Best Halloween Ever!

My visit to the MSU library wasn't as productive as I had hoped. But it was still good. I read X-Day #1 & #2. Very interesting and kinda weird, but...cool. I tried to read a couple Scary Godmothers and some X-Treme X-Men, but the Scary Godmothers I had already read in compliations and the X-Mens were just comics, not the graphic novels I had hoped. Sad. Oh well! It was still fun!

And I got some books in the mail that I ordered from half.com:

• Babymouse: Our Hero by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
• Only the Ring Finger Knows: The Lonely Ring Finger by Satoru Kannagi & Hotaru Odagiri
• Three Stories You Can Read to Your Cat by Sara Swan Miller & True Kelley
• Unlovable by Dan Yaccarino

I'm going to MSU today...

In addition to having dinner with my best friend, visiting my favorite tree, having cider and donuts, and eating at Jersey Giant's Subs, I will also be visiting the library to read some graphic novels. YAY!!

It's going to be the best Halloween ever.

NaNoWriMo

I just logged back in to my NaNoWriMo account. I think I'm going to give it another try this year. Last year was my first year. Really, I did it so I could try to be writing every day and it worked pretty well (but sadly did not continue outside of November). I mostly did poetry. Most of it pretty bad, but some of it I was pretty happy with. It was kind of cool--the poems reflected what I was feeling/doing that month. I was quite smitten with a boy...it's cool to have that documented in a way, even if it is rather embarrassing now...

I've got lots of ideas. Let's see if any of them come to anything. :)

Wish me happy writing--starting November 1st!

Oooooh....

Bookmooched:

• Almost Crying by Mako Takahashi

And I'm foreseeing that...I'll probably ship this one back out to bookmooch again. :) It's manga that I wanted to read, but didn't really want to own.

Which is cool b/c then I could get ANOTHER cool new book! Yay! This is why I love bookmooch!

Kittens!!!

Bookmooched:

• 101 Cataclysms: For the Love of Cats by Rachael Hale

AWWWWW!!! They're SO cute!! :)

Free Stuff Day!

I visited the Northfield Township Library again today--to return & renew books and to check out another. And they had bunches of interesting stuff on their free book table. So...

Northfield Township Library free book table:

• Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America by Elizabeth Wurtzel

But I already have it. :( I couldn't remember if I did. But that's okay, b/c I'll paperbackswap or bookmooch it!

• Learn to Relax: A Practical Guide to Easing Tension & Conquering Stress by Mike George

This looks pretty cool. And the gods know I need to relax and conquer my stress.

• Worry by Edward M. Hallowell

Yeah...not gonna say much, but again, the gods know...

I also got a bunch of free CDs. Intersting stuff too. Like late 90s dance music. Hee hee! :) I'm excited.

And my amazon.com order:

• Babymouse #7: Skater Girl by Holm & Holm
• Cloud Watcher by Lilith Saintcrow

B/c I couldn't find it at ANY library.

• Skippyjon Jones toy & book set

Yay for stuff I probably don't need!

Oh, yes, more new books

From Vault:

• Hana-Kimi #20 by Hisaya Nakajo

When the long haired bearded guy handed it to me, I think I said "Oh yay!" Then I laughed and said I'm such a girl, but I love this series. He laughed. :)

From Borders (b/c I'm reading the library copy and I NEEDED my own):

• Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters by Jessica Valenti

I adore this book. It cracks me up, but lays all the bad shit out there. I want every one of my students to read it b/c you know what? I think they're all feminists.

From Bookmooch:

• Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest by John Lechner (uncorrected proof)

It's kinda cool. :) Just the pages all rubberbanded together. NEAT!

New books!

Yes, I have totally failed my only 5 books per month challenge for October. I was feeling shitty about my life and I caved and bought a bunch of books from amazon.com and half.com. I suck. But I have a lot of cool books! The first in the batch arrived.

From half.com:

• Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest by John Lechner

I cannot tell you how much I adore Sticky Burr. AHHH, SO CUTE!!! Highly recommended.

