Stuff As Dreams Are Made On…

How’s everyone’s 2012 going so far? I know we’re only five days in but I hope it’s going good! I’ve given up on resolutions. When I make resolutions it never fails that I fail in them. Which of course sets up disappointments. So this year, I’m not making any resolutions. I’m making goals instead. And here’s what they are.

1. Be happy. Above all, I want to be happy this year. That means being selfish sometimes, something I’m not entirely sure how to do all of the time. But I’ve learned that I need to give myself me time. Most of the rest of these goals have to do with this one.

2. Blog more, read more blogs, comment more, reply to my own comments, play on pinterest and twitter and tumblr. Reconnect. And I’m not going to do this out of guilt…as in “comment because you feel bad that you haven’t talked to your friends in awhile”. No, I want to do this because I really want to. I miss my blogging friends, all of you, so much. I miss those days when I checked in with my friends every day. Where my own comments were a place of conversation. And I want that back So this is the year to make it happen!

3. Read for fun. I do this for the most part anyway, but this year, I’m just going to read books that make me happy and I’d like to focus the year on lgbt books because I love them so much. I’m not worrying about review copies, though if some are offered that sound really good, of course I’ll pick them up!!

4. Read 100 books this year. I’ve never done it and I would love to!!

5. Get my debt under control. I really need to do this. And this will be part of a book goal too. I want to read from my own shelves this year. I can’t keep buying books like I do. I’ll still allow myself to buy the books I’ve been looking forward to, but no more shopping just to shop. I can order from PBS and preorder some books I’m looking forward to, but that’s it. I also think I might do a monthly check in with my debt to make myself more accountable. Right now I have $7000 in credit card debt, $15000 in student loans, and pretty much no savings. I want to reverse that!

6. Buy a house. This is the BIGGEST goal for this year and I want to do it in the first half of the year. Despite my debt, I am fortunate to make a decent enough salary that I can afford a small starter home…so it’s gonna happen!

7. Be together with Matt FOR GOOD Which sort of hinges on the previous goal.

8. Don’t take work home with me. This is perhaps the most important goal. It’s tied to all of the rest. I always feel like I don’t have time to blog because I’m exhausted, I shop because I’m depressed from work, I don’t read because I’m too tired to. I need to stop all of that!

9. Become and LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) I only have 20 hours of supervision left and I’m actually taking my National Counselor Exam next Friday!!! Please keep your fingers crossed for me. I’m really nervous about it. If I fail, I can take it again, so it’s not like all hope is lost, but I’m still really nervous. I really haven’t studied at all :/

So that’s my plan for 2012! If I can pull it all off, it’ll be a pretty damn good year. What about you? What are you planning for 2012?

Sheesh! It’s that time of the year already!! I feel like I just did my 2010 wrap up! Though if I look back at this past year, so much has happened. Of course, the immediate thing that comes to mind is my relationship with Matt. This is by far the happiest I have ever been in a relationship. I don’t talk about us all that much on this blog because it’s not a super personal blog, but I will tell you all that I’m happier than I’ve ever been and I see big changes and more happiness coming in that area in 2012 Definitely grew professionally this year as well with my private practice continuing to expand. There were the downers…like dad going back into the hospital a couple of times…but…well he does it to himself and I’m not going to harp on that. I read some AMAZING books though this year!!!! I’ve also read the least amount of books ever since blogging, but I’m ok with that.

This year was a bit of a blogging funk all around. I’ve felt really shitty about the way I blogged this year. I blog because I love this community so much. I treasure my friendships with each and every one of you so much. And I feel like I let a lot of that slip through the cracks which makes me incredibly sad I barely responded to my comments. I posted so erratically. And I hit the “Mark all as read” button more times than I care to admit. So I hope to change that in 2012 and get back to the blogger I used to be.

