This list doesn't include rewatches, but the next year's list probably will.
JANUARY
The Giver (2014)
This movie is based on Lois Lowry's novel of the same name. It's a strange one, and it doesn't really follow the book's plot all that well, but it makes you think. It was a pretty good movie; I like it better than the book.
I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)
A nerd goes on a date with the most beautiful girl in school. Tons of misadventures happen.
Lucy (2014)
This movie made no sense at all and seemed pointless, which makes sense, because it was directed and written by a French guy. A young woman named Lucy (Scarlett Johannson) is tricked into smuggling drugs, then kidnapped, some of the drugs wind up in her bloodstream, and she gradually gains superpowers, ending the movie as a seemingly-unstoppable force of nothingness. Morgan Freeman plays a really smart professor and there are gangster shootouts for good measure.
My Date With the President's Daughter (1998)
This was an ABC Saturday night TV movie, starring Will Friedle (Eric from Boy Meets World) and Dabney Coleman as the President. Anything that could go wrong on a first date does.
Rebecca (1940)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, watched for Gothic Film and Lit. Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier. The book is much better.
The Haunting (1963)
A woman gradually goes insane while working on a scientific research project at a haunted house. The book was better, but I didn't exactly love either of them. Also for Gothic Film and Lit, based on The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Last Holiday (2006)
A low-level department-store employee (Queen Latifah) mistakenly believes she has three weeks to live, so she plans the European vacation of a lifetime, inspiring almost everyone she comes across. It's goofy, but in a kind of good way.
Total this month: 7.
FEBRUARY
The Woman in Black (2012)
Daniel Radcliffe stars in this full-of-dread adaptation of a dreadfully-written novel about a guy trapped in a ghost-filled house on a foggy island. For Gothic Film and Lit, based on the novel by Susan Hill.
Finding Dory (2016)
Dory tries to find her parents, who live in an aquarium in California. This movie did not have to be made. I rank it ahead of only Brave and Ratatouille.
A Walk to Remember (2002)
Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel written while trying to process his sister was dying of cancer, this adaptation updates the setting from the 1950's to the late 1990's, and stars Mandy Moore, who convinced producers to include a bunch of Switchfoot and Jars of Clay into the soundtrack.
The Innocents (1961)
One of those movies that leave you going "Well-." on finishing. For Gothic Film and Lit. Based on Henry James's Turn of the Screw, and a faithful adaptation.
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
This plodded along to its inevitable terrible conclusion. For Gothic Film and Lit. Based on the novel by Ira Levin, directed by Roman Polanski (Chinatown).
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Nothing much happens in this movie; it's like Steel Magnolias that way. An elderly Jewish widow can't drive any more, so her son hires a middle-aged black guy (played by Morgan Freeman) to drive her places. Time passes and they both get older, eventually becoming friends. It was fantastic!
The Shining (1980)
The terrible adaptation of Stephen King's (maybe) most famous novel. Everything about this was wrong. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Total this month: 7, bringing total to 14.
MARCH
Interview With the Vampire (1994)
On the plus side, this movie has Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst in it. On the negative side, they all play vampires. (It's based on an Ann Rice novel mentioned as Lily's favorite book in Tales From Tent City.) For Gothic Film and Lit.
A Novel Romance (2015)
This is a Hallmark movie. It feels like it. Starring Amy Acker, she plays a Portland literature critic named Sophie who falls in love with a thinly-disguised Nicholas Sparks clone (whose work she hates). The author uses a pen name for his novels, which provides most of the conflict.
Hoosiers (1986)
Based on a true story, set in the 1950's, of a tiny Indiana town called Hickory and the high school's march towards the state basketball tournament.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Benedict Cumberbatch joins the MCU as Stephen Strange, a brilliant asshole surgeon. Rachel McAdams plays his ex-girlfriend. In the middle-back of MCU entries.
The Maze Runner (2014)
Based on James Dashner's amazing YA novel. A good attempt at filming an entirely unfilmable story.
The Others (2001)
This movie stars Nicole Kidman, is set in 1945 England (I think?), and is a fantastic example of a well-constructed ghost story. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Spider-Man (2002)
The first of the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy, which got me interested in superheroes. Peter Parker learns to face responsibility after his uncle Ben's death and being bitten by a radioactive spider.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Very interesting classic thriller, about brainwashed assassins trying to murder the new President
.
Dead Again (1991)
Amazing modern Gothic story and mystery, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Also stars Robin Williams in a serious role. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Total this month: 9, bringing total to 23.
APRIL
The Princess Bride (1987)
Sword fights. Giants. True love. Revenge. S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure. One of the best movies ever made.
Speed (1995)
A madman tries to blow up a Los Angeles bus in this spectacular thriller cowritten by Joss Whedon and starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
A wealthy gay art dealer is accused of murdering his boyfriend in 1980s Savannah, Georgia. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Crimson Peak (2015)
This was extremely disappointing for all three of us in Gothic Film and Lit - me, Kenzie and Dr. Mackie. The story was a great premise, but it degenerated into an incoherent and badly-done horror film halfway through. On the plus side, Tom Hiddleston was great, and making the ghosts be a helpful force was a good idea.
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
This is a Reese Witherspoon romcom with a lot of dramatic elements, about a newly-engaged New York City fashion designer who returns home to her Alabama hometown of Pigeon Creek and the husband she abandoned years ago after a miscarriage.
Hope Floats (1998)
Sandra Bullock plays a newly-divorced woman moves from Chicago back to her Texas hometown after her husband leaves her for her (ex) best friend. Along the way, she falls in love with a former flame from high school.
Eight Men Out (1988)
An account of the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, which stars Christopher Lloyd, Michael Rooker and a ton of other famous guys whose faces are familiar.
The Lion King (1994)
Simba retakes his pride after deposing his uncle Scar in this adaptation of Hamlet. The songs are the best part.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
For Gothic Film and Lit. This is a odd, sad, weird story.
Total this month: 9, bringing total to 32.
MAY
Beetlejuice (1988)
This was odd. Stars Geena Davis. For Gothic Film and Lit. It was kind of a comedy?
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
How Steve Rogers became Captain America, the MCU's first superhero, during WWII.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Five losers - as in, people who have lost stuff - reluctantly join together to save the galaxy.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Tony Stark deals with his PTSD from the Battle of New York while confronting demons from his playboy past.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Several months after the first movie, the galaxy has to be saved by a bunch of losers....again. More of everything from the first movie; not outstanding by itself, but great at worldbuilding more of how space society works.
The Aristocats (1970)
Cats try to find their way back home in Victorian-era Paris.
Total this month: 6, bringing total to 38.
JUNE
Wonder Woman (2017)
Diana Prince leaves Themyscyria to save the world from Ares and the Great War.
Cars 3 (2017)
Lightning McQueen is near the end of his career, and is getting blindsided by much faster rookies. So he finds himself stepping into Doc Hudson's brake shoes and mentoring someone else.
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
A lie gives a lonely woman the family she wished for during the holidays in this wonderful Sandra Bullock-Bill Pullman romcom.
Total this month: 3, bringing total to 41.
JULY
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Steve Rogers tries to adjust to the modern world while S.H.I.E.L.D. is imploding in this amazing political thriller.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Due to the city of Sokovia causing mayhem and destruction, and not helped by a more recent superheroing accident where a building was blown up, the Superhero Registration Act is creating, forcing those with powers to register with the government. This splits the Avengers in half.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
It's hard work being a teen. Especially if your name is Peter Parker, and you have superpowers, and then you discover that your crush's dad is an enemy. Tom Holland is great as Spidey, and Tony Stark gets t work on his mentoring skills again. Michael Keaton is fantastic as the Vulture.
The King's Speech (2010)
Prince Albert strives to overcome his stammering in order to lead the British people into WWII after his brother abdicates the throne to marry an American commoner.
Jurassic World (2015)
About twenty years after the park was set to open, a new group of investors made it into a success, and even has begun to dabble in their own original dinosaurs. Chris Pratt is a raptor trainer who has to save executive Bryce Dallas Howard and her nephews when things go haywire.
D.O.A. (1949)
This wasn't what I expected, but it was kind of interesting. A man recounts his own murder to the police.
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
This was a somewhat incoherent spy thriller.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The Rebels had to steal the Death Star plans somehow....and this gritty war tale explains how that came about.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The mostly-forgotten second entry to the MCU. Edward Norton is a better Bruce Banner than Mark Ruffalo.
Cinderella (2015)
A oddly straightforward and faithful adaptation of the fairy tale, directed by Kenneth Branagh.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
The official ending to the TV show, Lizzie and Gordo go on a vacation to Italy with their class, and Lizzie gets mixed up in pop-stardom shenanigans.
Total this month: 11, bringing total to 52.
AUGUST
Friday Night Lights (2004)
As a football movie, this is...fine? As an adaptation of the book, skip it and watch the TV show instead.
Mission: Impossible (1995)
Tom Cruise stars in this excellent action-adventure movie.
The Help (2011)
Emma Stone plays a writer named Skeeter in 1963 Mississippi, who tells the life stories of local black maids. It's well worth watching, lots to chew over afterwards. Also stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Tomorrowland (2015)
An odd story that doesn't know what genre it wants to be. Stars George Clooney and directed by Brad Bird.
42: The Jackie Robinson Story (2015)
Terribly sentimental story of Jackie Robinson, who is played by Chadwick Boseman (T'Challa from the MCU). Harrison Ford is the best part of this movie as Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Five teenagers from wildly-different cliques discover their common humanity in detention. This is one of the best movies ever made.
Hoodwinked (2005)
The animation is horrible, but a really fascinating storyline makes it worth watching. Red Riding Hood is told from four different perspectives in this well-told and fractured-but-reverent fairy tale.
Total this month: 7, bringing total to 59.
SEPTEMBER
Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Clunky but thoughtful political argument between Superman and Batman. Introduces Wonder Woman, which is the best part of the movie.
Drive Me Crazy (1999)
Neighbors Nicole and Chase accidentally fall in love in this comedy starring Melissa Joan Hart. Has the craziest ending for a high-school-set romcom ever.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
In the late 1950s Indy, Marion and their son Mutt find themselves on a new adventure.
La La Land (2016)
"For every dream that's shattered/Another one comes true," says the David Ball song "Riding with Private Malone." That's the theme of this amazing modern-day musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
Mulan (1998)
A Chinese girl (Ming-Na Wen) saves her land from invaders. Eddie Murphy voices her dragon.
Total this month: 5, bringing total to 64.
OCTOBER
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Emma Watson is a perfect Belle; this was pretty good as far as a remake goes. The Beast looks awful, of course, and there's a part where he sings a new Broadway version of a country song, but in general, I liked this much better than I expected.
Hercules (1997)
Disney's goofy retelling of the Greek demigod. It's not serious enough to work well.
The Founder (2016)
An extremely accurate retelling of the franchising of McDonald's. Stars Michael Keaton and Nick Offerman.
Total this month: 3, bringing total to 67.
NOVEMBER
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor and Loki meet their older sister Hela, who promptly obliterates Asgard. They run into the Hulk on the junk planet Sakaar and lead a remnant of Asgardians to Earth for a (hopefully) better future.
Field of Dreams (1989)
Kevin Costner builds a baseball stadium in his Iowa cornfield and kidnaps his favorite author (James Earl Jones) in order to reconnect with his dad's ghost.
Slam Dunk Ernest (1995)
Ernest P. Worrell helps his friends win the city league tournament (and beat the Charlotte Hornets), thanks to magic sneakers and the Archangel of Basketball (who looks a lot like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Nate from Doc is one of the guys on the team.
Men in Black (1997)
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith protect the world from aliens.
Justice League (2017)
Batman and Wonder Woman have to recruit a team in order to save the world from an alien warlord called Steppenwolf. Introduces the Flash and Aquaman, who both work better than they should have thanks to Joss Whedon's writing. Still, this movie was a mess.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
The animated Disney classic.
Total this month: 6, bringing total to 73.
DECEMEBER
The Waterboy (1998)
It takes serious skill and smarts to purposely make a movie this dumb.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
The beginning of a third trilogy long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away...
Facing the Giants (2006)
"Can we remake Friday Night Lights but have everyone be perfect Christians?" Yeeeahh....but it won't be very good.
High School Musical (2006)
The Disney Channel classic.
High School Musical 2 (2007)
This was SO DUMB.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
I disliked this movie, because it felt like a parody that didn't realize it was a parody.
Mean Girls (2004)
Pop-cultural standing aside, this movie is terrible.
Agent Cody Banks (2003)
Throw James Bond into a blender with Mission: Impossible and WarGames, and you've got this movie. It's awful quality-wise, but it does have Hilary Duff in it. Basically, it nails the attitude and tone of narratives created by 13-year-old boys.
My Girl (1991)
An 11-year-old hypochrondiac endures the remarriage of her father and death of her best friend in the summer of 1972 in this sad, thought-provoking drama.
Total this month: 9, bringing total for the year to 82
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Post-Christmas 2017
Christmas was pretty low-key this year. Lots of ping pong.
Pandora says I listened to 4,116 songs this year, for 15,753 minutes.
From what I heard the youth group ice skating was a little awkward, but went pretty well.
The church's annual music night was nice.
Went to the Steeleys on Christmas Eve after church, that was nice. Playing Monopoly with Dylan and Paige is a little like being on Shark Tank.
Caleb gave me awesome Parks and Rec coffee mugs; one with Tom grinning and the other Mouse Rat-themed, complete with their former names.
December has been a fairly horrible month, which is fitting, as it wasn't the greatest year ever.
Pandora says I listened to 4,116 songs this year, for 15,753 minutes.
