Harry & the Potters!

Okay, so my foot hurts terribly and I'm having cramps that could maim someone and I worked all day and it was 92 degrees outside, but I still went to see Harry & the Potters b/c they were playing at the library!! I had heard a lot about them from one of my students, but had never seen them (or listened to their songs), so I braved my discomfort and went. Draco & the Malfoys played first and they were funny. I got tired and hot, though, and went in to the library to use the restroom and cool off (and I found MORE books to hoard, dammit!). When I came back out, Harry & the Potters came on. YAY! They are hysterical! I'm on the hold list for their CDs (the library has them!) and I can't wait. They were adorable too...awwwww... My favorite quote was "We are all one big Harry Potter and we will defeat all the evil within a 500 mile radius of the Ann Arbor Library!" *laughs*

There were tons of high school girls there. It was ridiculous. Many of them have been following Harry & the Potters around as they go on a library tour. Since it's HP's birthday, many of them brought cake/cupcakes. I guess they sent an email out on their list and told everyone to bring stuff. It was funny. I waited in this hideously long line (I waited for at least a half hour) to get a t-shirt (okay, so I'm a little bit of a fangirl, we know this). It's even RED (one of my three least favorite colors), but it says "Harry & the Potters Rock the Library", which I love. :) I didn't stay long. Just long enough to hear a few songs and laugh and take in the crowd and spectacle. The other library peoples thought there were 650-700 people in the little library lot behind the buliding. Pretty amazing, if you ask me. :)

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter! :) *kisses to Harry* *squees for good measure*

I love BookMooch!

Mooched:

• The Magic Fart by Piers Anthony

So, I found this book, Pornucopia by Piers Anthony when I was working at B&N the first time. I love Piers Anthony and I get up on his Xanth series. The Apprentice Adept and Incarnations of Immortality series were two of my absolute favorites (that my mom got me into, actually). So when I found Pornucopia, I was intrigued. I still haven't read it all the way through. But I will! Then, I saw The Magic Fart somewhere, so I put it on my Paperbackswap & BookMooch lists and LOOK, here it is!! Yay!!!

Once I catch up on my manga and get my library book list down to something manageable, I'll have to start reading some of my own books too. It'll happen...someday.

Books & Comics!

Well, I was going to take myself out on a date tonight--dinner and a movie. But I wasn't feeling well, so I settled on dinner and books. :)

Today, I treated myself to:

• Little Butterfly #2 by Hinako Takanaga

And comic books:

• Deepak Chopra Presents India Authentic: Kali
• Runaways #25, #26, & #27

Um, hello, Joss Whedon wrote them! How as I NOT getting them?

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #5

I really ought to start reading these b/c they look amazing. The comic book lady (who is SO COOL!) said that Buffy is their biggest selling comic EVER! We were talking about how cool Joss Whedon is and that he should do more Serenity comics. *nods* She says she thinks if he does more Serenity comics, they will sell as well if not better than the Buffys. Amazing. There, a bit of comic book geekdom for you. :)

What? More new books?

All because I wanted Angel Diary #6 and bn.com was the only place that looked like they MIGHT have it...and you only get free shipping if you order over $25...

From bn.com:

• Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan

I was reading the Wheel of Time series AGES ago...I don't think I've read the last 3 books, but...I do like them. They're just so BIG. And this was the hardcover for only $5, how can you pass that up???

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Movie Poster Book

Yeah, don't comment. And neither will I. :)

A million posts and new books too!

Sorry for all the posts today. See what happens when I'm without power for days?

Paperbackswapped:

• Y: The Last Man: Unmanned by Vaughan, Guerra, & Marzan Jr.

I love Y: The Last Man. If you haven't read it, get to it. It's so intersting! :)

Purchased b/c I couldn't stop myself (and 2 of them were only $3.99):

• Everything You Need to Know About Latino History by Himilce Novas
• How to Expand Love: Widening the Circle of Loving Relationships by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
• Moonlight Meow #1 by Bambi Eloriaga & Roland Amago

And two of my students have sent me emails/messages about the new HP book with spoilers and I haven't finished it yet! I managed to not read them, but did catch bits and glimpses, damn it all! My one student sent me THREE emails, the little shit! Oh, well, I know she's just excited. I'm hoping to finish it tonight. I better get busy!

