Goodreads is one of my most favorite websites. I think I've mentioned it before, but it wholly appeals to my love of lists and books - two of my very favorite things. Also, with as bad as my memory has become lately (I'm blaming it on pregnancy...which has become my scapegoat as of late) it's great to keep track of how much I liked a particular book and why.
2014 was a year full of both good and bad reads. I kept up with my trend of devouring Young Adult novels and tried to divert my attention to more non-fiction so as to actually improve my mind.
So, it is without further ado that I give you my favorite fiction reads of 2014.
In no particular order.
Young Adult Fiction
1. On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.
Before this year I hadn't really ventured into Australian-authored YA literature, but I've got to say that it's obvious that I've been missing out. This one started out feeling a bit like a combination of Lord of the Flies and A Separate Peace (both favorites of mine), but took a turn into a more southern gothic feel. I can't explain it, but it was so beautifully written and so poignant, that I wanted to re-read it immediately after finishing it.
2. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.
Another Australian author who now has my heart. Think Huckleberry Finn meets Little Rascals meets To Kill A Mockingbird...and you still don't quite have it. Impressive doesn't even begin to describe it. It's another one going on my re-read list.
3. Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool.
I think this one may be making an appearance as one of my top-10 favorite books. Ms. Vanderpool is a relatively new author, but she is absolutely magnificent. The story takes place in a boys' prep school in Maine just following the Second World War. It's heartbreaking and thought-provoking and I'll be reading it again and again.
4. Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner.
One of my goals this year was to read through as many of the Printz Award winners and honorees as possible. This one and the previous three listed are all from that list and it's no surprise why. Maggot Moon is haunting in a 1984/The Handmaid's Tale sort of way and the ending was not at all what I was expecting. Although it's YA, I wouldn't recommend it for the younger-end readers as its really quite disturbing.
5. The Fault in our Stars by John Green.
I probably don't need to go on about this one as everyone on earth has either sobbed through the book or bawled through the movie. I almost hated how much I loved it.
6. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler.
Daniel Handler, better known as Lemony Snickett, surprised me with how well he captured the teenage voice. I felt like I was re-living high school and found myself laughing out loud at parts. I listened to this as an audio book, which made it particularly entertaining as the reader was so much fun.
7. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel.
This felt so much like the swashbuckling adventures of classic literature and I loved every second of it. I was initially turned off by the cover (I know! How dare I judge a book by its cover?) but five pages in, I was hooked.
Adult Fiction
1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
Long and full of language and despicable characters, but also Boris. Boris is one of the most compelling characters I've ever read. I may have wanted to throw the book across the room halfway through, but those Boris monologues towards the end made it all worth it.
2. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.
This fun mystery perfectly captures the tech generation. I loved every second of it and hardly a week goes by where I'm not recommending it to someone.
3. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple.
I listed to this on audio book and absolutely adored the narration. It was so cleverly told and so spot-on in its descriptions of suburban life that I wanted to listen to it straight through with nary a break. Bernadette, will you be my best friend?
Friday, January 2, 2015
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Christmas 2014
Here we are a week after Christmas and I'm finally starting to catch up. Blake woke up on Christmas with a cold and it's gotten worse from there: a sinus infection to end all sinus infections.
I've successfully avoided it this time around thanks to self-quarantine and lots of vitamins. Poor Blake has had a go of it, though, and is getting very ready to be done with blowing his nose and steaming over boiling pots of water.
Christmas itself was wonderful. We spent Christmas Eve at Blake's parents' house and enjoyed the usual festivities. The kids put on a nativity program and also take turns performing on whatever instruments they're currently learning. A couple recited poems like this one:
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow's a mystery. But today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.
I love 8 year olds.
Luckily this year we were spared any renditions of current Taylor Swift songs. In years past those have been the hardest to keep a straight face through.
My 11 year old niece, Coco, and I played a duet on cello and violin. She, of course, played perfectly. And I, of course, messed her up. My fingers are so out of shape. Also, I'm blaming my staggering stage fright. Sigh.
