Lisa Snellings-Clark's Romantic Sale and the Snow Queen

Here it is, one of Lisa's seasonal sales. She has some amazing things up for auction on Ebay right now, and you can also buy little red poppets for $9! That's an amazing price! I bought yet another one for myself, and one is being shipped to Megan. So many cool things. She has some new jesters from the Harlequin series and they are beautiful. I debated about telling the public about this because I want all these things for myself but her art is beautiful and everyone should know about it. So you can see all of her auctions here. Please support her, she's a one of a kind artist. And she donates part of the sales to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. She also talks about something called "Poppet Planet" in the little red auction. Sounds fascinating. She says poppets will be available there as well.

Also wanted to mention a very good post on Endicott Redux's blog entitled Healing Tales and the Snow Queen. In the blog, she talks about fairy tales as a healing medium for children who have been abused and of the many tellings of the tale of the Snow Queen. Very well written and some beautiful art.

I finally got through to one of them!

Today was a very bizarre day on the unit, but a very good one nonetheless. Lots of aggression aimed primarily at staff...but I guess that comes with the job.

I've been working with this one little guy for about a week now. He's very shy, but opened up to me pretty quickly. I think the thing that has him down the most is his father's drinking. I know it gets to him, but he's too afraid to tell his dad anything. Well today (after a week) I got him to confront dad about his drinking and tell him how he feels. He actually did it! I was so proud of him. Dad broke down, and I think some progress will be made now.

I related alot to this kid. My father is an alcoholic. I felt like he wasn't there for me very much as a child, at least, we didn't do the things that dad and son typically do together..which I guess is ok, because I became a bookworm as a result of that :p There were and still are times where I feel like the adult and he is the child. This little guy felt the same way. I've confronted my dad before and it solved the problem for a little while, and then he went back to it. This kid's dad will probably do the same thing, but at least he got over his initial fear of talking to his dad. Me and my dad get along fine now, but I'd say it's more of a friendship than a parent/child relationship. But that's better than nothing. I hope this boy makes some progress. It feels good to know I made a little bit of a difference in a kids life.

He also refuses to eat anything but chicken! I think that we've found that this is sort of a trust issue for him. He won't eat chicken if someone other than his parents cook it. Well today I got him to eat a banana at lunch and though that's not much, it's something new. And he liked it! Aside from that, he's eaten nothing but cereal since he's gotten on the unit and has lost about 5 pounds already. Hopefully we can start pumping him with at least bananas now if not some more "new stuff".

All in all, a rewarding day!

Yeah I bought more books....

I really need to stop this buying of books. At least for now. My "to be read" list sitting next to my bed has gotten to about 15 books tall. But I hit up Second Chance Book Adoption again today. Some great books on there. Get them now, because I'm pretty sure he said the site is going down soon. Great deals. Here's what I got:

Girl in Landscape by Jonathan Lethem
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
Sock by Penn Jillette
Someplace to be Flying by Charles De Lint

I'm very excited about the DeLint. I've never read any of his books and I hear people talk about him all the time. Looking forward to it!

One of them days

Today has definitely been "one of those days". I think the thing that set the day off for me was that I didn't take a shower this morning as someone else needed to at the time that I usually do. So I took my shower last night. For some reason, I am just unable to function without a shower in the morning. So I went to the neurologist this morning and she's upping my meds a little more for my migraines. Hopefully that will work. Went straight from the doctor to PJ's to get my coffee so that i could make it through the internship.

The internship was surprisingly slow and boring today. I did have one patient call another a "skank ho" and throw a chair at her, but that was all the excitement for the day...and that was not good excitement. Ended up leaving early because I had nothing to do and now I'm just playing in blogland until I have class tonight at 5:30. And as I type this, spellcheck tells me that "blogland" is not a word.

Two things did cheer me up very much though! Carl V. writes about the seduction and temptation of books quite humorously and honestly in this post. I laughed my way through that one because it's all so true! And then Lisa Snellings-Clark posted this wonderful picture to the left that just made me smile. Faceless poppet by Lisa and Horse by Ravyn.

A few goodies from Subterranean Press

Subterranean Press has quite a few goodies to offer right now. I've mentioned them before on this blog. They are a wonderful publisher that publishes special, limited, numbered, and/or signed clothbound editions of great books.

First up is an author I heard about from Carl V. by the name of John Scalzi. This book is entitled You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: John Scalzi on Writing. It sounds like a hilarious educative book on Writing: one that I may check out. Carl V. recommended this writer to me when I was complaining on my blog about not being able to write. Sub Press is offering a Signed, fully cloth bound limited edition for $35. How cool!

Next up is Orson Scott Card's novel Saints. It was originally released way back in the day titled A Woman of Destiny. But Card did not like that title and did not like the cover art for the novel. This new edition has a cover (and a beautiful one I may add) that was chosen by Card. It got a great review from Publisher's Weekly and the Trade edition is still available from Sub Press for $35. This was the first purchase I made through them, and it truly is a beautiful, high quality book. And it came signed by Orson Scott Card with "To Chris: Trying to Find Home" handwritten by Mr. Card. Finding home is a central theme of this book. The book is currently going into it's second printing through Sub Press. Lettered and Limited editions are sold out.

And how excited was I when I saw that Sub Press also has another brand new Card novel on it's way. I know nothing about it except for what the description on the website says. It's titled "The Space Boy" and will be released in August. Limited edition at $35 (2000 Hardcover, signed copies) and the Lettered edition at $150 (26 Leatherbound, signed copies). I think I may have to settle for the Limited. It's also an illustrated book which makes me excited. Love the Sci-fi art.

Next up is A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin from the Song of Fire and Ice series with numerous (over 70) illustrations by Tom Canty. This book is a little more pricey...o.k., alot more pricey. $260 for the limited edition (448 signed, numbered hardcover copies in slipcase) and $410 for the lettered edition (52 signed copies, housed in a custom slipcase, with artist remarque (small illustration)). The art for this book looks amazing. I don't think I'll be affording this one though.

Finally, Subterranean has an awesome magazine that is published I believe quarterly entitled Subterranean. Go figure. They are six bucks an issue, which is a steal to me. Issue 5 has Orson Scott Card's short story entitled "Mazer in Prison" which focuses on Mazer Rackham from the Ender series after the first Bugger war. Mazer in Prison was first showcased in Orson Scott Card's online magazine called Intergalactic Medicine Show. That's a great magazine by the way. Brand new "enderverse" story in each issue written by Card along with other great Sci-Fi and Fantasy short fiction. Usually an audiobook and a few more extras are also included. And the art is amazing for each story. Intergalactic Medicine Show is only $2.50 an issue and I highly recommend it to everyone. The point I was trying to get to was that Orson Scott Card said that the enderverse stories would never be published in a print format, only available through the online magazine. But here's your chance to get one of the stories in print.

And no, Subterranean Press paid me nothing to write this....back to Heroes

Lisa Snellings-Clark update

Lisa has produced some beautiful work as of late. You can see some of her latest creations here. I can feel an art sale coming on very soon and that makes me excited. Her art is incredible and I have fallen for it very quickly. She also talks in this post about the life of an artist during those "studio days" and how long the hours can actually be. But as we can see, every hour is well worth it. I particularly like the bottom left photo on the post. I think she said she was doing another poppet sale in February. I'll link to that when she posts it.

