2017: On the Page

2017 was an epic reading year for me. I felt like I truly reclaimed reading, in I way I hadn't since childhood. I dedicated most spare moments to getting lost—lost in worlds and words. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone with reading material (you know, out of that comic-YA-modern fiction-repeat cycle), in large part thanks to a great achievement:

The glory!

I finished the SPL Summer Bingo.

That's right. Twenty-four books between Memorial Day and Labor Day, filling in whatever random criteria those Seattle librarians dictate. This list has haunted my reading goals since 2011, when I first learned it existed. Most summers I fill out about 6-10 books, then throw the list in the garbage to marinate in my shame and failure. But this year, it happened. It clicked. I read during Alex's naptime. I felt awake enough to read at night. I read outside in the sunshine, one of the most glorious and comforting reading experiences a person can have.* I utilized the library like a champion, finally mastering the art of the staggered hold list.** And in return, I learned to identify as a reader again. It felt like coming home.

*In my personal and completely correct opinion.
**Nothing is worse than an un-staggered hold list. You've got to plan these things, or else you'll have five vital books all come in on one day.

While I read so, so many gems this year, I also read a lot that was just a'ight. But that was part of the reader reclamation—the thrill of the grab bag, of discovery, and of not needing everything to be a winner.

Without further ado, the stats.

Total Books Read: 61. Super up from last year! I credit that beautiful summer of reading, where I read roughly ten books a month. It was glorious.

Books of Essays I Adored: Voracious, by Cara Nicoletti. I didn't love her writing necessarily, but the conceit of the book reverberated deep into my soul. She tracked her experience as a reader throughout the years, with a corresponding recipe for each significant novel. This is my BRAIN. Everything important in my life is linked with food, and that definitely spreads to novels. I still need to buy my own copy and try out some of the recipes (particularly the clam chowder. No, I haven't read Moby Dick and I certainly don't intend to, but that chowder sounds mouth-watering).
One Day We'll All be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul. I read many, many collections of essays this year—thanks in large part to human angel Katie Tamola and her excellent newsletter—but Koul's was by far my favorite. I love her voice, and she manages the rare feat of being introspective without an excess of navel-gazing. I didn't want to slap her by the end of the book, which is the highest essayist/memoirist praise I can give. I can't say the same for Erin Chack, whose book is notably not on my completed list, because that mofo most definitely got thrown against the wall and returned to the library ASAP. I'm talking three chapters in ASAP.

Fiction I Enjoyed: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. It has been hyped, and as of writing this there is a movie out that I did not see but wanted to. In essence—yes. Everything you've heard is true. I cried, and thought it was important, and will be very interested in revisiting this in a few years to see if those emotions hold up.
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt, I'd never read Tartt before, and was really glad I started with this novel. It's apparently been held up as her weakest, and I can't yet speak to that (The Secret History has been on my bookshelf for a few months now), but I loved her style. The central mystery was compelling, the tone had an urgency mixed with a pleasing Southern lackadaisical overlay, and Harriet was the kind of cranky child that makes my heart sing. We need more unpleasant girls in literature.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. You know what? I sped through the entire series in a week. I even bought them all, because I didn't want to wait for the library. What can I say? Are they light? Yes. Are they fast reads? Yes. Are they completely, utterly charming? Unequivocally YES.

Comic Corner: This year I caught up on Scott Snyder. I hadn't been loving his latest Batman work, so I let him fade into the background. I finally bought the volume release of Wytches, which was a return to the psychological horror that drew me to his work in the first place.
I also read all three A.D. After Death books, and felt so fulfilled by them. Jeff Lemire's art is incredible, the perfect sketchy starkness with moments of profound glory in certain spreads. But it was Snyder's writing that drew me in. I felt like this was his chance to return to his roots after being a cog in the Batman wheel for so long. These books were barely comics. They were more like illustrated short stories (almost like Snyder's first book, which was just stories, no pictures). The material was thoughtful, and didn't go where I expected it to. I will warn one more time for potential readers—they were like short stories. If you know the popular narrative structure in that form, be prepared.

Books That Disgusted Me: The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter. The first book that made me go, "hmm, I think I'm over white dudes." Add in a white dude who used to be a journalist, and now thinks his story urgently needs to be told? NEXT.
Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling. I'm over Kaling. Her schtick is no longer appealing. It barely was last book, and definitely isn't anymore. There. I said it.

Books That Vaguely Disappointed Me: Turtles All The Way Down by John Green. Am I over John Green? I might be. That being said, I still think this book was an interesting character study, and a great topic to try and tackle. It needed a plot though.
Carrying on the authors-I-championed-and-then-felt-let-down-by train, Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart. I love The Talented Mr. Ripley as much as anyone, but I don't feel the need to write teen fanfic about it. However, it was very good teen fanfic. I think Lockhart is moving towards I style I don't find as appealing as the Lockhart that first captivated me. With this book and her last, We Were Liars, she's gravitating towards upper-class thrillers. I enjoyed her bubbly-but-introspective teenage girls. I guess I'll go reread Frankie Landau-Banks and The Boyfriend List to get more of that voice.*

*Spoiler: Did it, loved it, totally worth it. Adore those books.

