2011 Book Report

At the beginning of every new year, I look at my stack of as-yet-to-read books and think, “Man, that 52 books in 52 weeks will be a breeze this year.” And usually, it is. I’m an avid reader. I hate going to bed without reading anything. So 52 books in 52 weeks is generally no problem.

Alas, I fell well short of my goal this year. According to my count, I only managed 38. What a sad little number.

Little did I know what I was getting into...

In my defense, this was the year I took on all five of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. With nearly all five books topping 1000 pages or more, I maintain that they should count for at least two or, in a couple of cases, three books apiece. Still, even by that count, I’d still be short by about half a dozen or so books.

I used to include graphic novels in my book count, once upon a time. But for the past couple of years, my interest in manga has dropped dramatically. I think I only read four  manga this past year. In fact, I think my reading of American-produced graphic novels heavily outweighed the Japanese manga, what with finally getting all of Buffy season 8, Angel season 6 and a handful of Firefly graphic novels. I even borrowed a New Teen Titans book from my brother a couple of months ago. But I did not add them to my yearly count. (If I had, I would have blown past the 52-book mark.)

So I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I’m not reading less, I’m just reading a lot of non-traditional books. The time I spent reading graphic novels and mega-books was time I couldn’t spend reading other books. In other words, I’m placing all the blame on George R. R. Martin. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

2011 was the year of undiscovered series — the aforementioned A Song of Ice and Fire as well as two young adult dystopian series. I’ve no idea why I had never gotten into any of these (well, Martin’s books looked really daunting when I picked up the first one), but I am so glad I did. I also revisited an old series and picked up the latest installments by some of my favorite authors.

Soooo goooood!

I began the year off by discovering, devouring and becoming a die-hard Hunger Games fan. Futuristic dystopias do not interest me, in general. I remember seeing a mini book review in Entertainment Weekly for the final book, Mockingjay, and wondering what the series was about. I looked up the first book and found that Amazon was selling it for only $5 on Kindle, so I took a chance. I think I only put the Kindle down to go to work and go to sleep after I started the trilogy, and I protested both interruptions. It only took me less than a week to finish all three books, and I was left wanting more. Only the thought of the movie adaption (please don’t screw it up, Hollywood!) made finishing the trilogy bearable.

After finishing The Hunger Games, I decided to revisit an old favorite, Piers Anthony’s Incarnations of Immortalityseries. I LOVED these books when I was in high school and read several of them so many times, the spines were falling apart. Sadly, I had not reread them in over a decade, and to my dismay, the series does not hold up well. I guess I’m just a little more grown up than I was when I enjoyed them. In fact, some of the ideas presented were a little… creepier and more disturbing than I remember them. The curse of growing up, I guess.

Started off strong, but the second book didn't live up to the first.

After The Hunger Games, I went looking for something in a similar vein and found Matched by Ally Condie. The first book had a lot of promise and I really enjoyed it (despite the fact that it felt more like Twilight than The Hunger Games). The second book, Crossed, was released this past fall and I found myself struggling to get through it. I am hoping the next book will be better.

HBO’s new series, “A Game of Thrones,” prompted me to try slogging through the five-volume epic, which I did in about three months. Seriously, the series is totally engrossing, but it does take some time to get through them all. I did learn a valuable lesson: don’t get too attached to characters. I also learned not to write off other characters as a waste of ink. Never in a million years would I have dreamt I would come to love Jaime Lannister as I did ’round about book 3. Not quite my favorite character, but he ranks just under Tyrion Lannister and Arya Stark. I’m glad I started reading the series just before book 5 came out. I can’t imagine having to wait six years between A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. I only hope book six doesn’t take that long! Having read the series now, I am looking forward to season two of the HBO series.

This one kept me awake at night.

I picked up the latest releases by some of my favorite authors: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris, the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel and always a fun romp; Naamah’s Blessing by Jacqueline Carey, another epic at over 600 pages; Changes by Mercedes Lackey, an eager return to her Valdemar series; Ghost Story by Jim Butcher; and Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey.

But this year was a little different in that there were some new releases by favorite authors I chose to skip. I did not pick up the latest Anita Blake book, Hit List, by Laurell K. Hamilton; Undead and Undermined by MaryJanice Davidson; or anything by Rachel Caine or Sherrilyn Kenyon. I’m starting to feel burnt out on a lot of these series.