And I paperbackswapped:

• Girls Volume 1: Conception by the Luna Brothers

Who knows if I'll like it. I saw it at Vault and thought it looked interested. If I don't like it, I'll put it back out there and swap it for something else! :) That's the beauty of paperbackswap & bookmooch!

So much reading!

Well, since I had the week off, I read a lot. I visited a lot of libraries. I read a lot of picture books. Don't worry, things will be back to normal now. I'm back to work. I wish I could hang out and read all the time...but I guess I need to work and get money...so I have a place to sleep and all. You know.

I never did make it to MSU to read graphic novels. I'll have to try again the next time I'm off. :)

Library adventures!

I went to the library in Whitmore Lake, which is actually called the Northfield Township Library and it is CUUUUTE!! It's so tiny--one floor of a house. The lady who helped me and got me a library card was super nice and she gave me a tour and showed me where all the different sections are. It was cool b/c I saw things there that I know have a waiting list at the A2 library. :) You only get books for 2 weeks though. But that's okay. They have a writers' group and monthly movie nights. It just looks like fun! I'm excited. Oh, and they have little animals, but I can't remember what they're called. Desus or something. And you can borrow puppets!!!

Then I picked up my stuff from my library, Malletts Creek and then went to visit the Pittsfield Branch, b/c I had only been there once and never explored. I read more children's books! :) It was way fun. They have fun furniture there. But here's the list of picture books I read tonight at Pittsfield:

• Beasty Bath by Robert Neubecker (dumb)
• Who Wants a Dragon? by James Mayhew & Lindsey Gardiner (I want a dragon!)
• You're All My Favorites by Sam McBratney & Anita Jeram (love Anita Jeram's art!)
• Don't Mention Pirates by Sarah McConnell (funny)
• The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell (sweet)
• Sally and the Some-Thing by George O'Connor (funny)
• The Bake Shop Ghost by Jacqueline K. Ogburn & Marjorie Priceman (one of my favorites of the night)
• Magpie Magic: A Tale of Colorful Mischief by April Wilson (very cool--no words!)
• Elbert's Bad Word by Audrey Wood & Don Wood (one of my favorites of the night)
• This Next New Year by Janet S. Wong & Yangsook Choi (multicultural)
• Child of Faerie, Child of Earth by Jane Yolen & Jane Dyer (beautiful)
• My Dog Toby by Andrea Zimmerman, David Clemesha, & True Kelley (silly)
• Unlovable by Dan Yaccarino (one of my favorites of the night)
• Good Babies: A Tale of Trolls, Humans, a Witch, and a Switch by Tim Myers & Kelly Murphy (eh)
• How to Be a Good Dog by Gail Page (funny)
• The Birthday Fish by Dan Yaccarino (cute)
• Groundhog Gets a Say by Pamela Curtis Swallow & Denise Brunkus (educational about groundhogs)
• The Popcorn Dragon by Jane Thayer & Lisa McCure (beautiful illustrations)
• Crictor by Tomi Ungerer (cute Reading Rainbow story!)
• Farley Found It! by Bruce Van Patter (funny)
• Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root & Randy Cecil (lots of silly words)
• What Does Peace Feel Like? by V. Radunsky (lovely)
• Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver & Lynn Rowe Reed (cute)
• Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children by Sandra L. Pinkney & Myles C. Pinkney (okay)

Oh! And...they had free books at the Northfield Township Library, so I got this:

• The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

It's one of the retelling of old myths books like Dream Angus that I read not too long ago. It's about Penelope and Odysseus. :) It was free, how could I resist?

I'm going to MSU tomorrow to read some comics in the Special Collections (b/c none of the other MeLCat libraries have them. And I'm going to eat a Jersey Giant sub... Mmmm... Yay!!

