Books I've Read, 2010

While reviewing my reading list of the past year, I made a couple of interesting observations.

1. I didn't reread a single book this year. This is a little odd since I have favorites that I read very often ( Harry Potter series, Falling Angels, Bridget Jones's Diary). On the other hand, I've been using my library card like crazy, which makes it easy and affordable to read something new.

2. I read way more books this year than I did in the past two. This is very odd, since I was mostly unemployed during those years. I also wasn't taking classes or establishing myself on Etsy. Strange how a lack of free time has actually made me more productive.


+ Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
+1491 by Charles C. Mann (Wow. Apparently even archeology suffers from partisan politics.)
+When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead  (Such a great young adult novel! Totally deserving of it's Newbery award.)
+Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. by Chelsea Handler
+The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
+We Two: Victoria and Albert by Gillian Gill
+The Dig Tree by Sarah Murgatroyd (To paraphrase Arrested Development, THIS is why you always leave a note.)
+L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
+Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
+Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
+Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Highly highly recommended! Everyone- especially world leaders- needs to read this book.)
+Living Oprah by Robyn Okrant (Decent book. Somehow I think I'd have liked it better if A.J. Jacobs had spent a year following Oprah's advice.)
+The Surrogates by Robert Venditti & Brett Weldele
+First Light by Rebecca Stead
+Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
+Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
+Stones into School by Greg Mortenson (Even better than 'Three Cups of Tea!' Truly inspiring!)
+The Sons of Liberty by Alexander Lagos and Joseph Lagos
+Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
+Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
+Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
+Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
+Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (Who thought science writing could be this funny? Can't wait until I get her newest book from the library!)
+Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach
+Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (Extremely funny, even though I've heard a few of these before on This American Life)
+Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler
+When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris (The last chapter made me miss Tokyo. I so need to go back.)
+I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore


Best Book: Hands down, Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools both by Greg Mortenson were the best books I've read in a long time. Mortenson is a true inspiration, and a hero to the thousands of children now receiving an education in Pakistan and Afghanistan thanks to his tireless efforts. Please check out the Central Asia Institute's website for ways you can help. (Buy the books through their site and a portion of your purchase will benefit the non-profit.)

Worst Book: L.A. Candy. You may be wondering what possessed me to read this book in the first place. The best explanation I can give is that I've started to view my library card and Netflix account in the same light: a great way to indulge in guilty pleasures in the privacy of my own home.* So while I've come to love some books I might not have otherwise read (i.e., Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series), there inevitably will be stinkers like this one. The weak conflict established in this book is left completely unresolved, and the story presumably picks up in the second and third installments of the series. Maybe if I were a teenager just discovering reruns of Laguna Beach or The Hills, I'd be riveted. But as a 20-something who should have known better in the first place, I will not being staying tuned for the "exciting" conclusion.

Looking Forward to in 2011:  I really enjoyed I am Number Four, so I'm looking forward to continuing with that series.  Still waiting for a copy of Mary Roach's latest, Packing for Mars, and will probably continue with Charlaine Harris' books as well.




* (Seriously, my rental history reads like Kate Hudson's or Katherine Heigl's IMDB page. And I don't particularly care for either of them.)

Happy Christmas!

Hope you are having a wonderful holiday, full of fun, food and cheer!

I've been very busy and haven't checked my Etsy account as often as I normally would.  After the day's festivities, I decided to look in and found a little Christmas gift:  my items have been included in two new treasuries!

redpaintedflowers included my orange & blue magazine bowl her treasury THINGS. I. LOVE. THURSDAY!!, and ClementinesJewelery put my purple & yellow magazine bowl in the treasury Pretty Pansy.  A big thank you to both ladies, as well as belated thanks to WrensEye for adding my Apples and Bananas card in the treasury BANANAS!!!

I was feeling a bit down about not having made a sale yet, but every time I get a heart or treasury inclusion it lifts my spirits.  It's nice to know my work is catching someone's eye, and hopefully I'll get that first sale very soon.  :)

Christmas Cheer!

My newest holiday crafting project:  Homemade Christmas crackers!  These were made almost entirely of reused items from my home, making them inexpensive and good for the environment.

And they're really easy to make:

1. Cut a toilet paper tube in half.  (I had quite a collection of these already, as I was saving them for another project.  You can also cut down paper towel tubes.)

2. Wrap with festive tissue paper.  (Some I wrapped in a single layer, but others I doubled with matching tissue to add an extra decorative element.  Again, this was something we just had lying around the house.  We receive many gift bags, and save the tissue for future use.)

3. Secure the paper with some tape.

4.  Tie one end tightly with ribbon.

5.  Fill with goodies, and a little confetti for an added surprise!  (I mostly used candy, but any small items will work.  The poppers for my cousin also have a few crayons and Lip Smackers in each.  Next year I may put some dollar bills and hair ties.  Maybe even lottery tickets for the adults.)

6.  Tie the other end and curl the ribbon (not done here, yet).  You may also want to perforate the center with a needle along the seam created by cutting the toilet paper tube in half.  My sis and I tested a few, and without perforations they break at the ends rather than the middle.  We haven't tested a perforated version yet, but think it may help.

Baby Talk, Part 2

Here's a look at one of my more ambitious sewing projects to date:

 

Mom-to-be with Romper (features a hippo applique, with hand-stitched embroidery details)

 

Blanket

This set was made using Simplicity pattern #2428.  The pattern also has instructions for making booties to match the romper.  I may make a pair and send to my friend for Christmas.  :)