Reading List for January

I always tell myself to keep track of the books I’ve been reading. It would be nice to be able to look back at what I’ve gone through in a year, to find that book that I loved so much ten months ago, but cannot remember the title of. I just always plain forget to do this. Therefore, it has gone on the improvements for 2008 list!

The list only includes books I have finished in the month, not books that I have started and not finished. This month I got a whole bunch of books out of the library, so most of the knitting books are not ones I own, but ones I borrowed. I feel slightly guilty over including the knitting books in the list, but the purpose of this is so that I can find them again should I need to.

Book List for January 2008

1. Rhett Butler's Peopleby Donald McCaig: a type of companion book to Gone with the Wind (one of my all time favorite books). This book follows more of Rhett’s life as a child and before meeting Scarlet, and continues beyond the scope of Gone With the Wind. I think it skipped over some of the issues/conflicts of GWTW, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will have to read this again and also reread GWTW and Scarlet. (498 pages).

2. Stone Cold by David Baldacci: This is a continuation of the Camel Club series. If you liked the series and Oliver Stone, then I recommend this book. It’s a bad guys after the good guys kinda book, and old wrongs are finally righted. It really needs to be read after reading the first books though. (388 pages).

3. Top Down Sweaters: Knit to Fit From Top to Bottom by Doreen L. Marquart: This pattern book really depends on how you want your sweaters to fit, if you like them boxy and big, then this book is for you. I don’t, so it’s not for me. The look of the sweaters in this book age the book and make the book seem much older then it is. (79 pages).

4. No-Pattern Knits: Simple Modular Techniques for Making Wonderful Garments and Accessories by Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer: I like the idea of the book, but none of the patterns were for me. I'm not sure I have the patience for the knitting of little squares and then sewing them together. (128 pages).

5. Big Girl Knitsby Jillian Moreno and Amy R. Singer: I got this book specifically for the very informative section on selecting garments and customizing the fit. The book has great info on measuring and on adapting to show of a waist, chest, or bust. This book is a great read for anyone or any size! (160 pages).

6. dead until dark by Charlaine Harris:

7. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris:

8. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris:

9. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris:

10. dead to the world by Charlaine Harris:

11. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris:

12: I cannot wait for this book: From Dead to Worse (I messed up my numbering so needed to include something here...)

13. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris: The “Southern Vampire Novels” are my favorite series of books ever. I have read and reread every single one. I am eagerly anticipating the next book (out in May!) and I’ve even read all the short stories based on the same characters. These books follow the life of Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic barmaid from Northern Louisiana, as she is introduced to supernatural characters and drawn into their world. If you like vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters and other magical characters, then I suggest you read these books! I would say these books fall more into the romantic science fiction category (lots of love triangles and a bit of sex), then into the gruesome blood and gore section. Then you have to decide whether you fall into the Bill, Eric, Quinne, Alcide or Sam fan club...

14. Designer Knitting with Kitty Bartholomew by Kitty Bartholomew & Kathy Price-Robinson: An ok book, not anything I would make out of it though. (144 pages). Sometimes I am really glad that I have the option of checking out all these great books from the library as I get to read books that I would not normally have considered, like this book!

15. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig: yup I decided to read it again! I still like it a lot!

16. Designing Knitwear by Deborah Newton: A really detailed book about the process of designing clothing and knitwear. I think this book may have been a bit over my head. The book focuses a little too much on the design aspects (different sleeve types and different silhouettes), and not enough on the actual knit portion. I think it's a book that I may go back to should I decide to seriously consider designing a sweater. I was looking more for ideas on adapting a pattern to different sizes, and I guess I would say more practical ideas that are not so abstract.

17. A treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker: a great book of knitting stitch patterns. My library had this original version of the book. I really enjoyed looking through the different patterns and reading the little blurbs about the different stitches. From having read this book, I would consider buying the new version of A Treasure of Knitting Patterns.

Book List for July

I cannot remember a moment in time when I did not love to read. Books have always been preferable to t.v., to movies, and sometimes to people. Books have always been my escape, my pleasure, my obsession. July was the first month when I have actually kept track of the books that I have read. Since this was the first month of record keeping, I cannot say whether this is a standard or usual amount of books for a month for me. I will say that a couple of these books were started in June and finished in July. Also, my boyfriend was taking night classes this month, so I did not see him during the week. This left a lot of time to fill with books.

1. Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead: This is the first book in what will be a series of books about a succubus living in Seattle just trying to live a normal life, until something starts killing angels and demons in the area. (343 pages)
   
2. Greywalker by Kat Richardson: Harper is a small time private investigator whose client tries to kill her. When she wakes in the hospital, she starts seeing weird things and learns that she has become a Greywalker (a person who can move between our world and the ghostworld). This story features witches, vampires, necromancers and ghosts! (341 pages)
   
3. Sweet & Deadly by Charlaine Harris: First off I love all of Charlaine's novels! This was her debut novel about a slightly strange woman in a small town who stumbles upon a body and discovers that people are just not what they seem... (179 pages)
4. Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews: Set in a magical world were magic is winning over technology. Kat is a mercenary whose guardian is murdered and she is determined to find out who did it. Featuring lots of magic, vampires, necromancers, shapeshifters, and more! The book is left with the possibility of sequels to come...(260 pages)
   