Currently, I am working my way through the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. I’ve just finished The Golden Compass and am one chapter into The Subtle Knife. The jury is still out on this series at the moment.

And now that I’ve rambled on for, like, ever (OMG), I will present my sort-of annual Top Five Best Books of the Year. These don’t have to be books that came out this year, just ones I’ve read. Also, they’re in no particular order, because I just can’t pick an ultimate favorite.

The one I did not want to see end.

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

OK, maybe I can pick a favorite because this book was epically AWESOME. Anyone who grew up in the ’80s should read this book. You will not be able to put it down.

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

The plot seems so implausible, but Collins makes it work and reels you in, hook, line and sinker, for three novels.

3. One Con Glory by Sarah Kuhn.

I swear, it’s like Kuhn was living in my mind when she wrote this little tale of a con-going girl geek.

4. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

If you read this, buy the actual book, not the Kindle version. The photographs make the story.

5. Changes by Mercedes Lackey.

Lackey’s Valdemar series is one that does hold up to the years. I have read and reread every book in the series countless times over, which spans about 3000 years or so in the kingdom of Valdemar. I love each and every new adventure in this series and eagerly look forward to more.

You can see a complete list of the books I read in 2011 here.

2011 was a good year for reading. I hope 2012 brings about more exciting book discoveries!

Playing ketchup

Yesterday, my Shakespearean Star Wars project was linked by the @starwars Twitter feed. Cue fangirl squee. I had the most hits to this blog ever. Which would be great…. if my last post hadn’t been in June. *facepalm*

It seems I’ve been too busy stitching, reading, fangirling over ‘Doctor Who’ and doll collecting to make a post. Doesn’t excuse my slacking. But that’s what I am. A slacker of epic proportions. Principal Strickland would have loved me. Anyway, I haven’t posted because, well, I just haven’t had anything to say. For five months. OK, now that just makes me pathetic. Oy.

So here I am, playing catch-up on some of the stitchery projects I’ve completed in the past few months. So, without further ado, more geek craft:

One has to wonder if Mario learned the trick to getting past the Boos from the Doctor.

This one came about after looking at some Mario sprites. Doctor Who/Super Mario mash-up. I am such a dork. XD

Because Time Lords need support, too.

I had to do this one twice, as the first go-around, the bottom part of the scarf looked just too wonky for me.

It's just as easy to get lost in a book as it is inside the Tardis.

Because I needed an excuse to do yet another ‘Doctor Who’-themed bookmark.

And now for something completely different....

This was done with glow-in-the-dark thread. Picture it. *oooooh*

In which I get a little ambitious....

My largest and most complicated piece to date. You can see close-ups here. *cough*cheap plug*cough*

I’ve got more stuff in the works. Mostly Tardises, because I really am that obsessed. But I’m also feeling compelled to do My Little Pony, too.*crickets*

That’s all for now. I’ll try to update this thing more often than once every five months. No promises, though.

Geek Craft: Literary pursuits

I’m always late to the party. I only just discovered “The Hunger Games” trilogy and George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series a few months ago. I did two cross stitch designs for these series.

The Stark family motto, "Winter is coming."

My first time using 28 count fabric. So many tiny, little holes!

 

Katniss' mockingjay pin.

Used variegated floss for variety.

Will probably be throwing these up at my Etsy shop soon.

An extremely long, rambling post about ‘Doctor Who’ series 6

I don’t usually write reviews for things. For one, I’m not very good at it. Most of the time my reaction to something is either, “Me like” or “Meh.” That said, after watching last night’s episode of “Doctor Who,” I can’t not write something. This is not going to be a review, per se, just some probably incoherent thoughts of a “Doctor Who” fangirl.

First, I’d like to preface this rambling by saying I was not a fan of series 5. I know, I know, that kind of crazy talk could get me killed at a sci-fi convention. But… I was still feeling bereft over David Tennant leaving. He was my Doctor, and he wasn’t in it anymore. Also, Donna. I really became invested in her character, and she couldn’t be in it anymore. I was put off by Matt Smith’s take on the Doctor after the first episode, and Amy bugged me to no end. She was too brass and sassy and headstrong. I know I could say the same thing of Donna, but Amy was not Donna. Amy was annoying.

