Space Station Mir

Happy Top Ten Tuesday! It's funny, I've done a lot more reading by this point in the year than in past years, but I feel like I've read fewer books that I absolutely LOVED. Maybe it's more a matter of percentage though. 1. Kindred by Octavia Butler 2. The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen 3. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith 4. Pearl of China by Anchee Min 5. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore 6. Fire by Kristin Cashore 7. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 8. The Galaxy Game by Karen Lord 9. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters 10. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling p.s. I swear I did not intentionally make this 90% female authors. It just happened.

Say that three times fast! Happy Fifth Anniversary Top Ten Tuesday ! 1. Top Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books I'm always running across amazing quotes I'd love to share. 2. Top Ten Characters I'd Like to Check In With I always wonder about what happened to various side characters. 3. Top Ten Books for Readers Who Like ______ Excellent way to get recommendations! 4. Top Ten Books that I Wish Were Taught in Schools Something I think about a lot. 5. Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters I really like secondary characters. 6. Top Ten Least Favorite Romances Okay, this technically was the opposite of what the topic was supposed to be, but I had a lot of fun with it. 7. Top Ten Best Bookish Memories ( and Part II ) I enjoyed reliving these memories! 8. Top Ten Most Frustrating Characters Ever I love making fun of silly characters. What can I say. 9. Top Ten Bookish Confessions We should definitely do this again. It was very freeing! ...

I want to write more about my reactions to Kindred and encourage more people to read it. Octavia Butler has been one of my favorite authors since I read Dawn when I was in elementary school. I picked it up off the desk in my scientist father's office one day, and I just started reading. When I read Dawn , I didn't know that Octavia Butler was a black woman. I wouldn't have attached any special significance to it if I had. It spoke to me because it addressed a problem that made a lot of sense to a young girl raised on Star Trek . What would happen when the aliens came, and what if they wanted to assimilate us? It was a different take on assimilation, of course, than that of the obviously evil Borg (who became more complicated in First Contact and Voyager , but this was before that), and it fascinated me. Was it really more important to be "pure" human? What if the aliens were nice, and could cure cancer? I struggled continually with the question, and could not...

If you remember, I picked up a lovely hardback copy of Katherine Anne Porter's Ship of Fools at Gramp's Attic Books in Ellicott City . Recently, I got an e-mail from Open Road Integrated Media , which just put out an e-book version, and wanted to know if I'd spread the word. Consider word spread =) They have quite an appealing site, but I couldn't seem to find a search function, which was a bit of an issue. Most likely I am missing something obvious. (*edit* Search function is on the top right. Not sure how I missed it.) Anyhoo. This brought me to start actually reading Ship of Fools . I read a synopsis and flipped through before I bought it, and I definitely wanted to support a long-lost classic from a female author in the early twentieth century. However...I feel quite complicated about it, now at roughly 180 pages into this nearly 500 page tome. It's very early twentieth century American, and it possesses the qualities that I both love and hate about early-t...

Happy (late) Top Ten Tuesday! Let's see how many books I've read lately I can fit in here... 1. hypocrite in a pouffy white dress by sarah jane gilman Sarah Jane Gilman's life story is so ridiculous it could be a TV show. And it would guest star Mick Jagger. 2. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall This would be a sad, yet oddly farcical Lifetime made-for-TV movie. 3. Seraphina and Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman There's probably a good chance this will become a movie because dragons. And the plot is simple, but the world has depth. It would visualize really well, and fit with popular themes of outcast saving the world. 4. The 100 by Kass Morgan Oh wait...but seriously. The show is so good. Better than the book, but the book ain't bad. 5. My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira Would make a really strong Civil War movie. And that's it. There are very particular qualities in a book that translate well to cinema imo.

Received recently from Bookmooch: Already finished hypocrite in a pouffy white dress and halfway through I Capture the Castle !

On April 1, I put two books in my bag: Lightwall by Liliana Ursu and Dispatch from the Future by Leigh Stein. Then, the April Fool's joke was on me because I realized that my random decision to read poetry fortuitously coincided with National Poetry Month. And I told myself that I was going to finish those books. Completely. In April. And. I. did. I've been telling myself for years that I need to read more poetry. I've been trying it, and hating it, and giving it up quickly. But, finally, this time, it stuck. I'm sure it had to do with the particular poems, but I think it also has to do with how I'm growing into myself. A few years ago, I would never have willingly entered an art museum, but this year I took a trip to NYC almost exclusively to spend time at the Met. Something about the passing of years renders me more compassionate and more aware. And the more that I feel, the deeper grows my appreciation for all forms of art. Has anyone else experienced this p...

So, I read a lot of books in the past couple months, and I'm in a bit over my head. But I'm going to try to break it down with this chronological list, and some six word reviews. 20. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall Brings (polygamous) Mormons mainstream; hilariously appropriate. 21. On the Same Track: How Schools Can Join the Twenty-First Century Struggle Against Resegregation by Carol Corbett Burris Tracking is evil: get on board. 25. The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen Renaissance woman artist serves queen: awesome. 26. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman Surprise, she's a half-dragon! Not. 28. Kindred by Octavia Butler Grueling reflection on slavery: must-read. 29. Course Correction by Ginny Gilder Rowing, divorce, Olympics, and LGBT memoir. 30. Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory Gardening and enclosure in Jacobean England. 31. Brazen by Katherine Longshore YA done right in Tudor England. 32. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman ...