction:
Animal Vegetable Junk by Mark Bittman
July 2021
Fiction:
A Study in Sable
A Scandal in Battersea
The Bartered Brides
The Spellbound Child all by Mercedes Lackey, continuing my reread. I originally started by looking for something my daughter might like. And I did give her The Wizard of London, but I don't think she's quite ready for the rest of these yet...
Comic/Graphic Novel:
AtLA: Suki Alone this is the newest of the comics that we have (well, except that we just finished Korra, so there's two more next month. Technically...)
Humor:
Fun With Kirk and Spock by Robb Pearlman this is a parody of the Dick and Jane books that used to be popular with new readers. My friend and I stumbled across it in the bookstore and it somehow came home with me...
And that gets me caught up. Now I just have to make some progress on all the books I'm working on so I have something (besides Korra) to log for August...
Since life has gotten the better of me lately and I'm so very far behind, I'm going to knock out two lists today. Bear with me...
April 2021
Fiction:
Shuri and
Shuri: The Vanished by Nic Stone My daughter got the first one for Christmas. She loved it. I've been on the lookout for the sequel ever since. This was my first chance to grab it. I made her loan me hers before I let her read the new one. (I know, that's mean. But if I didn't hold new books hostage occasionally, she'd never let me read her stuff...)
Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez Been waiting impatiently for this one, too. Ever since I first saw her announce it. Devoured it all in one go (again!) and now I'm stuck (again!!) waiting super impatiently for her next book. Which won't be out until April. *sigh*
Comic/Graphic Novel:
I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider
Nonfiction:
Broken by Jenny Lawson Another eagerly awaited book that I devoured far too quickly
Didn't See That Coming by Rachel Hollis
That finishes up April. Now, on to May!
May 2021
Fiction:
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay all by Suzanne Collins Reread these because my daughter wanted to start them.
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells Murderbot!!! I so badly need some more Murderbot. Also, I should stop reading so fast when I get a new book. They just don't last long enough...
Nonfiction:
Salt by Mark Kurlansky
Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft
James Monroe by Gary Hart
Comic/Graphic Novel:
Here follows a long list of Avatar: The Last Airbender titles... [It's our new(est) obsession.]
AtLA:Katara and the Pirate's Silver
AtLA:The Promise
AtLA:The Search
AtLA:The Rift
AtLA:Smoke and Shadow
AtLA:North and South
AtLA:Imbalance
AtLA:The Lost Adventures
(Thank you to Amazon for having a great cover picture of the book when my camera refused to cooperate. You can click over and grab your own copy if you need one.)
As you can see, the book is George Washington by James MacGregor Burns and Susan Dunn. Part of the American Presidents series edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. This particular volume is copyright 2004, if that sort of thing is important to you.
So, as for the basics that everyone has already been told, Georgie-boy was born 22 February 1732 and he died on 14 December 1799 at the age of 67. He was our first president, serving from 1789-1797.
A fact that is less thrown around: He was, and remains, the only president to ever be elected unanimously. (Four times, in fact: unanimously voted commander-in-chief of the Second Continental Congress, president of the Constitutional Convention, and then unanimously elected to two terms of the presidency.)
The book talks about Washington as a young man, the events that lead up to the Revolutionary War, and the events after, but it mostly skips the entire war itself. Which I suppose makes sense, given the sheer number of books about just the war.
It does, however, mention that George pretty much started the entire French-Indian war singlehandedly in 1754. It's a story I've heard before, (most entertainingly in You Did What?, edited by Bill Fawcett and Brian Thomsen. It's an essay officially titled "You Sent Whom, Governor?" but more entertainingly sub-titled as "Never Send a Boy To Do a Man's Job").
Other fun facts: In the fall of 1794, George became the only sitting president to ever lead troops into battle during the Whiskey Rebellion. He took 12,000 troops and Alexander Hamilton (then acting Secretary of War) into western Pennsylvania to scare a bunch of loud protesters into shutting up and ending their whining about taxes. There was no actual battle or bloodshed involved. Just a lot of government threats and arrests. This also gave us the first use of the Presidential Pardon for two of the protesters who were convicted of treason.
George accidentally established the two-term limit tradition when he stepped down in 1797, turning the presidency over to John Adams. This was a tradition that everyone followed right up until 1940, when FDR said "heck, no" and stayed in office. Thankfully, it's now a firm law, signed into effect as the 22nd Amendment. (Because the last thing we need is some of these yahoos now trying to stay longer than two terms. One term for most of them is bad enough...)
George gave his Farewell Address in September 1796 and stepped down to retire to Mount Vernon. John Adams would serve as the second president, taking office 4 March 1797.
