The Year in Review: 2012
Watching: 145
Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: What? Hey, it wasn't as bad as Ghost Rider 2.
The Adventures of Adel Blanc-Sec: Kind of interesting. Nice that everyone in ancient Egypt can speak French!
Agora. Biography of Hypatia.
The Artist: Excellent homage to black and white film, silent films, and dogs. RECOMMENDED.
Asterix and Obelix Take On Caesar. The first of our Asterix and Obelix films we received for Christmas.
Asterix and Obelix Mission Cleopatra. VERY funny. Much better than the first film. RECOMMENDED.
Attack the Block. Starts out a bit iffy, but turns into a really tightly put together story.
The Avengers (X6): Awesome and recommended. RECOMMENDED!
The Avengers Cartoon: It's okay.
The Barchester Chronicles. Interesting series from Trollope's large amount of work. Donald Pleasence is excellent. RECOMMENDED.
Batman--The Dark Knight Returns. Really isn't as good without that interior monologue.
Believe. Musical on Disney Boat. Very well done.
Bell, Book, and Candle. The classic.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Really enjoyed this, although Bryon is right that there were many cliches.
Boondocks Season 2. Finishing this up. Social commentary with an acerbic tone.
Boondocks Season 3. The final season of MacGruder's Boondocks.
The Black Cauldron. Oh. My eyes. They burn.
Brave. It was okay.
Brisco County Junior. Watched an episode for International Bryon Day.
Call of Cthullu. Silent film with my friends Chia Evers and Dan Novy. RECOMMENDED.
Casablanca. Rewatch for Taos Toolbox.
A Cat in Paris. An okay animated feature.
Cavalia. Horses meet Cirque de Soleil.
Chicago. Repeat at Convergence.
Chimpanzee. A very interesting animal film from Disney.
A Christmas Carol. The Patrick Stewart version. Very Cool.
Chronicle. Wow. THIS is what would happen if teens got superpowers. It never reflects well on the unbalanced nerdie kid either. RECOMMENDED.
Cirque du Soleil 3D Theatrical Movie. Pretty much what you'd expect.
Cloud Atlas. Not all that, but not terrible either.
Code Geas Season 2. Finally. Addicting like crack. RECOMMENDED.
Colbert Report. Also campaign watching.
Coupling Season 1. A rewatch.
Coupling Season 2. A rewatch.
Coupling Season 3. A rewatch.
Coupling Season 4. A rewatch.
Crash. File this one under predictable and tries too hard.
Curse of Dracula. Beginning the Hammer education.
The Daily Show. Because of convention coverage.
Dead Like Me Season 1. Rewatch while I was ill.
Dead Like Me Season 2. Rewatch while I was ill.
Deep Space Nine Season 1. A rewatch.
The Descendants. Beautiful performances. Interesting and taut movie. RECOMMENDED.
Disney Resort Videos. Rewatch while sick.
DNC. Select speeches.
Doctor Zhivago. Liking the BBC miniseries pretty well. Excellent adaption. RECOMMENDED.
Downton Abbey Season 1. Liking the middle class folks best.
Downton Abbey Season 2. I can see why people are finding this thing addicting, though.
Dragon Riders of Berk. Surprisingly good new Dreamworks cartoon.
Dr. Who Season Eccleston. Watched an episode for International Bryon Day.
Dr. Who Season 7. Just cranked back up.
Dr. Who Christmas Special. That ending. Ouch.
Dumbo. One of the best Disney films ever.
Easy A. Rewatch while sick.
Empire of the Sun. Probably Christian Bale's best role. Very well done.
Equilibrium. Interesting and thought provoking Martial Arts film. I know, right?
Fifty Years of Costume Drama. The tantalizing first half hour, then we crapped out thanks to festival.
Flash Gordon. If you haven't seen it, you really need to.
Forever Knight. Watched an episode for International Bryon Day.