Anyways, lets start the stats with my favorite books of 2011! I always surprise myself with this…when I go back and look at what I read, some of those books that I SWORE would be a favorite don’t hold that same magic and some that I didn’t think were a big deal ended up being favorites. Always happens. So in no certain order and with no certain limit (I’m not good at doing say a “top ten” list :p), here are my favs of 2011:

1. Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block - This collects all of her amazing Weetzie Bat books and wow weren’t these all amazing! For some reason I avoided these books for so long, but I’m so glad that I finally read this collection. Full of love, acceptance, individuality and hope. Just gorgeous books.

2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - This one actually exceeded my expectations, which is saying a lot right there. After the Chaos Walking trilogy, I wondered how he would ever follow it up. But he followed it up with something completely different and completely beautiful. A story of struggling with a truth that you don’t want to see. Beautiful characters, beautiful story and beautiful illustrations.

3. The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson - This one goes instantly onto my list of favorite books ever. Just amazing! The WORDS! OMG the WORDS. Some of the most poetic prose I’ve ever read. And a tale that is full of magic and folklore that is completely engrossing. I literally got lost in this world.

4. Two Weeks With the Queen by Morris Gleitzman - I found a new favorite author in Gleitzman after reading this book. I knew right away that after reading this, I’d need to read everything else that he wrote. Such a sad story but such an uplifting story at the same time with a genuine respect for all walks of life.

5. Wicked by Gregory Maguire - This was another one that I just didn’t think I’d like for so long. I didn’t think I’d ever read this one. And then I met Matt and he told me it was his favorite book. And I can see why! This is another new favorite. I will forever HATE Dorothy after reading this book. Maguire gives us Elphaba, the green witch, and shows her as the revolutionary woman that she is. God I loved this book….

6. Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante – I actually listened to this on audiobook and I think it’s the best experience I’ve ever had with an audiobook. The narrator was amazing, but even more amazing was this captivating story of a surgeon going through Alzheimer’s from a first person point of view as she’s questioned as a suspect in a murder. Incredible book.

7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - Good lord was this ever an amazing book!!!! I cannot WAIT for Erin Morgenstern to write more books. The circus itself was one of the most amazing characters ever. And it was complemented by the cast of magical humans and the tales of love that accompanied it. If you haven’t read this one yet, what are you waiting for?!

8. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - Another one that I ask myself why the HELL I waited so long to read! I expected a story of an intersex person…and that’s what I got, but the story was more than just Cal being intersex. It’s about this history of his family and those relationships and how they affected who he is and wow, it’s just an awe inspiring book!

9. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson – Best Jack the Ripper tale that I’ve ever read. BOARDING SCHOOL…GHOSTS….MAUREEN JOHNSON! I think that the sequel to this one is currently one of my most anticipated books. It ended in a way that I cannot WAIT to read the next one!

10. Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen – I knew this one was going to be good ahead of time. You see…my dear friend Debi told me that it would be. And I trust her. BUT I didn’t know that it would TEAR ME APART. I’ve NEVER read a thriller that was like this before. McFadyen goes places that most authors just don’t go. I just can’t figure out why I haven’t read book two yet!

11. Kraken by China Mieville – So I’m only 100 pages into this one. And I haven’t even posted it to bad bloggers yet! Renay will be getting the point for this one. But DAMN this book is good and FILLED with WTF. I know know know that it will be a favorite of the year….that is IF I get it finished by the end of the year!!

And now for stats….my beloved stats:

Total Books Read for the Year: 70

Total Pages Read: 18,360

Comics/Graphic Novels: 15

Non-Fiction: 6 (this stat is kind of pathetic)

Short story collections/essays/anthologies: 5

Poetry: 2 (:/)

LGBT books: 16

By Women: 27 (Same as last year…exactly…this needs to improve)

By Men: 42 (Also the exact same as last year…how the hell did I pull THAT off??)