From what I heard the youth group ice skating was a little awkward, but went pretty well.
The church's annual music night was nice.
Went to the Steeleys on Christmas Eve after church, that was nice. Playing Monopoly with Dylan and Paige is a little like being on Shark Tank.
Caleb gave me awesome Parks and Rec coffee mugs; one with Tom grinning and the other Mouse Rat-themed, complete with their former names.
December has been a fairly horrible month, which is fitting, as it wasn't the greatest year ever.
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Nonfiction of 2017
LATE DECEMBER
Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood, by Michael Lewis (2009)
Michael Lewis is one of the best nonfiction authors alive right now. This is mainly a series of humorous journal entries he kept about what it's like to be a father, in all of its mundaniety.
The Old Ball Game: How John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, and the New York Giants Created Modren Baseball, by Frank Deford (2005)
This was a fantastically well-written history of the late 19th century and the early part of the 20th, and how the game of base ball evolved from a profession worse than acting into the hallmark of American patriotism.
Total - 2 nonfiction.
JANUARY
One Helluva Ride: How NASCAR Swept the Nation, by Liz Clarke (2008)
A great history of NASCAR from a journalist who has covered the sport for twenty-five years.
A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck, by Trace Adkins, Keith Zimmerman and Kent Zimmerman (2007)
I agree with most of Trace Adkins's opinions, though not all. I don't like his music much, but that's okay. Most interesting tidbit was that he survived near-death experiences at least five times, including once when his wife shot him through the lung during an argument. Also, the guy who signed him to Capitol Records was the exec who Garth Brooks fired.
Myths and Mysteries of Oklahoma: True Stories of the Unsolved and Unexplained, by Robert L. Dorman (2013)
Some of these were much more interesting than others. A lady involved with a lawsuit over working with radiation dying in a car wreck? Custer possibly having an affair with an Indian woman and having a son by her? Meh. The Osage County Reign of Terror, a series of murders related to oil reserves which led to a house being blown up and being one of the FBI's earliest cases? An Oklahoma City lawman possibly being murdered by his wife? Yes, more information please! Political shenanigans between Guthrie and OKC over which would be the capitol were fascinating to read about.
Over Here, by Edgar Guest (1918)
A collection of poems dealing with the just-concluded Great War. Many of them were far too patriotic to take seriously, but there were lots than dealt with the small, minor parts of a war, both on the front lines and back on the homefront. These sketched outlines of the humans who lived through those bewildering times.
Tulsa's Daily World: The Story of a Newspaper and Its Town, by Randy Krehbiel (2007)
This history of the Tulsa World is really interesting. And niche. Found in the Okmulgee Library's state history section.
The Writer's Voice, by A. Alvarez (2005)
A writer's voice is something like a fingerprint. There was a lot of academic stuff I didn't understand, but this book was sitting on a "Free" shelf.
The Game's Not Over: In Defense of Football, by Gregg Easterbrook (2015)
Nonfiction author Gregg Easterbrook had a column called "Tuesday Morning Quarterback," which I loved. It was deleted by ESPN after his criticism of the NFL proved too popular. (This was also around the same time they shut down Grantland for the same reason.) From the RSU library.
Total this month: 7, bringing nonfiction total to 9.
FEBRUARY
The Gothic Tradition, by David Stevens (2000)
This was a textbook.
Shakespeare's Restless World: A Portrait of an Era in Twenty Objects, by Neil MacGregor (2012)
Really cool history of random objects and their explanation of their function or significance in Shakespeare's England.
Hilliblly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, by J.D. Vance (2016)
A memoir of an Ohio kid from white-trash roots to the Ivy League; heartbreaking but extremely wroth reading. Research for my capstone project.
Burning Bush 2.0: How Pop Culture Replaced the Prophet, by Paul Asay (2015)
A look at how God can speak through pop culture, written by a PluggedIn reviewer.
Total this month: 4, bringing nonfiction total to 13.
MARCH
Play Ball! The Story of Little League Baseball, by Lance and Robin Van Auken (2001)
I'm not sure whether this was intended to be a textbook or an informercial for the giant monolith that is Little League Baseball, but either way, this book was not written very well at all. From the RSU library.
A Letter to My Cat: Notes to Our Best Friends, collected by Lisa Erspaner (2013)
Title pretty much explains it all. On sale at the RSU bookstore.
The Virtues of Captain America: Modern-Day Lessons in Character From a World War II Superhero, by Mark D. White (2014)
For a book on philosophy, this was fairly understandable. It was interesting. From the RSU library.
Total this month: 3, bringing nonfiction total to 16.
APRIL
Agatha Christie: A Biography, by Janet Morgan (1984)
Ponderous but extremely thorough look at Agatha Christie's life, which would have been better if it was read concurrently with Christie's autobiography.
Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose, by Flannery O'Connor (1957)
Essays on peacocks, writing, faith and the South.
How To Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life, by Chris Balish (2006)
Not especially helpful at the moment, but it gave me hope that people can do that.
Jesus, Continued...Why the Spirit Inside You Is Better Than Jesus Beside You, by J.D. Greear (2012)
Very good book on the Holy Spirit.
Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate, by Justin Lee (2012)
This author claims to be a "gay Christian." I don't think that exists, and I didn't like the book much, but it was interesting to know more about how they see the world. He wrote well about his personal experiences of growing up somewhere in the chasm between Baptist and Gay, but his interpretations of Scripture are horribly off-base.
The Gospel According to Peanuts, by Robert L. Short (1965)
The first book of its kind, examining pop culture through a Biblical lens.
Total this month: 6, bringing nonfiction total to 22.
MAY
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, by Nabeel Qureshi (2014)
A really interesting history of how a Muslim man came to Christianity.
If You Want To Write: A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit, by Brenda Ueland (1938)
Saige gave me her used copy of this, because that's what you do with a helpful nonfiction book - pass it along to the next person it might help. I thought it was largely dreadful, but there were some good things hidden in there.
Ruined By Reading: A Life in Books, by Lynne Sharon Schwartz (1996)
A very long essay more than a book, ruminating on the practice of reading. Mildly interesting.
Comma Sense: A FUNdamental Guide to Punctuation, by Richard Lederer and John Shore (2005)
The most hilarious book on punctuation I've ever read. And a useful one, too. Found at a book sale and picked up because Lynne Truss is one of the blurbs.
The Art and Craft of Playwriting, by Jeffrey Hatchet (1995)
This was pretty useful.
Yes Please, by Amy Poehler (2014)
Amy Poehler's interesting, well-written and strange memoir.
Blue Tarp, by Rachel Joy Watson (2017)
A small collection of beautiful, heartbroken poetry.
Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus, by Kyle Idleman (2011)
Solid theology, though not especially deep.
The Triggering Town: Lectures and Essays on Poetry and Writing, by Richard Hugo (1978)
It was fine, considering that it was free from Dr. Mackie's pile of giveaway books.
Total read this month: 9, bringing nonfiction total to 31.
JUNE
Mindwise: Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want, by Nicholas Epley (2014)
Very good popular science book. Found on sale at the RSU bookstore.
Damn! Why Didn't I Write That? How Ordinary People are Raking In $100,000 or More Writing Nonfiction Books and How You Can Too!, by Marc McCutcheon (2001)
Aside from a horrendously clunky subtitle and really outdated reference information, this book was fantastically motivating.
Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality, by Scott Belsky (2010)
The title is self-explanatory. I was busy with my internship while reading, so I didn't quite catch everything here.
Sitcom Style: Inside America's Favorite TV Homes, by Diana Friedman (2005)
Exploring the blueprints of the homes that TV characters inhabit. It was pretty cool.
Porch Talk: Stories of Decency, Common Sense and Other Endangered Species, by Philip Gulley (2007)
More good Philip Gulley esays on living. I don't always agree with him, but I enjoy talking with him through his books.
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell (2013)
Not as good as Outliers, but still well worth reading.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 37.
JULY
Soda Pop: The History, Advertising, Art and Memorabilia of Soft Drinks in America, by Lawrence Dietz (1973)
I was disappointed by this one.
The Letters of E.B. White, by E.B. White. Edited by Martha White (2006, Revised Edition)
His granddaughter edited this collection of his letters, which gave a lot of insight and humanity into who he was.
Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs: The Unknown Story of the Men and Women of World War II's OSS, by Patrick K. O'Donnell (2004)
Journalistic in style, this book tells about the adventures, triumphs and tragedies of the OSS, which evolved into the CIA.
Down a Sunny Dirt Road: An Autobiography, by Stan and Jan Berenstain (2002)
Until they have a third-party biography written, this is probably the most information we can find on Stan and Jan Berenstain. They made a great team.
Ukulele for Dummies, by Alistair Wood (2015)
How-to guide for playing the ukulele.
Reference Manual for Stenographers and Typists, by Ruth E. Gavin and E. Lillian Hutchinson (1961)
Exactly what it sounds like. The section on proper care of typewriters was interesting.
Mansfield's Book of Manly Men: An Utterly Invigorating Guide to Being Your Most Masculine Self, by Stephen Mansfield (2013)
Kind of a devotional for masculinity.
VO: Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor, by Harlan Hogan (2014)
Part memoir and part guidebook on voice acting.
Girls of Summer: In Their Own League, by Lois Browne (1992)
A history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Total this month: 9, bringing total to 46.
AUGUST
The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself, by Susan Bell (2007)
Good advice and reminders to know.
A History of Reading, by Alberto Manguel (1994)
An interesting idea, to track the history of reading. Found in Dr. Mackie's pile of giveaway books.
The Brand Called You: Make Your Business Stand Out in a Crowded Workplace, by Peter Montoya and Tim Vandehey (2008)
One of Dad's business books, on marketing. It was interesting.
The Pony Express, by Samuel Hawkins Adams (1950)
This is a fifth-grade-textbook-from-the-1950's style of history, which is always fun to go through.
Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter, by Thomas Cahill (2004)
A good introduction to Greek culture for those who don't know about it.
The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels, by Thomas Cahill (2001)
Part of his Hinges of History series, this book focuses on the Jews. It wasn't quite as good as the others.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 52.
SEPTEMBER
Rhinocerotic Relativity, by Scott Alexander (1983)
Another Rhinoceros Success book.
Twenty-Five Books That Shaped America: How White Whales, Green Lights, and Restless Spirits Forged the National Identity, by Thomas C. Foster (2011)
A professor summarizes the books that he felt most represented America throughout its history. Most of the time I agree with him.
My Life as a Ten-Year-Old Boy, by Nancy Cartwright (2000)
The voice actress behind Bart Simpson writes about the character, the show and her career in this memoir. I've read better memoirs.
Fields of Honor: The Golden Age of College Football and the Men Who Created It, by Sally Pont (2001)
Examining the family trees of Midwest coaching generations, through a lens of the coaches' children, as the author is a coach's daughter herself. So kind of like a history of the Dillon Panthers as written by Julie Taylor.
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Education, by John Taylor Gatto (1992)
I don't think I agree with everything that Gatto says, but most of his arguments against public schooling make sense. I just don't know how they can be fixed. Borrowed from the Grahams' library.
Animals Welcome: A Life of Reading, Writing, and Rescue, by Peg Kehret (2012)
A fine-though-forgettable memoir written by a children's author living in rural Washington state.
Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford, by Scott Eyman (1999)
568 pages of the life of the director of John Wayne Westerns is about 300 pages too many.
A Friday Night Lights Companion: Love, Loss and Football in Dillon, Texas, edited by Leah Wilson (2011)
Essays on the show, from a variety of interesting viewpoints.
Non Campus Mentis: World History According to College Students, compiled by Anders Henriksson (2001)
A professor shares some of his students' most ludicrous essay mistakes.
Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, and a Journey to Manhood, by Jeffrey Marx (2003)
A sentimental Hallmark-y story of how a football coach taught his players to be men, and a journalist how to be friends with his father.
Total read this month: 10, bringing total to 62.
OCTOBER
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
A Ph.D goes on an undercover mission investigating the plight of low-wage workers across the coutnry, from housekeeping and cleaning services to Wal-Mart and assisted-living facilities.
Going to School in 1876, by John J. Loeper (1984)
Quick vignettes about schooling during the Centennial.
God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible, by Adam Nicolson (2001)
This was tedious.
American Talk: The Whys and Ways of American Dialects, by Robert Hendrickson (1986)
Very academic, but interesting read on the differences and peculiarities of regional speech patterns.
All the President's Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House, A Memoir, by Roland Mesnier and Christian Malard, translated by Louise Rogers Lalaurie (2006)
Rather disappointing read, because it's hard to take dessert preparation this seriously.
Total read this month: 5, bringing nonfiction total to 67.
NOVEMBER
No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days, by Chris Baty (2004)
An introduction to National Novel Writing Month, from the guy who created it.
Voices from the Hill: The Story of the Oklahoma Military Academy, by John Wooley (2005)
Before it was Rogers State University, or RSC, or Claremore Junior College, it was OMA.
Our Mother's War: American Women at Home and at the Front During World War II, by Emily Yellin (2004)
This was meticulously researched and it was amazing. Just a little dense to try to absorb everything. Definitely going to need to reread it.
Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography, by Rob Lowe (2011)
For a celebrity autobiography, this was really good.
Mavericks, Miracles and Medicine: The Pioneers Who Risked Their Lives to Bring Medicine into the Modern Age, by Julie M. Fenster (2003)
A layman's guide to medical history.
Total read this month: 5, bringing nonfiction total to 72.
DECEMBER
The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents, by Ronald Kessler (2014)
"With great power comes..." uh, great corruption? Not surprising, some of the exploits and facts recorded here, but there were some good quotes about character towards the end.
