JANUARY
The Princess Bride (1987)
S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure.
Arrival (2016)
Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner star in this rather odd alien invasion story about the power of language and memory.
It Takes Two (1995)
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen star in this Prince and the Pauper-inspired tale. It's goofy and improbable, but not bad.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The best Star Wars movie ever, because it's gritty and focused, dealing with how the Death Star plans were stolen.
Total watched this month: 4.
FEBRUARY
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
This was a beautiful documentary about Mr. Rogers..
Total watched this month: 1, bringing total to 5.
MARCH
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
The final entry in the Night at the Museum trilogy, it was oddly moving.
Captain Marvel (2019)
This is the best MCU solo movie yet.
Rewatch of Captain Marvel
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
Jamie Lee Curtis, Piper Perabo, Drew Barrymore and George Lopez all kind of sleepwalk through this goofy dogcentric picture, but it's better than it ought to be. Reviewed for Dog O"Day.
Rewatch of Captain Marvel
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 8.
APRIL
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)
Based on the James Dashner novel, this didn't really follow the book that well, but covered most of the same storyline in a Jurassic Park type way. It got all the heart and emotions for sure.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
So trippy. But worth watching.
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
This was fantastic.
Sunday School Musical (2008)
"Let's make a Christian version of Glee and High School Musical mashed together!" I only watched this because Paul Asay and Jake Roberson of PluggedIn recommended it as a bad movie to watch on their podcast. It was pretty awful, but not quite good enough to laugh at, mainly because it was so earnestly dreadful and dreadfully earnest.
The Natural (1984)
Robert Redford's classic baseball fairy tale. It was pretty good (hadn't seen it before).
Total watched this month: 5, bringing total to 13.
MAY
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Everything led up to this. All the emotions.
Total watched this month: 1, bringing total to 16.
JUNE
Underdog (2007)
A spoof of Superman starring a clumsy Beagle. It works really well.
Toy Story 4 (2019)
This didn't need to be made, but I was in tears at the end.
Turner and Hooch (1989)
The world's strangest, slowest-paced and violent buddy cop movie ever, starring Tom Hanks as a detective and a massive slobbering dog.
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 19.
JULY
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
After returning from the Snap, Peter Parker and his classmates go to Europe as a end-of-school trip. The best Spider-Man movie ever.
Rewatch of Spider-Man: Far From Home
Pleasantville (1998)
I'm not sure what I thought about this movie, which stars Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire as 90's twins who are zapped into a 1950's sitcom, but it's definitely art.
Superman Returns (2006)
This is very slow, but not a bad movie, Brandon Routh is great as Superman/Clark Kent, though it would make a far better novel, due to a lot of subtext.
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 22.
AUGUST
About Time (2013)
This British film is maybe the most beautiful movie I've ever seen. It's about a man and his relationship with his father (they can both time travel), his sister, and his wife, and stars Rachel McAdams.
The Mighty Ducks (1992)
An arrogant lawyer finds himself coaching a ragtag group of peewee hockey players...and finding out that he enjoys it.
Air Bud (1997)
Josh finds a new friend in basketball-playing Golden Retriever Buddy after they move across the country to Fernfield, Washington, following his dad's death.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
One of my favorite Westerns, this was written by William Goldman and stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford as the legendary and fascinating outlaws.
Total watched this month: 4, bringing total to 26.
SEPTEMBER
High Noon (1952)
A thoughtful classic Western starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly.
Witness (1985)
Harrison Ford is a Philadelphia police detective protecting an Amish boy who witnessed a murder.
Total watched this month: 2, bringing total to 28.
OCTOBER
Holiday (1938)
Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn star in this tightly-structured tale as a dreamy engaged businessman and the fiancee's sister who falls in love with him.
Valkyrie (2008)
Tom Cruise stars in this well-done movie about a failed attempt to assassinate Hitler.
Total watched this month: 2, bringing total to 30.
NOVEMBER
Over the Hedge (2006)
This film very faithfully reproduces the energy of the comic strip it's based on, with some excellent voice acting as well.
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
The original animated Disney classic.
Lady and the Tramp (2019)
This live-action remake might be slightly better than the original.
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
The very inferior adaptation of Fannie Flagg's Southern Gothic novel.
Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
This was dreadful. I thought it would be, but wow.
Total watched this month: 5, bringing total to 35.
DECEMBER
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The annual Jimmy Stewart classic never gets old.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
This is maybe the best Spider-Man movie out of all of them, which is saying something.
Total watched this month: 2, bringing total for the year to 37.
Monday, February 3, 2020
Fiction of 2019
LATE DECEMBER
The Complete Peanuts: Volume Two, 1953 to 1954, by Charles M. Schulz (2004)
Collecting the Peanuts strips from 1953-1954, which saw the introduction of Linus and Snoopy occasionally beginning to think.
The Complete Peanuts: Volume Three, 1955 to 1956, by Charles M. Schulz (2004)
Pig-Pen was introduced, and Shermy, Patty and Violet are beginning to become minor characters. Snoopy pretends to be a rhinoceros.
Sideways Tales from Wayside School, by Louis Sachar (1979)
Bizarre whimsical children's stories about a very peculiar school.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 3.
JANUARY
Watchmen, written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons (1987)
This graphic novel is an interesting look at what could happen if superheroes were real.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein (2008)
An elderly dog recalls the events of his life as the pet of an aspiring sports car racer. Heartbreaking with a too-shiny ending, but worth reading.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 5.
FEBRUARY
Civil War, written by Mark Millar, illustrated by Steve McNiven (2006)
The Marvel Universe is ripped apart by the Superhero Registration Act.
The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier (1969)
Somewhat tedious sci-fi novel, but that ending makes it worthwhile.
For Love of the Game, by Michael Shaara (1991)
An aging pitcher throws a no-hitter while thinking over his life.
Dirt Bike Racer, by Matt Christopher (1977)
He was cashing in on the popularity of motocross, which got started in the 1970s.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total read to 9.
MARCH
Civil War II, written by Brian Michael Bendis, illustrated by David Marquez and Justin Ponsor (2016)
Is police profiling ever okay? The Avengers are split after encountering an Inhuman who sees visions of the future.
Secret Invasion, written by Brian Michael Bendis, illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu (2008)
The Skrulls invade Earth.
House of M, written by, illustrated by Oliver Coipel (2005)
Scarlet Witch creates an alternate reality where mutants no longer exist and her family rules as the royal family.
Captain Marvel: In Pursuit of Flight, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, illustrated by Dexter Soy and Emma Rios (2012)
Carol Danvers revisits her past and makes some new friends while coping with taking the reins of the rebooted Alpha Flight.
Troy High, written by Shana Norris (2009)
A young adult retelling of the Illiad set inside a modern-day South Carolina high school. It worked pretty well, actually.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 14.
APRIL
Bobby Baseball, by Robert Kimmel Smiith (1989)
A young boy gradually learns why your dad shouldn't be your baseball coach, sometimes girls can be good friends, and that your athletic talent is usually a lot less than you think it is.
Total read this month: 1, bringing total to 15.
MAY
A Case of Need, by Michael Crichton, written as Jeffrey Hudson (1969)
A Boston pathologist digs into the medical hierarchy of the city in order to solve a murder case.
Total read this month: 1, bringing total to 16.
JUNE
American Gods, by Neil Gaiman (2001)
Confusing and dark but interesting, as most of Gaiman's writing is.
Superman: Birthright, written by Mark Waid, illustrated by Lienil Francis Yu (2004)
A Smallville-inspired reimagining of Superman's origins.
The Infinity Gauntlet, written by Jim Starlin and illustrated by George Perez (1991)
The comic book storyline Avengers: Infinity War was based on. It was pretty terrible.
The Death of Captain America, written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Steve Epting (2008)
Following Civil War, Steve Rogers was assassinated.
The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton (1920)
A richly written story of New York high society of the 1870s, and what happens when convention is pitted against desire.
Superman: Red Son, by Mark Millar (2003)
What if Superman had landed in the USSR? This was excellent.
Not Without Laughter, by Langston Hughes (1930)
A deeply poetic novel about growing up black in a small city in southeastern Kansas early in the twentieth century.
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, by Karina Yan Glaser (2017)
A noisy, energetic large family tries to save themselves from eviction after their landlord decides to kick them out of their Harlem neighborhood in this wonderful children's novel.
Total read this month: 8, bringing total to 24.
JULY
Batman: Year One, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli (1987)
A reimagining of how Bruce Wayne became Batman.
Ironweed, by William Kennedy (1983)
In 1938 Albany, New York, a homeless alcoholic who played professional baseball long ago grapples with the errors of his past. Winner of the 1984 Pulitzer Prize.
'night, Mother, by Marsha Norman (1982)
A middle-aged woman argues with her difficult mother on the night she plans to commit suicide. Winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize.
Chapter Two, by Neil Simon (1977)
A widower and a divorcee find themselves navigating married life again after a whirlwind romance.
The Odd Couple, by Neil Simon (1966)
Two friends try not to kill one another after becoming roommates when their marriages fall apart.
A Dog's Purpose, by W. Bruce Cameron (2010)
A dog is reincarnated several times, including as a female search-and-rescue dog, eventually returning to reunite his boy, now an old man, marry his high school sweetheart. Nicholas Sparks with dogs, essentially, which isn't a bad thing, necessarily.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 30.
AUGUST
The Fast and the Furriest, by Andy Behrens (2010)
In this MG novel, an unathletic boy and his equally overweight Beagle fall head over heels for agility.
The Country of the Pointed Firs, by Sarah Orne Jewett (1896)
A woman writer goes on vacation in rural coastal Maine, and documents her experiences. Not much happens, but it's pleasant and worthwhile.
WLT: A Radio Romance, by Garrison Keillor (1991)
A history of the fictional AM radio station WLT .out of Minneapolis. It was interesting, though the ending is all wrong.
Spaghetti Breath, by Page McBrier (1989)
The third book of the Treehouse Times series, middle-school girls in suburban St Louis try to use their neighborhood newspaper to bring justice to a landlord withholding heat from his tenants in the middle of winter.
The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan (1989)
Four elderly Chinese immigrant mothers try to relate to their grown American daughters and vice versa. Interesting look at culture differences.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 35.
SEPTEMBER
The Road to Yesterday, by L.M. Montgomery (1970)
This posthumous short story collection was an abridgment of her final manuscript, which wasn't published in full until the late 2000s.
The Pillars of the Community, by Henrik Ibsen (1877), translated by Una Ellis-Formor (1950)
What makes a good man? Society's declarations that he is so, or his conscience?
The Wild Duck, by Henrik Ibsen (1884), translated by Una Ellis-Formor (1950)
In this depressing play Ibsen explores what makes life worth living.
Hedda Gabler, by Henrik Ibsen (1890), translated by Una Ellis-Formor (1950)
"Why do humans need some level of freedom mixed with their interconnectivity and dependence on others?' is the topic explored here.
The Shadow on the Dial, by Anne S. Lindbergh (1987)
Two siblings repeatedly time travel through history to improve the life of their great-uncle, becoming better people in the process.
A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968)
A young wizard battles depression in this classic fantasy novel, the beginning of a pioneering trilogy in Young Adult literature.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg (1989)
A woman in a nursing home tells stories of her hometown during the Depression in this charming work of Southern Gothic literature.
Total read this month: 7, bringing total to 42.
OCTOBER
The Fala Factor, by Stuart M. Kaminsky (1984)
The ninth book of the series featuring detective Toby Peters, who gets tasked by Eleanor Roosevelt to track down Fala the Scottie.
All the President's Pets: One Reporter Refused to Roll Over, by Mo Rocca (2004)
From a routine political journalism memoir into an outlandish spy mystery in seconds? I'd expect nothing less from a staff writer of Wishbone. Entertaining but dumb, this wasn't actually that good of a novel, but I still like him.
The Circle, by Dave Eggers (2013)
A new employee at a Big Tech Company unthinkingly leads the world into a tyrannical hostage situation in this dystopian novel.
Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale, written by Joss Whedon and Zack Whedon, illustrated by Chris Samnee (2010)
This graphic novel short story tells the backstory of Shepherd Derrial Book, which is as fascinating and complicated as would be expected.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total to 46.
NOVEMBER
The Complete Peanuts, Volume Four, 1957 to 1958, by Charles M. Schulz (2005)
The Great Pumpkin is introduced, and Snoopy is a vulture.
The Complete Peanuts, Volume Five, 1959 to 1960, by Charles M. Schulz (2006)
Sally Brown is born, and Charlie Brown gets a pencil pal.
Daredevil, Vol. 1, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Klaus Janson (2008)
A collection that spans 1978-1980, the beginning of the definitive era for the character of Matt Murdock/Daredevil. Especially for the time, very deep and satisfactory for a comic.
Coraline, by Neil Gaiman (2001)
A very creepy and well-done fairy tale about a little girl who exhibits remarkable bravery. G.K. Chesterton would approve.
The Hundred and One Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith (1956)
A perfect British fantasy about talking dogs out to save their puppies.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 51.
DECEMBER
The Penderwicks at Last, by Jeanne Birdsall (2018)
The fifth and final book of the series, this takes place about sixteen to eighteen years after the first, and deals with the preparations for Rose's wedding.
The Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen (1879)
A thought-provoking study of marital roles in society.
Titus Andronicus, by William Shakespeare (1590ish)
This was Shakespeare's first work, and exceptionally violent.
Love's Labours Lost, by William Shakespeare (1598)
Clever language is used to the utter exclusion of all action here in this comedy where nothing happens.
All Cats Go to Heaven, edited by Beth Brown (1960)
This is an anthology of short stories and essays all about cats. It was amazing.
Buffalo Girls, by Larry McMurtry (1990)
Calamity Jane and her friends struggle to cope with the reality that the Old West is nearly gone. in this introspective and bleak novel.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 56.
Total nonfiction estimated read this year: 47, bringing total for the year to around a hundred books.
The Complete Peanuts: Volume Two, 1953 to 1954, by Charles M. Schulz (2004)
Collecting the Peanuts strips from 1953-1954, which saw the introduction of Linus and Snoopy occasionally beginning to think.
The Complete Peanuts: Volume Three, 1955 to 1956, by Charles M. Schulz (2004)
Pig-Pen was introduced, and Shermy, Patty and Violet are beginning to become minor characters. Snoopy pretends to be a rhinoceros.
Sideways Tales from Wayside School, by Louis Sachar (1979)
Bizarre whimsical children's stories about a very peculiar school.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 3.
JANUARY
Watchmen, written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons (1987)
This graphic novel is an interesting look at what could happen if superheroes were real.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein (2008)
An elderly dog recalls the events of his life as the pet of an aspiring sports car racer. Heartbreaking with a too-shiny ending, but worth reading.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 5.
FEBRUARY
Civil War, written by Mark Millar, illustrated by Steve McNiven (2006)
The Marvel Universe is ripped apart by the Superhero Registration Act.
The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier (1969)
Somewhat tedious sci-fi novel, but that ending makes it worthwhile.
For Love of the Game, by Michael Shaara (1991)
An aging pitcher throws a no-hitter while thinking over his life.
Dirt Bike Racer, by Matt Christopher (1977)
He was cashing in on the popularity of motocross, which got started in the 1970s.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total read to 9.
MARCH
Civil War II, written by Brian Michael Bendis, illustrated by David Marquez and Justin Ponsor (2016)
Is police profiling ever okay? The Avengers are split after encountering an Inhuman who sees visions of the future.
Secret Invasion, written by Brian Michael Bendis, illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu (2008)
The Skrulls invade Earth.
House of M, written by, illustrated by Oliver Coipel (2005)
Scarlet Witch creates an alternate reality where mutants no longer exist and her family rules as the royal family.
Captain Marvel: In Pursuit of Flight, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, illustrated by Dexter Soy and Emma Rios (2012)
Carol Danvers revisits her past and makes some new friends while coping with taking the reins of the rebooted Alpha Flight.
