THE BEST OF 2011

PERSONAL NEWS

So, in the picture above, you see my calm, serene smile while my friend Emi looks terrified at something facing us. After this photo, Emi mysteriously disappeared and her rich uncle searched for her for 40 years, convinced that her killer was sending him a dried flower each year...

Oops, wrong story, but the expression on Emi's face really does make me think of something out of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Thankfully, Emi is just fine, and she's now one of my roommates! It's been an eventful year. Some events better than others. But all in all, I feel I've come out on top, and I'm looking forward to 2012. I'm dating a wonderful man, met some great friends, and while my job situation still isn't perfect, it's certainly improved from the beginning of the year when I was an unpaid volunteer. Now I am both a paid shelver and an on-call Library Technician--which means I will actually get to work on the reference desk. Oh, and the Mayan Apocalypse this year should be epic. I hope there'll be fireworks.

I apologize that my New Years post is much later this year than it has been all the other years. But as you can see from the picture below, I was at a very serious fancy dress party on New Years. You can tell just how serious by the Settlers of Catan game. I won by default of having the most points (8 points!) when everyone lost interest in the game and went to eat alcoholic gummi bears. Since I don't drink or partake of alcohol even in gummi form, this was not the highlight of my evening.



But the best part for me came soon after when my boyfriend and I shared my first New Years kiss ever. Yes, the world has always conspired against me to leave me with no one to kiss on New Years. Until NOW! Yay for 2012!

Okay, onto the films and books I liked this year.

FILMS OF 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

I reviewed part 2 here. But looking back on my review, it's a bit short. This is probably mostly laziness but possibly because I had many of the same impressions of it as I did of part 1, which I reviewed here.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I actually didn't see this until a few days ago, so I didn't see it in 2011, but it was made then, so I'm going to count it. I was very concerned that it would be terrible. I already liked the Swedish film so much, that I couldn't see too many places where they could improve it and far too many places where they could make it worse. Luckily, the casting, which was one of my major concerns, was excellent. I even think that Daniel Craig vaguely resembles the Swedish man they got to play Blomkvist and Rooney Mara gave a great performance as Salander. I won't give serious spoilers here unless you think this is a super happy book where no one gets hurt. Basically, I thought one of the bad guys was a little too obviously creepy. The second I looked into his eyes, I was creeped out by him. I certainly hope it was just good acting.

However, the bad guy who attacks Salander didn't seem bad enough. Even when he was doing all those truly revolting things, I hated the character, but the actor I would believe is a nice man with a wife, three kids, and a puppy at home! Still, that didn't ruin the intensity of the scene, so that's fine.

I also thought it was more obvious what happens to Salander and the money at the end of the American film than at the end of the Swedish film. And I liked that the US version was true to the ending of the book. I heard a rumor that they're doing the second book and I very much look forward to seeing that as well.

Last but not least, I loved The Green Hornet. I can't say it's on par with Harry Potter or Dragon Tattoo, but it is a film I remember fondly. Mostly because of Kato.

BOOKS OF 2011

The Red Queen

You can read the review I wrote of this book by clicking here. As one of two books I read that was published in 2011, it wasn't too hard a decision. Scarlett Fever, the other book published this year that I finished, was lots of fun, as well. I also reviewed it here. It just lacked the gravitas of the Red Queen.

The Red Queen would still be a great book no matter how many other books I read published this year. Although, I suspect Terry Pratchett's Snuff, Rick Riordan's Son of Neptune, Tamora Pierce's Mastiff, and Hilari Bell's Goblin War will probably be better, I have to confess I haven't finished reading them yet. I got a bit too overloaded with awesome books. Not a bad thing, but since I'm already in three book clubs, and I take less public transit than I used to, that cuts out more of my reading time. I haven't been getting to as many of the books as I usually would.