Home-spun Schools: Teaching Children at Home - What Parents Are Doing and How They Are Doing It, edited by Raymond and Dorothy Moore (1982)
Early homeschoolers were...weird.
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way, by Bill Bryson (1990)
A highly entertaining look at the peculiarity that is the English language.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 75. When added to the 80 fiction titles read, that means I read 155 books cover-to-cover in 2017.
Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood, by Michael Lewis (2009)
Michael Lewis is one of the best nonfiction authors alive right now. This is mainly a series of humorous journal entries he kept about what it's like to be a father, in all of its mundaniety.
The Old Ball Game: How John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, and the New York Giants Created Modren Baseball, by Frank Deford (2005)
This was a fantastically well-written history of the late 19th century and the early part of the 20th, and how the game of base ball evolved from a profession worse than acting into the hallmark of American patriotism.
Total - 2 nonfiction.
JANUARY
One Helluva Ride: How NASCAR Swept the Nation, by Liz Clarke (2008)
A great history of NASCAR from a journalist who has covered the sport for twenty-five years.
A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck, by Trace Adkins, Keith Zimmerman and Kent Zimmerman (2007)
I agree with most of Trace Adkins's opinions, though not all. I don't like his music much, but that's okay. Most interesting tidbit was that he survived near-death experiences at least five times, including once when his wife shot him through the lung during an argument. Also, the guy who signed him to Capitol Records was the exec who Garth Brooks fired.
Myths and Mysteries of Oklahoma: True Stories of the Unsolved and Unexplained, by Robert L. Dorman (2013)
Some of these were much more interesting than others. A lady involved with a lawsuit over working with radiation dying in a car wreck? Custer possibly having an affair with an Indian woman and having a son by her? Meh. The Osage County Reign of Terror, a series of murders related to oil reserves which led to a house being blown up and being one of the FBI's earliest cases? An Oklahoma City lawman possibly being murdered by his wife? Yes, more information please! Political shenanigans between Guthrie and OKC over which would be the capitol were fascinating to read about.
Over Here, by Edgar Guest (1918)
A collection of poems dealing with the just-concluded Great War. Many of them were far too patriotic to take seriously, but there were lots than dealt with the small, minor parts of a war, both on the front lines and back on the homefront. These sketched outlines of the humans who lived through those bewildering times.
Tulsa's Daily World: The Story of a Newspaper and Its Town, by Randy Krehbiel (2007)
This history of the Tulsa World is really interesting. And niche. Found in the Okmulgee Library's state history section.
The Writer's Voice, by A. Alvarez (2005)
A writer's voice is something like a fingerprint. There was a lot of academic stuff I didn't understand, but this book was sitting on a "Free" shelf.
The Game's Not Over: In Defense of Football, by Gregg Easterbrook (2015)
Nonfiction author Gregg Easterbrook had a column called "Tuesday Morning Quarterback," which I loved. It was deleted by ESPN after his criticism of the NFL proved too popular. (This was also around the same time they shut down Grantland for the same reason.) From the RSU library.
Total this month: 7, bringing nonfiction total to 9.
FEBRUARY
The Gothic Tradition, by David Stevens (2000)
This was a textbook.
Shakespeare's Restless World: A Portrait of an Era in Twenty Objects, by Neil MacGregor (2012)
Really cool history of random objects and their explanation of their function or significance in Shakespeare's England.
Hilliblly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, by J.D. Vance (2016)
A memoir of an Ohio kid from white-trash roots to the Ivy League; heartbreaking but extremely wroth reading. Research for my capstone project.
Burning Bush 2.0: How Pop Culture Replaced the Prophet, by Paul Asay (2015)
A look at how God can speak through pop culture, written by a PluggedIn reviewer.
Total this month: 4, bringing nonfiction total to 13.
MARCH
Play Ball! The Story of Little League Baseball, by Lance and Robin Van Auken (2001)
I'm not sure whether this was intended to be a textbook or an informercial for the giant monolith that is Little League Baseball, but either way, this book was not written very well at all. From the RSU library.
A Letter to My Cat: Notes to Our Best Friends, collected by Lisa Erspaner (2013)
Title pretty much explains it all. On sale at the RSU bookstore.
The Virtues of Captain America: Modern-Day Lessons in Character From a World War II Superhero, by Mark D. White (2014)
For a book on philosophy, this was fairly understandable. It was interesting. From the RSU library.
Total this month: 3, bringing nonfiction total to 16.
APRIL
Agatha Christie: A Biography, by Janet Morgan (1984)
Ponderous but extremely thorough look at Agatha Christie's life, which would have been better if it was read concurrently with Christie's autobiography.
Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose, by Flannery O'Connor (1957)
Essays on peacocks, writing, faith and the South.
How To Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life, by Chris Balish (2006)
Not especially helpful at the moment, but it gave me hope that people can do that.
Jesus, Continued...Why the Spirit Inside You Is Better Than Jesus Beside You, by J.D. Greear (2012)
Very good book on the Holy Spirit.
Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate, by Justin Lee (2012)
This author claims to be a "gay Christian." I don't think that exists, and I didn't like the book much, but it was interesting to know more about how they see the world. He wrote well about his personal experiences of growing up somewhere in the chasm between Baptist and Gay, but his interpretations of Scripture are horribly off-base.
The Gospel According to Peanuts, by Robert L. Short (1965)
The first book of its kind, examining pop culture through a Biblical lens.
Total this month: 6, bringing nonfiction total to 22.
MAY
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, by Nabeel Qureshi (2014)
A really interesting history of how a Muslim man came to Christianity.
If You Want To Write: A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit, by Brenda Ueland (1938)
Saige gave me her used copy of this, because that's what you do with a helpful nonfiction book - pass it along to the next person it might help. I thought it was largely dreadful, but there were some good things hidden in there.
Ruined By Reading: A Life in Books, by Lynne Sharon Schwartz (1996)
A very long essay more than a book, ruminating on the practice of reading. Mildly interesting.
Comma Sense: A FUNdamental Guide to Punctuation, by Richard Lederer and John Shore (2005)
The most hilarious book on punctuation I've ever read. And a useful one, too. Found at a book sale and picked up because Lynne Truss is one of the blurbs.
The Art and Craft of Playwriting, by Jeffrey Hatchet (1995)
This was pretty useful.
Yes Please, by Amy Poehler (2014)
Amy Poehler's interesting, well-written and strange memoir.
Blue Tarp, by Rachel Joy Watson (2017)
A small collection of beautiful, heartbroken poetry.
Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus, by Kyle Idleman (2011)
Solid theology, though not especially deep.
The Triggering Town: Lectures and Essays on Poetry and Writing, by Richard Hugo (1978)
It was fine, considering that it was free from Dr. Mackie's pile of giveaway books.
Total read this month: 9, bringing nonfiction total to 31.
JUNE
Mindwise: Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want, by Nicholas Epley (2014)
Very good popular science book. Found on sale at the RSU bookstore.
Damn! Why Didn't I Write That? How Ordinary People are Raking In $100,000 or More Writing Nonfiction Books and How You Can Too!, by Marc McCutcheon (2001)
Aside from a horrendously clunky subtitle and really outdated reference information, this book was fantastically motivating.
Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality, by Scott Belsky (2010)
The title is self-explanatory. I was busy with my internship while reading, so I didn't quite catch everything here.
Sitcom Style: Inside America's Favorite TV Homes, by Diana Friedman (2005)
Exploring the blueprints of the homes that TV characters inhabit. It was pretty cool.
Porch Talk: Stories of Decency, Common Sense and Other Endangered Species, by Philip Gulley (2007)
More good Philip Gulley esays on living. I don't always agree with him, but I enjoy talking with him through his books.
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell (2013)
Not as good as Outliers, but still well worth reading.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 37.
JULY
Soda Pop: The History, Advertising, Art and Memorabilia of Soft Drinks in America, by Lawrence Dietz (1973)
I was disappointed by this one.
The Letters of E.B. White, by E.B. White. Edited by Martha White (2006, Revised Edition)
His granddaughter edited this collection of his letters, which gave a lot of insight and humanity into who he was.
Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs: The Unknown Story of the Men and Women of World War II's OSS, by Patrick K. O'Donnell (2004)
Journalistic in style, this book tells about the adventures, triumphs and tragedies of the OSS, which evolved into the CIA.
Down a Sunny Dirt Road: An Autobiography, by Stan and Jan Berenstain (2002)
Until they have a third-party biography written, this is probably the most information we can find on Stan and Jan Berenstain. They made a great team.
Ukulele for Dummies, by Alistair Wood (2015)
How-to guide for playing the ukulele.
Reference Manual for Stenographers and Typists, by Ruth E. Gavin and E. Lillian Hutchinson (1961)
Exactly what it sounds like. The section on proper care of typewriters was interesting.
Mansfield's Book of Manly Men: An Utterly Invigorating Guide to Being Your Most Masculine Self, by Stephen Mansfield (2013)
Kind of a devotional for masculinity.
VO: Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor, by Harlan Hogan (2014)
Part memoir and part guidebook on voice acting.
Girls of Summer: In Their Own League, by Lois Browne (1992)
A history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Total this month: 9, bringing total to 46.
AUGUST
The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself, by Susan Bell (2007)
Good advice and reminders to know.
A History of Reading, by Alberto Manguel (1994)
An interesting idea, to track the history of reading. Found in Dr. Mackie's pile of giveaway books.
The Brand Called You: Make Your Business Stand Out in a Crowded Workplace, by Peter Montoya and Tim Vandehey (2008)
One of Dad's business books, on marketing. It was interesting.
The Pony Express, by Samuel Hawkins Adams (1950)
This is a fifth-grade-textbook-from-the-1950's style of history, which is always fun to go through.
Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter, by Thomas Cahill (2004)
A good introduction to Greek culture for those who don't know about it.
The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels, by Thomas Cahill (2001)
Part of his Hinges of History series, this book focuses on the Jews. It wasn't quite as good as the others.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 52.
SEPTEMBER
Rhinocerotic Relativity, by Scott Alexander (1983)
Another Rhinoceros Success book.
Twenty-Five Books That Shaped America: How White Whales, Green Lights, and Restless Spirits Forged the National Identity, by Thomas C. Foster (2011)
A professor summarizes the books that he felt most represented America throughout its history. Most of the time I agree with him.
My Life as a Ten-Year-Old Boy, by Nancy Cartwright (2000)
The voice actress behind Bart Simpson writes about the character, the show and her career in this memoir. I've read better memoirs.
Fields of Honor: The Golden Age of College Football and the Men Who Created It, by Sally Pont (2001)
Examining the family trees of Midwest coaching generations, through a lens of the coaches' children, as the author is a coach's daughter herself. So kind of like a history of the Dillon Panthers as written by Julie Taylor.
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Education, by John Taylor Gatto (1992)
I don't think I agree with everything that Gatto says, but most of his arguments against public schooling make sense. I just don't know how they can be fixed. Borrowed from the Grahams' library.
Animals Welcome: A Life of Reading, Writing, and Rescue, by Peg Kehret (2012)
A fine-though-forgettable memoir written by a children's author living in rural Washington state.
Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford, by Scott Eyman (1999)
568 pages of the life of the director of John Wayne Westerns is about 300 pages too many.
A Friday Night Lights Companion: Love, Loss and Football in Dillon, Texas, edited by Leah Wilson (2011)
Essays on the show, from a variety of interesting viewpoints.
Non Campus Mentis: World History According to College Students, compiled by Anders Henriksson (2001)
A professor shares some of his students' most ludicrous essay mistakes.
Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, and a Journey to Manhood, by Jeffrey Marx (2003)
A sentimental Hallmark-y story of how a football coach taught his players to be men, and a journalist how to be friends with his father.
Total read this month: 10, bringing total to 62.
OCTOBER
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
A Ph.D goes on an undercover mission investigating the plight of low-wage workers across the coutnry, from housekeeping and cleaning services to Wal-Mart and assisted-living facilities.
Going to School in 1876, by John J. Loeper (1984)
Quick vignettes about schooling during the Centennial.
God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible, by Adam Nicolson (2001)
This was tedious.
American Talk: The Whys and Ways of American Dialects, by Robert Hendrickson (1986)
Very academic, but interesting read on the differences and peculiarities of regional speech patterns.
All the President's Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House, A Memoir, by Roland Mesnier and Christian Malard, translated by Louise Rogers Lalaurie (2006)
Rather disappointing read, because it's hard to take dessert preparation this seriously.
Total read this month: 5, bringing nonfiction total to 67.
NOVEMBER
No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days, by Chris Baty (2004)
An introduction to National Novel Writing Month, from the guy who created it.
Voices from the Hill: The Story of the Oklahoma Military Academy, by John Wooley (2005)
Before it was Rogers State University, or RSC, or Claremore Junior College, it was OMA.
Our Mother's War: American Women at Home and at the Front During World War II, by Emily Yellin (2004)
This was meticulously researched and it was amazing. Just a little dense to try to absorb everything. Definitely going to need to reread it.
Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography, by Rob Lowe (2011)
For a celebrity autobiography, this was really good.
Mavericks, Miracles and Medicine: The Pioneers Who Risked Their Lives to Bring Medicine into the Modern Age, by Julie M. Fenster (2003)
A layman's guide to medical history.
Total read this month: 5, bringing nonfiction total to 72.
DECEMBER
The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents, by Ronald Kessler (2014)
"With great power comes..." uh, great corruption? Not surprising, some of the exploits and facts recorded here, but there were some good quotes about character towards the end.
Home-spun Schools: Teaching Children at Home - What Parents Are Doing and How They Are Doing It, edited by Raymond and Dorothy Moore (1982)
Early homeschoolers were...weird.