That's a very quick summary, considering the time it took me to get this posted, but I just really don't know what else to say about him.
March 2021
Like I said before, there's almost nothing to post for this month.
This isn't going to take long at all.
Fiction:
Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire (new InCryptid novel!! I adore Greg, just saying...)
Catalyst by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Yeah. So... That's March.
The good news is that April looks a little better than this. And May, while heavy on the graphic novels, is almost looking normal. So, that's good.
This is the nadir (so far) of my slump of the year. Really hoping it doesn't this bad again. It isn't even that I wasn't reading, it was more of a couldn't-focus-long-enough-to-finish-anything problem.
Now, I need to go find something to read. I think I'm going to have to bail on the current book and I have to find a suitable replacement. (It's a bodice ripper with a supernatural bent, but it isn't very good. It reminds me very strongly of the ones that made me hate the whole genre for so many years. With the added bonus of some strange word choices at times. It's not my jam. Not at all.) What I need right now is a really good story...
February 2021
Gosh, I'm behind. This has just been a tough year so far. My reading was down in February, too. I just couldn't seem to concentrate. Looks like I mostly only read with my girls. And all fiction, apparently. [Spoilers (or maybe just fair warning): March was worse. There's barely even anything to post.]
Here we go, short list:
Fiction:
The Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan
book 1 The Hidden Oracle
book 2 The Dark Prophecy
book 3 The Burning Maze
book 4 The Tyrant's Tomb
book 5 The Tower of Nero
Dying With Her Cheer Pants On by Seanan McGuire
Graphic Novels:
The Babysitter's Club: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier
Yeah, that's it. That's the whole list. It makes me sad just looking at it. Although they were great books, so at least there's that.
That's really all I have to say about life right now. Just "Ugh." Or, possibly more like Charlie Brown used to say it: "UUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" Yeah. That's probably more like it.
The last few weeks have been bad. Highly stressful, full of blech. I just don't have the spoons* to spare lately, you know? I'm trying to get back into gear and caught up with myself. I'm hoping to be back here next week as scheduled. Fingers crossed.
*I first ran across the concept of 'spoons' in terms of your mental health and ability to cope from Jenny Lawson, the Bloggess. She has awesome books, btw, which you should definitely read. And a new one coming out next week (I think).
Anyway, in this instance spoons represent your ability to deal. It's perfect because (at least in my house) we never have enough spoons. I don't know where they all go. Possibly the kids eat them instead of their food? Anyway... on any given day, you wake up with so many 'spoons' to spend. Every task you accomplish, large or small, uses one or more spoons. When your spoons are gone, that's it. You're done until you have a chance to recharge, whatever that means for your situation. I have no idea whether this is an example therapists frequently use or if Jenny Lawson came up with it, but I saw another of my favorite writers use it one Twitter the other day, too...
I always have a list of books I really want to get ahold of. I think that's true of most bookworms. Don't we all keep track of our favorite authors and their upcoming works? Today, I thought I'd make a short list of all the books I can't wait to read.
First up on the list, we have the next book by Abby Jimenez, Life's Too Short. I've been waiting eagerly for this one. Ever since the second I finished reading her last book for the first time. Luckily, it is expected to be released on April 6th, so I won't have to wait too much longer. It'll just seem like it.
Next up, Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire. I stumbled across a mention of it on Twitter earlier that reminded me IT'S ALMOST HERE! YAY! To be released on February 23rd, it's the next installment in the InCryptid series that I adore so much. Gimme!
Our next book on the list is disappointingly far in the future. June 15th, to be exact. How will I ever make it? Mercedes Lackey's newest Valdemar book, Beyond, is supposed to finally give us the story of the founding. I've been waiting on that for years. (Also the true story of Sun and Shadow, if she wants suggestions...) I'm excited for this one, for sure.
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells. More Murderbot. 'Nough said. Oh, except this: April 27th. Ugh! That's forever from now! I need it.
So, that's my short list. (looks back over the list) Turns out it's very short. Hmmm... There has to be some more around here somewhere. I have to go make some more notes, apparently...
Rick Riordan
(author of the Percy Jackson books, the Kane Chronicles, the Trials of Apollo books, and more)
I first stumbled on Rick Riordan years before my kids were even close to old enough to read them. I read the first set of Percy Jackson books because everyone online seemed to be talking about them. And they were good. I very much enjoyed them. But then, I stuck them in a corner and moved on to other stories.
Fast forward several years.