I have, however, still been reading this year. Three of my favorite books that weren't published this year are all non-fiction books. They are: Factory Girls by Lisa T. Chang, Escape by Carolyn Jessop, and the Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose. This is very unusual for me because I usually have trouble finishing a non-fiction book, much less enjoying it. I think I was able to get into these books because they were all narratives so it was like reading fiction, except it was true.

The Best of 2010

Nothing horrible happened to me this year, which considering 2009, is something to celebrate all its own. But some very good things happened to me as well.

Best Personal News of the Year

• I met Neil Gaiman!

• I sent out my novel and got rejections and am looking forward to many more rejections in the new year.
  

• I went to my first American Library Association Conference and got to see my awesome friend Sarah and visit Washington DC for the first time too.
  

• I got my driver's license!

• I finally feel like I have a good group of friends in the California area. However, unlike the the song Auld Lang Syne, my old acquaintance have not been forgot. I still love you guys.

• Over 300 blog posts! Gotta admit, that's pretty good.
  

Best Books

• Best Teen Book: Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I think this was easily John Green's best book with both humor and meaning--teaching us the importance of friendship.

• Best Young Adult Fantasy Books: I was sure I reviewed I Shall Wear Midnight but cannot seem to find the review anywhere! My favorite Tiffany book is still Wee Free Men, but this is still Pratchett, and thus, still wonderful and Tiffany really becomes a woman and a witch in this book.

• The Goblin Gate is another fabulous book I didn't review. I think what happened is I got these both as advanced readers copies at the ALA Conference and didn't feel right reviewing them until they actually came out and other peoople had a chance to read them. But in doing this, I forgot to review them completely! However, I do remember this is a fun, fast paced book with interesting ethical questions about survival. I eagerly await the sequel, The Goblin War.
  

• The Lost Hero was easily the best Rick Riordan book I've read so far, and that's saying a lot because I really loved his other books. I did review this one. Just click title for the link.

• Best Adult Book: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Best Movies

I reviewed both the following movies. Click the titles for the links.

Tangled







Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I







I hope your year was full of great things as well and that 2011 is even greater!

Best of 2008

That's right, it's a New Year and some things did not change in 2008. I'm still a grad student. I'm still an unpublished writer. Hopefully one of those things changes in 2009. The first is far more likely (hopefully) than the second, but it is my New Year's resolution to finish my personal edit of the story so that I can send it out to my noble beta readers (I'm still accepting beta readers if anyone else is interested). Clearly I failed at NaFiRoyBIMSCom. But so far I've edited approximately 2/3rds of my story, so there is some hope. However, it also seems to have swelled to 216,825 words from the 214,023 upon originally finishing despite my valiant attempts to delete more than I add... Although, to be fair, some of these are simply notes to myself.

Anyway, now for the best of 2008:

Best Movie: (Spoilers Review, Non-Spoilers Review) Prince Caspian is hands down the best movie to come out this year. If the Chronicles of Narnia were actually as good as this movie, I might actually like them. I didn't like the first movie much more than the book but this movie is so much better than the book (and yes I forced myself to read the whole book and was unimpressed). But I LOVED this movie. Reepicheep and Edmund pwn. Unfortunately, C.S. Lewis does not pwn.


Best Fantasy Book: (Non-Spoiler Review) Neil Gaiman's the Graveyard Book deserves a place of honor for the best depiction of a vampire and werewolf that I have ever read.









Best Teen Book: I had to add a new category to honor John Green's newest book, Paper Towns. I haven't had the chance to review it yet, so I'll do a brief non-spoilers review here. I feel this was easily his most complex and elegantly written book. An Abundance of Katherines remains my favorite of John's books for it's ireppressible cheerfulness, but I think this one was the most meaningful. I was initially not happy with the end, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how well it fit with the meaning of the story. I feel this book effectively explored an important theme that his first book Looking for Alaska (also excellent), left untouched.


I also became a YouTuber in 2008 which has been a strange but fun experience, so I feel it's only right to give a favorite YouTube vid of 2008 which would have to be Hank's Numa Numa Dance. I've posted it before, but it's worth posting again. Incidentally, the favorite of my own videos is the response where I do my own Numa Numa Dance.