Frida. A rather interesting film combining Frida Kahlo's life and art. Also features Alfred Molina.
The Golden Mickeys. Okay musical on cruise ship.
Ghost Rider 2. Woah. That was pretty bad.
The Hobbit. Peter Jackson does his thing again.
The Horror of Dracula. Another Hammer film. Well put together and succint.
House of Mirth. Ironically named and painful. But man, Gillian Anderson can act.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas. As you do.
How to Train Your Dragon: Gift of the Night Fury. As you do.
The Hulk: Rewatching while ill.
Hulk Versus Thor. Always good.
The Hunger Games. Fairly good adaption of the book. I was pleased.
I, Claudius. A rewatch.
Indochine. Very depressing, slow movie about Vietnam.
It's a Wonderful Life. The Christmas Rewatch.
Jeeves and Wooster, Season One. This one is a lot of fun. If I can fault it, it's probably in the source material.
Jeeves and Wooster, Season Two. Still a lot of fun.
The Jewel in the Crown. Not terribly impressed. Seems a bit staged, and we lose the characters we are vested in after the first three episodes. The bad guy is truly vile, but the show follows him!
John Carter. I liked it. It's too bad about the box office.
Kimagure Orange Road. Well, I did have to get back to this eventually.
Kung Fu Panda 2. Rewatch.
Kung Fun Panda Christmas. Very good as well.
Lady and the Tramp. Charming, but echoes some of Disney's lesser offerings to come.
The Legend of 1900. I really like it, and I'll recommend it. It's an intellectual quirky watch.
Legend of Korra. New cartoon set in Avatar universe. There are things to like, but we'll see.
Life of Pi. Visually striking and amazing. RECOMMENDED.
Lincoln. That was more impressive than I thought it would be.
Little Dorrit. Rewatch.
Looper. Interesting and complicated time travel story.
Love, Actually. A rewatch.
Luther. Just taking a look for some enjoyment.
Madagascar. Seen the first one. It was okay, but perhaps not as good?
Madagascar 3 (X3). Dadadadadadadada Circus! Dadadadadadadada Afro! RECOMMENDED.
Madagascar Christmas Special. Also very fun.
The Majestic. Surprisingly good movie for a schmaltzy Jim Carry vehicle.
Malcolm X. An interesting biopic that I learned a lot from.
Marie Antoinette. I found this interesting, actually. Good job, Sophia Coppola.
Miranda. Erudite British comedy about a mermaid.
Mirror, Mirror. This was JUST dreadful. Don't go see this.
Moll Flanders. Historical romp through costume drama.
Monster High Shorts. Cartoons about Monster High.
Monster High Ghouls Rule. Monster High movie special.
Mucha Exhibit. Cool museum display that we visited for Bryon's birthday.
Napoleon. Four hour biography of Napoleon.
Oliver Twist. Ben Kingsley is not recognizable as Fagan. Amazing.
Page Eight. Bill Nighy espionage piece. Pretty good.
ParaNorman. Excellent film and interesting treatise on anti-bullying. Recommended.
Pat Labor on Television! The classic late 80s anime, which is actually pretty good. Started at episode 6 because the first disk isn't available.
The Penguins of Madagascar. Fun and cute and witty.
Persuasion. Amanda Root and Gaius Julius Caesar, circa 1995.
The Philadelphia Story. As excellent as always.
Pirates Band of Misfits (X2): Makes electricity look like a pile of crap.
Pocahontas. This really is a very pretty film.
Presidential debates. You know...
Rashomon. Kurasawa's interpretation of moral dilemmas and lies.
The Rat Pack. An okay, just okay HBO movie about the Rat Pack.
Ratatouille. A rewatch due to Disney nostalgia.
Rise of the Guardians. I rather liked this fun film for kids.
Rome Season 1. Rewatch while ill.
Rome Season 2. Rewatch because of season 1.
RNC. Select speeches.
The Science of Sleep. Underwhelmed.