I went to enroll my kids into their new schools after our move. The school was giving away books. It was late in the day and they made the mistake of telling me to take as many books as my kids would want. (Pro tip: NEVER say anything like that to a bookworm who's trying to raise bookworms. We will wipe you out! You will have NO books left!) I was kind to them, since they had no clue what they had just done and I only chose a few books for each of my girls. Among them, the first three (or was it four?) of the second set of Percy Jackson books.
Because, here's the thing. I have somehow accidentally gotten a child that adores mythology. I'm not quite sure how that happened. I didn't do it on purpose. But one book led to another series led to... She started off with Greek mythology- and I suppose a little Roman thrown in, since Athena was not wrong when she called them copycats*- and then moved on into Norse myths, forcing me to try and catch up with her. (I had never read any Norse mythology until then.) But, the point is, I knew she'd love Percy Jackson once she met him.
I was not wrong. She has now raced through every Rick Riordan book that I have managed to get my hands on. And she wants to see the musical (how I'll manage that, I have no idea. There doesn't seem to be a recorded version anywhere). She even wants to watch the movie(s?) that were made from the first set of books. (So, I guess I'll be searching for that soon, too...)
She just finished the Trials of Apollo series this week. (I have NOT finished yet, because stupid work and chores and what do you mean I have to feed you people again?? Stuff like that. But, I'm in book 4, so I'm not too far behind.)
And I suppose that's the whole reason you should be reading Rick Riordan. Because while, technically, he writes these books for the upper-range middle grade audience (or the lower ages of the young adult audience, take your pick), they are just as entertaining for adults. These are books that you can read with your kids, or alongside of them, and all of you will enjoy the experience. And you might accidentally learn some cool mythology in the process. Several different types of mythology. So far I've encountered Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian (which I am completely unfamiliar with, so that was a new adventure.)
I have always firmly believed that you can never be too old for a truly good story, no matter what age it was intended for. These books prove my point. Give them a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
*The Mark of Athena, chapter 17, I believe. Athena calls them "horrible, dishonorable, copycat Romans." I've always had a preference for the Greek names and stories, so I found her copycat accusation to be very fitting. I may have even giggled.
So, approximately a million years ago, I decided that I should read more American history. I was reading quite a bit of English history at the time, mostly the Tudors, and I felt that I needed to learn more about the United States. So I went down to the bookstore and got a biography of George Washington. Seemed like the way to get a good overview of the country was to start at the beginning and follow through all the presidencies. And then, after about 75 pages of reading, I got distracted by some other book and Georgie went onto the bookshelf. And sat there for years. (Seriously, the receipt is still in the book, marking the point where I wandered off. It's from Borders Books and Music and it is dated 2006. So, like I said, forever ago.)
It wasn't until I started packing up all my books for the move that I stumbled across old George again and remembered this little project. So, I started it up again.
At first, I just read whichever biographies I could find, with no real system. But as I read on, I found that several of the better books seemed to come from the same series. So, I decided to go back and start over, reading that series straight through. It also doesn't hurt that they have done a biography of every president (except the last couple, which I guess are too recent) in this series. Some of these dudes seem to not be popular enough to have many other biographies to choose from.
So, last year I decided to reboot the project. And this time, I've been taking some notes. Please understand that I don't mean they're meaningful notes, just little facts I found interesting as I was reading. My current goal is to read one biography a month. And then blog about it.
I have no idea what I'll find to say about these guys. Expect the blogs to be pretty short. More just a record that I've read them as I promised myself I would than any great font of information. But, hey, maybe someone else out there will find it helpful or interesting. It could happen, right?
I have a page I'm setting up to help me keep track of all these presidents. Once I finish typing it out, it will go live and I'll keep it updated as I get blog posts about each one. Just in case anyone wants to follow along.
It's a silly idea, I know, but right now it's the idea I have.
I've had a chance to look over last year's list of books that I read, and I thought it might be fun to have a fake little awards ceremony for my favorites. Every award needs a cute name, right? There's the Oscars, the Tonies, the Emmies... Now there's the Queenies. (A very brief Google search has led me to believe that no other awards of this name exist, so I'm stealing it for this silliness.) My currrent plan is to present the Queenie awards every year from now on.
The rules for the Queenies are simple. Out of all the books I read last year (for the first time, not re-reads), these are the books in each category that I, personally, enjoyed most. For whatever reason. As such, all of these awards are nothing more than my personal opinion and if you happen to disagree, that's perfectly okay with me. Also, these are just chosen from the books I read in 2020. There is no official list of greatness that I was working from or anything. A lot of deserving and award winning books were not read by me, and thus are not eligible for a Queenie. My apologies to all the books I didn't get to read.
