2011 Wrap-Up Survey

This meme or survey cycles most of the blogosphere every year, and I'm doing it here on Read.Knit.Spin.Blog.  I'm not going to be quite so candid with my answers as I would be in private, because this is a public blog, but I'm going to be pretty honest.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you had never done before?

So many little things.  I filed my taxes jointly as a married couple.  I celebrated Easter with my in-laws for the first time (every other year, David's been working or we've just been with my parents).  In May, I learned how to fire-spin.  In August, I attended my first Wildfire retreat.  In November, we celebrated our first year of marriage.

2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't really "do" resolutions, per se.  Most of the things I resolve to do are things I've already been working on.  The only resolution I'm making for this year is the following: love everyone, and be kind.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Three of David's cousin's wives gave birth in April, May, and June.  My friend Heather gave birth (in Germany, where her husband is stationed), and my friend Kim had her baby Lily in August.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No.  *fingers crossed for the last 24 hours*  And I'm hoping it stays that way.

5. What countries did you visit?None.  In all of 2011 I only went to Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.  But we're going to Mexico the second week of January!

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

Greater security.  A husband who is happy in his career.  David didn't start working as an EMT until after Thanksgiving, so for the majority of the year he was pretty unhappy where he was working.  Hopefully we're going to get pregnant in 2012.  We've talked about it but I don't know when we're going to start TTC.

7. What dates in 2011 will remain etched in your memory?

Happy days?  August 19 - 22 was Wildfire, and that was wonderful.  September 12 was my birthday.  September 19 David found out that he had passed his EMT exams.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Re-applying and being re-accepted into graduate school.  I start on January 18th.

9. What was your biggest failure?

There are things I wish I had said, but didn't, and times I wish I had held my tongue, and spoke.  I wish I could take those back, but I can't.  Any minute that I made anyone upset, or angry, or anxious, or was anything less than kind, I regret.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Besides a fall from my bicycle the first week of April (resulting in a minor concussion, some bruised ribs and some major roadburn on my legs), I was very healthy this year.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A queen-size bed.  Heaven.

12. Where did most of your money go?

Bills.

13. What did you get really excited about?

Wildfire.  David's job.  Getting back into school.  Moving from our teeny apartment into our much bigger and better one.

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?

"Choices" by the Hoosiers, and "Shattered" by Trading Yesterday

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? Wiser.

Thinner or fatter? Thinner, but not by much

Richer or poorer? Poorer, but making more money, if that makes sense

16. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Just enjoying life and my husband and what we have.

17. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Emotional eating.  Worrying about the future.

18. How did you spend Christmas?

David worked, so I spent it with my parents and extended family.

19. What was your favorite TV program?

Dave and I discovered Once Upon a Time.  I still love The Tudors and Law and Order: SVU

20. What were your favorite books of the year?

The Pillars of the Earth was my favorite.  Also The Hunger Games series.

21. What was your favorite music from this year?

Trading Yesterday, The Hoosiers, Florence and the Machine

22. What were your favorite films of the year?

New films that came out this year?  Probably Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.  I was pleasantly surprised by it.  Dave and I don't go to the movies that often, so I can't remember many others that I saw.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?I turned 28.  I worked from 8 AM - 3 PM, then David took me apple-picking and to dinner at Thai Gardens in Middletown.  Then we went home and watched "The Young Victoria."  It was a very nice birthday.

24. What one thing would have made your year more satisfactory?

Less worrying.  On everyone's part.  More kindness.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

What fashion concept?  I can't dress myself.  I wear jeans, shirts, and sneakers.  I'm not fashionable.

26. What kept you sane?

Reading.  Knitting.  Good friends.

27. What's a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011?

Sometimes you can't look to tomorrow.  Sometimes you have to live in the moment, and trust that tomorrow is going to come.