Author Discovery: LIBBA BRAY! My friend Robin recommended Bray to me in 2015, and I am disgusted with the way I slept on her. Go read some Bray. Right now. She's delightful. I'm still not a Bray completist, as she has several series I haven't totally worked my way through, but I would definitely pick up something. My favorites so far have been Beauty Queens (my first) and everything in The Diviners series (which also has a spectacular audiobook, for the record).

THE COMPLETE LIST:

• Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
• The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause
• Popular by Maya Van Wagenen
• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
• The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry
• The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
• Saga vol. 7 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
• Black Science vol. 3: Vanishing Point by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalara, and Moreno Diniso
• The Fever by Megan Abbott
• Silver Screen Fiend by Patton Oswalt
• Paper Girls by Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang
• A.D. After Death, vol. 1 by Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire
• A. D. After Death, vol. 2 by Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire
• A. D. After Death, vol. 3 by Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire
• Wytches vol. 1 by Scott Snyder and Jock
• The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter
• Kiss Me Like a Stranger by Gene Wilder
• A List Of Cages by Robin Roe
• Today Will be Different by Maria Semple
• Voracious by Cara Nicoletti
• Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
• The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley
• Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud by Anne Helen Petersen
• Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
• Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
• The Wangs vs.The World by Jade Chang
• The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
• Haunted Knight by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
• The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
• One Day We'll All be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
• Tangerine by Edward Bloor
• P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
• A Short Life of Trouble by Marcia Tucker
• Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
• Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• I Was the Jukebox by Sandra Beasley
• All the Lives I Want by Alana Massey
• Black Science vol. 4: Godworld by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalara, and Moreno Diniso
• Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
• Dare to Repair by Julie Sussman and Stephanie Glakas-Tenet
• Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
• As You Wish by Cary Elwes
• The Diviners by Libba Bray
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
• Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray
• Turtles All The Way Down by John Green
• Jinx by Sage Blackwood
• Going Bovine by Libba Bray
• My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
• Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
• I Loved Her in the Movies by Robert J. Wagner and Scott Eyman
• Black Science vol. 5: True Atonement by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalara, and Moreno Diniso

2016: On the Page

(Let's not talk about it)

Wow! 2016. What a year, right?

(Not talking about it)

Definitely a huge shift in my life. I spent over half the year pregnant, and the rest of it desperately adjusting to being a mother. But now, on to 2017!

(NotTalkingAboutIt)

With the weariness from pregnancy and full-time teaching, and then the weariness from learning the ropes of child-rearing and full time teaching, my books total severely dropped this year. I'm going to tell myself that this is understandable, and pat myself on the back for reading at all. You go, Cat! Way to be!

(OK, so yes, this is what...a year late? And far past when anyone would care? But I can't post my 2017 numbers in good faith without having this up, plus the comparison aspect is deliciously satisfying, so there. Now, NOTTALKINGABOUTIT)

Have some stats.

Total Books Read: 53. 15 less than last year. What a blow. But at least I still averaged one a week.

Favorite Comics: I'm locked in to my preferred series by now, and I pretty much stuck to those this year.

-Black Science vol. 2. Heart-wrenching, but so well told.

-Saga vol. 5 and 6. I don't know how Saga is still this consistently amazing, but it is! Thank the heavens.

-American Vampires vol. 8. Granted, the internal world is starting to sprawl. But this series is still my everything.

-Lumberjanes vol. 1. A new series! And delightful to boot. I really hope I can get some of my students tuned in to this series, since it's the best of girl power. I can't decide which is my aesthetic/fashion soulmate, Jo or Mal. I'll have to keep investigating.

Super Blah Comic: Sacred Heart. Did absolutely nothing for me, and was actively irksome.

Books I Should Not Have Read At That Time: Poor Your Soul. It is an extremely well written book, but reading a memoir about a woman miscarrying her first child while I was three months pregnant? Maybe not my best idea.

Books from Best Of Lists That, to Quote Shania, "Didn't Impress-a Me Much":

This year all those best of/recommended lists let me down. Not catastrophically, mind you, just with a thud. I wish the books had been explosive failures, but they were just wet mud plopped on the sidewalk of my mind. That sound you just heard in your head? That was the feel of most of these books.

-Sunday's on the Phone to Monday. 
-Those Girls. 
-Gold Fame Citrus. 
-Without You, There is No Us. 
-Crazy Rich Asians. 
-The Hate List. 
-What Alice Forgot.

I remember nothing about Sunday's on the Phone to Monday—seriously, the plot had zero staying power—but I did write this review right after reading it, and it almost makes me wish I remembered more. "Beautiful language that amounts to nothing. Drivel written wonderfully. Like a Seinfeld episode, but with poetry trying desperately to be prose." Wow! What a statement!

New Favorite Book: Salem's Lot. I won't try to explain the connection I feel to vampires here, but I will say that I often seek out vampire literature, and everything has paled in comparison to Dracula. Everything until now. I'm ashamed it took me so long to read Stephen King in general, but particularly that I missed this book. It terrified me. I actually couldn't sleep for multiple nights while reading, but I couldn't stop. I loved the way King encapsulates slow dread and control. The section where Mike Ryerson digs Danny Glick's grave is a master class in suspense, and I'll be pondering it for a while.

Best Reading Experience: Holding my daughter and reading Maniac Magee out loud. My favorite children's book, one of my all-time favorite books, and the first book she heard.