2020 was a banner year for reading. In the years since I actually started keeping a reading list (in 2014), the previous winner for most books read was 2018 with 150 books. For a number of reasons, 2020 has passed that record number and we now have a new record: 174 books read. These are the books I will be choosing from today. (No. I have absolutely no plans to type out the titles of all of the books. The last several months worth are already listed here on the blog. The months before that, well... Sorry. You'll just have to take my word for it this time. My wrists thank you for your understanding.)
Without further ado, I present to you the 2020 Queenie Awards:
Favorite non-fiction book: The Ravenmaster- Christopher Skaife This book combines two of my favorite things- stories about the Tower of London and stories about ravens. (Yeah, I'm weird. We all know that.)
Favorite fiction book: Confessions of a Shopaholic- Sophie Kinsella I've heard about this one for years. Finally got around to actually reading it.
Favorite romance book: The Happy Ever After Playlist- Abby Jimenez Continuing the story from Friend Zone, sort of, so this was an easy pick.
Favorite middle-grade/ young adult book: A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking- T. Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon) My daughter and I both really enjoyed this. And if Ursula Vernon happens to stumble onto this post, we need more! Lots more. (And also more Castle Hangnail. Also Harriet Hamsterbone! Please??)
Favorite science fiction book: Network Effect- Martha Wells I may have mentioned before that I love me some Murderbot. This is the most recent entry, and the first full length novel, of the series. Man, it's taking too long for the next one to come out...
Favorite fantasy book: The Bear and the Nightingale- Katerine Arden This one has a slightly different feel to it. Most fantasies are set in a standard medieval England type setting. This one has an eastern European feel, set in Russia. It reminded me of Naomi Novik's recent works (Spinning Silver and Uprooted) and I really enjoyed that.
Favorite graphic novel: Roller Girl- Victoria Jamieson This one was a hard choice. I read a lot of great graphic novels in 2020. But I've settled on this one as the winner. I think.
Favorite cookbook: The Adventurous Eater's Club- Misha and Vicki Collins I read a lot of cookbooks last year and I don't really remember much about any of them. But this one sticks in my memory. So, I guess it wins. (Although Anne McCaffrey's two cookbooks were highly entertaining also.)
Favorite book I read with my kids: Stink and the Attack of the Slime Mold- Megan McDonald This was a hard category. We read a lot of fabulous books, but most of them were re-reads for me. My younger kiddo has recently discovered Judy Moody and her brother Stink (toward the end of the year) and they have just edged out Miranda and Maude for the win here.
Favorite series of books: The Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire This one has to win, hands down. Plus, I read all of them for the first time in 2020 so it definitely qualifies for a win. (Don't you just love it when you discover a fabulous new author and have so many new books to read? That hasn't happened in ages and I'm loving every second of it.)
Favorite poetry book: Dear Mother- Bunmi Laditan I didn't get to read too many poetry books in 2020 (mostly because my nerves couldn't take it) but this one was really good. There is a lot of truth to these poems.
Favorite audio book: The Martian- Andy Weir, narrated by Wil Wheaton I don't listen to a lot of books, mostly because my mind tends to wander away from the story. But this is a favorite book of mine, so when I heard that Wil Wheaton was the one doing the reading, I went for it. And it was so good.
Most anticipated book that I finally got my hands on: Solutions and Other Problems- Allie Brosh I've been waiting for this book ever since I finished reading her first one, named after her awesome blog, Hyperbole and a Half. I've had to wait years, but it was worth it. Now I need more!
Favorite book of comic strips: Strange Planet- Nathan W. Pyle I like these little alien dudes and it always cheers me up when I stumble across one of these comics online. I was so happy to find actual books. (2 of them!) This is the first collection.
Favorite crafty type book: Craft Fail- Heather Mann I didn't read many craft books this year. With my wrist acting up, I find it too sad to dream of all the pretties that I could be making. But this book I did read and it was great. It's much more fun to watch other people fail spectacularly. (Not so much fun when it's your project, though...)
Favorite biography/ memoir: Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come- Jessica Pan
Favorite science-y book: Packing For Mars- Mary Roach
Oh, what the heck? Let's do one more:
Favorite re-read: Good Omens- Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett I adore this book. I've always liked it a lot (because Terry Pratchett was brilliant and is terribly missed) but since the mini-series came out, I'm just a tad obsessed. In 2020, I read the book (again), the TV Companion book, and the script book! And I can't even count how many times I watched all or part of the series. (Seriously. I did not even attempt to count it. I don't want to know.)
Okay, that's all the categories I can come up with right now, so our 2020 Queenies come to an end. Congratulations to all the winners.
I'm off to work on next year's nominees.