Each week, I’d come away from series 5 thinking to myself, “Meh. OK story. Some funny lines. But just not the same.” It wasn’t until “Vincent and the Doctor” that I finally felt, OK, this is “Doctor Who.” The next week, it was “The Lodger,” and for the first time, I couldn’t wait for the next episode. The final two episodes were also really good, if a little non-sensical, because of the interaction between the Doctor and River Song. I had enjoyed seeing River again earlier in the season, but didn’t care much for the storyline she was in. But as a season overall, it was definitely my least favorite.

So I wasn’t looking forward to season 6 as much as I should have.

But then. But then….

Oh, “The Impossible Astronaut.” River Song. The Silence. Canton Everett Delaware III. Oh, and the Doctor dies in the first few minutes.

Hooked, line and sinker.

Just like season 6 of “Lost,” series 6 of “Doctor Who” is making me fall in love with the show all over again. The first four episodes of the new series have been absolutely stellar, and making me yearn for more of the overall series arc. Is Amy really pregnant? Who killed the Doctor? Who is River Song? Who the hell is that weird regenerating child? I need answers, dammit!

I’m not a member of the online “Doctor Who” fandom. I don’t visit forums. I don’t scour the Internets looking for spoilers. Hell, I rarely read “Doctor Who”-related articles unless it sounds interesting. So I really don’t have any idea what may happen in the next three episodes. But I’m so looking forward to them!

If you’re still reading this, you deserve a damn medal I would now like to ramble incoherently about the last couple of episodes.

The Curse of the Black Spot

Yo ho ho! The Doctor on a pirate ship. Can it get any better? (Turns out, it can…) The first viewing, I loved this episode. It was funny. I liked the pirates. I liked the Siren. I even enjoyed Amy’s swashbuckling. It was enjoyable hour of television. On the second and third viewings, I started having some problems with it.

List time!

1. How did Avery’s son get on board the ship if he didn’t know it was a pirate ship.

2. The alien ship is parked in the same place as the pirate ship? Like an alternate universe? I thought that was supposed to be impossible.

3. Why didn’t Avery, Amy and the Doctor land in the sick bay, attached to alien beds, if they were injured and taken by the Siren?

4. Crap CPR. (Oh my god, they killed Rory! You bastards!)

5. Where the hell did the boatswain go? One minute he’s piling powder kegs against the door; the next, he’s on the alien ship. We never see the Siren zap him. How did he get over there? (This could possibly be explained by shitting editing for American TV. Otherwise, damn, that’s a hell of a continuity flub.)

Even with all these plot holes, I still very much enjoyed it, more than most of series 5. It had some great moments. “Ever meet Freud? Comfy sofa…” “Cuddle me, shipmate!” “‘Toby!’ ‘Rory!’ ‘The Tardis!’” Space pirates! And another appearance by creepy eye-patch lady! Yes. Good stuff.

The Doctor’s Wife

I must confess, when I saw how excited everyone was over this episode being written by Neil Gaiman, I wondered what the fuss was about. This is where I admit I’ve never read anything by Gaiman. Yes, I know. I should be flogged. When I saw the preview and learned of the episode title, I wasn’t really that excited for it. Junkyard planet. Frazzled-looking mystery woman. Meh. I figured this would be one of those episodes I probably wouldn’t watch again, like “The Idiot’s Lantern.”

Oh, how I was wrong.

I went into the episode with some trepidation. Who the hell was this woman who was supposedly the Doctor’s “wife”? At first I figured it would be something the Doctor accidentally fell into, sort of how Malcolm Reynolds “accidentally” married Saffron in “Firefly.” Nope. Not even close.

Allow me to illustrate my reaction to the first few minutes of the show:

The Tardis! Is the Doctor’s wife! Holy crap! Genius! Why didn’t I think of this before! Doctor/Tardis OTP FOREVER!

There was so, so much about this episode to love! Allow me to make another list:

1. THE DOCTOR’S WIFE IS THE TARDIS!

2. There’s an Ood!

3. She calls him “My thief!”

4. The Doctor: Ooh, sorry, do you have a name?
Idris/The Tardis: 700 years, finally he asks.
The Doctor: But what do I call you?
Idris/The Tardis: I think you call me…Sexy.
The Doctor: Only when we’re alone!