Reading MY Manga Challenge

I didn't make it. I did not finish my manga before 7/20. In fact, I barely read any of my own manga in the last couple weeks. Very sad. Let's see where I'm at:

• Tenshi Ja Nai!! I'm No Angel! #7
• Gravitation Ex #1
• Loveless #5
• Angel Diary #3, #4, #5

6 in 2 weeks? A sad showing, indeed. Well, that makes 46 since 6/11. Maybe I'll extend things to 8/11. That sounds good. My challenge is extended to 8/11. We'll see how I fare then.

(It's my personal challenge, I can change the rules if I like!)

Where have I been??!!??

I lost power on Thursday sometime. We had a terrible storm here and I guess a small tornado when through my town. Friday morning, I went to GH and stayed until Saturday evening. No power when I got back, no power yesterday, but finally power this morning! That's why I hadn't updated. :(

The fun (?) part of no power--reading by candlelight (and flashlight late last night). Although, it did make my eyes hurt. I got through 300 pages of Harry Potter by candlelight, which is kind of cool! I've got about 200 pages to go--and I'm very glad that I won't be reading it by candlelight anymore.

Books I've acquired since I posted last week:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

2 copies actually. Knowing I wasn't going to be at home to get my copy early enough on Saturday, I bought one Friday night (well, at 1:15 am Saturday morning). So I could read when I got back to my dad's (which I did). I got my copy from amazon.com on Saturday evening when I returned home. I'm going to bring one copy back to B&N today.

• Insecure at Last: Losing It in Our Security Obsessed World by Eve Ensler

Paperbackswapped. :)

Harry Potter Party!!

I must say that it is not as much fun to "work" the Harry Potter Party when you're not actually working at B&N. Eh, it just gets boring. And I don't like kids all that much...

Well, I made my Harry Potter Fortunes cards and I carried those around and stopped and asked people if they wanted their Harry Potter fortune? The fortunes were actually silly little things that were book related. I thought they were funny. Kids didn't get them or took them all serious like ("Consult my godfather? I don't have a godfather!"). Or I used words that were too big or mentioned characters or things they didn't know about ("Who's Peeves?"). The manager in charge was constantly hounding me about doing whatever it was that I wasn't at the time (while walking around--"Go manage the line at the table!"; while chatting with people--"Go walk around!"; etc.). And after about 2 hours, there were just too many people in the store for it to be any fun.

After midnight (I didn't even get to see them take out the first book), I was manning the "Photos with the HP Standee" area, which no one was coming to. Eventually I gave up and went up to the registers to help. That was much better! :) They sold something like 700 books in an hour and fifteen minutes. And there were tons of people in the store and tons of people lined up outside (b/c the store reached capacity (as they estimated) at 10:30 pm). Way more people than last time.

Overall, it was cool to be a part of history, but ultimately boring and irritating. *laughs* But I did get my book and I went home to my Dad's (got home about 2 am) and read for a good 2 1/2 hours!

Summer Reading Game--DONE!!

Okay, so I've been done since 7/14, but I kept forgetting to post. Oops, sorry. :) But here it is, the final complete list:

1. Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson
2. Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys edited by Melissa de la Cruz & Tom Dolby
3. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
4. Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn
5. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

Woo hoo! I'll turn it in tomorrow when I work at the library. Free bread, here I come! :P There's a prize drawing too, but I doubt they'll let employees win that. It'd be sweet if I did, though--prizes are Purple Rose Theatre tickets or Michigan Theater tickets or some swanky gift basket from the Art Fair.

That was fun...but I wish it was longer. Oh well! Til next year, Summer Reading Program...

I'm failing...