THE COMPLETE LIST:

• Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery
• Those Girls by Lauren Saft
• For the Record by Charlotte Huang
• Poor Your Soul by Mira Ptacin
• Black Science vol. 2: Welcome, Nowhere by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera and Dean White
• Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
• All Better Now by Emily Wing Smith
• Saga vol. 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
• Just Kids by Patti Smith
• Babysitters Club: Stacey McGill...Matchmaker? by Ann M. Martin
• Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
• Sunday's on the Phone to Monday by Christine Reilly
• Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins
• American Vampire, vol. 8 by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, et al
• 11/22/1963 by Stephen King
• Lumberjanes vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson
• The Loser List: Revenge of the Loser by H. N. Kowitt
• A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
• Baltimore: the Plague Ships by Mike Mignola
• Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen
• Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok
• Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery
• Salem's Lot by Stephen King
• Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery
• Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick
• Exile by Kevin Emerson
• The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
• The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
• Gossip Girl by Cecily van Ziegesar
• Read Write Teach by Linda Rief
• Rocking Fatherhood by Chris Kornelis
• A Prince in Peril by Robin Russell
• A Jail for Justice by Robin Russell
• A Karst in Kweilin by Robin Russell
• A Tiara for the Taking by Robin Russell
• Saga vol. 6 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Without You, There is No Us by Suki Kim
• Once Upon a Cow by Dr. Camilo Cruz
• Dietland by Sarai Walker
• Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
• The Hate List by Jennifer Brown
• Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
• The Feathered Bone by Julie Cantrell
• Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia
• Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
• Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
• I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda with Liz Welch
• I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan
• Payback Time by Carl Deuker
• Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
• What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty
• I Was Here by Gayle Forman

2015: On the Page

I continued to increase my books-read amount this year, which sort of makes up for the sting of failing in the movie count. I also continued to notice the phases I go through when I read. My genre-reading tends to cycle through a "comic-YA lit-modern fiction" loop, with slight sprinklings of the occasional essay compendium or non-fiction pop-culture related title. It's probably a sign that I need to push myself out of a reading comfort zone. Maybe my next challenge should be a non-fiction science text. Or a historical biography (which you'd think I'd enjoy more, but....ehhhhh).

Or maybe I should stick with what's working for me.

Perusing through this year's list, I was struck with the glory of text and place. While reviewing titles, I kept getting flashes of where and when I read them.

I remembered running to job interviews while Syllabus roasted in sunshine on the front seat of my car. Each interview I half-hoped someone would ask me what I was currently reading, so that I could brag about a book that was esoteric AND related to teaching practices! Just look how committed I am to professional development.

I remembered polishing off The Knife of Never Letting Go while lying on the floor of an unfurnished second bedroom, reveling in the fact that I could go to a place that wasn't my bed and wasn't the living room, but an entirely separate room in itself. I also remembered wondering why so many of my colleagues loved that book. Chalk that and Maze Runner up as tomes I'm glad kids love, but which leave me cold.

Fevre Dream was my airport book during the flight to Boston when I graduated with my Masters. I sat around airports during redeye flights, trying to place this tale in the greater structure of vampire lit and nervously dreading a trip that turned out not so bad.

I didn't finish The Brothers Karamazov, but I did attempt it again. And it did keep me company as the most absurd beach book in history while I chilled/burned to a crisp at Carkeek Beach during the most idyllic (read: toasty) summer Seattle has ever had.

2015 was a great year for books overall. I read in more places, read more diverse things, and had recommended reading lists yield better fruit than I'm getting so far in 2016. It was the year I got a Kindle, and even begrudgingly used it (though still sparingly). I found new soul books. And I found some beautiful memories.

Total Books Read: 68

Incredible Comics: Ms. Marvel: Generation Why. Every preteen and teenager should read Ms. Marvel. Not only does it have one of the best superhero origin stories I've read in a long time (not in this volume, but the sentiment stands), but Kamala's continuing adventures seem realistic to her age, while containing a warmth and humor that any book could seriously use. Highly, HIGHLY recommend. Syllabus. Lynda Barry is a new hero. Reading this completely amped me up for teaching again, and after using her journaling formats in my ELL class I can testify: this practice of creativity works! She's a marvel. Everyone go draw spirals right now. An Age of License. I really enjoy Lucy Knisley's voice. She somehow manages to do the impossible when it comes to memoir: be introspective without being indulgent. None of her remembrances seem whiny or entitled, and they all strike a real and familiar emotional chord. A must-read for those lost twenty-somethings on the cusp of a great future. American Vampire vol. 7. I owe some serious, life-changing decisions to Scott Snyder and this series, so it will always be on my favorites list. Also, despite Skinner Sweet being mostly unseen throughout this volume, 7 seriously amped up the big bad facing the American vampires (and vampire hunters). A solid addition to the story. Through the Woods. I love Emily Carroll's art, and the somewhat terrifying tales are right up my tonal alley. Slight unease and a touch of darkness make this a quick but satisfying read. Two Brothers. Ba and Moon's last work, Daytripper, was one of the most incredible books I've ever read. This second take, based around two unlike brothers in Brazil, packs artistic dynamism with an equally heartbreaking tale. It's an all around beautiful work.


