The Strangest List You Ever Will Read

My Year in Books

And Music

As accurately pieced together as my memory could manage.

January:

1. Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones l Bad Romance, Lady Gaga

2. The Magician's Elephant, Kate DiCamillo l Coin Laundry, Lisa Mitchell

3. Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton l Ambulance, Eisley

4. Castle in the Air, Diana Wynne Jones l Flightless Bird, American Mouth, Iron and Wine

5. Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman l The Beacon, A Fine Frenzy

6. House of Many Ways, Diana Wynne Jones l Anyone Else, Ellen Page and Michael Cera

7. Tiger Rising, Kate DiCamillo l Pagan Poetry, Bjork

8. This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald l O Valencia, The Decemberists

9. The Demi-god Files, Rick Riordan l You Don't Know Me, Ben Folds and Regina Spektor

10. Fire and Hemlock, Diana Wynne Jones l Laura Marling, Devil's Spoke

11. O Pioneers, Willa Cather l I Think I Love You, David Cassidy

February:

12. Magic Flutes, Eva Ibbotson l Possibilites, Lykke Li

13. Repunzel’s Revenge, Shannon Hale l Telephone, Lady Gaga

14. The Pearl, John Steinbeck l Mad World, Gary Jules

15. The Ruby in the Smoke, Philip Pullman l Pass this On, The Knife

16. Company of Swans, Eva Ibbotson l I've Seen it All, Thom Yorke and Bjork

17. Unexpected Magic, Diana Wynne Jones l Me and my Gal, Judy Garland and Gene Kelly

18. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh l Grow Grow Grow, PJ Harvey

19. Up the Down Staircase, Bel Kaufman l We Get On, Kate Nash

20. The Shadow in the North, Philip Pullman l The New Song, Peggy Sue and the Sea

March:

21. The Tiger in the Well, Philip Pullman l Sunday Kind of Love, Beth Rowley

22. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith l Romulus, Sufjan Stevens

23. The Tin Princess, Philip Pullman l Smoke Without Fire, Duffy

24. The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare, GK Chesterton l B, iamamiwhoami

25. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card l Baby, Justin Bieber

26. Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald l Hello Dolly, Barbra Streisand

27. Better Days, Brett Matthews l Gold Lion, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

28. Those Left Behind, Brett Matthewsl Vagabond, Wolfmother

29. A Tale of Time City, Diana Wynne Jones l Major Tom, Shiny Toy Guns

30. The Country Gentleman, Fiona Hill l We Both Go Down, The Decemberists

31. The Diamond of Darkhold, Jeanne DuPrau l White Demon Love Song, The Killers

32. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury l The Cure for the Pain, Jon Foreman

April:

33. Aunt Maria, Diana Wynne Jones l Where is my Love, Cat Power

34. Girl Meets God, Lauren F. Winner l O, iamamiwhoami

35. The Custom of the Country, Edith Wharton l I Am a Rock, Simon and Garfunkel

36. The Chosen, Chaim Potok l Somebody Told Me, The Killers

37. Law of the Wolf Tower, Tanith Lee l Beautiful Letdown, Switchfoot

38. Wolf Star Rise, Tanith Lee l Nothing On You, Bruno Mars and BOB

39. Queen of the Wolves, Tanith Lee l Penelope's Theme, Nathan Johnson

40. The Prophet of Yonwood, Jeanne DuPrau l Paris, Kate Nash

41. Jamacia Inn, Daphne DuMaurier l Roslyn, Bon Iver

42. At Home in Mitford, Jan Karon l The Sea, Corinne Bailey Rae

May:

43. Cotillion, Georgette Heyer l U-1, iamamiwhoami

44. The End of the Beginning of the End, Rockne O'Bannon l Then You Love Me, Lady Gaga

45. The Autobiography of Malcom X, Alex Haley l Chemo Limo, Regina Spektor

46. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Ben H. Winters l U-2, iamamiwhoami

47. Early Candlelight, Maud Hart Lovelace l Sexyback, Corrine Bailey Rae

48. Mating Season, PG Wodehouse l Expo '86, Death Cab For Cutie

49. Flight 714, Herge l Mr Brightside, The Killers

50. Orthodoxy, GK Chesterton l Destino, Dora Luz

51. Strange Detractions, Rockne O'Bannon l Yeah, I Can Get, Say Anything

52. The Complete Stories of Evelyn Waugh, Evelyn Waugh l Paris Nights New York Mornings, Corinne Bailey Rae

June:

53. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson l N, iamamiwhoami

54. Calamity Jack, Shannon and Dean Hale l OMG, Usher

55. A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor l I Found a Reason, Cat Power

56. The King Must Die, Mary Renault l 59th Street Bridge, Simon and Garfunkel

57. Wise Blood, Flannery O'Connor l Young Blood, Norah Jones

58. Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan l Married Life, Micheal Giacchino

59. Christiana, John Bunyan l Theme from a Summer Place

60. Sorcery and Cecelia, Patricia C Wrede l Let's Get Lost, Bats for Lashes

61. Gone and Back, Rockne O'Bannon l Bullet Proof, La Roux

62. Alone in the Universe, Lynne Rae Perkins l Perfidia, Glenn Miller

63. Northward to the Moon, Polly Horvath l X-Files Theme, UNKLE Remix

July:

64. Seth Way, Caroline Dale Snedeker l For Emma, Bon Iver

65. Tristian and Iseult, Rosemary Sutcliff l Hurricane Drunk, Florence and the Machine

66. Though the Darkness Hide Thee, Susan Wise Bauer l Yo Mama, Peggy Sue and the Sea

67. Summer, Edith Wharton l With you in my Head, UNKLE

68. Tales from a Village School, Miss Read l Need You Now, Lady Antebellum

69. Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman l Feel it in my Bones, Tegan and Sara

70. Green Dolphin Street, Elizabeth Goudge l Hey There, Rosemary Clooney

71. Chains, Laurie Halse Anderson l The Police and the Private, Metric

72. The Glimpses of the Moon, Edith Wharton l What is Love, Haddaway

73. Not My Will, Francena Arnold l Agnus Dei, Frank Martin

74. Ghost World, Daniel Clowes l Instrumental Jazz

75. A Hidden Magic, Vivian Vande Velde l Follow Me Down, UNKLE

August:

76. Spindle’s End, Robin McKinley l Candlelight, Relient K

77. Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson l Brodyquest, Neil

78. The Death of Adam, Marilynne Robinson l T, iamamiwhoami

79. We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson l Dog Days are Over, Florence and the Machine

80. Heretics, GK Chesterton l Nur Ein Wort, Wir Sind Helden

81. Flowers in the Rain, Rosamunde Pilcher l Marry Me, St Vincent

82. The Dreamer: The Consequence of Nathan Hale, Lora Innes l Teenage Dream, Katy Perry

83. Cannery Row, John Steinbeck l Y, iamamiwhoami

September:

84. The Children of Green Knowe, LM Boston l Hard, Rihanna

85. Decline and Fall, Evelyn Waugh l Drück die Eins, Annett Louisan

86. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, Bryan Lee O’Malley l Scott Pilgrim, Plumbtree

87. Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury l Hey She Say, The Gay Blades

88. Home, Marilynne Robinson l Djohariah, Sufjan Stevens

89. The Sorrows of Young Werther, Johann Goethe l Tonight, Lykke Li

90. The Outlaws of Sherwood, Robin McKinley l The Owl and the Tanager, Sufjan Stevens

91. The Blue Bedroom, Rosamunde Pilcher l The End, Best Coast

92. Philosophy of the X-Files, Dean A Kowalski l Something for Us All, Broken Social Scene

93. Mrs. Mike, Benedict Freedman l Barton Hallow, The Civil Wars

94. Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Bryan Lee O’Malley l Boyfriend, Best Coast

95. Love in the Ruins, Walker Percy l Four Floors, Sunday Girl: Diplo Edit

96. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley l Haste to the Wedding, Larry Moser and Mary Nagin

97. Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness, Bryan Lee O’Malley l I Know You Wanna, Capra

98. Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Karen Cushman l Waltzer Fur Niemand, Sophia Hunger