100 Books in 2011: A Reflection

When I first made the decision to read 100 books in 365 days, I really didn't think it would be that difficult.  I hadn't done the math -- it meant reading an average of two books a week -- and I had overestimated my reading ability.  Until 2011, I was largely a "re-reader".  I had a bookshelf of books that I knew I liked, that I had read, some of them to tatters, hundreds of times.  I'm fairly certain I could recite To Kill a Mockingbird and most of Gone With the Wind.  Most often, if I felt like reading, I would reach out, grab a book that I was familiar with, open it up to a random passage that I liked, and start reading.  I didn't branch out into new books, I didn't read things from cover-to-cover most of the time.

And then I set out to read 100 books in a year, and I realized that my old methods weren't going to cut it.  First off, I didn't own 100 books.  Second, most of the books I did have?  Nonfiction history, and all over 300 pages long.  There was no way that I was going to read 100 of those books in a year without some serious warping of the space-time continuum.  Such a vast quantity of books meant fiction, or at least, shorter nonfiction, and I was going to have to branch out a bit.

I started dipping into genres I hadn't read in years.  I realized that my previous prejudice for Young Adult literature was keeping me from some really enjoyable books.  I re-read some old favorites from my youth, and discovered that I didn't like them quite so much at almost-30 as I did as a teenager.  I discovered books that absolutely made my spirit soar.  I realized how much I truly love reading.  I realized how difficult it was, reading 100 books in a year.

But how incredibly rewarding it has been.

Goal: 100 books.

Achievement: 100 books.

Pages Read: 35,573 (holy crap)

Best Book of 2011: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

I'm not going to lie and say that this decision was easy.  I read SO MANY amazing books this year.  But of all of these, Pillars stands out, head and shoulders above the rest.  This is the book to read.  It is phenomenal.

Most Disappointing Book of 2011: Abandon by Meg Cabot

I wanted to like this book.  Meg Cabot was one of my favorite authors when I was younger -- I loved her "Princess Diaries" series.  But Abandon was awful from the get-go.  Trite plot, simpering Bella Swan-esque female character, brooding and unrelateable male character, zero story arch, boring cliffhanger ending.  There was nothing good about this book except the cover.  It did have a good cover.

Most Surprising (in a good way!) Book of 2011: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

I had all but given up on Philippa Gregory's "historical fiction" after reading The Other Boleyn Girl and its abysmal "sequel", The Boleyn Inheritance.  But The White Queen was really good!  I enjoyed it more than I ever expected, although I was once again brought back to earth with its boring sequel, The Red Queen.  Oh well.  Can't win 'em all.

Book You Recommended Most To People in 2011: The Pillars of the Earth and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

This is a toss-up.  Depending on if the person liked long books and historical fiction, I would recommend Pillars.  I would recommend Hunger Games to anyone (my husband, a non-reader, is reading it right now!).

Best Series You Discovered in 2011: The Hunger Games 

Close second (thus far): Divergent by Veronica Roth.  I'm reading The Bronze Horseman right now though, which will probably qualify as a discovery in 2011, and it's definitely giving Divergent a run for the money.

Favorite New Authors You Discovered in 2011: John Krakauer, Antonia Frasier, Suzanne Collins.

Best Book That Was Out Of Your Comfort Zone or Genre: Divergent

After the debacle that was Twilight, I swore off YA lit.  I'm glad I re-thought that.

Most Thrilling, Can't-Put-It-Down Book of 2011: Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Such a sad book, but so amazing.  I read it in one day.

Book You Most Anticipated in 2011: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Everyone talked this book up to me.  Once I read it, I understood why.  It was awesome.

Favorite Cover of a Book: Shine by Lauren Myracle.

Most Memorable Character(s): Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, Jack Jackson from The Pillars of the Earth.

I divided it into male and female.  Those were by far my two favorite.

Most Beautifully-Written Book of 2011: Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

This book reads like poetry.  It is just beautiful.

Book That Had the Greatest Impact On You In 2011: Into Thin Air by John Krakauer

This book haunted me long after I put it down.  It was just amazing.

Book You Can't Believe You Waited Until 2011 To Read: The Pillars of the Earth

My parents have had this book knocking about their house for as long as I can remember.