Fantastic Realistic (read: ANGSTY) YA Lit: It's Kind of a Funny Story. Some of the greatest descriptions of depression and mental illness I've ever read. Totally captured how in the moment it doesn't feel like an affliction, but just feels like incompetence. Love Letters to the Dead. The ultimate in teen novels--feeling ostracized, finding a cool friend group, overcoming a deeply repressed past, hero worship of super-cool past idols. All familiar, but done in a way I dug. Jumped In. I loved the focus on poetry and music (plus, the local aspects were none too shabby). It managed to have teens growing and becoming adults without a completely earth-shattering trauma, which was a pleasant surprise. Adolescence is difficult enough without all the dramatics added on. I'll Give you the Sun. Gorgeous prose, told from two distinct and lovely character voices. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of falling in love, which were shown in a way that, if not emotionally healthy, at least felt true to the feeling of infatuation.


Favorite New Books: A Tale for the Time Being. This book, while initially difficult to get into, was stunning. Told from the perspective of an author in Canada reading a journal she found on the beach, telling the story of a Japanese school girl. The way the stories intersect is beautiful, and while I found the sequences in Japan more compelling, the entire thing was well-crafted. Child 44. One of my favorite books from the past few years was The Orphan Master's Son, and this very much felt like the Russian complement to that novel. A tight read that helps the layperson fear government a little bit more.  The Walls Around Us. It is a YA book, but it wasn't necessarily angsty enough to fit in my last category. Mostly because this book is mind-blowingly cool. It's told in a weird, time-bending format, and the central mystery (while not too obtuse) is fascinating.

Favorite Classics that I Re-Read and Which Comforted Me in Their Glory: Dandelion Wine. Mister Pip. A Swiftly Tilting Planet. All the Pretty Horses. I don't have much to say about these, other than I love them all and they are must-reads.

THE COMPLETE LIST:

• Saga vol.4 by Brain K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
• Batman Zero Year vol. 5: Dark City by Scott Snyder
• Yes Please by Amy Poehler
• Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
• Rat Queens vol. 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch
• 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
• Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
• The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
• The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
• The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang
• It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
• The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
• Alex and Ada by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughan
• Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli
• 27 by Howard Sounes
• Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
• Sunshine by Robin McKinley
• A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
• A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L'Engle
• Ms. Marvel: Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson, Jacob Wyatt, and Adrian Alphona
• Syllabus by Lynda Barry
• Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin
• Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
• I am Princess X by Cherie Priest
• American Vampire vol. 7 by Scott Snyder
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
• This One is Mine by Maria Semple
• An Age of License by Lucy Knisley
• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
• Feed  by M. T. Anderson
• Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge
• Swamp Thing vol.1: Raise Them Bones by Scott Snyder, Yanick Paquette and Marco Ruby
• Monster by Walter Dean Myers
• Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
• Althea and Oliver by Cristina Moracho
• NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
• Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
• The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
• The White Mountains by John Christopher
• Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander
• The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma
• All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
• The Gunslinger by Stephen King
• The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher
• The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith
• Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
• Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer
• Death Note vol.1 by Tsugami Ohba and Takeshi Obata
• Ungifted by Gordon Korman
• Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
• The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley
• I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
• The Dead and Buried by Kit Harrington
• Through the Woods by Emily Carroll 
• War Brothers by Sharon McKay and Daniel Lafrance
• Creatures of the Night by Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli
• Sahara Special by Esme Raji Codell
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
• Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin by Nicole Hardy
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• I Wear the Black Hat by Chuck Klosterman
• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
• The Tyrant's Daughter by J. C. Carleson
• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
• Two Brothers by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba

2014: On the Page

To be totally frank,* I'm surprised I read as many books as I did, and particularly that I beat my score from last year.  Many of these are comics and young adult books, and I have absolutely zero remorse about that.  Contrary to what Ruth Graham believes, I think that there can be beauty in unexpected places.  YA lit focuses on periods of stretching, the hard transitions.  Even adults transition at points—when I'm between jobs, or trying to adjust to life in school, or out of school, these stories can comfort me.  Me, an adult.  Imagine that!  As for comic books, well that's an art form, the marriage of story and image, and is often a better method for telling a narrative than word alone.  This year I read Fun Home and Marbles, both graphic novels, both dealing with quote/unquote serious issues, and both benefit from using art to express certain plot points.  Both of those are lovely books, by the way, which I recommend.

This is all to say that I am over any kind of book-shaming.  I will read books about a teen's summer and the love triangle developed therein.  I will read about superheroes.  I will read classics.  I will read.

As for what I read in 2014, here are some highlights.

Total Books Read: 63. Up five from last year.

Classic Book that rocked my world: The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood.  I had never read this before, and after reading The Blind Assassin and thinking 'meh' I wasn't prepared to love an Atwood.  But this blew me away.  The Handmaid's Tale isn't just one of those books that's well-written, it's one of those books that's important.  I think it's often criticized for being anti-Christian, which I don't buy.  Like any dystopian novel, it cautions against a society where those in power take freedoms away from the masses. In this case, those in power use a perverted form of Christianity to strip people, particularly women, of their rights.  It's a gorgeously-written warning, a story about how easily cultural norms can build into something dangerous.

