Books Read in 2007

January 2007
1. Skeleton Man (Leaphorn/Chee) by Tony Hillerman
2. Edge of Evil (Ali Reynolds) by J.A. Jance
3. The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
4. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
5. Web of Evil (Ali Reynolds) by J.A. Jance
6. The Messenger by Lois Lowry
7. Ten Big Ones (Stephanie Plum) by Janet Evanovich

February 2007
8. Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth) by Terry Goodkind
9. What is the What by Dave Eggers
10. Freaky Deaky by Elmore Leonard
11. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
12. Shape Shifter (Leaphorn/Chee) by Tony Hillerman

March 2007
13. Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr
14. State of Fear by Michael Crichton
15. Killshot by Elmore Leonard
16. Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart
17. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
18. Death Walker (Ella Clah) by Aimee and David Thurlo

April 2007
19. Christy by Catherine Marshall
20. Bad Medicine (Ella Clah) by Aimee and David Thurlo
21. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
22. Enemy Way (Ella Clah) by Aimee and David Thurlo
23. The Abyssinian by Jean-Christophe Rufin
24. Shooting Chant (Ella Clah) by Aimee and David Thurlo

May 2007
25. The Wild Shore (Wild Shore triptych) by Kim Stanley Robinson
26. Red Mesa (Ella Clah) by Aimee and David Thurlo
27. Lost and Found (Taken trilogy) by Alan Dean Foster
28. Changing Woman (Ella Clah) by Aimee and David Thurlo
29. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
30. Green Money by D.E. Stevenson
31. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

June 2007
32. The Gabriel Hounds by Mary Stewart
33. The Goose Girl (Bayern) by Shannon Hale
34. Enna Burning (Bayern) by Shannon Hale
35. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
36. Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard
37. The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham
38. Sisterchicks on the Loose by Robin Gunn

July 2007
39. East by Edith Pattou
40. Tracking Bear (Ella Clah) by Aimee and David Thurlo
41. Sisterchicks Do the Hula by Robin Gunn
42. Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson
43. The Light-years Beneath My Feet (Taken trilogy) by Alan Dean Foster
44. Wind Spirit (Ella Clah) by Aimee and David Thurlo
45. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
46. White Thunder (Ella Clah) by Aimee and David Thurlo

August 2007
47. Austenland by Shannon Hale
48. Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
49. Breakfast with the Ones You Love by Eliot Fintushel
50. Eleven on Top (Stephanie Plum) by Janet Evanovich
51. Dead Wrong (Joanna Brady) by J.A. Jance
52. Literacy and Longing in L.A. by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack
53. Mourning Dove (Ella Clah) by Aimee and David Thurlo

September 2007
54. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
55. The Case of the Gilded Fly (Gervase Fen) by Edmund Crispin
56. Twilight (Twilight series) by Stephenie Meyer
57. Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum) by Janet Evanovich
58. Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm
59. Phylogenesis (Commonwealth series) by Alan Dean Foster

October 2007
60. The Death of an Ardent Bibliophile by Bartholomew Gill
61. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee
62. Dirge (Commonwealth series) by Alan Dean Foster
63. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
64. Codex by Lev Grossman
65. New Moon (Twilight series) by Stephenie Meyer
66. Eclipse (Twilight series) by Stephenie Meyer
67. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
68. Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse) by Charlaine Harris
69. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

November 2007
70. Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse) by Charlaine Harris
71. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
72. Strange Affair by Peter Robinson
73. Lapham Rising by Roger Rosenblatt
74. Shrouds of Holly (Pennyfoot Hotel) by Kate Kingsbury
75. Innocent Blood by P.D. James
76. If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name by Heather Lende
77. Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot) by Agatha Christie

December 2007
78. Shadow Man (Charlie Moon) by James Doss
79. A War of Gifts: An Ender Story (Ender) by Orson Scott Card
80. A Christmas Beginning by Ann Perry
81. Visions of Sugar Plums (Stephanie Plum) by Janet Evanovich
82. River Secrets (Bayern) by Shannon Hale
83. More Than Love Letters by Rosy Thornton

Of Knives and Shoes

Terri B. to Mr. D.: [while browsing at Williams Sonoma] "So ... I see you found the knife section ..."