Troy High, written by Shana Norris (2009)
A young adult retelling of the Illiad set inside a modern-day South Carolina high school. It worked pretty well, actually.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 14.
APRIL
Bobby Baseball, by Robert Kimmel Smiith (1989)
A young boy gradually learns why your dad shouldn't be your baseball coach, sometimes girls can be good friends, and that your athletic talent is usually a lot less than you think it is.
Total read this month: 1, bringing total to 15.
MAY
A Case of Need, by Michael Crichton, written as Jeffrey Hudson (1969)
A Boston pathologist digs into the medical hierarchy of the city in order to solve a murder case.
Total read this month: 1, bringing total to 16.
JUNE
American Gods, by Neil Gaiman (2001)
Confusing and dark but interesting, as most of Gaiman's writing is.
Superman: Birthright, written by Mark Waid, illustrated by Lienil Francis Yu (2004)
A Smallville-inspired reimagining of Superman's origins.
The Infinity Gauntlet, written by Jim Starlin and illustrated by George Perez (1991)
The comic book storyline Avengers: Infinity War was based on. It was pretty terrible.
The Death of Captain America, written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Steve Epting (2008)
Following Civil War, Steve Rogers was assassinated.
The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton (1920)
A richly written story of New York high society of the 1870s, and what happens when convention is pitted against desire.
Superman: Red Son, by Mark Millar (2003)
What if Superman had landed in the USSR? This was excellent.
Not Without Laughter, by Langston Hughes (1930)
A deeply poetic novel about growing up black in a small city in southeastern Kansas early in the twentieth century.
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, by Karina Yan Glaser (2017)
A noisy, energetic large family tries to save themselves from eviction after their landlord decides to kick them out of their Harlem neighborhood in this wonderful children's novel.
Total read this month: 8, bringing total to 24.
JULY
Batman: Year One, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli (1987)
A reimagining of how Bruce Wayne became Batman.
Ironweed, by William Kennedy (1983)
In 1938 Albany, New York, a homeless alcoholic who played professional baseball long ago grapples with the errors of his past. Winner of the 1984 Pulitzer Prize.
'night, Mother, by Marsha Norman (1982)
A middle-aged woman argues with her difficult mother on the night she plans to commit suicide. Winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize.
Chapter Two, by Neil Simon (1977)
A widower and a divorcee find themselves navigating married life again after a whirlwind romance.
The Odd Couple, by Neil Simon (1966)
Two friends try not to kill one another after becoming roommates when their marriages fall apart.
A Dog's Purpose, by W. Bruce Cameron (2010)
A dog is reincarnated several times, including as a female search-and-rescue dog, eventually returning to reunite his boy, now an old man, marry his high school sweetheart. Nicholas Sparks with dogs, essentially, which isn't a bad thing, necessarily.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 30.
AUGUST
The Fast and the Furriest, by Andy Behrens (2010)
In this MG novel, an unathletic boy and his equally overweight Beagle fall head over heels for agility.
The Country of the Pointed Firs, by Sarah Orne Jewett (1896)
A woman writer goes on vacation in rural coastal Maine, and documents her experiences. Not much happens, but it's pleasant and worthwhile.
WLT: A Radio Romance, by Garrison Keillor (1991)
A history of the fictional AM radio station WLT .out of Minneapolis. It was interesting, though the ending is all wrong.
Spaghetti Breath, by Page McBrier (1989)
The third book of the Treehouse Times series, middle-school girls in suburban St Louis try to use their neighborhood newspaper to bring justice to a landlord withholding heat from his tenants in the middle of winter.
The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan (1989)
Four elderly Chinese immigrant mothers try to relate to their grown American daughters and vice versa. Interesting look at culture differences.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 35.
SEPTEMBER
The Road to Yesterday, by L.M. Montgomery (1970)
This posthumous short story collection was an abridgment of her final manuscript, which wasn't published in full until the late 2000s.
The Pillars of the Community, by Henrik Ibsen (1877), translated by Una Ellis-Formor (1950)
What makes a good man? Society's declarations that he is so, or his conscience?
The Wild Duck, by Henrik Ibsen (1884), translated by Una Ellis-Formor (1950)
In this depressing play Ibsen explores what makes life worth living.
Hedda Gabler, by Henrik Ibsen (1890), translated by Una Ellis-Formor (1950)
"Why do humans need some level of freedom mixed with their interconnectivity and dependence on others?' is the topic explored here.
The Shadow on the Dial, by Anne S. Lindbergh (1987)
Two siblings repeatedly time travel through history to improve the life of their great-uncle, becoming better people in the process.
A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968)
A young wizard battles depression in this classic fantasy novel, the beginning of a pioneering trilogy in Young Adult literature.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg (1989)
A woman in a nursing home tells stories of her hometown during the Depression in this charming work of Southern Gothic literature.
Total read this month: 7, bringing total to 42.
OCTOBER
The Fala Factor, by Stuart M. Kaminsky (1984)
The ninth book of the series featuring detective Toby Peters, who gets tasked by Eleanor Roosevelt to track down Fala the Scottie.
All the President's Pets: One Reporter Refused to Roll Over, by Mo Rocca (2004)
From a routine political journalism memoir into an outlandish spy mystery in seconds? I'd expect nothing less from a staff writer of Wishbone. Entertaining but dumb, this wasn't actually that good of a novel, but I still like him.
The Circle, by Dave Eggers (2013)
A new employee at a Big Tech Company unthinkingly leads the world into a tyrannical hostage situation in this dystopian novel.
Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale, written by Joss Whedon and Zack Whedon, illustrated by Chris Samnee (2010)
This graphic novel short story tells the backstory of Shepherd Derrial Book, which is as fascinating and complicated as would be expected.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total to 46.
NOVEMBER
The Complete Peanuts, Volume Four, 1957 to 1958, by Charles M. Schulz (2005)
The Great Pumpkin is introduced, and Snoopy is a vulture.
The Complete Peanuts, Volume Five, 1959 to 1960, by Charles M. Schulz (2006)
Sally Brown is born, and Charlie Brown gets a pencil pal.
Daredevil, Vol. 1, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Klaus Janson (2008)
A collection that spans 1978-1980, the beginning of the definitive era for the character of Matt Murdock/Daredevil. Especially for the time, very deep and satisfactory for a comic.
Coraline, by Neil Gaiman (2001)
A very creepy and well-done fairy tale about a little girl who exhibits remarkable bravery. G.K. Chesterton would approve.
The Hundred and One Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith (1956)
A perfect British fantasy about talking dogs out to save their puppies.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 51.
DECEMBER
The Penderwicks at Last, by Jeanne Birdsall (2018)
The fifth and final book of the series, this takes place about sixteen to eighteen years after the first, and deals with the preparations for Rose's wedding.
The Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen (1879)
A thought-provoking study of marital roles in society.
Titus Andronicus, by William Shakespeare (1590ish)
This was Shakespeare's first work, and exceptionally violent.
Love's Labours Lost, by William Shakespeare (1598)
Clever language is used to the utter exclusion of all action here in this comedy where nothing happens.
All Cats Go to Heaven, edited by Beth Brown (1960)
This is an anthology of short stories and essays all about cats. It was amazing.
Buffalo Girls, by Larry McMurtry (1990)
Calamity Jane and her friends struggle to cope with the reality that the Old West is nearly gone. in this introspective and bleak novel.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 56.
Total nonfiction estimated read this year: 47, bringing total for the year to around a hundred books.
Nonfiction of 2019
LATE DECEMBER
No nonfiction read during this time.
JANUARY
Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, by Charles Panati (1987)
Short recaps of the origins of everyday things, from bread to marbles to socks and sunscreen.
Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman (2013)
There's a lot of interesting science behind competitiveness.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 2.
FEBRUARY
Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn't Make Sense, by Paul David Tripp (2018)
Life doesn't make sense a lot of the time. Paul Tripp is always a worthwhile read.
"Daddy's Gone To War": The Second World War in the Eyes of America's Children, by William M. Tuttle Jr (1993)
This was a very interesting angle to approach it from, especially having read Our Mother's War about six months earlier.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir, by Bill Bryson (2006)
Bryson's account of growing up in the Iowa of the 1950s and 1960s. One of his better works.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 5.
MARCH
Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's, by Ray Kroc and Robert Anderson (1978)
Ray Kroc's autobiography. He was an appalling man.
Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings, by Diana Pavlac Glyer (2016)
Rewritten from a scholarly work as a condensed version of the same material for a general audience, this could have been better. It felt a little scattered and unfocused.
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business, by Dick Van Dyke and Todd Gold (2011)
This was pretty good for a celebrity memoir.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 8.
APRIL
Franklin: The Man Behind the United States Commando Dogs, by Matthew Duffy (2017)
This was awful writing, but interesting to see the level of detail that goes into training military-grade working dogs. Reviewed for Dog O'Day.
Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend, by Larry Tye (2009)
This was ponderous and fairly dull, but if you didn't know much about baseball it could have potentially been interesting.
Plane Insanity: A Flight Attendant's Tales of Sex, Rage and Queasiness at 30,000 Feet, by Elliott Hester (2001)
An interesting look at the life of flight attendants pre-9-11.
Vanished Arizona: Recollections of the Army Life of a New England Woman , by Martha Summerhayes (1908)
At her children's request, a woman retells in written form the stories of being an Army wife during the settling of the Old West. It's a good premise, but rather tiresome to read.
Lacrosse for Dummies, by Jim Hickson and Joe Lombardi (2010)
An explanation of the rules and tactics of the sport of lacrosse.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 13.
MAY
Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor, by Brad Gooch (2009)
A very thorough biography of Flannery O'Connor, contrary traditional Catholic, written by a gay atheist English professor. Odd juxtaposition, that, which she probably would have found amusing.
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, edited by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Marty Becker and Carol Kline (1998)
A variety of sweet and somewhat sappy small essays from a variety of people both obscure and famous.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 15.
JUNE
Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left to Know About a Galaxy Far, Far Away, by
A very thorough look at everything Star Wars, skimming across the surface of essentially every facet possible.
Buyology, by Martin Lindstrom and Peter Steele (2008)
An interesting look at the neuroscience of marketing.
In a Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson (2000)
Bill Bryson exploring through Australia. I want to go there now.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 18.
JULY
All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football and the Miracle Season, by Kurt Warner and Michael Silver (2000)
For a sports memoir, this was decent.
One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Afghanistan, by Pen Farthing (2009)
A British marine's story of how he started a rescue for abandoned dogs while serving very far away away from home.
The Garner Files: A Memoir, by James Garner and Jon Winokur (2011)
A memoir of James Garner. Very interesting and entertaining.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 21.
AUGUST
Roads: Driving America's Great Highways, by Larry McMurtry (2000)
He explores the highways of America, comparing them to the rivers the pioneers traversed.
84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff (1970)
A delightful book of letters between a freelance writer in New York City and the employees of a used bookstore in London, spanning twenty years.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 23.
SEPTEMBER
To Indy and Beyond: The Life of Racing Legend Jack Zink, by Dr. Bob L. Blackburn (2008)
A rather dull biography of 1950s IndyCar owner Jack Zink of Tulsa. Good to know for racing and state history, but not an enthralling read.
Concussion, by Jeanne Marie Laskas (2015)
The story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian immigrant who discovered the brain disease CTE, incurring the wrath of the NFL.
The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World, by Jere Longman (2000)
A thorough, riveting account of the 1999 Women's World Cup final.
Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV, by Brian Stelter (2013)
Behind the scenes of the battle for TV supremacy between The Today Show and Good Morning America.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total to 27.
OCTOBER
Duty: A Father, His Son and the Man who Won the War, by Bob Greene (2000)
Bob Greene deals with the passing of his father and learns more about the mindset of World War II soldiers thanks to his friendship with the pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives, by Tanya Biank (2005)
I've thought that about the only thing worse than being in the Army would be being married to someone who was. This book confirmed that impression, though it also provided an interesting look at how like works on a military base.
All the News Unfit to Print: How Things Were....and How They Were Reported, by Eric Burns (2009)
A lighthearted and breezy look at bad journalism, both intentional and accidental, throughout history.
Three Nights in August: Strategy, Heartbreak and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager, by Buzz Bissinger (2005)
A look at the St Louis Cardinals and manager Tony La Russa during one series in the middle of the 2003 National League season.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total to 31.
NOVEMBER
So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading, by Sara Nelson (2004)
An editor of a women's magazine (who's married to the production designer on Saturday Night Live) chronicles the books she read in a year, the ones she meant to read, and the ones life threw at her.
Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball, by Bob Costas (2001)
I don't care enough about baseball to care about Bob Costas' detailed plans to try to fix what ails Major League Baseball (didn't realize wild cards in the playoffs were a problem, for one), but I think enough time has passed that it can't be fixed. Which makes me slightly sad for him.
The Story of Oklahoma Newspapers, by L. Edward Carter (1984)
This was depressing, given the state of journalism in the past 35 years and the book's hopeful tone for the future..
Heretics, by G.K. Chesterton (1905)
Chesterton talks about his friends and contemporaries among writers and preachers of the day and explains why they're wrong.
The Andy Griffith Show, by Richard Kelly (1981)
A thorough, slightly dull history of the show.
A Bridge of Childhood: Truman Capote's Southern Years, by Marianne Moates (1989)
The author lived in Monroeville, Alabama around the time of To Kill a Mockingbird's publishing, and became friends with a cousin of Truman Capote's named Jennings Faulk. Jennings, Truman and Nelle's adventures as kids provided a lot of the inspiration for Jem, Scout and Dill.
X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe, by Michael Mallory (2011)
A nice general history of the X-Men, found at the Okmulgee Public Library book sale.
Ten Stupid Things Men Do to Mess Up Their Lives, by Dr. Laura Schlessinger (1997)
Most of this wasn't very applicable, since I'm not married or a parent, but it was all right.
Total read this month: 8, bringing total to 39.
DECEMBER
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, by Jacques Pepin (2003)
This was an interesting memoir, especially the parts about his WWII childhood and adventures as a young man.
Cronkite's War: His World War II Letters Home, edited by Walter Cronkite IV and Maurice Isserman (2013)
Excerpts from Walter Cronkite's letters to his wife as a young newspaper journalist in London during World War II. A side of the war we don't often think of.
The Art of Cars, by Michael Wallis (2006)
A look behind the scenes at the process of creating the art of Pixar's movie Cars.
The Art of Monsters University, by Karen Paik (2013)
A look behind the scenes at the process of creating the art of Pixar's Monsters University.
An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood, by Jimmy Carter (1999)
This was excellent, about growing up in the Depression/WWII in rural southwest Georgia.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2005)
This very exhaustive but mostly readable history of mid-nineteenth century politics is well worthy of the Pulitzer Prize..
The Dangerous Book for Dogs: A Parody, by Rex and Sparky (actually written by Joe Garden, Chris Pauls, Janet Ginsburg, Anita Serwacki and Scott Sherman; illustrated by Emily Flake) (2007)
A parody of The Dangerous Book for Boys, written by Onion and WordGirl staff writers, this includes chapters like "The Formal Rules of Fetch," "Creative Pee Stains," and "How to Make Your Owner Look Like an Idiot."
The Daring Book for Cats: A Parody, by Fluffy and Bonkers (actually written by Joe Garden, Janet Ginsburg, Chris Pauls, Anita Serwacki and Scott Sherman; illustrated by Emily Flake) (2008)
From a feline perspective, this parody of The Daring Book for Girls includes chapters like "The Laws of Petting," "Reasons You Meant to Do That," and "Cats and Arch-Villains."
King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus, by Tim Keller (2011)
The Gospel of Mark is kind of overlooked, making this an enjoyable and instructive read.
The Complete Shih Tzu, by Victor Joris (1994)
This rather dry history of the breed was informative.
Total read estimated this month: 10, bringing total for the year to at least 49.