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way, by Bill Bryson (1990)
A highly entertaining look at the peculiarity that is the English language.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 75. When added to the 80 fiction titles read, that means I read 155 books cover-to-cover in 2017.
Fiction of 2017
LATE DECEMBER
Snot Stew, by Bill Wallace (1988)
It's rough being a kitten. Bill Wallace was amazing at writing in first-person POV.
Pudd'nhead Wilson, by Mark Twain (1894)
An eccentric lawyer in rural Missouri solves a murder due to his unusual habit of collecting fingerprints. Also, racial tension plays a role.
Total read this month: 2.
JANUARY
There's Treasure Everywhere, by Bill Watterson (1996)
A collection of Calvin and Hobbes strips.
At Home in Mitford, by Jan Karon (1994)
Our introduction to the residents of Mitford, North Carolina.
Rebecca, by Daphne de Maurier (1938)
For Gothic Film and Lit. This was a good book; very introspective and realistic as a young bride learns about her rich husband's mysterious past.
The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson (1959)
For Gothic Film and Lit. Shirley Jackson was great at writing things just ever-so-slightly off. It's a good example of a haunted-house story.
Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline (2011)
Read to understand its current popularity in pop culture. Too unstructured to be good, but the idea was great.
The Hundred and One Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith (1956)
A wonderfully British tale of dogs trying to find their way back home after rescuing their kidnapped offspring.
Total read this month: 6, bringing fiction total to 8.
FEBRUARY
The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill (1983)
For Gothic Film and Lit. A ghost story, simply dreadfully-written when it comes to quality.
Jayber Crow: The Life Story of Jayber Crow, Barber, of the Port William Membership, As Written By Himself, by Wendell Berry (2000)
That subtitle pretty well sums it up.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain (1876)
A classic of American children's lit.
The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James (1898)
This book raises many more questions than it answers. For Gothic Film and Lit.
The Longest Ride, by Nicholas Sparks (2013)
An elderly man trapped after a car wreck is cut back and forth with the romance of a bull rider and an art history student. The intersection of the two stories is handled well.
Rosemary's Baby, by Ira Levin (1967)
A woman's neighbors kidnap her newborn baby as she discovers they are a group of Satanist witches. For Gothic Film and Lit, and it definitely fell onto the far edge of the "horror" side of Gothic. Besides that, the characters were flat and the tone far too dated. It was dreadful.
The Shining, by Stephen King (1977)
The first two-thirds of this book are Gothic, the last third is horror. It's a good read, much better than the movie. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume (1972)
9-year-old Peter tries to deal with his annoying toddler brother Fudge, who causes mayhem and disaster everywhere.
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton (1967)
Growing up in 1960's Tulsa was tough if you were from the wrong side of the tracks, and a teenager decided to do something about it, writing a novel after a friend of hers was beaten up for needing a haircut. This is an amazing use of first-person narration.
Total read this month: 9, bringing fiction total to 17.
MARCH
Grave Heritage, by Blanche Manos (2016)
The fourth book of the Darcy and Flora Cozy Mysteries, there are thirty scenes of people drinking coffee or tea, and that doesn't include meals eaten. It was pretty good in a printed-Hallmark-movie way. And Blanche was Mimi's best friend.
Jim the Boy, by Tony Earley (2000)
Set in the western North Carolina town of Aliceville in 1934, this book follows Jim Glass throughout the year he turned ten. There are shades of E.B. White, Mark Twain and Wendell Berry in the author's writing style.
The Blue Star, by Tony Earley (2008)
Jim is seventeen now, in his senior year of high school, and Pearl Harbor was just bombed. The total lack of familiarity with Indians from the townspeople was really strange to witness. (Jim's sort-of girlfriend Chrissie is -gasp- half Cherokee, which for some reason is a huge problem for everybody.)
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson (1962)
Even for something Shirley Jackson wrote, this was messed up. But it was a very well-constructed mystery, I'll give it that. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Where the Heart Is, by Billie Letts (1995)
She was a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State, and her son wrote the play August, Osage County, which the film adaptation of was almost shot at the Joneses' house. This was adapted into a movie starring Natalie Portman; and the town of Sequoyah is Claremore. (In the book I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Sallisaw.) Anyway, this is probably southern Gothic, given the focus on weird characters. They are bizarre, but it's abnormally right, because that's how people act in real life. It was a hard read at times, given the awful events described, but overall I think I liked this one.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total fiction to 22.
APRIL
True Neutral, by Joliet Sharpe (2017)
Julie Gear wrote this LOTR imitation, which is why I read it. Fantasy isn't my genre, but it was okay.
The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, translated by Lucia Graves (2001)
A bookstore employee tries to track down more works by the author of his favorite novel, becoming enmeshed in a sprawling mystery leading to murder. Worthwhile to read, though I'm not immediately sure why. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Marvels, by Kurt Busiek (words) and Alex Ross (illustrations) (1993)
This graphic novel grapples with what it means to be human in a world of superheroes, through the eyes of a career photojournalist named Phil Sheldon, who lost an eye early in his career as a young man from collateral damage in a Human Torch-Namor fight. It ends with his retirement just after the death of Gwen Stacy. This is a fantastic piece of literature.
Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry (2004)
Hannah Coulter, who married Nathan after he came back from WWII, tells her life story over from fall 2000-spring 2001. It's sad and thoughtful and pleasant and miserable and right, like all of his fiction.
The Story Girl, by L.M. Montgomery (1911)
A man recalls the adventures he and his cousins shared one year. Not much plot, they just live.
Total read this month: 5, bringing fiction total to 27.
MAY
The Golden Road, by L.M. Montgomery (1913)
More adventures of the King cousins, and possibly my favorite Montgomery book ever.
The Violent Bear It Away, by Flannery O'Connor (1955)
Francis Tarwater tries to escape the memory of his grandfather by running away to the city, and the home of the only other relative he has, his uncle. It's kind of incomprehensible, but worth reading, somehow.
Airframe, by Michael Crichton (1996)
Investigators try to determine why a plane crashed. It's not my favorite Crichton, but it was worth reading.
Excursions: A Collection of Short Stories, by Emily Dial-Driver (2016)
Dial-Driver short stories are exactly what you would expect if you've taken one of her courses - interesting, but offbeat.
Conjunction: A Novel of Manners and Murder, by Emily Dial-Driver (2017)
This was odd but memorable - as it should have been, written by Dr. Dial-Driver. It was a romance, with murder attached.
A Light in the Window, by Jan Karon (1995)
The second Mitford book, in which Edith Mallory causes trouble and Father Tim and Cynthia get lost in a cave.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total fiction to 33.
JUNE
A World Lost, by Wendell Berry (1996)
As an adult, Andy Catlett tries to process his childhood memories of his uncle's murder. Not Berry's best, but still worth reading.
The Little Sister, by Raymond Chandler (1949)
A Phillip Marlowe, classic hardboiled detective read. Amazing descriptions.
A Common Life, by Jan Karon (2001)
Chronologically the third Mitford book, this tells about Father Tim and Cynthia's wedding.
These High Green Hills, by Jan Karon (1996)
Father Tim and Cynthia are married now, but that doesn't mean their difficulties end...
Chronicles of Avonlea, by L.M. Montgomery (1912)
A series of short stories about Avonlea folks.
Total read this month: 5, bringng total fiction to 38.
JULY
Stuart Little, by E.B. White (1945)
Stuart Little looks very much like a mouse, and this book tells about his adventures.
Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White (1952)
This is a heartbreaking, wonderful book about friendship.
The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White (1970)
Lots of "Andy's" childhood history found its way into this book, written in his early seventies.
Civil War, by Mike Millar, illustrated by Steve McNiven (2006)
The Marvel Universe gets political in this graphic novel after a disaster blows up an elementary school....things will never be the same.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total fiction to 42.
AUGUST
The New Moon With the Old, by Dodie Smith (1963)
Four young-adult siblings have to find their way into the Big Scary World after their father runs away from imprisonment.
The Redheaded Outfield and Other Stories, by Zane Grey (1920)
Short stories about base ball.
Play Ball!, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Robbie wants to play baseball this summer in the city's middle-school league so bad he invents a fictional cousin to give the team enough players.
Home Run Hero, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Wilson struggles with learning how to play catcher and adjust his goofy-looking batting stance.
Team Player, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Trent worries over Robbie and Gloria's constant trash talking and its effect on the Scrappers' morale.
Look Who's Talking, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Spacey pitcher Ollie tries to trick himself into not audibly talking to himself on the mound, therreby telling the opposition what he's going to throw.
Bases Loaded, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Gloria's temper results in a fistfight, a forfeiture, and almost the end of the Scrappers' season.
No Easy Out, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Equally-spacey pitcher Adam struggles with how much to help his cousin Stan with his hitting, since they play in the same league.
Take Your Base, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Jeremy tries to overcome his smallness, with mixed results.
No Fear, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Tracy is justifiably scared of the ball now, after getting smashed in the face by a hard grounder in a key game. But that's a really bad thing to happen for the starting second baseman....
Grand Slam, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Thurlow never wanted to be part of the Scrappers, but they grew on him. And they finally have a shot to beat the hated Mustangs for the league championship.
The Ordinary Princess, by M.M. Kaye (1980)
Not all princesses are perfect... This is an amazing fairy tale.
Roller Hockey Radicals, by Matt Christopher (1998)
A boy named Kirby makes new friends in his new city while discovering roller hockey.
The Kill Order, by James Dashner (2012)
Before the Maze, and the Scorch, there was a world falling apart, and survivors trying to live another day.
Total read this month: 14, bringing total to 56.
SEPTEMBER
The Fever Code, by James Dashner (2016)
Tells the story of how WICKED built the Maze.
My Antonia, by Willa Cather (1918)
Young adulthood and the complexities of love are some of the subjects detailed in this Nebraska-set terrific classic, which I can't believe it took me so long to get around to reading.
A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks (1999)
In 1950's South Carolina, the preacher's daughter falls in love with the senator's son.
Dial M for Murder, by Frederick Knott (1952)
The script of the play the movie was based on.
Spoon River Anthology, by Edgar Lee Masters 1915)
A novel written in poetry about the town of Spoon River, written in short poems by the deceased in the graveyard. Kind of sad, but a very interesting angle to write from.
Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1914)
The novel that started the legend of Tarzan. It was unbelievably racist, to the point where I had a hard time finishing it.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 62.
OCTOBER
The Last Newspaper Boy in America, by Sue Corbett (2009)
A nerdy homeschooled 12-year-old tries to save his paper route.
We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart (2014)
Cadence tries to deal with young love, drug addiction and the guilt of accidentally murdering her cousins and best friends in this YA ghost story. It failed as a ghost story, but the mind of an addict was well captured.
Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary (1983)
Sad, but good (and Newbery-winning) story of a boy writing letters to his favorite author.
The Complete Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor, by Flannery O'Connor (1971)
All the stories she had published.
Star Wars: X-Wing: Mercy Kill, by Aaron Allston (2012)
One of the last Expanded Universe novels before The Force Awakens erased thirty years of post-Original Trilogy history, the spies of Wraith Squadron reassemble fifteen years after retirement for a new mission.
The Blood Race, by K.A. Emmons (2017)
This was written by one of Susan's friends, so that's why I read it. Fantasy isn't my genre, but the premise of two people a hundred years apart being 'half-souls" is kind of interesting.
Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (1818)
A parody of Gothic novels; very funny in an Austen-ish way.
Zits Supersized, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman (2003)
The third year of Zits strips is in this treasury.
Big Honkin' Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman (2001)
The second year of Zits strips.
Total read this month: 9, bringing total fiction to 71.
NOVEMBER
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding (1954)
Boys are stranded on an island, mostly go crazy and murder each other.
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett (2009)
Skeeter Phelan, a recent college graduate, decides to interview the black maids in town for a book during the unrest in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi. If Harper Lee were alive today, this would be what Mockingbird would have looked like.
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas Wiggin (1903)
Rebecca Randall is a more realistic version of Anne Shirley, and came five years earlier.
The Evangelist, by William R. King (2016)
A pastor gets shot and converts his psychatrist thanks to the help of an angel.
Tidings of Comfort and Joy, by T. Davis Bunn (1997)
A saccharine tale of an English village's struggle to keep an orphanage afloat at the close of WWII.
To Be Where You Are, by Jan Karon (2017)
The fourteenth of the Mitford series chronicles Dooley and Lace's newly-married life, a Barlowe family reconciliation and the death of Esther Bolick.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total fiction to 77.
DECEMBER
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio (2012)
This novel was far too real. Books are supposed to be an escape.
A Minnesota Book of Days, by Howard Mohr (1989)
A writer for The Prairie Home Companion wrote this loose history of Harold Mire and his wife Ethel as they go through 1988 in rural Minnesota.
Persuasion, by Jane Austen (1817)
A woman falls in love and the aristocracy is satirized in Austen's final novel.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total fiction this year to 80.
Snot Stew, by Bill Wallace (1988)
It's rough being a kitten. Bill Wallace was amazing at writing in first-person POV.
Pudd'nhead Wilson, by Mark Twain (1894)
An eccentric lawyer in rural Missouri solves a murder due to his unusual habit of collecting fingerprints. Also, racial tension plays a role.
Total read this month: 2.
JANUARY
There's Treasure Everywhere, by Bill Watterson (1996)
A collection of Calvin and Hobbes strips.
At Home in Mitford, by Jan Karon (1994)
Our introduction to the residents of Mitford, North Carolina.
Rebecca, by Daphne de Maurier (1938)
For Gothic Film and Lit. This was a good book; very introspective and realistic as a young bride learns about her rich husband's mysterious past.
The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson (1959)
For Gothic Film and Lit. Shirley Jackson was great at writing things just ever-so-slightly off. It's a good example of a haunted-house story.
Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline (2011)
Read to understand its current popularity in pop culture. Too unstructured to be good, but the idea was great.
The Hundred and One Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith (1956)
A wonderfully British tale of dogs trying to find their way back home after rescuing their kidnapped offspring.
Total read this month: 6, bringing fiction total to 8.
FEBRUARY
The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill (1983)
For Gothic Film and Lit. A ghost story, simply dreadfully-written when it comes to quality.
Jayber Crow: The Life Story of Jayber Crow, Barber, of the Port William Membership, As Written By Himself, by Wendell Berry (2000)
That subtitle pretty well sums it up.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain (1876)
A classic of American children's lit.
The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James (1898)
This book raises many more questions than it answers. For Gothic Film and Lit.
The Longest Ride, by Nicholas Sparks (2013)
An elderly man trapped after a car wreck is cut back and forth with the romance of a bull rider and an art history student. The intersection of the two stories is handled well.
Rosemary's Baby, by Ira Levin (1967)
A woman's neighbors kidnap her newborn baby as she discovers they are a group of Satanist witches. For Gothic Film and Lit, and it definitely fell onto the far edge of the "horror" side of Gothic. Besides that, the characters were flat and the tone far too dated. It was dreadful.
The Shining, by Stephen King (1977)
The first two-thirds of this book are Gothic, the last third is horror. It's a good read, much better than the movie. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume (1972)
9-year-old Peter tries to deal with his annoying toddler brother Fudge, who causes mayhem and disaster everywhere.
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton (1967)
Growing up in 1960's Tulsa was tough if you were from the wrong side of the tracks, and a teenager decided to do something about it, writing a novel after a friend of hers was beaten up for needing a haircut. This is an amazing use of first-person narration.
Total read this month: 9, bringing fiction total to 17.
MARCH
Grave Heritage, by Blanche Manos (2016)
The fourth book of the Darcy and Flora Cozy Mysteries, there are thirty scenes of people drinking coffee or tea, and that doesn't include meals eaten. It was pretty good in a printed-Hallmark-movie way. And Blanche was Mimi's best friend.
Jim the Boy, by Tony Earley (2000)
Set in the western North Carolina town of Aliceville in 1934, this book follows Jim Glass throughout the year he turned ten. There are shades of E.B. White, Mark Twain and Wendell Berry in the author's writing style.
The Blue Star, by Tony Earley (2008)
Jim is seventeen now, in his senior year of high school, and Pearl Harbor was just bombed. The total lack of familiarity with Indians from the townspeople was really strange to witness. (Jim's sort-of girlfriend Chrissie is -gasp- half Cherokee, which for some reason is a huge problem for everybody.)
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson (1962)
Even for something Shirley Jackson wrote, this was messed up. But it was a very well-constructed mystery, I'll give it that. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Where the Heart Is, by Billie Letts (1995)
She was a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State, and her son wrote the play August, Osage County, which the film adaptation of was almost shot at the Joneses' house. This was adapted into a movie starring Natalie Portman; and the town of Sequoyah is Claremore. (In the book I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Sallisaw.) Anyway, this is probably southern Gothic, given the focus on weird characters. They are bizarre, but it's abnormally right, because that's how people act in real life. It was a hard read at times, given the awful events described, but overall I think I liked this one.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total fiction to 22.
APRIL
True Neutral, by Joliet Sharpe (2017)
Julie Gear wrote this LOTR imitation, which is why I read it. Fantasy isn't my genre, but it was okay.
The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, translated by Lucia Graves (2001)
A bookstore employee tries to track down more works by the author of his favorite novel, becoming enmeshed in a sprawling mystery leading to murder. Worthwhile to read, though I'm not immediately sure why. For Gothic Film and Lit.
Marvels, by Kurt Busiek (words) and Alex Ross (illustrations) (1993)
This graphic novel grapples with what it means to be human in a world of superheroes, through the eyes of a career photojournalist named Phil Sheldon, who lost an eye early in his career as a young man from collateral damage in a Human Torch-Namor fight. It ends with his retirement just after the death of Gwen Stacy. This is a fantastic piece of literature.
Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry (2004)
Hannah Coulter, who married Nathan after he came back from WWII, tells her life story over from fall 2000-spring 2001. It's sad and thoughtful and pleasant and miserable and right, like all of his fiction.
The Story Girl, by L.M. Montgomery (1911)
A man recalls the adventures he and his cousins shared one year. Not much plot, they just live.
Total read this month: 5, bringing fiction total to 27.
MAY
The Golden Road, by L.M. Montgomery (1913)
More adventures of the King cousins, and possibly my favorite Montgomery book ever.
The Violent Bear It Away, by Flannery O'Connor (1955)
Francis Tarwater tries to escape the memory of his grandfather by running away to the city, and the home of the only other relative he has, his uncle. It's kind of incomprehensible, but worth reading, somehow.
Airframe, by Michael Crichton (1996)
Investigators try to determine why a plane crashed. It's not my favorite Crichton, but it was worth reading.
Excursions: A Collection of Short Stories, by Emily Dial-Driver (2016)
Dial-Driver short stories are exactly what you would expect if you've taken one of her courses - interesting, but offbeat.
Conjunction: A Novel of Manners and Murder, by Emily Dial-Driver (2017)
This was odd but memorable - as it should have been, written by Dr. Dial-Driver. It was a romance, with murder attached.
A Light in the Window, by Jan Karon (1995)
The second Mitford book, in which Edith Mallory causes trouble and Father Tim and Cynthia get lost in a cave.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total fiction to 33.
JUNE
A World Lost, by Wendell Berry (1996)
As an adult, Andy Catlett tries to process his childhood memories of his uncle's murder. Not Berry's best, but still worth reading.
The Little Sister, by Raymond Chandler (1949)
A Phillip Marlowe, classic hardboiled detective read. Amazing descriptions.
A Common Life, by Jan Karon (2001)
Chronologically the third Mitford book, this tells about Father Tim and Cynthia's wedding.
These High Green Hills, by Jan Karon (1996)
Father Tim and Cynthia are married now, but that doesn't mean their difficulties end...
Chronicles of Avonlea, by L.M. Montgomery (1912)
A series of short stories about Avonlea folks.
Total read this month: 5, bringng total fiction to 38.
JULY
Stuart Little, by E.B. White (1945)
Stuart Little looks very much like a mouse, and this book tells about his adventures.
Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White (1952)
This is a heartbreaking, wonderful book about friendship.
The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White (1970)
Lots of "Andy's" childhood history found its way into this book, written in his early seventies.
Civil War, by Mike Millar, illustrated by Steve McNiven (2006)
The Marvel Universe gets political in this graphic novel after a disaster blows up an elementary school....things will never be the same.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total fiction to 42.
AUGUST
The New Moon With the Old, by Dodie Smith (1963)
Four young-adult siblings have to find their way into the Big Scary World after their father runs away from imprisonment.
The Redheaded Outfield and Other Stories, by Zane Grey (1920)
Short stories about base ball.
Play Ball!, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Robbie wants to play baseball this summer in the city's middle-school league so bad he invents a fictional cousin to give the team enough players.
Home Run Hero, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Wilson struggles with learning how to play catcher and adjust his goofy-looking batting stance.
Team Player, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Trent worries over Robbie and Gloria's constant trash talking and its effect on the Scrappers' morale.
Look Who's Talking, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Spacey pitcher Ollie tries to trick himself into not audibly talking to himself on the mound, therreby telling the opposition what he's going to throw.
Bases Loaded, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Gloria's temper results in a fistfight, a forfeiture, and almost the end of the Scrappers' season.
No Easy Out, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Equally-spacey pitcher Adam struggles with how much to help his cousin Stan with his hitting, since they play in the same league.
Take Your Base, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Jeremy tries to overcome his smallness, with mixed results.
No Fear, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Tracy is justifiably scared of the ball now, after getting smashed in the face by a hard grounder in a key game. But that's a really bad thing to happen for the starting second baseman....
Grand Slam, by Dean Hughes (1999)
Thurlow never wanted to be part of the Scrappers, but they grew on him. And they finally have a shot to beat the hated Mustangs for the league championship.
The Ordinary Princess, by M.M. Kaye (1980)
Not all princesses are perfect... This is an amazing fairy tale.
Roller Hockey Radicals, by Matt Christopher (1998)
A boy named Kirby makes new friends in his new city while discovering roller hockey.
The Kill Order, by James Dashner (2012)
Before the Maze, and the Scorch, there was a world falling apart, and survivors trying to live another day.
Total read this month: 14, bringing total to 56.
SEPTEMBER
The Fever Code, by James Dashner (2016)
Tells the story of how WICKED built the Maze.
My Antonia, by Willa Cather (1918)
Young adulthood and the complexities of love are some of the subjects detailed in this Nebraska-set terrific classic, which I can't believe it took me so long to get around to reading.
A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks (1999)
In 1950's South Carolina, the preacher's daughter falls in love with the senator's son.
Dial M for Murder, by Frederick Knott (1952)
The script of the play the movie was based on.
Spoon River Anthology, by Edgar Lee Masters 1915)
A novel written in poetry about the town of Spoon River, written in short poems by the deceased in the graveyard. Kind of sad, but a very interesting angle to write from.
Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1914)
The novel that started the legend of Tarzan. It was unbelievably racist, to the point where I had a hard time finishing it.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 62.
OCTOBER
The Last Newspaper Boy in America, by Sue Corbett (2009)
A nerdy homeschooled 12-year-old tries to save his paper route.
We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart (2014)
Cadence tries to deal with young love, drug addiction and the guilt of accidentally murdering her cousins and best friends in this YA ghost story. It failed as a ghost story, but the mind of an addict was well captured.
Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary (1983)
Sad, but good (and Newbery-winning) story of a boy writing letters to his favorite author.
The Complete Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor, by Flannery O'Connor (1971)
All the stories she had published.
Star Wars: X-Wing: Mercy Kill, by Aaron Allston (2012)
One of the last Expanded Universe novels before The Force Awakens erased thirty years of post-Original Trilogy history, the spies of Wraith Squadron reassemble fifteen years after retirement for a new mission.
The Blood Race, by K.A. Emmons (2017)
This was written by one of Susan's friends, so that's why I read it. Fantasy isn't my genre, but the premise of two people a hundred years apart being 'half-souls" is kind of interesting.
Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (1818)
A parody of Gothic novels; very funny in an Austen-ish way.
Zits Supersized, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman (2003)
The third year of Zits strips is in this treasury.
Big Honkin' Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman (2001)
The second year of Zits strips.
Total read this month: 9, bringing total fiction to 71.
NOVEMBER
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding (1954)
Boys are stranded on an island, mostly go crazy and murder each other.
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett (2009)
Skeeter Phelan, a recent college graduate, decides to interview the black maids in town for a book during the unrest in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi. If Harper Lee were alive today, this would be what Mockingbird would have looked like.
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas Wiggin (1903)
Rebecca Randall is a more realistic version of Anne Shirley, and came five years earlier.
The Evangelist, by William R. King (2016)
A pastor gets shot and converts his psychatrist thanks to the help of an angel.
Tidings of Comfort and Joy, by T. Davis Bunn (1997)
A saccharine tale of an English village's struggle to keep an orphanage afloat at the close of WWII.
To Be Where You Are, by Jan Karon (2017)
The fourteenth of the Mitford series chronicles Dooley and Lace's newly-married life, a Barlowe family reconciliation and the death of Esther Bolick.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total fiction to 77.
DECEMBER
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio (2012)
This novel was far too real. Books are supposed to be an escape.
A Minnesota Book of Days, by Howard Mohr (1989)
A writer for The Prairie Home Companion wrote this loose history of Harold Mire and his wife Ethel as they go through 1988 in rural Minnesota.
Persuasion, by Jane Austen (1817)
A woman falls in love and the aristocracy is satirized in Austen's final novel.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total fiction this year to 80.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
The Best of 2017
Favorite Country Song of the Year -
Tie between Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood's "The Fighter" or Brad Paisley's "Last Time for Everything." It came out in February 2016, but I also liked Dan + Shay's "From the Ground Up."
Favorite Music Video of the Year -
Either "Last Time for Everything" or the Dancer's Version of "The Fighter."
Favorite Non-Country Song of the Year -
Definitely not new, thus sort of breaking my rules for this category, but Nickel Creek's "This Side," I suppose. It has great mandolin.
Favorite Unexpected Happening of the Year -
Definitely Ashland visiting for a weekend in June. Becoming part of a racing news website (Frontstretch.com) in October as basically a general-assignment backup reporter was also cool.
Favorite Semi-Expected Happening of the Year -
Graduation Day actually happened. There were a lot of times I wondered if it ever would. Still haven't figured out what comes next, though.
Also, finishing a 5K in early April. Next time, try to do it without walking.
Mixed Emotions Semi-Expected Happening of the Year -
Josh and Sara's wedding was a good one, but weddings are weird to attend.
Most Disappointing TV Show of the Year -
13 Reasons Why was awful, but it was research for a project in Pop Market, so I forced myself to finish it. Inhumans was such low production quality that I gave up halfway through the pilot, and The Good Doctor felt like a typical hospital show only with an autistic lead character, which undercut the premise too much.
Favorite New TV Show of the Year -
Definitely The Gifted.