Chunksters (450+ pgs.): 7

Average number of pages per book: 262 pgs. (Which I have to say is about how I like my books :p)

Goals for next year: Read more women, more LGBT books, more nonfic, more poetry. Anyone have any good ideas for LGBT non fiction by women??? Sounds like those are the books I need :p Also, I would LOVE to finally read 100 books in the year, but I won’t make my happiness depend on that. I WILL be a better blogger, commenter, and reader. Hope everyone has an AMAZING 2012!!! Look forward to growing my friendships with you all

I figured I might as well get a bad bloggers post out of the way now, because it’s sure to be super overwhelming after Christmas…good lord, where am I going to put all of these books! Hope everyone is having a great holiday season Wish I could hug each one of you individually. And can you believe it’s time to start getting our best of lists up already?? Good lord! Alright…here’s the damage:

1. Sonnets From the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barret Browning – I tried Ms. EBB once before and we didn’t get along so well…but I thought I’d try her AGAIN!!! And of course the point for this one goes to Jason (Paperback Swap)

2. Orlando by Virginia Woolf – Well I had to get this one…I’ve been wanting it for a long time. Virginia Woolf playing with gender…it’s gotta be good! (Paperback Swap)

3. The Accidental by Ali Smith – When I was ordering Orlando, I saw the same member had this book too! I’ve yet to read any Ali Smith and I don’t know anything about this book, but she’s just one of those authors that I have a feeling I’ll love. (Paperback Swap)

4. Tales of Terror from the Tunnel’s Mouth by Chris Priestley – And so begins the bookcloseouts.com pile. Guys, I got like 14 books for $40. Couldn’t pass it up!! And this is one of them. Carl introduced me to this series of spooky tales a couple of years back and I’m hooked! Point to Carl. (Bought it)

5. Bitten: True Medical Stories of Bites and Stings by Pamela Nagami, M.D. – Saw this one on book closeouts and bought it based on the title. Sounds like my kind of nonfic! (Bought it)

6. How they Met and Other Stories by David Levithan – Debi bought this book when I was with her in New York and after flipping through it I knew I wanted my very own copy. So here it is! Point to Debs. (Bought it)

7. The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard – I don’t even remember what this book is about or who I learned of it from :/ I should really start keeping track of that. My memory is not the most reliable method….But I haz it now! (Bought it)

8. If You Follow Me by Malena Watrous – I don’t know who the blame goes to for this one either I feel like lots of people have reviewed this one though…so if you want to claim a point for this book OR The Secret Year, just let me know :p (Bought it)

9. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman – This just sounded really good!! (Bought it)

10. Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman – I want to say that Amy recommended this one. Didn’t you Amy? Anyway, you get a point I’ve always loved this cover too! (Bought it)

11. Victorian London: The Tale of a City 1840-1870 by Liza Picard – I think this is the book I’m most excited about in this stack!! Ana reviewed this one awhile ago and it just sounds like an incredibly fun book. Point to Ana. (Bought it)

12. The Impostor’s Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell – If I recall correctly, Ana wasn’t even that crazy about this one, but she still made it sound like something I need to read…she tends to do that. Point to Ana. (Bought it)

13. Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek – Well first off, I love the title of this book and the cover. I saw it on Debi’s Paperback Swap wishlist and so I stole it from her :p She gets a point for this one. (Bought it)

14. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner – This is one that Pat reviewed quite a while ago, but it’s been sitting prominently on the wishlist ever since she did review it. Sounds good! Point to Pat! (Bought it)

15. Salt, Lemons, Vinegar and Baking Soda – This is an awesome little reference book that I found in Barnes and Noble’s bargain section…I can see myself using this one a LOT when I get my own house to keep everything clean the natural way! (Bought it)

16. The Best American Poetry of 2011 ed. by Kevin Young – All Lu’s fault!! She said that this was a really good one and I’ve been craving poetry lately. Looks like an incredibly cool collection! Point to Lu! (Bought it)

17. The Best American Science and Nature Writing of 2011 ed. by Mary Roach – So this book just sounds like a dream come true. It’s SCIENCE and NATURE edited by MARY ROACH! How could it be bad??? (Bought it)