Total fiction estimated read this year: 56, bringing total for the year to around 105.
No nonfiction read during this time.
JANUARY
Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, by Charles Panati (1987)
Short recaps of the origins of everyday things, from bread to marbles to socks and sunscreen.
Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman (2013)
There's a lot of interesting science behind competitiveness.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 2.
FEBRUARY
Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn't Make Sense, by Paul David Tripp (2018)
Life doesn't make sense a lot of the time. Paul Tripp is always a worthwhile read.
"Daddy's Gone To War": The Second World War in the Eyes of America's Children, by William M. Tuttle Jr (1993)
This was a very interesting angle to approach it from, especially having read Our Mother's War about six months earlier.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir, by Bill Bryson (2006)
Bryson's account of growing up in the Iowa of the 1950s and 1960s. One of his better works.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 5.
MARCH
Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's, by Ray Kroc and Robert Anderson (1978)
Ray Kroc's autobiography. He was an appalling man.
Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings, by Diana Pavlac Glyer (2016)
Rewritten from a scholarly work as a condensed version of the same material for a general audience, this could have been better. It felt a little scattered and unfocused.
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business, by Dick Van Dyke and Todd Gold (2011)
This was pretty good for a celebrity memoir.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 8.
APRIL
Franklin: The Man Behind the United States Commando Dogs, by Matthew Duffy (2017)
This was awful writing, but interesting to see the level of detail that goes into training military-grade working dogs. Reviewed for Dog O'Day.
Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend, by Larry Tye (2009)
This was ponderous and fairly dull, but if you didn't know much about baseball it could have potentially been interesting.
Plane Insanity: A Flight Attendant's Tales of Sex, Rage and Queasiness at 30,000 Feet, by Elliott Hester (2001)
An interesting look at the life of flight attendants pre-9-11.
Vanished Arizona: Recollections of the Army Life of a New England Woman , by Martha Summerhayes (1908)
At her children's request, a woman retells in written form the stories of being an Army wife during the settling of the Old West. It's a good premise, but rather tiresome to read.
Lacrosse for Dummies, by Jim Hickson and Joe Lombardi (2010)
An explanation of the rules and tactics of the sport of lacrosse.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 13.
MAY
Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor, by Brad Gooch (2009)
A very thorough biography of Flannery O'Connor, contrary traditional Catholic, written by a gay atheist English professor. Odd juxtaposition, that, which she probably would have found amusing.
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, edited by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Marty Becker and Carol Kline (1998)
A variety of sweet and somewhat sappy small essays from a variety of people both obscure and famous.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 15.
JUNE
Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left to Know About a Galaxy Far, Far Away, by
A very thorough look at everything Star Wars, skimming across the surface of essentially every facet possible.
Buyology, by Martin Lindstrom and Peter Steele (2008)
An interesting look at the neuroscience of marketing.
In a Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson (2000)
Bill Bryson exploring through Australia. I want to go there now.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 18.
JULY
All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football and the Miracle Season, by Kurt Warner and Michael Silver (2000)
For a sports memoir, this was decent.
One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Afghanistan, by Pen Farthing (2009)
A British marine's story of how he started a rescue for abandoned dogs while serving very far away away from home.
The Garner Files: A Memoir, by James Garner and Jon Winokur (2011)
A memoir of James Garner. Very interesting and entertaining.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 21.
AUGUST
Roads: Driving America's Great Highways, by Larry McMurtry (2000)
He explores the highways of America, comparing them to the rivers the pioneers traversed.
84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff (1970)
A delightful book of letters between a freelance writer in New York City and the employees of a used bookstore in London, spanning twenty years.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 23.
SEPTEMBER
To Indy and Beyond: The Life of Racing Legend Jack Zink, by Dr. Bob L. Blackburn (2008)
A rather dull biography of 1950s IndyCar owner Jack Zink of Tulsa. Good to know for racing and state history, but not an enthralling read.
Concussion, by Jeanne Marie Laskas (2015)
The story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian immigrant who discovered the brain disease CTE, incurring the wrath of the NFL.
The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World, by Jere Longman (2000)
A thorough, riveting account of the 1999 Women's World Cup final.
Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV, by Brian Stelter (2013)
Behind the scenes of the battle for TV supremacy between The Today Show and Good Morning America.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total to 27.
OCTOBER
Duty: A Father, His Son and the Man who Won the War, by Bob Greene (2000)
Bob Greene deals with the passing of his father and learns more about the mindset of World War II soldiers thanks to his friendship with the pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives, by Tanya Biank (2005)
I've thought that about the only thing worse than being in the Army would be being married to someone who was. This book confirmed that impression, though it also provided an interesting look at how like works on a military base.
All the News Unfit to Print: How Things Were....and How They Were Reported, by Eric Burns (2009)
A lighthearted and breezy look at bad journalism, both intentional and accidental, throughout history.
Three Nights in August: Strategy, Heartbreak and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager, by Buzz Bissinger (2005)
A look at the St Louis Cardinals and manager Tony La Russa during one series in the middle of the 2003 National League season.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total to 31.
NOVEMBER
So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading, by Sara Nelson (2004)
An editor of a women's magazine (who's married to the production designer on Saturday Night Live) chronicles the books she read in a year, the ones she meant to read, and the ones life threw at her.
Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball, by Bob Costas (2001)
I don't care enough about baseball to care about Bob Costas' detailed plans to try to fix what ails Major League Baseball (didn't realize wild cards in the playoffs were a problem, for one), but I think enough time has passed that it can't be fixed. Which makes me slightly sad for him.
The Story of Oklahoma Newspapers, by L. Edward Carter (1984)
This was depressing, given the state of journalism in the past 35 years and the book's hopeful tone for the future..
Heretics, by G.K. Chesterton (1905)
Chesterton talks about his friends and contemporaries among writers and preachers of the day and explains why they're wrong.
The Andy Griffith Show, by Richard Kelly (1981)
A thorough, slightly dull history of the show.
A Bridge of Childhood: Truman Capote's Southern Years, by Marianne Moates (1989)
The author lived in Monroeville, Alabama around the time of To Kill a Mockingbird's publishing, and became friends with a cousin of Truman Capote's named Jennings Faulk. Jennings, Truman and Nelle's adventures as kids provided a lot of the inspiration for Jem, Scout and Dill.
X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe, by Michael Mallory (2011)
A nice general history of the X-Men, found at the Okmulgee Public Library book sale.
Ten Stupid Things Men Do to Mess Up Their Lives, by Dr. Laura Schlessinger (1997)
Most of this wasn't very applicable, since I'm not married or a parent, but it was all right.
Total read this month: 8, bringing total to 39.
DECEMBER
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, by Jacques Pepin (2003)
This was an interesting memoir, especially the parts about his WWII childhood and adventures as a young man.
Cronkite's War: His World War II Letters Home, edited by Walter Cronkite IV and Maurice Isserman (2013)
Excerpts from Walter Cronkite's letters to his wife as a young newspaper journalist in London during World War II. A side of the war we don't often think of.
The Art of Cars, by Michael Wallis (2006)
A look behind the scenes at the process of creating the art of Pixar's movie Cars.
The Art of Monsters University, by Karen Paik (2013)
A look behind the scenes at the process of creating the art of Pixar's Monsters University.
An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood, by Jimmy Carter (1999)
This was excellent, about growing up in the Depression/WWII in rural southwest Georgia.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2005)
This very exhaustive but mostly readable history of mid-nineteenth century politics is well worthy of the Pulitzer Prize..
The Dangerous Book for Dogs: A Parody, by Rex and Sparky (actually written by Joe Garden, Chris Pauls, Janet Ginsburg, Anita Serwacki and Scott Sherman; illustrated by Emily Flake) (2007)
A parody of The Dangerous Book for Boys, written by Onion and WordGirl staff writers, this includes chapters like "The Formal Rules of Fetch," "Creative Pee Stains," and "How to Make Your Owner Look Like an Idiot."
The Daring Book for Cats: A Parody, by Fluffy and Bonkers (actually written by Joe Garden, Janet Ginsburg, Chris Pauls, Anita Serwacki and Scott Sherman; illustrated by Emily Flake) (2008)
From a feline perspective, this parody of The Daring Book for Girls includes chapters like "The Laws of Petting," "Reasons You Meant to Do That," and "Cats and Arch-Villains."
King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus, by Tim Keller (2011)
The Gospel of Mark is kind of overlooked, making this an enjoyable and instructive read.
The Complete Shih Tzu, by Victor Joris (1994)
This rather dry history of the breed was informative.
Total read estimated this month: 10, bringing total for the year to at least 49.
Total fiction estimated read this year: 56, bringing total for the year to around 105.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
November Already?
How is it already early November? (Guess that's what happens when you don't do much that's all that exciting.) On the other hand, I don't have to feel bad about playing my Christmas playlists on Pandora and Spotify.
RSU had a staged reading of two Agatha Christie radio plays last weekend, so of course I was all over that. They did great, and it was great to see Andrew and Kessiah again. Also saw David, but didn't have a chance to say hi.
Hadn't been back in Claremore since the production of Texaco Mornings last year. Of course had the nasty "I haven't prepared enough" feeling being in the audience, since it was held in the Baird Performance Studio AND it was a theater performance, but it was kind of comforting that I still had that reaction. I didn't fit with Claremore at all, but in that context and on that campus, I belong.
The Okmulgee Public Library's annual book sale in September went pretty well, it raised around two thousand dollars, and either through customers, volunteers or reselling at Gardner's, around six thousand books were properly moved or disposed of.
The NASCAR season is almost over, thank goodness. (FAR TOO LONG, far too predictable.) I'm not going to be covering it at Frontstretch next season, since I'm kind of burned out. But they've been great people to work with, and maybe in 2021 I'll be back. I don't know, we'll see.
I know a lot about sports, but I don't care enough about them to invest so much time and energy into covering them regularly. So somewhere like Grantland or Deadspin, which does a mix of sports and pop culture, would probably be a good fit. (Oh, wait - neither of those sites exist anymore. Dang it.)
On the other hand, hockey season is in full swing, and the Thunder are off to a surprisingly solid start the post-Russell Westbrook era.
Currently reading a bunch of nonfiction - in the middle of Chesterton's Heretics (the precursor to Orthodoxy), a book of Walter Cronkite's WWII letters to his wife, and several nonfiction works about dogs to review for Dog O'Day.
FINALLY watched Seabiscuit, which was extremely well-made, I liked it just as much as I figured I would. Cautiously curious about Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker in December, but since the future Star Wars plans seem to be Disney Plus TV shows, those seem like they would work much better.
Been meeting with Steven over coffee to discuss 1 Thessalonians, that's been going okay, lot less awkward than I expected a "Hey, let's do a Bible study!" to be.
RSU had a staged reading of two Agatha Christie radio plays last weekend, so of course I was all over that. They did great, and it was great to see Andrew and Kessiah again. Also saw David, but didn't have a chance to say hi.
Hadn't been back in Claremore since the production of Texaco Mornings last year. Of course had the nasty "I haven't prepared enough" feeling being in the audience, since it was held in the Baird Performance Studio AND it was a theater performance, but it was kind of comforting that I still had that reaction. I didn't fit with Claremore at all, but in that context and on that campus, I belong.
The Okmulgee Public Library's annual book sale in September went pretty well, it raised around two thousand dollars, and either through customers, volunteers or reselling at Gardner's, around six thousand books were properly moved or disposed of.
The NASCAR season is almost over, thank goodness. (FAR TOO LONG, far too predictable.) I'm not going to be covering it at Frontstretch next season, since I'm kind of burned out. But they've been great people to work with, and maybe in 2021 I'll be back. I don't know, we'll see.
I know a lot about sports, but I don't care enough about them to invest so much time and energy into covering them regularly. So somewhere like Grantland or Deadspin, which does a mix of sports and pop culture, would probably be a good fit. (Oh, wait - neither of those sites exist anymore. Dang it.)
On the other hand, hockey season is in full swing, and the Thunder are off to a surprisingly solid start the post-Russell Westbrook era.
Currently reading a bunch of nonfiction - in the middle of Chesterton's Heretics (the precursor to Orthodoxy), a book of Walter Cronkite's WWII letters to his wife, and several nonfiction works about dogs to review for Dog O'Day.
FINALLY watched Seabiscuit, which was extremely well-made, I liked it just as much as I figured I would. Cautiously curious about Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker in December, but since the future Star Wars plans seem to be Disney Plus TV shows, those seem like they would work much better.
Been meeting with Steven over coffee to discuss 1 Thessalonians, that's been going okay, lot less awkward than I expected a "Hey, let's do a Bible study!" to be.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
July
Trevor, Mom and Amy are in Minnesota for the Junior Nationals competition. It takes a while to feed all the animals (there IS a point where there are too many cats and dogs). Caleb and I are doing okay.
Camp will be next week, on Monday, and then Caleb leaves for New Mexico on Thursday. It hurts not being able to be there. Wish I knew why.
The oven is broken, and the dishwasher isn't working, either. Handwashing everything takes a lot of energy and effort, far more so than you'd imagine. This comes on top of the clothes washer semi-working and the van having an awful week (Dad did something to it all day yesterday, working okay for now.)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sixth season is disappointing so far, though it's cool that I get to review it each week for Bam Smack Pow, and daily bring smiles to people's faces with cute fluffy dog stories for Dog O'Day. But at the same time, it feels a little pointless, not to mention frustrating, holed up away on my laptop all the time.
Interaction with people is necessary sometimes, too. Are they sometimes hard to deal with? Sure, but variety is important as well.
Relient K's "Be My Escape" and Avril Lavigne's "Head Above Water" have been stuck in my head the last few days.
Camp will be next week, on Monday, and then Caleb leaves for New Mexico on Thursday. It hurts not being able to be there. Wish I knew why.
The oven is broken, and the dishwasher isn't working, either. Handwashing everything takes a lot of energy and effort, far more so than you'd imagine. This comes on top of the clothes washer semi-working and the van having an awful week (Dad did something to it all day yesterday, working okay for now.)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sixth season is disappointing so far, though it's cool that I get to review it each week for Bam Smack Pow, and daily bring smiles to people's faces with cute fluffy dog stories for Dog O'Day. But at the same time, it feels a little pointless, not to mention frustrating, holed up away on my laptop all the time.
Interaction with people is necessary sometimes, too. Are they sometimes hard to deal with? Sure, but variety is important as well.
Relient K's "Be My Escape" and Avril Lavigne's "Head Above Water" have been stuck in my head the last few days.
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Today's Events
According to Facebook, six years ago on this day I X-rayed Robbie's elderly cat Tigger after the dogs roughed her up. That was a strange night.
Two years ago on this day in Pop Market we wrote inclass flashfiction plays and cold-read our way through them. In mine, a couple finally had to put down their sick dog. In another, I played a grandmother with dementia. (That was kinda fun.)
Last year on this day, my play Texaco Mornings was being performed by RSU Theater, and Ashland came down to see it. That was a good weekend.
Today Mom and I went to go see Captain Marvel, which was very good. Maybe the best origin story the MCU has had, Carol Danvers is now one of my favorite MCU characters.
Two years ago on this day in Pop Market we wrote inclass flashfiction plays and cold-read our way through them. In mine, a couple finally had to put down their sick dog. In another, I played a grandmother with dementia. (That was kinda fun.)
Last year on this day, my play Texaco Mornings was being performed by RSU Theater, and Ashland came down to see it. That was a good weekend.
Today Mom and I went to go see Captain Marvel, which was very good. Maybe the best origin story the MCU has had, Carol Danvers is now one of my favorite MCU characters.
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Movies of 2018
JANUARY
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
This was amazing, and Michael Keaton as the Vulture is the second-best MCU villain ever.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Very weird, and extremely intense. Leaves you with a lot to chew on afterwards.
Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009)
This cast is loaded - Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Seth Rogen, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and Hugh Laurie. It's a fun movie, and quotable, but otherwise forgettable.
