The Year in Review: 2011
Watching: 149
The Addams Family. Yes, it's 80'sish, but it holds up okay.
The Adventures of Tintin. I wish that Steven Spielberg would stop doing his Spielberg things. Also, alcoholism is not funny, even if Herge thought so.
Alien Nation. Watched for film group. Held up well.
America the Beautiful. What an incredibly good documentary on image and the abuse of image in America. RECOMMENDED.
An American in Paris. Rewatch.
Archer. Oh my goodness! But in a good way. Offensive in every way spy fy spoof.
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Actually watched an episode, rather than watching it over Bryon's shoulder. And checking out the finale.
Back to the Future 1. A rewatch.
Back to the Future 2. A rewatch.
Back to the Future 3. A rewatch.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: Dull, but at least it didn't end horribly like most revolutionary films seem to.
Batman--The Brave and the Bold: Some interesting elements, for example, a very charming portrayal of Red Tornado. And Aquaman. Very cool Aquaman.
Becoming Jane. Derivative. Yawn.
Better Off Dead. A repeat of a John Cusak film from the 80s.
The Big Lebowski: I finally watched the cult classic. It is interesting, but I don't see the zen Buddhist master level that loads of people do.
Bite: Well, now I've seen a topless vampire review. Excuse me. Erotic rock angels. With teeth.
Black Panther. Weird but interesting marvel cartoon. The animation is really strange.
The Black Swan: Satoshi Kon does it better. And not a blessed pirate in this ballet movie!
Bleak House. This old version with Diana Rigg seems wooden to me. I may not watch it through.
Bleak House. The better version. Watched while trapped in Sicksville.
The Blind Side: This had the potential to be sooo maudlin, and it didn't go there. I was pretty satisfied overall.
Boondocks Season 2. Social responsibility being socially irresponsible.
Brother Bear. Because the satellite basic is pretty damned dull, so we had to watch something.
The Cape: Pretty cliche and dull.
Captain America (X2). Solid, with an excellent Chris Evans performance.
The Captains. A documentary about Star Trek captains by William Shatner. It was pretty good.
Cars 2. Not as good as the usual Pixar offerings.
Cedar Rapids (X2). That was quirky.
The Children of Heaven. Some beautiful moments between the children, but overall a bit too sentimental.
A Christmas Story. The annual rewatch.
Cinema Paradiso. To share with Bryon. A lovely coming of age tale.
Cirque du Soleil--Love. Well, that was cool RECOMMENDED.
Cirque du Soleil--O: Mystical. While the acts were sort of pedestrian, the atmospherics were incredible. RECOMMENDED.
Cirque du Soleil--Zumanity: Dancy and beautiful. RECOMMENDED.
Code Geass Season 1. Rewatching, as we just picked it up.
The Colbert Report: Always good.
Coupling: Yay! Rewatching various episodes.
The Court Jester: Danny Kaye's amusing musical comedy from the 50s.
Crazy Heart. That was good.
The Daily Show: Always good.
Dead Like Me: Rewatching episodes for fun.
Disney Cruise Line. Tourist promo I enjoyed.
Disney Weddings. Nice. I liked it.
Disneyland Resort: Behind the Scenes. Tourist Promo I enjoyed
Disney's Animal Kingdom. Tourist promo I enjoyed.
Dream Girls: While the line between musical numbers and musical reality was often blurred, I enjoyed it. Kudos to Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. Jamie Fox, you bastard. :)
Dreamweaver: Hallmark mystical Indian miniseries.
Dr. Who. Season 6. Enjoying...Liked the ending. Overall very satisfying.
Easy A. Fun rewatch.
Elizabeth I. That Helen Mirren. She can act.
Eureka 7. New anime series. Ready for episode 11. Decided to ditch it. There wasn't enough original material here to keep my interest.
Fargo. Damn Cohen brothers!
The Fellowship of the Ring. Rewatch while ill.
Fiddler on the Roof. Rewatch during the Christmas season.
The Fugitive: Rewatched while hemming.
The Godfather. I actually expected more violence. I'm finding it kind of understated at the moment. It was truly worthy. RECOMMENDED.