Favorite Movie Seen in Theaters -
There was a lot to choose from this year. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 did a fantastic job at building onto the world of space in the MCU. Wonder Woman was amazing. Cars 3 was a typical sports movie (both good and bad), but it brought the series full circle. Spider-Man: Homecoming integrated Peter Parker into the MCU in a great, yet fairly-low-stakes, way. Thor: Ragnarok wrapped up his trilogy nicely, though it was too comedic. Justice League was about what I expected (disappointing and choppy), but there were some good human moments. The Last Jedi was disappointing.
Wonder Woman wins.
Personal Growth Moment of the Year -
It wasn't that big a deal, but asking Brittany out was a big deal for me. The timing was terrible, so nothing happened, but getting to that point where I'm open to going out with someone was good.
Strangest Skill Learned -
How to braid a girl's hair. Might come in useful in the future, though.
Quote of the Year -
Heard on the radio years ago, from Haddon Robinson: "Sometimes, with God, the quickest way from one place to another is a circle. And sometimes you have to mark time to make time."
Tie between Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood's "The Fighter" or Brad Paisley's "Last Time for Everything." It came out in February 2016, but I also liked Dan + Shay's "From the Ground Up."
Favorite Music Video of the Year -
Either "Last Time for Everything" or the Dancer's Version of "The Fighter."
Favorite Non-Country Song of the Year -
Definitely not new, thus sort of breaking my rules for this category, but Nickel Creek's "This Side," I suppose. It has great mandolin.
Favorite Unexpected Happening of the Year -
Definitely Ashland visiting for a weekend in June. Becoming part of a racing news website (Frontstretch.com) in October as basically a general-assignment backup reporter was also cool.
Favorite Semi-Expected Happening of the Year -
Graduation Day actually happened. There were a lot of times I wondered if it ever would. Still haven't figured out what comes next, though.
Also, finishing a 5K in early April. Next time, try to do it without walking.
Mixed Emotions Semi-Expected Happening of the Year -
Josh and Sara's wedding was a good one, but weddings are weird to attend.
Most Disappointing TV Show of the Year -
13 Reasons Why was awful, but it was research for a project in Pop Market, so I forced myself to finish it. Inhumans was such low production quality that I gave up halfway through the pilot, and The Good Doctor felt like a typical hospital show only with an autistic lead character, which undercut the premise too much.
Favorite New TV Show of the Year -
Definitely The Gifted.
Favorite Movie Seen in Theaters -
There was a lot to choose from this year. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 did a fantastic job at building onto the world of space in the MCU. Wonder Woman was amazing. Cars 3 was a typical sports movie (both good and bad), but it brought the series full circle. Spider-Man: Homecoming integrated Peter Parker into the MCU in a great, yet fairly-low-stakes, way. Thor: Ragnarok wrapped up his trilogy nicely, though it was too comedic. Justice League was about what I expected (disappointing and choppy), but there were some good human moments. The Last Jedi was disappointing.
Wonder Woman wins.
Personal Growth Moment of the Year -
It wasn't that big a deal, but asking Brittany out was a big deal for me. The timing was terrible, so nothing happened, but getting to that point where I'm open to going out with someone was good.
Strangest Skill Learned -
How to braid a girl's hair. Might come in useful in the future, though.
Quote of the Year -
Heard on the radio years ago, from Haddon Robinson: "Sometimes, with God, the quickest way from one place to another is a circle. And sometimes you have to mark time to make time."
2017 in Review
Some of the topics I studied in my final semester included Gothic lit, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, country music and serial killers. Bored one night, I assembled a list of my favorite TV couples. Consumed a lot of caffeine through pop, energy drinks and coffee. Studied sketch comedy through reruns of Saturday Night Live and premature endings through reruns of Law & Order. Decided that if I had time to get into them, I would really enjoy ER and Castle. Practiced cartooning for Pop Market. I completed a 5K, went on a couple dates, and met a coatimundi. I was successfully murdered (in a play) and watched a lot of hockey. Survived the capstone presentation and graduation. Interned at the Okmulgee News Network for Valerie. Started writing about NASCAR for a racing-news website called Frontstretch in October. Spent more time around the Creek Nation than I would've wished, and sent out far too many job-application emails. .
I got Caleb hooked on Parks and Recreation, which I'm kind of proud of, and taught him how to use Spotify. Joined Instagram in late May. Missed camp, but spent some time with a camp friend. Went hiking in Arkansas, and unsuccessfully tried to line dance on Black Friday. Read roughly the same amount of fiction and nonfiction, and watched more movies than usual. Followed the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. through the Framework and into space.
Read through the letters of E.B. White and the complete short stories of Flannery O'Connor. Read about 160 books this year, distributed pretty evenly across fiction and nonfiction. These ranged from graphic novels to philosophy, memoirs to horror, theology to business.
Made progress on a couple nonfiction projects, and did a lot of editing to fiction and poetry. Wrote a handful of short stories (which can be found on the writing blog), adapted a flashfiction project into a one-act play, and taught myself how to navigate a crime map.
According to Spotify, I listened to 6,196 minutes of music, in 756 songs from 391 different artists and 18 genres. The song count sounds a little low. The top five artists/bands were Owl City, Brad Paisley, Relient K, Bon Jovi and DC Talk. The top six songs were Collin Raye's "One Boy, One Girl" and "I Can Still Feel You," Avril Lavigne's "Keep Holding On," Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer,"Relient K's "For the Moments I Feel Faint," and eLi's "The Lumber Song."
The Collin Raye songs were mostly for my capstone project, but the others are a good summary of how the year went.
President Donald Trump caused mayhem and controversy on what seemed a weekly basis, many elite Hollywood and national-news-media people were fired for being Bill Dexhart. The public further lost interest in the NFL after numerous players protested the National Anthem.
Saturday Night Live had trouble adjusting to how to react to Trump, and decided to fire most of their best (in my opinion) cast members.
The Penguins won the Stanley Cup (over the Predators), the Warriors won the NBA Finals (over the Cavaliers), the Patriots won the Super Bowl (over the Falcons), and the Astros won the World Series (over the Dodgers). Martin Truex Jr. dominated the NASCAR Cup Series season and won the championship.
New installments of Star Wars and the DC Extended Universe were released. The MCU rolled on with two "good but not great" films and a mostly-fantastic introduction to Spider-Man.
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit the Gulf Coast and most of Florida, there was a solar eclipse in August and a mass shooting in Las Vegas at a Jason Aldean concert. Someone shot up a church in Texas.
It was another difficult year. Maybe next year will be better.
I got Caleb hooked on Parks and Recreation, which I'm kind of proud of, and taught him how to use Spotify. Joined Instagram in late May. Missed camp, but spent some time with a camp friend. Went hiking in Arkansas, and unsuccessfully tried to line dance on Black Friday. Read roughly the same amount of fiction and nonfiction, and watched more movies than usual. Followed the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. through the Framework and into space.
Read through the letters of E.B. White and the complete short stories of Flannery O'Connor. Read about 160 books this year, distributed pretty evenly across fiction and nonfiction. These ranged from graphic novels to philosophy, memoirs to horror, theology to business.
Made progress on a couple nonfiction projects, and did a lot of editing to fiction and poetry. Wrote a handful of short stories (which can be found on the writing blog), adapted a flashfiction project into a one-act play, and taught myself how to navigate a crime map.
According to Spotify, I listened to 6,196 minutes of music, in 756 songs from 391 different artists and 18 genres. The song count sounds a little low. The top five artists/bands were Owl City, Brad Paisley, Relient K, Bon Jovi and DC Talk. The top six songs were Collin Raye's "One Boy, One Girl" and "I Can Still Feel You," Avril Lavigne's "Keep Holding On," Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer,"Relient K's "For the Moments I Feel Faint," and eLi's "The Lumber Song."
The Collin Raye songs were mostly for my capstone project, but the others are a good summary of how the year went.
President Donald Trump caused mayhem and controversy on what seemed a weekly basis, many elite Hollywood and national-news-media people were fired for being Bill Dexhart. The public further lost interest in the NFL after numerous players protested the National Anthem.
Saturday Night Live had trouble adjusting to how to react to Trump, and decided to fire most of their best (in my opinion) cast members.
The Penguins won the Stanley Cup (over the Predators), the Warriors won the NBA Finals (over the Cavaliers), the Patriots won the Super Bowl (over the Falcons), and the Astros won the World Series (over the Dodgers). Martin Truex Jr. dominated the NASCAR Cup Series season and won the championship.
New installments of Star Wars and the DC Extended Universe were released. The MCU rolled on with two "good but not great" films and a mostly-fantastic introduction to Spider-Man.
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit the Gulf Coast and most of Florida, there was a solar eclipse in August and a mass shooting in Las Vegas at a Jason Aldean concert. Someone shot up a church in Texas.
It was another difficult year. Maybe next year will be better.
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Early December
Beggs played in the state championship game last night. They lost to Oklahoma City Marshall 14-7, but it was a good game, and not every team can get that far. Wish I could have done a better job writing about them occasionally.
Facebook/Twitter has been filled with "I'm so panicked it's finals time again!" posts, and it's been very strange not to have to worry about them.
It's been a stressful week. But on the plus side I've heard from Dylan, Susan and Jessica, so that's something. Pearl Harbor Day was Thursday, and Monday will be the ninth anniversary of the fire. Also I tried to reread R.J. Palacio's Wonder for third/fourth time, and still hated it. It feels too much like real life, and books are supposed to be an escape.
Yesterday in the Facebook "On This Day" section was a funny status about the time in high school from Mrs. Jackson's speech class. After it ended one day, me, Courtney, Brenna, Mariah and Kyle were all standing in companionable silence in the elevator for five minutes before Mariah realizes that nobody's pushed the "on" button.
Wonder what they're doing now. Julie's about the only person from the Okmulgee homeschool group I sometimes hear from, along with the Gastons.
Facebook/Twitter has been filled with "I'm so panicked it's finals time again!" posts, and it's been very strange not to have to worry about them.
It's been a stressful week. But on the plus side I've heard from Dylan, Susan and Jessica, so that's something. Pearl Harbor Day was Thursday, and Monday will be the ninth anniversary of the fire. Also I tried to reread R.J. Palacio's Wonder for third/fourth time, and still hated it. It feels too much like real life, and books are supposed to be an escape.
Yesterday in the Facebook "On This Day" section was a funny status about the time in high school from Mrs. Jackson's speech class. After it ended one day, me, Courtney, Brenna, Mariah and Kyle were all standing in companionable silence in the elevator for five minutes before Mariah realizes that nobody's pushed the "on" button.
Wonder what they're doing now. Julie's about the only person from the Okmulgee homeschool group I sometimes hear from, along with the Gastons.
Monday, November 27, 2017
Thanksgiving 2017
It felt a little more like Thanksgiving this year than the last two years. Last year the Foxes came over here, and the year before we didn't do anything (one of my poems written for classes that week was titled "Just Another Thursday".) Amy watched the parade on TV, then the National Dog Show was commented upon while lunch was being eaten.
Ham, pecan pie and peach tea were consumed, as were cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes.
We went to Tahlequah to see Lankfords at Louise and Harry's; they're getting ready to move into town, so there was a tinge of sadness to the happy socializing. Still, it was a good time. Damon played his accordion and Courtney played mandolin. Played basketball with Lillyanne. Talked with everybody while the Cowboys game ended on TV. And it was just good to be in Tquah again, even for such a short time.
The Ruscos hosted their annual Black Friday Hoedown, which was nice. About thirty people from GBC were there, and line dancing is as impossible as ever. Unlike square dancing, there's not a partner to work with, which makes it much harder. Brad Paisley, Brooks and Dunn and Billy Ray Cyrus are all good to listen to, though ("Ticks," "Boot-Scoot Boogie" and "Achy Breaky Heart"). Also, the caller was calling at half-speed, that might have had something to do with it, too.
Amazon had a sale on books, so I bought a copy of G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy and a book of essays about Friday Night Lights (the TV show). And Jan Karon's new Mitford book.
In high school football, Beggs beat Oklahoma Christian in Edmond in a 3A quarterfinal matdchup (Demons vs Saints, lol), so they'll play the Sulphur Bulldogs in the state semifinals next Friday night at Edmond Santa Fe High School.
Ham, pecan pie and peach tea were consumed, as were cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes.
We went to Tahlequah to see Lankfords at Louise and Harry's; they're getting ready to move into town, so there was a tinge of sadness to the happy socializing. Still, it was a good time. Damon played his accordion and Courtney played mandolin. Played basketball with Lillyanne. Talked with everybody while the Cowboys game ended on TV. And it was just good to be in Tquah again, even for such a short time.
The Ruscos hosted their annual Black Friday Hoedown, which was nice. About thirty people from GBC were there, and line dancing is as impossible as ever. Unlike square dancing, there's not a partner to work with, which makes it much harder. Brad Paisley, Brooks and Dunn and Billy Ray Cyrus are all good to listen to, though ("Ticks," "Boot-Scoot Boogie" and "Achy Breaky Heart"). Also, the caller was calling at half-speed, that might have had something to do with it, too.
Amazon had a sale on books, so I bought a copy of G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy and a book of essays about Friday Night Lights (the TV show). And Jan Karon's new Mitford book.
In high school football, Beggs beat Oklahoma Christian in Edmond in a 3A quarterfinal matdchup (Demons vs Saints, lol), so they'll play the Sulphur Bulldogs in the state semifinals next Friday night at Edmond Santa Fe High School.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Arkansas Hiking
The annual edition of the Grace Bible Church-Tulsa Arkansas Retreat was this weekend. It was beautiful scenery that was great to look at.