A Confidence Booster

I have been very wary of my progress on the unit. I didn't think that I was doing a bad job, but not exactly the greatest job in the world. I tend to be very critical of myself and my work and sometimes a perfectionist. I feel like if I don't know the right thing to say to a client, I have failed that client and have failed myself as a counselor. I'm slowly learning that the counselor doesn't always magically get the right words to come out of their mouths. But I'm learning to find those words even if it takes a few moments of silence.

I'm definitely getting a lot more comfortable leading groups. I was very shy, cautious, and nervous when I first started. I think I've gotten over the shy and nervous, but am still very cautious which isn't necessarily a bad thing. When working with adolescents and children, especially adolescents, I've learned that to an extent you have to be very selective in the comments you make because the wrong words could just set them off...then you're back at the beginning.

So on to the confidence booster. I leave at noon on mondays, so I'm home for the day now. Right before I left, my supervisor told me that "we're really happy with the work you've done here so far." That felt so good to hear that, because I wasn't happy with the work I've done so far. I don't think I'm doing bad, I'm just not that educated yet in the practicality of counseling. She then went on to ask if I'd be interested in a job as a client social worker when I graduate. Since I'm getting my degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, I didn't think my degree would be compatible with the job, but she said that they would just call me a social worker..I don't need an MSW. Whatever...I wish people acknowledged what my profession actually is, but I guess it's kind of all the same thing.

Here's the thing. I would love nothing more to work at River Oaks. I really would. It's a wonderful place and I love being on the unit. I love working with kids and adolescents. I look forward to it everyday. But then the subject of salary came up. She said as a professional right out of school, I would be looking at $13-$15/hour. I don't think so. It's so frustrating. I can't live off of that, but at the same time, this is the perfect job for my interests and it's the only psyc hospital in the area that has an inpatient adolescent unit. Maybe the salary will change. Maybe I can negotiate...lord only knows.

It's always interesting to see how the clients have changed over the weekend when I come back on Monday's. Half of my clients were discharged over the weekend. Some seem to have made incredible progress over the weekend. I just wonder sometimes if that progress is an act to get discharged or if they've really learned something. I guess either way, they've learned at least what they need to do to stay out, and even if it's an act it would improve their quality of life somewhat and bring up the GAF scores. It's strange...I notice that I make predictions for clients. The one's that I think will get better quickly sometimes regress just when I think they're doing great. There are others that I think will never change and they make huge strides of improvement. It just goes to show that the human mind is very unpredictable.

It's a good start to the week and hopefully it remains that way. Off to clinic in an hour where I will see my first one on one counseling session. Nervous but excited!

A Perfect Sunday

Today's just one of those great days that only come so often. The weather is beautiful outside. Blue skies, about 55 degrees, and no humidity. Just went to the coffee shop to get an iced mocha and enjoyed the car ride. I normally hate being in my car, but there are somedays when a good drive with good music, a cup of coffee to go, and a beautiful day are just plain enjoyable.

I've found that the new Shins CD fits perfectly to any mood. A feat in itself. Last night, as I left Pan's Labyrinth (which is still floating about in my head) a song from the CD was on that fit just perfectly as the song that one should listen to after seeing Pan's Labyrinth. It's number 8 on the CD, can't remember the name right now. And today their music went perfectly with this beautiful weather.

Rest of the plans for the day include going to target to see if I can get my watch resized, reading a book, and hopefully catching a new episode of the simpsons and family guy tonight. Only bummer about today is that there are no football games on....even more specifically: no Saints on :(

Pan's Labyrinth

I just got home from Pan's Labyrinth. I must say that it is one of the most beautiful movies I have seen in a long time. Guillermo Del Toro couldn't have done a better job. The color schemes were incredible, the labyrinth itself was absolutely amazing, and the creatures will stick with me forever.

It was very fitting to me to see this movie at this time in my life. It shows the human psyche and the escape that can be found in times of trauma, times of chaos, times of unknowing. The innocence of a child is always a beautiful thing and Guillermo Del Toro captured it perfectly on film. There were horrors in Pan's Labyrinth that only a child could encounter and not fear dreadfully and he got that point across well. He also shows how desperate a person can be to escape a situation such as a fascist society and the lengths that they or their mind will go to to find peace and the freedom of having control over their own society, their own kingdom.

I love the duality of the movie. Adults are trying to flee from the fascism that has been forced upon them, and while Ofelia may not quite understand the situation completely, she is also trying in her own way to escape into her own world.

This movie makes me yearn for the days as a child when magic still seemed so real. When you thought there really might be monsters under your bed. And while the monsters would probably scare the crap out of you, there was still that intrigue. In a way I haven't lost that completely. I've just turned that into an interest in the fantastical; in sci-fi and fantasy; art in all of it's forms that offers a taste of the intrigue that was there as a child and still remains today.

The acting was wonderful. I can't wait to see what Ivana Baquero (Ofelia) does with her career. She certainly has a long one ahead of her. Sergi Lopez as Capitan Vidal was also great. It takes a really good actor to make you hate a character so much. The music was beautiful and I will definitely be rooting for this film to win best original score as well as best screenplay in the Oscar's. I think it's actually nominated for 6 awards, but I may be wrong about that. Don't quote me.

It's been a great year for movies for me so far. I've only seen 2 (Children of Men, and now Pan's Labyrinth) but the 2 that I've seen have both been a couple of the best movies I've seen in awhile. I'm so happy that I got to see this movie in the theaters. I highly recommend it to anyone out there. 2 thumbs way up!

Presents for me

I decided that I wanted to splurge a little bit today. oh-oh! Not so bad though. I got some cool stuff. My favorite place to splurge (aside from B&N) is Target. I don't know why, I just love that store.

The first thing I bought myself was a watch because I needed one really bad. But it doesn't fit so I have to go back tomorrow to get some links taken off.

Splurge number 2 was season 3 (the final season) of Roswell on DVD. And get this, on sale for $17.99! There's no way in hell I could pass that up. I've seen the entire series except for season 3, so I'm very excited. In my opinion, Roswell was the best TV show that the WB ever produced. And that's by miles. Nothing else has come close. Seasons 1&2 of Smallville were pretty good, but I've given up on that show. There was something magical about Roswell. The characters were the best on TV in a long time and I don't think any show recently has reached that caliber. Katherine Heigl is incredible. She's gorgeous! And I like this Izzy much better than her latest Izzy on Grey's Anatomy...though she's still a great actress on Grey's. I don't own seasons 1 & 2. Megan owns them all as she was the person who introduced me to the show. But I never got to watch season 3 with her. So I'm in for a treat.

Splurge number 3 was the new Shin's CD Wincing The Night Away. It's such a good CD! It was definitely an impulse buy and it paid off big time. I was introduced to the shins as so many people were through the Garden State soundtrack. I've gotten into them alot since then, though I've never bought one of their CD's. This is really a great CD and I'd recommend it to fans of any genre of music. Well..any of the many rock genres and some of the more pop-y genres. It's a very unique sound that they've put together here. Definitely still sound like The Shins, but they've improved immensely. Sometimes sounds like 50's sock hop music (I can imagine girls in poodle skirts dancing to it) mixed with 60's rock, 90's alternative, and that great new sound that they have invented. Very spacey and pop-y all at the same time. Check it out..it's a good one.