The Godfather 2. All sequels should be this good. RECOMMENDED.
The Godfather 3. Everyone is right about Sophia Coppola, and you are happy when she gets shot. Also, the ending is very weird.
Godzilla 2000. Oy. Damn you again, Film Group!
Going Postal. Rewatch.
Goodies: Finishing up this British cult classic.
Good Neighbors--Season 4: Finishing up the very enjoyable self-sufficiency meets suburbia British comedy. RECOMMENDED.
Green Lantern--Emerald Knights: Well done short Green Lantern stories.
Gunga Din. No. I couldn't do it.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (X2). I really liked it.
The Hidden Fortress. Sort of slow and weird, but okay.
Holiday. Excellent Grant and Hepburn film. Edward Everett Horton and his wife are me and Bryon now.
The Hours.
How to Be a Pin-Up Star. Good make up tips, and trying to make yourself beautiful.
How to Train Your Dragon--Book of Dragons. Fun dragon cartoon.
How to Train Your Dragon--Gift of the Night Fury. Well done!
Hugo. Excellent Recommended.
I Claudius. Finally here. Pretty awful, poisonous grandma rules ruthlessly so far. One of the best things I saw this year. RECOMMENDED.
The Illusionist. Not to be confused with the other illusionist, this poignant film is heartrending. RECOMMENDED, but if you don't get it, don't tell me.
Immortals. It's like spray on cheese.
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Shaping up to be interesting. A good performance by Ingmar Bergman.
Into the Woods. Rewatching and enjoying
Iron Man. Repeat watching in prep for Captain America film.
Janis Ian Concert. Well done. Classy performer.
Jasper Morillo. Weird stick puppet theater.
John Wayne: American Legend. Interesting overview of Wayne's life, although it glosses over his conservative politics.
Kimagure Orange Road. Classic anime series. Ready for episode 14. Enjoying this, although some of the 80s cliches make me shudder.
Kimagure Orange Road. I Want to Return to That Day. Painful Orange Road break up movie. Ouch.
Kimagure Orange Road. Summer's Beginning. Excellent. It presses all my reunion buttons. RECOMMENDED.
The Killing Fields. Hard to watch. Okay acting, if a little understated.
The King's Speech: Nice to see an Oscar film that isn't depressing. Both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush give excellent performances. RECOMMENDED.
Kirikou and the Sorceress. Rewatch.
Kismet. That was...odd. A musical with a little story to glue it together. Wild costumes and ethnic casting, kind of.
Kung Fu Panda 2 (X2). RECOMMENDED! Very interesting with a strong message about self-destiny.
Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters. Dreamworks is doing well with its 2D cartoons this year.
Last Chance for Eden. Watched part of this for white privilege class.
Little Dorrit: The influenza rewatch.
The Little Mermaid. Why yes, I am tired at night right now. It's lush and still beautiful.
Luther. Season 1. This is much edgier than season 2. RECOMMENDED.
Luther. Season 2. Hello violent British police show!
The Magic Flute. My goodness, there was a lot of singing.
The Manchurian Candidate. That was hard to watch.
Mary Poppins. Rewatching movies. It's what you do, when you're tired.
Monsoon Wedding. Mixed. Some very good bits.
Monster High. Cute and entertaining.
Moon. Interesting examination of clones and moral issues.
Pat Labor The Movie: Well-done characterizations, engaging plots, and interesting relationships. You can see why people like this series. RECOMMENDED.
Paul. The latest from Simon Pegg and his partner in crime. I enjoyed it. RECOMMENDED for geeks, might be obscure for others.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. It was okay.
Pride and Prejudice: A rewatching while ill. As always, recommended.
Primer. First it's grad school the movie. Then it's just convoluted. Shame on you, Roger Ebert, for misleading Shannon.
Primeval--Season 5: Just started last night on BBC America. I don't expect a lot from Primeval, and I'm sure this won't disappoint.
The Princess and the Frog. Has the scariest Disney Villain in recent film memory.
Puss in Boots (X2): Okay, but why with Humpty Dumpty?