Mr. D.: "Mm-hm" [he is a man of many words]

Terri B.: "We're not buying knives today ... right? I mean, we have two 8" chef's knives, a meat slicing knife, a meat cleaver, a boning knife, a bread cutting knife, at least two paring knives, and several more knives with mysterious specialty functions. So, you really don't need anymore knives ... right?"

Mr. D.: [looking at me while thinking]

Terri B.: [looking back and trying to appear authoritative]

Mr. D.: "You don't need anymore shoes ... right?"

Score one for Mr. Distortion and the kitchen knife collection. Sigh.

A Cupcake for Holly

Holly, at Nothing But Bonfires, likes cupcakes. At least I assume so based on pictures she has posted that show her enjoying said dessert. So, when I saw these lovely little cakes I thought of Holly and decided that if I actually knew her, like in real life instead of through the internet, I'd give her one of these little gems from Zov's Bistro. I'm sure she would like them. I've heard that it's the thought that counts. Right? So in lieu of the real thing, here are some pictures to make one and all sigh in delight. Merry Christmas Holly!

Lemon Bars ... Yum!

From this ...
To this ...

How am I doing posing as a 1950s homemaker displaying my talent of lemon bar presentation?? Hey, it's almost authentic ... I'm wearing my Grandmother's "aurora borealis" jewelry from the 1960s while presenting the lemon bars made from my Mom's recipe, also from the 1960s.

TBR Challenge 2008

[Edits to this post will take place over the course of 2008 as I update my list with dates books are finished and links to reviews I've written. If you are not interested in my challenge progress and reviews, please disregard updates of this post.]

Wednesday I posted my list of books for the 1st in a Series Challenge 2008. That particular challenge is to help me identify new series that I think I might want to read. Most of those titles are on my "to be read" list and have been sitting on my bookshelves for some time. I also have plenty of non-series reading that I'm interested in and have purchased at some time or another. Hence I am also going to participate in the TBR Challenge 2008, hosted by Mizbooks, in order to commit myself to reading some of those titles that are on my shelves and crying for my attention.

Here are my choices for the TBR Challenge 2008:

1. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
finished 6/15/2008

2. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

3. Atonement by Ian McEwan
finished 4/13/2008

4. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
finished 5/9/2008

5. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
finished 3/11/2008

6. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
finished 1/3/2008

7. Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell
finished 2/4/2008

8. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
finished 8/7/2008

9. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy

10. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
finished 10/11/2008

11. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
finished 9/4/2008

12. The Green Knight by Iris Murdoch

Alternates:
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Dingley Falls by Michael Malone
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

1st in a Series Challenge 2008

[Edits to this post will take place over the course of 2008 as I update my list with dates books are finished and links to reviews I've written. If you are not interested in my challenge progress and reviews, please disregard updates of this post.]

I decided to join a reading challenge or two in order to organize my reading list for the coming year and to help me read some of the books I already own. There are so many books I want to read and, book hoarder that I am, so many books I own already that "want" to be read.

I've chosen 1st in a Series Challenge 2008, sponsored by Thoughts of Joy, since I already gravitate toward book series. Series reading isn't for everyone. Some people do not like the never ending line of books and the disconcerting feeling that they will never finish. I enjoy finding an author, characters, and setting I like and looking forward to more. I like to follow the lives of the characters and watch them change, age, and hopefully grow wiser. With that said, I present my 1st in a Series Challenge 2008 list:

1. Color of Magic (Discworld Series) by Terry Pratchett
finished 1/30/2008

2. Desert Noir (Lena Jones Series) by Betty Webb
finished 2/18/2008

3. Gregor the Overlander (The Underland Chronicles) by Suzanne Collins
finished 4/26/2008

4. The Face of a Stranger (William Monk Series) by Ann Perry

5. Sacred Cows (Ann Seymour Series) by Karen Olson
finished 3/18/2008

6. Until Proven Guilty (J.P. Beaumont Series) by J.A. Jance
finishes 8/13/2008

7. Cover Her Face (Adam Dalgliesh Series) by P.D. James

8. Rusalka (Rusalka Series) by C.J. Cherryh
finished 6/1/2008

9. Gallow's View (Inspector Banks Series) by Peter Robinson
finished 10/31/2008

10. Cat on the Edge (Joe Grey Series) by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
finished 8/15/2008

11. Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta Series) by Patricia Cornwell
finished 1/13/2008