99. The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx l Soldier's Joy, Larry Moser and Mary Nagin

100. A Jury of her Peers, Susan Gaspell l No One, Alicia Keys

101. A Tall Dark Stranger, Joan Smith l Can't Get Started, Bunny Berigan

102. Scott Pilgrim gets it Together, Bryan Lee O’Malley l O Shot, The Gay Blades

103. The Loved One, Evelyn Waugh l Little Lion Man, Mumford and Sons

October:

104. Leave it to Psmith, PG Wodehouse l Skinny Bones, The Ditty Bops

105. How the Heather Looks, Joan Bodger l Dancing, Vera Ellen and Danny Kaye

106. Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe, Byan Lee O’Malley l Such Great Heights, The Postal Service

107. Sunshine, Robin McKinley l Sigh No More, Mumford and Sons

108. Fathers and Sons, Ivan Turgenev l Johanna, Jamie Campbell Bower

109. A Glove Shop in Vienna and Other Stories, Eva Ibbotson l I Walked, Sufjan Stevens

110. Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, Bryan Lee O’Malley l Madder Red, Yeasayer

111. The Uses of Enchantment, Bruno Bettelheim l Later On, Kate Nash

112. Scorpius: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, Rockne O'Bannon l New York, Paloma Faith

113. All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque l Fairytale, Sara Bareilles

114. An Unwilling Guest, Grace Livingston Hill l I Am You, Kim Taylor

115. Miniatures and Morals, Peter J Leithart l Dreams, The Cranberries

116. The Virginian, Owen Wister l Ta Douleur, Camille

117. The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov l The Point of it All, Amanda Palmer

118. The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan l Hold Your Hand, The Beatles

119. The Rest is Noise, Alex Ross l Upsidedown, Paloma Faith

120: The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka l Sing, The Dresden Dolls

November:

121. The Road from Home, David Kherdian l Teenage Dream, Darren Criss

122. At Home in Thrush Green, Miss Read l Anthem for a Seventeen Year Old, Broken Social Scene

123. The Abolition of Man, CS Lewis l Leeds United, Amanda Palmer

124. The Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad l Reasons to Love, Meiko

125. Wharton: Collected Stories 1891-1910, Edith Wharton l O Children, Nick Cave

126. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon l Last Christmas, WHAM

127. Leisure: The Basis of Culture, Josef Pieper l The New Year, Death Cab

128. Cart and Cwidder, Diana Wynne Jones l Long Long Time, Helen Forrest

129. The Philosophical Act, Josef Pieper l One Day, Hans Zimmer

130. Hidden Rainbows, Christmas Carol Kauffman l In Noctem, Nicholas Hopper

131. The Neumiller Stories, Larry Woidoe l Hell, Tegan and Sarah

132. 97 Orchard, Jane Ziegelman l Impossible Soul, Sufjan Stevens

133. My Hands Came Away Red, Lisa McKay l In Concert, iamamiwhoami

134. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alexander Solzhenitsyn l Ashes, Dark Dark Dark

135. Dear Emma, Johanna Hurwitz l Give into Me, Leighton Meester and Garrett Hedlund

136. The Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin l Oh Me Oh My, Abigail Washburn

December:

137. A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini l Daydreaming, Dark Dark Dark

138. Superman: Earth One, J Michael Stracynski l Terrified, Katharine McPhee and Zach Levi

139. Wildwood Dancing, Juliet Marillier l Tangled Score, Alan Menken

140. Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe l Ambling Alp, Yeasayer

141. Papa’s Wife, Thyra Ferre Bjorn l Rolling in the Deep, Adele

142. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke l O Santa, Mariah Carey

143. The House of Spirits, Isabel Allende l I Feel Better, Hot Chip

144. The Hero and the Crown, Robin McKinley l I See the Light, Mandy Moore and Zach Levi

145. The Time Machine, HG Wells l So This is Christmas, John Lennon

146. Maidens Bequest, George MacDonald l Speeding Cars, Imogen Heaps

147. Madensky Square, Eva Ibbotson l A Fuller Wine, Abigail Washburn

148. The Art of Tangled, Jeff Kurtti l Boxing Day, Relient K

149. Dear Enemy, Jean Webster l Woman King, Iron and Wine

150. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley l North American Field Song, The Innocence Mission

In 2010: Books

I read 150 books this year. Paring that list down to my favorite fifteen almost killed me. But out of all 150 books these are the fifteen I'd most encourage someone (being YOU) to read.

Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones.


This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald.


O Pioneers, Willa Cather


Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh


Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card


Girl Meets God, Lauren F. Winner


The Custom of the Country, Edith Wharton


Home, Marilynne Robinson


Wise Blood, Flannery O'Connor


Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman


Spindle’s End, Robin McKinley


We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson


Heretics/Orthodoxy, GK Chesterton


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon


A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini

Books in November, 2010

This month I: took the SAT again, got really sick, went to the movies a million times, wrote a 35,000 word story, and read 16 books (totaling to 136 so far this year). That's why I didn't really blog a lot.

121. The Road from Home, David Kherdian
Considering how much I love history, I know very little about the time and place this book was set it. It was really eye-opening.


122. At Home in Thrush Green, Miss Read
There is something irresistible about charming country living in England.


123. The Abolition of Man, CS Lewis
This was a really thought-provoking collection of essays. Honestly though, I disagreed with him on a lot of things. His education theory was good, but I don't think he really 'got' kids.


124. The Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
Spooky and awesome. I am such a sucker for books that take place on boats or have to do with whaling or colonialism or explorations.


125. Wharton: Collected Stories 1891-1910, Edith Wharton
She is just the most perfect author ever. Every time I read her I can't believe how amazing she is. It was a really awesome collection, full of fascinating characters, which is is what she does best.


126. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
I can't believe I've never read this book before. It was absolutely magnificent. It was carefully plotted; obviously Haddon spent a lot of time working out the way the plot would unfold. Also, it made me cry. First book this year!


127. Leisure: The Basis of Culture, Josef Pieper
A fascinating little lecture, defending leisure. My sister had to read it for her Philosophy class, and I stole it for a while.


128. Cart and Cwidder, Diana Wynne Jones
How can Diana come up with so many completely unique universes? This book was epic, and beautifully written and plotted. Her vision always shines through and her characters are always hysterical.


129. The Philosophical Act, Josef Pieper
Another little lecture. Really, they were incredibly short, but incredibly impactful. Read them- it will only take an hour or so, but it will give you a lot to think about.


130. Hidden Rainbow, Christmas Carol Kauffman
I've never been so proud to be a Baptist! (No offense to all my pedobaptist friends out there) It's a story about a family in Yugoslavia who owns a copy of the Bible, and how their religious views change, and how they are persecuted for it.


131. The Neumiller Stories, Larry Woiwode
This was an amazing collection of stories, all about the same family. They weren't told in chronological order so it was a lot of fun piecing them together. They were so beautiful.


132. 97 Orchard, Jane Ziegelman
After six months on the hold list, I finally got this book! It was a book on the culinary history of the Lower East Side, covering a German, Irish, Jewish, Russian and Italian family, spanning from 1860 to the mid 20th century.


133. My Hands Came Away Red, Lisa McKay

This was an very inspiring book. I'm a fan of good, modern, religious fiction. (Except I didn't like Kyle. He was kind of jerky. Her romance with Jeff was much more developed and mature... I thought the love triangle bogged the book down.)

134. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alexander Solzhenitsyn
I seriously enjoyed this book. I'm usually not fond of books full of misery and war, but this was really excellent. I am always kinda proud of myself when I genuinely enjoy classics. Haha.


135. Dear Emma, Johanna Hurwitz
I'm surprised I never read this before. I thought I'd read every piece of historical fiction about Jews in New York for children ever written, but I obviously missed this one.


136. The Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin
WHAT DO I LOVE BETTER THAN EMO WIZARD TEENS? NOTHING. There is nothing I love better than emo wizard teens. If LotR had had an emo wizard teen, I'd probably have liked it.

Okay then.