Rango: Weird and not deserving of its hype.
The Reader: A difficult and heavy film, albeit well-rendered.
Red (X2): Loved it, although you have to go in with your spy kit activated. RECOMMENDED.
Red Extras: Checking out the features on the DVD.
The Return of the King. Rewatch while sick.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Well done, Andy Serkis. Some weak science, but a fine film overall.
The Road Home. Angsty, Chinese waiting.
Rome Extras. Really, Really digging these.
Rome. Season One. Enjoying this. RECOMMENDED!
Rome. Season Two. Also RECOMMENDED!
Saltimbanco. Lots of relaxing, beautiful fun.
Secret Diary of a Call Girl Season 3. Yup. Still enjoying it.
Secret Diary of a Call Girl Season 4. This one goes over the top a bit.
Sherlock. Have seen two of three. They were all right. Martin Freeman is a pretty easy actor to watch. He'll make a great Bilbo Baggins.
Special. Very depressing and thought provoking. I can't recommend it. I was disturbed.
The Six Wives of Henry the VIII. The classic old boring BBC series, which I find interesting.
Spiderman 2. Part of it before Aric's machines crapped out. It's good.
Star Trek: A rewatching of the most recent movie while ill.
State of Play: A little slow. May abandon.
Story of the Weeping Camel. Looks very documentary. This was kind of dull.
Stuart Saves His Family. Sick day rewatch.
They Were the Damned. Radioactive children meet teddy boys, a fairly poor Hammer suspense film.
Thor (X3). Oh, well done! RECOMMENDED.
Thor: Tales of Asgard. This...is weird. Very uneven. Parts were really good, and parts were really bad.
The Three Musketeers. Easily the worst version yet. Bryon aptly said that there were a lot of good actors there in need of a much better script. I went pretty much to see Ray Stevenson. Mission accomplished. Ouch, though.
The Tick. A chunk of the education issue.
Time Bandits. A rewatch.
Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Watch Humphrey Bogart go mad!
Trollhunter. Very unusual and quirky, with really good special effects. RECOMMENDED.
The Two Towers. Rewatch while sick.
Ultimate Walt Disney World. Tourist video I enjoyed.
Undiscovered Disney Parks. Tourist video I enjoyed.
Up. Rewatched during a relaxing night.
Upstairs, Downstairs. This is new Upstairs Downstairs. And it's fine. Production values are higher.
V for Vendetta. Really deplorable. One of the worst films I've seen.
Versailles. A documentary about the VietNamese community in New Orleans recovering after Hurricane Katrina, and how they protested a landfill not far from their home.
The Wages of Fear. Pretentious suspense film from France.
Walt Disney World Resort: Behind the Scenes. Tourist video that I enjoyed.
The Wizard of Oz. A rewatch because it was on.
Young Justice. Actually started paying some attention. It's okay.
Reading: 216
Adventure Comics. Krypto is the best part of these comics. I find I like the new Superboy as well.
Age of Bronze. Makes its annual appearance. Still very good.
Allie, Scott. Solomon Kane: Castle of the Devil. Meh.
Anderson, Laurie Halse.Speak. Classic YA in the best sense. A young girl deals with the emotional after effects of her rape.
Anderson, Taylor. Destroyermen 1--Into the Storm. For book group. That would be another dull and slow book.
Astonishing X-men. Was Warren Ellis a good choice? Comic industry, some of us don't like weird for its own sake.
Atwood, Margaret. The Penelopiad. This annoyed me more than anything. Mythological revisionism done with a rather obvious and preachy agenda. Effective feminism may have been more subtle.
Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker. Quite a ride this.
Bacigalupi, Paolo. The Windup Girl. Dissatisfying and problematic in its portrayals of women. There's a lot a modern woman can't forgive, apparently.
Balder, Bo. The Boy from the Chicken Feet House. Well, it was okay, but it ended a little flat.
Barnes, John. One for the Morning Glory. This was pretty good, and well written.
Barzak, Chris. One for Sorrow. REALLY loved The Love We Share without Knowing, so I'm looking forward to this. Very well-written.