My "do not hoard" challenge is failing. I took out 3 books today, one of which is a GN that I will probably read quickly, but the other two...not so much. :( And I haven't read any of my own manga in days. Of course, I have been hella busy and very very tired. But, still... Hopefully soon... And I bought a book today...but I really really wanted it b/c the series is awesome, but I'm failing the "no buying books" challenge too. Blah.

I'm sad, so of course I think I'm failing everything.

Bought today:

• After School Nightmare #4 by Setona Mizushiro

Summer Reading Game and other updates

Woo-hoo! One more book read for the Summer Reading Game:

1. Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson
2. Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys edited by de la Cruz & Dolby
3. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
4. Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn
5. ??? (but probably A Long Way Gone)

One more to go and then I get my free bread! :)

Also, Caroline gave me a book yesterday as a present. She said she laughed out loud while reading it and she hopes I like it too. If she laughed out loud, I'll laugh out loud, b/c we're twins separated at birth and by 7 years. :)

• You Suck by Christopher Moore

I also got a bunch of zines from Kelly! Yay!!! I can't wait to read them. I won't list them all here, but there are several issues of his regular zine shortandqueer. SWEET!

Oooh...

Paperbackswapped:

• South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today edited by Robert Arp
• La Esperanca #2 by Chigusa Kawai

Mountain Man Dance Moves!!!!

I couldn't resist. I ordered Mountain Man Dance Moves from half.com. And it finally came! YAY!! So...it doesn't count towards my no book buying challenge b/c I bought it ages ago!

In honor of getting the book, here's another funny list!

RIDES FOUND AT A PSYCHIATRY-THEMED AMUSEMENT PARK

by Michelle Orange

Guilt-a-Whirl

Shame Spiral

Sea "Serpent"

The "Cobra"

"Anaconda"

The Baggage-Go-Round

Psyclone

Big Thunder Derailroad

The Actualizer

It-Used-to-Be-Funhouse

The Adderall Rapids

The "Zipper"

Completely Batshit Crazy Mountain

Demon Drop

*giggles*

Reading MY Manga Challenge, Week 4

I've still got a couple more days until the 11th. But...I know I'm not going to make it, so I'm giving myself another two weeks. :) It's my challenge, I can do what I want. So...I need to have all of my manga read and be caught up by July 25th. How's that sound? Hmmm...wait, that's after HP comes out. Let's say...I have to have it read by July 21st. B/c after July 21st, I'm going to be reading HP. That sounds reasonable. I better get my ass in gear.

But! Here's what I read last week:

• Gravitation #11 & #12 by Maki Murakami
• Click #1 by Youngran Lee
• Tramps Like Us #12 by Yayoi Ogawa
• After School Nightmare #3 by Setona Mizushiro
• Crossroad #2 & #3 by Shioko Mizuki
• Millennium Snow #1 by Bisco Hatori
• Steady Beat #2 by Rivkah
• Negima! #9, #10, #11, & #12 by Ken Akamatsu
• Hana-Kimi #17 & #18 by Hisaya Nakajo
• Fruits Basket #14, #15, & #16 by Natsuki Takaya

That's 18 in one week! That's nearly as many as I read in the previous 3 weeks! *laughs* I'm at a total of 40, with 18 left to go (I missed about 5 last time I counted b/c they are the bigger style and missed seeing them on the bookshelf), which doesn't include the 14 new ones I've gotten since starting the challenge. So...if I add them all together, I'll have 32 to read. Whew. Yeah, a little under 2 weeks probably isn't going to cut it... But, we'll see! I'll have to do another manga marathon! :)

Browsing at B&N

See what happens when I go visit my friends at B&N? I buy books! Dammit! :( I have severely failed my "No Buying Books" challenge. Severely.

From B&N when I visited this weekend:

• Millennium Snow #2 Bisco Hatori
• Geography Club Brent Hartinger

*sighs* Maybe I can restart the challenge now...

An update later tonight on my manga challenge--it's nearly the 11th!

WAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

That's a good "wah!" I just got back from my old B&N store in Muskegon and I'M GOING TO BE VOLUNTEERING HARRY POTTER NIGHT!!! Hee hee hee, I'm so excited, I can barely contain it. I worked at that B&N for the 4th and 6th book releases and now I'll be going back for the 7th. I know, it's kinda dumb, but it's always so much fun. Well, the people annoy me, especially the kids, but to be able to take the HP book home and start reading right away...that is so cool. :) Okay, it is kinda cool that some of the kids dress up and they're so excited too.

I'm going to be helping with the fortunetelling table. Could anything BE more perfect? And I'll get an HP baseball hat too. :) I'm so freaking excited. WAAAHHHHH! *laughs*

Damn Borders & their good coupons!

*grumbles*
Books I bought today:

• Crossroad #4, #5, & #6 by Shiko Mizuki

*sighs* I'm hopeless.

Maybe I just need to PLAN on spending money on books and give myself a budget or something.

Good news...I have some books coming through PaperbackSwap! Yay! And a bunch of books going out to people (so I am reducing my book stash--sorta).

Summer Reading Game update 2 (or technically 3)

I have read so far:

1. Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson
2. Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys edited by Melissa de la Cruz & Tom Dolby
3. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
4. ??
5. ??

Lean Mean Thirteen and Undead and Uneasy feel like cheating...I guess b/c they are really easy reads (but still pretty entertaining). Oh well. I suspect I will have A Long Way Gone to add to this list soon. I don't know what my fifth book will be. Hmmm...I give myself another 2 weeks and I'll be done. :)

Also, the manga marathon worked well! I ended up reading 11 manga in 24 hours. :) I'd have read more if I wasn't reading the Negima! books--they tend to take longer to read, I think because there's so much dialogue and such detailed pictures. Lots of panty shots, you know, and one must take time to appreciate them. HA! Just kidding (but not about there being lots of panty shots).

Manga Marathon

I'm going to start a manga reading marathon tonight. Woo hoo! I will make it through the manga I have and catch up! I will!

Well, I also have to read Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich too. So I can give it to my best friend, L, so she can read it. Hee hee hee! She just got into the Stephanie Plum books. She loves them too! Besides, I don't want her to wait for 90 people to read the book at the library before she gets it. :)

Wish me luck!

Caitlin R. Tiernan

I read a Caitlin R. Tiernan book quite awhile ago called Silk. I actually read it and returned it to the bookstore. I never do that. It was just...not that good in my opinion. I tried another of her books, I think Threshold when I was dating Randall and one of his friends said her books were better than Poppy Z. Brite's books (whom I do adore). I thought I'd give Caitlin a second try. I couldn't even make it through the book.

I saw Alabaster at the library and was intrigued by the illustration on the cover. I read the back and it sounded like a good story. I decided to give Ms. Tiernan one more try. Eh, no luck--I didn't enjoy Alabaster any more than her other books (besides the illustrations by the guy who draws Gloom Cookie).

I've been trying to pinpoint why I don't like her writing. I think it comes down to the fact that she's so poetic and detailed in her descriptions of mood and place AND she's never straightforward about what's going on in the story. Alabaster is a series of short stories she wrote about one character, Dancy. Dancy is interesting, her purpose in life (killing monsters as directed by an angel) is interesting, the sequencing of the various stories was interesting, but I still feel like I have no clue about exactly what happened in the book (besides the killing monsters bit). That frustrates me. I want to know why the angel chose Dancy to speak to. Who is the angel exactly, anyway? What happened to her mother and grandmother? How does she kill the monsters? Maybe that's supposed to be part of the charm of the book--not having specific answers to questions like those. I don't know. It just wasn't a favorite.

But if you're into horror type books, check it out. Lots of people DO like Caitlin R. Tiernan.