The final splurge was another Buddha to add to the collection. For those who don't know, I have somewhat of a Buddha obsession. I wouldn't consider myself a buddhist (as an example, see this list of the many material possessions I have bought myself) but I like alot of buddhist "doctrine" if that's the word for it. I also love asian art in general and that includes sculptures, statues, and paintings of the various buddhist and hindu gods. I don't even know how many buddhas I have at this point, but it's enough to aggravate my family. And half of them are in boxes since Katrina came plowing through. I got this one at Target's "World Bazaar". I love it when they do that. Though things are sometimes a little too pricey. But hey, this little guy was only $4.99. Can't beat that.

Crazy Hair and a Crazy Week

I was very excited to hear that a new Neil Gaiman / Dave McKean collaboration is in the works. It's called "Crazy Hair" and is another childrens book based on a poem of Neil's with accompanying art work by the amazing Dave McKean. No release date has been set yet buck according to Neil, Dave turned in the last of the artwork recently. Dave McKean's art is one of the most easily identifiable in my opinion. Anytime I see anything done by him, there's just no question that it's his. His art is an amazing combination of collage, sketches, paintings, objects, and anything else that he would like to add. I'd love to see a Dave McKean artbook come out one day, though any of his illustrated children's books or comics could be called an artbook. For those who haven't yet seen it, Mirrormask is an incredible movie. It was directed by Dave McKean with a story by Neil Gaiman. Absolutely beautiful movie. It's like a 2 hour long moving piece of art. Wonderful soundtrack by Iain Ballamy as well.

So today ends a very long yet rewarding week. I think I've learned more in this past week than I have in a long time. Nothing can replace experience. I've loved it all and feel so comfortable with where I am right now. It's a great feeling. However, I'm very tired right now, so i shall read a book until my eyes can't stay open anymore and then float into the wonderful thing that is called sleep.

Jazz Fest 2007!

The line up for Jazz Fest has been posted, and it sounds great this year! Among the many that I'm looking forward to are Dr. John, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams, Ludacris :p, Rebirth Brass Band, Pete Fountain, Kermit Ruffins, Amanda Shaw (amazing), Harry Conick Jr., Allen Touissaint, Counting Crows, Allman Brothers, Better than Ezra, Benjy Davis Project, Stephen Marley, Ellis Marsalis, and Buckwheat Zydeco. First weekend is April 27-29 and second weekend is May 4-6. Yay!

Sushi Pillows, Door, and Borderline Personality Disorder

While reading Neil Gaiman's latest blog post, I discovered Sushi Pillows! These are so cool that I think I may treat myself to a couple. They sell pillows shaped like sushi rolls, nigiri, and edamame. How cool. They all look and sound like they're great quality and they are apparently hand painted. So though they are a little bit pricey, they seem well worth it. And come on, where else are you ever going to find something like this.

I've started watching Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It is a miniseries that was written by Neil before he wrote the book and aired on A&E. I watched episode number 1 entitled "door". My first impression from the beginning was that it was going to be pretty bad. The quality of the film is just not what one is used to and it looks sort of low budget. Get past all that though, and it's not half bad. In fact, it's quite good. Though I'm glad I read the book first. Certain parts so far look like what I thought they would and certain parts do not. I love the actor that plays Richard Mayhew. He's quite good so far. Door is interesting, though the actress that plays her seems to overact a little bit. Croup and Vandemar are EXACTLY what I pictured and every bit as disgusting and sleazy as they seemed in the book. The Marquis de Carabas looked nothing like I pictured him and also overacts a little bit, although this is suiting to his character. I might have totally missed this in the book, but I always pictured the Marquis as an old white man, and in the show he is a young black man. Interesting, but it works. The storyline is exactly as the book so far, which is very cool. I can't wait to see what the angel looks like...his name slips my mind right now...Islington? maybe...I had a very vivid image of him while reading the book and I'm looking forward to seeing how that image translates on screen. A more thorough review to come as I finish the series.

Finally, I had my first experience with borderline personality disorder today. um...very interesting. I encountered said patient in a family session today and this person just broke during the session. I've never seen anybody snap like that. I feel kind of guilty for saying this, but I was just fascinated by it. At the same time, I felt horrible for the kid. I'd like to know a little bit more about Borderline personality disorder though, so I was wondering if anyone in the field *cough* Carl *cough* could recommend a good book on the subject. There are lots out there, just wondering if someone could point me to one of the many. My library's going to grow ridiculously with this internship. I can see it now.

Oh one other thing. While surfing through my daily reads in blog land, I found a great post about book covers and their appeals or lack their of over on Quixotic's blog along with a wonderful review of Pan's Labyrinth on Carl V.'s blog. I can't wait to see that movie!

Top Chef and American Idol

**Spoiler alert from tonights episode of TopChef**

Well now...as mentioned earlier, the two chefs I was hoping to see in the finale were Sam and Elia. Both are fascinating people in my opinion and both have wonderful cooking styles. Elia's food always looked delicious and seemed the most flavorful to me despite my not being able to taste it :P Sam's food was very interesting. I tend to not like health food very much. I like granola and a few fruits but that's really about it. Sam made food that was always very appealing to me yet healthy! Now that's talent. I also found them to be the most professional. Now I don't like Marcel very much, but I dislike Ilan even more. Ilan seems like a little sneak that didn't even have any presence until halfway through the season. His food looks o.k., but it's not enough to win my vote. Marcel obviously knows what he's doing. He knows the science of food well and is the best in presentation from the competition. I just don't think I would like his foods personally. Sometimes he just gets too bizarre. But I'm voting for him on behalf of all the kids who have ever gotten picked on in their lives. So Marcel, good luck man!

American idol - Yeah, I know...a mindless show. But I had to comment on one of the auditions tonight. The girl who was an opera singer. I thought she was great. Unfortunately, she's going to need a makeover for America to vote for her because America tends to put too much into beauty and sort of skips over the talent sometimes. It was the first audition I've ever heard where someone sang Jeff Buckley, one of my all time favorite musical artists. And I think she did a great job. I was shocked in fact that the judges let her through, but I'm so glad they did. She had a great voice that was different from anyone else who has ever been on idol. So opera girl, you have my vote for as long as you're on the show!

My eyes burn!

Today was the first of I'm sure MANY exhausting days. At this point, my eyes feel like they're about to burn out of my head. Wednesdays are always going to be bad I'm sure because I'm coming off of two 12 hour days (Monday and Tuesday) between school and work. Not to mention the reading that I have to do for my ethics class.

Today was sort of a freak day on the unit. Usually we have 1-2 new admits a day. Last night, their were 8 new admits on the unit. When an adolescent first enters the unit, they usually don't talk much. They'll open up more on the second day there. Today we had to work with 8 new patients. None of them would talk in group and I felt like I was pulling teeth. The majority of them either thought that they didn't belong there (don't they all) or didn't want to talk about what got them in there (usually suicidal or homicidal tendencies). It's very frustrating. It's not so bad when you have 1 or 2 who don't want to talk, but a larger group makes it a little tougher. I know that it's got to be hard for these kids though. I would hate to be in their shoes. You're pretty much at an all time low in your life and now you have some jackass counselor telling you that you have to talk about what just happened less than 8 hours ago usually.

I've also become more of a fan of medication since I started working with adol. and children. I should say, I'm a fan of meds if they're given to treat a problem that actually exists. It's amazing what can happen to these kids once they're put on meds. All of sudden (a few days into the stay) they'll start talking a little more, start talking to other kids on the unit, actually smile and joke occasionally...and that's before the meds have even kicked in all the way (can take up to 6 weeks for some meds).

I guess that's enough venting for now. Just a very long, tiring, sad, frustrating, depressing day. Add to that a few idiot parents and you have the recipe for disaster. And somehow, despite all of this, I'm still loving it over there! Feels good to see that your life's work actually led you to a place where you feel rewarded and look forward to going every morning. That, and you get cool stuff from the pharmaceutical sales reps :)

Some more Yoshitaka Amano

As I played on the internet, I found more and more beautiful prints of Yoshitaka Amano's. For those who are not familiar with him, he is a very respectable artist from Japan. His "signature style" is oil painting, though recently he has experimented with traditional brush stroke paintings. He is the creative mind of the Final Fantasy character concepts and has worked with various anime series and movies including Vampire Hunter D which he is most famous for. He has done covers for various American comic books as well. One of my favorite works of his is his collaboration with Neil Gaiman for the graphic novel Sandman: The Dream Hunters. The paintings are absolutely gorgeous and only add to Gaiman's wonderful story telling. He also collaborated with Greg Rucka on Elektra & Wolverine: The Redeemer which was a set of 3 graphic novels set to Amano's oil paintings of the classic Marvel characters. His work is all beautiful and I would highly recommend any of his numerous art books and stories. They are all well worth the price, though they can be somewhat pricey sometimes. My favorite is simply titled Amano and is a good sampling of his work that is priced well through amazon.

A Hodgepodge post

First thing on the list is that I got Neverwhere in the mail today which made me very happy after a very sad day. I don't know when I'll have a chance to watch it, but I'm very much looking forward to it. I can't wait to see if what the novel looked like in my head compares with the mini series. Review to come whenever I get a chance to watch it.

Second thing is sort of a question to the general public. I've learned that identity crises/disorders are alot more common in children than I thought. I've seen a couple of children with identity issues pertaining to gender. I was wondering if anyone knows a good book that explains gender identity in children so that I can read up on it a bit. I know that it can come from many things, but a book may aid in helping me help others with these issues. What frustrates me is when the parent thinks that their child has something wrong with them and makes their child feel guilty when the child is just trying to figure out who he or she is. My guess is that sometimes, the parent(s) may actually be the cause of a child's identity crisis. If I could find a good book on the topic, it would also be able to give me something to suggest to the parents of a child with an identity crisis so that the parent can understand it a little bit better.

In a somewhat related topic, I was told by one of the social workers that a good book to recommend for effective parenting and disciplinary actions is 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas Phelan.

And as a reward for your efforts, here is a beautiful painting by one of my favorite artists, Yoshitaka Amano:

Heroes and 300

I'm so excited that Heroes is back on. I missed that show and it was only off the air for what? A couple of weeks! It's such a great show and such a huge refresher. I must admit that I'm a fan of Nip/Tuck, but aside from that, there's no shows on TV that really interest me all that much. Except for Top Chef, but even that's almost over. By the way, I'm hoping Elia or Sam wins that show. That's another great one. But back to heroes. I hope that show stays on the air for awhile. I'm hoping it's not a short lived series that ends after Peter either does or does not blow up. There needs to be another story line after that!

In other film related news, I can't wait for 300. Wow! That's all I can say. I'm a huge fan of any kind of Greek literature. Mix that with all these great CG creatures from the preview, bad ass special effects, and hopefully a great story line, and that spells success for me.


Back to the internship at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Till then, g'night!

Masterpiece Theatre

Masterpiece Theatre has some great shows this season. It begins with Jane Eyre tonight and next Sunday which looks really great (See above picture). February 11th will see Masterpiece Theatre's version of Dracula which is sure to be excellent. February 18th and 25th has Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness. And how cool is this - April 8th is The Wind in the Willows with Bob Hoskins. The full schedule can be seen on PBS's website here. Just thought I'd pass this on. Looks like a great season for book lovers :)

The mind is a funny thing

I've had a strong desire to write lately and have a "script" for my story laid out in my head. However, whenever I get the sudden creative urge to write, I find that things don't want to translate from my head to the computer screen. This always happens to me when the creative side of me emerges. Whenever I want to do something creative, it just doesn't come out. Doesn't translate like it's supposed to. Strangely, I find that when I write because I feel like I have to, things come out great. I've already posted Chapter 1 on this blog, yet I can't get myself to write chapter 2. I just tried to get it started, and it's just not coming out how it should. What causes this? How can something be clear in the mind, but not come out clear on the paper. How frustrating!

I don't think that I'm meant to be a writer. One of the reasons is that I'm such a huge critic of myself. I think that if I focused on just doing research and writing "academic-type" work, I could be successful. But when it comes to fiction, I find too many things wrong with my plot all the time. I really admire people who can write fiction well. It really does take a certain kind of person. I'd like to go back to writing poetry, but I'm scared to. I've written hundreds if not a thousand poems, and I think that some of them were quite good, but I haven't written poetry in probably five years now. I know that that's something I used to do well, and I don't want to look at the paper now and say "I've lost it."

I have plenty of research ideas in my mind that are all psychology related, so maybe I'll just stick with that. I actually enjoy doing research. Hated it in the undergrad, but now that I'm in grad school (almost done, geesh!) I have a new respect for it. Having my research presented at a conference just opened up a whole new can of worms. I'm thinking I'm also liking research more now because I know what I want to do in life finally....to an extent. Now I can focus my concentration. Who knows. I don't know why I feel like I have to accomplish something in the form of writing. My best guess would be that I equate writing and reading and creativity in general with a high form of respect. Orson Scott Card, Neil Gaiman, Lisa Snellings-Clark, Megan, and all of my other favorite creative types....my hats off to you.

Bless you boys

So we don't go all the way. About 4 hours ago, I was very upset and wouldn't have written this post. But I have to give the guys credit. We played an amazing season. Those guys poured their hearts into every game they played and made every New Orleanian everywhere proud to say we are from this city. We had a really bad game (and some bad officiating) under really bad conditions, but that's just one game. That game did mean everything to an extent, but meant nothing at the same time. We know how good of a team this is and how proud they have made us this season. Would've been nice to go to the big game, but we'll survive, get back to rebuilding our city, and await a promising 2007 season.

Hey, at least Payton Manning will still be representing New Orleans in the Super Bowl. So not all is lost. Good luck Colts! Crush the Bears!

Literary rant to return tomorrow I'm sure ;)

Black and Gold Don't Fail Me Now

The city is alive with the electric buzz of a potential black and gold super bowl. You'd swear that we've already won the super bowl with the way this city has been acting. I thought the opening home game with Atlanta was big, but that was nothing compared to this.

The Saints have done such a great thing for this city. You really forget about everything going on here when they're playing, or when you're waiting for this first time NFC championship victory. Did you ever think you'd hear that the Saints are playing in the super bowl? I hope that at about 6:00 tomorrow night, I can say that. I had all but given up on the Saints. I didn't even watch the games anymore. But I knew at that Atlanta game that this would be a magical season. Win or lose tomorrow, hats off to the team. They've all been a class act and have given a city that is down in the dumps the booster shot that it needed....but of course, we'll win :D

And a little bit of good game related news. I will be allowed to take off tomorrow from 2-6 and come back after the game. So instead of yet another 13 hour shift, it's now only 9 hours.