Picture books & new books

I decided that I wanted to go to the library and read a bunch of picture books for awhile. Well, I had to go to the library anyway and see if we got paid this week (we did!), but I wanted to read picture books, so I read for an hour or so. I didn't want to include the list at the bottom of the page b/c it's a long list, so I'll just put it here:

Picture books I read today at the library (I was trying to read one author from each letter of the alphabet, but I got distracted):

• Mr. Persnickety and the Cat Lady by Paul Brett Johnson (one of my favorites of the day)
• While We Were Out by Ho Baek Lee (very funny story about a bunny left home alone)
• Astro Bunnies by Christine Loomis & Ora Eitan (kinda weird, but nice rhymes)
• Armadillo's Orange by Jim Arnosky (dumb)
• Humbug Witch by Lorna Balian (dumb)
• Mouse's First Spring by Lauren Thompson & Baket Erdogan (kinda fun)
• Fortunately by Remy Charlip (very funny--alternating between fortunatelys and unfortunatelys)
• Kitten Red Yellow Blue by Peter Catalanotto (one of my favorites--calico kittens!)
• For You Are a Kenyan Child by Kelly Cunnane & Ana Juan (cool illustrations)
• Welcome to Zanzibar Road by Niki Daly (fun)
• And Here's to You! by David Elliott & Randy Cecil (liked this bunches)
• Through the Heart of the Jungle by Jonathan Emmett & Elena Gomez (kind of like the old lady who swallowed a fly rhyme)
• The Story Goes On by Aileen Fisher & Mique Moriuchi (kinda boring about how seeds grow)
• I.Q. Goes to the Library by Mary Ann Fraser (very cute mouse and a library!)
• Book! by Kristine O'Connell George & Maggie Smith (more of baby book)
• Monkey Lost by Ed Heck (best author name ever)
• Punxsutawney Phyllis by Susanna Leonard Hill & Jeffrey Ebbler (switching up groundhog gender roles!)
• Help! by Christopher Inns (eh)
• Eddie's Kingdom by D.B. Johnson (eh again)
• The Cat's Meow by Warren Kimble (dumb--an artist's paintings with descriptions of each like "Fat Cat" and "Fluffy Cat")

Well, I also bought more books today. I know, I know. But! It was the 30% off coupon weekend...and there's the new Scott Westerfeld book which I saw that Borders had autographed, so I got it. Plus two of my manga that aren't on my Vault list. Oh, and I picked up my comics too. So...

From Borders:

• Tenshi Ja Nai!! I'm No Angel! #8 by Takako Shigematsu
• Tramps Like Us #13 by Yayoi Ogawa
• Extras by Scott Westerfeld

And comics from Vault:

• Deepak Chopra Presents India Authentic: Uma
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #7
• Runaways #25, #27, #28 (Joss Whedon is writing Runaways now!)

Yay! Good things to read on vacation! :)

Book quotes!

From Clemency Pogue: Fairy Killer by JT Petty

"Of everything there is good and bad. This is just how things work.

Ideas, dogs, smells, behavior, songs, guys, machines, cheeses, rabbits, shoes, friends, enemies, days, dreams, fairies; of all of these things and others, there are good and bad.

But rules cannot be viewed except by exceptions, and the exceptions are these: newborn mammals and bees. Newborn mammals are invariably good. Bees, however, are all bad."


"The walking stick was not for walking. Clem knew that there were places in the forest where danger lurked. And where it did not lurk, danger squatted, crouched, or lounged. There was one place where danger reclined, but Clemency usually avoided it."


""Ah," began the hobgoblin in a deep breathy voice. "Young love. Young love adds color to the cheeks, but that color must come from the brain, which grows decidedly dim. Young love is like ice cream, it's not so healthy but it sure tastes good, and you better lick it up right after it's scooped, or it becomes a sticky, sickly sweet mess. And nobody likes rum raisin young love." Chaphesmeeso nodded knowingly. "And young lovers are like doves, romanticized and quite lovely, but basically just albino pigeons. They're not so smart. A little American boy vacationing in Brazil met a local girl who took his heart away. Now he's trying to write her a letter to get it back. I guess the missing heart has reduced the blood flow to his brain, because his love letter is the worst thing ever written."