Read MY Manga Challenge, Week 3

I did better this week! There were several nights when I read TWO manga instead of just one. :)

For this week:

• Category: Freaks #2 & #3 Gokurakuin Sakurako
• Hands Off! #7 & #8 Kasane Katsumoto
• Loveless #3 & #4 Yun Kouga
• Shinobu Kokoro: Hidden Heart Temari Matsumoto
• Broken Angels #1 Setsuri Suzuki
• Gravitation #10 Maki Murakami

Woo hoo! That's 9! With a grand total since 6/11 of 22! I've got...*goes to count* 28 left to go. Oh, crap, I'm not gonna make my 7/11 date... Hmmm... Oh, and that 28 doesn't count the 11 that I've gotten since I started this challenge. *sighs* Well, I'll just see where I'm at on the 11th! I'm going to try my best. Maybe I'll make the 4th an all Dawn's manga day! :)

Summer Reading Game update

By the way, I think it's silly to call it a Summer Reading Game, but hey, that's what they're calling it...

1. Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson
2. Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys edited by Melissa de la Cruz & Tom Dolby
3. (...)
4. (???)
5. (???)

Books I've Read June 2007

6/3/07

• BtVS: Crash Test Demons Watson, Richards, Pimentel (GN)
• BtVS: Pale Reflections Watson, Richards, Pimentel (GN)
• Banana Fish #2 Akimi Yoshida (M)
• Castle Waiting Linda Medley (GN)
• Land of the Blindfolded #4 Tsukuba Sakura (M)

6/4/07

• Gloom Cookie: The Carnival Wars Serena Valentino & Harley Sparx (GN)
• Still Angry Little Girls Lela Lee (GN)
• Masquerade Melissa de la Cruz (YA)

6/5/07

• Underwear Do's and Don'ts Todd Parr (PB)
• Runaways Volume 2 Vaughan, Alphona, Miyazawa, Yeung (GN)
• Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play #9: Lover Yu Watase (M)
• Ceres: Celestial Legend #6: Shuro Yuu Watase (M)

6/7/07

• Kissing Sin Keri Arthur (A)
• Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play #10: Enemy Yu Watase (M)

6/8/07

• Egyptian Myth: A Very Short Introduction Geraldine Pinch (A-NF)
• The Full Spectrum David Levithan & Billy Merrell (eds.) (YA)

6/9/07

• Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play #11: Veteran Yu Watase (M)
• Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play #12: Girlfriend Yu Watase (M)

6/10/07

• Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction Kim Knott (A-NF)
• Love Fights #1 Andi Watson (GN)
• The Squirrel Mother: Stories Megan Kelso (GN)
• Ceres: Celestial Legend #7: Maya Yuu Watase (M)
• Full Moon O Sagashite #7 Arina Tanemura (M)

6/11/07

• X-23: Innocence Lost Kyle, Yost, Tan, Sibal (GN)
• W Juliet #11 Emura (M)
• X-Treme X-Men #1: Destiny Chris Claremont & Salvador Larroca (GN)

6/12/07

• Land of the Blindfolded #5 Tsukuba Sakura (M)
• W Juliet #12 Emura (M)
• Winkie Clifford Chase (A)

6/13/07

• W Juliet #13 Emura (M)
• W Juliet #14 Emura (M)

6/14/07

• New X-Men: Imperial Morrison, Quitely, Kordey, Van Sciver (GN)
• Ouran High School Host Club #7 Bisco Hatori (M)

6/15/07

• Ouran High School Host Club #8 Bisco Hatori (M)
• Not Exactly Normal Devin Brown (Y)
• New X-Men: Academy X: Choosing Sides DeFilippis, Weir, Green, Johnson, Ryan (GN)

6/16/07

• The Three Cabritos Eric A. Kimmel & Stephen Gilpin (PB)
• Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant Jack Prelutsky & Carin Berger (PB)
• Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play #13: Goddess Yu Watase (M)
• Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play #14: Prophet Yu Watase (M)
• Ceres: Celestial Legend #8: Miori Yu Watase (M)
• Yubisaki Milk Tea #1 Tomochika Miyano (M)

6/17/07

• Tears of Mother Bear Anne Margaret Lewis & Kathleen Chaney Fritz (PB)
• Off*Beat #2 Jen Lee Quick (M)
• Let Dai #1 Sooyeon Won (M)
• The Naming Alison Croggan (YA)

