Book a Week: 2012 in Review
Yes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. The time when we review all the books I’ve read during the year. This year I managed 41 books and 12 scripts for a grand total of 53 titles.
The Books
The Good: 78%
The Bad: 22%
The Ugly: 0%!!
> - The Five Love Languages: Singles Edition by Gary Chapman
> - Different Seasons by Stephen King
> - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherine M. Valente
> - Cowboy and Octopus by Jon Scieszka
> - The Arrival by Shaun Tan
> - The Dreaming by Chan Queenie
> - EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey
> - Veronika Decided to Die by Paulo Coelho
> - One Minute Manger by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
> - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
> - QBQ!: The Question Behind the Question by John G. Miller
= - Maya by Jostein Gaarder
> - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
> - The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks
= - Squirrels at My Window Life With a Remarkable Gang of Urban Squirrels by Grace Marmor Spruch
= - A Really Super Book About Squirrels by Graham Taylor
= - The Autumn People by Ray Bradbury
> - Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King
> - Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
= - The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel by Amy Hempel
> - The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
> - The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
> - The Man Without a Face by Isabelle Holland
> - Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
> - The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
> - Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
> - Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
> - It’s a Bird by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen
> - James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
> - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
= - The Mummies of Guanajuato by Ray Bradbury and Archie Lieberman
> - Green Shadow, White Whale by Ray Bradbury
> - The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
= - Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
> - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
> - 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
= - I Could Pee on This And Other Poems by Cats by Francesco Marciuliano
> - Whip Your Life into Shape: The Dominatrix Principle by Emily Dubberley
= - Justine by Marquis de Sade
> - The 13 Days of Christmas by Steven Davison and Carolyn Gardner
> - The Small Assassin by Ray Bradbury
Truthfully, I read so few scripts and liked even fewer, I won’t even rate them. I’ll just list them.
The Scripts
Collective Dating
Corpse!
Deathtrap
The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told
Night Watch
What the Butler Saw
The Goat or Who is Sylvia?
The Reluctant Debutante
The Miser
Dangerous Liaisons
A Mad Breakfast
The Red Lamp
As in previous years, I put down a book I wasn’t enjoying. This year it was The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel by Amy Hempel. I really wanted to like it, but it just wasn’t my style. At least I managed to read half-way and give it a sporting chance.
2012 in Review: One of my goals was to read more non-fiction in the hopes of improving my mind. I’m glad to report that I read more than a handful of thought-provoking, self-questioning books. I have a few more planned for 2013. The “Unexpected Awesome” for the year was definitely The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I had no idea what to expect, and it truly exceeded in all areas. Fabulous story, well-written, and beautiful and complex characters. I love it so much, I’m planning on adding it to my own home library. I did indeed start my Agatha and checked off a few more Bradburys. However, the passing of Ray was a deep sadness that will always be with me. I finally tackled the Marquis clearing out the oldest of my reading goals. I also accomplished reading more Dickens, but I didn’t delve into Austen.
Quote of the Year: The more aware we are of our basic paradigms, maps, or assumptions, and the extent to which we have been influenced by our experience, the more we can take responsibility for those paradigms, examine them, test them against reality, listen to others and be open to their perspectives, thereby getting a larger picture and a far more objective view. - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
As I continue to grow, I’m ever more reminded that everyone sees the world differently. It seems like a platitude, but it’s really the truth. It’s the reason that people like different food, music, art, books, people, fashions, religions, philosophies, etc. It’s all a matter of perspective. It’s so very, very easy to dismiss something or someone simply because they aren’t to our tastes. However, our tastes are just as subjective as everyone else’s, so ours are no better. You have to meet someone where they’re at in order to help them see where you are.
2013 in Advance: Next year will be tough for reading. With me directing Cyrano at DCP Theatre in June, the whole first half of the year will be hectic. So I anticipate a drop in my reading totals. I’d like to polish off more books from my ever-growing library list and attack a few more Doyle mysteries. I also want to get more Austen under my belt. I plan to start the year with two books I received as gifts; thankfully, they’re books I’ve been dying to read. Possibly after Cyrano, I can start The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Peace and good reading in 2013!