The Secret World of Arietty. Solid and well-done.
Silverado. Tired-ness rewatch.
Sleeping Beauty. A rewatch of the Disney classic.
So You Want to Be a Pirate: Teehee.
Spider Man. The new one. Not without features of interest, but a tad on the clunky side.
Star Trek (the new one). Rewatch while sick.
State of Play. Finishing from last year.
State of the Union 2012. Not as good as some of O's speeches, but it'll get better. It's a campaign year.
The Story of the Costume Drama. A history of British costume drama which was kind of cool.
The Tempest. That was one odd play, Shakespeare. Helen Mirren was great as usual.
Thor: Rewatching while ill.
Toy Story. Rewatch.
Toy Story 2. Rewatch.
Toy Story 3. Rewatch.
True Blood. No thank you. Awful, awful, awful, y'all.
Upstairs, Downstairs Season 2. I've only seen a couple of these. It was nice to see Persephone die.
Vanity Fair. 1998 BBC. Lots of uncool people, but Phillip Gleceister, so how can you go wrong?
Vice-Presidential Debates. Smilin' Joe Biden.
Villains Tonight. Very amusing musical on Disney cruise.
Walking with Dinosaurs. The 1999 BBC Dino series.
Walking with Prehistoric Beasts. The return of the infamous wolf sheep.
Washington Square. How comes you guys never told me about Henry James?
Willie Wonker and the Chocolate Factory. Awesome.
The Woman in Black. Spooky Hammer film. Well done for atmospherics. Daniel Radcliffe admirably carries the film.
Wreck-It Ralph. Fun film. A pretty good animated feature.
Young Justice. Okay, I've watched enough of these for this to count.
Reading: 234
Abrahams, Roger D. African Folktales. Finished. It was African. There were folktales.
Abrahams, Roger D. African American Folktales. Yet another folktale book.
Adventure Comics. Meh.
Ahmed, Saladin. Throne of the Crescent Moon. Starts strong, but disparate POV and a lack of substantial heart erode it quickly.
Alexander, Lloyd. Book of Three. Blast from the past! And surprisingly, not a good one.
Andrews, Ilona. Magic Slays. Another Kate Daniels in Andrews' easy style. RECOMMENDED.
Aquaman. Meh.
Arkwright, John. The Sundial. A short story read for Hugo consideration. Egyptian magic set in American slavery setting.
Asbjornsen, Peter Christian and Jorgen Moe. Norwegian Folktales. Pretty interesting collection.
Astonishing X-Men. Sez you. Meh.
Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Promise. Enjoying this.
Bakerella. Cake Pops. Loved this! RECOMMENDED!
Baldwin, Richard. The Sentience Gun. A story read for Hugo consideration. A gun grants sentience to inanimate objects with goofy results.
Ballon, Rachel. Breathing Life into Your Characters. This was seriously mediocre.
Batgirl. Mixed feelings on this one.
Batwoman. Meh.
Beckett, Purple Jelly Beans. A continuance of student's YA project.
Bedard, Tony. The World of Flashpoint Featuring Wonder Woman. Freakin' terrible.
Bernobich, Beth. Passion Play. Excellent, well done. True. RECOMMENDED.
Blount, S. Hutson. The Elgin Age. A novelette read for Hugo consideration. Nymphs meet the navy.
deBodard, Aliette. Shipbirth. A short story read for Hugo consideration. Very different, given Mayan origins and variation.
deBodard, Aliette. Servant of the Underworld. In the end, very satisfying, and I will seek out the next two.
Brown, Ada Milenkovic. Nadira Sends Her Love. A short story read for Hugo consideration. Sad and moving. An interesting Christian/Muslim reversal. It's good. Is it good enough?
Butler, Octavia. Wild Seed. Very interesting and well done! RECOMMENDED.
Butler, Octavia. Mind of my Mind. The first Doro book, although the second chronologically. Kind of a passage book.
