Gretch-a-sketch (old)

The last few days, I've been reading a book that I probably wouldn't have read a year ago. The key factor was that it recieved numerous glowing reviews from my fellow bloggers and so far I'm loving every page. I got to thinking (it's a bad habit of mine) about the ways that my reading habits have changed since I started blogging. Without divulging my thoughts on the subject, I'd first like to hear from you all.

Consider the following (Holla for Bill Nye!)
1. Have you noticed a change in your reading habits since you started blogging or reading blogs?
2. Do you read more or less?
3. Has there been a difference in the ratio of fiction to non-fiction that you read?
4. Have you read any books that you might not otherwise have considered reading due to a blogger's recommendation?

Help a sister out!

Happy Banned Books Week, everybody! I don't know about you, but it's one of my sincerest desires to write a book that will be placed on the Banned Books List.

Books
Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence, by Paul Feig
The emotion you feel when you realize most of the gags on Freaks and Geeks actually happened to Paul Feig is something akin to pity mixed with mirth. Kick Me covers Paul's life from kindergarten through high school and holds a very high cringe factor. There's this one story where he finds a Nazi flag his father brought back from the war and I won't spoil it, but just know that it's classic. My only gripe was that the fifteen or so stories are all one-shots, so some of the characters get introduced multiple times. Instead of trying to forget everything about adolescence, Feig remembered every single, painful detail and is now using it for his own benefit. Paul is also co-producing Greg Daniel's new show and was recently grilled by The New York Times. It's a great interview--I suggest reading it even if you aren't a fan of his.

Rapunzel's Revenge, by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale
You know how I worship Shannon Hale, New York Times bestselling author? Yeah, we're tight. (Seriously, she knows who I am, either because of the sparkling comments I leave on her blog or the fact I stalk her at signings. Hopefully both!) RR is a collaboration between Shannon and her husband. Nathan (no relation) provides the delicious illustrations to this re-telling of the Rapunzel story. It's a graphic novel, which is essentially a long comic book. Once you begin, it's easy to swallow up the story in no time at all (and it leaves you with that feeling of "wait, it's over?"). Everything about it screams clever. If you have kids (or likely nieces and nephews for most of you), you've got to give this as a gift.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
When I first picked it up, I was all, "Oh, this is a lot shorter than I thought it would be." In hindsight, that's actually a good thing. Nick & Norah is so intense and lusty that 180 pages is more than enough ground to cover the topic. There's no way I'd let really young teens read it and it's probably too explicit for most conservative types. From what I've seen of the previews, there was lots of liberty taken with the storyline. I'll go see the movie and all, but the book didn't live up to the hype.

Music
The Cars, Complete Greatest Hits
A couple of weeks ago, I had this epiphany that I really like The Cars. Based purely off the radio hits, I thought I'd look more into their past songs. They have a formula that worked for them, so I don't think I'll go more in depth with their anthology. In small doses, The Cars are lots of fun.

Dan In Real Life Soundtrack
One of the many things I loved about Dan in Real Life was the music. Sondre Lerche provides both instrumental and vocal tracks for one of the best soundtracks I've heard in the past year. You get the feeling that this is a man that understands romance and heartbreak. The strings are bold and the brass is understated--a refreshing change as it's usually the other way around. There's a cover of "Fever" by A Fine Frenzy that feels somewhat incongruously tucked in the middle, but otherwise it's all superb. The real treat was the duet by the always coy Regina Spektor and Sondre. I listen to most of my music from the library and this is one cd I plan on adding to my permanent collection.

The Watson Twins, Fire Songs
I was worried about Fire Songs because the divine Ms. Jenny Lewis wasn't helping out this time around (see: Rabbit Fur Coat). Don't worry, it's all good. And I mean all of it. The album is kind of like pop/indie/flamenco/The Cure/alt-country amazingness packed into eleven songs.