Batgirl. Mixed feelings about this.
Batwoman. Not really excited by this.
Beagle, Peter. Return. Liked it. As usual, well done.
Beagle, Peter. Sleight of Hand. This collection is a bit of a stretch for Beagle, with many more different types of stories than he usual does, and some very bleak. Still, upon deliberation, I decide that I like the stretch.
Beckett, Katie. Purple Jellybeans. Oh dear. Well, it's getting better.
Bell, James Scott. Writing Fiction for All You're Worth. Very well written and engaging. RECOMMENDED.
Berger, Lou. Immersion. Interesting future noir story with strong character development.
Bethke, Bruce. Headcrash. Some features of interest. Tries a bit too hard.
Bick, Ilsa. Draw the Dark. Engaging, vivid opener. This was really good. Supernatural, mystery and horror all together. Coolness.
Birds of Prey. This is really dull. Actually read one that was good, though.
Bowen, Brent. Penis story. Yes, it really was mostly about a penis.
Block, James. Telling Lies for Fun and Profit. There were parts that were very good, and parts that were just okay.
Blum, Deborah. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensics in America's Jazz Age. Very cool and interesting. RECOMMENDED.
Bly, Carol. The Passionate, Accurate Story. Too much ax grinding.
Booker, Christopher. Why We Tell Stories. An academic book that ISN"T boring. Like, woah. It's a strong scholarly examination of certain elements of fiction and what they have in common.
Bradbury, Ray. Dandelion Wine. The only Bradbury I've ever skimmed. Lush and beautiful...almost too much so. It's not bad, it just didn't hold me.
Bradbury, Ray. The Illustrated Man. A collection of short stories from the master. The future was then! Lots of rocket stories with a 50/60s sensibility.
Brown, Renni and David King. Self-Editing for Writers. Second Edition. A little elementary for me, but it had some good tips.
Burgis, Stephanie. A Most Improper Magick. Smart and hilarious fresh historical fantasy. RECOMMENDED!
Bushnaq, Inea. Arab Folktales. Very interesting and cool.
Butler, Octavia. Bloodchild and Other Stories. This collection of short stories was just fine.
Butler, Octavia. Fledgling. Butler's last novel. Impressed. I'm hoping to read more of her work. RECOMMENDED.
Butler, Octavia. Kindred. Very good and intense. I didn't like it as much as Fledgling, but it is a more important book. RECOMMENDED.
Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower. This was okay. It wasn't great, but it was okay.
Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Talents. A little more emotional and sort of literary than her other books. I wouldn't say it's a comfortable book.
Calvino, Italo. Italian Folktales. Looking for some magic for Borgia.
Captain AmeriCorps. Meh.
Card, Orson Scott. Characters and Viewpoint. A sturdy little writing book.
Card, Orson Scott. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. Serviceable, with some good advice.
Carriger, Gail. Soulless. So far, I'm sort of bored. I've seen about every permutation of this in Urban Fantasy and Amelia Peabody. I'll probably end up skimming it. Worse, I even ditched it!
Carter, Angela. The Old Wives Fairy Tale Book. Just fine.
Catwoman. This is the worst comic I've read all year.
Cinderella: Fables are Forever. Okay.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Yes, listen to the hype. Strong woman character, melodramatic, great relationships, and angst. Presses all my buttons. RECOMMENDED.
Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. Not as good as the first one, because lightening generally doesn't strike twice. Still, I thought it was very good overall.
Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. Also not as good as the first one, and very hard on the main characters, but still a very interesting read.
Craven, Sean. Doc Johnson's Thunderstones. More dinosaur camp than you can usually find in one place.
Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library.) I really enjoyed the way this was written and presented. I am interested in tracking down more of the Pantheon books.
D'Adamo, Dr. Peter J. with Catherine Whitney. Eat Right 4 Your Type. Kind of hokum.
Datlow, Ellen and Terry Windling. The Beastly Bride. A variety of quality in this collection. Not to be missed: Pishaash.