6/18/07

• Extreme Animals: The Toughest Creatures on Earth Nicola Davies & Neal Layton (Y-NF)
• Vampire Knight #1 Matsuri Hino (M)

6/19/07

• Jack of the Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape Willingham, Sturges, Akins, Pepoy (GN)
• Absolute Boyfriend #3 Yuu Watase (M)
• Night World: Secret Vampire L.J. Smith (YA)

6/20/07

• Shrek! William Steig (PB)
• Never Give Up #1 Hiromu Mutou (M)

6/21/07

• Otto Goes to Camp Todd Parr (PB)
• The Little Red Fish Taeeun Yoo (PB)
• Let's Play in the Forest Claudia Rueda (PB)
• Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest John Lechner (PB)
• Angel Sanctuary #19 Kaori Yuki (M)

6/22/07

• Dragon Dancing Carole Lexa Schaefer & Pierr Morgan (PB)
• Love You When You Whine Emily Jenkins & Sergio Ruzzier (PB)
• Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story Sam Lloyd (PB)
• The Littlest Wolf Larry Dane Brimner, Jose Aruego, & Ariane Dewey (PB)
• Her Majesty's Dog #3 Mick Takeuchi (M)
• The Moon and the Sandals #1 Fumi Yoshinaga (M)

6/23/07

• Tempting Evil Keri Arthur (A)
• Seen Art? Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith (PB)
• The Great Snape Debate Amy Berner, Joyce Millman, & Orson Scott Card (A-NF)
• Her Majesty's Dog #4 Mick Takeuchi (M)
• Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play #15: Guardian Yuu Watase (M)

6/24/07

• Otto Goes to the Beach Todd Parr (PB)
• It's Okay to Be Different Todd Parr (PB)
• Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story Lisa Wheeler & Janie Bynum (PB)
• The Fuchsia Is Now J. Otto Seibold (PB)
• Quincy the Hobby Photographer: The Complete Guide to Do-It-Yourself Dog Photography J. Otto Seibold (Y-NF)
• Category: Freaks #2 Gokurakuin Sakurako (M)
• The Salem Witch Tryouts Kelly McClymer (YA)

6/25/07

• The Clever Stick John Lechner (online) (PB)
• Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid Lemony Snicket (A-NF)
• Innocent W #1 Kei Kusunoki (M)
• Hands Off! #7 Kasane Katsumoto (M)
• Category: Freaks #3 Gokurakuin Sakurako (M)

6/26/07

• Gluey: A Snail Tale Vivian Walsh & J. Otto Seibold (PB)
• A Froggy Fable John Lechner (PB)
• Watch Out! Jan Fearnley (PB)
• Hands Off! #8 Kasane Katsumoto (M)
• Loveless #3 Yun Kouga (M)
• X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic vol. 2 (GN)
• shortandqueer #6 (zine)

6/27/07

• Mountain Man Dance Moves: The McSweeney's Book of Lists (A)
• New X-Men: New Worlds Morrison, Kordey, Van Schiver, Leon, Jimenez (GN)
• BtVS: Food Chain (GN)
• Loveless #4 Yun Kouga (M)

6/28/07

• Undead and Uneasy MaryJanice Davidson (A)
• The Dot Peter H. Reynolds (PB)
• Land of the Blindfolded #6 Sakura Tsukuba (M)
• NYX: Wannabe Quesada, Middleton, Teranishi (GN)

6/30/07

• Shinobu Kokoro: Hidden Heart Temari Matsumoto (M)
• Broken Angels #1 Setsuri Tsuzuki (M)
• Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys Melissa de la Cruz & Tom Dolby (eds.) (A-NF)
• The Best Friend Book Todd Parr (PB)

Total 06/07: 100

Break it down: 17 Graphic Novels; 40 Manga; 5 Young Adult; 24 Picture Books; 5 Adult; 5 Adult NF; 1 Youth; 2 Youth NF; 1 Zine