Movies
Ghost Town
I was so stoked to see this that I went on opening day. TOTALLY worth it. Ricky Gervais could carry the show by himself, but Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni multiply the humor exponentially. And I don't even like Tea Leoni, so you know I'm not kidding. There was so much laughter packed into every minute that my stomach hurt just a little at the end. Also, my heart hurt from the few gripping and serious scenes. Apparently, this movie was painful but only in the best way. Every single kind of comedy is employed successfully. If I handed out ratings, I'd give Ghost Town four stars.

(One of these days I'll get a full-fledged logo and everything...)

Counting down things in any form makes me feel a bit like Casey Kasem. (For you younger folks, he was kind of like Ryan Seacrest but with a better voice and not so ahem flamboyant.)

Books
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
This one caught my interest long before I even knew what it was about, because my ancestors come from the Isle of Guernsey located in the English Channel. Written solely through letters and telegrams, this book is awash in history, war stories, and romance. The main character, Juliet, is so likable that I wish the whole thing had been narrated by her. The diverse cast provides some genuine hilarity, which is balanced out with the memories of World War Two.


Love is a Mixtape, by Rob Sheffield
To be honest, I thought this book had been the definitive volume on mixtapes for years. Turns out it's only been out since early-2007. Thankfully, in about twenty years this will still be the definitive volume on music and love. You have to be a music geek to truly appreciate it, but it's more accessible than Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life, which is what I'm reading right now. Rob's connection to his wife Renee is so palpable that it's heartaching to read at parts. Someday, I'll buy a copy and instead of storing it with my books, it will go on the shelf with my favorite albums.

Violet on the Runway, by Melissa Walker
There are endless versions to the "small town/awkward girl becomes overnight sensation," which in the book's case, transfers to the realm of modeling. For technically being a YA novel, there was a surprising amount of drug references and language. It's amusing, but not a stand-out. On the other hand, I do have to tip my hat to Melissa Walker for perfectly executing a Rivers Cuomo/Buddy Holly/Clark Kent joke overflowing with snark. Also, I tried reading the sequel but Violet was being so unbearable that I didn't get very far.

Music
She & Him, Volume One
I have such a huge girl crush on Zooey Deschanel, the "She" in the band's title. The "Him" is M. Ward, whom (who? whom?) I don't know much about. I don't see how anyone could not like this CD. Zooey's signature quirky style shines through in every song. Her lyrics seem simple at first, but there's lots of meaning once you really listen. I was impressed by her cover of "You Really Got A Hold On Me," but her rendition of The Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better" didn't thrill me. Call me a purist, but I'm wary of every single Beatles' cover out there. There's a strong country element that harks back to Patsy Cline, as well as a titch of the 50's Doris Day sound. My mother would also like to point out that she loves this cd and occasionally has to admit I have good taste in music.

Joshua Radin, Simple Times
If you absolutely can't wait for the store release on September 30th, go buy it from iTunes. That's what I ended up doing and I don't regret it at all. Joshua's signature "Whisper Rock" sound has never sounded better. Simple Times deals with break-ups and bad dreams and environmentalism, but the overall tone is cheerier than his first album We Were Here. There's a strong theme of moving forward which I really need in my life right now. Mmm...he makes me melt. I don't care when or where you buy it from, just please buy it.

Television
30 Rock, Season Two
It about near kills me that 30 Rock doesn't come back until the end of October, because of all the shows on television, this one weathered the Writers' Strike the best. Ignore the guest spots by Jerry Seinfeld and David Schwimmer and focus on Carrie Fisher, Al Gore, Matthew Broderick, and Edie Falco. There are maybe only two weak episodes out of fifteen--that is one superb track record for a season of tv. The characters are more developed in Season Two, as is the flow of humor. The best musical scene in the history of television very well may be Midnight Train To Georgia, as seen in Episode 210. We also get to see the return of Floyd, Dennis Duffy, and Devon Banks. 30 Rock, you are truly made of WIN.

Movies
Get Smart
I'm not going to lie, I had really high hopes for this one. About an hour into it, I was still all, "Um...what?" Then it picks up at the end, but my expectations were dashed by that point. Anne Hathaway is hot and Steve Carell is funny when he yells. That's it.

