Down on Ninth Street

Book Rankings of 2006.

2007-02-28T11:43:00.000-06:00

Book Rankings of 2006. In 2006, in addition to my book awards, I also ranked all books I read on a scale of 1-10.

Awesome (10-9)
Dear Brutus, by JM Barrie
Farewell, Miss Julie Logan: A Wintry Tale, by JM Barrie
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer
Our Only May Amelia, by Jennifer L. Holm
Boys: Stories and a Novella, by David Lloyd
Autumn Street, by Lois Lowry
Looking Back: A Book of Memories, by Lois Lowry
The Dogs of Babel, by Carolyn Parkhurst
Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris

Above Average (8-7)
The Boy David, by JM Barrie
Shall We Join the Ladies: Four Plays, by JM Barrie
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood, by Ann Brashares
When the Wind Blows, by Raymond Briggs
Hook Man Speaks, by Matt Clark
Matilda Bone, by Karen Cushman
Because of Winn-Dixie, by KateDiCamillo
Sees Behind the Trees, by Michael Dorris
Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, by EL Konigsburg
Anastasia Again, by Lois Lowry
Anastasia Krupnik, by Lois Lowry
See You Around, Sam, by Lois Lowry
A Summer to Die, by Lois Lowry
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, by David Sedaris
Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
Macbeth, by William Shakespeare
Othello, the Moor of Venice, by William Shakespeare
The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare
In the Shadow of No Towers, by Art Spiegelman
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History, by Art Spiegelman
Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began, by Art Spiegelman
A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams

Average (6-5)
My Brother Tom, by James Aldridge
Echoes of the War, by JM Barrie
Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis
Morning Girl, by Michael Dorris
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
James Herriot's Favorite Dog Stories, by James Herriot
My Louisiana Sky, by Kimberly Willis Holt
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
All About Sam, by Lois Lowry
Anastasia, Absolutely, by Lois Lowry
Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst, by Lois Lowry
Anastasia at Your Service, by Lois Lowry
Gossamer, by Lois Lowry
Little Miss Stoneybrook ... and Dawn, by Ann M. Martin
Mary Anne and the Great Romance, by Ann M. Martin
Alice in April, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Kindergarten, by Peter Rushforth
Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez
Naked, by David Sedaris
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare
King Lear, by William Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare
Meet Kit: An American Girl, 1934, by Valerie Tripp
Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen

Below Average (4-3)
Hide-and-Seek with Angels: A Life of JM Barrie, by Lisa Chaney
A Child's War: World War II Through the Eyes of Children, by Kati David
Love Medicine, by Louise Erdrich
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, by Kimberly Willis Holt
Arthur Rimbaud, by Benjamin Ivry
Anastasia on Her Own, by Lois Lowry
Anastasia's Chosen Career, by Lois Lowry
Attaboy, Sam, by Lois Lowry
The Ghost at Dawn's House, by Ann M. Martin
Introducing Kafka, by David Zane Mairowitz
Magritte, by Pierre Passeron
The King of the Golden River, by John Ruskin
Measure for Measure, by William Shakespeare
The Winter's Tale, by William Shakespeare
The City and the Pillar, by Gore Vidal

Crappy (2-1)
The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dick
The Woman in the Wall, by Patrice Kindl
Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean
Red Stick Men, by Tim Parrish
The Last Safe Place on Earth, by Richard Peck

All Books of 2006.

2007-02-24T15:51:00.000-06:00

All Books of 2006. Since 2003, I have kept lists of all the books I read each year. Here's the round-up for 2006. There are 80 altogether, arranged by author's last name. I wish I had read more.

1. My Brother Tom, by James Aldridge.
2. The Boy David, by JM Barrie.
3. Dear Brutus, by JM Barrie.
4. Echoes of the War, by JM Barrie.
5. Farewell, Miss Julie Logan: A Wintry Tale, by JM Barrie.
6. Shall We Join the Ladies: Four Plays, by JM Barrie.
7. Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood, by Ann Brashares.
8. When the Wind Blows, by Raymond Briggs.
9. Hide-and-Seek with Angels: A Life of JM Barrie, by Lisa Chaney.
10. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin.
11. Hook Man Speaks, by Matt Clark.
12. Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis.
13. Matilda Bone, by Karen Cushman.
14. A Child's War: World War II Through the Eyes of Children, by Kati David.
15. Because of Winn-Dixie, by KateDiCamillo.
16. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dick.
17. Morning Girl, by Michael Dorris.
18. Sees Behind the Trees, by Michael Dorris.
19. Love Medicine, by Louise Erdrich.
20. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer.
21. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon.
22. James Herriot's Favorite Dog Stories, by James Herriot.
23. Our Only May Amelia, by Jennifer L. Holm.
24. My Louisiana Sky, by Kimberly Willis Holt.
25. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, by Kimberly Willis Holt.
26. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston.
27. Arthur Rimbaud, by Benjamin Ivry.
28. The Woman in the Wall, by Patrice Kindl.
29. Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, by EL Konigsburg.
30. Boys: Stories and a Novella, by David Lloyd.
31. All About Sam, by Lois Lowry.
32. Anastasia, Absolutely, by Lois Lowry.
33. Anastasia Again, by Lois Lowry.
34. Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst, by Lois Lowry.
35. Anastasia at Your Service, by Lois Lowry.
36. Anastasia Krupnik, by Lois Lowry.
37. Anastasia on Her Own, by Lois Lowry.
38. Anastasia's Chosen Career, by Lois Lowry.
39. Attaboy, Sam, by Lois Lowry.
40. Autumn Street, by Lois Lowry.
41. Gossamer, by Lois Lowry.
42. Looking Back: A Book of Memories, by Lois Lowry.
43. See You Around, Sam, by Lois Lowry.
44. A Summer to Die, by Lois Lowry.
45. Introducing Kafka, by David Zane Mairowitz.
46. The Ghost at Dawn's House, by Ann M. Martin.
47. Little Miss Stoneybrook ... and Dawn, by Ann M. Martin.
48. Mary Anne and the Great Romance, by Ann M. Martin.
49. Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean.
50. Alice in April, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
51. Alice on the Outside, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
52. Including Alice, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
53. Starting with Alice, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
54. The Dogs of Babel, by Carolyn Parkhurst.
55. Red Stick Men, by Tim Parrish.
56. Magritte, by Pierre Passeron.
57. The Last Safe Place on Earth, by Richard Peck.
58. The King of the Golden River, by John Ruskin.
59. Kindergarten, by Peter Rushforth.
60. Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez.
61. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, by David Sedaris.
62. Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris.
63. Naked, by David Sedaris.
64. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare.
65. Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare.
66. Kig Lear, by William Shakespeare.
67. Macbeth, by William Shakespeare.
68. Measure for Measure, by William Shakespeare.
69. The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare.
70. Othello, the Moor of Venice, by William Shakespeare.
71. Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare.
72. The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare.
73. The Winter's Tale, by William Shakespeare.
74. In the Shadow of No Towers, by Art Spiegelman.
75. Maus I: My Father Bleeds History, by Art Spiegelman.
76. Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began, by Art Spiegelman.
77. Meet Kit: An American Girl, 1934, by Valerie Tripp.
78. A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams.
79. The City and the Pillar, by Gore Vidal.
80. Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen.

All Movies of 2006.

2007-01-05T18:07:00.000-06:00

All Movies of 2006. I usually keep lists of all the books I read, not all the movies I watched, but in 2006, I did both. I saw more movies than usual in 2006, partly because I was keeping this list but also because, for the last few months of the year, I had access to HBO and (for the first time in my life) my own personal TV. Here's the entire list.