18. Masala Farm: Stories and Recipes from an Uncommon Life in the Country by Suvir Saran – This sounds AWESOME. It’s a book written by an Indian American who moves onto a farm and raises his own food. And as the title suggests, it’s filled with recipes and stories and beautiful pictures! Just found this at Barnes and Noble…hadn’t heard of it before, but it was screaming at me READ ME. (Bought it)

19. Sons and Lover by D.H. Lawrence – Jonathan Carroll tweeted a quote from this book one night and the quote was so beautiful that I had to get the book. I hadn’t had a desire to read it before now. Point to Jonathan Carroll. (Paperback Swap)

20. Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth Century America by Lillian Faderman – hadn’t heard of this one before, but saw it on Paperback Swap and had to get it just for the title. I actually started wondering if maybe Ana HAD reviewed this because it sounds like something she would love..hmmmm…I should check! (Paperback Swap)

21. Flood by Stephen Baxter – FINALLY. I don’t know why I haven’t bought this until now. Renay has wanted me to read this for awhile now and it’s really intriguing to me. So I saw a copy at Barnes and Noble today when I was finishing my Christmas shopping and said “screw it, I’m getting it.” Point to Renay! (Bought it)

22. Cinder by Marissa Meyer – Yay surprise ARCs that sound really good!!!! I actually don’t get many ARCs..like pretty much none at all. But every now and then a publisher will surprise me with one and they end up sounding really good. Like this one! I read the first few pages as soon as I opened it because I loved the cover and it looks like it’s a futuristic steampunk retelling of Cinderellla. Awesome. (Review Copy)

I went into this book assuming that it was an lgbt book, but it’s not. Instead, it’s a book about differences…a book that questions traditional gender roles and points out stereotypes based on the readers thoughts alone upon reading the title. At least, this reader’s thoughts I should say. We equate boys wearing dresses as being gay, but this is not the case in this book. That’s a stereotype…boys who wear dresses must be feminine and if you’re a feminine male then you MUST be gay. I always say that this logic drives me mad, but here I am, drawing the same conclusions. Let me tell you what this book IS about.

This book is about a boy who likes to wear dresses. The boy in question is Dennis and he’s a delightful character! His mom left the family when he was a young boy and all he has left as a memory of her is a charred picture. He now lives with his brother and father and his favorite pasttime is football…and by football I mean soccer :p But he has another thing he loves too, fashion. Though he is not ashamed of his love for fashion, he keeps it hidden from others because he knows it’ll draw ridicule. But it all comes out when his father finds a Vogue magazine hidden under his mattress.

Dennis feels extremely alone and rejected until he meets Lisa, a girl two years his senior who he has a huge crush on. He comments to her one day on how beautiful her dress sketches are and before he knows it he’s in her room poring over Vogue magazines with her. And then he’s in a dress. A dress that Lisa designed that she thinks he’ll look wonderful in. And once he puts it on, he feels wonderful.

From here, the story takes flight, though I won’t tell you what else happens. I do think the ending was a bit over the top and not probably in reality, but that’s my ONLY complaint about this book! This book was wonderful. It might be the most direct book I’ve ever read at challenging gender checkboxes. Men can love fashion just as much as some women can. Women can dislike fashion just as much as some men can. But society tends to slap us on the wrist for thinking that way. And you’re automatically labeled “gay” if you don’t fit into those norms.

Oh, I need to add that Quentin Blake did all of the illustrations for this book which added an even bigger charm to it. Quentin Blake is the famous illustrator who illustrated most of Roald Dahl’s books. He did an amazing job at capturing the book and the characters. Definitely one to go onto the shelves.