Dramamine and Round 1

I was driving to the internship this morning and listening to CNN on the XM Radio and happened to hear some story where they mentioned Dramamine. The story was related to motion sickness, but didn't catch it all. I was on my way to getting coffee so I wasn't totally awake, but snapped into it when they mentioned Dramamine. Why? I don't know. I have never had motion sickness. Never really knew what motion sickness felt like aside from knowing that people tend to get nauseous. Well lo and behold, I got motion sickness for the first time in my life today every time I was in my car after that. Psychosomatic maybe? I don't know. If I were to acknowledge that it may be psychosomatic, wouldn't that be enough to make it not psychosomatic? Or does that even make sense. Either way, I don't like it and am hoping that it was only a one day thing, or perhaps a stomach bug that only happened the three times I was in my car. We shall see tomorrow.

Round 1 of the work week is over and Round 2 has begun. The first round was great. I really like my internship. The clients are great (in their own way), the staff is OK (but kinda cranky), and the food is horrible. But I can bring my lunch, so that part's taken care of. I feel like I've learned alot just in my first week. I'm already leading the child's group by myself...don't know if that's a good thing, but I enjoy it.

It's very hard to do group counseling with a bunch (6) of eight year old boys. I find that unfortunately, I spend much of the time telling them to sit down or to give me the kleenex that they are throwing around the room, or to stop yelling at the top of their lungs. But once you can get them to calm down, things run somewhat smooth. I usually have about 2 boys who want to talk and work their way through their issues, and from the others I get one word answers (even to open ended questions) or sometimes just shrugs. But they know I'm spending at least 5 minutes on each of them regardless of whether they talk or not, so they'll usually talk to me a little. They also like to see how far they can go with testing my patience. Luckily I have the patience of a statue...at least on a psyc unit I do, which is very lucky for me. But I love it. They're all really good kids that are going through alot of tough stuff in their lives. Hopefully I can make a little bit of a difference so that they don't end up in the hospital again.

So that's round 1. Round 2 started immediately after round 1. Round 2 is my paid job, and I'm very upset that I'm working so much this weekend. I've already worked 36 hours this week, and now (friday through sunday) I'm adding another 30 hours to that. Add my 3 hour class on tuesday night and I'm at about a 69 hour work week. In the words of Stevie..."don't like it"

Odd Book Questions and today

Let's start with today. Today was a good day overall but one of those days that therapists talk about when they say you have to leave work at work and not bring it home with you. There was a lot of crying on the unit today and many an upset child. It's hard to just leave all that at work and not let it get to you. Some of their stories are just so sad. But I'm managing well. In more exciting work related news, I got to lead a group today! I was very excited. I led the children's group which consists of children under the age of 12. I was told by my supervisor that I did a wonderful job and she would have never guessed that this was my first time leading a group. She said that I seemed very comfortable and can read my clients well. How happy this made me! And I got to start doing psychosocial evals. today. I'm glad I'm finally getting a little responsibility over there.

Now on to the odd book questions. Once again, I was reading Stainless Steel Dropping's blog and he had some very interesting questions on books today in this post, so I thought I'd answer a few myself.

Amazon or Brick and Mortar?

Interesting question...I've managed to get a slight addiction to Amazon. So I order lots of stuff there just so that I can get something in the mail :) Also, it's a great resource for books that are hard to find in the stores and/or past editions of books that may have a cover that you wanted but can't find. I do still hit up the local bookstore for books that I "need to have right now" or for the bargain books section. I always walk away with stuff from there. I'm a sucker for a book sale.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?

I despise Borders, so Barnes and Noble wins by default. Just kidding, i actually love Barnes and Noble. I think that it's a wonderful bookstore and can remember the day that we first got one like it was yesterday. I was a teenager then and would spend sometimes 5 hours just walking the aisles. Borders just doesn't do it for me. I don't know why, it's just not all that great of a bookstore. And it's arranged very strangely.

Bookmark or Dog ear?

People who dog ear their books should be shot. Once again, just kidding, but I do think that it should be made a sin to dog ear a book. I used to do this all the time, but I just can't do it anymore. I feel like I am abusing my book if I ever "mark my place". Books have become more and more like prize possessions to me as I've gotten older and I'm always upset if anything happens to them. So...definitely bookmark. I've found some interesting things to use as bookmarks over the years. I'm currently using a postcard from Albuquerque.

Keep, Throw away, or Sell?

Throw away a book?! I've never thrown away a book before, nor do I think I ever have seen anyone do this. Personally I keep my books since I would be considered a collector of books and normally have to have the expensive hardcover versions of books if not the trade edition. I can't do mass market paperback unless I really want it to read and that's all that's available at B&N. I also tend to by mass market paperback for series books just because it can be very expensive to buy all hardcovers. For example, I have numerous Orson Scott Card mass market paperback books because he has published over 50 books (almost all of which I have read) and of the fifty, 22 of them that I have read have been from 4 different series (Ender-speaker and shadow series, homecoming series, tales of alvin maker series, and women of genesis series). Every now and then I'll sell a book on eBay if it's REALLY bad or if I've upgraded to a better edition of a current book.

Read with dustjacket or remove it?

Always with the dustjacket. May be an OCD thing of mine, but the dustjacket cannot come off regardless of how much of a pain in the ass it may be.

Short Story or Novel?

I'll take a novel any day over a short story, though I have recently been getting into short stories by Susanna Clarke, Neil Gaiman, and Orson Scott Card. They're just not long enough for me.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snickett?

I really can't stand Lemony Snickett...sorry guys. But I do thoroughly enjoy Harry Potter and am extremely excited about the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I wouldn't consider J.K. Rowling's writing remarkable but it's quite good. And Lord knows she can tell a gripping story. I mean how many books does she sell whenever a new HP comes out? I'm very much looking forward to seeing what she does next now that the HP story is over.

Buy or borrow?

Duh, buy. Need to own my books.

Lewis or Tolkien?

Very difficult here, but I have to go with C.S. Lewis. The Narnia books are some of my favorite book-related memories as a child and as an adult, I've also come to love his religious philosophy books. In fact, there is a really cool book published that I've been wanting to read, but have not yet called The Question of God in which C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud debate the existence of God. I think it's more of there quotes and ideas against each other rather than a face to face debate, but still very cool.

Stop reading when tired or at a chapter break?

I have to read to the end of the chapter. If I don't I'll fall asleep and forget what happened. It's as if someone is talking to you and in mid sentence stop and then pick up where they left off tomorrow.

So I've given you all plenty of reading material today, and if no one reads it, at least I enjoyed writing it :) I've also decided to go for a different look for the blog so hopefully you enjoy that as well.

I want the snow!

So this winter weather sweep is taking over everywhere but Louisiana. Well ok, northern Louisiana but do they really count? Even Texas has frozenness. Megan reported to me earlier that it looks like a winter wonderland in College Station, and even though it has not snowed, everything is frozen and there's icicles all over. When is it our turn? It never snows here. Except for Christmas day 2 years ago of course.