Book that disappointed me: A Visit From the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan.  I hadn't liked any of Egan's previous work—hadn't even gotten through an entire book—but this one was so highly recommended I thought it would be different.  Well, it was different, because I actually finished.  And I did like certain aspects of the musical thread throughout periods of time, and I thought the future section was well-described, but overall it was a huge thud.  I don't like the way Egan writes characters.  I hate almost everyone in her books, and not in a fun way.  In a 'why am I reading this?' way.

Book that stayed with me a surprisingly long time: The Circle, by Dave Eggers.  I'm not typically a fan of Eggers, someone who seems the ultimate hip author, but this book had a weird staying power. Maybe it's because I am not-so-secretly terrified of technology,** so it got to me.  It follows a woman who could be named Annie Millenial, she's so typical ambitious tech-obsessed twenty-something, as she gets a job working for the Circle (a thinly disguised Google/Amazon amalgamation).  It shows how easily freedom is given up for the next cool thing, how subtly companies could use that power for evil.  It wasn't the Greatest American Novel, but boy did it resonate with me.

Series I bid a fond farewell: The Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin van Draanen.  I read the first book in the series, Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief, when I was in elementary school.  Eighteen books and all these long years later, van Draanan brought the era of Sammy to an end.  Sammy is a great protagonist—smart, sassy, and super courageous.  She's a hero, but I suppose jr. high had to end at some point.  New goal in life: get box set.

Author Obsession: E. Lockhart.  I had read a couple of her books before, and seriously enjoyed The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, but this was the year I became a completist and avid cheerleader.  Lockhart is the single best writer of girls I've ever seen.  She allows her heroines to be smart and strong, but that's not their entire personality.  They're boy crazy.  They make poor decisions.  They're foolish, and moody.  They're mean to their peers, who are often mean back, and usually without any real purpose but with long-lasting effects.  It's an honest account of being a teenager, hormones and intelligence all jumbled together.  I think every teenage girl should read Lockhart, just so they know they're normal.  It's also a good how-to for handling those situations with grace.  Eventually.

*well, actually I'm Cat. HAHAHA!
**the robot rebellion is going to happen one of these days, I have no doubt.

THE COMPLETE LIST:

• A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
• This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
• Where'd You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
• Saga vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
• Anne's House of Dreams by L.M.Montgomery
• Anne of Ingleside by L.M.Montgomery
• Escape From Camp 14 by Blaine Harden
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• East of West vol. 1 by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta
• Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
• Saga vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Zero vol. 1: An Emergency TP by Ales Kot, P. Walsh Michael, Tradd Moore
• Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart
• Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
• A Plague Year by Edward Bloor
• Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
• Scorpion Shards by Neal Shusterman
• The Boyfriend List by E. Lockart
• The Boy Book by E. Lockart
• American Vampire vol. 6 by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque
• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
• Thief of Soulsby Neal Shusterman
• Chew vol. 6: Space Cakes by John Layman and Rob Guillory 
• The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart
• Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart
• This Book is Full of Spiders by David Wong
• The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly 
• Compound by S. A. Bodeen
• One Day by David Nicholls
• The Circle by Dave Eggers
• Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
• Wild by Cheryl Strayed
• A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
• The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
• Runaway by Wendelin van Draanen
• The List by Siobhan Vivian
• Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City by Wendelin van Draanen
• Sammy Keyes and the Killer Cruise by Wendelin van Draanen
• Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman
• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
• This is a Call by Paul Brannigan
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
• Batman: Night of the Owls by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
• Batman: the Heart of Hush by Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? bu Philip K. Dick
• Sex Criminals vol. 1 by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
• Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
• Marbles by Ellen Forney
• The X-Files Season 10: vol. 1 by Joe Harris, Chris Carter and Michael Walsh
• Sammy Keyes and the Kiss Goodbye by Wendelin van Draanen
• Carrie by Stephen King
• Landline by Rainbow Rowell
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
• The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans
• Dear Leader by Jang Jin-sung
• Black Science vol. 1 by Matteo Scalera and Dean White
• A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
• Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
• Batman Zero Year: Secret City by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

Laying Down Track

A few days ago I finished This Is A Call, the unauthorized biography of Dave Grohl, written by Paul Brannigan.

It didn't offer much by way of new or enlightening information about Sir Davy Grolton—most of the best bits came from previous interviews and the documentary Back and Forth, filmed during the recording of 2011's Wasting Light—but it did offer a clear musical road map.  It's obvious that Brannigan is a music critic.  One who loves and admires Grohl, but who views Grohl's life through the increasingly analytical lens of the soundtrack.  Childhood is told by dissecting the set lists of Bad Brains and Teen Idle concerts.  Rise to stardom is told in the recording studio.  Emotions are interpreted through chord progressions.

This hyper-observation of Grohl's musical landscape extends to discussion of Foo Fighters albums.  Each album is treated to pages-long reviews of the track list, the critical reception, and most interestingly, the recording process.*  Lined up one right up against the other, it's clear to see the evolution of all Foo Fighters albums, the way that the band, and Grohl, forces change and growth.  Grohl himself stated in an interview with Brannigan, "It seems like every album we've made is a result of the one that came before it, or in response to it."  There's no complacency.

I couldn't help but think about that as I watched the trailer for the new HBO mini-series following the Foos, Sonic Highways.



