So it may have been 6 months...
So, um, this thing might be due for a little update? :P This year has been crazy, but here's the rundown:
-Still in Frontierland... Gah! I bid TSI/Bears, though, so I'm more often there than at Splash. Especially since, next week, Splash goes down for two months. Yay, lap bars!
-Did Candlelight Processional Cast Choir again this year! Did shows with John O'Hurley (great, love his Narrator Voice), Anika Noni Rose (woo, Princess Tiana!), Whoopi Goldberg (OMG AMAZING and she was in one of my Bears shows one day, too. I freaked a little bit), and Edward James Olmos (still an amazing narrator, and one of the kindest celebrities I've met at Disney!)
-Started plating Torpia with one of my roommates. Dear lord, it's addicting! If anyone else joins, I'm on World 1, same screen name.
-Got bronchitis last month, right in time for Thanksgiving. NOT. FUN. And of course, to get my holiday pay, I couldn't call in the day before, day of, or day after Thanksgiving, so I got considerably worse then. It took me a few weeks to decide it wasn't just a cold and go to the doctor, and by that point I was already starting to recover. I'm better now, just a slight cough every so often. I lost a lot of running time, though, because running + bronchitis = not a good idea.
-Been birding a lot! I did my first Audubon Christmas Bird Count at Merritt Island and had a blast! Got quite a few lifers in the process, too! Got my lifelist up to 183 now...
-Running continues! Over the fall I ran three races:
Everest Challenge: 5k/obstacle course/scavenger hunt at Animal Kingdom. It POURED and lightning and all that jazz. Still had a great time, though!
Race for the Taste 10k: from Wide World of Sports to DHS to Epcot... This one KILLED me because, despite being October, it got up to a heat index of nearly 110 that day. As a result, I did it in a dragging 1:03:20. And got a tummy ache trying to eat the snacks afterwards.
Tower of Terror 13k: from DHS, to Wide World of Sports, and back! SO much fun. The weather was perfect, and my parents were there to see it, too. I finished in 1:14:28, WAY better than I anticipated.
Walt Disney World Half Marathon: ...coming up a week from Saturday!
-Art! Umm, okay, I've been lazy on this one, I'll admit it. Haven't really had the attention span to finish anything, although I've got half-done stuff all over! Just need some really good inspiration, I guess.
-Christmas! I got a pretty good haul! I'm typing this from a brand new laptop... Windows 7 is a bit of a learning curve, but I'm picking it up! Also got a UV lens filter, a photo from each race I did this past fall, the Farscape Complete Series DVD set, and a couple of seasons of Grey's Anatomy.
-Reading! I went through a slump for awhile where I didn't finish much, but over the last 6 months I've finished quite a few!
June - Dec 2009:
12/26/09
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
This sequel does a great job of continuing the saga of Ender's Game without feeling like a repeat. The subject of the book is considerably different, but at the same time it stays true to the original characters and stories. Like Ender's Game, it has vivid storytelling and a poltline that kept me hooked. At times it almost felt like a sci-fi mystery - the author dropped hints here and there about the resolution. I had a blast trying to put the pieces together before the characters did. Bottom line, if you're looking for something exactly like Ender's Game, you'll be disappointed, but if you want the same characters and great storytelling, this is it!
12/17/09
Never Cry Wolf - Farley Mowat
Engaging and beautifully-told, the author tells his story of striking out into the Canadian wilderness to learn about the wolves and caribou. What he finds changes everything that was "known" about wolves at the time. I couldn't put this down! As someone who's worked with wolves, a lot of the information he learned was something I already knew, but it's interesting to see it from the perspective of someone raised in a world that feared and loathed wolves. You can really feel his passion in the story! A must-read for any nature lover. If I have one complaint, it's that the ending was very abrupt, with no real conclusion to it. But don't let that be a deal-breaker for you! The rest of the book is well worth the read, and you may just come out of it with a different perspective on wolves and what we THINK we know about the world!
12/14/09
The Great Hunt - Robert Jordan
A great follow-up to The Eye of the World! Like its predecessor, The Great Hunt is a very long book, but doesn't feel like it is too dragged out. The author strikes a great balance between details and moving the story forward. There is a lot going on, and while it seems a bit confusing at first, it all begins to come together as the story progresses. I loved this one even more than Eye of the World, and am looking forward to starting the next book!
9/15/09
A Night to Remember - Walter Lord
One of the most classic books on the Titanic sinking, and its easy to see why. The author had the benefit of being able to interview the actual passengers and their families, thus getting the stories told by people who experienced it firsthand. A well-rounded look at the night the Titanic sank - not just what happened on the ship itself, but what was happening on the ships nearby.