Quigley Down Under (1990)
A Wyoming sharpshooter faces off with a corrupt land baron in Australia in this brutal Tom Selleck Western.
X-Men (2000)
This movie kickstarted the superhero genre, more or less. It's weird. But Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Ian McKellen as Magneto was great casting.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
A unfunny parody of Chinatown using cartoon characters; while it paved the way for Space Jam, it definitely didn't live up to the hype.
Spotlight (2015)
Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo are part of a team of investigative journalists at the Boston Globe working on a huge-scale story of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. It's a somber movie, but worth watching.
High School Musical (2006)
A goofy, throwaway cult classic.
Bridge of Spies (2015)
Tom Hanks stars in this movie about the intricacies of Cold War prisoner exchanges.
Sing (2016)
In an anthropomorphic animal-ized Los Angeles, a theater owner puts on a singing competition. Cat includes Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johannson and John C. Reilly.
A Bug's Life (1998)
An eccentric inventor ant must save his colony from the enslavement of grasshoppers, with the help of troupe of semi-employed circus performers.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Will Ferrell is a NASCAR driver. The plot is pretty self-explanatory.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Robin Williams is an eccentric English teacher at a hidebound 1959 New England boarding school in this sad drama.
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman star in this perfect movie about a woman who gains a family by pretending to be the fiancee of a man in a coma.
Fantastic Four (2015)
Yeesh. Even worse than the first two, this reboot makes everyone ultraserious, explains no background, and all the main characters are one-dimensional and pissed off.
Total watched this month: 15.
FEBRUARY
The Hunger Games (2012)
This worked fairly well as an adaptation.
The Princess Bride (1987)
S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure.
Black Panther (2018)
T'Challa begins his reign as Wakanda's king.
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 18.
MARCH
Rewatch of Black Panther.
Ferdinand (2017)
A very loose adaptation of Munro Leaf's classic picture book, starring John Cena, Kate McKinnon and Peyton Manning. I really liked it a lot.
Justice League (2017)
Joss Whedon's direction made this watchable. Being part of the DCEU, it was still a mess, but with soem glimmer of future redemption.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
I hated this movie when I saw it in theaters. I still hated it on rewatch.
Ready Player One (2018)
The much-streamlined and improved adaptation of Ernest Cline's dystopian novel about a treasure hunt for control of the Internet.
Apollo 13 (1995)
Directed by Ron Howard, it stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise and Bill Paxton as astronauts in this enthralling historical account of the moon landing that never happened.
Total watched this month: 5, bringing total to 23.
APRIL
The Village (2004)
A very thinky Gothic suspense/horror movie with a loaded cast, starring Bryce Dallas Howard.
Iron Man (2008)
Everyone has to start somewhere.
The Incredible Hulk (2009)
Edward Norton is a much better Bruce Banner than Mark Ruffalo. This is a fugitive movie, and very forgotten.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Thanos is finally here...
Total watched this month: 4, bringing total to 27.
MAY
Rewatch of Avengers: Infinity War
The Big Sleep (1946)
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall star in this movie based on a Raymond Chandler novel.
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)
Not as good as the first, definitely better than the second, most of the cast looked like they felt incredibly out of place. Also, the dance numbers lost all hope of connecting to reality.
Bringing Up Baby (1940)
Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, a leopard, and lightning-paced screwball hijinks. What else do you need?
The Greatest Showman (2017)
A fanciful, not-particularly-accurate biography of P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), also starring Zendaya and Zac Efron.
12 Strong (2018)
A war movie starring John Krasinski and Michael Pena about the first action of the War on Terror.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
This movie....exists. It falls into 3-A in terms of chronology.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones' first - and probably best - adventure./
Rewatch of While You Were Sleeping
Total watched this month: 7, bringing total to 34.
JUNE
Incredibles 2 (2018)
This sequel really didn't need to be made. It wasn't bad, but really could have benefited from a timejump instead of picking up literally seconds after the first movie ended.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Based on Michael Crichton's novel, this might be even better. Certainly much more terrifying.
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
The spirit of the novel was kept extremely well in this film that stars and is directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 37.
JULY
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
This was much better than the first one - following Captain America: Civil War, and set at least partially concurrent to Avengers: Infinity War, Scott and Hope try to rescue Janet Van Dyne from the Quantum Realm.
Total watched this month: 1, bringing total to 38.
AUGUST
Turner and Hooch (1989)
This was an odd movie. Slow-paced, thoughtful, boring, part murder-mystery and part odd-couple comedy, it's extremely violent and has way too much of Tom Hanks in his underwear.
Hotel for Dogs (2009)
Emma Roberts and Don Cheadle star in this movie about a group of teenagers who commit a litany of crimes in the name of rescuing dogs across the city.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
Based on the 2008 novel, this story is sharper different because of the different medium, but an enjoyable, though rather slow, watch.
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 41.
SEPTEMBER
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
Very thoughtful, if not particularly accurate, look at how Walt Disney secured the rights to adapt P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins. Tom Hanks is a great actor, and it was beautifully filmed.
Crisis on Earth-X (2017)
Not technically a film, or if so, a TV movie, this is a massive Arrowverse crossover across episodes of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow. Nazis and doppelgangers are always good antagonists.
Rewatch of The Village
The Truman Show (1998)
A man's whole life is broadcast as a hit reality show, and he has no idea.
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 44.
OCTOBER
Skyscraper (2018)
This movie was very average. Starred The Rock, which is something, but the plot was too simple, the script was terrible, and the acting for the most part was uninspired.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Gothic elements were introduced after Isla Nublar's dinosaurs are no more due to a volcanic explosion. It was easily the best since the original.
New York Minute (2004)
Mix Ferris Bueller with Legally Blonde, and you have the final Olsen twins movie, which is lightweight, thoroughly ridiculous, extremely problematic if thought about for more than twenty seconds and entirely watchable.
Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch (2002)
Andrea and Buddy join the Fernfield Junior High baseball team as they try to adjust to life without Josh, who's now at college.
Total watched this month: 4, bringing total to 48.
NOVEMBER
Stardust (2007)
This is loosely based on a Neil Gaiman novel of the same name, it's an odd but mostly satisfying fairy tale.
Miracle (2004)
A mostly-faithful retelling of the Miracle on Ice starring Kurt Russell.
Newsies: The Broadway Musical (2017)
This was a filmed version of a hugely successful stage musical based on a film that flopped horribly 25 years ago, based on the newsboys strike of 1899.
Air Bud: World Pup (2000)
Josh and Buddy take on soccer for Fernfield High, because of a pretty British girl on the team - and she has a Golden Retriever!
Air Bud Spikes Back (2002)
Andrea and Buddy learn volleyball one summer after Tammy moves to California.
Total watched this month: 5, bringing total to 53.
DECEMBER
Air Buddies (2006)
Buddy's puppies can talk, and they need to rescue their parents from a kidnapper.
The Search for Santa Paws (2011)
This was terrible, even by the admittedly-low standards of Christmas movies.
Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups (2012)
Also thoroughly terrible and pointless.
It's a Wonderful Life (1947)
The Jimmy Stewart Christmas classic.
Little Women (2018)
This adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel is set in modern times and stars High School Musical's Lucas Grabeel as Laurie and Lea Thompson as Marmee, with Mandy Moore, Anne Hathaway and Shailene Woodley lookalikes as Meg, Jo and Beth. It worked really well and captured the tone of the book perfectly.
Rewatch of Avengers: Infinity War
Rewatch of Ant-Man and the Wasp
Total watched this month: 5, bringing total to for the year.to 58
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
This was amazing, and Michael Keaton as the Vulture is the second-best MCU villain ever.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Very weird, and extremely intense. Leaves you with a lot to chew on afterwards.
Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009)
This cast is loaded - Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Seth Rogen, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and Hugh Laurie. It's a fun movie, and quotable, but otherwise forgettable.
Quigley Down Under (1990)
A Wyoming sharpshooter faces off with a corrupt land baron in Australia in this brutal Tom Selleck Western.
X-Men (2000)
This movie kickstarted the superhero genre, more or less. It's weird. But Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Ian McKellen as Magneto was great casting.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
A unfunny parody of Chinatown using cartoon characters; while it paved the way for Space Jam, it definitely didn't live up to the hype.
Spotlight (2015)
Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo are part of a team of investigative journalists at the Boston Globe working on a huge-scale story of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. It's a somber movie, but worth watching.
High School Musical (2006)
A goofy, throwaway cult classic.
Bridge of Spies (2015)
Tom Hanks stars in this movie about the intricacies of Cold War prisoner exchanges.
Sing (2016)
In an anthropomorphic animal-ized Los Angeles, a theater owner puts on a singing competition. Cat includes Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johannson and John C. Reilly.
A Bug's Life (1998)
An eccentric inventor ant must save his colony from the enslavement of grasshoppers, with the help of troupe of semi-employed circus performers.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Will Ferrell is a NASCAR driver. The plot is pretty self-explanatory.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Robin Williams is an eccentric English teacher at a hidebound 1959 New England boarding school in this sad drama.
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman star in this perfect movie about a woman who gains a family by pretending to be the fiancee of a man in a coma.
Fantastic Four (2015)
Yeesh. Even worse than the first two, this reboot makes everyone ultraserious, explains no background, and all the main characters are one-dimensional and pissed off.
Total watched this month: 15.
FEBRUARY
The Hunger Games (2012)
This worked fairly well as an adaptation.
The Princess Bride (1987)
S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure.
Black Panther (2018)
T'Challa begins his reign as Wakanda's king.
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 18.
MARCH
Rewatch of Black Panther.
Ferdinand (2017)
A very loose adaptation of Munro Leaf's classic picture book, starring John Cena, Kate McKinnon and Peyton Manning. I really liked it a lot.
Justice League (2017)
Joss Whedon's direction made this watchable. Being part of the DCEU, it was still a mess, but with soem glimmer of future redemption.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
I hated this movie when I saw it in theaters. I still hated it on rewatch.
Ready Player One (2018)
The much-streamlined and improved adaptation of Ernest Cline's dystopian novel about a treasure hunt for control of the Internet.
Apollo 13 (1995)
Directed by Ron Howard, it stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise and Bill Paxton as astronauts in this enthralling historical account of the moon landing that never happened.
Total watched this month: 5, bringing total to 23.
APRIL
The Village (2004)
A very thinky Gothic suspense/horror movie with a loaded cast, starring Bryce Dallas Howard.
Iron Man (2008)
Everyone has to start somewhere.
The Incredible Hulk (2009)
Edward Norton is a much better Bruce Banner than Mark Ruffalo. This is a fugitive movie, and very forgotten.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Thanos is finally here...
Total watched this month: 4, bringing total to 27.
MAY
Rewatch of Avengers: Infinity War
The Big Sleep (1946)
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall star in this movie based on a Raymond Chandler novel.
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)
Not as good as the first, definitely better than the second, most of the cast looked like they felt incredibly out of place. Also, the dance numbers lost all hope of connecting to reality.
Bringing Up Baby (1940)
Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, a leopard, and lightning-paced screwball hijinks. What else do you need?
The Greatest Showman (2017)
A fanciful, not-particularly-accurate biography of P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), also starring Zendaya and Zac Efron.
12 Strong (2018)
A war movie starring John Krasinski and Michael Pena about the first action of the War on Terror.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
This movie....exists. It falls into 3-A in terms of chronology.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones' first - and probably best - adventure./
Rewatch of While You Were Sleeping
Total watched this month: 7, bringing total to 34.
JUNE
Incredibles 2 (2018)
This sequel really didn't need to be made. It wasn't bad, but really could have benefited from a timejump instead of picking up literally seconds after the first movie ended.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Based on Michael Crichton's novel, this might be even better. Certainly much more terrifying.
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
The spirit of the novel was kept extremely well in this film that stars and is directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 37.
JULY
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
This was much better than the first one - following Captain America: Civil War, and set at least partially concurrent to Avengers: Infinity War, Scott and Hope try to rescue Janet Van Dyne from the Quantum Realm.
Total watched this month: 1, bringing total to 38.
AUGUST
Turner and Hooch (1989)
This was an odd movie. Slow-paced, thoughtful, boring, part murder-mystery and part odd-couple comedy, it's extremely violent and has way too much of Tom Hanks in his underwear.
Hotel for Dogs (2009)
Emma Roberts and Don Cheadle star in this movie about a group of teenagers who commit a litany of crimes in the name of rescuing dogs across the city.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
Based on the 2008 novel, this story is sharper different because of the different medium, but an enjoyable, though rather slow, watch.
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 41.
SEPTEMBER
Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
Very thoughtful, if not particularly accurate, look at how Walt Disney secured the rights to adapt P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins. Tom Hanks is a great actor, and it was beautifully filmed.
Crisis on Earth-X (2017)
Not technically a film, or if so, a TV movie, this is a massive Arrowverse crossover across episodes of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow. Nazis and doppelgangers are always good antagonists.
Rewatch of The Village
The Truman Show (1998)
A man's whole life is broadcast as a hit reality show, and he has no idea.
Total watched this month: 3, bringing total to 44.
OCTOBER
Skyscraper (2018)
This movie was very average. Starred The Rock, which is something, but the plot was too simple, the script was terrible, and the acting for the most part was uninspired.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Gothic elements were introduced after Isla Nublar's dinosaurs are no more due to a volcanic explosion. It was easily the best since the original.
New York Minute (2004)
Mix Ferris Bueller with Legally Blonde, and you have the final Olsen twins movie, which is lightweight, thoroughly ridiculous, extremely problematic if thought about for more than twenty seconds and entirely watchable.
Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch (2002)
Andrea and Buddy join the Fernfield Junior High baseball team as they try to adjust to life without Josh, who's now at college.
Total watched this month: 4, bringing total to 48.
NOVEMBER
Stardust (2007)
This is loosely based on a Neil Gaiman novel of the same name, it's an odd but mostly satisfying fairy tale.
Miracle (2004)
A mostly-faithful retelling of the Miracle on Ice starring Kurt Russell.
Newsies: The Broadway Musical (2017)
This was a filmed version of a hugely successful stage musical based on a film that flopped horribly 25 years ago, based on the newsboys strike of 1899.
Air Bud: World Pup (2000)
Josh and Buddy take on soccer for Fernfield High, because of a pretty British girl on the team - and she has a Golden Retriever!
Air Bud Spikes Back (2002)
Andrea and Buddy learn volleyball one summer after Tammy moves to California.
Total watched this month: 5, bringing total to 53.
DECEMBER
Air Buddies (2006)
Buddy's puppies can talk, and they need to rescue their parents from a kidnapper.
The Search for Santa Paws (2011)
This was terrible, even by the admittedly-low standards of Christmas movies.
Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups (2012)
Also thoroughly terrible and pointless.
It's a Wonderful Life (1947)
The Jimmy Stewart Christmas classic.
Little Women (2018)
This adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel is set in modern times and stars High School Musical's Lucas Grabeel as Laurie and Lea Thompson as Marmee, with Mandy Moore, Anne Hathaway and Shailene Woodley lookalikes as Meg, Jo and Beth. It worked really well and captured the tone of the book perfectly.
Rewatch of Avengers: Infinity War
Rewatch of Ant-Man and the Wasp
Total watched this month: 5, bringing total to for the year.to 58
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
The Best of 2018
Favorite Memory -
It was really great to see Ashland in March, and it was also pretty great to see a play I wrote performed onstage. Very good to see Dr. Mackie, David and Andrew, too. That was a good weekend. Good to catch up with Susan over lunch once during the summer, too.
Favorite Country Song -
"Five More Minutes" by Scotty McCreery. Other good ones: Luke Bryan's "Most People Are Good," Kenny Chesney's "Get Along" and Keith Urban's "Female."
Favorite Non-Country Song -
I'm gonna go with Taylor Swift's "Delicate" here.