"Love was not quite her territory, but she supposed she could find her way through it if she had a map."


""Oh, good grief," Clemency said. Where to begin? Noah, give up. Grow up and hope you fall in love with somebody illiterate. Or, Noah, the world can always use another priest. Or, Noah, love is not for everybody. Maybe you should try data entry. This was hopeless. She looked again at the poem, as she would have looked at a hamster with a tumor. Hopeless."


"Tinkled like a horse back from a long night of drinking with its friends."


*giggles*

Maya Angelou is a rainbow...

Well, she is! If you had heard her speak, like I did, on Friday at U of M, then you would understand.

I was so excited when I heard that she was coming to U of M. I went and got a ticket (free!) right away. And even though I haven't felt good all week, I still went.

She walked on stage, with the help of a cane and a gentleman, and I almost cried. She has such presence. Vitality, power, and beauty. And she was so funny!

She talked about how art and science need each other. She talked about poetry and how she came to love it. She talked about her life and struggles. She talked about a quote and now I can't remember who said it, but basically, it was "I am a human being. Nothing human can be alien to me." And she explained how everything humans have done, have created, have learned is for every other human. She talked about how she reads poems and knows the author wrote them for her. She talked about how we're all human beings and we should value each other as such despite our differences. She talked about loving ourselves for who we are because we all have positive effects on people. She talked about always saying yes to good things. She told beautiful stories and read beautiful poems. She laughed and sang. It was simply...amazing. If you ever have the chance to see her in person, please do. You won't regret it.

At the end, she said that each of us is a rainbow in the clouds for many people and that we should remember that. She told a story of reading a poem at the UN's 50th anniversary and how when she was 16, they were forming the UN in San Fransisco and she would stare at all the people going in, thinking that some day she might able to do what the translators did. And 50 years later, she did go into that building, invited by the UN and read a poem they asked her to write and she said she took every person/rainbow who had every supported, encouraged, and cared for her into that building with her. It made me think about my rainbows... And that is why she is rainbow for me.

I adore Kevin Smith!

I just found out Kevin Smith wrote a new book--which really is just his online journal (that I started reading, but never finished b/c I don't spend THAT much time online). I had to get it. I LOVE KEVIN SMITH!!

And then I got a 30% off coupon from Borders, so...

From Borders:

• My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith by Kevin Smith (duh)

I can't wait to read it!

And this only makes one book so far in October. I might meet that 5 book total a month challenge yet.

Books I've Read September 2007

9/2/07

• Never Give Up #5 Hiromu Mutou (M)
• Wiggle and Waggle Caroline Arnold & Mary Peterson (PB)
• Happy Birthday Coco oneones (PB)
• D Is for Dancing Dragons: A Chinese Alphabet Carol Crane & Zong-Zhou Wang (Y-NF)

9/3/07

• Sensual Phrase #10 Mayu Shinjo (M)
• Sensual Phrase #11 Mayu Shinjo (M)
• Sensual Phrase #12 Mayu Shinjo (M)
• Sensual Phrase #13 Mayu Shinjo (M)
• Sensual Phrase #14 Mayu Shinjo (M)
• Sensual Phrase #15 Mayu Shinjo (M)
• Sensual Phrase #16 Mayu Shinjo (M)
• Sensual Phrase #17 Mayu Shinjo (M)
• Sensual Phrase #18 Mayu Shinjo (M)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Creatures of Habit Fassbender, Pascoe, Horton, Lee (GN)

9/5/07

• Tales of the Slayers Scott Allie (ed.) (GN)
• Avalon High Coronation #1: The Merlin Prophecy Meg Cabot & Jinky Coronado (M)

9/8/07

• Winter Moon Mercedes Lackey, Tanith Lee, C.E. Murphy (A)
• Inside Out: Portrait of an Eating Disorder Nadia Shivack (A-NF)