12. Whose Body (Lord Peter Wimsey Series) by Dorothy Sayers

Alternates:
44 Scotland Street (44 Scotland Street) by Alexander McCall Smith
The Black Echo (Harry Bosch Series) by Michael Connelly
Neon Rain (Dave Robicheaux Series) by James Lee Burke

Rules for 1st in a Series Challenge 2008:

• The Challenge runs from January 1, 2008 - December 31, 2008.
• Read 12 books that are the first in any series(new authors not required).
• You may read your chosen books any time during the year.

Let It Snow!

I was surprised by two things this weekend: snow and the response of other freeway drivers to the snow. If you know anything about Southern California, you know that it rarely snows. Heck, it rarely rains. So it is always a surprise when the white stuff appears, as it did on Saturday.

Mr. Distortion and I took a trip out to an area at the base of some seriously big mountains (around 12,000 ft.) that separate the ocean from the high desert. We tend to forget that we have such large mountains nearby since the smog and haze often obscure the lovely view of said mountains. I know ... sad. So we weren't thinking snow. We knew about possible rain, but the temps weren't supposed to get down to freezing. Almost freezing, but not quite. Apparently the "not quite" was enough to turn the light rain into lovely white sugar snow. As I stared out the car window on the way home, I was startled to see an empty lot covered in white. This took a moment to register. Snow! Then I noticed it on the roofs of buildings. I began bouncing in my seat and practically yelling at my husband: "Snow! Look at the snow"! A moment later I noticed that the snow was covering the freeway. I went from sheer excitement to an immediate sense of dread. Oh no. It's snowing and we're on the freeway. We're on the freeway with a bunch of other Southern Californians. In the snow. Driving in the snow.

Why this sudden fear? I've experienced So. Cals. driving in the rain and it's scary. Few drivers slow down. I can only assume they prefer to hydroplane their way down the road. They don't drive more carefully, but rather continue to drive as though they are merely playing a video game. They forget the laws of physics (did they ever learn them?) and drive 90 mph as they dart from lane to lane within inches of other cars. After all, in the video game you get a new "car" if you "wreck" and of course no one dies. So. Cal. drivers finally pick up on the idea of adjusting their driving habits to the weather and road conditions after about 3 days of wrecks and freeway closures due to fatal accidents. About the time the drivers adjust to WEATHER, the sun pops out and everything is back to normal. The lessons learned do not stick. It can rain again 2 weeks later and So. Cals. have to start all over with the hydroplaning and car wrecks and freeway closures. So you can see why I shuddered in sudden fear when I saw snow on the freeway.

My husband slowed our speed to accomodate the snow and possible ice and I waited for the cars to begin zooming past us at top speed. And I waited. No one was tailgating. No one was hysterically switching lanes in their quest to gain an advantage. No one was driving down the shoulder of the road spewing gravel and muck in their wake. All was calm and all was white on the interstate. I can only guess that the other drivers were as stunned and as pleasantly surprised as we were to see the snow. It was a true gift of the season to see some snow and, even more, to see my fellow Southern Californians driving carefully as they enjoyed the wonderful scene.

Peace.

Christmas at the Local

Our local pub is called The Olde Ship and it is pretty much the most festive place I've been so far this season. And yes, we actually have a pub in my Southern California town. Not only can you stop in for a pint (they have some great winter ale right now), but you can also get the most amazing food. Anything from fish and chips or a curry, to roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Right now you can order from their very tasty Christmas menu. The "roast pork slow-cooked in English cider and served with an apricot dressing" is one of my favorites. And you can't leave without sharing their sticky toffee pudding with someone you love. Speaking of someone I love, here is a rare photo of Mr. Distortion enjoying the Christmas ambience at the local:


And just to prove I was there too (sans lipstick, oh no!):


Check out this link for some more great photos of Christmas at The Olde Ship, courtesy of The Olde Ship.