Favorite Movie Seen in Theaters -
Avengers: Infinity War has to go here, because of its enormity. But there was a lot to choose from: Black Panther, Ready Player One, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Incredibles 2, Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Favorite New Movie Not Seen in Theaters -
Basically, this just means "2018 movies not seen in theaters" because there's not that many that come to the nearest theater. Skyscraper, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Little Women all qualify. Fallen Kingdom wins, though Little Women was surprisingly not terrible when translated into modern times.
Favorite YouTube Channel -
Gotta be Editing is Everything. That girl Dani is a genius.
There wasn't much that happened this year, really. I covered NASCAR for Frontstretch, superhero TV/movies for Bam Smack Pow, and wrote most of the content for Dog O'Day as site co-expert (editor).
It was really great to see Ashland in March, and it was also pretty great to see a play I wrote performed onstage. Very good to see Dr. Mackie, David and Andrew, too. That was a good weekend. Good to catch up with Susan over lunch once during the summer, too.
Favorite Country Song -
"Five More Minutes" by Scotty McCreery. Other good ones: Luke Bryan's "Most People Are Good," Kenny Chesney's "Get Along" and Keith Urban's "Female."
Favorite Non-Country Song -
I'm gonna go with Taylor Swift's "Delicate" here.
Favorite Movie Seen in Theaters -
Avengers: Infinity War has to go here, because of its enormity. But there was a lot to choose from: Black Panther, Ready Player One, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Incredibles 2, Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Favorite New Movie Not Seen in Theaters -
Basically, this just means "2018 movies not seen in theaters" because there's not that many that come to the nearest theater. Skyscraper, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Little Women all qualify. Fallen Kingdom wins, though Little Women was surprisingly not terrible when translated into modern times.
Favorite YouTube Channel -
Gotta be Editing is Everything. That girl Dani is a genius.
There wasn't much that happened this year, really. I covered NASCAR for Frontstretch, superhero TV/movies for Bam Smack Pow, and wrote most of the content for Dog O'Day as site co-expert (editor).
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Nonfiction of 2018
LATE DECEMBER
Mandolin for Dummies, by Don Julin (2011)
A very good how-to-play-mandolin manual.
Total read so far: 1.
JANUARY
Portrait of Canada, by June Callwood (1981)
A quick history of the country, focusing mainly on political disputes.
A Friday Night Lights Companion: Love, Loss and Football in Dillon, Texas, edited by Leah Wilson (2011)
Essays and commentary on the show.
Grammar Essentials for Dummies, by Geraldine Woods (2010)
Exactly what you'd expect from the title.
Girls of Summer: In Their Own League, by Lois Browne (1992)
A breezy history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League written for the non-sports fan.
Total Truth: Liberating Christianity From its Cultural Captivity, by Nancy Pearcey (2004)
This was one of Courtney's books from the Challies internship. It was pretty good for a book on philosophy.
I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away, by Bill Bryson (1999)
This is a collection of columns written for a British magazine, about the daily life of an American expat returning to life in the States.
Total read this month: 6, bringing nonfiction total to 7.
FEBRUARY
The World According to Star Wars, by Cass R. Sunstein (2016)
Written by a law professor, this is equal parts analysis about the sci-fi megafranchise and the complexities of determining constitutional law.
Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel, by Ben Batchelor (2017)
A well-researched but inconsistently-paced biography.
Now All We Need is a Title: Famous Book Titles and How They Got That Way, by Andre Bernard (1995)
Short anecdotes about how famous and obscure books got their titles, and examples of the (usually much less compelling) working titles.
The Tarantula in My Purse: And 172 Other Wild Pets, by Jean Craighead George (1996)
A memoir of all the exotic pets she and her children raised.
The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverent Guide to the Classics from Homer to Faulkner, by Sandra Newman (2012)
If Dr. Mackie was feeling really snarky, she could have totally written this. It was entertaining and informative, though I disagreed with the author on a lot of the writers that I'd read (for example, Kipling, Twain and Faulkner are all fantastic).
Total read this month: 5, bringing nonfiction total to 12..
MARCH
The Not-So-Lost Soul Companion: More Hope, Strength, and Strategies for Artists and Artists-at-Heart, by Susan M. Brackney (2002)
A little too fluffy to be useful, in small packages it might be inspiring.
The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life, by Os Guinness (1998)
This was well worth reading.
Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways for Creating Work that You Love, by Barbara J. Winter (1993)
This felt a little too "rah rah rah" to be helpful, not to mention dated, but it might be helpful for some people.
A Dab of Dickens and a Touch of Twain: Literary Lives from Shakespeare's Old England to Frost's New England, by Eliot Engel (2002)
This is It Happened in America, only about famous authors. It's great.
Making Movies, by Sidney Lumet (1995)
The director of Long Day's Journey Into Night talks about the storytelling process. A little dull, honestly.
Never Leave Your Block: Adventures in Urban Living, by Scott Jacobs (2012)
A Chicago journalist chronicles the happenings in his neighborhood in this collection of essays.
Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father, by John Matteson (2012)
An exhausting, thoroughly well-researched and well-written biography of two passionate, strong-willed people.
Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will, by Kevin DeYoung (2009)
Extremely helpful book.
Total read this month: 8, bringing total to 20.
APRIL
Cary Grant: A Biography, by Marc Eliot (2004)
I was disappointed by this one, after enjoying the author's book about Ronald Reagan.
One Summer: America, 1927, by Bill Bryson (2013)
A look at the American summer of 1927. Lots happened, including Charles Lindbergh's flight over the Atlantic.
A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson (1998)
The author recounts his experience of trying to conquer the Appalachian Trail.
Sports From Hell: My Search for the World's Dumbest Competition, by Rick Reilly (2009)
Did you know chess boxing exists? Me neither.
Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary, by Roger Ebert (1999)
The title says it all...TV Tropes before the internet was really much of a thing.
Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale, by Dan Dye, Mark Beckloff and Richard Simon (2000)
A memoir of a deaf albino Great Dane and the gourmet dog-biscuit company she and her owners founded.
Unfamiliar Fishes, by Sarah Vowell (2011)
A history of Hawaii from Captain Cook to American annexation, written by the historian/radio personality who is the voice of Violet Parr.
For the Love of Books: 115 Celebrated Writers on the Books They Love Most, collected by Ronald B. Schwartz (1998)
Most of these writers I had never heard of, and I doubt I'll ever read Moby Dick or The Brothers Karamazov, but it was interesting to see what books had an impact on them.
Bigger Than the Game: Bo, Boz, the Punky QB, and How the '80's Created the Modern Athlete, by Michael Weinreb (2011)
A very interesting, though also depressing, history and analysis of the 1980's and its impact on pop culture and sports.
Total read this month: 9, bringing total to 29.
MAY
Aspects of the Novel, by E.M. Forster (1927)
E.M. Forster tries to define the elements of a novel as a guest speaker at Yale. Very interesting.
How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster (2003)
This would have been very helpful when starting college. Funny and well-written, too,
Hang Time: Days and Dreams with Michael Jordan, by Bob Greene (1992)
You always hear about Michael Jordan the basketball player - otherwordly excellent. Michael Jordan the advertising guy - otherworldly excellent. Michael Jordan the baseball player - kind of a disappointment. Michael Jordan the owner/player - rather depressing and pitiful. But you never get to hear about Michael Jordan the human. Bob Greene became friends with him, because he wasn't a sportswriter, and he could listen well.
Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen: Reflections at Sixty and Beyond, by Larry McMurtry (1999)
Reflections on living in north-central Texas, ranching, reading and writing fill this meandering but pleasant read.
Prime-Time Hits: Television's Most Popular Network Programs, 1950 to the Present, by Susan Sackett (1993)
A short overview of the history of top 10 TV shows each decade from the early days to the early nineties.
Travels, by Michael Crichton (1988)
Crichton's journey of trying to understand himself and the world, featuring essays on subjects as varied as medical school, mountain climbing, living in Hollywood and mysticism.
The Intimate Marriage, by R.C. Sproul (written 1978, revised 2003)
R.C. Sproul's guide to marriage.
A Child's Delight, by Noel Perrin (1997)
A series of short essays praising obscure children's literature.
Total read this month: 7, bringing nonfiction total to 36.
JUNE
First Person Rural: Essays of a Sometime Farmer, by Noel Perrin (1978)
Humorous essays on New England country living minutiae.
Fatal: The Poisonous Life of a Female Serial Killer, by Harold Schecter (2003)
A "meh" account of late nineteenth-century New England serial killer Jane Toppan.
Counter Culture: A Compassionate Call to Counter Culture in a World of Poverty, Same-Sex Marriage, Racism, Sex Slavery, Immigration, Abortion, Persecution, Orphans and Pornography, by David Platt (2015)
That subtitle pretty well sums it up... Platt always feels like he's yelling at you in his writing.
Bush League: A Colorful, Factual Account of Minor League Baseball from 1877 to the Present, by Robert Obojski (1975)
A rather dry, academic history of minor league baseball. Would be useful as a reference for historical fiction.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain (2012)
This was very much worth reading. Some of the life-survival tips I'd stumbled across myself, which was also interesting.
Five Patients, by Michael Crichton (1969)
A critical analysis of the hospital environment and medical school practices. Really interesting.
Rebound: The Odyssey of Michael Jordan, by Bob Greene (1995)
The baseball period has always been one of the most fascinating parts about Michael Jordan's life, and one that you rarely heard about. The true story of Space Jam (which was being filmed as this book was in the publishing process) was well worth reading.
Total read this month: 7, bringing nonfiction total to 43.
JULY
Second-Person Rural: More Essays of a Sometime Farmer, by Noel Perrin (1980)
Subjects include the differences between city and country people and an account of taste-testing potato varieties.
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, by Tim Keller (2008)
This was excellent.
Third-Person Rural: Further Essays of a Sometime Farmer, by Noel Perrin (1983)
Subjects include Vermont's weather and the threat of nuclear warfare.
Rapture Ready! Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture, by Daniel Radosh (2008)
This snarky analysis needed to be written, but a Christian could never have written it. So a Jewish agnostic did instead.
Baseball: An Illustrated History, by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns (1994)
This history was masterfully researched and well-written. The photos were interesting, too.
We Made This Country Great, edited by Ken Tate (2002)
Short essays telling about everyday life in America from the 1890s to the 1950s.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 49.
AUGUST
Belles on Their Toes, by Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and Frank Gilbreth Jr (1950)
The sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen explains what happened to the Gilbreth clan after their father died.
Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard (1999)
"Hey, guys! We found a secret code hidden in slave quilts! Unfortunately, we don't understand it." It does make Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use" a little clearer, though, so there was some good to reading this book.
Sam Walton: The Inside Story of America's Richest Man, by Vance Trimble (1990)
This biography wasn't nearly as good as the first handful of times I read it.
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less, by Terry Ryan (2000)
A hilarious, pathetic, miraculous tale of a southwest Ohio family's struggle to survive.
Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society, by Danny Fingeroth (2004)
This is a breezy tone, but deep questions being asked. It's well worth reading.
Bill Peet: An Autobiography, by Bill Peet (1989)
A former Disney animator and picture-book author/illustrator tells his life story, using plenty of drawings to fill in the word-gaps.
Moments: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs, edited by Sheryle and John Leekley (1978)
These pictures....it was like being in the Newseum again. Sometimes, as Dan Rather says in the introduction, it can be discouraging how one image can really say a thousand words.
Total read this month: 7, bringing total to 56.
SEPTEMBER
Yin & Yang Nutrition for Dogs; Maximizing Health with Whole Foods, Not Drugs, by Judy Morgan and Hue Grant (2017)
This is a cookbook for dog-owners who have a ton of extra time and resources to cook natural foods for their pets. I reviewed it for Dog O'Day.
From Lucky to Smart: Leadership Lessons from QuikTrip, by Chester Cadieux and Judie Nera (2008)
A book on management principles from QuikTrip's history. Pretty good book for its kind.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 58.
OCTOBER
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America, by Bill Bryson (1989)
Bryson has two settings: hilarious and insufferable. This book has enough elements of both to wash out into a "meh, that was okay." Still, I was expecting Travels with Charley, so that was somewhat disappointing.
Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites who Ruled Texas Football, by Jim Dent (2007)
This wasn't bad, but it should've been much better, considering that the author was a sportswriter with 30-plus years of experience. The chapters felt disconnected and basic facts didn't quite add up, but if you enjoyed Friday Night Lights, Matt Saracen and Tim Riggins could have been at home here. It tells about the Fort Worth Masonic Home football teams that rose to the top echelon of 1930s Texas high school football.
Sacagawea's Nickname: Essays on the American West, by Larry McMurtry (2001)
Interesting essays on a wide variety of Western characters, places and literature.
Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our History, by Kati Marton (2001)
This was a really interesting history, especially when viewed with Tevi Troy's book on pop culture and the Presidency.
The Complete Samoyed, by Robert H. and Dolly Ward (1971)
An especially dull academic history of the Samoyeds of dog-show fame. Reviewed for Dog O'Day.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 63.
NOVEMBER
The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction, by Neil Gaiman (2014)
Essays and introductions by the ever-zany and clever Neil Gaiman.
You Can Write Children's Books, by Tracey Dils (2009)
An easily readable guide to the process of writing children's books.
Face the Nation: My Favorite Stories from the First 50 Years of the Award-Winning Broadcast, by Bob Schieffer (2004)
This was well worth reading, both for political history and TV history, in addition to several good essays on the role of journalism and journalists in the world.
Stolen! A History of Base Stealing, by Russell Roberts (1999)
Exactly what it sounds like, which was so oddly specific to write an entire book about that it made for a book-sale gamble. It wasn't the best baseball book I've ever read, but it wasn't awful, either.
Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family, by Nicholas Pileggi (1985)
This is the book Goodfellas was based on. The movie was better.
Nike is a Goddess: The History of Women in Sports, edited by Lissa Smith (1999)
About half the history in these essays I already knew, but they were still interesting reading, particularly the hockey and soccer chapters.
Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, by Paco Underhill (1999)
This was really interesting, as a "I never would have thought of looking at it that way, but that's awesome!" type of book.
To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian, by Stephen Ambrose (2002)
Somewhat boring, but not terrible as an introduction to his work.
Bare Fists: The History of Bare-Knuckle Prizefighting, by Bob Mee (2002)
This was written well, but there's only so long you can read about 18th century British boxers.
The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's Block and the Creative Brain, by Alice W. Flaherty (2004)
This was interesting; the author is a mentally-ill writer whose day job is neurology, which made for a unique spin on the subject.
Total read this month: 10, bringing total to 73.
DECEMBER
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell (2005)
Gladwell is always interesting. This is about gut decisions.
Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?, by Paul Borthwick (2012)
This was one of Courtney's textbooks that was lying around. It was pretty good.
The Last Outlaws: The Lives and Legacies of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, by Thom Hatch (2013)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are some of the most interesting outlaws ever, which is saying something. The author has an interesting writing style that fully admits where he might be speculating and not venturing theories when there's zero data to back them up.
Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography, by David Michaelis (2007)
An exhaustively researched and thorough biography of a very complicated man.
The Library Book, by Susan Orlean (2018)
Partially a true crime book about a devastating inferno, partially a history of the Los Angeles City Library, and partially an ode to the wonderfulness of the concept of libraries in general, this is hard to sum up, but well-written and worth reading.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total nonfiction read this year to 77.
Mandolin for Dummies, by Don Julin (2011)
A very good how-to-play-mandolin manual.
Total read so far: 1.
JANUARY
Portrait of Canada, by June Callwood (1981)
A quick history of the country, focusing mainly on political disputes.
A Friday Night Lights Companion: Love, Loss and Football in Dillon, Texas, edited by Leah Wilson (2011)
Essays and commentary on the show.
Grammar Essentials for Dummies, by Geraldine Woods (2010)
Exactly what you'd expect from the title.
Girls of Summer: In Their Own League, by Lois Browne (1992)
A breezy history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League written for the non-sports fan.