Best Most Nerdtastic Personal Experience:
















Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed my reflections for 2008. I'd love to hear yours and I wish you all a wonderful 2009!

Best of 2006: Blog Extravaganza!

Rather than going to a drunken, riotous party (or any party at all for that matter) I have decided to write in my blog the best things about 2006. This is partly to keep me from moping because my sister went home today, but also to hopefully start a tradition that will make me try to actually remember good things that happen to me, because at the moment I'm pulling a blank; though I know good things MUST have happened to me. My year wasn't that horrible. One particularly good thing I can recall is coming home to Gilpatrick House after my studies abroad. It seems like such a long time ago that I can barely believe it was 2006, but I know it must have been.

If there has been any good in my time at Denison during 2006, then it has predominately come from Gilpatrick and the people living there. It was the perfect place for me to come back to in order to ease slowly back into the American lifestyle. A cozy Victorian style house could almost make me believe I hadn't gone so far from my life in France. I even recall upon entering seeing a 3D puzzle model of Notre Dame chathedral, that although it was not intended to, made me feel particularly welcome. Later I would make friends with the puzzlemaker, Becky, and monopolize her window seat for the better part of the fall semester. It was in Gilpatrick that I first played Dread Pirate, the best board game ever, and found a group of peers that, like me, preferred board games and snacks to drunken revelry. A group of my fellow Gilpatrikians: Ishani, Brian, Becky, Sam, Louvie and Bethany (the only non Gilparikian but she makes a lovely cake) were also the first to ever throw me a surprise party which had to be the highlight of my summer.

Outside of Gilpatrick I have had at least one incredible experience in 2006 that I have already documented in this blog; that is finding Lucy, my childhood friend and former next door neighboor. I think this may also be the most and only truly incredible thing to happen to me this year.

I fear 2006 may have been the year of mediocrity for movies. I can only think of one that I was truly inspired to watch again and perhaps might even recommend for others. It's A Good Woman which is based on an Oscar Wilde play called "Lady Windemere's Fan." As I'm a fan of Wilde's work, particularly his satire, I could at least enjoy the story of the play. The acting of the vetran actors was also quite good. Although I felt as if Scarlett Johansson 's done better, and her acting seemed a bit flat. But maybe it's just the character that I didn't like. I don't think the innocent, somewhat whiny girl suits her personality. Anyway, there were plenty of really good characters to make up for it.



Books are far easier for me to keep track of than movies because I keep a list of every book I read, and I start a new list each year. My 2006 list has 36 books on it (12 of which are audiobooks and 2 of those audiobooks were just me listening to the last two Harry Potter books again). However, I'm proud that one of the books is a novel in French. Sure, as a French major it should be more than one, but I did mostly poetry this year.





































*Anyway, because of this list, I can also confidantly say that the best books I 've read this year are the Tiffany trilogy by Terry Pratchett. Tiffany's my hero, and I'd like to grow up to be just like her, except that she's younger than me. The first two (The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky) have an obscure vocabulary word each that Pratchett makes a joke of throughout the book. The latest (Wintersmith) doesn't continue this trick, but I still remember laughing out loud while reading it, which is mostly what I ask for in a book. The second book had a character I disliked vehemently, but you're supposed to dislike her, so I suppose that's fair. In the third book Tiffany's 13 and does subcumb to a little bit of teen angst, but she does so in admirable moderation. And you have to love the Feegles: little blue, mini-Scotsmen that live in hives and for brief shining moments can even make me believe I can speak with a Scottish accent. The Wee Free Men is actually going to be made into a film (I heard by the director of Spider-Man, Sam Raimi) and slated to come out 2008. I sincerely hope they do a good job, but of course the book will always be better.

Well, that's all for 2006 that I can dig out of my foggy ol' brain at the moment. Though, I'm personally terrified of what 2007 will bring with my imminent graduation I wish everyone else a wonderful New Year and can only hope I get by myself.