9/13/09
A Long Way Gone - Ishmael Beah
Amazing. There is no other word for this book. To hear the author tell his story, of the atrocities he was taught to commit, and to come to terms with what happened, is just incredible. It's hard to believe that the sort of thing he describes exists, it's so horrifying. And that he lived through the ordeal, and has gone on to become such an accomplished author is an incredible, beautiful thing. If I have one complaint about this book, it's that it ends too soon. At the end I'm left wanting more, to know what happened between the time he left Sierra Leone and now. Perhaps a second book? I'd love to know what his adjustment was like coming to the United States. I mean, he already had to adjust his life so much in his home country, but then to go on and adapt to a new culture again must have been a huge undertaking. The book was hard to read at times because of the subject matter, but, in the end, it was impossible to put down.
9/11/09
Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide - Peter Allison
If you've ever wondered about the life of a safari guide, wonder no more! The stories that the author tells are hilarious... at once outrageous and yet believable. An easy, entertaining read!
9/10/09
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
This was one of the most moving, incredible books I've read in a long time. I couldn't put it down. Telling the story from Death's point of view is very inventive... and very appropriate, given the state of affairs in Germany at the time. Unfortunately, that also it means that at times it is quite sad. And given the nature of the story - World War II and the Holocaust - it has some very heartbreaking moments. I found myself crying as the story progressed. The author does tend to jump back and forth a bit much in the story - and admittedly gives away part of the ending early on. In my opinion, though, it only adds to the suspense, making the reader wonder how everything plays out. Well-developed, quirky characters keep the reader emotionally involved in the story, and moments of comedy and uplifting tales break up the horror of what happened/ A must-read for just about anyone.
8/21/09
Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
Well-researched, a wonderful twist of journalism and storytelling. I'll admit, being of a mind like Chris McCandless, I found myself fascinated by how his adventure played out. It was an intriguing look at one of my own occasional fantasies. The most poignant thing about the book is reading about the people whose lives he touched - mostly for the better.
8/16/09
The Book of Animal Ignorance - John Lloyd and John Mitchinson
If you love animals and party trivia, this book is for you! Tons of fun facts about a wide variety of animals. They dispel common myths, discuss some of the unique adaptations, and tell you more than you ever wanted to know about the sex lives of animals. Very well-researched! A fun, light read!
8/5/09
A Lion Called Christian - Anthony Bourke and John Rendall
I really love when stories like this are told by the people who lived them, not some other author. It's so heartfelt that you can't help but share in their joy with Christian. The story moves quickly, but it's hard to put down. An easy afternoon feel-good read. I also really like that they touch on conservation issues as well, without really bashing you over the head with them. Great book, and highly recommended!
7/22/09
Rose Daughter - Robin McKinley
A beautiful re-telling, but sometimes a bit TOO descriptive. The author got so caught up in describing every detail of the world around Beauty that I got a bit lost and the story was tougher to follow. That being said, it's a very interesting take on an oft-told tale! Definitely more intellectual than the author's other version, "Beauty," and I actually far prefer that one to this.
7/19/09
The Daily Coyote - Shreve Stockton
An amazing book! The author very vividly describes her experiences raising a coyote in the wilds of Wyoming. It really was interesting to see how someone would cope with raising a wild animal, especially in a very anti-coyote area. Also, her photos that area included are a wonderful supplement. They pay homage to the book's roots (her photo blog, The Daily Coyote), and add a little something to the story without distracting from it. Fantastic book - I just couldn't put it down!
7/15/09
Tracking Desire: A Journey After Swallow-Tailed Kites - Susan Cerulean
A bit of a disappointment, really - not quite what I was expecting. At times it felt like a "stream of consciousness" sort of thing from the author. While I realize she was trying to show how our personal lives are connected to the birds, it got so jumbled that I had trouble following her train of thought. She skipped a bit too abruptly from her thoughts to the story at hand and back and forth. And to be honest, some of her personal history seemed only remotely connected to the topic at hand. In the end, I feel like I learned little about the kites, except how much the author obsesses over them.
7/6/09
Fire Bringer - David Clement-Davies
Engaging, and easy to lose yourself in the story! If I have one complaint, it's that I felt like I was reading The Lion King with deer. But overall I thoroughly enjoyed it!
6/19/09
Rhett Butler's People - Donald McCaig
It's really neat to see the "other side" of the famous story - the details of Rhett's own life and that of his friends and family. The author's explanations put an interesting spin on what we already know. Well-told!
6/05/09
The X-Files: I Want to Believe - Max Allan Collins
Great adaptation of the film! There were a few points where it really felt a bit more fleshed out, which was nice. If I have one complaint, it's that the author had a tendency to use "but what so-and-so didn't know at the time was..." and it got a little old.