Total Truth: Liberating Christianity From its Cultural Captivity, by Nancy Pearcey (2004)
This was one of Courtney's books from the Challies internship. It was pretty good for a book on philosophy.
I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away, by Bill Bryson (1999)
This is a collection of columns written for a British magazine, about the daily life of an American expat returning to life in the States.
Total read this month: 6, bringing nonfiction total to 7.
FEBRUARY
The World According to Star Wars, by Cass R. Sunstein (2016)
Written by a law professor, this is equal parts analysis about the sci-fi megafranchise and the complexities of determining constitutional law.
Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel, by Ben Batchelor (2017)
A well-researched but inconsistently-paced biography.
Now All We Need is a Title: Famous Book Titles and How They Got That Way, by Andre Bernard (1995)
Short anecdotes about how famous and obscure books got their titles, and examples of the (usually much less compelling) working titles.
The Tarantula in My Purse: And 172 Other Wild Pets, by Jean Craighead George (1996)
A memoir of all the exotic pets she and her children raised.
The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverent Guide to the Classics from Homer to Faulkner, by Sandra Newman (2012)
If Dr. Mackie was feeling really snarky, she could have totally written this. It was entertaining and informative, though I disagreed with the author on a lot of the writers that I'd read (for example, Kipling, Twain and Faulkner are all fantastic).
Total read this month: 5, bringing nonfiction total to 12..
MARCH
The Not-So-Lost Soul Companion: More Hope, Strength, and Strategies for Artists and Artists-at-Heart, by Susan M. Brackney (2002)
A little too fluffy to be useful, in small packages it might be inspiring.
The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life, by Os Guinness (1998)
This was well worth reading.
Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways for Creating Work that You Love, by Barbara J. Winter (1993)
This felt a little too "rah rah rah" to be helpful, not to mention dated, but it might be helpful for some people.
A Dab of Dickens and a Touch of Twain: Literary Lives from Shakespeare's Old England to Frost's New England, by Eliot Engel (2002)
This is It Happened in America, only about famous authors. It's great.
Making Movies, by Sidney Lumet (1995)
The director of Long Day's Journey Into Night talks about the storytelling process. A little dull, honestly.
Never Leave Your Block: Adventures in Urban Living, by Scott Jacobs (2012)
A Chicago journalist chronicles the happenings in his neighborhood in this collection of essays.
Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father, by John Matteson (2012)
An exhausting, thoroughly well-researched and well-written biography of two passionate, strong-willed people.
Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will, by Kevin DeYoung (2009)
Extremely helpful book.
Total read this month: 8, bringing total to 20.
APRIL
Cary Grant: A Biography, by Marc Eliot (2004)
I was disappointed by this one, after enjoying the author's book about Ronald Reagan.
One Summer: America, 1927, by Bill Bryson (2013)
A look at the American summer of 1927. Lots happened, including Charles Lindbergh's flight over the Atlantic.
A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson (1998)
The author recounts his experience of trying to conquer the Appalachian Trail.
Sports From Hell: My Search for the World's Dumbest Competition, by Rick Reilly (2009)
Did you know chess boxing exists? Me neither.
Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary, by Roger Ebert (1999)
The title says it all...TV Tropes before the internet was really much of a thing.
Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale, by Dan Dye, Mark Beckloff and Richard Simon (2000)
A memoir of a deaf albino Great Dane and the gourmet dog-biscuit company she and her owners founded.
Unfamiliar Fishes, by Sarah Vowell (2011)
A history of Hawaii from Captain Cook to American annexation, written by the historian/radio personality who is the voice of Violet Parr.
For the Love of Books: 115 Celebrated Writers on the Books They Love Most, collected by Ronald B. Schwartz (1998)
Most of these writers I had never heard of, and I doubt I'll ever read Moby Dick or The Brothers Karamazov, but it was interesting to see what books had an impact on them.
Bigger Than the Game: Bo, Boz, the Punky QB, and How the '80's Created the Modern Athlete, by Michael Weinreb (2011)
A very interesting, though also depressing, history and analysis of the 1980's and its impact on pop culture and sports.
Total read this month: 9, bringing total to 29.
MAY
Aspects of the Novel, by E.M. Forster (1927)
E.M. Forster tries to define the elements of a novel as a guest speaker at Yale. Very interesting.
How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster (2003)
This would have been very helpful when starting college. Funny and well-written, too,
Hang Time: Days and Dreams with Michael Jordan, by Bob Greene (1992)
You always hear about Michael Jordan the basketball player - otherwordly excellent. Michael Jordan the advertising guy - otherworldly excellent. Michael Jordan the baseball player - kind of a disappointment. Michael Jordan the owner/player - rather depressing and pitiful. But you never get to hear about Michael Jordan the human. Bob Greene became friends with him, because he wasn't a sportswriter, and he could listen well.
Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen: Reflections at Sixty and Beyond, by Larry McMurtry (1999)
Reflections on living in north-central Texas, ranching, reading and writing fill this meandering but pleasant read.
Prime-Time Hits: Television's Most Popular Network Programs, 1950 to the Present, by Susan Sackett (1993)
A short overview of the history of top 10 TV shows each decade from the early days to the early nineties.
Travels, by Michael Crichton (1988)
Crichton's journey of trying to understand himself and the world, featuring essays on subjects as varied as medical school, mountain climbing, living in Hollywood and mysticism.
The Intimate Marriage, by R.C. Sproul (written 1978, revised 2003)
R.C. Sproul's guide to marriage.
A Child's Delight, by Noel Perrin (1997)
A series of short essays praising obscure children's literature.
Total read this month: 7, bringing nonfiction total to 36.
JUNE
First Person Rural: Essays of a Sometime Farmer, by Noel Perrin (1978)
Humorous essays on New England country living minutiae.
Fatal: The Poisonous Life of a Female Serial Killer, by Harold Schecter (2003)
A "meh" account of late nineteenth-century New England serial killer Jane Toppan.
Counter Culture: A Compassionate Call to Counter Culture in a World of Poverty, Same-Sex Marriage, Racism, Sex Slavery, Immigration, Abortion, Persecution, Orphans and Pornography, by David Platt (2015)
That subtitle pretty well sums it up... Platt always feels like he's yelling at you in his writing.
Bush League: A Colorful, Factual Account of Minor League Baseball from 1877 to the Present, by Robert Obojski (1975)
A rather dry, academic history of minor league baseball. Would be useful as a reference for historical fiction.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain (2012)
This was very much worth reading. Some of the life-survival tips I'd stumbled across myself, which was also interesting.
Five Patients, by Michael Crichton (1969)
A critical analysis of the hospital environment and medical school practices. Really interesting.
Rebound: The Odyssey of Michael Jordan, by Bob Greene (1995)
The baseball period has always been one of the most fascinating parts about Michael Jordan's life, and one that you rarely heard about. The true story of Space Jam (which was being filmed as this book was in the publishing process) was well worth reading.
Total read this month: 7, bringing nonfiction total to 43.
JULY
Second-Person Rural: More Essays of a Sometime Farmer, by Noel Perrin (1980)
Subjects include the differences between city and country people and an account of taste-testing potato varieties.
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, by Tim Keller (2008)
This was excellent.
Third-Person Rural: Further Essays of a Sometime Farmer, by Noel Perrin (1983)
Subjects include Vermont's weather and the threat of nuclear warfare.
Rapture Ready! Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture, by Daniel Radosh (2008)
This snarky analysis needed to be written, but a Christian could never have written it. So a Jewish agnostic did instead.
Baseball: An Illustrated History, by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns (1994)
This history was masterfully researched and well-written. The photos were interesting, too.
We Made This Country Great, edited by Ken Tate (2002)
Short essays telling about everyday life in America from the 1890s to the 1950s.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 49.
AUGUST
Belles on Their Toes, by Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and Frank Gilbreth Jr (1950)
The sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen explains what happened to the Gilbreth clan after their father died.
Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard (1999)
"Hey, guys! We found a secret code hidden in slave quilts! Unfortunately, we don't understand it." It does make Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use" a little clearer, though, so there was some good to reading this book.
Sam Walton: The Inside Story of America's Richest Man, by Vance Trimble (1990)
This biography wasn't nearly as good as the first handful of times I read it.
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less, by Terry Ryan (2000)
A hilarious, pathetic, miraculous tale of a southwest Ohio family's struggle to survive.
Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society, by Danny Fingeroth (2004)
This is a breezy tone, but deep questions being asked. It's well worth reading.
Bill Peet: An Autobiography, by Bill Peet (1989)
A former Disney animator and picture-book author/illustrator tells his life story, using plenty of drawings to fill in the word-gaps.
Moments: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs, edited by Sheryle and John Leekley (1978)
These pictures....it was like being in the Newseum again. Sometimes, as Dan Rather says in the introduction, it can be discouraging how one image can really say a thousand words.
Total read this month: 7, bringing total to 56.
SEPTEMBER
Yin & Yang Nutrition for Dogs; Maximizing Health with Whole Foods, Not Drugs, by Judy Morgan and Hue Grant (2017)
This is a cookbook for dog-owners who have a ton of extra time and resources to cook natural foods for their pets. I reviewed it for Dog O'Day.
From Lucky to Smart: Leadership Lessons from QuikTrip, by Chester Cadieux and Judie Nera (2008)
A book on management principles from QuikTrip's history. Pretty good book for its kind.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 58.
OCTOBER
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America, by Bill Bryson (1989)
Bryson has two settings: hilarious and insufferable. This book has enough elements of both to wash out into a "meh, that was okay." Still, I was expecting Travels with Charley, so that was somewhat disappointing.
Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites who Ruled Texas Football, by Jim Dent (2007)
This wasn't bad, but it should've been much better, considering that the author was a sportswriter with 30-plus years of experience. The chapters felt disconnected and basic facts didn't quite add up, but if you enjoyed Friday Night Lights, Matt Saracen and Tim Riggins could have been at home here. It tells about the Fort Worth Masonic Home football teams that rose to the top echelon of 1930s Texas high school football.
Sacagawea's Nickname: Essays on the American West, by Larry McMurtry (2001)
Interesting essays on a wide variety of Western characters, places and literature.
Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our History, by Kati Marton (2001)
This was a really interesting history, especially when viewed with Tevi Troy's book on pop culture and the Presidency.
The Complete Samoyed, by Robert H. and Dolly Ward (1971)
An especially dull academic history of the Samoyeds of dog-show fame. Reviewed for Dog O'Day.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 63.
NOVEMBER
The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction, by Neil Gaiman (2014)
Essays and introductions by the ever-zany and clever Neil Gaiman.
You Can Write Children's Books, by Tracey Dils (2009)
An easily readable guide to the process of writing children's books.
Face the Nation: My Favorite Stories from the First 50 Years of the Award-Winning Broadcast, by Bob Schieffer (2004)
This was well worth reading, both for political history and TV history, in addition to several good essays on the role of journalism and journalists in the world.
Stolen! A History of Base Stealing, by Russell Roberts (1999)
Exactly what it sounds like, which was so oddly specific to write an entire book about that it made for a book-sale gamble. It wasn't the best baseball book I've ever read, but it wasn't awful, either.
Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family, by Nicholas Pileggi (1985)
This is the book Goodfellas was based on. The movie was better.
Nike is a Goddess: The History of Women in Sports, edited by Lissa Smith (1999)
About half the history in these essays I already knew, but they were still interesting reading, particularly the hockey and soccer chapters.
Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, by Paco Underhill (1999)
This was really interesting, as a "I never would have thought of looking at it that way, but that's awesome!" type of book.
To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian, by Stephen Ambrose (2002)
Somewhat boring, but not terrible as an introduction to his work.
Bare Fists: The History of Bare-Knuckle Prizefighting, by Bob Mee (2002)
This was written well, but there's only so long you can read about 18th century British boxers.
The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's Block and the Creative Brain, by Alice W. Flaherty (2004)
This was interesting; the author is a mentally-ill writer whose day job is neurology, which made for a unique spin on the subject.
Total read this month: 10, bringing total to 73.
DECEMBER
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell (2005)
Gladwell is always interesting. This is about gut decisions.
Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church?, by Paul Borthwick (2012)
This was one of Courtney's textbooks that was lying around. It was pretty good.
The Last Outlaws: The Lives and Legacies of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, by Thom Hatch (2013)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are some of the most interesting outlaws ever, which is saying something. The author has an interesting writing style that fully admits where he might be speculating and not venturing theories when there's zero data to back them up.
Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography, by David Michaelis (2007)
An exhaustively researched and thorough biography of a very complicated man.
The Library Book, by Susan Orlean (2018)
Partially a true crime book about a devastating inferno, partially a history of the Los Angeles City Library, and partially an ode to the wonderfulness of the concept of libraries in general, this is hard to sum up, but well-written and worth reading.
Total read this month: 4, bringing total nonfiction read this year to 77.
Fiction of 2018
LATE DECEMBER
Boone's Lick, by Larry McMurtry (2000)
Shay Cecil recounts the time his mother hauled the family from Boone's Lick, Missouri, clear up to Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming, in order to break up with her cheating ne'er-do-well husband.
Total read so far: 1.
JANUARY
Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo (2000)
This MG novel is fine, though unspectacular. A ten-year-old preacher's daughter makes friends with a couple of elderly ladies in a small Florida town with the help of her dog.
To Fetch a Thief, by Spencer Quinn (2010)
The third Chet and Bernie mystery, this one involves a kidnapped elephant.
The Dog Who Knew Too Much, by Spencer Quinn (2011)
The fourth Chet and Bernie mystery, involving a missing boy and a murder in the Colorado mountains.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1: The Mysterious Howling, by Maryrose Wood (2009)
In which a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females embarks on a journey of being a governess to three children raised by wolves.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Bool 2: The Hidden Gallery, by Maryrose Wood (2011)
In which Lady Constance decides to go to London, where more questions are raised about the Incorrigibles and Penelope meets a nice young man.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 3: The Unseen Guest, by Maryrose Wood (2012)
In which the Incorrigibles befriend a lost ostrich and discover they are not the only howlers at Ashton Place.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 4: The Interrupted Tale, by Maryrose Wood (2013)
In which Penelope has a speaking engagement at a reunion for graduates of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 5: The Unmapped Sea, bu Maryrose Wood (2015)
In which answers begin to be revealed on vacation in the resort city of Brighton.
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (1951)
There are a handful of good paragraphs, but, in Crick's words, "It's a stupid book. The kid does nothing but complain the whole time."
Total read this month: 9, bringing total fiction thus far to 10.
FEBRUARY
Auggie and Me: Three Wonder Stories, by R.J. Palacio (2015)
A continuation of Wonder, telling the events from the perspectives of Julian, Christopher in Connectict, and Summer's friend Charlotte.
Dragon Teeth, by Michael Crichton (written around 1974, published in 2017)
This earlyish Crichton novel is about paleontology in the Old West - more specifically, 1876 Wyoming - and is written in the style of a creative nonfiction essay, which doesn't quite work in historical fiction. Still, it was interesting.
Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote (1958)
This felt like Gatsby.
Other Voices, Other Rooms, by Truman Capote (1948)
This is definitely Southern Gothic.
Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare (1598)
This is my favorite of all his plays.
Timeline, by Michael Crichton (1999)
Historians are teleported into medieval France. It's one of Crichton's better works.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (1999)
In 1991-92 western Pennsylvania, a meek freshman named Charlie becomes friends with a group of senior stoners.
Next, by Michael Crichton (2006)
This one deals with transgenic animals; not one of his best, but still solid.
The Grave's a Fine and Private Place, by Alan Bradley (2018)
The newest Flavia de Luce mystery; she solves a case while on vacation.
Total read this month: 9, bringing total to 19.
MARCH
Pirate Latitudes, by Michael Crichton (written 1970s, published 2009)
An adventure set in 1665 Jamaica.
Safe Haven, by Nicholas Sparks (2010)
A young woman finds love in a coastal North Carolina town after escaping from her abusive husband.