In This Is A Call, Brannigan intensely spotlights each Foo Fighters album.  One was completely recorded by Grohl himself.  Another was in a major studio, while the next was in Grohl's basement.  This one was acoustic.  That one was laid down on tape.  For the new record, the Foo Fighters visited eight cities and eight studios, recording songs with guest artists to try to capture the beating musical heart of America, filtered through the amplification of a unique Foo Fighters sound.  Which is a beautiful idea, and a beautiful method for a band continuing to push against boundaries.

I find that remarkably admirable.  It's easy to excuse laziness, especially after experiencing success.  With his fame and wealth, it would be simple for Grohl to merely churn out some the same grunge-inspired rock album, mix it by the best producer the studio can buy, and call it good.  But Grohl pushes for more.  He isn't resting on creative laurels, he's using his good fortune to continue to challenge himself.  I don't know if I would do the same in that position.

It reminds me of a favorite quote from writer John McPhee: "Your last piece is never going to write your next one for you."

On the one hand, that can be an exhausting viewpoint.  It could be interpreted that nothing is ever going to be good enough, so why try, life is pain and struggle.

But on the other hand, how inspiring!  That even those at the top of their field are constantly striving to improve.  It means that there's some recourse for the rest of us.  No one is ever perfect, so KEEP TRYING.  Keep working, keep pushing, and keep improving.  There is no capstone.  There is no limit.  And there is nothing to hold you back.

*It's actually pretty telling that discussion of the 2002 album One by One covers over twenty pages, while Grohl's divorce from Jennifer Youngblood is introduced and concluded in one sentence.

Return and Report

Part the First: Reflection

Well, 2013 has been a crap-bucket of a year.

Or so I thought when I initially sat down to write this, my yearly recap.*

Then I realized how much the extreme, soul-crushing suckitude of the past four months has colored my views.  Just because the latter third of the year drained me of all optimism and hope doesn't mean that good ol' 2013 has been a total wash.  In fact, it was a magical year in many ways.

Because this

In 2012, I fell in love with Seattle.  In 2013, Seattle became my home—a sad fact I didn't fully understand until I left it behind for the rocky coldness of the East Coast.  Somewhere along the road, despite the gray skies and the truly horrific traffic, Seattle snuck into my heart and settled down.  It packed up Thai food, Alki beach, the lighthouse at Discovery Park, the house in Queen Anne, the apartment by Silver Platters, the car full of educators starting and stopping down the 90 blasting music along the way.  It smuggled in memories of barbecues on the patio, where my fingers picked charred lamb off the cutting board, where I drank ginger beer and feasted on the best damn guacamole I've ever had.  Thoughts of Menchie's runs and reading on sunny days by Green Lake.  The sunsets—sweet mercy, the sunsets!—viewed from rocky beaches or Pike Place or the top of Cougar Mountain as I finished work and headed out to carpool.

Gorgeous view above the clouds

One of the best parts of having a place you love is sharing it with others, and Taylor and I got to share Seattle with many people this year (Paige, Ryan, James, Jihad, Sarah, Leo, my parents, Lauren).  We had the tour down pat—dinner at Orrapin on Queen Anne or Bengal Tiger down the street from our apartment.  Desserts from Menchie's, Trophy Cupcakes, Top Pot, or one of the many, many incredible bakeries.  One day had to be spent at Pike Place, going to Golden Age Collectables and wandering through secondhand bookstores.  Stopping for soda at the Pear Delicatessen.  If the lines weren't too long, maybe grabbing some Piroshky Piroshky pastries,  Beecher's mac 'n cheese, or the meatball sub at the Pasta Bar (a personal favorite).  Sometimes I would take people to wander around Capitol Hill, stepping into Eliott Bay Book Company or any of the shops on Broadway.  Often, I'd talk someone into visiting my happy place at the EMP and then checking out Seattle Center.  At some point, Taylor would take visitors on a driving loop on Queen Anne, where we'd point out sites from Seattle history and our own personal backstories.

Basically, the first two-thirds of this year were spent soaking up Seattle.  Taylor worked hard to finish school, graduating with his Masters.  I worked hard to save up money for the move to Boston, and despite some bratty kids I mostly enjoyed teaching history and journalism and mythology, going on some great field trips (NCI!) and interacting with six-year-olds for the first time at summer camp.

The North Cascades

That was before we packed up everything and headed out to Boston.  The road trip back was amazing.  In Montana I finally learned the truth of the phrase "purple mountain majesty."  I felt a sacred peace in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  I drove through the Badlands in a lightening storm and was completely alive.  Taylor and I braved the staid cornfields of Iowa to visit Scholte, and in Chicago we met with rain and blues and Gary and Giordano's.  We cozied up in an Eerie bed and breakfast, feeling nervous about the move for the first time and trying desperately to lose ourselves in the beauty of a small town.

And then came Boston.  And grad school.  While we've enjoyed exploring this city, exploring revolutionary history and cemeteries packed with my literary heroes, and while I have loved going to classes and constantly writing and the people I've met through articles and stories, I can't quite talk about Boston without bitterness in my voice.  Because I miss the happiness I left behind.

But that's OK.  Because now, on to 2014.  The year of endurance.

This is the year I put my head down and work.  Where I take Boston and feast on all it offers me.  And then next year, once I have sucked out all the education and experiences possible, I can leave this withered husk behind me and move on to real life.

