Book and Movie List 2008 update

2008 Book List:

1. Holes, by Louis Sachar, 5/5. Finally finished another book, and it was really good; I loved it. It's a young adult novel from which a movie was made. I have not seen the movie, but I hope to.
   
   Stanley Yelnats is falsely accused of stealing a pair of sneakers and set to Camp Green Lake, for criminal boys. To build character, the boys get up at 4:30 every morning and dig holes--big holes. If they find anything unusual, they are supposed to report it. But the warden isn't looking for fossils or pretty rocks. Something is going on other than character building, and Stanley wonders what they are looking for. The story is at once whimsical and dark, horrifying and funny, heartrending and heart-warming. There are rattlesnakes (one boy was been bitten and rushed to the hospital. He never comes back.) and many highly poisonous eleven-spotted yellow lizards with red eyes, black teeth and white tongues. We also learn about Stanley's no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great grandfather and the curse put on his family by the gypsy woman who was missing one pig, his grandfather who found refuge on God's thumb after being robbed by Kissing Kate Barlow, Kissing Kate herself and her handyman, Sam the onion man and how history does and doesn't affect the lives of living people. This many generational multiple story-lines slowly merge in unpredictable but delightful ways. We, the readers, meet a famous basketball player and an inventor and, of course, learn that bad boys are human, just like the rest of us, and sometimes even better than those not so confined. And we encounter inspiring courage fortitude and strength. 2/4/08
   
2. The End of the Alphabet, by CS Richardson. 4/5. Finished 1-21-08; read what I wrote, not much in this case.
3. The Dolphins of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey. 3.5/5 Finished 1-14-08; read what I wrote about it.
   

2008 Movie List:

1. Note by Note, the Making of Steinway #L1037 . (9/10) Read what I wrote. 1/31/08
   
2. Meet the Spartans , 0.5/10. Read what I wrote. 1/29/08
   
3. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi, 5+/5, Pictures in another blog of mine are here. Read about the book here. Read what I wrote here. 1/27/08
   

I decided to add a writing list, because I don't just read books, I also write them!

2008 Writing Accomplished:

1. How Geraldine became a Famous Frog Tamer, third draft 2/4/08, not posted yet
   
2. How Geraldine became a Famous Frog Tamer, first rough draft 2/2/08, for the Chapbook Ms, Counting Fingers
3. Chapter 6, What the Rose Said and what the Fish said. 2-1-08, first rough draft
   
4. Chapter 5, The Underground Sun and a Trip to the Moon," of Waking up; Spies in the land of Dreams. Finished first rough draft 2-1-08
5. chapter 4, Danger, Feb 1, first rough draft
   
6. chapter 3, Persephone's, January 28, first rough draft
   
7. chapter 2, Detention, January 24, first rough draft
   
8. chapter 1, prologue, It was all a dream, the thugs, January 23, first rough draft
   

2008 Art accomplishments: (Unfinished--earlier works from 08 aren't added and links aren't either)

1. four rough draft illustrations for Waking Up, 2-4-08, 1, 2, 3, 4, 2-4-08
   
2. Milkweed blossoms by moonlight, 2-4-08
   
3. self portrait of the artist reflected in an Autumn Pond, first draft 1-29-08

I figure at the end of the year, I can separate these back out onto book list, movie list, art list, etc., if they become cumbersome.

Here's my Good Reads book list (also posted in the sidebar.) One thing I don't like about it is that if you add a book you read a long time ago so it will be on your life list, they show it as having been read recently, based on when you added it. Also, there is an image for Dolphins of Pern. So why can't they use it? Hover for name of book and rating, click images for more info.