The Books
The Good: 78%
The Bad: 22%
The Ugly: 0%!!
> - The Five Love Languages: Singles Edition by Gary Chapman
> - Different Seasons by Stephen King
> - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherine M. Valente
> - Cowboy and Octopus by Jon Scieszka
> - The Arrival by Shaun Tan
> - The Dreaming by Chan Queenie
> - EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey
> - Veronika Decided to Die by Paulo Coelho
> - One Minute Manger by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
> - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
> - QBQ!: The Question Behind the Question by John G. Miller
= - Maya by Jostein Gaarder
> - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
> - The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks
= - Squirrels at My Window Life With a Remarkable Gang of Urban Squirrels by Grace Marmor Spruch
= - A Really Super Book About Squirrels by Graham Taylor
= - The Autumn People by Ray Bradbury
> - Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King
> - Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
= - The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel by Amy Hempel
> - The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
> - The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
> - The Man Without a Face by Isabelle Holland
> - Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
> - The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
> - Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
> - Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
> - It’s a Bird by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen
> - James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
> - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
= - The Mummies of Guanajuato by Ray Bradbury and Archie Lieberman
> - Green Shadow, White Whale by Ray Bradbury
> - The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
= - Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
> - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
> - 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
= - I Could Pee on This And Other Poems by Cats by Francesco Marciuliano
> - Whip Your Life into Shape: The Dominatrix Principle by Emily Dubberley
= - Justine by Marquis de Sade
> - The 13 Days of Christmas by Steven Davison and Carolyn Gardner
> - The Small Assassin by Ray Bradbury
Truthfully, I read so few scripts and liked even fewer, I won’t even rate them. I’ll just list them.
The Scripts
Collective Dating
Corpse!
Deathtrap
The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told
Night Watch
What the Butler Saw
The Goat or Who is Sylvia?
The Reluctant Debutante
The Miser
Dangerous Liaisons
A Mad Breakfast
The Red Lamp
As in previous years, I put down a book I wasn’t enjoying. This year it was The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel by Amy Hempel. I really wanted to like it, but it just wasn’t my style. At least I managed to read half-way and give it a sporting chance.
2012 in Review: One of my goals was to read more non-fiction in the hopes of improving my mind. I’m glad to report that I read more than a handful of thought-provoking, self-questioning books. I have a few more planned for 2013. The “Unexpected Awesome” for the year was definitely The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I had no idea what to expect, and it truly exceeded in all areas. Fabulous story, well-written, and beautiful and complex characters. I love it so much, I’m planning on adding it to my own home library. I did indeed start my Agatha and checked off a few more Bradburys. However, the passing of Ray was a deep sadness that will always be with me. I finally tackled the Marquis clearing out the oldest of my reading goals. I also accomplished reading more Dickens, but I didn’t delve into Austen.
Quote of the Year: The more aware we are of our basic paradigms, maps, or assumptions, and the extent to which we have been influenced by our experience, the more we can take responsibility for those paradigms, examine them, test them against reality, listen to others and be open to their perspectives, thereby getting a larger picture and a far more objective view. - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
As I continue to grow, I’m ever more reminded that everyone sees the world differently. It seems like a platitude, but it’s really the truth. It’s the reason that people like different food, music, art, books, people, fashions, religions, philosophies, etc. It’s all a matter of perspective. It’s so very, very easy to dismiss something or someone simply because they aren’t to our tastes. However, our tastes are just as subjective as everyone else’s, so ours are no better. You have to meet someone where they’re at in order to help them see where you are.
2013 in Advance: Next year will be tough for reading. With me directing Cyrano at DCP Theatre in June, the whole first half of the year will be hectic. So I anticipate a drop in my reading totals. I’d like to polish off more books from my ever-growing library list and attack a few more Doyle mysteries. I also want to get more Austen under my belt. I plan to start the year with two books I received as gifts; thankfully, they’re books I’ve been dying to read. Possibly after Cyrano, I can start The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Peace and good reading in 2013!