I totally failed at the Advent Calendar this year. I was supposed to post yesterday, December 8th :/ I’m so sorry, Kelly and Marg!!! I felt horrible and asked Kelly if I could still join in because I love the Advent Calendar and she gave me the ok I’ve been a stranger lately. I’m not going to apologize (again) because I’m sure you all must get sick of me saying “sorry I’ve been a stranger!!” but I really do miss being around more often. Mainly, stress has me bogged down. And I won’t get into all of that because this is a HAPPY CHRISTMAS POST!!! But I will tell you about one stressor. And it’s a GREAT stress, but it’s still stress. I’m looking for a house! As in, a house to buy! While this excites me more than I can say, it’s also sad because this’ll most likely be the last Christmas that I’m here at home with my mom and sister. At least for early in the morning. So I thought I’d talk a little about our Christmas traditions. The stuff I’ll miss.

Christmas has always been a huge deal here at the Howard household for as long as I can remember. There are those embarassing videos of me and my sister opening our gifts in our underwear and a big tshirt and acting like total nuts when we get something really cool. But I love the videos so much. My mom has always spoiled the hell out of us for Christmas. I’m not even going to lie. Every year, our expectations are blown out of proportion when we see the tree on Christmas morning. And me and my sister still get excited on Christmas morning.

When we were kids, the tradition was to sleep in the same bed and try to stay up ALL NIGHT (which never actually happened) waiting for Santa to come so that we could hear him. Eventually, we’d pass the hell out when our bodies crashed from excitement. But as soon as one of us would wake up we’d go jump on my mom’s bed and wake her up. NOW came the real anticipation. And this still happens. Once we woke my mom up, we’d have to wait in the hallway behind closed doors while she brewed a pot of coffee, made some pillsbury cinnamon rolls and put on the Christmas music. Then we could finally charge in and sit by our humongous piles of pressies.

Before we could open up our presents though, we would have to throw the mouse on the floor. Yes, you heard that right. We have this Christmas countdown calendar that we’ve had FOREVER. I think my mom got it from Avon or something. It’s seen better days at this point, but we still hang it every year. It has a little spot to move a mouse forward each day counting down to Christmas. And since there’s no “25″ on the calendar, me and my sister would make a tradition of throwing the mouse on the floor on Christmas morning.

We’ve had new traditions over the years. My favorite is the creepy snowman. My mom bought this thing and it freaked my sister out one year. Yes, it looks nice and sweet, but it also looks like it’s freaking ALIVE and staring at you. So me and my sister have made a tradition of freaking each other out with it :p I’ll put it right in front of her door so that when she opens it it’s just standing there and then she’ll put it in my bed under the sheets and then I’ll put it in the shower to freak her out when she goes in there, etc. etc. Right now, it’s standing on the side of her dresser so that when she gets home and lays in bed, it’ll be staring directly at her :p

So yeah…I’m gonna miss a lot of this stuff. A lot. But I know there will be new Christmas memories made along the way too and new traditions formed. Can’t wait to see what they are

Oh this book. It was good. It was really good. But I was sad when I finished it. Though it doesn’t end sad. I was sad because I got this book because of Dewey. And I would’ve loved to be able to talk to her about this book. I used to always go look on Dewey’s Bookmooch wishlist and see what she was interested in reading. And then of course, I would steal those books and add them to my own wishlist :p Well, The Misfits was one of those books. And I have a feeling she really would’ve loved this one. It sums up what Dewey used to embrace and the causes she championed.

The Misfits is about a group of four kids who don’t fit in too well at school and are picked on frequently. Addie is really tall for her age and is really smart too so she gets picked on. Joe is gay and happens to also be pretty feminine most of the time. Skeezie is one of those poor kids (like I was) who’s just greasy all the time. And Bobby, our narrator is a little chubby. All of these kids are WONDERFUL. I loved them all so much. And I wish I could’ve had their initiative as a child.

They take their “problems” and try to make the world a better place because of them. They run together for student council as a new party called the “No Name Party”. Complete with signs all over that say names that they’ve been called with a line drawn through them. Howe does a wonderful job of showing how amazing these kids truly are, though doesn’t hide that they have flaws too. For instance, Addie originally wants a black kid to run for president just because he’s black…she thinks it will help their cause. Which of course is pretty much being just as racist as calling someone a name. It was the one thing that bugged me in the book, but then it didn’t too because he was making the point that it was wrong to single someone out regardless of your reasoning behind it.