Emily of New Moon, by L.M. Montgomery (1923)
An orphan girl is sent to live with her aunts.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 22.
APRIL
Emily Climbs, by L.M. Montgomery (1925)
Emily attends Shrewsbury High School and develops her writing skills.
Emily's Quest, by L.M. Montgomery (1927)
Young adulthood can be miserable.
A is for Alibi, by Sue Grafton (1982)
The first of the Kinsey Millhone mysteries. She could be the daughter of Phillip Marlowe and the cousin of Jim Rockford.
Bleachers, by John Grisham (2003)
Former high school football players reunite at the funeral of their tyrannical coach.
Nothing but the Truth, by Avi (1991)
A dispute between a high school freshman and his teacher spirals into a national scandal after the local reporter hears about it.
Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins (2003)
Alice in Wonderland meets Lord of the Rings in this MG novel. It was done well.
The Fantasticks, by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt (1960)
A musical that is ridiculous on purpose, simultaneously glorifying and satirizing the cliches of young love.
Star Wars: X-Wing: Rogue Squadron, by Michael Stackpole (1996)
The first of a series of Star Wars Expanded Universe novels about the X-Wing fighter group Rogue Squadron. Entertaining in a meaningless kind of way.
The Starlite Drive-In, by Marjorie Reynolds (1999)
If you threw To Kill a Mockingbird, Shane and Peace Like a River into one book, with maybe a little of Where the Heart Is, this would likely be the result, recalling Callie Anne Benton's twelve-year-old experiences in 1956, when a drifter comes to work for her father at the drive-in.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks (2006)
Zombies nearly annihilate the human race in a global calamity. This is one of the better novels on the undead.
Total read this month: 10, bringing total to 32.
MAY
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick (1968)
The sci-fi classic Blade Runner was based on.
Main Street, by Sinclair Lewis (1920)
An idealistic city girl is slowly worn down by the conservative small-town existence she finds herself in after marrying a doctor. Rather depressing, though the ending makes it worthwhile, even if it wasn't a classic of the "Small Town America" subgenre.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 34.
JUNE
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, by Roger Lancellyn Green (1958)
Retellings of many of the classic Old English mythology. There's something strangely compelling about them.
Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman (2017)
Retellings of many classic Norse myths.
The Lost Lady, by Willa Cather (1920)
A character study, which influenced F. Scott Fitzgerald when creating Daisy Buchanan for The Great Gatsby several years later.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 37.
JULY
Disclosure, by Michael Crichton (1993)
Sexual assault is a strange topic for Crichton to tackle.
The Lost World, by Arthur Conan Doyle (1912)
An early sci-fi story following several London scientists and a journalist on their expedition deep into the heart of South America, where they encounter dinosaurs.
Rising Sun, by Michael Crichton (1992)
This murder mystery eventually spills over into a somewhat racist lesson on how international finance works. Not one of my favorites of his, though it does earn points for trying something different.
Great Fairy Tales of Ireland, collected and retold by Mary McGarry (1977)
Irish fairy tales are violent, mystical, random and oddly satisfying.
Eight Cousins, by Louisa May Alcott (1875)
In one of the author's worse efforts, a consumptive girl is restored to health by her doctor uncle and her seven boy cousins, all roughly her same age.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 42.
AUGUST
Seven Keys to Baldpate, by Earl Derr Biggers (1911)
A novelist, a lovelorn haberdasher, an actress, a professional hermit, two politicians, a professor and several other people meet by accident in a closed-for-the-season mountain hotel. Mayhem ensues.
Congo, by Michael Crichton (1980)
Late 1970s technowar, gorillas and African politics are the themes of this one.
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather (1913)
This was an amazing, poignant tale of life in western Nebraska in the 1880s.
Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (1991)
In rural West Virginia, a boy named Marty rescues the beagle a cruel neighbor is mistreating.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (2008)
In 1946 postwar England, a London author finds her new book - and friendship - after receiving a letter from a stranger, who hints at a tale of reading-powered resiliency during the war.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 47.
SEPTEMBER
The Great Train Robbery, by Michael Crichton (1975)
A historical novel about the Great Train Robbery; very interesting to learn about how Victorian England viewed crime.
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, by Ron Koertge (2003)
14-year-old Kevin is sidelined from baseball season due to a case of mono, so he turns to writing poetry to help him cope with the loss of his mom and figure out life in general. Odd but satisfying.
Star Wars: MedStar I: Battle Surgeons, by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry (2004)
This is one of those Star Wars novels that's worth rereading, because of how human and ground-level the characters are - it mostly follows a group of surgeons in a battle zone, and their efforts to stay sane. ER: Star Wars Edition.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 50.
OCTOBER
Mrs. de Winter, by Susan Hill (1993)
An unnecessary sequel to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, but Hill did a good job with this at matching the tone and style.
Upchuck and the Rotten Willy, by Bill Wallace (1998)
It's hard being a cat. Especially when you best friend gets run over, your other best friend moves away, and then your human leaves for college. This book will never get old.
1602, written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Andy Kubert (2006)
What would happen if the Marvel heroes and villains appeared almost 400 years too early, in Elizabethan England?
Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (1951)
There were elements from this that George Lucas swiped into Star Wars, and others that Joss Whedon worked into Firefly, but other than that, this was fairly dull.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein (2008)
Narration by a dog? Check. Racing? Check. Big dramatic themes? Check. Saccharine ending? Uh...check? This wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as people say it is, either.
The Backward Bird Dog, by Bill Wallace (1997)
Loosely based on their experience with one of their dogs, JC figures out how to be a great pointer in his own way - with his tail.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 56.
NOVEMBER
The Other Typist, by Suzanne Rindell (2013)
This is essentially a gender-flipped version of The Great Gatsby, narrated by a 21st-century woman who finds herself trapped in the 1920s.
Rose in Bloom, by Louisa May Alcott (1876)
This is extremely Alcotty - pleasant on first reading, but on rereading, you think, "This is....REALLY PREACHY AND DULL."
No Dogs Allowed!, by Bill Wallace (2004)
11-year-old Kristine Rankin is determined never to love the new puppy her grandpa got hurt after her favorite horse dies.
The Best of Me, by Nicholas Sparks (2012)
A high school couple reunites after twenty years due to a dear friend's funeral, and must decide where to go next. This is an extremely Sparksy book in every way, both good and bad, but it ends with a gigantic emotional punch that leaves you staring into space for a while.
Quarterback Walk-On, by Thomas J. Dygard (1982)
A practice-squad quarterback finds himself the starter for a key late-season contest due to suspensions and injuries. Even for young adult sports books, this was pretty terrible.
Cujo, by Stephen King (1982)
A rabid St Bernard terrorizes Castle Rock, Maine, the summer of 1980. But it wasn't his fault, he was just sick.
The Lost for Words Bookshop, by Stephanie Butland (2017)
A very introverted, scarred twentysomething woman slowly tries to come out of her shell and the bookstore she works in. Life - and memories - have a way of crashing in.
Total read this month: 7, bringing total to 63.
DECEMBER
Magpie Murders, by Alan Horowitz (2016)
Everything about this mystery was slightly wrong-shaped.
Mitch and Amy, by Beverly Cleary (1967)
Twins Mitch and Amy struggle with dyslexia and math, respectively, and with a bully in the grade above them.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, by Terry Brooks (1999)
The novelization of the first film in the prequel trilogy.
The Complete Peanuts: Volume One, 1950-1952, by Charles M. Schulz (2004)
The first of a series that reproduces every single one of the 18,170 Peanuts strips.
Weirdos From Another Planet!, by Bill Watterson (1990)
A Calvin and Hobbes collection from 1988-89.
Attack f the Giant Killer Monster Snow Goons, by Bill Watterson (1992)
A Calvin and Hobbes collection of mostly winter-themed strips.
Ion, by Euridipes (late 400s BC)
A curious mixture of tragicomedy for Greek drama, this was very interesting.
The Dark Knight Returns, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Klaus Janson (1986)
This was a very bleak graphic novel of a Batman coming out of retirement to brutally thwart criminals. He fights Superman and kills the Joker.
El Deafo, written and illustrated by Cece Bell (2014)
This graphic novel is partially based on the author's experiences growing up deaf in 1980's Virginia. It was highly recommended by several classmates in Dr. Dial-Driver's Children's Lit, and I can see why.
Secret Wars, written by Jim Shooter, illustrated by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton (1984)
Marvel heroes and villains are transported into a gladiatorial battleground by orders from Mattel to promote a new toy line. It was thoroughly ridiculous, but responsible for giving Spider-Man his symbiote suit.
X-Men: Days of Future Past, written and illustrated by Chris Claremont and John Byrne (1981)
In late 1980, the X-Men travel back from the dystopian future of 2013 to prevent nuclear annihilation at the hands of the Sentinels.
Total read this month: 11, bringing total for the year to 74.
Boone's Lick, by Larry McMurtry (2000)
Shay Cecil recounts the time his mother hauled the family from Boone's Lick, Missouri, clear up to Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming, in order to break up with her cheating ne'er-do-well husband.
Total read so far: 1.
JANUARY
Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo (2000)
This MG novel is fine, though unspectacular. A ten-year-old preacher's daughter makes friends with a couple of elderly ladies in a small Florida town with the help of her dog.
To Fetch a Thief, by Spencer Quinn (2010)
The third Chet and Bernie mystery, this one involves a kidnapped elephant.
The Dog Who Knew Too Much, by Spencer Quinn (2011)
The fourth Chet and Bernie mystery, involving a missing boy and a murder in the Colorado mountains.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1: The Mysterious Howling, by Maryrose Wood (2009)
In which a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females embarks on a journey of being a governess to three children raised by wolves.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Bool 2: The Hidden Gallery, by Maryrose Wood (2011)
In which Lady Constance decides to go to London, where more questions are raised about the Incorrigibles and Penelope meets a nice young man.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 3: The Unseen Guest, by Maryrose Wood (2012)
In which the Incorrigibles befriend a lost ostrich and discover they are not the only howlers at Ashton Place.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 4: The Interrupted Tale, by Maryrose Wood (2013)
In which Penelope has a speaking engagement at a reunion for graduates of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 5: The Unmapped Sea, bu Maryrose Wood (2015)
In which answers begin to be revealed on vacation in the resort city of Brighton.
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (1951)
There are a handful of good paragraphs, but, in Crick's words, "It's a stupid book. The kid does nothing but complain the whole time."
Total read this month: 9, bringing total fiction thus far to 10.
FEBRUARY
Auggie and Me: Three Wonder Stories, by R.J. Palacio (2015)
A continuation of Wonder, telling the events from the perspectives of Julian, Christopher in Connectict, and Summer's friend Charlotte.
Dragon Teeth, by Michael Crichton (written around 1974, published in 2017)
This earlyish Crichton novel is about paleontology in the Old West - more specifically, 1876 Wyoming - and is written in the style of a creative nonfiction essay, which doesn't quite work in historical fiction. Still, it was interesting.
Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote (1958)
This felt like Gatsby.
Other Voices, Other Rooms, by Truman Capote (1948)
This is definitely Southern Gothic.
Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare (1598)
This is my favorite of all his plays.
Timeline, by Michael Crichton (1999)
Historians are teleported into medieval France. It's one of Crichton's better works.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (1999)
In 1991-92 western Pennsylvania, a meek freshman named Charlie becomes friends with a group of senior stoners.
Next, by Michael Crichton (2006)
This one deals with transgenic animals; not one of his best, but still solid.
The Grave's a Fine and Private Place, by Alan Bradley (2018)
The newest Flavia de Luce mystery; she solves a case while on vacation.
Total read this month: 9, bringing total to 19.
MARCH
Pirate Latitudes, by Michael Crichton (written 1970s, published 2009)
An adventure set in 1665 Jamaica.
Safe Haven, by Nicholas Sparks (2010)
A young woman finds love in a coastal North Carolina town after escaping from her abusive husband.
Emily of New Moon, by L.M. Montgomery (1923)
An orphan girl is sent to live with her aunts.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 22.
APRIL
Emily Climbs, by L.M. Montgomery (1925)
Emily attends Shrewsbury High School and develops her writing skills.
Emily's Quest, by L.M. Montgomery (1927)
Young adulthood can be miserable.
A is for Alibi, by Sue Grafton (1982)
The first of the Kinsey Millhone mysteries. She could be the daughter of Phillip Marlowe and the cousin of Jim Rockford.
Bleachers, by John Grisham (2003)
Former high school football players reunite at the funeral of their tyrannical coach.
Nothing but the Truth, by Avi (1991)
A dispute between a high school freshman and his teacher spirals into a national scandal after the local reporter hears about it.
Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins (2003)
Alice in Wonderland meets Lord of the Rings in this MG novel. It was done well.
The Fantasticks, by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt (1960)
A musical that is ridiculous on purpose, simultaneously glorifying and satirizing the cliches of young love.
Star Wars: X-Wing: Rogue Squadron, by Michael Stackpole (1996)
The first of a series of Star Wars Expanded Universe novels about the X-Wing fighter group Rogue Squadron. Entertaining in a meaningless kind of way.
The Starlite Drive-In, by Marjorie Reynolds (1999)
If you threw To Kill a Mockingbird, Shane and Peace Like a River into one book, with maybe a little of Where the Heart Is, this would likely be the result, recalling Callie Anne Benton's twelve-year-old experiences in 1956, when a drifter comes to work for her father at the drive-in.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks (2006)
Zombies nearly annihilate the human race in a global calamity. This is one of the better novels on the undead.
Total read this month: 10, bringing total to 32.
MAY
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick (1968)
The sci-fi classic Blade Runner was based on.
Main Street, by Sinclair Lewis (1920)
An idealistic city girl is slowly worn down by the conservative small-town existence she finds herself in after marrying a doctor. Rather depressing, though the ending makes it worthwhile, even if it wasn't a classic of the "Small Town America" subgenre.
Total read this month: 2, bringing total to 34.
JUNE
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, by Roger Lancellyn Green (1958)
Retellings of many of the classic Old English mythology. There's something strangely compelling about them.
Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman (2017)
Retellings of many classic Norse myths.
The Lost Lady, by Willa Cather (1920)
A character study, which influenced F. Scott Fitzgerald when creating Daisy Buchanan for The Great Gatsby several years later.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 37.
JULY
Disclosure, by Michael Crichton (1993)
Sexual assault is a strange topic for Crichton to tackle.
The Lost World, by Arthur Conan Doyle (1912)
An early sci-fi story following several London scientists and a journalist on their expedition deep into the heart of South America, where they encounter dinosaurs.
Rising Sun, by Michael Crichton (1992)
This murder mystery eventually spills over into a somewhat racist lesson on how international finance works. Not one of my favorites of his, though it does earn points for trying something different.
Great Fairy Tales of Ireland, collected and retold by Mary McGarry (1977)
Irish fairy tales are violent, mystical, random and oddly satisfying.
Eight Cousins, by Louisa May Alcott (1875)
In one of the author's worse efforts, a consumptive girl is restored to health by her doctor uncle and her seven boy cousins, all roughly her same age.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 42.
AUGUST
Seven Keys to Baldpate, by Earl Derr Biggers (1911)
A novelist, a lovelorn haberdasher, an actress, a professional hermit, two politicians, a professor and several other people meet by accident in a closed-for-the-season mountain hotel. Mayhem ensues.
Congo, by Michael Crichton (1980)
Late 1970s technowar, gorillas and African politics are the themes of this one.
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather (1913)
This was an amazing, poignant tale of life in western Nebraska in the 1880s.
Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (1991)
In rural West Virginia, a boy named Marty rescues the beagle a cruel neighbor is mistreating.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (2008)
In 1946 postwar England, a London author finds her new book - and friendship - after receiving a letter from a stranger, who hints at a tale of reading-powered resiliency during the war.
Total read this month: 5, bringing total to 47.