Big Dreams, Little Tokyo
Okay, this is more like it. Dave Boyle (a Utahn--holla!) wrote, directed, and starred in this delightful little indie flick. Here's the synopsis from IMDB, because it's getting late and I'm getting drowsy. "Big Dreams Little Tokyo is the story of Boyd, an American with an uncanny ability to speak Japanese. Boyd aspires to succeed in the world of Japanese business but finds himself mostly on the outside looking in. Meanwhile, his roommate Jerome, is a Japanese American who has always felt too American to be Japanese but too Japanese to be American. He aspires to be a sumo wrestler but finds his weight and blood pressure are thwarting his dreams. Together they struggle to find their place in a world where cultural identity is seldom what it seems." Boyd is nebbish and awkward, yet still charming. Jerome was freaking hilarious and their Japanese friend Mai is so perfect in every scene. The amateur filming comes off more skilled than one would expect. I smiled more than I laughed, but sometimes that's a really, really good thing when it comes to entertainment. You might have a hard time finding it, but pounce if you get the chance.

My dawesome friend Megan pulled together a few girls (myself included) to do a panel on the Twilight Saga. It's funny and interesting, so please give it a read!
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

While we're on the topic, I also thought I'd post the review I wrote back when I finished Breaking Dawn. I didn't post it because back then I was still under the whole "review-blog-delusion." Better late than never, right? There's some repetition between my answers for Megan's thing and this review, which is to be expected. Also, hers is much cooler, so read it first.

(One last thing...I have not yet read Midnight Sun and I support Stephenie's decision to not publish it. And the movie looks iffy, but I'll see it open weekend anyway.)

Spoilers, natch

I remember reading Twilight during the week a major paper was due in my sophomore year of college. Big mistake. “Book crack” was how I explained it to a fellow bibliophile. She borrowed my copy and went straight to the book store to pick up New Moon, which I polished off the weekend before finals. That probably wasn’t the best move of my college career, but what did it matter? I’d been bitten.

Before I get to the review, let me put up my argument in defense of the Twilight saga. I’ve never viewed it as more than a Young Adult Romance/Suspense with vampiric themes. I do not believe people should give it any more credit than that. Meyer is not going to be the Austen of our generation and it is not on par with Harry Potter in the realm of YA literature. As far as Stephenie Meyer’s writing goes, it’s frankly hackneyed and repetitive. However, she is a gifted storyteller and her ability to create a compelling and original love triangle is enviable. Her books are abundantly entertaining, which is why they’re so massively successful. Most of all, they’re dead sexy without being inappropriate (minus one headboard, of course).

Breaking Dawn covers the time from Bella and Edward’s wedding through a period of great change in their lives. It is not the strongest book in the quartet, but it does the series justice. The defining passion of the previous books is not lost—maybe it even gained steam along the way. The way Stephenie planned Book Three in BD is either genius or a huge cop-out and I honestly have to lean towards the genius side. There are twists and turns that I didn’t except (granted, a few were painfully obvious). For the most part, the new characters are remarkable enough to hold the reader’s attention during parts that might otherwise seem tedious. Her writing (not surprisingly) ranges from trite to touching. I will admit, though, that there were sections that were actually done quite well, primarily in Jacob’s book and also during the meeting with the Volturi. If only her editor had helped as much in the other portions!

I was very impressed with the way that Stephenie handled the intimate moments in Eclipse, so I was naturally curious with how she’d deal with it in BD. It’s not thinly veiled, but still tasteful enough that parents really shouldn’t freak out about their girls reading it. I know plenty of moms will feel differently, but that’s just my opinion.

I was glad to see a whole section from Jacob’s POV. I have always adored Jacob and I needed that closure from his perspective. I totally thought he was going to imprint on Leah—I should have picked up on the fact that it was a ruse. Lots of reviews rant about the fact that he latches onto young Nessie, but I wasn’t that weirded out by it. (Editor's note: Looking back, I am pretty skeeved out.) The match of Quil and Claire was some funny foreshadowing for that. It’s not like Jacob has to wait for the normal amount of time, either.