Davidson, H. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Nothing new for me here, with more of an emphasis on the academic rather than the stories themselves. That said, it would be very useful to new researchers and generalists.
DC Legacies. Nothing too special here.
Deadman. Like Deadman always is. I enjoy the angsty Boston Brand.
Demon Knights. Meh.
Diamant, Anita. The Red Tent. Well written and compelling, with a unique voice.
Donohue, Keith. The Stolen Child. An interesting and very literary interior changeling story.
Dr. Strange. I liked it. Roger Stern, doing his thing.
Engelke, Marion. Masks of Dying Warriors. Reading this for Marion. Finished and have sent feedback. I'll send language edits as well. Finished with this!
Emsley, John. The Elements of Murder: A History of Poison. Very interesting. A good read.
Fables. Probably needs to end. I'm still angry about Frau Totenkinder.
Finlay. C.C. The Patriot Witch. Well, we can't like them all. I'm sure this would appeal to the Eric Flint crowd, or the Tom Clancy crowd.
Finlay, C.C. A Spell for the Revolution. See above.
Finlay, C.C. The Demon Redcoat. See above.
Fowler, Karen Joy. The Jane Austen Book Club. I liked it, but it just...ended.
Galuschak, George. Counting Cracks. Pretty good apocalyptic tail. I would like a bit more alien surprise.
Galuschak, George. The Wanting Game. Disturbing on many levels. Fairly successful.
Galuschak, George. The Alligators of Gar Swamp. Really digging the rewrite.
Gilman, Greer. Clouds and Ashes. This was full of beautiful artifice, and was too thick for me.
Glassie, Henry. Irish Folktales. An interesting selection of folk tales, told in authentic Irish voice.
Goldenburg, Natalie. Writing Down the Bones. Meh.
Gotham City Sirens. Eh. Not too much here. Actually, the last couple were good.
Goto, Hiromi. Half-World. Solid and interesting in both its nightmare qualities and folkloric roots. RECOMMENDED.
Grant, Mira. Feed. This was exceedingly well done. RECOMMENDED.
Grant, Mira. Deadline. Also exceedingly well done. RECOMMENDED.
Grant, Mira. Countdown. Not as good, and kind of sketchy. Obviously a marketing promo.
Graves, Robert. I, Claudius. We liked it. It was a bit summative, but captured Claudius' unique perspective and voice well. I will go so far to say that I liked the BBC series better.
Graves, Robert. Claudius the God and his Wife Messalina. More brutality, and ends a bit strangely. Probably the series is a better interpretation of history.
Haldeman, Joe. The Forever War. I mean, it was okay. But it wasn't transformative or anything.
Hawk and Dove. I wish differently, but meh.
Hay, Sheridan. The Secret of Lost Things. It was beautiful and gossamer. I loved it. RECOMMENDED.
Hearn, Marcus. The Avengers: A Celebration. A beautiful coffee table books for fans of the old British series.
Henrichs, Wendy. I am Tama, Lucky Cat. A charming children's book. RECOMMENDED.
Hines, Jim. Goblin Tales. Bright, shiny new short stories from Jim Hines. RECOMMENDED.
Hines, Jim. The Snow Queen's Shadow. Pretty sad ending to an above average series. Talia is not my favorite character, so I found this one not as good as some. Still enjoyed it.
Hines, Jim. Kitemaster and Other Stories. A change of pace! Okay. Creature is still great!
Huntress. Meh.
Holt, Tom. Blonde Bombshell. For book group. A humor sandwich with some fine parody.
Hopkinson, Nalo. The New Moon's Arms. So far, wow. I was very satisfied with this read. What a good author!
Hopkinson, Nalo. The Salt Roads. Interesting.
Hughes, Matt. Genie Memories. The second incarnation that I've read. It's coming along.
Jack of Fables. This is finally going to end, and it's probably time.
Jemisin, N.K. The 100,000 Kingdoms. Sturdy book with some very interesting features.
Johnson, Kij. Ponies. Very, very sad.
Johnson, Kij. Fudoki. Beautiful. One of my favorite things this year.
Journey into Mystery. Interesting mini-series.