The Kid, 1921.
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens [Nosferatu the Vampire], 1922.
Robin Hood, 1922.
Baby, Take a Bow, 1934.
Captain Blood, 1935.
Our Little Girl, 1935.
Captain January, 1936.
Heidi, 1937.
Just Around the Corner, 1938.
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, 1938.
Susannah of the Mounties, 1939.
Gentleman's Agreement, 1947.
Strangers on a Train, 1951.
Anatomy of a Murder, 1959.
Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961.
The Miracle Worker, 1962.
The Lost Boys, 1978.
La Rue Cases-Negres [Sugarcane Alley], 1983.
The Cutting Edge, 1992.
Little Women, 1994.
La Haine [Hatred], 1995.
Moby-Dick, 1998.
The Parent Trap, 1998.
A Christmas Carol, 1999.
Mockingbird Don't Sing, 2001.
My Louisiana Sky, 2001.
Shallow Hal, 2001.
Chicago, 2002.
Spider-Man, 2002.
In Search of Shakespeare, 2003.
The Life of David Gale, 2003.
What a Girl Wants, 2003.
Les Choristes [The Chorus], 2004.
Crash, 2004.
Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles [A Very Long Engagement], 2004.
Mar Adentro [The Sea Inside], 2004.
Shaun of the Dead, 2004.
The Ballad of Jack and Rose, 2005.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, 2005.
The Constant Gardener, 2005.
Corpse Bride, 2005.
The Descent, 2005.
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, 2005.
Good Night, and Good Luck, 2005.
Grizzly Man, 2005.
Hide and Seek, 2005.
A History of Violence, 2005.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 2005.
In Her Shoes, 2005.
King Kong, 2005.
Mrs Henderson Presents, 2005.
Must Love Dogs, 2005.
Nanny McPhee, 2005.
Pride and Prejudice, 2005.
Proof, 2005.
Rent, 2005.
The Skeleton Key, 2005.
V for Vendetta, 2005. * (* = saw in theaters)
War of the Worlds, 2005.
The Da Vinci Code, 2006. *
Little Miss Sunshine, 2006.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, 2006. *
A Prairie Home Companion, 2006. *
When a Stranger Calls, 2006.
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem for New Orleans, 2006.
X-Men 3: The Last Stand, 2006. *

Christmastime Is Here.

2006-12-01T20:57:00.000-06:00

Christmastime Is Here. I gave this Christmas survey to various family members last year.

Adam.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG(S). Hmm. There are a lot. I rather like "A-Soalin'" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Most other Christmas carols have the habit of only being good with one recording.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE. The Nightmare Before Christmas is quite good, although I'm not entirely sure if it's a Christmas movie. It could also be considered a Halloween movie. Home Alone is nice as well.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS FOOD. Haystacks.

Mom.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Judy Garland's verison is the best, her voice is unmistakable.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE. Also Love Actually (same as Sara) I remember watching it on Thanksgiving Day in 2003 in Houston, Texas with John and three of my children. We had gone to Houston to see an exhibit entitled The Heroic Century (most of the pieces were on loan from MOMA in New York while that museum was undergoing renovations). We had such an awesome day, so many of the pieces took my breath away, and I remember watching the movie and looking at each person's face in turn and feeling everything in the world was right and I was surrounded by the people I loved the most.
FAVORITE FOOD. Chocolate covered cheeries (dark chocolate is the best) although I can't eat as many as I once could. I don't really know how this tradition got started but I can remember having them at Christmas since I was maybe five or six. Of course there is the tradition of eggnog. John and I were both made for eggnog and I could write pages on the subject.

Jennifer.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE. A Christmas Story with Peter Billingsley, and now sharing this with Matthew. Matthew received the 20th anniversary 2 disc DVD from Alison and Randy two years ago for Christmas and now it is also his favorite. We must have watched it at least 10 times last Christmas.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS FOOD. Hard to say... probably any type of cookie. I love cookies. Almond Crescents, jam-filled, chocolate, mint, peppermint.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TRADITION. Reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with the kids before bed and driving around to look at all the Christmas lights in our neighborhood.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT CHRISTMAS. Spending time together as a family, all the Christmas lights and decorations, the endless Christmas music on the radio, buying and GIVING gifts (better to give than receive) and the happy feeling that comes around this time of year.
WHAT I WANT MOST FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR IS... Good health for everyone in my family!

Laura.
One of the hardest aspects of living overseas is being so far from family on Christmas. We've been able to lure my parents over here for a number of Christmases, but it's not the same as being able to see my siblings too. My dad's 80th birthday provided a great excuse to come to NYC just for Christmas and to see for the first time my nephew James (Andy and Seon's son, almost 2) and to have all my immediate family in the same place at once - it's been at least four or five years since that happened. It also was great to see Vicky, Alison, George, Steve and their spouses a couple weeks ago. Both Steve and Mark made very nice toasts to my dad and the evening meant a great deal to him.
I said something to Mark that night that I want to repeat, which is if any of you would like to come to the Island and use the cabin that I still sometimes think of as Aunt Anne's, you are more than welcome. We generally are there from mid-July to mid August, but that leaves a lot of summer when the cabin is unoccupied. So keep it in mind.
CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS. I remember my dad often had to work on Christmas, so the holiday would be over for us by 9 a.m. The four kids would wake before dawn to open stockings, then wait impatiently for my parents to get up. We'd all have to have eaten a good breakfast and be dressed and presentable before Dad would start handing out gifts. He'd then head off to work, and the four kids would generally play with our new toys and end up by mid afternoon in an exhausted, post-present daze.
The biggest celebration really occured the night before, Christmas Eve, which is also my brother Mike's birthday. We'd have roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for dinner, often a birthday cake for dessert, then sing carols to my mother's piano accompaniment. Once we had Steve and Verna for this evening, and we all were thrilled to have their great voices in our midst.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE. It has to be the old black and white version of Scrooge, based very faithfully on Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It might be a bit scary for younger children, but my kids, now 14, 12 and 7, all love it, even though it is old and not in color. We see it every year and it is well worth seeing this version of a story by a man who basically "invented" Christmas and the way it is celebrated today.

Sara.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG(S). I really love "River," a Joni Mitchell song that's covered by the Indigo Girls on one of their live albums, and also Robert Downey Jr. on an episode of Ally McBeal. That's sort of a sad Christmas/winter song. I like "Happy Christmas," by John Lennon, and "Christmastime Is Here" from A Charlie Brown Christmas, and of course, that classic chesnut "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," by a very demonic young singer.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE(S). Love Actually
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS FOOD(S). My aunt Carla's peanut butter chocolate candy. It's my crack.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TRADITION(S). For his last three Christmases, my dad bought each of us a clock. I got a really awesome backwards clock that now hangs above my computer, and Rebecca got a Rosie the Riveter clock. Adam's year was the year Dad died, so obviously he didn't get one, but that was a good tradition while it lasted.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT CHRISTMAS. I will have to second Rebecca and say no school. Oh, and my birthday is in December!
WHAT I WANT MOST THIS CHRISTMAS IS... Season one of "House, M.D." on DVD. We'll see if that actually happens.
MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS WAS... I don't really think about stuff like that. One year Rebecca and I staggered around the house pretending to be drunk on egg nog (we were kids). That was fun. Last year we got a trip to New York City and a new computer, which were great presents.

