The Year in Review: 2013
Watching: 140
47 Ronin. Expectations were low, so no issues here.
Aaiya. Whimsical Bollywood movie about a girl's search for true love.
About Time. A Charming movie about a father, a son, and time travel.
Agents of SHIELD. New television show. We'll see.
The Age of Innocence. A rewatch of a brilliant Scorsese film.
Amaluna. New Cirque de Soleil we really loved. Recommended.
American Beauty. I haven't the words. It's a sad film, but it's an amazing watch. RECOMMENDED.
Azumanga Daioh. A rewatch.
Babel. A complex movie which was interesting to watch, but not terribly enjoyable.
Beasts of the Southern Wild. Unsettling.
Beautiful Creatures. I know I would have liked this better if I were a teenage girl, but it was still okay.
The Bourne Legacy. I couldn't finish it. For a thriller with good actors in it, it was slow and boring.
Bread and Tulips. A charming Italian romantic comedy. Set in Venice. RECOMMENDED.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Super dull.
Caterina in the Big City. Sad and interesting tale of an Italian kid adjusting to her new life in Rome.
Catch-22. Well, that was surreal.
Catching Fire. The second Hunger Games movie. Pretty true to the book.
Charlie and the Angel. Not your typical Disney film, but kind of fun.
Chatsworth. Interesting.
A Christmas Carol. The holiday rewatch.
A Christmas Story. The holiday rewatch.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. The spectacle! The spectacle!
The Colbert Report. The usual quality stuff.
Company. Well I liked it.
Crest of the Stars. A rewatch.
The Croods. Fine, but could have benefited from some editing.
Curse of the Werewolf. Oliver Reed classic.
The Daily Show. The usual quality stuff.
Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Great! Loved all the folklore.
Defenders--Dragon Riders of Berk. Okay.
The Descendants. A rewatch so Bryon could see George Clooney's performance.
Desk Set. Pretty classic light Hepburn and Tracy film.
Despicable Me 2. A fun revisit to the Gru verse.
Documentary on Superheroes. Interesting.
Downton Abbey Season 3. Oh! The soap operatic angst! I like it though.
Dredd: Kyle Urban does some serious deadpan Judge Dredd. Pretty okay.
Dr. Who. Here we go again. Most of this season was meh, but the last episode was spectacular.
Dr. Who Jon Pertwee Special. Reviewing the old doctor.
Dr. Who Sylvester McCoy Special and Dalek episodes. Good. Even better than I remember good. Recommended.
Dr. Who Chris Eccleston Special. Best Doctor evair!
Emma. A rewatch.
Flashpoint. My, that was bad.
Frozen.(X3) Two sisters save each other. RECOMMENDED.
The Futurama Movie. This is what sick people are reduced to.
Friday Night Fights. Latest Monster High Cartoon.
The Frisco Kid. A classic tale of two impressive men. RECOMMENDED.
The Full Monty. A rewatch.
The Fugitive. Illness rewatch.
Galaxy Express 999. Wow. That's a stupid show, but the nostalgia makes it hard to look away.
Gangster Squad. Super violent.
Ghost in the Shell First Gig. A rewatch.
Ghost in the Shell Second Gig. First time through.
Giant Robo. A rewatch. Solid and intriguing.
Gin Rei Special. Horrible.
GI Joe: Retaliation. Well, it was what I expected.
Godzilla in All Out Monster Attack. A highly stylized modern take on Godzilla with all the old Godzilla markers. Really liked the King Gidorah design. I'd recommend this.
Going Postal. A rewatch.
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Loose plot strings Harryhausen monsters together.
The Great Gatsby. So they say...
The Green Lantern Corps. Meh.
Haibane Renmei. A rewatch. Its green pallet interests me.
Hamlet. It's not David Tennant's fault. Hamlet bores me.
Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters. Oy. VERY over the top.
Hitchcock. Meh.
Hobbit--The Desolation of Smaug. Wow. So that was fan fiction.