Iya and Papa (that's Blake's parents to their grandkids) organized a treasure hunt for the kids to find their gifts. It was definitely a highlight. It's so fun to see all 8 of them running around holding clues and looking like they might explode with excitement. It's one of my favorite parts of Christmas. Kids make everything more magical.
The rest of the evening was spent feasting on enchiladas and sides (we've all decided that Mexican food should be our new Christmas Eve tradition) and making ourselves sick by eating too many treats. A good 'eve was had by all.
Because we're getting really old, Christmas morning started out around 7:00 with a long walk for the Bear followed by a leisurely morning in our pajamas while we opened gifts. Blake and I did a mostly hand-made Christmas for our parents and we had so much fun. I crocheted afghans for both sets of parents, and Blake printed out a couple of beautiful photos on canvas of loons from the lake this past summer. It was a hit. I love doing handmade gifts. It makes me feel like I'm celebrating Christmas for a lot longer as I'm taking the time to work on the gifts so much earlier than I would have otherwise.
Also, because we're getting old, when our parents asked what we had on our Christmas lists it was all baby-related. My parents generously bought us our dream stroller and Blake's parents spoiled us with a beautiful high chair and a video baby monitor. We're getting close to being all set up and I can hardly believe it. How strange it is that we'll have an 8 month old by next Christmas!
I've successfully avoided it this time around thanks to self-quarantine and lots of vitamins. Poor Blake has had a go of it, though, and is getting very ready to be done with blowing his nose and steaming over boiling pots of water.
Christmas itself was wonderful. We spent Christmas Eve at Blake's parents' house and enjoyed the usual festivities. The kids put on a nativity program and also take turns performing on whatever instruments they're currently learning. A couple recited poems like this one:
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow's a mystery. But today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.
I love 8 year olds.
Luckily this year we were spared any renditions of current Taylor Swift songs. In years past those have been the hardest to keep a straight face through.
My 11 year old niece, Coco, and I played a duet on cello and violin. She, of course, played perfectly. And I, of course, messed her up. My fingers are so out of shape. Also, I'm blaming my staggering stage fright. Sigh.
Iya and Papa (that's Blake's parents to their grandkids) organized a treasure hunt for the kids to find their gifts. It was definitely a highlight. It's so fun to see all 8 of them running around holding clues and looking like they might explode with excitement. It's one of my favorite parts of Christmas. Kids make everything more magical.
The rest of the evening was spent feasting on enchiladas and sides (we've all decided that Mexican food should be our new Christmas Eve tradition) and making ourselves sick by eating too many treats. A good 'eve was had by all.
Because we're getting really old, Christmas morning started out around 7:00 with a long walk for the Bear followed by a leisurely morning in our pajamas while we opened gifts. Blake and I did a mostly hand-made Christmas for our parents and we had so much fun. I crocheted afghans for both sets of parents, and Blake printed out a couple of beautiful photos on canvas of loons from the lake this past summer. It was a hit. I love doing handmade gifts. It makes me feel like I'm celebrating Christmas for a lot longer as I'm taking the time to work on the gifts so much earlier than I would have otherwise.
Also, because we're getting old, when our parents asked what we had on our Christmas lists it was all baby-related. My parents generously bought us our dream stroller and Blake's parents spoiled us with a beautiful high chair and a video baby monitor. We're getting close to being all set up and I can hardly believe it. How strange it is that we'll have an 8 month old by next Christmas!
Friday, December 19, 2014
The 2014 Ugly Christmas Sweater Party
Blake has been hosting an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party for as long as I've known him (and I think all the way through college, so maybe 13-14 years?). It's become one of our favorite Christmas traditions and we look forward to it every year.
It gives us the excuse to decorate the house and to make all of our favorite holiday treats that we couldn't otherwise justify having in the house (I have been known to eat a whole batch of cookies on my own...).
Bear is still at the "I will jump all over you, lick you, and steal your food" stage, so he spent the party in his crate, but had no shortage of friends petting him and sneaking him snacks through the openings. I'm hoping that next year he'll be grown up enough to wander around the party un-watched. But maybe that's wishful thinking.