Vampire Bella is substantially more enjoyable to read than her human counterpart. Sure, the personality switch is contrived, but what about any of the saga isn’t? She was always meant to be a vampire. Why wouldn’t she be happy and loving and ready for the challenge? Bella gets a loving husband, a family, and eternal life. Plus, she gets to look super hot while kicking the crap out of the evil guys. That actually makes complete sense from an LDS perspective.

Again, many reviewers seem irked by the fact that Bella gets everything (and at such a young age!) without any personal sacrifice. They complain about the marriage agenda and how she isn’t ready for motherhood. I almost agree with these things, but not quite, because a) Bella suffers from a ginormous martyr complex, b) of course it’s going to have a happy ending, and c) I really wouldn’t go taking lessons on love from these characters. Writing this review is definitely the most thought I’ve put into the series as a whole. It was fun to read and I’d still recommend it to other people. It met every single one of my not-that-high expectations.

Renesmee?

What an appalling name.

I mean, really.

1. The temporary job I mentioned is now full-time. I had a hunch it might turn into something more, but didn't want to jinx it. It's pretty basic but pays well, so things even out. Plus, the people are great.

2. Two Saturdays ago I had the privilege of attending the release party for Rapunzel's Revenge. RR is a graphic novel co-written by Shannon and her bizarre-but-awesome husband Dean. Nathan Hale (no relation) illustrated the Westernized fairy tale. There were about nine other Utah authors in attendance and I got autographs from all of them. I also maybe wore my hair in braided pigtails so I could look like the book's version of Rapunzel. (Nerd. I'm what could be described as a Shannon Hale-groupie.) They did a reader's theater and it was a rip-roarin' good time. I've met Shannon on a number of occasions before, so I truly think she's the tops. Here's the two of us at a signing last October.

Also: proof I really did use to be blond. (Semi-related: I'm itching for another major hair switch.)

3. If someone asked me who my favorite female singer-songwriter was, I would answer Neko Case without even pausing for breath. Therefore, I was shaking with excitement all Thursday at the chance to see her in Salt Lake FOR FREE. ( For the past summer, there's been a weekly, high-profile concert downtown to no cost to the attendees. Go SLC!)

She's everything I imagined and then some. The crowd was noisy, but buzzing with life. It was everything an outdoor concert should be, which is warm and smoky and yeasty. It was also fun to go and see the amazing collection of interesting Utahns, because I forgot sometimes that Utah can be fascinating. Neko Case, in all her flaming-hair glory, played a ton of stuff from Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (my favorite album) and also debuted some great new songs. Her true country heart shines through in her soulful, honeyed voice. Just listen to the crowd favorite "Hold On, Hold On" and you'll see what I mean.



(She also sings with another one of my favorite bands, The New Pornographers. It sounds dirty, but they're super talented and really not filthy. I recommend the album Twin Cinema.)

In addition to the concert, the BFF and I also got in some good food and shopping downtown. Fun times, yo.

BTW, I'm guest posting over at Squeaky Books today. The site is run by Enna Isilee, who's the biggest Shannon Hale fan I know. I'm talking about my favorite Kid Lit books, so please give it a read!

(50 cool points to me for referencing Belle & Sebastian in the title. Also, sorry for the font size issues. Blogger won't let me fix it and needs 15 minutes in time-out. At least Twitter will be there to keep it company.)

The Big Read 100

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.