About 35 people were there in total, the largest group ever - mostly young families and old people, so a typical Sunday. Which meant, as usual, that I had Danny's line from The Family Nobody Wanted running through my head a little bit: "There's nobody the right size of me!" (It's from a memoir by Helen Doss.) The Wheelers, Selbys, and Purviances were the young families (and Mom was watching Amy), and then Courtney and Caleb had Mattie to hang out with. Met some newer people I vaguely knew by sight, which was nice, I guess.
Met the Gundersens' friends Nann and Quint from Branson; they were awesome to talk books and play poker dice with.
Went on a couple short hikes; maybe five or six miles in total, to Triple Falls, Chickenhead Bluff and Hawksbill Crag/Whitaker's Point. (The last one is considered the "Most Romantic Spot in Arkansas," which is kind of interesting. Many couples get engaged there.) They were all incredibly pretty. On Saturday had lunch at a cool tourist trap restaurant called the Ozark Cafe; the Jasper eatery is the oldest in the state, with the original 1907 floorboards and an awesomely random collection of items on the walls. We spotted several sports-car groups and motorcycle groups along the highways, too.
Rode with the Selbys most of Saturday; they're awesome parents to have four small boys that well-behaved. It was good to get to talk with Justin and Melody. There was an interesting museum in Ponca called the Elk Education Center, besides showcasing local wildlife, there was also a lot of local history, which was fun to read. Enjoyed hearing Mr. Gundersen's stories he's learned of local history.
Watched some of the TCU-Iowa State and OU-Texas Tech football games on TV aside from the hiking and exploring, and I think I got a few good pictures. Tried to memorize the layout of the cabin, to maybe use in a plot sometime (maybe Winter's Grace, if it ever happens?).
A sign in Jasper read that the Pirates won the 1960 Class B state championship in basketball, and had the entire roster of boys underneath that announcement. Pretty awesome. Not so awesome is that Mr. Gundersen fractured his fibula while hiking.
Mountains are wonderful. It was sad to return to Oklahoma. I need to reread Shepherd of the Hills. Halloween was very quiet; I halfheartedly dressed up as Bill Murray in Space Jam.
About 35 people were there in total, the largest group ever - mostly young families and old people, so a typical Sunday. Which meant, as usual, that I had Danny's line from The Family Nobody Wanted running through my head a little bit: "There's nobody the right size of me!" (It's from a memoir by Helen Doss.) The Wheelers, Selbys, and Purviances were the young families (and Mom was watching Amy), and then Courtney and Caleb had Mattie to hang out with. Met some newer people I vaguely knew by sight, which was nice, I guess.
Met the Gundersens' friends Nann and Quint from Branson; they were awesome to talk books and play poker dice with.
Went on a couple short hikes; maybe five or six miles in total, to Triple Falls, Chickenhead Bluff and Hawksbill Crag/Whitaker's Point. (The last one is considered the "Most Romantic Spot in Arkansas," which is kind of interesting. Many couples get engaged there.) They were all incredibly pretty. On Saturday had lunch at a cool tourist trap restaurant called the Ozark Cafe; the Jasper eatery is the oldest in the state, with the original 1907 floorboards and an awesomely random collection of items on the walls. We spotted several sports-car groups and motorcycle groups along the highways, too.
Rode with the Selbys most of Saturday; they're awesome parents to have four small boys that well-behaved. It was good to get to talk with Justin and Melody. There was an interesting museum in Ponca called the Elk Education Center, besides showcasing local wildlife, there was also a lot of local history, which was fun to read. Enjoyed hearing Mr. Gundersen's stories he's learned of local history.
Watched some of the TCU-Iowa State and OU-Texas Tech football games on TV aside from the hiking and exploring, and I think I got a few good pictures. Tried to memorize the layout of the cabin, to maybe use in a plot sometime (maybe Winter's Grace, if it ever happens?).
A sign in Jasper read that the Pirates won the 1960 Class B state championship in basketball, and had the entire roster of boys underneath that announcement. Pretty awesome. Not so awesome is that Mr. Gundersen fractured his fibula while hiking.
Mountains are wonderful. It was sad to return to Oklahoma. I need to reread Shepherd of the Hills. Halloween was very quiet; I halfheartedly dressed up as Bill Murray in Space Jam.
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Wake Me Up
September is ending, thus this post's title.
The book sale was this weekend; it was a pretty good haul, about 160 books for about $100, all together. My favorite find was an unabridged Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Kate Douglas Wiggins), though we also found copies of Bram Stoker's Dracula and Willa Cather's My Antonia.
Dad was on a business trip to D.C. this week, thus incrementally progressing mine and Ashland's master plan of getting every citizen to visit there, haha.
Rewriting projects isn't usually quite as interesting as the rough draft, but they're some of the most important steps.
Got my roughly-twice-a-year haircut a couple weeks ago, still haven't gotten used to it yet.
We finally finished running through Parks and Recreation, which was sad. And Netflix yanked Friday Night Lights, which was a little disappointing.
In movie news, Mom and Courtney hated La La Land's ending, though I felt like it was right for the story. Most of the time dreams don't work out, so of course Sebastian and Mia couldn't stay together. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was fun, though Mulan was strange. The new Emma Watson-led Beauty and the Beast remake is much better than I expected so far. (I usually watch movies in halves when watching by myself.)
The book sale was this weekend; it was a pretty good haul, about 160 books for about $100, all together. My favorite find was an unabridged Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Kate Douglas Wiggins), though we also found copies of Bram Stoker's Dracula and Willa Cather's My Antonia.
Dad was on a business trip to D.C. this week, thus incrementally progressing mine and Ashland's master plan of getting every citizen to visit there, haha.
Rewriting projects isn't usually quite as interesting as the rough draft, but they're some of the most important steps.
Got my roughly-twice-a-year haircut a couple weeks ago, still haven't gotten used to it yet.
We finally finished running through Parks and Recreation, which was sad. And Netflix yanked Friday Night Lights, which was a little disappointing.
In movie news, Mom and Courtney hated La La Land's ending, though I felt like it was right for the story. Most of the time dreams don't work out, so of course Sebastian and Mia couldn't stay together. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was fun, though Mulan was strange. The new Emma Watson-led Beauty and the Beast remake is much better than I expected so far. (I usually watch movies in halves when watching by myself.)
Monday, September 4, 2017
Strange Dreams, Part Five
3-27-13,
I was golfing with Josh and Keith Urban. Which sounds pretty cool.
8-28-16,
Mom sells two copies of Shakespearean histories on Paperback Swap to a guy named Tony, and then realizes that he lives in Nano's old house. So she sends a note along with the books explaining that Mimi and Nano used to live there. He emails back, inviting some of us over for dinner so he can learn more about the home's history. (I would totally do this, because that house is FULL of ghosts. Even more so than the rest of Westville, which is saying something.)
Tony's wife either died or left, it isn't really clear which, but he's raising his nine-year-old daughter alone. Her name is either Maddie or Morgan, and she has the Shakespeare histories stationed on top of a large stack of Star Wars novels. She's the kind of kid I would've enjoyed being friends with, if I had known that they existed in real life when I was that age.
4-25-17,
While waiting for something important, Brittany and I are exhausted, we fall asleep curled up next to each other on the benches lining the hallways of Baird Hall. And Courtney was pregnant; maybe we were waiting on the baby to be born?
4-26-17,
I'm raising Courtney's daughter, she's about eleven by now, and we're in the RSU Writing Center when she asks about what happened with Sam. I struggle to find how to answer when I wake up.
5-21-17,
Robbie and I were going to a gospel singing/revival down near Glenpool on 75. She ran into a bunch of folks she knew from her square-dancing club, and I ran into Brittany. It was a dream I was disappointed to have to wake up from.
6-18-17,
I somehow found myself at a house Ashland shared with her brother Austin, with no clear idea how I got there. I'm sleeping on the couch, where an ancient, suspicious, skinny-as-a-rail tortoiseshell cat decides to warily capture me by pouncing on my chest and taking a nap. This greatly amuses Ashland.
6-18-17,
Me, Courtney, Caleb and Trevor are trying to guide Amy through a large city on foot to get somewhere by a certain time. It was very tense and unpleasant.
6-18-17,
In the kitchen of Grandpa's trailer, Ashland and I good-naturedly argue about whose turn it is to cook breakfast this morning.
6-20-17,
I ran into my best friend Brad Paisley at a Talons game, and we talked for like fifteen minutes.
8-20-17,
Nano is still alive, and we go over to the town house in Westville to have Christmas with her and Dayla's family. Also there are most of the cast from Girl Meets World, and it's like a huge reunion because I had played some important role - someone's older brother or something - on the show that never quite found its way into a real episode. I know for sure that Farkle, Smackle, Riley and Maya were in group pictures.
8-27-17,
In an emergency, I had to drive to Tulsa at night at top speed in order to get somebody to the hospital, I think. I try to veer around person walking across Highway 75, only to slide right into a car coming the opposite direction. I don't know who's fault it was, but it was the start of a bad day in reality.
9-4-17,
I was watching an episode of Lizzie McGuire written by Brandon, a classmate from RSU known for being very...abstract. The episode made no sense, and was mostly frustrating to try to figure out what was going on, but it almost clicked in weird ways.
I was golfing with Josh and Keith Urban. Which sounds pretty cool.
8-28-16,
Mom sells two copies of Shakespearean histories on Paperback Swap to a guy named Tony, and then realizes that he lives in Nano's old house. So she sends a note along with the books explaining that Mimi and Nano used to live there. He emails back, inviting some of us over for dinner so he can learn more about the home's history. (I would totally do this, because that house is FULL of ghosts. Even more so than the rest of Westville, which is saying something.)
Tony's wife either died or left, it isn't really clear which, but he's raising his nine-year-old daughter alone. Her name is either Maddie or Morgan, and she has the Shakespeare histories stationed on top of a large stack of Star Wars novels. She's the kind of kid I would've enjoyed being friends with, if I had known that they existed in real life when I was that age.
4-25-17,
While waiting for something important, Brittany and I are exhausted, we fall asleep curled up next to each other on the benches lining the hallways of Baird Hall. And Courtney was pregnant; maybe we were waiting on the baby to be born?
4-26-17,
I'm raising Courtney's daughter, she's about eleven by now, and we're in the RSU Writing Center when she asks about what happened with Sam. I struggle to find how to answer when I wake up.
5-21-17,
Robbie and I were going to a gospel singing/revival down near Glenpool on 75. She ran into a bunch of folks she knew from her square-dancing club, and I ran into Brittany. It was a dream I was disappointed to have to wake up from.
6-18-17,
I somehow found myself at a house Ashland shared with her brother Austin, with no clear idea how I got there. I'm sleeping on the couch, where an ancient, suspicious, skinny-as-a-rail tortoiseshell cat decides to warily capture me by pouncing on my chest and taking a nap. This greatly amuses Ashland.
6-18-17,
Me, Courtney, Caleb and Trevor are trying to guide Amy through a large city on foot to get somewhere by a certain time. It was very tense and unpleasant.
6-18-17,
In the kitchen of Grandpa's trailer, Ashland and I good-naturedly argue about whose turn it is to cook breakfast this morning.
6-20-17,
I ran into my best friend Brad Paisley at a Talons game, and we talked for like fifteen minutes.
8-20-17,
Nano is still alive, and we go over to the town house in Westville to have Christmas with her and Dayla's family. Also there are most of the cast from Girl Meets World, and it's like a huge reunion because I had played some important role - someone's older brother or something - on the show that never quite found its way into a real episode. I know for sure that Farkle, Smackle, Riley and Maya were in group pictures.
8-27-17,
In an emergency, I had to drive to Tulsa at night at top speed in order to get somebody to the hospital, I think. I try to veer around person walking across Highway 75, only to slide right into a car coming the opposite direction. I don't know who's fault it was, but it was the start of a bad day in reality.
9-4-17,
I was watching an episode of Lizzie McGuire written by Brandon, a classmate from RSU known for being very...abstract. The episode made no sense, and was mostly frustrating to try to figure out what was going on, but it almost clicked in weird ways.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Early August
My internship ends this week. I have to give a presentation on the experience/what I did at a fancy banquet in Tulsa on Friday. I'm not good at talking about myself, at all, in social situations. That's something I've learned this year, and I'm not sure how to fix. I'm also not sure how I'm going to get ten minutes' worth of material out of "I wake up, clean the cats' litter boxes, then actively scavenge for news by scrolling through Facebook most of the day. When I find news, I write about it." That was pretty much my routine...
Trevor and I have been watching a lot of suspense/thriller/mystery/action movies this week while Courtney and Caleb are housesitting for the Buckmasters. He loved Maze Runner, just like I thought he would. (Courtney and Caleb thought it was a waste of time.) He also loved The Giver, and he liked Mission: Impossible. I'd had the MI theme song and the Buffy theme song stuck in my head all week. Also stuck in my head over the weekend: Little Texas' "What Might Have Been" and a couple lines from Rascal Flatts' "Here."
Trevor and I have been watching a lot of suspense/thriller/mystery/action movies this week while Courtney and Caleb are housesitting for the Buckmasters. He loved Maze Runner, just like I thought he would. (Courtney and Caleb thought it was a waste of time.) He also loved The Giver, and he liked Mission: Impossible. I'd had the MI theme song and the Buffy theme song stuck in my head all week. Also stuck in my head over the weekend: Little Texas' "What Might Have Been" and a couple lines from Rascal Flatts' "Here."
Monday, July 17, 2017
CAMP: Part XI
This year, I don't really know what is happening at SGYC. I know there are about 52 campers, and I know that Steve Long is the pastor (which should be great), but beyond that, I'm not sure.
Why am I not sure? Because all the GBC youth bailed (though I can understand why), and so I didn't have a way to get up there. Which is frustrating, because Ashland and I had worked out that I would visit on the way back.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 has been stuck in my head recently.