The ugly Christmas sweater that my mom sent to me last year was looking perilously short after covering my growing bump (and love handles), so I had to wear a long undershirt so as not to flash our guests with any unexpected skin.
If I were better at remembering such things, I would have taken pictures during the actual party, but I'm sure it's not really that surprising that I didn't make it that far. Frankly, after spending the day cooking and setting up, it's a miracle that was even awake through the party. My bedtime has been no later than 10:00 lately, so staying up 'til all hours socializing was a welcome change.
I'm having a hard time believing that Christmas is less than a week away. Is it just me, or does the Christmas season fly by faster and fast each year? It's one of those times of the year when I wish things would slow down, but they always get so jam packed with fun activities that they proceed at a neck breaking pace.
We've got a handful of fun Christmassy outings planned for this coming week (along with another ultrasound - yippee!) and then on to the main event. Bear's getting a new elk antler from Santa Paws, and I bought myself some luxuriously large Christmas jammies, so everyone around here is looking forward to the big day.
It gives us the excuse to decorate the house and to make all of our favorite holiday treats that we couldn't otherwise justify having in the house (I have been known to eat a whole batch of cookies on my own...).
Bear is still at the "I will jump all over you, lick you, and steal your food" stage, so he spent the party in his crate, but had no shortage of friends petting him and sneaking him snacks through the openings. I'm hoping that next year he'll be grown up enough to wander around the party un-watched. But maybe that's wishful thinking.
The ugly Christmas sweater that my mom sent to me last year was looking perilously short after covering my growing bump (and love handles), so I had to wear a long undershirt so as not to flash our guests with any unexpected skin.
If I were better at remembering such things, I would have taken pictures during the actual party, but I'm sure it's not really that surprising that I didn't make it that far. Frankly, after spending the day cooking and setting up, it's a miracle that was even awake through the party. My bedtime has been no later than 10:00 lately, so staying up 'til all hours socializing was a welcome change.
I'm having a hard time believing that Christmas is less than a week away. Is it just me, or does the Christmas season fly by faster and fast each year? It's one of those times of the year when I wish things would slow down, but they always get so jam packed with fun activities that they proceed at a neck breaking pace.
We've got a handful of fun Christmassy outings planned for this coming week (along with another ultrasound - yippee!) and then on to the main event. Bear's getting a new elk antler from Santa Paws, and I bought myself some luxuriously large Christmas jammies, so everyone around here is looking forward to the big day.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
It's the Holiday season
You know, I thought that I'd be much more prolific with my blogging when I quit my desk job. But, it turns out that sitting at a desk 9-10 hours a day is actually helpful in the blogging department. Now my days are filled with other projects (and the eternal morning sickness that just sucks all my energy and will to be productive), and I do a lot of my writing by hand or away from the intrigues of the internet. So, sitting down for some quality blogging time seems to happen less than I'd like.
The holidays always seem to be an especially busy time of year. And is it just me, or does the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seem shorter every year? There's just so much to do, and so little time in which to do it.
So, in the interest of brevity, and due to my recent sniffly temperament, here's what we've been up to since I checked in last:
1. Pregnancy has made my sinuses stuffy in the general sense, so when I started getting stuffier last Sunday, I tried to play it off as a pregnancy symptom plus maybe a small cold. A couple days later I was at the Urgent Care at the request of my OB. Turns out I had a double ear infection and a sinus infection. That, coupled with nausea and nosebleeds made for a very interesting week where I did little else but sniff Vicks Vap-o-Rub and blow my nose. All I can say is thank goodness for antibiotics!
2. Bear and Blake were troopers throughout my self-imposed quarantine. Blake woke up extra early before work every day to take Bear on a long walk, and then took him on a long walk again (in the pitch black) when he got home. Bear, for his part, was very sweet to me all week, and spent most of his time in bed with me resting his chin on my feet.