*Previous recaps: 2012, 2011, 2010

Part the Second: Reporting

Last year, I set a few goals.  Here's how they went.

1. Get published.

Well, not so much.  Not officially.  BUT!  This year I started the television review site Lightbox Heroes with dear friends Mary and Rosemary.  It has been the single most beneficial thing I could have done for my writing, and it is several steps closer to what I want to be doing.  I feel pretty good about this one.

2. Get into grad school.

Done.  Masters of Journalism at Boston University, scheduled to be finished January 2015.

3. Stop eating food in the faculty room.

Ha. That's cute.

4. Keep track of the media I consumed.  Consume more media.

Done and done, and reported below.  While I don't know for certain that I consumed more media than last year, it certainly felt like I did.  And I was much more conscious of actively working to watch more movies and read more books.

One huge milestone I overcame was being comfortable with mass media consumption.  For many people, these types of activities are methods for release or ways to laze about, and so I would always be self-conscious about how frequently I would partake in these activities.  But considering that this is what I want to do—write about pop culture—this is precisely what I should be doing with my time.  So this year was a time for throwing off the shackles of what other people thought and growing my portfolio of expertise.  Making up for lost time, if you will.

5. Write reviews for every book I read.

Another negative.  But I recorded all the books I read, and I am working on slowly making up for lost time.  Writing for Lightbox Heroes showed me how easy it can be to write reviews, I just have to do them immediately and not let them pile up.  So with that in mind, I should be much more reliable this year.

Now without further ado, the media stats. 

MOVIES

-Jurassic Park                                                          -Justice League: Doom

-Spiderman                                                              -The Untouchables

-Django Unchained                                                  -The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

-Inglourious Basterds                                                -Escape From Alcatraz

-Two Mules for Sister Sara                                       -Pale Rider

-National Geographic Explorer: 25 Years                    -The Fountain

-Good Will Hunting                                                   -Naked Gun 2 1/2 

-Objectified                                                              -T2

-Serenity                                                                  -Safety Not Guaranteed

-Raising Arizona                                                       -Last of the Mohicans

-The Departed                                                          -The Godfather 2

-Side by Side                                                            -Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker

-Capote                                                                    -Into the Wild

-Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037          -Zero Dark Thirty

-Reality Bites                                                            -Once

-NFFTY Opening Night                                            -Slacker

-Legends of the Fall                                                  -V for Vendetta

-Ironman 3                                                               -The Great Gatsby

-Watchmen                                                               -Bachelorette

-Willow                                                                    -Reservoir Dogs

-Akira                                                                      -Psycho

-The Town                                                                -Snatch

-Mystery Men                                                           -The Iceman Tapes

-Clerks                                                                     -Training Day

-Ronin                                                                       -Ninja Scroll

-Pitch Perfect                                                            -13 Assassins

-James and the Giant Peach                                       -Let it Be

-The Bling Ring                                                         -Chinatown

-Paranorman                                                             -Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

-Chasing Amy                                                           -Oldboy

-Pacific Rim                                                              -Butter

-Goldfinger                                                                -Johnny Carson: King of Late Night

-The Way Way Back                                                 -Cloud Atlas

-The Breakfast Club                                                   -Shaolin Soccer

-Rifftrax: Titanic                                                         -Wristcutters

-Hang 'Em High                                                          -SLC Punk

-Paranoid: Black Sabbath                                            -Rifftrax: Starship Troopers

-The World's End                                                       -The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

-Hero                                                                         -The Elephant Man

-Dr. Strangelove                                                         -East of Eden

-Who Framed Roger Rabbit                                         -The Other F Word

-Before Sunrise                                                           -Before Sunset

-In a World                                                                 -Tombstone

-My Kid Could Paint That                                           -Escape From Tomorrow

-Hocus Pocus                                                             -Boondock Saints

-Dances With Wolves                                                 -Muscle Shoals

-Shattered Glass                                                         -Baraka

-Hitchcock                                                                 -Se7en

-Inside Llewyn Davis                                                  -Absence of Malice

-No Country for Old Men                                           -Night of the Living Dead

-Rifftrax: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians               -Star Trek: First Contact

-The Master                                                              -Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox

-A Brady Bunch Movie                                              -White House Down

-The Patriot                                                               -Fargo

-Brave                                                                       -Brick

TOTAL: 110

Favorite Discoveries: The Fountain. The Departed. Snatch. Paranorman. The World's End. The Elephant Man. Dr. Strangelove.

Most Uncomfortable Movies: Oldboy. The Master. Bachelorette. Escape from Tomorrow.

Movies That Made Me Angry: Watchmen. Pacific Rim.

Movies Whose Popularity Flummoxed Me: Ronin. The Boondock Saints.

Movies That Were An Unexpected Delight: 13 Assassins. White House Down. Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox.

Clint Eastwood Movies: Escape From Alcatraz. Pale Rider. Two Mules for Sister Sara. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Hang 'Em High.