The Holiday. Enjoyable, if predictable.
Holyrood House Castle. Another one of those British manor documentary.
How to Train Your Dragon (Cartoon.) RECOMMENDED.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (X2). Broad Steven Carrell comedy I enjoyed.
Iron Man 3 (X2). Probably my favorite Iron Man, because they get the mains out of the armor.
Jack the Giant Slayer. Not great. Just fun.
Jeeves and Wooster Season 3. Bertie and Jeeves go to New York! This is the best season so far. RECOMMENDED.
Jeeves and Wooster Season 4. The last season!
Juno. A rewatch
Kimagure Orange Road. Taking my time! I'm ready for episode 25.
Kolya. Sentimental but not maudlin movie about a Czech cello player who takes care of his stepson in unusual circumstances, and both benefit.
Kung Fu Panda 2. Because I wanted to rewatch it.
Ladies in Lavender. Kind of a dull movie, which just goes to show you again that good actresses can't save everything.
Legend of Korra Season 2. Man. It's an interesting show, but I just don't like Korra. Okay, she's improving.
Life on Mars. Season 1. A rewatch.
Life on Mars. Season 2. A rewatch.
Lincoln. A rewatch.
Luther Season 3. He's back! He's back! Pretty good. Not too ambiguous, but not too predictable. RECOMMENDED.
Madly Madagascar. Another cute holiday special from the Madagascar gang.
The March of the Penguins. Morgan Freeman narrates Penguin mating processes.
Master of the Flying Guillotine. Oh, so, so bad.
Metropolis. A rewatch.
Mission Impossible: Season One. Classic.
Mission Impossible: Season Two.
Monster High: Friday Night Fights. Marketing roller maze dolls.
Monster High: Thirteen Wishes. The latest Monster High cartoon.
Nadia of the Mysterious Seas. A rewatch.
Pacific Rim. Strangely enough, recommended.
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. A very moody James Mason movie. Recommended.
Paradise Kiss. A rewatch. One of my favorite anime.
The Penguins of Madagascar Whacked Out Holiday Video. Short and cool.
Philadelphia Story. A rewatch.
Pleasantville. A rewatch.
Pride and Prejudice. Illness rewatch.
Project Runway. A little bit on a sick night.
Quincinera. A cool movie about 3 misfits making it in Hispanic society.
Oz the Great and Powerful. Spectacle, yes! Script? No.
Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. Sick day out of my mind with boredom viewing.
Ratatouille. A rewatch.
Record of Lodoss War. A rewatch.
Revolutionary Girl Utena. A rewatch.
Rock of Ages Movie. Not nearly as good as the stage play.
Rock of Ages Stage Play. Pretty goofy, but fun.
Room with A View. A rewatch.
Rose of Versailles. This is gripping. Recommended.
Sabrina. A rewatch.
Saving Mr. Banks. Meh.
The Secrets of Highclere Castle. A documentary on the house where Downton Abbey is shot.
The Shawshank Redemption. Illness rewatch.
Singin' in the Rain. A rewatch.
Skyfall. Surprisingly good for a James Bond film. Recommended.
Sky High. A rewatch.
Slaughter-House Five. Interestingly Vonnegut.
Soldier. A kind of okay Kurt Russell film from Cinema Rex.
Something New. An interesting romantic comedy that brings up a lot of interesting questions.
The Sorcerer and the White Snake. That was beautiful.
Spanglish. And that was very, very smart. RECOMMENDED.
Star Trek 2: Into Darkness(X3). Well done, reboot writers! Recommended.
Stuart Saves His Family. A rewatch.
Summertime. Katharine Hepburn does Venice in a David Lean film. RECOMMENDED.
Super Kuma San!: A rewatch.
Teen Titans in Tokyo. Very fun, but this cartoon may be too hip for me.
Thor. A rewatch.
Thor The Dark World (X2). Probably the first time. Satisfying.
Tom Jones. A rewatch.