Me.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG(S). There are so many! To narrow it down as much as possible, I'll say "A-Soaling," by Peter, Paul, & Mary, "Simply Havin' a Wonderful Christmastime," by Paul McCartney, "That's What I Want for Christmas," by Shirley Temple, and "Louisiana Christmas Day," by Aaron Neville.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE(S). Miracle on 34th Street, the one with Natalie Wood, Home Alone, and The Preacher's Wife.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS FOOD(S). Green Glop! (Green Jell-O with marshmallows and cottage cheese - so delicious!) My mom's Fudge Orleans. "Bacon & Eggs" - this is a snack we make by putting a little dollop of white chocolate on two pretzel sticks, then putting a yellow M&M in the center of the chocolate, so it really does look like a tiny fried egg over two slices of bacon. I made about a hundred of these last Christmas.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TRADITION(S). My family always watches A Hard Day's Night while we're decorating the Christmas tree.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT CHRISTMAS. No school! Everything else (the decorations, the food, the presents, the time with my family) comes in second.
WHAT I WANT MOST THIS CHRISTMAS IS... JM Barrie books. Oh, and passing all my final exams and classes would be nice, too. But I guess that one will have to be my present to myself.
MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS WAS... Probably Christmas 2001, when I watched Miracle on 34th Street over and over and over until my family was ready to kill me. And I think our Christmas tree that year must have had cancer, or some other terrible sickness, because whenever anybody so much as breathed on it too hard, about fifty pine needles fell off.

Favorite Children's Books.

2006-08-14T19:52:00.000-05:00

Favorite Children's Books. For clarification, this painstakingly-compiled list is limited to books that I read and loved as a child. Children's books that I read during my teens or later (i.e., when I was no longer a child) are not included, even though I read some wonderful children's books during these years, most notably the Harry Potter Series and recent Newberry Award winners. This list is one of the most difficult lists I've ever made. Believe it or not, it was hard to limit myself to forty books.

The books are listed in the order that I read them.

1. The Store-Bought Doll, by Lois Meyer. I cannot remember a time in my life when I didn't know and love this book. Sara and I still have the same old battered copy that we've had since forever, complete with the crayon scribbles and frayed pages, and I'm sure that we could both recite the entire book from memory. This book is enough to make me hope that I have a daughter someday, so I can read about Christina and her little doll Lucy to her.

2. Witch Down the Street: Tale From the Care Bears, by Stephanie Morgan. One of my earliest memories is of begging Mom to read this book to me, over and over and over. When Mom finally got sick of it and suggested that we read something else, I started crying. I can only imagine how much Mom must have grown to hate this book, but all I cared about was watching as the Care Bears ate a peanut-butter sandwich with Melissa and taught her that the "witch" down the street was really just a lonely old lady.

3. A Child's Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Like most children in America, my siblings and I had a copy of this book when we were kids. All four of us loved it, but I'm the only one who can still remember it well. I was fascinated by the world of Stevenson's childhood, which was at once familiar, via "The Swing" and other poems about universal kiddie joys, and foreign, full of images of nannies and snow and other things I had never known.

4. The Monster at the End of This Book, by Jon Stone. This is such a great book. It is not only cute and funny and perfect for little kids, but I think it has a universal lesson that everyone can appreciate, including adults: Sometimes things that seem scary (like the so-called monster) turn out to be completely harmless (like Grover himself), so don't be afraid to turn the page into something new.

5. There's an Alligator Under My Bed, by Mercer Mayer. My favorite thing about this book was the wide variety of food (candies and soda in his bedroom, fresh vegetables on the stairs) that the boy used to lure the alligator out from under bed, through his house, and into the garage. I always loved the idea of a little boy calmly outwitting a monster under his bed, as I, like most kids, was also convinced there was a monster under my bed when I read this book.

6. The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams. I doubt there are many kids left in the world who don't have a copy of this book. Its theme is universal. It was Toy Story decades before Toy Story existed, and for a little girl who took her stuffed animal friends very seriously, it touched a deep chord. This book was probably what sparked my lengthy childhood crusade to bring my teddy bear and other toys to life.

7. Ira Says Goodbye, by Bernard Waber. Although the illustrations are goofy, this book about Ira's best friend Reggie moving away was one of the first books I remember reading all by myself. Plus, Ira and Reggie had pet turtles, and I would want one of my own even more after reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

8. Cannonball Chris, by Jean Marzollo. This was another one of the first books I read by myself. Although I was never scared of the deep end of the pool like Chris, I admired his courage in overcoming his fear, and in that sense, this book has a universal appeal. The illustrations are great, too.

9. Amelia Bedelia, by Peggy Parish. I have always been impatient, and when I was a kid, I was frustrated to no end by people who didn't learn or understand things as quickly as I did. The simple-minded maid Amelia Bedelia was one of those people. Whereas Mom and Adam found her misinterpretation of simple directions funny, I read the book more to gawk at Amelia's stupidity than for any other reason.

10. Winnie-the-Pooh, by AA Milne. What better proof of my love for Pooh and his friends than my attempt to recreate the Hundred Acre Wood in my bedroom? I made a house for my toy Pooh Bear out of a cardboard box with SANDERS scribbled on it. Then there was my Pooh t-shirt, my Piglet key chain, my beloved copy of the Disney movie (which I could recite from memory), and my three different copies of this book, which all children should read
.
11. Heckedy Peg, by Audrey Wood. Even though I have my own copy of this book now, I could still tell you exactly where to find it in my old library. I flipped through it at least twice every time we went to the library, once to read the words, once to look at the beautiful illustrations, and usually once more to pretend that I was Wednesday, my favorite of the seven children, turned into milk by an evil witch and then rescued by her mother.

12. Karen's Witch, by Ann M. Martin. Sara has always been obsessed with Ann M. Martin's Baby-Sitters Club Series, and when I was in first grade, she also had a few books from its spin-off about Kristy's stepsister Karen, Baby-Sitters Little Sister. I read one of them (I think the first one I read was Karen's School Trip, where Ms. Colman's class went to the zoo), and I was hooked.

13. Meet Samantha: An American Girl, by Susan S. Adler. Addy was my favorite of the American Girl Series, and Kirsten was Sara's, but my elementary school library only had Samantha's books, so hers were the first I read. I would eventually read almost all of the American Girl Series; my cousin (or someone) had Felicity's books, and I later became a much bigger fan of Kirsten, the pioneer girl who lived near the Indians, as I was Indian-obsessed for a few years after reading The Indian in the Cupboard.

14. Bunnicula, by James Howe. My second-grade class voted, and we decided that this book was the one we wanted Ms. Leonards to read aloud to us. I loved it so much that when I discovered that there were more books about Howard the dog, Chester the cat, and Bunnicula the vampire rabbit, I read the entire series. I can still remember sitting by myself at recess, my back against the school's red brick wall, reading and reading and reading.

15. Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My third-grade teacher Ms. Myers didn't let the class take a vote. She chose this book and its companion, Little House in the Big Woods, to read aloud to us, and I've always been glad she did. I bought both of them at a book fair in the school library a few months later, and I've loved reading about the adventures of Laura and her family ever since. These books are great comfort food.

16. The Boxcar Children, by Gertrude Chandler Warner. My mom recommended this series to me because the Alden family had two boys and two girls (Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny), just like ours. That was about as far as the similarities went between us and the Aldens, who liked things like hard work and healthy food. Although they're a bit dated, I still think that these are great books for kids, especially the first one, which is big on honesty and independence.

17. Charlotte's Web, by EB White. When I was a kid, the one thing I loved more than reading was swinging, and the beautiful description of Zuckerman's Swing in chapter ten of this book was enough to make me fall in love with it. Although I read and enjoyed the entire book, the scene where Fern and Avery take turns on that amazing swing was the one I read over and over again. I was so jealous of them.

18. Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein. This book was a gift at my ninth birthday party. After I unwrapped it, I immediately flipped it open to my favorite poem, "Sick," which made all the kids at my party laugh out loud. Shel Silverstein is a modern-day Robert Louis Stevenson, a poet who remembers what kids love, what makes kids laugh, and most importantly, what it was like to be a kid.

19. The Indian in the Cupboard, by Lynne Reid Banks. All of the books on this list hold an important place in my childhood, but none of them can even come close to this one. Between fourth grade and seventh grade (when I read Watership Down), this book was my Bible. It was probably the first book that I really, truly loved, and it was definitely the first to make me realize how deeply books can affect our lives. This book was also the entire reason for me getting in trouble at school for the very first time. I knew that I shouldn't be reading it during class, but it was as if the book was a terrible addictive drug that had taken control of my body; I simply could not put it down, to the point that Ms. Landry had to send a note home to my parents about it.