9/9/07

• Adventures in Oz Eric Shanower (GN)

9/10/07

• 21 Proms David Levithan & Daniel Ehrenhaft (eds.) (YA)

9/12/07

• Inverloch #1 Sarah Ellerton (GN)
• Dangerous Girls 2: The Taste of Night R.L. Stine (YA)

9/14/07

• The Year at Maple Hill Farm Alice Provensen & Martin Provensen (PB)

9/15/07

• Let It Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals Ashley Bryan (PB)
• Gaia Girls: Enter the Earth Lee Welles (Y)
• Love, Stargirl Jerry Spinelli (YA)

9/16/07

• My Cat Loki #2 Bettina Kurkoski (M)
• Click #2 Youngran Lee (M)

9/18/07

• Loveless #6 Yun Kouga (M)
• Hana-Kimi #19 Hisaya Nakajo (M)
• Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans Dave Eggers et al (eds.) (A)

9/20/07

• The Three Silly Billies Margie Palatini & Barry Moser (PB)
• Bizenghast #3 M. Alice LeGrow (M)
• Wallflower #5 Tomoko Hayakawa (M)

9/23/07

• BtVS: Note from the Underground Lobdel, Nicieza, Richards, Conrad (GN)
• Inverloch #2 Sarah Ellerton (GN)
• GloomCookie #2 Serena Valentino & John Gebbia (GN)
• Fire Watcher Lilith Saintcrow (A)

9/24/07

• X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic vol. 4 (GN)
• Fly on the Wall E. Lockhart (YA)
• GloomCookie #5: The Final Curtain Serena Valentino & Vincent Batignole (GN)
• Ultimate X-Men #16: Cable Kirkman, Oliver, Paquette, LaPointe, Keith, Peru, McKeever, Brooks, Mendoza, Rauch (GN)
• Dirty Wow Wow and Other Love Stories Cheryl Katz & Jeffrey Katz (A-NF)
• Warriors #3: Forest of Secrets Erin Hunter (Y)

9/25/07

• X-Treme X-Men: Schism Chris Claremont, Salvador Larroca, & Arthur Ranson (GN)
• X-Men: The New Age of Apocalypse Lobdell, Bedard, Hama, Yoshida et al. (GN)
• Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World Jean Shinoda Bolen (A-NF)
• Dream Angus Alexander McCall Smith (A)

9/26/07

• The Mouse and the Buddha Kathryn Price & Traer Price (PB)
• Skelly the Skeleton Girl Jimmy Pickering (PB)
• Power Pack: Pack Attack! Marc Sumerack & GuriHiru (Y)
• X-Men Power Pack: The Power of X Marc Sumerak & GuriHiru (Y)
• Polly and the Pirates #1 Ted Naifeh (GN)

9/27/07

• Ultra Maniac #1 Wataru Yoshizumi (M)

9/29/07

• Patrick the Wolf Boy #1 Art Balthazar & Franco Aureliani (Y)
• Patrick the Wolf Boy #2 Art Balthazar & Franco Aureliani (Y)
• BtVS: Autumnal Chris Boal, Tom Fassbender, Jim Pascoe, Cliff Richards, Jim Pimentel (GN)
• BtVS: Viva Las Buffy! Scott Lobdel, Fabian Nicieza, Cliff Richards, Will Conrad (GN)
• The Wallflower #6 Tomoko Hayakawa (M)
• Wolverine: Law of the Jungle Frank Tieri, Sean Chen, Terry Dodson, Tom Palmer, Rachael Dodson (GN)
• Pants on Fire Meg Cabot (YA)

9/30/07

• Fables: Sons of Empire Willingham, Buckingham, Leialoha, Allred, Pepoy (GN)
• Runaways volume 3 Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona, & Mike Norton (GN)

09/07 Total: 63

Break it down: 19 Manga; 7 Picture Books; 1 Youth NF; 18 Graphic Novels; 4 Adult; 3 Adult NF; 5 Young Adult; 6 Youth