That's really all I can think of offhand... I'll try to be better about keeping this thing updated!
-Still in Frontierland... Gah! I bid TSI/Bears, though, so I'm more often there than at Splash. Especially since, next week, Splash goes down for two months. Yay, lap bars!
-Did Candlelight Processional Cast Choir again this year! Did shows with John O'Hurley (great, love his Narrator Voice), Anika Noni Rose (woo, Princess Tiana!), Whoopi Goldberg (OMG AMAZING and she was in one of my Bears shows one day, too. I freaked a little bit), and Edward James Olmos (still an amazing narrator, and one of the kindest celebrities I've met at Disney!)
-Started plating Torpia with one of my roommates. Dear lord, it's addicting! If anyone else joins, I'm on World 1, same screen name.
-Got bronchitis last month, right in time for Thanksgiving. NOT. FUN. And of course, to get my holiday pay, I couldn't call in the day before, day of, or day after Thanksgiving, so I got considerably worse then. It took me a few weeks to decide it wasn't just a cold and go to the doctor, and by that point I was already starting to recover. I'm better now, just a slight cough every so often. I lost a lot of running time, though, because running + bronchitis = not a good idea.
-Been birding a lot! I did my first Audubon Christmas Bird Count at Merritt Island and had a blast! Got quite a few lifers in the process, too! Got my lifelist up to 183 now...
-Running continues! Over the fall I ran three races:
Everest Challenge: 5k/obstacle course/scavenger hunt at Animal Kingdom. It POURED and lightning and all that jazz. Still had a great time, though!
Race for the Taste 10k: from Wide World of Sports to DHS to Epcot... This one KILLED me because, despite being October, it got up to a heat index of nearly 110 that day. As a result, I did it in a dragging 1:03:20. And got a tummy ache trying to eat the snacks afterwards.
Tower of Terror 13k: from DHS, to Wide World of Sports, and back! SO much fun. The weather was perfect, and my parents were there to see it, too. I finished in 1:14:28, WAY better than I anticipated.
Walt Disney World Half Marathon: ...coming up a week from Saturday!
-Art! Umm, okay, I've been lazy on this one, I'll admit it. Haven't really had the attention span to finish anything, although I've got half-done stuff all over! Just need some really good inspiration, I guess.
-Christmas! I got a pretty good haul! I'm typing this from a brand new laptop... Windows 7 is a bit of a learning curve, but I'm picking it up! Also got a UV lens filter, a photo from each race I did this past fall, the Farscape Complete Series DVD set, and a couple of seasons of Grey's Anatomy.
-Reading! I went through a slump for awhile where I didn't finish much, but over the last 6 months I've finished quite a few!
June - Dec 2009:
12/26/09
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
This sequel does a great job of continuing the saga of Ender's Game without feeling like a repeat. The subject of the book is considerably different, but at the same time it stays true to the original characters and stories. Like Ender's Game, it has vivid storytelling and a poltline that kept me hooked. At times it almost felt like a sci-fi mystery - the author dropped hints here and there about the resolution. I had a blast trying to put the pieces together before the characters did. Bottom line, if you're looking for something exactly like Ender's Game, you'll be disappointed, but if you want the same characters and great storytelling, this is it!
12/17/09
Never Cry Wolf - Farley Mowat
Engaging and beautifully-told, the author tells his story of striking out into the Canadian wilderness to learn about the wolves and caribou. What he finds changes everything that was "known" about wolves at the time. I couldn't put this down! As someone who's worked with wolves, a lot of the information he learned was something I already knew, but it's interesting to see it from the perspective of someone raised in a world that feared and loathed wolves. You can really feel his passion in the story! A must-read for any nature lover. If I have one complaint, it's that the ending was very abrupt, with no real conclusion to it. But don't let that be a deal-breaker for you! The rest of the book is well worth the read, and you may just come out of it with a different perspective on wolves and what we THINK we know about the world!
12/14/09
The Great Hunt - Robert Jordan
A great follow-up to The Eye of the World! Like its predecessor, The Great Hunt is a very long book, but doesn't feel like it is too dragged out. The author strikes a great balance between details and moving the story forward. There is a lot going on, and while it seems a bit confusing at first, it all begins to come together as the story progresses. I loved this one even more than Eye of the World, and am looking forward to starting the next book!
9/15/09
A Night to Remember - Walter Lord
One of the most classic books on the Titanic sinking, and its easy to see why. The author had the benefit of being able to interview the actual passengers and their families, thus getting the stories told by people who experienced it firsthand. A well-rounded look at the night the Titanic sank - not just what happened on the ship itself, but what was happening on the ships nearby.