20. Henry and Beezus, by Beverly Cleary. The praise on the back cover of my copy of this book claimed that Henry, Beezus, and their friends were as real as the kids on the next block. Although I loved this book, Henry's Klickitat Street of the 1950s felt almost as far away as Robert Louis Stevenson's poetry. I still think that the scene where Henry buys a used bicycle for only four dollars confused my perception of money and value for a long time.

21. The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I read this haunting book for the first time when I was in fourth grade (Athena lent me her copy), and by the time my entire class read and studied it in eighth grade, I had reread it several times, each times, each time learning and understanding a little more. It doesn't have the laugh-out-loud humor of most of Lowry's books, but it does explore a lot of important issues. Is safety worth sacrificing freedom? Is it right to sacrifice one person to save many? What is family? What is wisdom? While many of the books on this schmaltzy list may be buried and forgotten someday, this is one will always be brilliant -- and important. It is simply one of the greatest children's books of the twentieth century.

22. Wayside School is Falling Down, by Louis Sachar. I loved all of the Wayside School books, but this one was my favorite. I loved the long-suffering yard teacher Louis, the nonexistent Miss Zarves, the spiteful principal Mr. Kidswatter, and the lingering mystery surrounding Miss Gorf, who supposedly haunted the school. I felt like I knew all of the students in Mrs. Jewels's class very well, and my favorite was probably Allison, with her sky-blue eyes and blond hair.

23. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume. I bought this book at a book fair in my fifth-grade school library. I read most of Judy Blume's Fudge books, but I never loved any of them nearly as much as this one, the first in the series. I admired Peter Hatcher so much for having a pet turtle, living in New York City, and for being able to put up with his immature parents, his spoiled little brother Fudge, and the neighborhood brat Sheila.

24. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain. Almost all elementary school girls go through a tomboy phase, and when I went through mine, this was my favorite book. Like most kids, I was madly jealous of Tom, his adventures, and the incredible amount of freedom that he enjoyed: He could climb right over fences, but when I tried, I hurt myself; he could run away to an island in the Mississippi River or get lost in a dark cave, but I could only go on short bike rides through my boring suburban neighborhood.

25. The Big Lie: A True Story, by Isabella Leitner. I'm putting this book on the list because I read it a lot when I was a kid, but I'm not sure if I would call it a favorite. Years after reading this children's book about the Holocaust, and after taking a college course focused exclusively on Holocaust literature, I don't know if anything as horrific as the Holocaust can ever be made into a book that's appropriate for children. I also don't know if I should have been allowed to read this book at such a young age. Although I do strongly believe that children should be educated about the Holocaust, a less graphic book (for example, Number the Stars, by the ever-brilliant Lois Lowry, which I've since read) would have been much less disturbing to me.

26. Matilda, by Roald Dahl. When I was a kid, I adored all of Roald Dahl's children's books, and I read most of them in about an hour. This book was probably my favorite one by him. In the vein of There's an Alligator Under My Bed, I liked the image of a child calmly and cleverly outsmarting a monster (in this case, the tyrannical Trunchbull), and I also liked to think of myself as similar to Matilda in that we both read so much.

27. The Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell. This book is a little similar to The Boxcar Children in that both present young people learning to fend for themselves, finding their own food, shelter, etc., and they both taught me that with independence comes responsibility (freedom doesn't mean total fun, as it seems to for Tom Sawyer). I liked watching Karana grow and mature as she learned to provide for herself on the island.

28. Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson. The first time I read this book, I didn't understand some important parts of it. Why did Miss Edmunds seem to enjoy spending so much time with Jesse, her student? If Leslie's parents were rich, why did they live like they were poor? What kind of "strength and courage" (quoted from the back cover of my copy) did Leslie's death bequeath to Jesse? But my confusion over this book was exactly what made me love it. Real life was confusing, and sometimes painful, and this book never tried to hide that or dub it down because I was a kid.

29. Hot and Cold Summer, by Johanna Hurwitz. Although I never had a talking parrot or a snowball fight using scoops of ice cream, the one thing that I always copied from Bolivia was her method of eating pizza -- two slices stuck together with crusts on the outside, the pizza sandwich. I still eat my pizza like this, too!

30. Soup, by Robert Newton Peck. This book is packed with nostalgia and fun, but it doesn't gloss over the politically incorrect atmosphere of the 1920s, either. Robert and Soup have adventures that any kid would envy (their attempt to hit the church bell by whipping apples was always my favorite), but they also both agree that there's no such thing as a good Jew when they try to steal from the owner of the junkyard. And then there were Soup's "torture tests" that bordered on S&M. Those always weirded me out.

31. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, by Bette Bao Lord. My favorite thing about this book was the clear unity that developed between the students of Mrs. Rappaport's class. Mrs. Rappaport even moves from teaching fifth grade to sixth so they can all stay together. Even though I never really liked baseball like all of them did (by the time I read this book, I had played baseball for one season, and I sucked at it), I loved her class almost as much as I loved Mrs. Jewels's class.

32. The Good Master, by Kate Seredy. This book is simply wonderful, and I've never understood why it hasn't gotten all the praise and attention it deserves. This forgotten classic chronicles the adventures of Jancsi, a strong little farmer living in the Hungarian countryside, as he learns to get along with Kate, his spoiled city girl cousin from Budapest. I still laugh when Kate uses the words "phone" and "taxicab," and Jancsi (who has never heard either word before) tells her to stop swearing.

33. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by EL Konigsburg. I didn't set foot in the Metropolitan Museum of Art until years after reading this book, and I'm glad that I got to read the book first. That way, when I finally did visit the museum, I remembered Claudia and Jamie, the bathroom stalls where they stood on the toilets, the fountains where they took baths, the sixteenth-century bed where they slept. Sometimes when I'm lying awake at night, I still use Claudia's method for falling asleep -- glide, fur, banana, peace.

34. The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare. After reading The Indian in the Cupboard launched me into a long Indian obsession, I had soon finished every kid's book in the library about Indians, and this one was one of my favorites. Like Omri, the British boy of The Indian in the Cupboard, pioneer boy Matt also becomes stronger and wiser after making an Indian friend. Further proof that this book is great is that Adam read it, and he doesn't often read books that don't have the word comic in front of them.

35. Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh. Harriet M. Welch always puzzled me. Her family was rich, she got to eat cake and milk everyday after school, she was an only child with a cook and nurse, she didn't have to go to public school with "things like shop that we don't have," and yet she still somehow managed to have her share difficulties in life. I eventually decided that although I liked reading about her, I would hate her if I actually knew her. Harriet hated certain kids in her class, e.g. Pinky Whitehead, for no apparent reason, even before they read her notebook. Many of the things she wrote in her notebook were very mean, and in the end, they were all published in the school paper!

36. Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink. As with The Little House on the Prairie, here again is the feisty pioneer girl, her home on the prairie, her devoted dog. But whereas Laura would be happy to see just one Indian papoose, tomboy Caddie has a Indian friend who gives her a dog and a scalp belt. I know that if little Laura Ingalls could ever read this book, she would want to be Caddie Woodlawn, and when I read it, I wanted to be her, too.

37. Hang Tough, Paul Mather, by Alfred Slote. This book about twelve-year-old Paul, who must give up playing baseball, his favorite thing, when he is diagnosed with leukemia, wrenched my eleven-year-old heart right out of me when I read it for the first time. The descriptions of Paul's chemotherapy treatments were a little brutal for a sensitive child like me, but I think such realistic depiction makes this book one of the most touching children's books about leukemia.