Favorite Passage/Quote From a Book in 2011: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

"The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself, and die singing.  At the very instant the thorn enters, there is no awareness of the dying to come: it simply sings and sings until there is not the life left to utter another note.  But we, when we put the thorns in our breast, we know.  We understand.  And still we do it.  Still, we do it." 

Book Read in 2011 That You're Likely to Read in 2012: The Hunger Games, The Pillars of the Earth, Sarah's Key, The Help

All of the above. 

Book Scene That Left You Reeling and Wanting to Talk About It: To nobody's surprise, The Pillars of the Earth

The end is astounding.  Especially to someone who is into English history.  I saw the ending coming as I reached the last few pages and it blew. My. Mind.  Absolutely amazing.  Can't recommend it enough.

...So where does this leave me?

I won't be setting a goal of 100 books in 2012.  For one thing, I'm going back to school in January, and I'm not going to have as much free time to read.  My goal for 2012 is to read 50 "new-to-me" books, and however many others I can do after that.  I have a lot of re-reading that I want to do...so we'll see.

In My Mailbox -- June 10, '11

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren, giving those of us who read a chance to AW the books that we receive in the mail, at the store and on our e-readers.

I am almost ashamed to produce the lengthy list of books I've acquired in the past week.  But, as my grandmother used to say when I was a kid, a book is never a waste of money.  Therefore, here we go.

From Paperback Swap, I used one of my last credits to request The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory.  I know, I know...my relationship with Philippa Gregory's "historical fiction" is definitely not a loving one.  But I love historical fiction -- particularly Tudor historical fiction -- and so I keep coming back.  I go into this book with no aspirations.  I'm fairly certain it's going to be terrible.  But.  It was also free, so I have no qualms about spending any money.  The story continues where The Other Boleyn Girl left off.  After the death of his third wife, Henry marries German princess Anne of Cleves, but is dismayed with her appearance and dislikes her almost immediately.  He begins a flirtation with commoner Katherine "Kitty" Howard, who he falls desperately in love with.  But Kitty is engaging in some intrigues of her own, spurred on by Anne Boleyn's treacherous sister-in-law, Lady Jane Rochford.  As much as I know this will probably suck, I am looking forward to it.

From Amazon, the following books:

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  (From Goodreads): Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours. Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv, to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life. 

I purchased this book for a book club I'm involved in.  I look forward to reading it -- I've read quite a bit of Holocaust literature this year, including Heidigger's Glasses and The Reader, both very good.

Animal Farm by George Orwell.  (From Goodreads): Animal Farm is the most famous by far of all twentieth-century political allegories. Its account of a group of barnyard animals who revolt against their vicious human master, only to submit to a tyranny erected by their own kind, can fairly be said to have become a universal drama. Orwell is one of the very few modern satirists comparable to Jonathan Swift in power, artistry, and moral authority; in animal farm his spare prose and the logic of his dark comedy brilliantly highlight his stark message.  Taking as his starting point the betrayed promise of the Russian Revolution, Orwell lays out a vision that, in its bitter wisdom, gives us the clearest understanding we possess of the possible consequences of our social and political acts.



Animal Farm has been #1 on my "to-read" list since I began my GR account.  I'm very interested to read it, since it was (surprisingly) not on my required reading list in high school

My Sergei: A Love Story by Ekaterina Gordeeva and E.M. Swift.  (From Goodreads): The Olympic gold medalist offers a poignant, loving account of her life with her long-time partner and beloved husband, Sergei Grinkov, from their first introduction and successive world pairs skating championships, to their storybook romance and marriage, to the fatal heart attack that took Sergei's life.

This book is a re-read for me.  I was a figure skater from age 7 - 16, and I followed the Olympic Games religiously.  Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were two of the most beautiful, perfect pairs skaters to ever win gold.  This book also has the distinction of being the first book to make me cry.  I lost my copy during one of my nine million moves, and scored a new hardcover copy for $3.  Not bad!

