3 Fiction Worlds I Would Like to Hang Out In

My predictable list of 3 Fiction Worlds I Would Like to Hang Out In, thanks to Lost in Books, in random order:

1. Narnia, as in "The Chronicles of Narnia" series by C.S. Lewis, because there are talking horses there!
2. The Shire, as in "The Lord of the Rings" series by J.R.R. Tolkien, because it looks so pretty in my head (and in the movie) and I could help the hobbits reach things that are too high for them
3. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, UK, as in the "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling, because magic is cool!

3 discoveries this list helped me make:
1. If you write science fiction/fantasy you cannot use your first name, only your first and middle initials
2. If you write science fiction/fantasy you have to write a series
3. Hogwarts is in Scotland?! I always thought it was in England!

magitek fanart w is by bundle1. It used to be on deviantART but it's not anymore.

3 Characters I Love to Hate

I love making lists, and I found an excuse at Lost in Books.

My 3 Characters I Love to Hate in random order:
1. Annie Wilkes in "Misery" by Stephen King
2. Father Reynaud in "Chocolat" by Joanne Harris
3. Dolores Umbridge in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" by J.K. Rowling

P.S. Sex, Love, and Death Continued is by Mike Giant.

down with the badass u know hoo

This is Captain wearing his hoodie and I'm still trying to get a really good picture of him wearing it. He likes it because he's always cold. And he likes his mohawk. That first picture is not posed. He fell asleep with it on like that during the Cardinals game. He couldn't stand to see them lose.

Intimidating, right?

post office virgins

Today at the post office I saw 2 people older than me (but not old) who had apparently never been to the post office before in their lives!

First a woman packaged up whatever in a priority box and realized she did not bring a mailing address with her. I know this because she loudly declared before she left, "I need to go home because I don't have the address! Do I have to pay for this now or when I mail it?"
Postal Worker (confused): Pay to mail it?
Package Virgin: Yes.
Postal Worker: Um, when you mail it.

Then the guy in front of me spent his 20 minutes in line complaining about the line. Seriously? First time? I wisely brought a book ("The God of Small Things," which is good) like I always do when I go to the post office, but it was hard to focus with him snarking out random comments (usually phrases). "Waste of time!" "I don't remember what color the sky is!"
What I wanted to say is, Sir, for $4 we can mail packages across the United States and it will be there in 3 days or less. Shh! I'm trying to find out what happens to Sophie Mol!!

:: petits contes amoureux :: is by Samuel Ribeyron.

My Favorite Books of 2009

I read 45 books last year, and these 11 are the ones I think you should read too. They are listed in the order I read them.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
reviewed here on February 7th


Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
reviewed here on March 15th


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
reviewed here on June 23rd


Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
reviewed here on June 19th


Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
This book, historical fiction that takes place in the 1600s, secured Tracy Chevalier as a favorite author for me. The story centers around a girl who is a servant of the artist Johannes Vermeer's family. She becomes his secret apprentice and model -- secret because of his jealous wife.


Liner Notes by Emily Franklin
I think people born in the 70s will be able to relate to this book the most. This story is about a girl who is moving across the U.S. During her road trip to her new home, she listens to old mixed tapes which remind her of memories tied to the songs. I made a playlist on my iPod to go with it which I listened to while I read it.


Animal Farm by George Orwell
I had never read Animal Farm before 2009! Wish I had read it while Bush was in office. It's the "Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type" for grown-ups.


The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
Classic dysfunctional family story, but takes place on a failing horse ranch. I love stories like this where the last page just grabs you.


The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Yes, this book lives up to the hype. Romance + Science Fiction = something unique and fun to read! My favorite part wasn't in the movie, which was when the time traveler, a librarian who can't control where or when he time travels to, keeps going to one of the best concerts he ever went to. How awesome would that be?!


Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Another classic I had never read before 2009! reviewed here on October 3rd


The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
"The most important thing about a person is always the thing you don't know." That is what The Lacuna is: the missing piece. In this book we follow the life of a half American/half Mexican man who spends his life trying to find where he fits in. He is friends with Frida Kahlo and works for Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky. This story gave me an idea of what it would be like to have lived during the era of McCarthyism.
Here is my tale of meeting Barbara Kingsolver and getting it autographed.