38. Lassie Come-Home, by Eric Knight. Behind the sappy TV shows and the cliched cries about Timmy falling down the well, this original story of Lassie, and her original owner Joe Carraclough, remains an incredibly sophisticated classic. The big words, long sentences, and serious plot overwhelmed me at first, but I have always been a dog-lover, and so I managed to plow through the whole book. I've loved it ever since.

39. Rascal, by Sterling North. By the time I read this book in fifth grade, the list of literary animals that I wanted for my own had gotten quite lengthy. I wanted Bunnicula, Toby and Pete's vampire rabbit; I wanted Wilbur, Fern's pig; I wanted Dribble, Peter's turtle; I wanted Lucette, Bolivia's parrot; I wanted Milky, Kate and Jancsi's horse; and I wanted all the dogs -- Jack, Watch, Rontu, Prince Terrian, Nero, Lassie. But then a new pet topped the list. I wanted Rascal. I wanted a pet raccoon.

40. Down the Road, by Alice Schertle. I still remember my surprise when I came across this children's picture book in a library meant for teenagers. I was fascinated by it, probably because it was so out-of-place, and read it several times.

2004 Book Awards.

2006-06-29T20:03:00.000-05:00

2004 Book Awards. I've looked very carefully over the lists of books for 204 and handed out the following awards. To keep the awards from getting repetative, the rule is that no book can win twice. For example, JM Barrie and the Lost Boys really should have won for Best Overall, but it had already won for Best Barrie Biography and couldn't win again. I wrote comments for those I felt like commenting on.

Overall Best Book of 2004: Peter and Wendy, by J.M. Barrie. There was no contest. From the day I saw PJ Hogan's Peter Pan in a movie theater on January 2, to the day I celebrated Peter Pan's 100th birthday on December 27 -- the play premiered in London on December 27, 1904 -- the boy who wouldn't grow up was an important part of 2004. I learned more about Peter and the beautiful, bizarre story behind his creation than I had ever expected to, and this book -- the prose version of the play, published by Barrie in 1911 -- was the one that started it all.
Overall Worst Book of 2004: Kissing Doorknobs, by Terry Spencer Hesser. This was one of the last books I read in 2004, and it was phenomenally bad that I couldn't stop reading it. A severe case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder makes life unbearably tedious for the narrator Tara, just as Terry Spencer Hesser's severe lack of talent makes the book unbearably tedious for her audience. This book is full of undeveloped cardboard characters and really boring narration, as well as a plot that moves at a snail's pace and a serious disorder that deserves a much better book.

Best Newberry: The View From Saturday, by E.L. Konigsburg. This book, which won the Newberry in 1997, tells the story of four misfit sixth-graders -- Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian, who call themselves "The Souls" -- who are all chosen for the quiz bowl team by their paraplegic teacher. Their championship quiz bowl match is interspersed with glimpses into the kids's daily lives, which include lessons about the importance of afternoon tea, the life cycles of sea turtles, the appeal of operas and English accents, and learning to accept things like divorce, death, and disability. The only fault I could find in this book was the instant connection and unity between The Souls, which felt a little unrealistic.
Best Newberry Runner-Up: Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi. This fast-paced book, which won the Newberry in 2003, tells the story of a young boy who is falsely accused of murder after his mother dies and must run for his life from the tiny feudal village where he's always lived. As he flees across Medeival Europe, he makes his first real friend (a gentle giant juggler named Bear) learns sweet and sobering lessons about life and the world around him, and discovers his true identity.
Worst Newberry: Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant.
Worst Newberry Runner-Up: Sounder, by William H. Armstrong.

Best School-Required Book: A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, by Michael Dorris.
Best School-Required Book Runner-Up: Anything You Say Can and Will be Used Against You, by Laurie Lynn Drummond. When one of the students in my English class asked our professor if she would be teaching it again next year, she said, "Well, of course. Did anybody not like that book?"
Worst School-Required Book: The Wailing Wind, by Tony Hillerman.
Worst School-Required Book Runner-Up: A Window Facing West, by John S. Tarlton.

Best Barrie Biography: J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys, by Andrew Birkin. Words simply cannot describe how beautifully and brilliantly this book chronicles the lives of JM Barrie and his adopted children, the Llewelyn Davies brothers. Mr. Birkin's truly honest and dedicated research -- including hours of interviews with the youngest brother, Nicholas Llewelyn Davies, and countless letters to other friends and family -- and it shows on every captivating and beautifully illustrated page. I will always be grateful to Mr. Birkin for sharing Barrie's story, and for sharing his own (his deeply touching story about his son Anno in the introduction). This book continues to teach me so much about learning to accept growing up and growing old.
Best Barrie Biography Runner-Up: J.M. Barrie: The Man Behind the Image, by Janet Dunbar. This biography isn't as touching or as well-written as Andrew Birkin's, but it is more informative in some respects. Birkin's biography stops rather suddenly at Michael Llewelyn Davies's death in 1921, but Dunbar's continues until Barrie's death in 1937. (Barrie's relationships with Cynthia Asquith and Elizabeth Berger, for example, are almost completely absent from Birkin's book because Barrie didn't meet them until after Michael died.) Dunbar also portrays Barrie in a more negative light than Birkin: whereas he downplays Barrie's faults, she emphasizes them, particularly his heroin use in his old age.
Worst Barrie Biography: J.M. Barrie, by Roger Lancelyn Green. Green is a popular children's author, and I've heard wonderful things about his book Fifty Years of Peter Pan (although I have yet to read it myself, unfortunately), but he shouldn't have bothered to write this little pamphlet on Barrie.
Worst Barrie Biography Runner-Up: James M. Barrie, by Harry M. Geduld. This one lost me when the author claimed that the cold window glass between Peter Pan and the Darling nursery was symbolic of the frozen lake that killed 13-year-old David Barrie (the author's breath) when he fell while ice-skating.

Best Nonfiction: The Cajuns: Americanization of a People, by Shane K. Bernard.
Worst Nonfiction: The Revolutionary Age of Andrew Jackson, by Robert V. Remini.
Strangest Nonfiction: Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs.

Most Boring: Edgar Allan, by John Neufeld. This book's potentially sensitive plot is lost in 12-year-old Michael's narration of the botched adoption of toddler Edgar Allan, who is about as real as a cardboard cutout kid. Despite the misleading title, Edgar Allan isn't the focus of this book; that would be Michael and his father. As his father is a minister, Christian values should play a bigger part than vague references like "something to do with church work." There is very little real action or dialogue, and that is sandwiched between Michael's endlessly boring descriptions of his family.
Most Boring Runner-Up: The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.
Most Suspenseful: Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden.
Most Suspenseful Runner-Up: What Happened to Lani Garver, by Carol Plum-Ucci.

Best Book Involving Onions: Holes, by Louis Sachar.
Worst Book Involving Onions: Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold.

Most Anticipated Book of 2004: J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys, by Andrew Birkin. I know it is my rule that no book can win more than two awards, but this one touched my life so much that I simply have to make an exception for it. I immediately began coming across praise for it when I began researching Barrie's life in January, and I still remember how thrilled I was when I finally found a library copy in March, and when Sara gave me my own copy for my birthday in October, shortly after Dad died. This book brought me so much comfort throughout 2004 (I read a brief excerpt from it at Carolyn's funeral in September).

Breakout Author of 2004: J.M. Barrie.
Breakout Author Runner-Up: Carol Plum-Ucci.

All Books of 2004.

2006-06-21T20:57:00.000-05:00

All Books of 2004. Since 2003, I have kept lists of all the books I read each year. Here's the round-up for 2004. There are 70 altogether, arranged by author's last name. I wish I had read more. I wrote comments for the books I felt like commenting on.