SEPTEMBER
The Great Train Robbery, by Michael Crichton (1975)
A historical novel about the Great Train Robbery; very interesting to learn about how Victorian England viewed crime.
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, by Ron Koertge (2003)
14-year-old Kevin is sidelined from baseball season due to a case of mono, so he turns to writing poetry to help him cope with the loss of his mom and figure out life in general. Odd but satisfying.
Star Wars: MedStar I: Battle Surgeons, by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry (2004)
This is one of those Star Wars novels that's worth rereading, because of how human and ground-level the characters are - it mostly follows a group of surgeons in a battle zone, and their efforts to stay sane. ER: Star Wars Edition.
Total read this month: 3, bringing total to 50.
OCTOBER
Mrs. de Winter, by Susan Hill (1993)
An unnecessary sequel to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, but Hill did a good job with this at matching the tone and style.
Upchuck and the Rotten Willy, by Bill Wallace (1998)
It's hard being a cat. Especially when you best friend gets run over, your other best friend moves away, and then your human leaves for college. This book will never get old.
1602, written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Andy Kubert (2006)
What would happen if the Marvel heroes and villains appeared almost 400 years too early, in Elizabethan England?
Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (1951)
There were elements from this that George Lucas swiped into Star Wars, and others that Joss Whedon worked into Firefly, but other than that, this was fairly dull.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein (2008)
Narration by a dog? Check. Racing? Check. Big dramatic themes? Check. Saccharine ending? Uh...check? This wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as people say it is, either.
The Backward Bird Dog, by Bill Wallace (1997)
Loosely based on their experience with one of their dogs, JC figures out how to be a great pointer in his own way - with his tail.
Total read this month: 6, bringing total to 56.
NOVEMBER
The Other Typist, by Suzanne Rindell (2013)
This is essentially a gender-flipped version of The Great Gatsby, narrated by a 21st-century woman who finds herself trapped in the 1920s.
Rose in Bloom, by Louisa May Alcott (1876)
This is extremely Alcotty - pleasant on first reading, but on rereading, you think, "This is....REALLY PREACHY AND DULL."
No Dogs Allowed!, by Bill Wallace (2004)
11-year-old Kristine Rankin is determined never to love the new puppy her grandpa got hurt after her favorite horse dies.
The Best of Me, by Nicholas Sparks (2012)
A high school couple reunites after twenty years due to a dear friend's funeral, and must decide where to go next. This is an extremely Sparksy book in every way, both good and bad, but it ends with a gigantic emotional punch that leaves you staring into space for a while.
Quarterback Walk-On, by Thomas J. Dygard (1982)
A practice-squad quarterback finds himself the starter for a key late-season contest due to suspensions and injuries. Even for young adult sports books, this was pretty terrible.
Cujo, by Stephen King (1982)
A rabid St Bernard terrorizes Castle Rock, Maine, the summer of 1980. But it wasn't his fault, he was just sick.
The Lost for Words Bookshop, by Stephanie Butland (2017)
A very introverted, scarred twentysomething woman slowly tries to come out of her shell and the bookstore she works in. Life - and memories - have a way of crashing in.
Total read this month: 7, bringing total to 63.
DECEMBER
Magpie Murders, by Alan Horowitz (2016)
Everything about this mystery was slightly wrong-shaped.
Mitch and Amy, by Beverly Cleary (1967)
Twins Mitch and Amy struggle with dyslexia and math, respectively, and with a bully in the grade above them.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, by Terry Brooks (1999)
The novelization of the first film in the prequel trilogy.
The Complete Peanuts: Volume One, 1950-1952, by Charles M. Schulz (2004)
The first of a series that reproduces every single one of the 18,170 Peanuts strips.
Weirdos From Another Planet!, by Bill Watterson (1990)
A Calvin and Hobbes collection from 1988-89.
Attack f the Giant Killer Monster Snow Goons, by Bill Watterson (1992)
A Calvin and Hobbes collection of mostly winter-themed strips.
Ion, by Euridipes (late 400s BC)
A curious mixture of tragicomedy for Greek drama, this was very interesting.
The Dark Knight Returns, written by Frank Miller, illustrated by Klaus Janson (1986)
This was a very bleak graphic novel of a Batman coming out of retirement to brutally thwart criminals. He fights Superman and kills the Joker.
El Deafo, written and illustrated by Cece Bell (2014)
This graphic novel is partially based on the author's experiences growing up deaf in 1980's Virginia. It was highly recommended by several classmates in Dr. Dial-Driver's Children's Lit, and I can see why.
Secret Wars, written by Jim Shooter, illustrated by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton (1984)
Marvel heroes and villains are transported into a gladiatorial battleground by orders from Mattel to promote a new toy line. It was thoroughly ridiculous, but responsible for giving Spider-Man his symbiote suit.
X-Men: Days of Future Past, written and illustrated by Chris Claremont and John Byrne (1981)
In late 1980, the X-Men travel back from the dystopian future of 2013 to prevent nuclear annihilation at the hands of the Sentinels.
Total read this month: 11, bringing total for the year to 74.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Canadian Candy Bars
So, Jessica was bored a few weeks ago and decided to mail me a package, including some Canadian candy inside. Since I'm currently bored and because it's interesting, I decided to rate them. One thing I found interesting is that the health information is printed in both English and French; not sure whether that's the case all across the country or just if it's a Quebec/Ontario thing.
Crunchie
Made by Cadbury, this is a toffee-flavored candy bar similar in texture to an American Butterfinger. The taste is similar to a Skor or Heath, though the sweetness of the Cadbury chocolate balances out the harshness of the toffee. I liked it, which kind of surprised me. The wrapping is a yellowish-gold and red, with Cadbury purple.
Coffee Crisp
Made by Nestle, this is somewhere between a Little Debbie Nutty Bar and a Kit Kat in texture, if they tasted like mocha coffee. It was delicious! This is Amanda's favorite candy bar, and I can see why. The wrapping is also a yellowish-gold and red.
Aero
Made by Nestle, this was shaped into ten bite-sized pieces similar to Dove chocolate. The taste and texture was similar to a Crunch bar. It was a little underwhelming, though the white and brown color scheme of the wrapping was nicely done.
Bueno
Made by Kinder, this was wrapped two long bars per package like Twix, and filled with wafery bits and hazelnut filling. Somewhere between a Kit Kat and a Nutty Bar in texture, it was delicious and amazing.
Canadian Smarties
These were basically plain M&M's in Spree coatings. Disappointing, but still miles better than American Smarties.
Caramilk
Made by Cadbury, this was a little disappointing - bite-sized milk chocolate formed into a bar with caramel filling. The brown and gold wrapping was impressive, though.
Rankings:
6 - Canadian Smarties
5 - Caramilk
4 - Aero
3 - Crunchie
2 - Bueno
1 - Coffee Crisp
Crunchie
Made by Cadbury, this is a toffee-flavored candy bar similar in texture to an American Butterfinger. The taste is similar to a Skor or Heath, though the sweetness of the Cadbury chocolate balances out the harshness of the toffee. I liked it, which kind of surprised me. The wrapping is a yellowish-gold and red, with Cadbury purple.
Coffee Crisp
Made by Nestle, this is somewhere between a Little Debbie Nutty Bar and a Kit Kat in texture, if they tasted like mocha coffee. It was delicious! This is Amanda's favorite candy bar, and I can see why. The wrapping is also a yellowish-gold and red.
Aero
Made by Nestle, this was shaped into ten bite-sized pieces similar to Dove chocolate. The taste and texture was similar to a Crunch bar. It was a little underwhelming, though the white and brown color scheme of the wrapping was nicely done.
Bueno
Made by Kinder, this was wrapped two long bars per package like Twix, and filled with wafery bits and hazelnut filling. Somewhere between a Kit Kat and a Nutty Bar in texture, it was delicious and amazing.
Canadian Smarties
These were basically plain M&M's in Spree coatings. Disappointing, but still miles better than American Smarties.
Caramilk
Made by Cadbury, this was a little disappointing - bite-sized milk chocolate formed into a bar with caramel filling. The brown and gold wrapping was impressive, though.
Rankings:
6 - Canadian Smarties
5 - Caramilk
4 - Aero
3 - Crunchie
2 - Bueno
1 - Coffee Crisp
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
December Monday
Yesterday didn't go very well.
It was a typical weekend, and then Sunday night the power shut off unexpectedly, which of course kind of freaked me out a little (I don't like darkness all that much). Then it flipped back on about half an hour later, but, being December, we were a little wary of the surge melting everything again. So I didn't get but about four hours sleep, and that was interrupted by bolting awake for no reason.
All the inside cats and outside dogs were fighting all morning long.
There was a problem with WordPress that locked about half the Frontstretch writing staff out, including me, and I had a thousand-word review of Kurt Busch's season due that night .So after trying for most of the day to get into WP, I finally just started writing it as a Word doc and emailed it to the editors.
Still, it got better - Jessica was bored one day and decided to mail a letter, which was nice, as it came in yesterday's mail. And then we went to the library, hadn't been for a couple months, so it was good to be back. Saw Mrs. Jackson, as her theater troupe was performing at the Christmas Open House event in the basement.
It was a typical weekend, and then Sunday night the power shut off unexpectedly, which of course kind of freaked me out a little (I don't like darkness all that much). Then it flipped back on about half an hour later, but, being December, we were a little wary of the surge melting everything again. So I didn't get but about four hours sleep, and that was interrupted by bolting awake for no reason.
All the inside cats and outside dogs were fighting all morning long.
There was a problem with WordPress that locked about half the Frontstretch writing staff out, including me, and I had a thousand-word review of Kurt Busch's season due that night .So after trying for most of the day to get into WP, I finally just started writing it as a Word doc and emailed it to the editors.
Still, it got better - Jessica was bored one day and decided to mail a letter, which was nice, as it came in yesterday's mail. And then we went to the library, hadn't been for a couple months, so it was good to be back. Saw Mrs. Jackson, as her theater troupe was performing at the Christmas Open House event in the basement.
Saturday, November 24, 2018
An Appreciation of Friends Post
Over the last couple days it's struck me again that friendships are something to be treasured. Part of that is probably because Courtney was home for Thanksgiving, and your siblings can be friends, too, right?
Also Caleb just got back from Mexico, seeing people he knows down there, and then Mattie shot his senior pictures this afternoon, which turned out really well.
Daniel's daughter Grace arrived safely yesterday morning, really happy for him and Chrissy, they'll be fantastic parents. His sister Emily also just announced that she's pregnant, which is also cool. And Amanda's son Hayden was born last month, meaning that I now have a nephew.
According to Facebook, it was nine years ago today that Ashland and I became FB friends, so it was neat to see the video that they compiled for the "friendaversary" (which is a stupid made-up non-word). "It feels like we've known each other for forever," she said, and it really does.
It was a little over ten years ago that I met them at camp the first time.
Mini Parks and Rec marathon tonight with Caleb and Courtney, which was sort of like visiting friends again; not sure how I would've gotten through that first semester at RSU without the folks from Pawnee. Also, it was a way to keep in touch with NSU BCM friends.
The first teaser trailers for Toy Story 4 released earlier this week/late last week, and of course Woody, Buzz and the rest were movie-friends I've known basically my entire life. I'm not sure whether I like the idea of a fourth movie, the trilogy wrapped things up so nicely, but I'll watch it. Anyway, "You've Got a Friend in Me" has been stuck in my head all day today, which is always pleasant.
The sequel to Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph Breaks the Internet, opened a few days ago, it looks really good. Ralph and Vanellope make a great team.
Also Caleb just got back from Mexico, seeing people he knows down there, and then Mattie shot his senior pictures this afternoon, which turned out really well.
Daniel's daughter Grace arrived safely yesterday morning, really happy for him and Chrissy, they'll be fantastic parents. His sister Emily also just announced that she's pregnant, which is also cool. And Amanda's son Hayden was born last month, meaning that I now have a nephew.
According to Facebook, it was nine years ago today that Ashland and I became FB friends, so it was neat to see the video that they compiled for the "friendaversary" (which is a stupid made-up non-word). "It feels like we've known each other for forever," she said, and it really does.
It was a little over ten years ago that I met them at camp the first time.
Mini Parks and Rec marathon tonight with Caleb and Courtney, which was sort of like visiting friends again; not sure how I would've gotten through that first semester at RSU without the folks from Pawnee. Also, it was a way to keep in touch with NSU BCM friends.
The sequel to Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph Breaks the Internet, opened a few days ago, it looks really good. Ralph and Vanellope make a great team.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Strange Dreams, Part Six
3-16-18 -
Stephen King is staying with me for several days, and we go to this dance class that Andrew Nichols is teaching. Dr. Mackie and Ashland are also taking this class.
3-22-18 -
Ashland and I try to survive a shooting in a movie theater. It was scary.
6-10-18 -
I agree to go camping with Amanda and Aaron to babysit Maya and Ellie so they can have a break. Chasing nieces around all weekend leaves you very tired when you wake up.
6-23-18 -
Ellen DeGeneres is cast as the new Batman.
7-30-18 -
A young single mother is trapped with her high school boyfriend's family for some unidentified reason. Also forced to stay with them is an elderly man whose wife has just died.
8-14-18 -
For some reason I was writing a magazine profile of model Lani Baker.
8-27-18 -
Something about pitching a teen soap opera for The CW starring either Lili Reinhart or Emma Watson in a leading role, about four teenagers who grow up in the world of show-dog breeding, with frequent flashbacks to their childhoods. The show takes place roughly from the 1940s to the 1960s in upstate New York, and the shooting location had previously been used on an Olsen twins movie, and was currently a go-kart track.
9-20-18 -
I've been kidnapped by a bunch of angry rednecks with shotguns and I'm trapped inside their RV.
11-2-18 -
In order to fully graduate college you had to return several years later and give separate faculty- and peer-reviewed presentations on what you've a\accomplished professionally, what you've done socially, and based on your cooking abilities.
It was kind of like the scoring system for The Good Place, and lots of bonus points were added if you were engaged, married or had kids. Going to movies with your siblings scored negative points.
11-10-18 -
Someone in my phone contacts named Rhiannon (no last name entered) calls me and doesn't leave a message, and I spent the rest of the dream trying to figure out who she is and why she was there
Stephen King is staying with me for several days, and we go to this dance class that Andrew Nichols is teaching. Dr. Mackie and Ashland are also taking this class.
3-22-18 -
Ashland and I try to survive a shooting in a movie theater. It was scary.
6-10-18 -
I agree to go camping with Amanda and Aaron to babysit Maya and Ellie so they can have a break. Chasing nieces around all weekend leaves you very tired when you wake up.
6-23-18 -
Ellen DeGeneres is cast as the new Batman.
7-30-18 -
A young single mother is trapped with her high school boyfriend's family for some unidentified reason. Also forced to stay with them is an elderly man whose wife has just died.
8-14-18 -
For some reason I was writing a magazine profile of model Lani Baker.
8-27-18 -
Something about pitching a teen soap opera for The CW starring either Lili Reinhart or Emma Watson in a leading role, about four teenagers who grow up in the world of show-dog breeding, with frequent flashbacks to their childhoods. The show takes place roughly from the 1940s to the 1960s in upstate New York, and the shooting location had previously been used on an Olsen twins movie, and was currently a go-kart track.
9-20-18 -
I've been kidnapped by a bunch of angry rednecks with shotguns and I'm trapped inside their RV.
11-2-18 -
In order to fully graduate college you had to return several years later and give separate faculty- and peer-reviewed presentations on what you've a\accomplished professionally, what you've done socially, and based on your cooking abilities.
It was kind of like the scoring system for The Good Place, and lots of bonus points were added if you were engaged, married or had kids. Going to movies with your siblings scored negative points.
11-10-18 -
Someone in my phone contacts named Rhiannon (no last name entered) calls me and doesn't leave a message, and I spent the rest of the dream trying to figure out who she is and why she was there
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)