Toy Story of Terror! Fun. Combat Carl will find a way!
The Troll. A short 25-minute film that is a gem.
Ultraviolet. A rewatch.
Vampire Princess Miyu TV. A rewatch.
Vampire Princess Miya OAVs. A rewatch.
Venice Travelogue. Meh.
Wall-E. Strongly recommended.
What's Eating Gilbert Grape? A strong set of performances by DiCaprio and Depp make this stellar film a must see. RECOMMENDED.
Wolverine. Digging that Japanese Wolverine action. Also Hugh Jackman continues to make me like Wolverine. RECOMMENDED.
The World's End. Another Pegg Frost film. This one is more thinky.
X. A Rewatch
Young Justice. Watching that final season.
Reading: 171
Afanasyev, Alexander. Russian Fairy Tales. What you'd expect, except many end in grizzly death.
Age of Bronze. Wow. We got one this year.
Alexander, Will. Goblin Secrets. A charming children's book.
Alice, Alex. Siegfried. Beautiful adaption of Siegfried with a behind the scenes look at the artwork for a film and an animated feature.
Andrews, Ilona. Gun Metal Magic. It was okay. There was also a bonus novella in there.
Astonishing X-Men. Meh.
Avatar--The Last Airbender--The Search Part One: A promising start.
Avatar--The Last Airbender--The Search Part Two: Pretty good.
Avatar--The Last Airbender--The Search Part Three: Well done.
Baltimore. More Mignola.
Barnes, Broda O. and Lawrence Galton. Hyptothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness. I didn't really learn much.
Barough, Nina. Walking for Fitness. And we're done looking at walking for the exercise.
Batgirl. Meh.
Batwoman. Ugh.
Bernobich, Beth. The Queen's Hunt. More of Beth's really good series.
Biederman, Danny. The Incredible World of Spy-Fi. An interesting overview of Biederman's collection.
Blecher, Lone Thygesen. Swedish Folktales and Legends. Very interesting and fun stories.
Brown, Tom and Nimue. Hopeless, Maine. Personal Demons. Spooky and interesting Klarion-esque comic.
Brown, Tom and Nimue. Hopeless, Maine. Inheritance. The investigation of Salamandra's family and Hopeless continues. RECOMMENDED.
Brubaker, Ed. Velvet. AWESOME Spy Fiction. RECOMMENDED.
Buettner, Dan. Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way. Interesting.
Buettner, Dan. The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest. Second Edition. I learned a lot.
Bujold, Lois. McMaster. Young Miles. This is great, but since it is two books and a novella, it takes a while to read. On the whole, this is intriguing, with a very interesting and compelling main character. RECOMMENDED.
Burgiss, Stephanie. Stolen Magic. Delightful, as usual.
Buroker, Lindsay. Flash Gold. Novella read for book group. Nicely done.
Butcher, Jim. Storm Front. You know, it starts strong and really falls off.
Captain America. I hate the whole revisionist thing.
Captain Marvel. We'll see. Nice cover art.
Cataclysm in the Ultimate Universe. Munch, munch, Galactus. Munch.
Catwoman and Vampirella Team Up. Really???
Cheek, Kater. Seeing Things. Okay Urban Fantasy.
Cheney, J. Kathleen. The Golden City. Strong debut with sophisticated solid research and characterization.
Clavell, James. I've been curious about this one since I was a kid. And it's just dreadful. All the same, I keep reading...
Christopher, Adam. Empire State. Super hero noir fiction. I wanted to like this one better than I did.
Courtney Crumrin. Awesome with awesome-sauce. RECOMMENDED.
DC Universe Presents: Black Lightening and Blue Devil. Meh.
Decker, Dan. Anatomy of a Screen Play. Pretty good overall, and helpful.
DeConnick, Kelly Sue. Captain Marvel, Volume One. In Pursuit of Flight. Anachronistic as hell, but I liked it.