1. Cajun and Creole Folktales, by Barry Jean Ancelet.
2. Sounder, by William H. Armstrong.
3. Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi.
4. Allahakbarries CC, by JM Barrie. This one is a rare book recounting the adventures of Barrie's cricket team, the Allahakbarries, including their annual match against their long-time rival, Madam de Navarro. The team, whose changing cast included authors like Arthur Conan Doyle, AA Milne, EV Lucas, and George Meredith, and Charles Tennyson, was originally named the Allahakbars (Arabic for "Heaven help us"), but later changed their name in honor of their captain.
5. The Little White Bird: Adventures in Kensington Gardens, by JM Barrie.
6. Margaret Ogilvy, by JM Barrie.
7. Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, by JM Barrie.
8. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, by JM Barrie.
9. Peter and Wendy, by JM Barrie.
10. The Cajuns: Americanization of a People, by Shane K. Bernard.
11. Anne Frank and Me, by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld.
12. JM Barrie and the Lost Boys, by Andrew Birkin.
13. A Gathering of Days, by Joan Blos. This book, which was the Newberry winner in 1980, is in the format of a diary belonging to 13-year-old Catherine, a girl growing up a New Hampshire farm in the 1830s. It is not as funny as some of the other Newberry winners on this list, but it is still much better than Up a Road Slowly, which was the Newberry winner in 1967 and also tells the story of a young girl's coming-of-age.
14. Dry, by Augusten Burroughs.
15. Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs.
16. Hook, by Terry Brooks.
17. Chasing Redbird, by Sharon Creech.
18. JM Barrie, by WA Darlington.
19. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, by Michael Dorris.
20. Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You, by Laurie Lynn Drummond.
21. JM Barrie: The Man Behind the Image, by Janet Dunbar.
22. Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright.
23. Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes. This one was the Newberry winner in 1952, and it is one of the quirkiest children's books I've ever read. Nonsensical stories about a man named Bumbernickel, a 3-year-old uncle, a vertical swimmer, a cat who opens doors, one very mysterious yellow hat, and a heaping helping of "the Friskies and the Japanese" all make this book very odd and very fun.
24. Mardi Gras, Gumbo, and Zydeco: Reading in Southern Louisiana Culture, by Marcia Gaudet.
25. James M. Barrie, by Harry M. Geduld.
26. JM Barrie, by Roger Lancelyn Green.
27. The Peter Pan Chronicles: The Nearly 100 Year History of "the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," by Bruce K. Hanson.
28. Kissing Doorknobs, by Terry Spencer Hesser.
29. The Wailing Wind, by Tony Hillerman.
30. Up a Road Slowly, by Irene Hunt.
31. Silent to the Bone, by EL Konigsburg.
32. The View From Saturday, by EL Konigsburg.
33. Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold.
34. Rabbit Hill, by Robert Lawson.
35. Strawberry Girl, by Lois Lenski. This one was the Newberry winner in 1946, and it is a sweet story about 10-year-old Birdie's move to rural Florida, where her family plans to become strawberry farmers, and her evolving friendship with Shoestring, the only good egg in the terrible family next door. It loses points for its sickeningly sappy ending, but it's very good otherwise.
36. Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry.
37. The Giver, by Lois Lowry.
38. Messenger, by Lois Lowry.
39. Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry.
40. Rabble Starkey, by Lois Lowry.
41. Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden.
42. Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street, by Ann M. Martin.
43. Claudia and the Middle School Mystery, by Ann M. Martin.
44. Everything Changes, by Ann M. Martin.
45. Kristy and the Kidnappers, by Ann M. Martin.
46. Kristy and the Secret of Susan, by Ann M. Martin. What is Susan's secret? She has autism. But since 13-year-old Kristy Thomas, Susan's baby-sitter, is the center of the universe in Stoneybrook, Connecticut, she assumes that she can cure Susan's autism. I hated the arrogant, bossy, and possibly lesbian president and founder of the Baby-Sitter's Club more than ever after reading this book.
47. New York, New York!, by Ann M. Martin.
48. Stacey McGill...Matchmaker?, by Ann M. Martin.
49. Welcome Home, Mary Anne, by Ann M. Martn.
50. Edgar Allan, by John Neufeld.
51. Twelve Years a Slave, by Solomon Northup.
52. A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck. This one was the Newberry winner in 2001, and the cynicism of its narrator, 15-year-old Mary Alice, and the eccentric behavior of her grandmother kept me laughing out loud as I read it. A postmistress's encounter with the snakes in the grandmother's attic is especially hilarious.
53. The Body of Christopher Creed, by Carol Plum-Ucci.
54. What Happened to Lani Garver, by Carol Plum-Ucci.
55. The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin.
56. The Revolutionary Age of Andrew Jackson, by Robert V. Remini.
57. Cajun Folktales, by JJ Reneaux.
58. Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant.
59. Holes, by Louis Sachar.
60. Roller Skates, by Ruth Sawyer. This one was the Newberry winner for 1937, and it's a little dated now (as opposed to something like the more timeless Caddie Woodlawn, which won in 1936), but its narrator, 10-year-old Lucinda, still gives the book a lot of life, charm, and humor. I was rolling on the floor laughing when Lucinda wrote in her diary, "I expect Aunt Emily is quite going to stir up Heaven when she gets there. Maybe she won't ever get there. That would be a good joke on her!"
61. The Good Master, by Kate Seredy.
62. Miracles on Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorenson. This one was the Newberry winner in 1957, and it's a bit similar to Strawberry Girl. Both feature a young girl -- in this case, 10-year-old Marly -- learning to enjoy life in a new place with new friends. In Strawberry Girl, the healing and happy ending goes to the Slater family, the troubled neighbors, but in this book, it goes to Marly's father, who hasn't been the same since he returned from a WW2 prisoner camp.
63. A Window Facing West, by John S. Tarlton.
64. Lexington and Concord, by Arthur Tourtellot.
65. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.
66. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren.
67. Inventing Wonderland: The Lives and Fantasies of Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, JM Barrie, Kenneth Grahame, and AA Milne, by Jackie Wullschlager.
68. Now or Neverland: Peter Pan and the Myth of Eternal Youth, by Ann Yeoman. This was a good book, but it took me about twice as long to read it as it usually would have taken me for a book of its size. Why? Here is a randomly selected sentece: "The visionary artist, that is, the artist who confronts impersonal, archetypal material, adopts a sacrificial and humble stance vis-a-vis his or her vision and so serves as the crucible in which raw inspiration becomes incarnate as artifact." I pause, reread the sentence, think about it, and continue.
69. The Devil's Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen.
70. The Pigman, by Paul Zindel.

2003 Summer Movies.

2006-02-24T20:01:00.000-06:00

Summer 2003 Movie Awards. My brother and I composed this list well over two years ago. He was supposed to post it on his message board forum so members could vote for their favorites, but I don't think he ever did. I had forgotten about it until just recently, when I was looking through old files in my computer. Anyway, here it is.

Best Villain
Agent Smith, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions
Magneto, X2: X-Men United (My pick, although the real villain of this movie was Stryker.)
Sauron, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
TX / Flyscape, Terminator 3
Bill, Kill Bill: Volume I
Vincent, Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven’s Door

Best Hero
Neo, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions
Wolverine, X2
Aragorn, The Return of the King
Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean (My pick, although my favorite Johnny Depp role will forever and always be JM Barrie in Finding Neverland.)
Marlin, Finding Nemo
T-800, Terminator 3
Bruce Banner, The Hulk
Allan Quatermain, The League

Best Heroine
Trinity, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions
Jean Gray, X2
Eowyn, The Return of the King
Elizabeth Swann, Pirates of the Caribbean
Dory, Finding Nemo (My pick. Dory was awesome! And she was the only one of this category who didn't really annoy me.)
The Bride, Kill Bill

Most Wicked Scene
The Freeway Car Chase, Matrix Reloaded
The Sentinels Breach Zion, Matrix Revolutions
Magneto's Prisonbreak, X2 (My pick! Magneto is so awesome!)
The Ghosts of the Past Repay their Debts, The Return of the King (A close second.)
The Anime Flashback, Kill Bill
The Warlock on Halloween, Cowboy Bebop

Best Line
"Isn't that worth dying for?" - Morpheus, Matrix Reloaded
"I'm not such a bad guy, once you get to know me." - Agent Smith, Matrix Revolutions (My pick. It was the best part of the whole lame movie.)
"The war has begun." - Magneto, X2
"I am back." - T-800, Terminator 3
"A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not today! This day, we fight!" - Aragorn, The Return of the King
"Halloween is the only night of the year, when if a soul in purgatory prays hard enough, they'll be let into heaven. Say your prayers." - Vincent, Cowboy Bebop

Cheesiest Male Line
"Trinity ... I just love you too damn much." - Neo, Matrix Reloaded
"Just call me Iceman." - Bobby Drake, X2 (My pick.)