BOOKS

-Moon Over Manifest                                               -Y the Last Man: Girl on Girl
-Y the Last Man: Paper Dolls                                    -Y the Last Man: Kimono Dragons
-Y the Last Man: Motherland                                    -Y the Last Man: Whys and Wherefores
-Perks of Being a Wallflower                                     -That Summer
-Confessions of a Serial Kisser                                   -The Running Diaries
-Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway                     -Chew: Flambe
-Astonishing X-men: Dangerous                                 -Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
-I,Q: Independence Hall                                            -One Crazy Summer
-Watchmen                                                               -Anna Karenina
-The Road                                                                -A Gathering of Days
-The Paris Wife                                                        -A Girl of the Limberlost
-Think Tank, Vol. 1                                                  -Good Omens
-Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore                         -Habibi
-Me, the Missing, and the Dead                                 -Court of Owls
-East of Eden                                                            -1602
-Cloud Atlas                                                             -Island in the Sea of Time
-Covering America                                                    -American Vampire, Vol. 5
-Gods Like Us                                                          -Z: a novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
-Attachments                                                            -Eleanor and Park
-Black Hole                                                              -Wanted
-Relish                                                                      -Court of Owls (2nd time)
-The Game of Thrones                                              -The Black Mirror
-A Clash of Kings                                                      -Ex Machina: the First Hundred Days
-Ex Machina: Tag                                                      -Ex Machina: Fact v. Fiction
-Ex Machina: March to War                                       -Ex Machina: Smoke Smoke
-Ex Machina: Power Down                                        -All-Star Superman
-Joker: Death in the Family                                        -A Storm of Swords
-Hawkeye 1                                                               -Fangirl
-Such a Pretty Fat                                                      -The Elements of Journalism

TOTAL: 58

New Favorite Books: Perks of Being a Wallflower.  Anna Karenina.  East of Eden.

What I'd Recommend: The Paris Wife.  Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore.  Attachments.  Good Omens.  The Y the Last Man series.  Relish.

Favorite Discovery: Rainbow Rowell, the author of Attachments, Eleanor and Park, and Fangirl.

Biggest Surprise: How addicting the Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) books are.

TELEVISION

Completed series watched in entirety: 

-Bunheads                                                                 -Firefly
-Stephen Fry in America                                             -Terriers
-Breaking Bad                                                            -30 Rock
-Welcome to the Family**

Ongoing series watched faithfully:
-Mad Men                                                                  -Parks and Recreation
-Community                                                              -Nashville
-Sleepy Hollow**                                                        -Brooklyn Nine-Nine**
-The Crazy Ones**                                                     -Dracula**
-The Goldbergs**                                                       -The Millers**
-Reign**                                                                     -Arrested Development

Series with a significant portion of episodes watched:
-Buffy the Vampire Slayer                                           -Friday Night Lights
-Don't Trust the B in Apt. 23                                       -The Carrie Diaries
-The IT Crowd                                                           -It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
-Futurama                                                                   -Saturday Night Live
-The Walking Dead                                                     -Felicity
-How I Met Your Mother                                            -Robot Chicken
-Full Metal Alchemist                                                   -Greg the Bunny
-The Following                                                            -Batman Beyond
-Fringe                                                                        -The Vicar of Dibley
-Gossip Girl                                                                -The Michael J. Fox Show
-Game of Thrones                                                       -Avatar: the Last Airbender

Series with one or two episodes watched:
-Ben and Kate                                                             -Hannibal
-Workaholics                                                               -MythQuest
-The Black Donnelly's                                                  -Orange is the New Black
-Freaks and Geeks                                                       -Boy Meets World
-The Simpsons

**signifies a show watched for Lightbox Heroes 

Ready, Set, BREAK

And just like that, as sure as the sun rises over the east and sets in the golden melted pools of western skies, I am done.  

One semester of grad school annihilated, two more to go.

Now on to one month of blessed rest.

Truth be told, I'm pretty proud of how this last semester passed.  Yes, moving here has been hard, and yes, I still had more annoying student habits than I wanted, but for the most part I was able to defeat the worst of my under-achieving demons.  True, my nasty procrastination habit is not completely gone. But I did kick it into submission about eighty percent of the time (the less said about that other twenty percent, the better).  Most importantly, I was able to finish finals with less stress and in a more timely fashion than ever before.  No last minute cramming for me this semester!  As an undergrad, I would usually frantically write my papers the morning they were due, finishing them with fifteen minutes to run to campus, print, and hand them in.  I am not lying when I say I was a lazy student.

So this is a pretty big deal.

This semester, every paper was finished at least by the night before class, and sometimes with a wider margin than that.  Let's check the timer and see how much time I granted myself, shall we?

Principles and Techniques of Journalism: 14.5 hours

Journalism Research: 18 hours

Arts Criticism: 29.5 hours

Media Law and Ethics: 66 hours

Might not seem like much, but to me that's solid progress.  Actual growth.  So eat that, all those people who stood up to violence or proved the Higgs boson particle or what have you.  I decreased my procrastination!  Victory is mine!

And now I can curl up and spend my break doing all those things I've wanted to do for weeks but have been delaying in favor of doing my work.  So over the next month, I'll be....

Reading these books:

Watching these TV shows:

And these movies:

And writing more on here (shameless plugging):

LIGHTBOX HEROES, a blog dedicated to reviewing new network TV shows.
Check us out at: lightboxheroes.weebly.com

I have a new project coming up.  Stay tuned.

And last but not least, doing LOTS of this:

Garfield is my spirit animal

Have a wonderful holiday season, dear world.  Enjoy the rest of this year.  I know I will.