5. “Biting is like kissing, only there’s a winner.”

6. Time Lords changing gender is CANON, bitches!

7. The Doctor: She’s a woman and she’s the Tardis.
Amy: Did you wish really hard?

8. “I wanted to see the universe, so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away. And you were the only one mad enough.”

9. Tardis corridors! TEN’S CONSOLE!

10. Rory “dies.” AGAIN.

11. Idris/Tardis: There’s something I didn’t get to say to you.
The Doctor: Goodbye?
Idris/Tardis: No, I just wanted to say… hello. Hello, Doctor. It’s so very, very nice to meet you.

12. “The only water in the forest is the river.”

Oh my god! How can so much deliciousness fit into one 45-minute episode? I don’t… I can’t even…

*deep, calming breath*

OK. So. Now for some speculation that will probably be proven totally wrong. It’s funny. I usually have a knack for figuring out plots in books and TV shows. (Totally called the last Harry Potter book.) But with “Doctor Who,” all bets are totally off.

“The only water in the forest is the river.”

This seems to have something to do with River Song. But it’s almost too obvious. But let’s say it is. Who is River? Is she the Doctor’s real wife? Who did she kill? The Doctor? Someone else? Who? I don’t even know. But it’s odd, some of these word choices. The first time we met River Song was in “Silence in the Library.” The big bad in the first two episodes was called “The Silence.” Hmmm. “Silence in the Library” was a two-parter, with the second one called “Forest of the Dead.” “The only water in the forest is the river.” HMMMM…

Could River be Amy’s maybe-possible daughter? She did say the Doctor came into her life knowing everything about her, but that may just be because they meet back-to-font. She does know how to pilot that Tardis. But then there’s that creepy eye-patch lady Amy keeps seeing. She’s said two lines. The first, “No, I think she’s just dreaming,” and the second, seemingly to Amy directly, “It’s fine. You’re doing fine. Just stay calm.” Then she disappears.

Donna Noble had all kinds of alternate universes popping up around her, and now it’s as if the same thing is happening to Amy. There was the alternate universe where there were no stars; the one where Amy never met the Doctor; the alternate universe alien ship; the bubble universe where the Tardis became human. Is the eye-patch lady some kind of cosmic midwife for Amy’s child, who could very well be affected by being conceived in the Tardis and traveling through space/time? Is Amy living all of this in an alternate reality? I really hope that’s a red herring, because it seems so over-done, to have everything be a dream-sequence.

I feel like we’ve been given a bunch of clues we’ve not caught onto yet. Everything so far this season seems to be related in some way. For example, the Time Lord message the Doctor received was from the Corsair. A corsair is a pirate. They were just on a pirate ship. Maybe it’s just a big coincidence.

And what really makes Amy so special? It can’t be just because of the crack in her wall, not after everything we’ve seen. The Silence said she was needed. She may or may not be pregnant. Hell, for all we know, maybe Amy is the real Prisoner Zero. MOFFAT! STOP FUCKING WITH MY HEAD!

And finally (are you still reading this?) who is the regenerating little girl? River? Amy? Amy’s daughter? The daughter of the Master and his wife, as some have speculated? I have decided on my own theory:

Next week, another two-parter, “The Rebel Flesh” and “The Almost People.” So my burning question for the moment is, how will Rory die next week?

(Feel free to leave your theories in the comments. Just because I don’t go looking for them doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear anyone else’s theories!)

Geek Craft: Jayne Cobb

If you asked me to pick a favorite character from “Firefly,” I don’t think I could give you an answer. But I will admit that Jayne Cobb does hold a little special place in my heart. How could you not love the Hero of Canton?

I was playing around in my cross stitch program and ended up making a cute but grumpy-looking owl. For some reason, he reminded me of Jayne. So I stuck a pretty cunning hat on top and came up with another bookmark design.

He aims to misbehave.

Grumpy owl is grumpy because you interrupted his reading time.

Both he and his pattern are available in my Etsy shop: http://craftycompanion.etsy.com.