Butler, Octavia. Dawn. Interesting. However, I pick up a commune theme in Butler.
Butler, Octavia. Adulthood Rights. This was a Butler book about a man. What a nice change of pace.
Butler, Octavia. Imago. This one may well be the strongest book of the trilogy. Enjoyed this. RECOMMENDED!
Butler, Octavia. Clay's Ark. Wow. That was mean and violent. Not your usual Butler.
Butler, Octavia. Pattern-master. The last one! And maybe the weakest one.
Butler, Octavia. Survivor. The last, most expensive Octavia Butler book. Expect communes. Finished the Butler project.
Carson, Rae. The Girl of Fire and Thorns. This was grand in the Tamora Pierce tradition.
Catwoman. Gouge out my eyes! I'll be so glad when what Ken has ordered for us stops.
Challengers of the Unknown. Meh.
Charness, Suzy McKee. Dorothea Dreams. Very interesting and textured. Like a "real" novel.
Cheney, J. Kathleen. Of Ambergris, Blood, and Brandy. Novella for Hugo consideration. Steampunk in an underwater city setting.
Clare, Gwendolyn. Perfect Lies. A short story read for Hugo consideration. Alien trade agreements.
Colston, Adam. Beauty, Deconstructed. A story read for Hugo consideration. Robot meets aliens.
Colston, Adam. Lures, Hooks and Tails. A story read for Hugo consideration. Mermaid tries to kill young boy. Excellent read.
Connolly, Tina. As We Report to Gabriel. A story read for Hugo consideration. Story of faeries involved with family.
Connolly, Tina. Inflection. A story read for Hugo consideration. End of alien affair.
Connolly, Tina. Telling Home. A story read for Hugo consideration. Future kid story.
Connolly, Tina. Silverfin Harbor. A story read for Hugo consideration. Biological experimentation set against a backdrop of lesbian love and natural disaster. A little too busy.
Cooper, Gwen. Homer's Odyssey. Inspirational book about blind cat.
Corey, James S.A. Leviathan Wakes. More guys on a space ship.
Crosshill, Tom. Mama, We are Zhenya, Your Son. A story read for Hugo consideration. Russian child in video experiment gone awry.
Crossley-Holland, Kevin. Folk Tales of the British Isles. As you would expect.
Cucurbital 3. Mostly skim worthy.
Cushing, Peter. Peter Cushing and Past Forgetting. The first volume is better written than the second.
Dallas Retreat Drafts and Stories. Getting ready for a workshop.
DC Comics Present: Savage. Pretty good.
Deadman. Actually, still pretty good.
Defenders. Thank you for making Dr. Strange into a womanizer. *eyeroll
Defoe, Gideon. The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists. Very, very funny, and very, very recommended.
Defoe, Gideon. The Pirates! in an Adventure with Whaling. Not as funny as the first one, but still very, very funny.
Defoe, Gideon. The Pirates! in an Adventure with Communists. Well, Karl Marx doesn't like pulp in his orange juice. Wah.
Defoe, Gideon. The Pirates! in an Adventure with Napoleon. Not as good as the first three, but certainly not terrible.
Defoe, Gideon. The Pirates! in an Adventure with the Romantics. I think this is the best one. RECOMMENDED.
Delany, Samuel. Nova. Oh, I am so going to be underwhelmed. Damn you, Walter. Okay, I can see why we read it, but I wasn't too wild about it.
Demon Knights. meh.
Doctor Strange Season One. Meh. And Ugly.
Eanes, J.M.L. Your Cities. A short story read for Hugo consideration. Interesting and emotive story about the souls of cities.
Editors of Clean Eating. The Best of Clean Eating.
Editors of Clean Eating. The Best of Clean Eating 2.
Erdoes, Richard. American Indian Myths and Legends. Pretty much what the name says.
Erdoes, Richard. Legends and Tales of the American West. Yet another folklore tome.