3. I re-watched a couple of seasons of Gilmore Girls between nose blows. It made me nostalgic for college (when I watched the show the first time, Rory and I were at the same time of life and I felt a special kindred with her). Embarrassingly, Bear seemed to recognize the theme song by the end of the week. I swear he was rolling his eyes at me every time a new episode started. He's a cultured dog, but I guess he doesn't appreciate quality cinematic entertainment when he sees it.
4. We've started in on our traditional Christmas movie marathon. Every year we start with Love Actually on Thanksgiving, and proceed with Home Alone 1 & 2, Elf, Christmas Vacation, Fred Claus, and The Santa Clause (if I get my way - Blake hates that one). Blake also makes a list of all the good Christmas shows on TV and we set them up to record so we always have something Christmassy to watch. We're serious about our holiday entertainment around here.
5. We're working hard to get our house decorated in time for our annual Ugly Sweater Christmas party this weekend. Blake has held this party every year for 13 (or maybe 14?) years and it's one of our favorite Christmas traditions. Everyone seems to have a great time each year, and it's always a hoot explaining to half our friends that we- as boring Mormons- aren't going to have alcohol at the party. It's like a rite of passage for them, I think, surviving a Mormon party. Ha.
Add in laundry, keeping the house mud-free with a Bear on the lose, and attempting to keep our sanity through this hellish experience called pregnancy, and that just about sums it up. Here's to a happy and healthy holiday season filled with blogging and cheer.
The holidays always seem to be an especially busy time of year. And is it just me, or does the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seem shorter every year? There's just so much to do, and so little time in which to do it.
So, in the interest of brevity, and due to my recent sniffly temperament, here's what we've been up to since I checked in last:
1. Pregnancy has made my sinuses stuffy in the general sense, so when I started getting stuffier last Sunday, I tried to play it off as a pregnancy symptom plus maybe a small cold. A couple days later I was at the Urgent Care at the request of my OB. Turns out I had a double ear infection and a sinus infection. That, coupled with nausea and nosebleeds made for a very interesting week where I did little else but sniff Vicks Vap-o-Rub and blow my nose. All I can say is thank goodness for antibiotics!
2. Bear and Blake were troopers throughout my self-imposed quarantine. Blake woke up extra early before work every day to take Bear on a long walk, and then took him on a long walk again (in the pitch black) when he got home. Bear, for his part, was very sweet to me all week, and spent most of his time in bed with me resting his chin on my feet.
3. I re-watched a couple of seasons of Gilmore Girls between nose blows. It made me nostalgic for college (when I watched the show the first time, Rory and I were at the same time of life and I felt a special kindred with her). Embarrassingly, Bear seemed to recognize the theme song by the end of the week. I swear he was rolling his eyes at me every time a new episode started. He's a cultured dog, but I guess he doesn't appreciate quality cinematic entertainment when he sees it.
4. We've started in on our traditional Christmas movie marathon. Every year we start with Love Actually on Thanksgiving, and proceed with Home Alone 1 & 2, Elf, Christmas Vacation, Fred Claus, and The Santa Clause (if I get my way - Blake hates that one). Blake also makes a list of all the good Christmas shows on TV and we set them up to record so we always have something Christmassy to watch. We're serious about our holiday entertainment around here.
5. We're working hard to get our house decorated in time for our annual Ugly Sweater Christmas party this weekend. Blake has held this party every year for 13 (or maybe 14?) years and it's one of our favorite Christmas traditions. Everyone seems to have a great time each year, and it's always a hoot explaining to half our friends that we- as boring Mormons- aren't going to have alcohol at the party. It's like a rite of passage for them, I think, surviving a Mormon party. Ha.
Add in laundry, keeping the house mud-free with a Bear on the lose, and attempting to keep our sanity through this hellish experience called pregnancy, and that just about sums it up. Here's to a happy and healthy holiday season filled with blogging and cheer.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Dignity - of which I have none left
Last Tuesday I lay in bed trying to get to sleep. As I tried to finagle my pregnancy pillow into a comfortable position, I thought about how grateful I was for that very (uncomfortable) moment. Blake was asleep next to me, dead to the world, Bear was curled up at my feet - snoring and acting like a portable heater. I felt so lucky that IVF worked for us and that things were going so well (aside from the ever-present nausea. yuck).