I could’ve used this book as a kid. I got picked on for being too girly and for being fat when I was in school. I think bullying is one of the absolute worst problems we have. It affects you for the rest of your life. You never completely recover from being bullied. I see kids come into the hospital all the time because of suicide attempts because of bullying. If there was one cause I could champion, it would be ending bullying. People just don’t realize how horrible it is and the lifelong, catastrophic effect it has on people. I’d love to see this book made required reading in school. Overall, fantastic book.

Kelly just informed me that people have been wanting me to vlog again :p I actually don’t mind vlogging for some reason despite absolutely HATING having my picture taken because I always look like an ass :/ So I vlogged. These are the books that have come into my house since last bad bloggers. Sorry I look like ass. My face is swollen right now and I have had really bad luck with my headaches so I’m a bit droopy eyed from my pain meds, lol. But here it is!

Points given in this post:

Kamchatka – Debi

Soulless – Renay

From Absinthe To Zest – Ana

A Dissertation Upon Roast Pig – Ana

Exciting Food for Southern Types – Ana

A Companion to Wolves – Memory

Oranges – Jeane

My Name is Mina – Darren

Salt – Joshua Kilmer-Purcell and Renay

Honeybee – Jonathan Carroll

The Disenchantments – John Green

I’ll admit I was nervous as hell going into this book. I had read so many reviews that said this book was “meh” and it’s been sitting on my shelf for so long in anticipation and I was worried that I would have that same “meh” reaction. Not that that reaction is a bad one to have, I just enjoy loving everything I read :p If only that were always the case. Well, I’m happy to announce that I absolutely loved this book! I honestly can’t think of anything that I didn’t love about it. Well there were certainly parts that broke my heart and I didn’t love that, but wow this book was good.

For those who don’t know, Ash is Malinda Lo’s retelling of Cinderella. Aisling, aka Ash, is forced to live with her new stepmother and two stepsisters when her father dies. And it’s made known immediately that they are not fond of her. She’s made the servant of the house and is, to put it bluntly, treated like shit. But ash finds escape in a fairy named Sidhean, a man who promises her an escape from the horrible world she’s been thrown into. But she questions if she wants that escape when she falls in love with, not the prince, but the king’s Huntress, Kaisa.

I loved Ash and Kaisa’s relationship so much and the way it built. It was slow, never rushed and the moments where the two were together were filled with tension, awkwardness and love. Those sweet moments are contrasted by the horrible emotional and physical abuse that’s thrown on her by her stepmother and one stepsister in particular. Those scenes truly did crush me, particularly towards the end.

I’m not always crazy about fairy tale retellings, but Lo took this tale and spun it on it’s heels. It’s also never a blatant LESBIAN romance between Ash and Kaisa. It’s just a romance, and such a sweet one at that. I don’t think she used that as a gimmick, it seemed quite natural and quite beautiful and never forced, which is a rarity in lgbt literature. At least from what I read. So often, lgbt books scream LOOK WE’RE GAY and I guess that bugs me sometimes. Why do two people have to be labeled a certain way and set apart? Why can’t it just be two PEOPLE loving each other. In this book it is. And I’m so happy that she wrote this one so well, because in her beautiful storytelling, she won me over as a fan.

ETA: Ana wrote an AMAZING sunday salon post today that touches somewhat on what I was talking about in my last paragraph…go read it and be sure to read the comments too!! Great discussion going on there.

I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.

I loved this quote. I marked so many quotes throughout this book, but this was the last one that I marked. What an amazing book. It’s books like these that make you wonder what other treasures you have sitting on your TBR shelf that have been there for years just waiting to be read.

This book is about Charlie, who is maybe one of my new favorite characters in literature. He’s a sixteen year old freshman in high school trying to find who he is, while remaining exactly who he is at the same time. The book is told through a series of letters that he writes to someone that we as the reader never know. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is the content of these letters. Of Charlie learning to find himself and finding his way in the world.