The logic of Louisiana says that the Saints will in fact not only play in the Superbowl, but will win. Why, you ask. Well..good things happen in threes. Wait a minute, scratch that. THINGS happen in threes. #1 - 2004 - snows on Christmas day in New Orleans. #2 - 2005 - biggest natural disaster (Katrina) in the history of the U.S. hits New Orleans. Duh #3 - 2006(7) - SAINTS WIN THE SUPERBOWL. Logical, neh?

So back to the snow...despite thoroughly enjoying the internship more and more, I would love to have a "snow day" (whatever that is) here in New Orleans and just lay in bed all day and read really good books. Speaking of books, I'm plugging Second Chance Book Adoption again. The guy who runs it is great. I received my books (already) yesterday! Not only did I get the 8 books I ordered, but he threw in 2 extra ones and a card as well! How awesome. And he's just listed some new titles. According to his blog, there is a reason for selling these books. #1 - He's moving to Singapore and it would be very expensive to ship all of these there. #2 - He's recently been practicing Buddhism and of course, Buddhism aims at not holding on to material possessions (at the least, not a plethora of them). So support this guy. It's a great cause any way you look at it!

I think that's all I have to say right now. I'm sure I'll think of something later. A little delirious here if you can't tell. Ooh, just thought of something. I'm very excited because I'm waiting on the DVD set of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere to come in the mail. I ordered it from eBay and am also expecting an electric shaver (finally) and a brand new watch :) Neverwhere was originally made as a TV show and was shown on A&E a long time ago and was THEN made into a book. And a great book I might add. So I'll post a review of it as soon as I get it and check it out. That's all.

2011 BOOKS READ

2011 Books Read

January
1. Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas by John Baxter, 2008, 270 pgs., Harper Perennial
2. Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse, 1995, 210 pgs., Harper Perennial
3. The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan, 2011, 211 pgs., Farrar, Straus and Giroux
4. Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block, 1998, 478 pgs., Harper Collins
5. Gray Horses by Hope Larson, 2006, 112 pgs., Oni Press
6. Never Learn Anything From History by Kate Beaton, 2010, 100 pgs., Topatoco
7. Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver, 2006, 88 pgs., Beacon Press
8. Sweet Tooth Vol. 1: Out of the Deep Woods by Jeff Lemire, 2010, 128 pgs., Vertigo
9. Sweet Tooth Vol. 2: In Captivity by Jeff Lemire, 2010, 144 pgs., Vertigo
January Totals: 9 books, 1,741 pages
February
10. Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card, 2010, 672 pgs., Simon Pulse
11. London Triptych by Jonathan Kemp, 2010, 239 pgs., Myriad Editions
12. Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now by Andre Jordan, 2009, 256 pgs., Harper Perennial
13. Bayou Volume 2 by Jeremy Love, 2011, 160 pgs., Zuda
February Totals: 4 books, 1,327 pages
April
14. Light Boxes by Shane Jones, 2010, 149 pgs., Penguin
15. H Day by Renee French, 2010, 216 pgs., PictureBox
16. Little Red Riding Hood by The Brothers Grimm and Daniel Egneus, 2011, 80 pgs., Harper Design
17. The Tourist by Clare London, 2011, 85 pgs., Carina Press
April Totals: 4 Books, 530 pages
May
18. Black Juice by Margo Lanagan, 2004, 262 pgs., Harper Collins
19. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, 2011, 215 pgs., Walker Books
20. Thrifty Green by Priscilla Short, 2011, 245 pgs., Conari Press
21. Tarantula by Thierry Jonquet, 1995, 124 pgs., Serpent’s Tail
22. She Loves You, She Loves You Not… by Julie Anne Peters, 2011, 278 pgs., Little, Brown
May Totals: 5 Books, 1,124 Pages
June
23. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, 2010, 326 pgs., Little, Brown
24. The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson, 2000, 382 pgs., TOR
25. Shine  by Lauren Myracle, 2011, 376 pgs., Amulet Books
26. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, 2007, 290 pgs., Bantam Books
27. The Unwritten Vol. 3 by Mike Carey, 2011, 160 pgs., Vertigo
28. Celluloid by Dave McKean, 2011, 232 pgs., Fantagraphic Books
29. How Beautiful the Ordinary, 2009, 368 pgs., HarperTeen
30 Two Weeks With The Queen by Morris Gleitzman, 1989, 127 pgs., Puffin
31. Shoplifting From American Apparel by Tao Lin, 2009, 103 pgs., Melville House Publishing
32. The Devil by Leo Tolstoy, 2004, 100 pgs., Melville House Publishing
June Totals: 10 Books, 2,464 Pages
July
33. Water Wings by Morris Gleitzman, 1996, 139 pgs., Macmillan
34. American Gods: 10th Anniversary Edition by Neil Gaiman, 2011, 541 pgs., WilliamMorrow
35. The Stuff of Legend Vol. 2: The Jungle by Mike Raicht, 2011, 144 pgs., Th3rd World Studios
36. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, 2005, 337 pgs., Harper Tempest
37. The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai, 2011, 324 pgs., Viking
38. Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue, 1997, 228 pgs., Joanna Cotler Books
July Totals: 6 Books, 1,713 Pages
August
39. The Wisdom of the Radish by Lynda Hopkins, 2011, 248 pgs., Sasquatch Books
40. Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman, 2004, 201 pgs., Pulse
41. Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol, 2011, 224 pgs., First Second
42. Promises by Marie Sexton, 2010, 228 pgs., Dreamspinner Press
43. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark by Guillermo Del Toro, 2011, 263 pgs., Hyperion
44. Priceless: The Vanishing Beauty of a Fragile Planet by Bradley Trevor Greive, 2003, 160 pgs., Andrews McMeel Publishing
45. Wicked by Gregory Maguire, 1995, 409 pgs., Harper Collins
46. Turn of Mind by Alice Laplante, 2011, 320 pgs., Atlantic Monthly Press (listened to Brilliance Audio audiobook)
August Totals: 8 Books, 2,053 pgs.
September
47. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1887, 135 pgs., Penguin Books
48. A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, 2010, 256 pgs., Dutton Childrens Books
49. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, 2009, 385 pgs., Bantam Books
50. Ivan and Misha by Michael Alenyikov, 2010, 199 pgs., Northwestern University Press
51. The Radiation Sonnets by Jane Yolen, 2003, 90 pgs., Algonquin Books
52. Second Nature by Michael Pollan, 2003, 320 pgs, Grove Press (audiobook)
53. Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver, 2002, 267 pgs., Harper Perennial
54. Spooky South by S.E. Schlosser, 2004, 198 pgs., The Globe Pequot Press
55. The Dreaming Volume 1 by Queenie Chan, 2005, 192 pgs., TokyoPop
56. Every You, Every Me by David Levithan, 2011, 256 pgs., Knopf Books
57. Habibi by Craig Thompson, 2011, 672 pgs., Pantheon
58. The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook by Brent Ridge and Josua Kilmer-Purcell, 2011, 192 pgs., Sterling Epicure
September Totals: 12 Books, 3,162 pgs
October
59. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, 2011, 391 pgs., Doubleday
60. Hark, A Vagrant! by Kate Beaton, 2011, 160 pgs., Drawn and Quarterly
61. Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2010, 364 pgs., St. Martin’s Press
62. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, 2002, 544 pgs., Picador
63. Bad Blood by John Sandford, 2010, 420 pgs., Berkley
64. Halloween edited by Paula Guran, 2011, 528 pgs., Prime
65. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, 2011, 372 pgs., Putnam
66. Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen, 2006, 470 pgs., Bantam
October Totals: 8 Books, 3,249 Pages
November
67. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, 1999, 213 pgs., MTV Books
68. Ash by Malinda Lo, 2009, 264 pgs., Little Brown
November Totals: 2 Books, 477 Pages
December
69. The Misfits by James Howe, 2003, 288 pgs., Atheneum Books
70. The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams, 2008, 232 pgs., Harper Collins
2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