DeConnick, Kelly Sue. Captain Marvel, Volume Two. Flight. This was a much more interesting volume of a solid woman's comic. RECOMMENDED.
Defoe, Daniel. Moll Flanders. A little drier than the televised version, but fine.
Delme, Emilius. Falconry. That was weird.
Demon Knights. Meh.
Dinesh. Downfall of Anakrus. Friend's novel.
Doctorow, Cory. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. Strong, interesting, well written. RECOMMENDED.
Dunnett, Dorothy. The Game of Kings. Well, I can see what Walter's talking about, but it's a bit thick.
Dunnett, Dorothy. Queen's Play. Again, a bit too flowery for my taste, although it is an elaborate historical fiction.
Dunnett, Dorothy. The Disorderly Knights. Lymond goes to Malta. Same complaint. Too very florid.
Dunnett, Dorothy. Niccolo Rising. Well, I'm pretty sure that Dunnett's writing style just doesn't work for me at this point.
Dunnett, Dorothy. To Lie with Lions. See above.
Dunnett, Dorothy. Caprice and Rondo. See above.
Dunsany, Lord. The King of Elfland's Daughter. It's like reading a summary of a fantasy novel.
East, Chris. Rogue Souls. Read of a friend's manuscript.
Fables. Meh.
Fairest. Meh.
Flinn, Alex. Beastly. All right. Definitely for a younger crowd.
Franzoi, Umberto. The Grand Canal. Well done and interesting architectural journey down the Grand Canal.
Freeman, Gage Earl. This guy is kind of a dork.
Funke, Cornelia. The Thief Lord. In the end, just couldn't hold my attention. For kids, you know.
Galuschak, George. When It's Spring Time in Shohola. The beginning of George's horror novel.
Galuschak, George. Mall Girl. George's vampire short story.
Galuschak, George. Black Collar. George's novel.
Garcia, Kami and Margaret Stohl. High melodrama, high romance YA. Meh. I really wanted to like this, but was not engaged.
Gilbert, Elizabeth. Eat, Drink, Love. I liked it. It was a good book about spirituality.
Glenwood Springs Story Pack. Readings for Glenwood Springs workshop.
Gorey, Edward. The Unstrung Harp. Dreadful! Dreadful! Dreadful!
Griffith, Niccola. Slow River. Moody, hard to read, very good.
Goto, Hiromi. The Kappa Child. Strange and Literary.
Hamilyn, Paul. Egyptian Mythology. Dry but useful classification of Egyptian gods.
Harris, Geraldine. Gods and Pharaohs from Egyptian Mythology. Brushing up on my Egyptian mythology.
Hibbert, Christopher. The Borgias. For Klarion book one research.
Hines, Jim. Codex Born. Not as good as usual. A bit eclectic, and off stagey.
Hobb, Robin. Shaman's Crossing. I found this to be interesting. A smooth and pleasant read with an engaging main character. RECOMMENDED.
Horodowich, Elizabeth. Venice: A New History of the City and Its People. For Klarion book one research.
Horsfield, Catrina. Melicente. Reading friend's novel.
Insight Guide. Italy. For research of a cursory nature.
Iron Man. Meh.
Ito, Nina and Christopher Mefford. Take Care: Communicating in English with U.S. Health Care Workers. To design a course.
James, Henry. The Golden Bowl. Well, that was psychological.
Journey into Mystery. Pretty good.
Justice League Dark. Meh.
Klages, Ellen. White Sands, Red Menace. I've been looking forward to this. This was very good. It was nice to see Dewey and Suze again.
Kleon, Austin. Steal Like an Artist. Provocative book about creativity. RECOMMENDED.
Knight, Lucy. Walking for Weight Loss. An interesting overview of walking as a fitness hobby.
Kowal, Mary Robinette. Without a Summer. A well-rendered romantic fantasy. RECOMMENDED.
Kress, Nancy. Brain Rose. Interesting reincarnation book. Solid.
Lee, John R et al. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause. Meh.