Charlie comes from a history of what most would consider traumas. Things that stand out in his brain that may not affect everyone else in the same way, but had a huge impact on him. He’s nervous about starting high school. But he quickly makes friends with Sam and Patrick, step-siblings that are incredibly awesome people. Charlie has an instant crush on Sam and finds a really great friend in Patrick. And things just evolve from there.

He enters a world of Friday night Rocky Horror Picture shows, experimenting with drugs and alcohol for the first time, learning about sex, appreciating incredible music throughout the novel, reading amazing books that his English teacher assigns him as extracurricular reading, and learning to love people and learning what that means exactly.

I thought Charlie was such an amazing character. He’s one of the most open minded kids I’ve ever known, and it came off as genuine, not forced. He truly doesn’t care that Patrick is gay, he just knows that he’s an amazing person. Unfortunately, you don’t see that a lot in high school. At least not here in New Orleans. He doesn’t care that Sam has a boyfriend, he just loves her without ever being invasive. He doesn’t judge people and I loved that about him. He’s a smart kid, a brilliant kid. And he’s unique..he’s himself.

This book felt SO nostalgic to me. With the recurrent Smiths references, the laying in bed reading, the weekend parties getting high with friends, the closeness between friends that so often disappears after high school. It truly did bring me back to my high school days. Days that I always though were so horrible but seem so amazing looking back on them now.

Chbosky wrote a modern classic with this book. He really did. I can see this as a book being taught in high schools for years to come. And a little known fact, for all of you Jericho fans (read: Debi), Chbosky was the co-creator and executive producer of the show! Pretty cool. Think I may have to watch that now….

I’ve been in a HUGE reading funk lately. As in I haven’t finished a book all month. I think it’s partly because I’ve been looking forward to my Yay Gay January that I planned this year. So I said, what the hell, let’s just make a whole season of gay reading. So that’s exactly what I’m doing!! From now through January 31st, the plan is to read nothing but books by lgbt authors, or books that have an lgbt theme, or books that can teach me some more history about the lgbt community. Looking forward to it! And I started last night with The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and my funk is now gone! I’m thinking of doing this anually. After RIP, it’s natural I guess to go into a reading funk, so this will give me more time for deliberate reading. Every November through January. So here’s the list of what I’ll be reading. Of course, it is subject to change:

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
2. Anabel by Kathleen Winter
3. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith
4. We the Animals by Justin Torres
5. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
6. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
7. Hidden Warrior by Lynn Flewelling
8. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
9. The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak
10. One For Sorrow by Christopher Barzak
11. The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams
12. The Passion by Jeanette Winterson
13. Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
14. The Poems of Sappho by Sappho
15. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
16. Naked by David Sedaris
17. Barrel Fever by David Sedaris
18. The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
19. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
20. Keeping you a Secret by Julie Anne Peters
21. Rage by Julie Anne Peters
22. The Misfits by James Howe
23. Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden
24. Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller
25. Hero by Perry Moore
26. A Son Called Gabriel by Damian McNicholl
27. My Queer War by James Lord
28. Ash by Malinda Lo
29. The Full Spectrum edited by David Levithan
30. The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer-Purcell
31. The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
32. Sexual Metamorphosis: An Anthology of Transsexual Memoirs edited by Jonathan Ames
33. Carnival by Elizabeth Bear
34. A Queer History of the United States by Michael Bronski
35. The Secret Fruit of Peter Paddington by Brian Francis
36. I’ll Get There.  It Better Be Worth The Trip by John Donovan
37. Boyhoods by Ken Corbett

Let me know if you can think of anything else that NEEDS to be on this list! And of course, feel free to join in if you want You don’t have to read all three months, nothing but lgbt lit of course, but maybe let this be a chance for you to dive in! This is not an official challenge or anything like that. More just something I wanted to do for myself. Hope everyone is doing fantastic!!