2010 BOOKS READ

2010 Books Read

January
1. Pictures That Tick: Volume 1 by Dave McKean, 2009, 184 pgs., Dark Horse Books
2. Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan, 2008, 436 pgs., Knopf
3. Above His Shoulders by Dan Williams, 2009, 228 pgs., Outskirts Press
4. Blankets by Craig Thompson, 2003, 592 pgs., Top Shelf Productions
5. Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Michael Keller, 2009, 192 pgs., Rodale
6. Luna by Julie Anne Peters, 2004, 248 pgs., Little Brown
7. Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima, 1958, 254 pgs., New Directions
8. Swallow Me Whole by Nate Powell, 2008, 216 pgs., Top Shelf
January Totals: 8 Books, 2,350 Pages
February
9. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness, 2009, 528 pgs., Candlewick
10. Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banarjee, 2008, 176 pgs., Yearling
11. Postsecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God by Frank Warren, 2009, 288 pgs., William Morrow
12. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis, 2009, 352 pgs., Knopf
13. Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon, 2009, 320 pgs., Harper
February Totals: 5 Books, 1,664 Pages
March
14. The Magician by Amanda Gignac, 131 pgs., Unpublished
15. The Einstein Intersection by Samuel Delany, 1967, 149 pgs., Wesleyan
16. Push by Sapphire, 1996, 192 pgs., Vintage
17. This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer, 2010, 256 pgs., Harcourt Children’s
18. Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein, 2010, 464 pgs., Harper
19. The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan, 2009, 208 pgs., Candlewick
20. Enchanted Night by Steven Millhauser, 2000, 140 pgs., Vintage
March Totals: 7 Books, 1,540 Pages
April
21. Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers, 1923, 212 pgs., Harper
22. The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll’s House by Neil Gaiman, 1991, 256 pgs., Vertigo
23. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan, 2010, 310 pgs., Dutton
24. The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer, 2010, 340 pgs., St. Martin’s Press
25. Transformations by Anne Sexton, 1971, 112 pgs., Mariner
26. The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman, 1991, 160 pgs., Vertigo
27. The Unwritten Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity by Mike Carey, 2010, 144 pgs., Vertigo
28. Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar, 2007, 560 pgs., Soft Skull Press
29. Instructions by Neil Gaiman, 2010, 40 pgs., Harper Collins
30. The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Phillip Pullman, 2010, 245 pgs., Canongate
April Totals: 10 Books, 2,379 pgs
May
31. Thirst by Mary Oliver, 2006, 71 pgs., Beacon Press
32. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness, 2010, 624 pgs., Walker Books
33. The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Langston Hughes, 1932, 83 pgs., Knopf
34. The Less Dead by April Lurie, 2010, 240 pgs., Delaorte
35. The Bloody Chamber and Other Adult Tales by Angela Carter, 1979, 164 pgs., Harper & Row
36. Mercury by Hope Larson, 2010, 234 pgs., Atheneum Books
37. Come to Me by Amy Bloom, 1993, 177 pgs., Harper Collins
38. The Last Exit to Normal by Michael B. Harmon, 2008, 288 pgs., Laurel Leaf
39. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, 2008, 370 pgs., Harper Perrenial
40. Sonny’s House of Spies by George Ella Lyon, 2004, 298 pgs., Atheneum
May Totals: 10 Books, 2,549 pgs.
June
41. The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman, 1994, 224 pgs., Vertigo
42. Animythical Tales by Sarah Totton, 2010, 124 pgs., Fantastic Books
43. Recycle This Book ed. by Dan Gutman, 2009, 267 pgs., Yearling
June Totals: 3 Books, 615 pgs.
July
44. Stories ed. by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio, 2010, 428 pgs., William Morrow
45. Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman, 1997, 102 pgs., Harper Trophy
46. The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman, 1993, 192 pgs., Vertigo
47. Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O’Malley, 2010, 248 pgs., Oni Press
48. Unwind by Neal Shusterman, 2009, 352 pgs., Simon & Schuster
49. Love’s Executioner by Irvin D. Yalom, 1989, 286 pgs., Perrenial
50. Coop by Michael Perry, 2010, 384 pgs., Harper Perrenial
July Totals: 7 Books, 1,992 pgs.
August
51. Foiled by Jane Yolen, 2010, 160 pgs., First Second
52. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender, 2010, 292 pgs., Doubleday
53. Green Angel by Alice Hoffman, 2004, 128 pgs., Scholastic
54. The Stuff of Legend: Book 1: The Dark by Mike Raicht, 2010, 128 pgs., Villard
55. The Girl In the Flammable Skirt by Aimee Bender, 1999, 192 pgs., Anchor
56. The Unwritten Vol. 2: Inside Man by Mike Carey, 2010, 168 pgs., Vertigo
57. Don’t Tell: The Sexual Abuse of Boys by Michel Dorais, 2002, 205 pgs., McGill-Queens
58. After the First Death by Robert Cormier, 1979, 233 pgs., Laurel-Leaf
August Totals: 8 Books, 1,506 pgs.
September
59. Room by Emma Donoghue, 2010, 321 pgs., Little, Brown
60. Wolf Moon by Charles de Lint, 1988, 256 pgs., Firebird
September Totals: 2 Books, 577 pgs.
October
61. The Bells by Richard Harvell, 2010, 375 pgs., Crown
62. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, 2003, 375 pgs., Harper Tempest
63. I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly, 2009, 184 pgs., Image
64. We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson, 1962, 214 pgs., Penguin
October Totals: 4 Books, 1,148 pgs
November
65. By the Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters, 2010, 200 pgs., Hyperion
66. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger, 2010, 40 pgs., Abrams ComicArts
67. Green Witch by Alice Hoffman, 2010, 135 pgs., Scholastic
68. Fidelity by Grace Paley, 2008, 83 pgs., Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
November Totals: 4 Books, 458 pgs.
December
69. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, 2010, 272 pgs., Knopf
70. The Armless Maiden and Other Tales for Childhoods Survivors edited by Terri Windling, 1996, 384 pgs., Tor
2010 Wrap Up

2009 BOOKS READ

2009 Books Read

January
1. Comic Book Tattoo – Edited by Rantz A. Hoseley, 2008, 480 pgs., 4.25/5
2. A Fine and Private Place by Peter Beagle, 1960, 264 pgs., 5/5
3. Enslaved by Ducks by Bob Tarte, 2003, 308 pgs., 4.25/5
4. Blood Harvest by Brant Randall, 2008, 286 pgs., 3.75/5
5. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 2005, 498 pgs., 4.0/5
6. Fables Volume 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham, 2004, 190 pgs., 4.0/5
7. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, 2005, 320 pgs., 5/5
8. The Starry Rift: Tales of New Tomorrows edited by Jonathan Strahan, 2008, 530 pgs., 3.25/5
January Totals: 8 Books, 2,876 Pages
February
9. The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, 1991, 235 pgs., 4.25/5
10. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, 2005, 288 pgs., 5/5
11. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby, 2004, 143 pgs., 4.5/5
12. The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan, 2004, 32 pgs., 5/5
13. The Lost Thingby Shaun Tan, 2004, 32 pgs., 4/5
14. The Red Tree by Shaun Tan, 2003, 32 pgs., 5/5
15. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockheart, 2008, 345 pgs., 4.75/5
16. The Suburban Dragon by Garassamo Macagnone, 1992, 50 pgs., 2/5
February Totals: 8 Books, 1,157 Pages
March
17. Voices by Ursula K. LeGuin, 2006, 341 pgs., 4.25/5
18. Alice in Sunderland: An Entertainment by Bryan Talbot, 2007, 319 pgs., 4/5
19. Pobby and Dingan by Ben Rice, 2003, 112 pgs., 4.75/5
20. As Shadows Fade by Colleen Gleason, 2009, 342 pgs., 5/5
21. Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess, 2009, 32 pgs., 5/5
22. Sorrow: A Witch Ember Tale by John Lawson, 2009, 239 pgs., 5/5
23. Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles De Lint, 2007, 271 pgs., 4.5/5
24. Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, 2009, 535 pgs., 4.5/5
25. The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine by April Lurie, 2008, 224 pgs., 5/5
26. Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland, 2003, 244 pgs., 5/5
March Totals: 10 Books, 2,659 Pages
April
27. Antediluvian Tales by Poppy Z. Brite, 2007, 114 pgs., 2/5
28. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 2008, 374 pgs., 4.5/5
29. Every Man For Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy ed. by Nancy Mercado, 2005, 154 pgs., 4.25/5
30. The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin, 2007, 112 pgs., 2.75/5
31. Embryoyo by Dean Young, 2007, 105 pgs., 2/5
32. We Never Talk About My Brother by Peter Beagle, 2009, 219 pgs., 3.5/5
33. The Horse Boy by Rupert Isaacson, 2009, 357 pgs., 5/5
34. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, 2009, 278 pgs., 5/5
35. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix, 1998, 153 pgs., 4.5/5
36. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, 2005, 199 pgs., 3.75/5
37. Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, 2008, 143 pgs., 5/5
38. Silk by Alessandro Baricco, 1996, 91 pgs., 3/5
39. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, 2009, 312 pgs., 4.75/5
40. The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, 2004, 341 pgs., 5/5
41. Wetlands by Charlotte Roche, 2008, 229 pgs., 4.75/5
42. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2004, 472 pgs., 5/5
43. Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan, 2008, 96 pgs., 3.75/5
44. The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot, 1995, 136 pgs., 4.5/5
April Totals: 18 books, 3,885 pages
May
45. The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, 2009, 170 pgs., 4.75/5
46. The Screwed Up Life of Charlie the Second by Drew Ferguson, 2008, 263 pgs., 5/5
47. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, 2009, 320 pgs., 4.5/5
48. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine, 2006, 256 pgs., 3.75/5
49. Voodoo Season by Jewell Parker Rhodes, 2005, 275 pgs., 4/5
50. Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, 2009, 32 pgs., 4/5
51. Starfinder by John Marco, 2009, 326 pgs., 4.5/5
May Totals: 7 Books, 1,642 Pages
June
52. The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer, 2007, 180 pgs., 4/5
53. Love Begins in Winter by Simon Van Booy, 2009, 256 pgs., 4/5
54. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley, 2004, 168 pgs., 5/5
55. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World by Bryan Lee O’Malley, 2005, 200 pgs., 5/5
56. Willow by Julia Hoban, 2009, 336 pgs., 4.5/5
57. The Dead Girls Dance by Rachel Caine, 2007, 256 pgs., 4/5
58. Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O’Malley, 2006, 192 pgs., 5/5
59. Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together by Bryan Lee O’Malley, 2007, 216 pgs., 5/5
60. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe by Bryan Lee O’Malley, 2009, 184 pgs., 5/5
61. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, 2009, 391 pgs., 5/5
62. Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger, 2001, 224 pgs., 5/5
63. Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O’Malley, 2005, 160 pgs., 5/5
June Totals: 12 Books, 2,763 Pages
July
64. Robot Dreams by Sara Varon, 2007, 208 pgs., 4/5
65. Who Killed Amanda Palmer? by Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer, 126 pgs., 2009, 5/5
66. Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kupert, 2009, 128 pgs., 4/5
July Totals: 3 Books, 462 Pages
August
67. Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett, 2009, 293 pgs., 3.75/5
68. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger, 2008, 403 pgs., 4.5/5
69. Bone Volume 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith, 2005, 138 pgs., 5/5
70. Bayou Volume 1 by Jeremy Love, 2009, 160 pgs., 5/5
August Totals: 4 books, 994 Pages
September
71. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, 2002, 582 pgs., 5/5
72. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, 2007, 328 pgs., 3/5
73. Bone Vol. 2 by Jeff Smith, 2005, 132 pgs., 4.5/5
74. The Purloined Boy by Mortimus Clay, 2009, 249 pgs., 4.5/5
75. The Haunted Playground by Shaun Tan, 1998, 73 pgs., 2/5
76. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, 2008, 479 pgs., 5/5
77. Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror by Chris Priestly, 2007, 239 pgs., 4.5/5
September Totals: 7 Books, 2,082 pgs.
October
78. Breathers by S.G. Browne, 2009, 320 pgs., 4.75/5
79. Normal by Amy Bloom, 2002, 140 pgs., 4/5
80. Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters, 2006, 240 pgs., 5/5
81. Rose by Jeff Smith, 2000, 138 pgs., 3/5
82. Sometimes My Heart Pushes My Ribs by Ellen Kennedy, 2009, 64 pgs., 4/5
83. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, 2008, 111 pgs., 4/5
84. The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo, 2009, 201 pgs., 5/5
85. Fables Vol. 4 – March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham, 2004, 231 pgs., 4.5/5
86. Pictures for Sad Children by John Campbell, 2009, 197 pgs., 3.5/5
October Totals: 9 Books, 1,642 Pages
November
87. The Wild Things by Dave Eggers, 2009, 300 pgs., 5/5
88. Native by Mona Kuhn, 2009, 88 pgs., 4.5/5
89. Atlas: Poems by Katrina Vandenberg, 2004, 128 pgs., 5/5
90. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, 2009, 416 pgs., 4.75/5
November Totals: 4 Books, 932 Pages
December
91. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote, 1996, 128 pgs., 5/5
92. The Fir-Tree by Hans Christian Andersen adapted by Lilli Carre, 2009, 72 pgs., 4/5
93. Clay by David Almond, 2008, 272 pgs., 4.75/5
94. The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen, 1987, 32 pgs., 4.75/5
95. Matchless by Gregory Maguire, 2009, 112 pgs., 4.5/5
96. Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, 2009, 368 pgs, 4.5/5
December Totals: 6 Books, 984 Pages
2009 Totals: 96 Books, 22,078 Pages