Justice League Dark. Disappointing. Meh.
Kelley, E.F. The Atlantean. The dog chapter is very well revised. Still trying to flesh out the rest of the story.
Kelley, E. F. I, Demon. Okay, although in need of some rewriting.
Khaniger, Robert. Showcase Presents Wonder Woman volume 1. From a historical viewpoint, this is an interesting look at feminism. That said, these stories are absolute shit.
Khaniger, Robert. Showcase Presents Wonder Woman volume 2. See review for one.
Khaniger, Robert. Showcase Presents Wonder Woman volume 3. See review for one.
King, Stephen. On Writing. Overrated?
Kowal, Mary Robinette. Shades of Milk and Honey. Well done. Swept me right along for the ride.
Kress, Nancy. Beggars in Spain. Wow. An incredibly awesome book that I feel privileged to read. I'm going to have to give this book MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION evair.
Kress, Nancy. Beggars and Choosers. Very good in a different kind of way.
Kress, Nancy. Beggars Ride. Good as well.
Kress, Nancy. Steal Across the Sky. Good as well.
Kress, Nancy. Dynamic Character: How to Create Personalities that Keep Readers Captivated. An excellent book. I learned a lot. RECOMMENDED.
Kushner, Ellen and Terri Windling. The Beastly Bride. A wide variety of stories, some good and some so-so.
Lamont, Ann. Bird by Bird. Well written about being a writer. Finished. Good stuff, if a tad neurotic.
Lamplighter, L. Jagi. Prospero Lost. Really liked this re-telling of the story of Miranda and Prospero. Melodramatic and rich with inspiration. Pressed all my buttons. RECOMMENDED.
Lamplighter, L. Jagi. Prospero in Hell. Not nearly as good as the first one, but with features of interest.
LeFevre, Danielle. The Chimera and the Physica. The twist is good at the end, although the foundations seem to need to be firmer.
Legacies. Meh.
Legion of Superheroes. Some good bits, some dull bits.
LeGuin, Ursula. The Left Hand of Darkness. I can see what the attention is about. It was pretty good.
Lermina, Jules. The Wife of Monte Cristo. NO! This isn't Alexandre Dumas. This is some hack pretending to be Dumas. Curse you! The need for modern copyright is proven.
Lo, Malinda. Ash. After all the build-up, I was truly underwhelmed.
Loki. Did we really need a mini-series about Loki combining legend and Marvel? I don't think so, and Thor looks like a dick in it besides.
Maass, Donald. The Career Novelist. A little dated, but sound advice overall.
Maass, Donald. The Fire in Fiction. A great book with good writing advice. I really enjoyed this book. RECOMMENDED for writers.
Maass, Donald. The Breakout Novelist. RECOMMENDED for writers.
Maass, Donald. The Breakout Novel Workbook. RECOMMENDED for writers.
Madame Xanadu. Good. Sad, but it's over.
Mahoney, Karen. The Iron Witch. I think I can only read so much fae YA.
Mann, Geoffrey. The Affinity Bridge. Reading it for the book group. Did I need another book with zombies and dirigibles? Did the world?
McGruder, Aaron. Because I know You Don't Read the Newspaper. More of the usual good stuff.
McGruder, Aaron. Fresh for '01...You Suckas!. As usual, funny, relevant, and sharp.
McGruder, Aaron. Public Enemy #2. The usual. Very good.
McIntyre, Anne. The Top 100 Herbal Remedies. Read as a research for Borgia piece.
Melander, Rochelle. Write-a-thon. In the end, kind of meh.
Monette, Sara. Melusine. The best of torture porn meets the most mediocre of fantasy. Argh. Maybe one of the worst things I've read.
Morell, Jessica Page. Bullies, Bastards, and Bitches: How to Write the Bad Guys of Fiction.
Moulten, Charles. Wonder Woman. Really old, antique Wonder Woman.
Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard. Pretty much loved this. RECOMMENDED.
Mouse Guard: The Black Axe. Script was a little hard to read. I'll be interested to see where this goes.