Cheesiest Female Line
"Kiss me. Once more, kiss me." - Trinity, Matrix Revolutions
"I am no man!" - Eowyn, The Return of the King (My pick. The way she was tossing her hair when she said this was right out of a shampoo commercial.)
"I look at you, and I’m home. Please, I don't want that to go away. I don't want to forget." - Dory, Finding Nemo

Funniest Male Line
"Holy shit!" - Wolverine, X2
"That still only counts as one!" - Gimli, The Return of the King
"'It must've been terrible for you, Jack. Must've been terrible!' Well, it bloody is now!" - Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean (This is a hard choice, but this one is probably my pick. And it is only one of so many great Jack Sparrow lines.)
"I never knew my father!" - Bruce, Finding Nemo

Funniest Female Line
"You like pain? Try wearing a corset!" - Elizabeth Swann, Pirates of the Caribbean
"And I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy." - Dory, Finding Nemo (My favorite. I think this one of the most popular lines from the movie.)

Best Couple
Neo and Trinity, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions
Scott Summers and Jean Grey, X2
Aragorn and Arwen, The Return of the King
Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, Pirates of the Caribbean (My pick.)

Best Double / Triple Players
Orlando Bloom: The Return of the King and Pirates of the Caribbean
Keira Knightley: Pirates of the Caribbean, Love Actually, and Bend It Like Beckham (My second choice.)
Ian McKellen: X2 and The Return of the King (My pick.)
Geoffrey Rush: Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Nemo
Hugo Weaving: Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions, and The Return of the King

Best Fight Scene
Neo vs. 100 Agent Smiths, Matrix Reloaded (My pick.)
Neo vs. Agent Smith / Bane outside the Matrix, Matrix Revolutions
Neo vs. Final Agent Smith, Matrix Revolutions
Deathstrike vs. Wolverine, X2
T-800 vs. TX in a public restroom, Terminator 3
The Incredible Hulk vs. The United States Army, The Hulk
The Bride vs. Oh-Rin and her Flunkies, Kill Bill
The Five vs. Tom Cruise, The Last Samurai

Crappiest Scene
The Zion Dance Party, Matrix Reloaded (My pick. The lamest scene. In any movie. Ever.)
The Hulk vs. Dog Hulks, The Hulk

Best Ability / Talent
Shape-Shift: Mystique, X2
Control metal: Magneto, X2
Fly: Neo, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions (My pick. I'm too much of a Peter Pan fan not to chose this one.)
Know the future and how to bake good cookies: The Oracle, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions
Mutate and turn green: Bruce Banner, The Hulk

Funniest Scene
The French Gentleman, Matrix Reloaded (My pick. I once found a transcript of the French curse in this scene, and despite over six years of studying the language, the only words I knew were the first, "In the name of the God," and the last, "your mother.")
The Oracle and Neo, Matrix Revolutions
"Professor Logan," X2
The Terminator at a strip club, Terminator 3
Frodo and Sam say goodbye, The Return of the King
The Planes and their Pilots, Cowboy Bebop
"Bob," The Last Samurai

Most Depressing Scene
The Death of Agent Smith, Matrix Revolutions
Marlin Leaves Dory, Finding Nemo
Karen discovers her husband is cheating, Love Actually (My pick, even though Love Actually was not a summer movie and isn't nominated in any other categories ... it was just so sad!)
The Gunman Kills the Samurai, The Last Samurai

Most Destructive Scene
The Freeway Car Chase, Matrix Reloaded
The Sentinels Breach Zion, Matrix Revolutions (My pick.)
TX with a Crane, Terminator 3

2005 Book Awards.

2006-01-15T13:26:00.000-06:00

2005 Book Awards. I've looked very carefully over the lists of books for 2005 and handed out the following awards. To keep the awards from getting repetative, the rule is that no book can win twice. For example, Mr. Potter really should have won for Worst School-Required, but it had already won for Overall Worst and couldn't win again. I wrote comments for those I felt mostly strongly about. I read so many Holocaust-related books this year because I took an English courge on Literature of the Holocaust, which required me to read several books on it and convinced me to read several more.

Overall Best of 2005: The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant. The Red Tent puts a cool feminine spin on the Bible. It is narrated by Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob who makes only a brief appearance in the Book of Genesis as a rape victim, and it spans almost the entire lives of Dinah, her mother Leah, and Leah's three sisters. All four sisters are Jacob's wives, and all four love Dinah as their own. When Dinah is suddenly seperated from them and cast into a foreign land by the cruel, ignorant men around her (especially her brothers), she realizes that her mother and aunts have given her the strength and courage she needs face the world alone.

Overall Best Runner-Up: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares. This is a bestseller with an awesome degree of girl-power that rivals The Red Tent. Four lifelong teenage best friends share one pair of jeans -- which magically fits each of their very differently-shaped bodies perfectly -- during their first summer apart. As one falls in love, one loses her virginity, one loses a new friend, and one finds a new family, they remain close and committed to each other in a way that their parents, boyfriends, and siblings can't. The movie of the same name is also awesome, though it isn't as good as the book (they never are).

Overall Worst of 2005: Mr. Potter, by Jamaica Kincaid. Here is a randomly-selected excerpt: "The sun was in its usual place, up above and in the middle of the sky, and it shone in its usual way so harshly bright, making even the shadows pale, making even the shadows seek shelter; that day the sun was in its usual place, up above and in the middle of the sky, but Mr. Potter did not note this, so accustomed was the to this, the sun in its usual place, up above and in the middle of the sky." The entire book is written this way. Need I say more?

Overall Worst Runner-Up: Season of Migration to the North, by Tayeb Salih.

Best Holocaust Fictional Book: Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli. Milkweed is narrated by one little boy has lived on the streets for so long that he believes his name to be "Stopthief." In 1939, he is suddenly assigned the name Misha, labeled a Gypsy, and imprisoned in the infamous Warsaw ghetto, where misery and death are only a background to his smuggling exploits. For example, when he's talking to another character and notices a man down the street banging his head against the wall, it doesn't distract him from the conversation. This book explores a very unusual question: After the concentration camps were liberated and the victims began to return to their normal lives, what became of those with no normal life to return to? (Even better when read with Children and Play in the Holocaust, by George Eisen.)

Best Holocaust Fictional Book Runner-Up: Auschwitz, by Pascal Croci.

Worst Holocaust Fictional Book: Night of the Broken Glass, by Peter Broner. It was somewhat interesting because its variety of characters included from a half-Jew who joins the Hitler Youth, a streetcar conductor who stands up against the Nazis, a shoe manufacturer who saves Jews by employing them in his factory (similar to Oskar Schindler), cruel, crippled SS captain, and many others. However, its writing style was so incredibly tedious and awkward that I couldn't enjoy it all. If Peter Broner had only typed up an outline of events and assigned the actual prose to a ghostwriter, this novel could have been something really good. But he didn't, and why in the world Elie Weisel provided praise to this, I will never know.