2) Italicize those you intend to read.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (Confession: The only Austen I've ever read. I want to read the others, I just...haven't.)
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (I'm kind of a LOTR geek.)
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (Liked it, didn't love it.)
4. The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling (On a fanatical level. Seriously.)
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (In my top five.)
6. The Bible (I got an award in Seminary for reading ALL of the standard works.)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (I read these and I still have my faith! Wow!)
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (This is my forever Number One book.)
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (The entire works? No way. But I have read a fair amount, so I'm counting it.)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (Fun fact: Gandalf and I both have INTJ personalities.)
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (I wanted to move to NY desperately after reading this.)
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (I don't feel strongly about this book one way or the other.)
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (DON'T PANIC.)
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (This book is psycho.)
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (Not all, but most.)
34. Emma - Jane Austen (Actually, Jane Austen had an INTJ personality as well. Cool, no?)
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (I will always have an age-inappropriate crush on Peter.)
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres (All I know about this is that it looked like a really crappy Nicolas Cage movie.)
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne (Adorable!)
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell (This is just a cool book.)
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (It's poorly written and sensationalized, but it's still a fun read.)
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (Oh, Gil!)
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding (I was the ONLY girl in my 12th grade English class to like this book.)
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan (This is actually first on my list of things to read after I graduate.)
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel (I need to re-read this.)
52. Dune - Frank Herbert (I tried reading a few of the sequels, but they just didn't work for me.)
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (Ugh.)
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon (Awesome, awesome book.)
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (Danged depressing, that's what.)
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov Nabokov (I'm currently working on Reading Lolita in Tehran.)
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (Edmund is a totally hot book character. He should have been on my list.)
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’ Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (I was going to mark this as a to-read, but I really don't like Dickens. Not gonna bother.)
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (Great book, good movie, not that crazy about the musical.)
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (Maybe the only Dickens I can tolerate.)
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White (I'm currently working on a list of my favorite kid's books. This is on there.)
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (Eh. Frankly, I thought it was a tad trite.)
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (If you want to almost ruin reading for high school kids, make them read this.)
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (Love it.)
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams (Because women love that sensitive nautical.)
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (Roald Dahl is mostly responsible for my weird sense of humor.)
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

(What, no Huck Finn? I'm sure there are many others left out, but that's the first that came to mind.)

Read count: 31--which is decent, but I can do better. (I guess the average adult has only read 6 or something, so in that regard I'm doing great.)

To be read: 28--I've got my work cut out for me. The prospect of so many books to read makes me happy and tingly.

'Member how I mentioned the other day that I won one of Meg Cabot's t-shirts? And how I promised to blog my winning entry? This is me coming through on that promise, even though my entry was slightly embarrassing. She asked who we would trade bodies with if we had the chance and it was right before the Office finale, so I was a tad side-tracked from any of my more rational choices, like Tina Fey or Grace Kelly (albeit, an alive version of Grace Kelly) or Ina Garten. Instead, here's what I told her.

"Dear Meg,

Body swapping? Hands down, I'd pick Jenna Fischer. I don't really think I need a reason beyond the fact that she gets to KISS JOHN KRASINSKI.

In case that's not enough, I do have additional facts to back my choice up.

1. She's super down-to-earth, which you don't see a whole lot in Hollywood.

2. She's got an amazing figure, but isn't obsessed with her body image. (See: what you don't see a whole lot in Hollywood.)

3. She gets to spend her days being a great actress on the set of The Office.

4. She's, like, bff with Angela Kinsey.

5. She still shops at (and adores!) Target. Me too!

6. Her wardrobe is absolutely fabulous--she wears amazing dresses to awards shows and the rest of the time rocks the jeans and hoodie look. This is my ideal style--dressed way down or snazzed way up!

7. We both broke our backs in the past year, so I can totally relate to that.

8. She's got this ambition that I admire so much--it'd be great to have the courage to up and leave your home in St. Louis to move to L.A. to pursue your dream.

And lest we forgot...she gets to film multiple takes of smooching the dreamy JKras!

I rest my case."

I believe that is referred to as "writing for your audience." I've read (and loved, actually) plenty of Meg's work, so I tried to tailor my entry to what she'd be likely to write. Much to my surprise, it actually worked! I'm rather enamored by the irony of wearing a shirt that so boldly states AIRHEAD.

As a major bonus, the ever-so-awesome Pixie volunteered to send me her ARC of Airhead, which I'd been really looking forward to reading even before the t-shirt debacle. It arrived today, so I know what I'll be doing this weekend! (Other than homework, Capture the Flag, a possible haircut/dye, and the Beatles Tribute concert, of course.)