The Mighty Thor. I'm liking the new Loki, and Thor's 'tude.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Volume 1: Plague of Frogs. Interesting.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Volume 4: The Dead. Interesting.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Volume 5: The Black Flame. Probably the best one so far.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Volume 6: The Ultimate Machine. No, this one is probably the best so far.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Volume 7: Garden of Souls. Probably the best one of these now.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume One: Seed of Destruction. Loads of Frogs.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume Two: Wake the Devil. Loads of real weirdness.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume Three: The Chained Coffin and Other Stories. Contains that classic, "Pancakes."
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume Four: The Right Hand of Doom. This is really a good one.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume Five: Conqueror Worm. Cool.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume Six: Strange Places. Cool.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume Seven: The Troll Witch and Others. VERY cool. Recommended.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume Eight: Darkness Calls. Hellboy has a series of bad years.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume Nine: The Wild Hunt. Excellent. RECOMMENDED.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume Ten: The Crooked Man and Others. Really, really good.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Volume 11: The Bride of Satan and Others. Liked the cow/alien story best.
Mignola, Mike. Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus. Okay.
Miller, David. Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality. Didn't work for me.
Morell, Jessica Page. Bullies, Bastards, and Bitches: How to Write the Bad Guys of Fiction. A very well written book. RECOMMENDED.
Murphy, Pat. The City Not Long After. A mystical and very special book. RECOMMENDED.
Murphy, Pat. Nadya. It was okay. Alas, the middle part drags.
Palmatier, Josh. The Skewed Throne. Well developed character backgrounds help this book, although it loses me in the middle and end. I prefer the high stakes of the beginning story.
Pascoe, Jim. Hellboy Animated Volume One: The Black Bride. Okay.
Pascoe, Jim. Hellboy Animated Volume Two: The Judgment Bell. Okay.
Pascoe, Jim. Hellboy Animated Volume Three: The Menagerie. Okay.
Pastor-Parish Relations: Connecting the Pastor, Staff and Congregation Guidelines. Can't expect much from this kind of thing.
Peterson, Karen E. Write. 10 Days to Overcome Writer's Block. Period. Interesting psychology. Some useful stuff, and some rubbish.
Piper, H. Beam. Little Fuzzy. Charming! Wonderful! Positive!
Pratchett, Terry. Snuff. Newest Pratchett, featuring Sam Vimes. A little slower, but still pretty good.
Rankin, Robert. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. Um. Couldn't do it.
Realms of Fantasy. Not too many stories get me excited in this issue.
Reese, Jenn. Jade Tiger. Full of romance...and action. The fight scenes are very well choreographed.
Rennells, Lauren. Retro Make-up. I can't wait to try this stuff! Recommended!
Rennells, Lauren. Vintage Hairstyling. I can't wait to try this stuff! Recommended!
Riggs, Ransom. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Very interesting, and Poppins-esque.
Roberts, Adam. Yellow Blue Tibia. This was hilarious and intelligent. RECOMMENDED.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Re-read in search of tone.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Re-read in search of tone.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Oh, this is so good. I wish I didn't know what came after. Enjoyed the re-read.
Rulnick, Hallie. Book One of the Blackthorn Files. This one seems to be muddy and crowded.
Ryman, Geoff. Was. While pretty well written, in the end Ryman was too hard on at least two of his characters.
Sawyer, Robert J. WWW: Wake. Another one for the book group. Really well done. I want to know more about Hobo than anyone, but the story of the main character is also very engaging and well written. Plus, there's a goodly amount of propeller spinning for those who enjoy that.
Scalzi, John. Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded. Surprisingly Mencken-esque, and runs the gauntlet from humorous to sober.
Scalzi, John. Fuzzy Nation. I'll give him this: It was a complicated under plot. I liked the original book better, but this wasn't bad.
Schoen, Lawrence, editor. Curcurbital 2. Turtle and watermelon anthology I'm in.
Smith, Dean Wesley. Salty writer debunks everything he doesn't agree with.
Smylie, Mark. Artesia 3. Pretty interesting, drawing strongly on Crusade influences.