Legacy, by Susan Kay.  (From Goodreads): Beloved for its stunning storytelling, Legacy offers an exquisite portrait of the queen who defined an era. Tracing the unlikely path from her tragic childhood to her ruthless confrontations with Mary, Queen of Scots, and capturing in all its glory her brilliant reign as Europe's most celebrated queen, Legacy peels back the layers from a mysterious monarch and satisfies the questions of history.  Winner of the Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize and the Betty Trask Award, Legacy gives us Elizabeth the woman: proud, passionate, and captivating in her intensity. She inspired men to love her with bewitching devotion, no matter what the cost, but the depth of her love for England required a sacrifice that would haunt her to the grave.

Anyone who hasn't read Phantom by Susan Kay -- please get on that right now.  I have never read anything else of hers, but this book seems to have it all.  Amazing author?  Check.  Historical fiction (my favorite genre)?  Check.  Racy story about the beautiful, talented, and regal Queen Elizabeth I?  Check, check, check.  Done and done.

 Okay...so none of these books have made it to my mailbox quite yet.  But I am anxiously waiting!  And I can't wait to get them.  The difficult part here is going to be deciding which to read first.

 

In My Mailbox -- June 5, '11

It's another "In My Mailbox"...or more appropriately, "On My Kindle".  "In My Mailbox" is a weekly meme based at The Story Siren, and it's a chance to give those of us who participate a chance to AW the new books we've got waiting to be read. 

 

I haven't bought any new paper books (I've been good) but I've been downloading!  Two books made their way to my Kindle for this weekend.

Divergent by Veronica Roth.  (From Goodreads) In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.  During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I'm reading this as part of an online book club.  It was June's pick, and I got it offline on Friday afternoon.  Unfortunately, my weekend was really busy, so I didn't get as far into this as I had hoped.  But I am loving it so far!

Next up:

Shine, by Lauren Myracle.  (From Goodreads) When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.  Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

 

This book caught my eye before when I read someone else's review.  I was planning on buying it if and when it went on sale, and this Saturday it went on sale at Amazon for $2.99!  So now it's mine, and it's next on my reading list.

Tomorrow: a finished knitted object.

In My Mailbox -- May 16, '11

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme by The Story Siren -- click that link if you want to know more!  I don't know how often I'm going to be doing this (probably not every week), but since I definitely had an influx of new books this past weekend, I thought I'd join in!

All three of these are from PaperbackSwap, which I've mentioned before.  I requested these a little while ago.  One arrived on Friday, and two today!  It was a nice surprise after a long day of work on rainy day when I'm developing a cold.

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant. (From Goodreads): Alessandra Cecchi is not quite fifteen when her father, a prosperous cloth merchant, brings a young painter back from northern Europe to decorate the chapel walls in the family’s Florentine palazzo. A child of the Renaissance, with a precocious mind and a talent for drawing, Alessandra is intoxicated by the painter’s abilities.  But their burgeoning relationship is interrupted when Alessandra’s parents arrange her marriage to a wealthy, much older man. Meanwhile, Florence is changing, increasingly subject to the growing suppression imposed by the fundamentalist monk Savonarola, who is seizing religious and political control. Alessandra and her native city are caught between the Medici state, with its love of luxury, learning, and dazzling art, and the hellfire preaching and increasing violence of Savonarola’s reactionary followers. Played out against this turbulent backdrop, Alessandra’s married life is a misery, except for the surprising freedom it allows her to pursue her powerful attraction to the young painter and his art.

I'm currently reading this book (chapter three) and so far, so good.  I love historical fiction, particularly historical fiction of the Renaissance, and this is (so far) reminding me a little of Girl With a Pearl Earring.  Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

Atonement by Ian McEwan.  (From Goodreads): On a summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment’s flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives and her precocious imagination bring about a crime that will change all their lives, a crime whose repercussions Atonement follows through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century.

This is, unfortunately, my first PaperbackSwap disappointment.  I requested this book on April 29th, and the sender marked it "mailed" on April 30th.  When I received the package today, it said it had been postmarked on May 12th.  Very irritating.  I had already received one email from PBS asking if I'd received the book yet.  When I marked the book received this afternoon, I made a note that the seller and the postmark were not the same.  Not too happy about it, but eh.  What can you do?