Who would you trade bodies with?

Also, while we're on the subject on winning stuff, City Streams is having a very generous giveaway, so go enter! (Wal-mart giftcards! I'm mostly opposed to Wal-mart on moral grounds, but my love for free stuff overrides almost any opposition. Plus, it is quite literally one of the four big stores in town, so I rarely have a choice but to take advantage of their always low prices. Always.) Happy weekend!

1. Who thinks of this stuff?




2. Yann Martel (author of Life of Pi) is on a quest to make sure the arts in Canada get enough funding. How? By sending the Prime Minister a book every two weeks, of course! Check out the full list and letters at What is Stephen Harper reading?

3. R. Stevens, author of Diesel Sweeties, will send you a free Music Elitism Diagram postcard if you follow the instructions here.

But you know what they say about good intentions...

I was gonna do a catch-up post, a meme, and maybe recap The Office while at the library, but I decided to take care of my ever-growing numbers in Google Reader.

Instead, can I just leave you with this and make it up later? Thanks, babe.

Oh! I've got a week off between semesters and intend to spend it with my nose buried in many, many good books. Any recommendations?

(Because sometimes a “Top Three” just doesn’t cover it.)

1. Aragorn—Rough, tough, and devastatingly handsome! Faramir has much better taste in women, but Aragorn’s got his destiny all figured out. Did I mention how hot the Strider persona is?

2. Atticus Finch—Honor, thy name is Atticus! He’s not a perfect father, but he knows that. Great vocabulary, wisdom up the wazoo, and a dead shot with a rifle. Southern charm has never seemed so…legal.

3. Edward Cullen/Jacob Black—I couldn’t decide which one to list, so I don’t know how Bella’s going to decide which one gets to be her bf. (Really, we all know who she’ll pick, but the drama isn’t over yet, oh no.) Killer good looks (pun intended, of course) are only a small part of the package with these two.

4. Gilbert Blythe—Okay, this is where I have to ‘fess up and say I’ve only ever read the first Anne of Green Gables (and even that one’s a little hazy, since it’s been so long). Even still, Gil entirely deserves a place on the list, because I’ve seen the movie enough to warrant a spot. He and Anne are the ultimate in Canadian love stories (probably ‘cuz they’re Canada’s only love story).

5. Han Solo—Totally a book character, trust me on this! Han mellows down as the years go back, but his relationship with Leia grows even stronger. It’s interesting to see him domesticate and deal with real-life responsibilities. Annnnd my nerd quota went up about 50 points right there.

6. King Zachary—Kind, noble, and probably gorgeous to boot. His devotion to his country is boundless. Karigan needs to get her stuff together, because Zachary is a man among men.

7. Laurie—I hesitated not putting Professor Bhaer here instead, since I’m much more like Jo than Amy. But it’s Laurie I fell in love with first and continue to fall for time and time again. Laurie’s got passion, which is very high on my list of attractive features *and* he’s musical.

8. Mr. Darcy—He is imperfect on so very many levels, but you know what? None of that matters. He’s Mr. Darcy. The fact of the matter is, he and Elizabeth truly love each other and make each other happy, despite their differences.

9. Peregrine—Looking over this list, it’s clear I have a thing for royalty. I also better explain just who this “Peregrine” guy is. He’s the man-of-all-trades in M.M. Kaye’s absolutely delightful story The Ordinary Princess. Him and Princess Amy, while both quite “ordinary” apart, make a remarkable couple. (See also: Geric, from The Goose Girl)

10. Robin Hood—In the many adaptations of this story, the one I think of most is Robin McKinley’s version. Robin Hood perfected the “scoundrel with a heart of gold” persona long before all the others—and believe me, there have been many since. His other good qualities include vision, loyalty, and a sense of skewed charity.

Others that almost made the cut: Rochester, Knightly, Matthias (on account of being a mouse and all), Nathan Steed, Fred & George, and Arthur Dent.

Any you agree/disagree with? Who'd I leave out?