Geek Craft: Shakespearean Star Wars

So, a while back, I got this goofy idea to combine two of my favorite things: Shakespeare and Star Wars. I didn’t know if I could pull it off. For one, I didn’t have a pattern for R2D2 and C3PO so I’d have to make them myself. My first few tries were disasters. R2 looked all right, but 3PO always came out looking rather squashed. Then I found patterns online for Gundam Wing character sprites. Inspiration hit and my first-try C3PO sprite looked pretty good.

"Never was a tale of more woe... than this of R2 and his 3PO"

Now that I had my sprites and quote, how to put them together? I found a nifty medieval-style border in a blackwork book that I modified a bit and put that around the whole thing. But it was still missing something. What else could I add? ROSE BUDS.

In hindsight, I probably should have used lightsabers, but I really dig the juxtaposition of droids and girly flowers.

I have other “Shakespearean Star Wars” ideas I want to explore. But I think I shall find a simpler border to use next time, as this was such a pain in the rear to do.

Haven’t decided if I want to sell this finished piece or not. I like it, but I’ve nowhere to hang it. Woe.

The Crafty Companion

So. I’ve done it. I opened my own Etsy shop, The Crafty Companion. I only have five cross stitch patterns available so far, but I’m planning to add more. I’ve also got some finished stitchings done, but I’m waiting to add those until after I get back from my weekend trip. I’m hoping I’ll make a couple of sales, especially since I’ve got a ton of design ideas.

Finished a few new “Doctor Who” designs recently. One is brand-new and the other two are framable versions of designs I’ve put on bookmarks.

I already had a Dalek bookmark, so of course I needed a Cyberman to go with it!

I used Satin floss to do my Cyberman. Probably won’t do that again, as that stuff is as difficult to work with as the metallic floss.

"If something can be remembered, it can be brought back..."

It’s blue on the outside. It’s bigger on the inside. Inspired from the fifth season episode, “The Big Bang.” This finished stitching will be for sale next week.

This guy needs his own fan club.

I really liked the bookmark with this little guy on it, so I had to do one that could be framed. He’ll also be for sale next week. He’ll probably also show up again on a tea towel…

Geek Craft: Time and Relative Dimension in Stitches

I bought a pack of blank aida bookmarks off Etsy a while back, because trying to make my own would most likely have been disastrous. I envisioned adorning them in various geeky designs, but somehow, the first five all turned out “Doctor Who.” Not that I’m complaining, really.

This bookmark is bigger on the inside.

My first bookmark of course had to feature the Tardis. Sadly, I totally misremembered the quote from “The Eleventh Hour,” as I did not have access to the DVDs at the time. But I think it works. I may do this again with a different quote or maybe a starry background.

Daleks taste like Skittles.

I was totally going to do this with the caption “Go, go Dalek Rangers,” but after reading Mark’s review of “Victory of the Daleks” over on Markwatches.net, I thought “Taste the rainbow” would be more hilarious.

Exterminate thirst!

Also from “Victory of the Daleks.” Because nothing is funnier than a Dalek serving tea. This one would have been perfect had I not miscounted and actually got the design centered. A lesson for next time.

Spoilers!

Because bow ties and fezzes are cool.

I also have a Cyberman bookmark to go with these, but he’s not quite done yet. I’ll post it when I’m finished, provided I’ve not been deleted.

Geek Craft: Green Lanterns

I know nothing about Green Lantern, other than he wears green and is afraid of the color yellow. And that there’s a movie coming out about him later this summer. But really, other than that, not a clue. But my brother is a big fan. So when I found this pattern from Wee Little Stitches on Etsy, I knew I had to make this for him.

My brother owes me big time.

Tomorrow, I’ll post some of the “Doctor Who” bookmarks I’ve done lately.

‘The Big Bang Theory’ cross stitch

“The Big Bang Theory” is one of my favorite shows, so of course I had to stitch the characters after I found them on Etsy. It’s another design from Wee Little Stitches, and I think it came out pretty good!

BANG!

The room I took the photo in had really bad lighting, so it doesn’t really show up that this design is done on sea-foam green aida. It looks really good on the green fabric in person!

Up next: Green Lantern, because my brother had a big man-crush on Ryan Reynolds.