Legion of Super Heroes. Meh.
Lonely Planet. Vietnam. Serviceable.
Lonely Planet. Vietnamese Phrasebook. Also serviceable.
Losh, Elizabeth et al. Understanding Rhetoric: A Graphic Guide to Writing. It was okay, but it tried too hard.
Lundoff, Catherine. Silver Moon. This was okay, although I could tell the writer writes romance.
Marston, William Moulton. The Wonder Woman Chronicles, Vol. 3. What you would expect.
McKay, Matthew. Mind and Emotions. A Universal Treatment for Emotional Disorders. Something I'll be working on like a work book for a while.
Meyer, Marissa. Cinder. It starts kind of slow, but it really picks up. I'd recommend it.
Mignola, Mike. The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curiosities. "I've just created two evil puppets. It's a good day's work for me."
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Being Human. Some very good Hellboy short stories.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD 1947. A harsh world, the agenting world.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD 1948. The best of the past stories. RECOMMENDED.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Hell on Earth. Volume 6. Good.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Hell on Earth. Volume 7. Good.
Mignola, Mike. Abe Sapien 3. Abe goes to a beach party.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Vampire #1. THAT was brutal.
Mignola, Mike. Hellboy Midnight Circus. Damned Pinnochio. RECOMMENDED.
More, October issue. Okay.
More, November issue. Okay.
More, December issue. Okay.
Morris, Jan. The World of Venice--Revised. Not what I thought it would be at all. I enjoyed the insights into Venice very much.
Naifeh, Ted. Courtney Crumrin Volume 3. Best One Yet. RECOMMENDED.
Naifeh, Ted. Courtney Crumrin Volume 4. RECOMMENDED.
Nevins, Jess. Fables Encyclopedia. A reference for Fables.
Nieves, Dr. Ervin. El Virtuoso Julian. Short stories about a Puerto Rican pianist.
Norman, Howard. Northern Tales: Traditional Stories of Eskimo and Indian Peoples. A collection of folktales.
Norwich, John Julius. Paradise of Cities: Venice and its Nineteenth Century Visitors. Engaging writing makes for a fascinating read. RECOMMENDED.
Obama, Barak. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. Very interesting look at not only Obama's background, but also about the struggle of a young man reconciling his background. VERY interesting.
Obama, Barak. The Audacity of Hope. Not as good as his first, but still thoughtful and considered.
Paradise Icon Reading Pack. Stories for workshop critique.
Paradise Lost 3 Story Pack. Stories for workshop critique.
Peck, M. Scott. People of the Lie. Too much woo-woo.
Pelland, Jennifer. Machine. This is going to be one pornographic experience! Amazingly well written. Both disturbing and compelling to read. RECOMMENDED.
Pourrat, Henry. French Folktales. Really well written and interesting.
Pretty Deadly. Death is a female cowboy.
Pratchett, Terry. Raising Steam. The return of Moist Von Lipwig.
Rankin, Robert. The Anti-Pope. Meh.
Rawn, Melanie, Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliot. The Golden Key. Interesting, albeit a little flowery.
Robbins, Trina. Honey West and T.H.E. Cat. A very nostalgic trip through the 60s action show scene.
Rodriguez, Jorge. The Acid Reflux Solution. A little research for my flare up.
Russell, Maria Doria. Children of God. At least things are happier for Santos in this sequel.
Ryan, Shannon. Fangs for Nothing. 27 year old vampire lives in parents' basement. Very enjoyable and fun. Highly recommended.
Samurai Jack. A very faithful comic adaption of the series, inasmuch as it is the same flavor.
Sanderson, Brandon. Mistborn. Because the world needs another chosen one story.
The Sandman Overture. Gaiman is fine. The ads I could do without.
Scalzi, John. The Android's Dream. Because the world needs another murder by fart story.
Schechter, Jeffrey Alan. My Story Can Beat Up Your Story. An excellent book for writing.
RECOMMENDED.