9/13/09
A Long Way Gone - Ishmael Beah
Amazing. There is no other word for this book. To hear the author tell his story, of the atrocities he was taught to commit, and to come to terms with what happened, is just incredible. It's hard to believe that the sort of thing he describes exists, it's so horrifying. And that he lived through the ordeal, and has gone on to become such an accomplished author is an incredible, beautiful thing. If I have one complaint about this book, it's that it ends too soon. At the end I'm left wanting more, to know what happened between the time he left Sierra Leone and now. Perhaps a second book? I'd love to know what his adjustment was like coming to the United States. I mean, he already had to adjust his life so much in his home country, but then to go on and adapt to a new culture again must have been a huge undertaking. The book was hard to read at times because of the subject matter, but, in the end, it was impossible to put down.
9/11/09
Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide - Peter Allison
If you've ever wondered about the life of a safari guide, wonder no more! The stories that the author tells are hilarious... at once outrageous and yet believable. An easy, entertaining read!
9/10/09
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
This was one of the most moving, incredible books I've read in a long time. I couldn't put it down. Telling the story from Death's point of view is very inventive... and very appropriate, given the state of affairs in Germany at the time. Unfortunately, that also it means that at times it is quite sad. And given the nature of the story - World War II and the Holocaust - it has some very heartbreaking moments. I found myself crying as the story progressed. The author does tend to jump back and forth a bit much in the story - and admittedly gives away part of the ending early on. In my opinion, though, it only adds to the suspense, making the reader wonder how everything plays out. Well-developed, quirky characters keep the reader emotionally involved in the story, and moments of comedy and uplifting tales break up the horror of what happened/ A must-read for just about anyone.
8/21/09
Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
Well-researched, a wonderful twist of journalism and storytelling. I'll admit, being of a mind like Chris McCandless, I found myself fascinated by how his adventure played out. It was an intriguing look at one of my own occasional fantasies. The most poignant thing about the book is reading about the people whose lives he touched - mostly for the better.
8/16/09
The Book of Animal Ignorance - John Lloyd and John Mitchinson
If you love animals and party trivia, this book is for you! Tons of fun facts about a wide variety of animals. They dispel common myths, discuss some of the unique adaptations, and tell you more than you ever wanted to know about the sex lives of animals. Very well-researched! A fun, light read!
8/5/09
A Lion Called Christian - Anthony Bourke and John Rendall
I really love when stories like this are told by the people who lived them, not some other author. It's so heartfelt that you can't help but share in their joy with Christian. The story moves quickly, but it's hard to put down. An easy afternoon feel-good read. I also really like that they touch on conservation issues as well, without really bashing you over the head with them. Great book, and highly recommended!
7/22/09
Rose Daughter - Robin McKinley
A beautiful re-telling, but sometimes a bit TOO descriptive. The author got so caught up in describing every detail of the world around Beauty that I got a bit lost and the story was tougher to follow. That being said, it's a very interesting take on an oft-told tale! Definitely more intellectual than the author's other version, "Beauty," and I actually far prefer that one to this.
7/19/09
The Daily Coyote - Shreve Stockton
An amazing book! The author very vividly describes her experiences raising a coyote in the wilds of Wyoming. It really was interesting to see how someone would cope with raising a wild animal, especially in a very anti-coyote area. Also, her photos that area included are a wonderful supplement. They pay homage to the book's roots (her photo blog, The Daily Coyote), and add a little something to the story without distracting from it. Fantastic book - I just couldn't put it down!
7/15/09
Tracking Desire: A Journey After Swallow-Tailed Kites - Susan Cerulean
A bit of a disappointment, really - not quite what I was expecting. At times it felt like a "stream of consciousness" sort of thing from the author. While I realize she was trying to show how our personal lives are connected to the birds, it got so jumbled that I had trouble following her train of thought. She skipped a bit too abruptly from her thoughts to the story at hand and back and forth. And to be honest, some of her personal history seemed only remotely connected to the topic at hand. In the end, I feel like I learned little about the kites, except how much the author obsesses over them.
7/6/09
Fire Bringer - David Clement-Davies
Engaging, and easy to lose yourself in the story! If I have one complaint, it's that I felt like I was reading The Lion King with deer. But overall I thoroughly enjoyed it!
6/19/09
Rhett Butler's People - Donald McCaig
It's really neat to see the "other side" of the famous story - the details of Rhett's own life and that of his friends and family. The author's explanations put an interesting spin on what we already know. Well-told!
6/05/09
The X-Files: I Want to Believe - Max Allan Collins
Great adaptation of the film! There were a few points where it really felt a bit more fleshed out, which was nice. If I have one complaint, it's that the author had a tendency to use "but what so-and-so didn't know at the time was..." and it got a little old.
That's really all I can think of offhand... I'll try to be better about keeping this thing updated!