The Two-Four Approacheth

Growing up, birthdays were never a huge deal in my family.  Then again, there were 3 out of the four of us celebrating in July.  You get a little sick of cake (thank goodness Dad likes pie).

The problem is that none of us actually know how to throw, or plan, a birthday party.  We were always on vacation (except in grade school, we just went to some party place & our parents invited all of our classmates), so we just went out for a slightly nicer dinner than normal.  Now, I don't know what to do for my birthday this year.

Last year, everyone that could went swing dancing at Century.  Although, that turned out to be only a handful.  They year before, I spent my birthday road-tripping to a funeral with Matt & Josh (ended up being sad, but not as bad as it sounds).  Then, the two years before, we all walked to Molly Moon's & watched a movie back at the house.

Time to start planning!  July is already looking super busy!

Addendum to The Year in Books

You know the Game of Thrones series? I forgot that I started reading the first book. It was so captivating and interesting, but then it got graphically inappropriate with little to no warning. So, I stopped reading it, as much as I wanted to find out what happened. I just don't want to live with those images. :P

The Year in Review: Books

As a user of the Seattle public transportation system, it has been much easier to check books off of my list. This year, I managed 19 books (that I remember). It has been excellent to read for pleasure again, now that school reading assignments are a thing of the past. Here is a look at 2011's books:

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

+ The title character is not the only person whose story is told in this epic novel.

- Depressing as I'll get out.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney

+ Greg is such a believable character whose experiences are believable and hilarious.

- With each book that comes out, I get more nervous that it will turn out to be a flop before I finish reading it (i.e. the Redwall series).

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

+ Great author that knows how to spin a tale.

- Suddenly, the main character is a slut. That came out of nowhere. Especially after a really clean first book in the series.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

+ The best part of reading this classic is that I had no idea what it was about before starting. It was so fantastic to get the chance to puzzle through the mystery. Charlotte had a great imagination.

- Is there a negative? I can't think of one.

Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

+ Three books in a row that I can't put down? Where's your next work, Collins? Although, it is a rare and brilliant author that knows when and where to end her series. The epilogue was way better than that of the Harry Potter series.

- It would be a spoiler to put that here...

The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov

+ What an ending!!! Wow! Did not see that one coming at all.

- The story drags along, then finally picks up about 3/4 of the way through the book.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

+ Hilarious honesty.

- Vulgar honesty.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

+ Great messages for kids who feel alienated or alone.

- Don't remember.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

+ Fascinating history lessons.

- The book was super sketchy. One of the few books where I preferred the film.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

+ Pullman can really make scenes and characters come alive.

- Writing a children's book with such an agenda is dumb (IMO).

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

+ It felt like a treasure hunt in novel form.

- The author is a bit of a tease about how some of the characters are connected to Hannah.

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

+ Epic in every way, this was a super inventive story that keeps changing and growing.

- Some sketch.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

+ Great to see the original form of the story, from which the classic film emerged.

- Goldman is a fan of mind games, and it gets annoying.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (pun intended?)

+ Ender's Game meets The Hunger Games meets Hatchet. So good.

- It has the potential to be dragged out until it is no longer good.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

+ The most human character that I have read in a long time, Liesel and I experienced every emotion together. The best bit was the last few chapters, when my friends happened to be listening to some very fitting soundtrack music at the same time.

- Death as a narrator made everything sad, always.

Ringworld by Larry Niven

+ Answered many questions about physics that I had been afraid to ask (physicists can be long-winded). All of the scientific ideas are fascinating.

- Sketchy bits. Also, occasionally reads like a science essay. The ending was not satisfying.

Alright, off to start the 2012 list! ;D