Erikson, Steven. Gardens of the Moon. Nope. No. Uh-uh.
Exiled. Meh.
Fables. Meh, with moments of interest.
Fairest. New Willingham book. We'll see.
Fear Itself. Good, clean Thor fun.
First X-Men. Crap.
Fulda, Nancy. Movement. A story for Hugo consideration. This was beautiful and graceful, and I may vote for it for short story.
Goldman, David. The Axiom of Choice. A short story read for Hugo consideration. Quite experimental choose your own adventure from second person. Technically hard to do, so impressive.
Grant, Mira. Blackout. Okay, so slower than the last 2, but pretty good. Not my favorite, but I'd still suggest reading it.
Greaney, Aine. Writer with a Day Job. I thought it was an interesting book with lots of perspective for future writers.
Grimm, William and Jakob. Folk Tales. Why yes, I have read this before! SKIM!!! And...done.
Hairston, Andrea. Redwood and Wildfire. Very interesting and solid book. Recommended.
Haskell, Merrie. The Princess Curse. Solid, sassy heroine. Fun to read. Nice folklore base. Really held together well.
Hawk and Dove. Meh.
Hay, Belinda. Style Me Vintage Hair. Very interesting.
Hearn, Marcus and Alan Barnes. The Hammer Story. Research for Abigail Rath. An interesting overview of the studio's history.
Hearn, Marcus. Hammer Glamour. A history of the studio's female stars. Interesting and a little sad in some ways.
Hearn, Michael Patrick. The Victorian Fairy Tale Book
Hernandez Brothers, The. Love and Rockets: Music for Mechanics. Interesting, if a little avant-garde. This one was a bit disparate.
Hernandez Brothers, The. Chelo's Burden. My first real introduction to the town of Palomar. Very good.
Hernandez Brothers, The. Las Mujeres Perdidas. Strong collection. RECOMMENDED.
Hernandez Brothers, The. The Death of Speedy. This was easily the best Jaime book I've read. RECOMMENDED.
Hernandez Brothers, The. Blood of Palomar. Wow. RECOMMENDED.
Hernandez Brothers, The. Flies on the Ceiling. Pretty intense. Some good stories, some meh.
Hill, Joe and Gabriel Hernandez. Locke and Key: Keys to the Kingdom. Very good, but brutal.
Hines, Jim C. Libriomancer. It got good reviews on the car read.
Holland, C.L. Dark Ghosts and Flamingos. Short story read for Hugo consideration. Prostitutes and turtles.
Holt, Tom. Barking. It was okay.
Hopkinson, Nalo. Skin Folk. One story was very startling. The rest were kind of skimmy.
Horsfield, Catrina. Melicente. Too much sex. A bit like Clarissa? Adult.
Hughes, Matt. New Fantasy Story. Critiquing.
Hugo Voter Pack. All the readings that I've read as part of the Hugo pack.
Huntress. Meh.
Ian, Janis. Society's Child. Interesting portrayal of a dramatic life.
Ironman Now! Meh.
Jansen, Patty. This Peaceful State of War. A short story read for Hugo consideration. Encounters with aliens on another planet.
Johnson, Kij. Spar. Oh my.
Journey into Mystery. Good, clean Loki fun.
Justice League Dark. Okay, it's getting better.
Kaftan, Vylar. The Sighted Watchmaker. A story read for Hugo consideration. Very alien to me.
Kelly, E. F. Convenant. Reading for Eric. This is okay, but not great. Moves forward nicely, however.
Kehrli, Keffy R. M. Bonehouse. Novelette read for Hugo consideration. Cyber Crime.
Kerr, Jake. The Old Equations. Novellette read for Hugo consideration. What if Einstein were right?
Klages, Ellen. The Green Glass Sea. Beautiful, wonderful, frightening.
Kotowych, Steven. A Time for Raven. A story read for Hugo consideration. Historical Europeans meet Indian mysticism.