Books in October, 2010

And I've done it. I've read 120 books this year. From now on it'll all just be icing on the cake. I honestly did not think I could do it, but here we are. This month I read 17 books, from 104 to 120.


1. Leave it to Psmith, PG Wodehouse
Leave it to Wodehouse really. Leave it to him to write this book. Did he have to draw maps of his characters relations to each other? Psmith had more awful pals, fake fiances, and common thievery then even your average Jeeves and Wooster book.


2. How the Heather Looks, Joan Bodger
A beautiful memoir of a family who travels to England to see the sights in children's books. From Wind in the Willows to House at Pooh Corner... it feeds Englandlust like none other.


3. Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe, Bryan Lee O'Malley
I've been reduced to begging, obviously. Please read these books. They will make your life better. Funnier books there have never been, but they are so sweet and genuine too.


4. Sunshine, Robin McKinley
What can I say about this book? It was beautifully written, captivating, romantic, hysterical, perfectly formed and filled with a host of crazy characters. If you were disappointed in the lost opportunities in Twilight then read Sunshine.


5. Fathers and Sons, Ivan Turgenev
Russian people are weird in such a lovely way. Maybe it's because my sister and one of my best friends are obsessed with Russians... but they always make me laugh.


6. A Glove Shop in Vienna and Other Stories, Eva Ibbotson
Only a few days after I finished this my friend told me Eva had died. She writes the most optimistic, darling stories set all around Europe. Magical.


7. Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour, Bryan Lee O'Malley
So if I say I actually cried while reading this would you think less of me? Perfect ending to a perfect series. Spread the Scott Pilgrim word!!


8. The Uses of Enchantment, Bruno Bettelheim
This was a glorious, fascinating book analyzing fairytales and fairy tale tropes. Anyone who ever loved fairytales needs to read this.


9. Scorpius: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, Rockne O'Bannon
Oh my love. You are so lost without John. I can't wait till the next two come out in soft cover. I wait with bated breath.


10. All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
I'm not a fan of war books but this was was really amazing. I guess that's why the back of it said, "The greatest war novel ever written!"


11. An Unwilling Guest, Grace Livingston Hill
Nothing like a good Christian romance novel. It's like a romance novel, plus some people getting saved! Really though I read it cause I'm a sucker for Edwardian.


12. Miniatures and Morals, Peter J Leithart
A interesting book of essays on Jane Austen's novels. I've always enjoyed her books but never really 'got' them and this book helped me with some historical context for one.


13. The Virginian, Owen Wister
This was just complete over-the-top, fan-service, cowboy, soap opera drama! With cowboys. And the prairie. And TAVERNS.


14. The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
The most freaking weird book I've ever read. Sure, it was all religious-literary-foreign-fiction, etc, etc... but mostly it was just spooky and awesome.


15. The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan
Really my first thought upon finishing this was, "WAIT WHAT? I HAVE TO WAIT A WHOLE YEAR TILL MOAR PERCCYYY?" My second thought was, "Wow, that was awesome." If you like Roman mythos or Greek mythos or American landscapes or amusing teenagers... you'll like this.


16. The Rest is Noise, Alex Ross
Wow. This made me want to know more about music. It made me feel music. It's a beautiful non-fiction mix of stories about composers, historical commentary, and chilling descriptions of music.


17. The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
I think I enjoyed this book a little too much. Then again I read it like a fantastical comedy, which I think it must have been written as. Because nothing else makes sense.

This is kinda 24 hours late because I decided that watching Bad Blood on Halloween was more important than blogging.

What Life Looks Like

These last few weeks.


Balancing chemical equations is really messy.


Except maybe my mind doesn't WANT TO BE INSPIRED.


Our living room right now. Watching tv is kinda difficult.


For all my Halloween needs I just go to one of Plenilune's dozens of livejournals and blogs and tumblrs and fanfic sites.


German translations and copywork...


I've got these AMAZING Gilligan and O'Malley slippers.


At least the trees are pretty!


My library holds right now... That book on top? I've been waiting for it since May.

I hope this ugly (yet informative) post was informative. I'm really sorry for being AWOL on and off. But tomorrow I'll post my monthly book post and you'll get to see which lucky book was 120!!