Worst Holocaust Fictional Book Runner-Up: The Painted Bird, by Jerzy Kosinski. A young city boy is sent into hiding in the remote countryside of Eastern Europe to escape the transports to concentration camps. But escaping the Holocaust becomes as horriffic as surviving it as the boy's so-called "rescuers" take turns abusing him in truly disgusting, disturbing ways. Not for those with weak stomachs.

Best Holocaust Nonfictional Book: Hitler Youth, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. This unforgettable book explores a side of Nazi Germany that you don't read about very often. I always knew that Adolph Hitler was one evil freak, but until I read Hitler Youth, I never knew about his sick manipulation and exploitation of German children. He separated kids from their parents, brainwashed their young minds, and sent boys as young as 13-years-old to the frontlines of World War II. After reading interviews with former members of Hitler Youth -- now elderly, ailing, and burdened with unbelievable guilt -- I felt almost as sorry for them as I do for Hitler's Jewish victims.

Best Holocaust Nonfictional Book Runner-Up: Maus, by Art Spiegelman. As he is about to become a father for the first time, cartoonist Art Spiegelman reflects on his troubled relationship with his own father, his father's survival of Nazi Germany and the Auschwitz concentration camp, and his mother's suicide. One of the very few comic books about the Holocaust, and easily the most well-known, Maus is incredibly personal, morbidly funny, and completely unique.

Best School-Required Book: Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville. I was as surprised as anyone when I actually began enjoying Ishmael's great blend of cynicism, humor, and wisdom. Although it is very long, a billion cool allusions to the Bible and Shakespeare, deep philosophies on God and mankind, characters as real as the people around you, and the very first hetero lifemates (Ishmael and Queequeeg) make all 135 chapters completely worthwhile. Sadly, I don't think everyone in my English class loved it so much. Sorry, Dr. Lowe.

Best School-Required Book Runner-Up: The Contrast, by Royall Tyler.

Worst School-Required Book: The Deerslayer, by James Fenimore Cooper. While I believe Dr. Lowe when he says that The Deerslayer is an important part of American literature, if not for the fact that this book was a favorite of my favorite author JM Barrie, I probably never would have finished it.

Worst School-Required Book Runner-Up: The Black Album, by Hanif Kureishi.

Most Suspenseful Book: Mary Rose, by JM Barrie. Take one weird woman who's as annoying as she is ethereal, add some disembodied voices and spooky ghosts, then throw in a mysterious island that bears a ton of similarities to the one on the TV show "Lost," and presto, you've got a play that had me sleeping with my lights on. I'm convinced that the writers of "Lost" must have read this.

Most Suspenseful Book Runner-Up: The She, by Carol Plum-Ucci.

Best Biography: Shirley Temple: American Princess, by Anne Edwards. While you'll never watch another Shirley Temple movie the same way again, what really stands out about this book is its unrelentingly harsh portrayal of Shirley's mother, Gertrude Temple. It presents her as the ultimate nightmare of a stage mom who completely neglected her older two children and devoted her life to making Shirley a cash cow. Other Temple biographers -- most notably Shirley herself, in her autobiography Child Star -- shine a much gentler light on Gertrude. But still, I wanted to give Gertrude some ice for this burn.

Worst Biography: JM Barrie, by FJ Harvey Darton. How anyone could take an author as bizarre, interesting, talented, and successful as Barrie and turn his life into such a boring biography is beyond me.

Most Anticipated Book of 2005: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by JK Rowling. Old Journal Entry: Thursday, July 14, 2005. Over two years of waiting are about to be over. In a little more than twenty-four hours, I will have my very own copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in my hands. Well, it will not be entirely my very own, as Sarah and I are sharing, but that certainly will not tarnish its appeal. I cannot help wondering: One month from now, when I have read and reread the book and I am stuck waiting for who knows how many months and years for the next one, will I find myself wishing to return to this moment, to the night before, when all the shocks and surprises are still waiting for me?

Breakout Author of 2005: Ann Brashares. In 2005, I read the first two books of her madly successful Traveling Pants Series (I'm still waiting for the third one to be released in paperback) and saw the movie, so there was really no contest.

All Books of 2005.

2006-01-08T10:13:00.000-06:00

All Books of 2005. Since 2003, I have kept lists of all the books I read each year. Here's the round-up for 2005. There are 46 altogether, arranged by author's last name. I wish I had read more.

1. A Sporting Proposition, by James Aldridge.
2. The Admirable Chricton, by JM Barrie.
3. Mary Rose, by JM Barrie.
4. Sentimental Tommy, by JM Barrie.
5. Tommy and Grizel, by JM Barrie.
6. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.
7. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, by Ann Brashares.
8. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares.
9. Night of the Broken Glass, by Peter Broner.
10. Images From the Holocaust: A Literature Anthology, by Jean E. Brown, Elaine C. Stephens, and Janet E. Rubin.
11. The Goats, by Brock Cole.
12. The Deerslayer, by James Fenimore Cooper.
13. Auschwitz, by Pascal Croci.
14. JM Barrie, by FJ Harvey Darton.
15. The War Against the Jews: 1939-1945, by Lucy S. Dawidowicz.
16. The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant.
17. Shirley Temple: American Princess, by Anne Edwards.
18. Children and Play in the Holocaust: Games Among the Shadows, by George Eisen.
19. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
20. Olive's Ocean, by Kevin Henkes.
21. Mr. Potter, by Jamaica Kincaid.
22. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, by EL Konigsburg.
23. The Painted Bird, by Jerzy Kosinski.
24. The Black Album, by Hanif Kureishi.
25. Anastasia at This Address, by Lois Lowry.
26. The Silent Boy, by Lois Lowry.
27. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire.
28. Baby-Sitters' Summer Vacation, by Ann M. Martin.
29. Kristy's Mystery Admirer, by Ann M. Martin.
30. The Mystery at Claudia's House, by Ann M. Martin.
31. Snowbound, by Ann M. Martin.
32. Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville.
33. The First Year: A Retirement Journal, by John Mosedale.
34. Crossing the River, by Caryl Phillips.
35. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by JK Rowling.
36. Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin, by Susan Goldman Rubin.
37. Season of Migration to the North, by Tayeb Salih.
38. The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink.
39. Maus I: My Father Bleeds History, by Art Spiegelman.
40. Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began, by Art Spiegelman.
41. Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli.
42. The Contrast, by Royall Tyler.
43. The She, by Carol Plum-Ucci.
44. Mila 18, by Leon Uris.
45. Inventing Wonderland: Victorian Childhood and Fantasty, by Jackie Wullschlager.
46. Jacob Riis, by Bonnie Yochelsem.

Books That Make Me Cry.

2005-12-28T15:14:00.000-06:00

Books That Make Me Cry. Please don't think that I'm some blubbering sap who cries at every movie, book, TV show, song, and commercial that comes along. Considering all the books I've read, I think it's pretty impressive that only these four have ever moved me to tears.

1. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck. I didn't just cry at this one, I cried: sobbing, shaking, screaming, turning the book to pulp with my tears, and then ripping it apart in anger and denial. I've never read it since, and it was a long time before I would read any other Steinbeck book.

2. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery. I don't even want to hear it. Matthew was my favorite character, okay? And besides, I only cried one or two silent tears over him. The flood didn't break out like it did for number one.

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling. I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't read it, but I will say that a very popular character, one of my favorites, meets his end in this one. I was depressed for months -- yes, months -- after reading it.

4. J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys - Andrew Birkin. I was reading this book in my college math class (sorry, Dr. McKenna) when I reached the part where J.M. Barrie's oldest adopted son, George Llewelyn-Davies, was killed in World War I. It was made even sadder because I knew that the worst blow -- the death of Barrie's younger son, Michael Llewelyn-Davies -- was still yet to come. I choked up right there in class.