I fell asleep happy. And then I woke up to a nosebleed. Not just any nose bleed, but the most horrific blood faucet I've ever had. I spent the next 45 minutes hunched over in the bathroom, pinching my nose and trying to get it under control while Bear paced and whined next to me. Poor guy is very sensitive to when we're not feeling well and he was not pleased with the situation. Either that, or he was antsy about postponing his morning walk.
Thankfully, I got the nosebleed under control in time to walk over to my dentist appointment.
I brought some spare tissues in my pocket, just in case, but didn't seem to need them on the walk over. However, right after I signed in at the front desk, I felt the familiar rush.
[Warning, graphic descriptions ahead. Proceed at your own risk.]
Before I could even grab the box of tissues on the counter, my coat, hands, and the bottom half of my face were covered in blood. I mumbled an apology to the receptionist and took a seat in the corner of the waiting room, hoping that it would stop quickly.
No such luck.
The old ladies trickling in for their appointments looked ill at the sight of a someone dripping so much blood all over the place. Pretty soon, the entire staff of the dentist's office was crowded around me trying to help.
My dentist, who is probably the world's coolest dentist, had the distinct privilege of helping me change the packing and seeing huge, slimy clots dangle out the end of my nose in between tissues.
They moved me to my own room to "bleed privately," and brought me ice packs, tissues, gauze, and a slew of packing materials that look suspiciously like tampons with the string cut off.
Half an hour later the blood had dried up...along with what remained of my dignity. I mean, I thought I'd lost all dignity being sick from IVF and then being sick from pregnancy (being sick in public is just soooooo fun!), but here I was going deeply into the red (pun!) in the dentist's office. Oy.
Here's hoping that the holidays this year will be more green and white...and less red.
Before I go and leave you with the image of gooey blood clots lingering in your mind, here are some darling picture of the Bear. We bought Maybe Baby a small stuffed animal that looks just like him, but now he thinks it is his. Sigh. Sibling rivalry already?
I fell asleep happy. And then I woke up to a nosebleed. Not just any nose bleed, but the most horrific blood faucet I've ever had. I spent the next 45 minutes hunched over in the bathroom, pinching my nose and trying to get it under control while Bear paced and whined next to me. Poor guy is very sensitive to when we're not feeling well and he was not pleased with the situation. Either that, or he was antsy about postponing his morning walk.
Thankfully, I got the nosebleed under control in time to walk over to my dentist appointment.
I brought some spare tissues in my pocket, just in case, but didn't seem to need them on the walk over. However, right after I signed in at the front desk, I felt the familiar rush.
[Warning, graphic descriptions ahead. Proceed at your own risk.]
Before I could even grab the box of tissues on the counter, my coat, hands, and the bottom half of my face were covered in blood. I mumbled an apology to the receptionist and took a seat in the corner of the waiting room, hoping that it would stop quickly.
No such luck.
The old ladies trickling in for their appointments looked ill at the sight of a someone dripping so much blood all over the place. Pretty soon, the entire staff of the dentist's office was crowded around me trying to help.
My dentist, who is probably the world's coolest dentist, had the distinct privilege of helping me change the packing and seeing huge, slimy clots dangle out the end of my nose in between tissues.
They moved me to my own room to "bleed privately," and brought me ice packs, tissues, gauze, and a slew of packing materials that look suspiciously like tampons with the string cut off.
Half an hour later the blood had dried up...along with what remained of my dignity. I mean, I thought I'd lost all dignity being sick from IVF and then being sick from pregnancy (being sick in public is just soooooo fun!), but here I was going deeply into the red (pun!) in the dentist's office. Oy.
Here's hoping that the holidays this year will be more green and white...and less red.
Before I go and leave you with the image of gooey blood clots lingering in your mind, here are some darling picture of the Bear. We bought Maybe Baby a small stuffed animal that looks just like him, but now he thinks it is his. Sigh. Sibling rivalry already?
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