So this week is much the same as any other this summer. Today's been filled with work, and the family went to visit the DeSpains. Today's articles are high school orientations and city fundraisers, and making PDF files of last week's stories. I Skyped with Amanda, Maya and Ellie for a bit this morning. They were "talking" to Uncle Wesley all the rest of the day, Manda said.
UPDATE 7-27:
From pictures and Facebook posts, it sounded like it went well.
Why am I not sure? Because all the GBC youth bailed (though I can understand why), and so I didn't have a way to get up there. Which is frustrating, because Ashland and I had worked out that I would visit on the way back.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 has been stuck in my head recently.
So this week is much the same as any other this summer. Today's been filled with work, and the family went to visit the DeSpains. Today's articles are high school orientations and city fundraisers, and making PDF files of last week's stories. I Skyped with Amanda, Maya and Ellie for a bit this morning. They were "talking" to Uncle Wesley all the rest of the day, Manda said.
UPDATE 7-27:
From pictures and Facebook posts, it sounded like it went well.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
June
June began with a visit from Ashland, which was really cool. Since then I've gotten an internship with Valerie at the Okmulgee News Network, which has kept me pretty busy writing two or three stories a day. That will run through early August, then finding something full-time.
Trevor enjoyed the Endeavor Games, and won a gold medal in archery.
Summer is officially here as of yesterday, and it has been very hot and humid weather. Haven't had a chance to watch Jeopardy very much lately.
Trevor enjoyed the Endeavor Games, and won a gold medal in archery.
Summer is officially here as of yesterday, and it has been very hot and humid weather. Haven't had a chance to watch Jeopardy very much lately.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Visit From a Friend
Because of how hectic a month May was, there wasn't time to reassemble the volleyball net after its brief winter break. So Caleb hooked it back up Thursday night after chopping down a bunch of interfering tree branches hanging over the court, which we then hauled down to the trailer at the bottom of the driveway. So volleyball season was open, which is always a good thing.
Amy was typically excited about a grocery run to Sam's Friday morning, and other than that it seemed like an ordinary day - a little slow-starting, but that isn't too untypical. I was brushing my teeth when I hear somebody yelling for me to open the door, since someone was here. I see a fire-engine-red Chevy Cobalt parked in the driveway. "Ashland drives a red Cobalt, doesn't she?" I idly ask myself while twisting the doorknob.
Side notes - Someone in UV-B at RSU drove a red Cobalt, which drove me nuts, always catching sight of it at random times and then admonishing myself that it was crazy for wondering if she was visiting for some reason. The model she drives wedged into my memory because it was my favorite to drive from Need For Speed: Most Wanted.
Also, freshman year I was on my way to the post office in the UC basement to mail Ashland a birthday card when I lost the fight with the stairs. It's probably not significant, but it sure feels that way somehow - I got three scars on my left hand from that fall. I serve left-handed, and she wore No. 3 for the volleyball and basketball teams in high school.
The cats are meowing loudly on the porch, like always.
"HEY!!!!" a familiar glasses-wearing blonde grins.
My jaw drops. "WHAT THE HECK...?"
"Bet you weren't expecting to see me, huh?"
Well, no - and the last time we saw each other I had to swipe a wasp out of her hair.
She had the day off, and so she and Courtney had thought up the plan for her to come visit.
"Who is she?" Trevor hisses quietly. "Your voice cracked like it does when you get really excited about something." "Ashland - you've heard stories." "Oh, right....wasn't she the one you wrote the book with?" "Yep."
We hang out around the kitchen table with the family, discussing topics for several hours ranging from personality tests and superpowers to basic history, Greek mythology and special needs. Ashland's family is more Enneagram-based when it comes to personality tests, while we're Meyers-Briggs based. They're both useful tools. I'm an INFJ(ISFJ subtype), she can't remember her MBTI type, and we're both Enneagram Type Six, with wings (subtypes) of Five (me) and Seven (her).
Camp "do you remembers?" were traded back and forth, especially the memories of being Blue Bison teammates (the Black Panthers and White Cubs weren't the best teams, though they were fun, too). Lots of stories were told, because that's what we do, like Mrs. Boyer's sympathy card, or how we met our first year. Matt was dancing the Virginia Reel with Ashland, and I was dancing with Madelyn, then we swapped partners for the Gay Gordon. Since we figured out the steps almost instantly, and everyone else had a hard time getting them down, there was a lot of time to talk. And that led to all the other projects we've worked on together since.
Amy quickly decided that Ashland is her new favorite person in the world, though she couldn't remember her name. "I love Wesley's friend!" she said at one point.
Ashland was curious about the Broken Arrow Bass Pro, and Caleb loves going there, so we piled in and headed up 75. And of course there had to be a selfie commemorating the occasion:
It's not the greatest picture in the world, but taking bad pictures of each other is kind of what we do. Sometimes we even do it on purpose, like with this shot from our Bison days:
That was to ease the tension during an especially-nerve-wracking table tennis match, though. Jed didn't get the memo to look worried.
After dinner at Carl's Jr., we suggest roaming through Promenade Mall, but Caleb's like "Nah...." So we just decide to head back. Caleb falls asleep, waking up with a "Where am I?" It was funny. Ashland and I sing along to a country station (Billy Currington's "People Are Crazy," Dan + Shay's "From the Ground Up," can't remember the others). Conversation topics included good food ("Meatloaf is my weakness" she said), alcohol consumption (conclusion: don't get drunk, but once in a while is fine), Washington, D.C. (everyone would go there at least once, if we had our way), and family holiday traditions.
Some more volleyball once we got home, and we were going to get some food in the morning, but that didn't quite work out, because of wrong turns and impending storms. So we just hung out in the living room again, plotting revisions on Two For the Treasure. At one point as a parenthetical phrase to whatever we were talking about at the moment, she says in a Jane Foster-like tone, "Blue is a good color on you." We also sketched a rough outline of our next project, tentatively titled Winter's Grace, where a handful of college students are stranded on a mountain during winter break.
There was a lot of laughter. It was a good weekend.
Amy was typically excited about a grocery run to Sam's Friday morning, and other than that it seemed like an ordinary day - a little slow-starting, but that isn't too untypical. I was brushing my teeth when I hear somebody yelling for me to open the door, since someone was here. I see a fire-engine-red Chevy Cobalt parked in the driveway. "Ashland drives a red Cobalt, doesn't she?" I idly ask myself while twisting the doorknob.
Side notes - Someone in UV-B at RSU drove a red Cobalt, which drove me nuts, always catching sight of it at random times and then admonishing myself that it was crazy for wondering if she was visiting for some reason. The model she drives wedged into my memory because it was my favorite to drive from Need For Speed: Most Wanted.
Also, freshman year I was on my way to the post office in the UC basement to mail Ashland a birthday card when I lost the fight with the stairs. It's probably not significant, but it sure feels that way somehow - I got three scars on my left hand from that fall. I serve left-handed, and she wore No. 3 for the volleyball and basketball teams in high school.
The cats are meowing loudly on the porch, like always.
"HEY!!!!" a familiar glasses-wearing blonde grins.
My jaw drops. "WHAT THE HECK...?"
"Bet you weren't expecting to see me, huh?"
Well, no - and the last time we saw each other I had to swipe a wasp out of her hair.
She had the day off, and so she and Courtney had thought up the plan for her to come visit.
"Who is she?" Trevor hisses quietly. "Your voice cracked like it does when you get really excited about something." "Ashland - you've heard stories." "Oh, right....wasn't she the one you wrote the book with?" "Yep."
We hang out around the kitchen table with the family, discussing topics for several hours ranging from personality tests and superpowers to basic history, Greek mythology and special needs. Ashland's family is more Enneagram-based when it comes to personality tests, while we're Meyers-Briggs based. They're both useful tools. I'm an INFJ(ISFJ subtype), she can't remember her MBTI type, and we're both Enneagram Type Six, with wings (subtypes) of Five (me) and Seven (her).
Camp "do you remembers?" were traded back and forth, especially the memories of being Blue Bison teammates (the Black Panthers and White Cubs weren't the best teams, though they were fun, too). Lots of stories were told, because that's what we do, like Mrs. Boyer's sympathy card, or how we met our first year. Matt was dancing the Virginia Reel with Ashland, and I was dancing with Madelyn, then we swapped partners for the Gay Gordon. Since we figured out the steps almost instantly, and everyone else had a hard time getting them down, there was a lot of time to talk. And that led to all the other projects we've worked on together since.
Amy quickly decided that Ashland is her new favorite person in the world, though she couldn't remember her name. "I love Wesley's friend!" she said at one point.
Ashland was curious about the Broken Arrow Bass Pro, and Caleb loves going there, so we piled in and headed up 75. And of course there had to be a selfie commemorating the occasion:
After dinner at Carl's Jr., we suggest roaming through Promenade Mall, but Caleb's like "Nah...." So we just decide to head back. Caleb falls asleep, waking up with a "Where am I?" It was funny. Ashland and I sing along to a country station (Billy Currington's "People Are Crazy," Dan + Shay's "From the Ground Up," can't remember the others). Conversation topics included good food ("Meatloaf is my weakness" she said), alcohol consumption (conclusion: don't get drunk, but once in a while is fine), Washington, D.C. (everyone would go there at least once, if we had our way), and family holiday traditions.
There was a lot of laughter. It was a good weekend.
Monday, May 22, 2017
This is Strange
"So, what's it like, being a graduate?" Dylan and Brittany both asked me that tonight. My answer? Strange! It hasn't quite set in yet.
This afternoon I tagged along on a run to the feed store with Courtney and Caleb, and Courtney had a gift card to Starbucks from her graduation. Since she doesn't drink coffee, she asked if we wanted to use it. Sure, why not? The Midnight Mint Frappacino is good - tastes like an Andes mint.
Right after we pull out of the drive-thru the van starts danger-zone-level overheating, so we casually wait outside for half an hour for Mom to pick us up. It wasn't too terrible, the weather was nice. And I'm used to waiting on things like that. So it pretty much felt like a normal afternoon.
Job-hunting is a little tiring and confusing. Working on projects - the sportswriting guide and revising the play for David.
This afternoon I tagged along on a run to the feed store with Courtney and Caleb, and Courtney had a gift card to Starbucks from her graduation. Since she doesn't drink coffee, she asked if we wanted to use it. Sure, why not? The Midnight Mint Frappacino is good - tastes like an Andes mint.
Right after we pull out of the drive-thru the van starts danger-zone-level overheating, so we casually wait outside for half an hour for Mom to pick us up. It wasn't too terrible, the weather was nice. And I'm used to waiting on things like that. So it pretty much felt like a normal afternoon.
Job-hunting is a little tiring and confusing. Working on projects - the sportswriting guide and revising the play for David.
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Graduations
Courtney's graduation was yesterday, at First Baptist Broken Arrow. (That's where Elizabeth goes.) There were 23 graduates in total, including Laura, Callie, Marie K. and Carter Fox. A ton of GBC people showed up - Coxes, Mrs. Mix, Lees, Wilsons, Grahams, Buckmasters, DeSpains...probably more than I missed. Dayla and Ashley and their kids came, too. That went fine. Someone's dad looked exactly like Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World, which I thought was interesting.
It was a much more elaborate graduation than mine was. But they've been working on it for months, so it should be.
We went to the Fergusons' afterparty for Laura once it was over, and that was great. The Coxes and Wilsons were also there, along with Ferguson cousins and Josh and Sara. It felt a lot like Thanksgiving - which is how it always is when visiting them. A little chaotic, sure, simply because there's so many people, but a happy, pleasant chaos. They're just Race of Josephy people, and so they feel like family.. It was great.
The graduates were recognized at church this morning, and that went well. We briefly explained what our plans were, and mine are vague. So....yeah.
Mine was last Saturday, and it was about like the rest of college - panicking, not sure of where to go or what to do once I got there, and then waiting for eons for something to happen. We were arranged in blocks by the divisions the school set up, with no order beyond that. It was "latch onto someone you know" and hang on, moving/exit buddy-style. Since we got there late, I manage to find my line and crash into Jenny, so we stuck together. Cody was right behind me once everyone was situated, and Kinze and Lauren a couple rows back.
Andrew got a good picture of me walking off the stage, and I got a couple with Dr. Mackie on the way out. Also, I got straight A's this semester, the only time that ever happened at RSU. My total GPA was 3.79, so I graduated cum laude. About 300 people graduated overall.
It was a much more elaborate graduation than mine was. But they've been working on it for months, so it should be.
We went to the Fergusons' afterparty for Laura once it was over, and that was great. The Coxes and Wilsons were also there, along with Ferguson cousins and Josh and Sara. It felt a lot like Thanksgiving - which is how it always is when visiting them. A little chaotic, sure, simply because there's so many people, but a happy, pleasant chaos. They're just Race of Josephy people, and so they feel like family.. It was great.
The graduates were recognized at church this morning, and that went well. We briefly explained what our plans were, and mine are vague. So....yeah.
Mine was last Saturday, and it was about like the rest of college - panicking, not sure of where to go or what to do once I got there, and then waiting for eons for something to happen. We were arranged in blocks by the divisions the school set up, with no order beyond that. It was "latch onto someone you know" and hang on, moving/exit buddy-style. Since we got there late, I manage to find my line and crash into Jenny, so we stuck together. Cody was right behind me once everyone was situated, and Kinze and Lauren a couple rows back.
Andrew got a good picture of me walking off the stage, and I got a couple with Dr. Mackie on the way out. Also, I got straight A's this semester, the only time that ever happened at RSU. My total GPA was 3.79, so I graduated cum laude. About 300 people graduated overall.
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