Books I read in 2011 [updated]

Last year I tried to read 42 books and I failed, which is part of the reason why I decided to try again this year. At first I thought it would just have to wait since all of my books are at home. I have a horrible habit of buying books and never getting around to reading them which is part of my whole reasoning for doing this, trying to read everything I own. I am so grateful to my brother & sister for lending me their iPad, which actually makes a great ereader for now. I want one of my own now! Here are the books I read last year, I am thinking of trying to keep a record of all the media I consume just to be more aware of it and try to watch less TV and instead watch more movies and of course read more. The images and bold titles are my top three four but I enjoyed a lot of these books, you can find me on goodreads to see ratings and other bookish things. I have a hard time reviewing books (anything really) because I never know how I feel about it until much later, when I've read other books and with time I realize, oh I hated that book or I loved it.

edited to add: 

The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing. This was a book I was forced to read and a book I would have never chosen to read because here where I am working as a teacher's assistant the BAC Literature students are studying for their BAC ( a french/european A-Levels test) with this book. This book choice was surprising to me because its not a 'classic' book that I would expect for a Literature test but its a really interesting book. Its hard to classify it, its somewhat science fiction, drama, and horror. It was a quick read without chapters. I realized that it has impacted me a lot more then I thought because its a book I am still thinking about, and still I wonder about the fifth child. Why was he so different? I want to read the sequel so much it seems just as interesting, and normally this is a genre I am indifferent about. It is very well written and just so captivating, you can't help but think what you would do in the characters' place and if you agree with their actions.

1. The Story of Lucy Gault / William Trevor
2. The Art of Non-Conformity / Chris Guillebeau
3. The Devil in the White City / Erik Larson
4. You Shall Know Our Velocity / Dave Eggers
5. Water for Elephants / Sara Gruen
6. Silk / Alessandro Baricco
7. Ursula, Under / Ingrid Hill
8. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat & Other Clinical Tales / Oliver Sacks
9. The Alchemist / Paulo Coelho
10. The Time Traveler's Wife / Audrey Niffenegger
11. Rainbow: The Stormy Life of Judy Garland / Christopher Finch
12. McSweeney's Issue 25 / Various
13. The Natural Soap Book / Susan Cavitch
14. The Other Boleyn Girl / Philippa Gregory
15. Henry Lee Lucas / Joel Norris
16. Blankets / Craig Thompson
17. Thrifty: Living the Frugal Life with Style / Marjorie Harris
18. The Black Dahila Avenger: The True Story / Steve Hodel
19. High Fidelity / Nick Hornby
20. Call Me Anna: The Autobiography of Patty Duke / Patty Duke
21. The Black Dahlia (LA Quartet #1) / James Ellroy
22. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Lewis Carroll
23. Alice I Have Been / Melanie Benjamin
24. The Fifth Child / Doris Lessing
25. The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys / Doris Kearns Goodwin

Good Advice

(via)

Goals

My mom for the last two years has made us (my brother, my sister, & this time her boyfriend and my boyfriend) make resolutions but I think we all see them more as goals. To be honest these last two years I have really wanted to be a more goal oriented person, to get things done. To be able to say I've done all of this!!! But last year really felt and seemed like a wasted year. I wasn't able to get much of anything done really. I felt trapped or stuck, distracted and useless. I really want to turn things around in this sense and accomplish realistic goals but just be able to be independent from my parents and be able to support myself (and my man). I did finish my university degree and that was supposed to mean something. Or at least I was told that. But I am rambling, so here are my goals for this year.


1. read 42 books
2. do p90x (in the photo i wrote insanity but i have since changed my mind)
3. apply to at least 30 jobs before i return home, starting in may
4. update resume & ask for recommendation letters
5. have a 'rough' and almost finish redo of my portfolio (aim for 15 pieces but plan to reduce)
6. complete my ukulele book (teach yourself book)
7. grow my hair and be a red head(with henna!)
8. listen to 2 new albums a month
9. bike, bike, bike here in doullens ( i still have to ask about this)
10. travel, travel, travel during my breaks & plan & research
11. do dan's band website (learn how to)
12. floss everyday
13. for this blog, i want to have 100 posts on here & maybe do something on youtube… maybe and start working on the learning to love you assignments
14. internet free once a week (maybe sundays or mondays) I won't count skype or email just because of the fact that I am away and aboard but this is something I will like to keep up with after 2012

my list that i shared with my family dans (my boyfriend) list my little sisters (she's 13, now!)

C&D mix

C&D from ephemera on 8tracks.

Here is it the continuation of my alphabet mixes, this one like the others only has songs from albums that begin with the letters C&D. I decided to combine letters and that way be able to make longer mixes and not have to be restricted or forced to pick ten songs from each letter. Includes Owl Breathe Owl, Devendra Banhart, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. I love this picture which has nothing to do with the mix but is a real life C&D.

What do you think of the mix? This year I really want to make an effort to listen to new music because I hardly listened to anything new last year, so I am open to any recommendations!

Useless

Today has already started off feeling like a waste of time. I have to spend almost the whole hour just saying stop talking stop talking stop talking. I try to do the lesson but only two students are paying attention. They hate the lesson, they want to be able to sleep during the lesson, they want to use their mobiles, and they want to ask me for the 495943 time why did you come to Picardy? I don't know why did I come?

I hate to be a judgmental person and normally I try really hard to accept everyone. But, I really hate these children sometimes instead of trying to learn something or just kill time together, they see everything as a joke or a popularity contest. I feel like I am invisible to them.

Its hard to feel like going to class or working on anything, after a class like that. I feel like I just have to get used to it or what??

Being a grown up(teacher) is hard.

Dancing for Army Navy

I don't really know this band or their music. But I'm somewhere in it with my blonde hair that I miss every time I see it. At the time and even now the whole hand concept doesn't make any sense to me, I think it is a joke I don't understand.