5. The Scent of Shadows: The First Sign of the Zodiac by Vicki Pettersson: The story of a girl who metamorphoses into a sort of superhero. The story of who and what she is. And whether she will chose to be of the Light or the Shadows. (455 pages)
6. The Taste of the Night: The Second Sign of the Zodiac by Vicki Pettersson: The continued journey of Joanna and the fulfillment of a prophecy. Joanna must decide whether she can give up her individual vengeance for the greater good of society. (440 pages)
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling: This was a reread for me. I just wanted to have the book fresh in my mind before seeing the movie. (870 pages).
8. Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), A House With Eleven Thousand Rooms, And a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce: As the title may suggest this is a fantasy book. Fourteen year old Flora Fyrdraaca, whose mother is the Warlord's Commanding General and Whose Father is mad, kindly helps her house's magical-and long banished - butler, unaware that he draws strength from the Fyrdraaca will. I enjoyed the beginning and the end, but the middle was sort of a bore for me. ( 431 pages)
   
9. Knitter's Stash edited by Barbara Albright: This is a pattern book that I've wanted to go through for awhile. It includes 33 patterns and various tips from yarn stores across the US. It also includes little bios of yarn stores along with their patterns. I'm glad I only borrowed this from the library, because there were not any patterns that I particularly wanted to make. (174 pages)
10. The Quickie by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge: This is the story of a NY detective who thinks her husband is having an affair and then decides to get even with him by having an affair of her own. She then witnesses her husband killing her lover. The story goes on to her covering the crime and her realization that she really does not know her husband at all. When I read books like this with two authors, I always wonder how much writing each author did. Is James Patterson's name on it just to sell more books, or did he actually write it to? I really really really prefer his books (the ones he is the sole author of) much more then any he co-authored. And yet I keep reading these dual author books...I should stop! (357 pages)
11. Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman: One of the most famous knitters ever and one of her most famous books. I don't know that there is all that much that I can say about this! I have not knit any of her patterns yet to see if I can actually follow them (I'm a bit worried that I am a stupid knitter, that I need everything spelled out for me!). (120 pages).
12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling: If you haven't read it, I don't want to spoil it. Harry's world gets a little darker. This book makes me cry every time I read it, every single time. (652 pages)
    
13. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang: This a biography (and autobiography) of three generations of a Chinese family. It shows China during Mao's reign, and gives an idea of everyday life. It is filled with violence and tragedy, and still manages to be inspirational. (517 pages)
14. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: The story of Henry DeTamble a librarian with a "genetic condition" that makes him involuntarily travel through time. Henry meets and loves Clare. This book is beautifully written. It's described as being "dizzyingly romantic." To me, however, this book was so melancholy. I enjoyed it, but it saddened me. Maybe it's one of those questions is it better to have loved and lost or never to have loved at all? (537 pages)
15. Oxymoronica by Dr. Mardy Grothe: a collection of self-contradictory statements that on the surface appear illogical, but at a deeper level are true. This is a collection of paradoxical quotations from a variety of sources separated into chapters based upon subjects (love, politics, marriage, etc.). (227 pages)
16. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison: A fun fantasy book of a world with vampires, weres, and witches. Rachel is a bounty hunting witch who quits her job and suddenly has a contract on her head. Funny and entertaining!(416 pages)
17. The Beekeeper's Daughter by Janice Carter: a light romance novel about a beekeeper's daughter and her developing love for a transient ex-firefighter. (296 pages)
18. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn: (259 pages)
19. Kitty goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn: (339 pages)
20. Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn: The Kitty books are an ongoing series of books about a werewolf radio DJ and her coming out to the world as a werewolf. The usual supernatural characters are all present including weres of all kinds, witches, and vampires. The books are a fun read and Kitty is a very likable character. (303 pages)
21. Minnies: Quick knits for Babies and Toddlers by Jil Eaton: a book filled with knits for babies, everything supposedly a quick knit, hence the title. There were a few patterns that I thought were ok, but most of the patterns did not appeal to me. The pictures are nice and clear. I do not think I've ever knit an Eaton pattern, so I cannot speak as to the clarity of the patterns. (109 pages).
22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling: (759 pages).
23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling: Yes, I read it twice. Nope not going to include an spoilers. I liked the book. Some of the things in it were shocking. Some of the things in it, I wished had been different. Altogether I am satisfied with the ending. But I do wish it hadn't ended. (759 pages).
24. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer: when 17 year old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human. This is a young adult romantic vampire book. Throughly enjoyable, it was sweet and irresistible! (498 pages).
25. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer: a continuation of Bella's story. Her beautiful vampire boyfriend Edward decides that he must leave Bella (for her own good). Bella suffers a nervous breakdown. When she starts to recover from her heartache she becomes best friends with a werewolf, and trouble ensues. (563 pages)
    

Reading list

I stole this from Lickmysticks (best knitting blog name ever!): (I thought it was interesting because there were very few books that I could say that I would never want to read):

In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of.

1. +The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. +Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. +The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. +The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery)
9. *Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. +Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. *A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. +Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. +The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. +The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. *The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. *I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. *The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. *The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. *Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. +The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. +The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. *One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. *Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. *Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On the Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. *Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. +The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. +The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98.* A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. *The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)