Kotowych, Steven. Under the Shield. A story read for Hugo consideration. Tesla, historical Russian meteors.
Kowal, Mary Robinette. Glamor in the Glass. A little slower than the last one, but still with features of interest.
Kress Nancy. Act One. I really liked this one's main character.
Kress, Nancy. Crossfire. Not as good as some of her offerings. Not enough of a human story here. More like a chess game.
Kress, Nancy. Crucible. I liked Crossfire better.
Kress, Nancy. Five Stories. Some quality stories from Nancy Kress.
Kress, Nancy. Nothing Human. Interesting, but it appears that this is a variation on many alien stories.
Kress, Nancy. The Prince of Morning Bells. Kress' first novel, written in the style of Peter Beagle. RECOMMENDED.
Kress, Nancy. The Body Human. Meh.
Kress, Nancy. Dark Mist Rising. Meh.
Kress, Nancy. Probability Moon. flowers, flowers, flowers.
Kress, Nancy. An Alien Light. Pretty okay, in a human under a microscope kind of way.
Lamplighter, L. Jagi. Prospero Regained. A very satisfying finish. RECOMMENDED.
Lee, Christopher. Tall, Dark and Gruesome. Very informative and stylishly written.
Legion Secret Origin. Really? Again? Meh.
Lord, Karen. Redemption in Indigo. Interesting retelling of African Fable.
Luen Yang, Gene. Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Promise Part One. A fine continuation of the television series.
Maass, Donald. Writing 21st Century Fiction: High Impact Techniques for Exceptional Story Telling in Modern Fiction. Maass' usual strong writing.
Madame X. A really unimaginative re-imagining of Madame Xanadu.
The Magdalene. Interesting in a Trinity Blood Catholic agent kind of way.
Mallory, Michael and Stephen Sommers. Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror. Pretty much what it says.
Marston, William Moulton. The Wonder Woman Chronicles Volume 2. Wow. There were a lot of chains in that.
Martin, George R. R. A Dance with Dragons. I so cannot bring myself to do this.
McIntosh, Will. Soft Apocalypse. Novel read for Hugo consideration. Pretty interesting. Not as horrific as some reviews would have it.
The McKissacks. The Clone Codes. Well written and thoughtful MG book that pairs clone discrimination with racial descrimiation.
Mieville, China. Embassytown. Interesting and experimental.
The Mighty Thor. And that would be more good, clean Thor fun.
Mignola, Mike. Abe Sapien. The Drowning. Wow. That was weird.
Migola, Mike. Abe Sapien. The Devil Does Not Jest and Other Stories. What you'd expect.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Killing Ground. Wow. That was gory.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Comic. The usual.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD 1947. Excellent. Recommended.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD The Warning. Okay.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD The Black Goddess. Good.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD War on Frogs. Good.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD King of Fear. Okay.
Mignola, Mike. Lobster Johnson. The Burning Hand. Pulp-esque.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Hell on Earth New World. Nice to see Jaguar guy again.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Hell on Earth. Gods and Monsters. Liz kicks ass.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Hell on Earth. Russia. Intense and interesting.
Mignola, Mike. BPRD Hell on Earth. The Devil's Engine and the Long Death. Intense as well.
Mignola, Mike and Chris Golden. Joe Golem and the Drowning City. Regrettably the worst thing that I have read by Mignola.
Mueller, Sara. The Bone Orchard. Not as bad as I thought. Not what I would have expected.
Myers, E. C. Fair Coin. Pretty interesting multi-reality YA. RECOMMENDED!
Myers, E. C. Quantum Coin. Guess who gets to read an ARC? So far, so good. Keep rocking the planet, and thanks for the ARC.
Naifeh, Ted. Courtney Crumrin. TOTALLY RECOMMENDED.
Naifeh, Ted. Courtney Crumrin Volume 1. Still TOTALLY RECOMMENDED.
