Monday, June 30, 2008

100 best reads

(archived post from mariknits)

These books were listed as the 100 Best Reads (1983-2008)in Entertainment Weekly.
I found this on Susan's Blogging About Books.
I have placed a * next to the books I have read. The rest, I will read...eventually. I am sure it will take me years.

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)

*2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)

*3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)

4. The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr (1995)

5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)

6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)

7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)

8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)

*9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)

10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)

11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)

12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)

13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)

14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)

15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)

16. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)

17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)

18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)

19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)

*20. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)

21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)

23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)

24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)

25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)

26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)

27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)

28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)

29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)

30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)

31. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (1990)

32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)

33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)

*34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)

35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)

*36. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)

37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)

38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)

39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)

*40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)

41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)

42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)

43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)

44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)

45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)

46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)

47. World’s Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)

*48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)

49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)

50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)

51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)

52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)

53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)

54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)

55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)

56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)

57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)

58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)

59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)

60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)

61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)

62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)

63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)

64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)

65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)

66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)

*67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)

68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)

69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)

70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)

71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)

*72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)

73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)

74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)

75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)

76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)

77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)

*78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)

79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)

80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)

81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)

*82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)

83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)

*84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)

85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)

86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)

87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)

88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)

89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)

90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)

91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)

92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)

93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)

94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)

95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)

*96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)

97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)

98. The Predators’ Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)

99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)

100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

100 best reads

These books were listed as the 100 Best Reads (1983-2008)in Entertainment Weekly.
I found this on Susan's Blogging About Books.
I have highlighted the books I have read. The rest, I will read...eventually. I am sure it will take me years.

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)

3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)

4. The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr (1995)

5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)

6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)

7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)

8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)

9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)

10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)

11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)

12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)

13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)

14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)

15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)

16. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)

17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)

18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)

19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)

20. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)

21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)

23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)

24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)

25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)

26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)

27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)

28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)

29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)

30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)

31. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (1990)

32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)

33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)

34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)

35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)

36. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)

37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)

38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)

39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)

40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)

41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)

42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)

43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)

44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)

45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)

46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)

47. World’s Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)

48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)

49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)

50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)

51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)

52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)

53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)

54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)

55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)

56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)

57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)

58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)

59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)

60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)

61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)

62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)

63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)

64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)

65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)

66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)

67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)

68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)

69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)

70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)

71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)

72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)

73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)

74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)

75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)

76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)

77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)

78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)

79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)

80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)

81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)

82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)

83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)

84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)

85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)

86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)

87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)

88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)

89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)

90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)

91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)

92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)

93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)

94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)

95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)

96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)

97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)

98. The Predators’ Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)

99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)

100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

Friday, June 27, 2008

bella italia

We had an absolutely wonderful time, but I am very happy to be home.
I am tired and jet lagged and in need of a shower and my bed.
No energy to go into detail so here are some pics for you all to enjoy in the mean time.

Venice


Umbria


Rome

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

ciao

I will be offline until the 27th.
See you all when I get back.
I promise to bring pictures.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

if you want to destroy my sweater...





Pattern: Tangled Yoke by Eunny Jang
Source: Interweave Knits, Fall 2007
Yarn: Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool
Needles: US 5





Please don't, I love this sweater. :)

Everything about it. The yarn, the cable across the yoke, the fit, the buttons. I love it. If only it wasn't so darn hot. I would love to wear this right now and show it off. Looking at the weather in Italy and London, I think I may be able to get a little use out if it in the evenings there...maybe. I am still debating whether or not to take it. If nothing else, it will keep me warm on the plane.



I went to JoAnn's the other day and chose these buttons. They are 1/2 inch shell buttons. Cute, right? I think they work perfectly with the color of the sweater. It was between these and some plastic ones that had the same color of the sweater swirled all over them. I think I made the right choice. These seemed a little nicer than the others.

I pretty much stuck to the pattern as written. Very easy to follow. I made the second size up with the exception of the sleeves. They were coming out really big for me so I went down a size for them. I am not a fan of baggy sleeves. I also added about an inch of length to the body. That is it.





I am very happy with it. I like this one much better than my first sweater. Fits better. I think that is what makes me like it so much more. I may actually get more use out of this one. Not "may", I will get more use out of it.

Friday, June 6, 2008

hot in the city

Our AC is out.

It is *bleeping* hot in here.

No knitting for awhile, methinks.

Well, maybe if it is cooler in here at 3am.

Hope you all have a cooler weekend than me. :)

Monday, June 2, 2008

went to guage...

malabrigo lace in apple cinnamon


Not sure about this one. Can anyone help me with the correct name?

Sunday, June 1, 2008

here's to the beginning of summer

(archived from mariknits)


Look what came in the mail yesterday. A new, signed book that I won in a contest over at Em's Bookshelf. Thanks Em! I have already started reading and am enjoying it so far.

So, the end of May has come and gone and I am far from being half way through the 100 books. I have read 33. Not bad, but not half.





May books:
26. Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (may)
27. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (may)
28. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (may)
29. Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong (may)
30. Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (may)
31. Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (may)
32. Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (may)
33. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (may)

Current reading list:
Emma, Jane Austen
Harsh Cry of the Heron, Lian Hearn
House of Dance, Beth Kephart.
Haunted, Kelley Armstrong

Not sure how many of these I will get through before I leave for Italy.

here's to the beginning of summer


Look what came in the mail yesterday. A new, signed book that I won in a contest over at Em's Bookshelf. Thanks Em! I have already started reading and am enjoying it so far.

So, the end of May has come and gone and I am far from being half way through the 100 books. I have read 33. Not bad, but not half.





May books:
26. Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (may)
27. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (may)
28. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares (may)
29. Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong (may)
30. Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (may)
31. Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (may)
32. Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (may)
33. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (may)

Current reading list:
Emma, Jane Austen
Harsh Cry of the Heron, Lian Hearn
House of Dance, Beth Kephart.
Haunted, Kelley Armstrong

Not sure how many of these I will get through before I leave for Italy.

Knitting:

I have finished the main knitting on my Tangled Yoke. All I need are the button bands and the buttons. I am also ready to turn the heal on my second Luna sock. A bit of my knitting mojo has returned.

Just in time, too. Last day of work is Thursday! Summer break is so close I can almost taste it. :)