Schwab, Gustav. Gods and Heroes. Mythology Reboot from Greece.
Sledge Hammer 44. More Mignola.
Soloman, Charles. The Art of Frozen. Beautiful.
Spielman, Lori Nelson. The Life List. Really enjoyed this. It had some nice twists.
Sturges, Matthew and Pepe Larraz. Thor Season One. Just fine. Everyone seems to be influenced by the films these days.
Suri, Miranda. Absent. Reading the next version.
Teffeau, Lauren. Red Dirt. White Noise. A friend's manuscript.
Tezuka, Osamu. The Mysterious Underground Men. So very nostalgic, if a little dated.
Tezuka, Osamu. The Twin Knights. Princess Knight, continued.
Thor. Meh.
Tignor, Robert L. Egypt: A Short History. Research for the novel. I need to understand how religion and nationalism swept across the country.
Towell, Katy. Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow. Very cute and interesting. Kids will like it.
Trinity of Sin. Pandora. Meh.
Trollope, Anthony. The Warden. The TV series was a very faithful adaptation. This was an enjoyable read.
Trollope, Anthony. Barchester Towers. Wonderful. Again, a very faithful adaption on the part of the BBC. RECOMMENDED.
Trollope, Anthony. He Knew He was Right.
Tyler, Royall. Japanese Tales. Okay. Lots of religious stories.
Ugresic, Dubravka. Baba Yaga Laid an Egg. Very intriguing and Baba Yaga like.
Ultimate Spider-man. Not as good as last year, but still okay.
Underwood, Michael. Geekomancy. This is fresh and really funny. Actually, only the beginning is fresh and funny.
Unwritten. Meh.
Vaughan, Brian K. Saga Vol. 1. Very different and interesting. RECOMMENDED.
Vaughan, Brian K. Saga Vol. 2. Also very good.
Vaughan, Brian K. Saga Comic. Yes! Great!
Weisman, Greg. Young Justice--Training Day. This was okay.
Weisman, Greg. Young Justice--Creature Features. This was okay.
Weisman, Greg and Christopher Jones. Young Justice--Invasion. This was okay.
Wendig, Chuck. Blackbirds. That was intense, but it moved and it was interesting. I would recommend it, but not for the easily offended.
Wendig, Chuck. Mockingbird. Ah, Miriam. Twisty, Chuck, twisty.
Wickham, Sandra. Sin City Summons. Pretty good overall. Very urban fantasy.
Wilde, Fran. Fran's Gem Short Story. Wilde takes on gem world.
Willingham, Bill. Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland. This was an incredible waste of my time.
Willinghma, Bill. Fairest in All the Land. This was okay.
The Witching Hour. Meh.
Wodehouse, P. G. Extricating Young Gussie. The first proto-Jeeves and Wooster story.
Wodehouse, P.G. The World of Jeeves. Finally finished this butlerlicious work of fiction.
Wodehouse, P.G. Thank You, Jeeves. Playing the Banjolele.
World's Finest: Huntress and Power Girl. Cool. I like this.
Writers of the Future. Volume Whatever. Meh.
Yoshinaga, Fumi. Ooku--The Inner Chamber. Splendid and Masterful!!!. I hope to read more of this.
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones.
Writing: 5
Abigail Rath Versus Blood-Sucking Fiends: Still Circulating, but the fish won't bite.
Alpha: Out the door to Paper Golem.
A Lasting Storm: Working on first draft and research. You may notice the name change, as the second book is better named Poison of Thy Flesh.
O-Taga-San: Currently at the Kaleidoscope anthology.
Troll Book. Sent off opening chapter to Paradise Lost 3.
Fitness
2012 Beginning Weight 223 Ending Weight 214.3 Lost 8.7 pounds
2013 Beginning Weight 214.3 Highest Weight 223.8 Current Weight 211.2
Weight Watchers Beginning 224 Current Weight:213.2 Lost: 10.8
Total Loss: 12.6 pounds