Naifeh, Ted. Courtney Crumrin Volume 2. Still TOTALLY RECOMMENDED.
Osamu, Tezuka. Princess Knight Volume 1. Super cool and awesome.
Osamu, Tezuka. Princess Knight Volume 2. Not as super cool and awesome.
Okorafor, Nnedi. Akata Witch. A different flavor, but very interesting.
Petersen, David. Mouseguard--The Black Ax. The excellence continues. RECOMMENDED.
Pi, Tony. We Who Steal Faces. A story read for Hugo consideration. Historical story with poisoning and shape shifters.
Pratchett, Terry. Dodger. This really didn't work for me.
Prineas, Sarah. This really didn't work for us as we read it on the way back from Aric's.
Rand, Ken. The 10% Solution. A very useful writing book. RECOMMENDED.
Reynolds, Katie. Style Me Vintage Make Up. Exactly what you'd expect.
Rinehart, Graham W. Therapeutic Math and the Power of Curve Balls. A story read for Hugo consideration. May nominate in the short story category. (7500)
Rios, Julia. Oracle Gretel. A pretty good little chapbook.
Roberts, Scott. Out of the Deep Have I Howled Out to Thee. A short story read for Hugo consideration. Lyncanthrope fights against own worst nature.
Roberts, Scott. The Discriminating Monster's Guide to the Perils of Princess Snatching. A story read for Hugo consideration. Funny story about princesses and monsters.
Rose, Julie. Oleanna. Solid pacing and uncertainty drive the story forward in a satisfying fashion.
Russell, Mary Doria. The Sparrow. That was hard. It was well done, but a difficult story.
Russell, Robert Lowell. Floaters. A short story read for Hugo consideration. Voicy, militaristic space piece.
Ryan, Shannon. Minion of Evil. Rough about the edges, but overall pretty good.
Ryan, Shannon. Submission for Icon Workshop.
Sanford, Jason. The Blue Room. A story read for Hugo consideration. Blue water attempts to seduce young black girl.
Scalzi, John. Redshirts. A fine story, with some really awesome short stories after.
Scaramuzza, Pat. Wally. Starts slow, but has some good bits. Dystopian. In the end, found this very satisfying.
Schoen, Lawrence M. Short story read for Hugo consideration. Culinary romp on another planet.
Schoen, Lawrence M. Buffalito Contingency. Novel read for Hugo consideration. Space age caper novel.
Sedia, Ekaterina. The House of Discarded Dreams. Turned out not to be my thing.
Seidman, Michael. The Complete Guide to Editing your Fiction.
Selznick, Brian. The Adventures of Hugo Cabret. Enchanting and recommended.
Severin, Rick. Dead Giveaway. The first chapters of a student's independent study.
Sistla, Amber. The Summer of Our Discontent. A story read for Hugo consideration. Goddess story?
Sparrow, Katie. The Migratory Patterns of Dancers. A novelette read for Hugo consideration. Shape shifting bird story.
Spencer, Kit. Stage and Screen Make-Up. A pretty solid guide.
Spencer, Kit. Stage and Screen Hairstyles. A step-by-step guide to creating the hairstyles.
Steinmetz, Ferrett. Run, Bakhri Says. Short story for Hugo consideration. Well written poignant combination of video games and terrorism.
Steinmetz, Ferrett. The Upterlife. The ending is strong. The rest I'm not too excited about.
Stephenson, Neal. Reamde. Not for me! Well written though.
Stevermer, Caroline. A Scholar of Magics. A little slower, but Lambert is a good character.
Stevermer, Caroline. The Serpent's Egg. If Caroline had been writing in the 40s, this would have been a national phenomena. RECOMMENDED.
Stevermer, Caroline. The Alchemist: Death of a Borgia. Very interesting Renaissance mystery.
Stevermer, Caroline. The Duke and the Veil. Renaissance mystery.