Steve, Rick. Scandinavia. Reading it for the trip.
Stevens, Serita and Anne Klarner. Deadly Doses: A Writer's Guide to Poison's. Mostly dry, but a useful reference for later.
Stevermer, Caroline. Magic Below Stairs. A sturdy children's book with Stevermer's usual charm.
Stevermer, Caroline. River Rats. Enjoyable and fun.
Stiefvater, Maggie. Linger. Oh, I am SO not the audience for this book, and I probably wasn't when I was a teenage girl either.
Suri, Miranda. Absent. This reads well and has a strong premise.
Supergirl. Just okay.
Thor. The writers are still managing this one well.
Tomorrow, Tom. Too Much Crazy. It's the enjoyable usual.
Travers, P.L. Mary Poppins. Rereading with Bryon.
Travers, P. L. Mary Poppins Comes Back. In some ways better, but you could make a drinking game out of the Mary Poppins series.
Travers, P.L. Mary Poppins Opens the Door. Should have ended it here.
Travers, P. L. Mary Poppins in the Park. And we're done. I can't take the racism any longer.
Ultimate Spider Man. Optic mint! This is excellent. RECOMMENDED.
Unwritten. Actually improving. Getting complicated.
Valentino, Serena. Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen. Boy, this is bad. I couldn't do it.
Van Eekhout, Greg. The Boy at the End of the World. This is pretty awesome!
Vandermeer, Jeff. Finch. I tried. I can see why it's acclaimed. I can see why I won't be reading more.
Vaughn, Carrie. Kitty and the Midnight Hour. Well done. Not your typical tough chick. RECOMMENDED.
Venables, Hubert. The Frankenstein Dairies. Lots didn't hold up in this Reader's Digest attempt at horror fiction.
Wendig, Chuck. 500 Ways to Be a Better Writer. Okay.
Wendig, Chuck. 250 Things You Should Know about Writing. Okay.
Wendig, Chuck. Confessions of a Freelance Penmonkey. Better than okay.
Wendig, Chuck. Revenge of the Freelance Penmonkey. More of same.
Wilhelm, Kate. Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writer's Workshop. A mishmash of Clarion history and writing advice.
Willis, Connie. The Doomsday Book. A very compelling and well written story. Yeah, after a few days of thought, RECOMMENDED.
Wilson, Bee. Swindled: From Poisoned Sweets to Counterfeit Coffee--The Dark History of Food Cheats. Very interesting and worth reading.
Wolfman, Marv and George Perez. Teen Titans--Games. Trying to go for that nostalgia feel, but overall, muddy.
Wonder Woman. God save us from Straczinsky's version.
Writer's Digest. Borrowed from Ian.
Yolen, Jane. The Last Dragon. A beautiful graphic novel.
Yolen, Jane. Take Joy. A pretty good book about what it means to be a writer.
Yovanoff, Brenna. The Replacement. Well-paced and interesting.
Zafan, Carlos Ruiz. The Angel's Game. Too predictable for me, and a bit muddy.
Zatanna. Well-written, but art can be questionable.
Writing: 14
Abigail Rath Versus Blood-Sucking Fiends. I need to do something different for a while.
Emperor Cat. Poem submitted for the next animal shelter chapbook.
Empress Dark. Retired.
End over End. Two scenes written.
The Fall of the Sparrow. Klarion Book 2. Plotting
Klarion Book 1. Started characterization information. Some written.
Life's Fitful Fever. Klarion Book 5. Plotting.
The Make-Over. Retired.
Mark Twain's Daughter. At Writer's of the Future.
A Serpent's Tooth. Klarion Book 4. Plotting
The Substance of Shadows. Currently revising.
Turtle of the Earth. Accepted at Cucurbital 2, Paper Golem Press.
The Were-Humans. Southern Iowan shape shifting novella. Looks like it's going to be a novel instead.
The Winter the Troll Danced with Old Nick. Dead and ready to be revised at some point in the future. There's so much wrong with this, I can't even begin to tell you.
Sewing: 1
Wicked Queen from Snow White
Beginning: 223. Now 219.4 Gone 3.6