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.  (From Goodreads): On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down's Syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split-second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this story that unfolds over a quarter of a century - in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by the fateful decision made that long-ago winter night.  The Memory Keeper's Daughter articulates a silent fear close to the heart of every mother: What would happen if you lost your child, and she grew up without you?

This one I picked up on a whim.  I have heard both good and bad things about it, so I thought I would take a gamble and see for myself.  

I also have two Kindle books on deck right now: The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, and Shoeless Joe by W.P Kinsella.  So it appears that I won't be in need of new literature for quite some time.  We'll see if that keeps me away from Borders though!

Book-Related Pet Peeves

I don't usually do internet memes, but this one, from The Broke and the Bookish, really made me think.  Those who love to read always say that we "love everything about reading", but it isn't really true.  There are tons of things that I don't like that are book-related (not to get all negative on you).

Raping Good History (Philippa Gregory, I'm looking at you).  I understand that the whole fun of writing historical fiction is creating your own spin on it.  That's fine.  But to take history (which I always feel is better and more incredible than any fiction writer could invent) and write blatant and ridiculous lies into it to make your book sell more?  Ugh.  Criminal.

Quick-and-Dirty Plot Hole Covers.  I'll use the Harry Potter series as an example (which sucks because I love Harry Potter).  In The Chamber of Secrets, Polyjuice Potion is an extremely complicated potion to make (it takes one month for full potency) and includes rare, hard-to-find ingredients.  By The Half-Blood Prince, everyone and their mother is brewing (and using) Polyjuice Potion.  Come on.  Work a little and come up with a better cover for your plot holes.

The Current YA Literature Genre.  Every time I go into any bookstore lately, the YA shelves are full of nothing but vampire fiction.  Twilight has been done, guys.  Move on.  And in the same vein, every YA book I seem to pick up has "bland female protagonist lusting after cute but aloof male who turns out to be supernatural."  Ugh.

Adjective Overuse.  "She looked sadly out the window at the falling rain" = fine.  "She heaved a melancholy sigh as she stared balefully out of the rain-spattered window at the cold, gray rain falling from the iron-clouded sky" = you need to put your thesaurus away and tone it down a bit.

Books with Multiple Protagonists.  The only book that I've ever read that featured multiple protagonists that I liked and could follow was My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (mainly because each protagonist got a different font in the chapters in his/her point of view).  Other times, I get confused when the first person narrative switches from one character to the next.  Too strange.

Unauthorized Prequels/Sequels.  I am sorry.  All you have managed to do is get your fanfiction published.  Also, you are riding on another author's coattails and using his or her hard work as your own.  The most difficult part about writing (IMHO) is coming up with compelling characters and a setting that interests the reader.  When you write an unauthorized prequel or sequel to an original piece that doesn't belong to you...well, the hard part is effectively over.  And I have never yet read an unauthorized sequel that was as compelling and well-written as the original.  Someday, when I have time and feel like giving myself a headache, I'll review Susan Hill's unauthorized sequel to Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca, entitled Mrs. DeWinter...but today is not that day.

Hyped Books.  I'm stealing this one because I agree.  When a book has been so overhyped, I find myself feeling let down if it's not quite as amazing as I heard it was.  Which makes me not want to read overhyped books.  I have been proven wrong a few times (Memoirs of a Geisha, The Hunger Games series, etc.), but overall, I find I'm disappointed when a book has been over-exposed.

Re-writes of a Well-Known Series.  Everyone was buzzing about the Sweet Valley High books being rewritten to update them to the 2000s instead of the 1980s.  I went through these books like crack when I was a teenager, so I picked a copy of the "updated" series in Borders to check it out.  Thank God I didn't buy it.  The "updated" slang was terrible, and really, making the twins a size 4 instead of a size 6?  Ridiculous.  And thanks for showing us that body image in the 2000s is every bit as ridiculous and vain as we already knew it was.

What are your book-related pet peeves?