Stevermer, Caroline. When the King Comes Home. The last of the Stevermer reads, and her masterwork.
Sullivan, Kathryn. The Crystal Throne. Cliche Narnia story.
Suri, Miranda. Absent. Uneven tone. Romance or even paranormal romance?
Svehla, Gary. Vincent Price. Interesting set of essays about Price's films.
Swirsky, Rachel. Fields of Gold. Short Story read for Hugo consideration. After death piece. Light hearted.
Swirsky, Rachel. The Taste of Promises. Short story read for Hugo consideration. Miners on another planet and conflict.
Sunberg, Amy. Forever Sixteen. A story read for Hugo consideration. Very voice-y and interesting twist, although the beginning is a little slow and more typical. I may nominate it for short story.
Superboy's Legion. Really? Again? Meh.
Superhero Collection: Dove. Meh.
Superhero Collection: Hawk. Meh.
Taos Toolbox Workshop Readings. A variety of different things.
Tayler, Sandra. Schlock Mercenary. Graphic Novel read for Hugo consideration. '
Teffeau, Lauren. Fireproof. Fellow Taosian's YA manuscript. It was okay, if a little too idealistic in part.
Thom, James. The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction. Mostly pretty good, but some of the latter chapters are a bit meh.
Thompson, Naomi. Style Me Vintage--Clothes. A very good guide to vintage style and purchasing. RECOMMENDED.
Thor Now!: Trading good Thor for bad.
Torgersen, Brad R. Ray of Light. A short story read for Hugo consideration. A family's drama as they adapt to climate change. The triumphant spirit of a young girl.
Ultimate Spiderman. Very good. It's like the middle grade of comics. RECOMMENDED.
Unwritten. Features of interest.
Valente, Catherynne. Deathless. Parts are pretty good. Parts don't quite reach what they aspire to.
Valentine, Genevieve. Mechanique. I gotta stop buying stuff like this. Meh.
Various. Bad Ass Faeries. A couple of these are okay, but in general, bleh.
Vernon, Ursula. Digger Volume One. Superb. RECOMMENDED.
Vernon, Ursula. Digger Volume Two. Superb. RECOMMENDED.
Vernon, Ursula. Digger Volume Three. Superb again. Still RECOMMENDED.
Vernon, Ursuala. Digger Volume Four.
Walton, Jo. Among Others. Really interesting book on many levels. Truly a literary thing. RECOMMENDED.
Wilcken, Kurt. Spitting at the Sun. Dwarves gain religious practice.
Williams, Walter Jon. The Crown Jewels. Witty science fiction baroque.
Williams, Walter Jon. House of Shards. Fun thief caper book.
Williams, Walter Jon. Rock of Ages. About as much Elvis as you could want.
World's Finest--Huntress and Power Girl. Pretty Awesome, actually.
Wurman, Richard. Saul. Access Los Angeles. Treasure trove of helpful information about LA.
Yolen, Jane. Favorite Folktales from Around the World. Just fine. Interesting mix.
Yolen, Jane and Adam Stemple. Troll Bridge. Meh.
Young Justice. Comics collection. Okay.
Writing: 11
Abigail Rath Versus Blood-Sucking Fiends. Now, to finish and send out.
Empress Dark. Rejected and retired.
Falling Girlfriend story. Started.
The Long Night. Short story about the frost elves of Alfheim written at Taos Toolbox.
The Love Song of Oliver Toddle. Rejected and retired again.
The Make-Over. Rejected and Retired.
Mark Twain's Daughter. Published in Cucurbital 3 at Paper Golem.
O-Taga-San. Send in February to Scape. Also can send to Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Tor.com
Sister Night, Sister Moon. Rejected and retired again.
Substance of Shadows. Critiqued at Taos Toolbox.
The Were-Humans. Entered in Codex novella contest. Looks like we're going to be number 4.
Sewing: 1
Fitness Project
Beginning: 223 Ending: 215.6 Lost: 7.4