BBC's Top 100 List of Books

BBC believes that people will only have read 6 of these books.

Italics= Title read in entirety
Underlined= read on excerpt or started but didn't finish.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

Enemy Thy Name is "River City Days"

From the first year we moved to Chaska I have hated the three days of the year known as "River City Days". It is a weekend long "celebration" that takes place in the park 2 blocks from my house. I am not sure what it celebrates, but it is mostly like a small, tiny, itsy, bitsy, fair. There is food, games, things to buy, crafts to buy, and...no that's it. Oh wait, there is music. LOTS of music. Lots of LOUD music. Until MIDNIGHT. TWO BLOCKS FROM MY HOUSE. It starts at about 4pm on Friday night, then the music plays til midnight, then at 6 am on Saturday they are at it again on the microphone announcing for a race! At 9am Saturday they are announcing the winners of the race and the noise on Saturday does not stop until around midnight. Only to pick up again on Sunday.
When I have to work at 7am on these weekends I curse at the stupid Chaska city councilors and board members who think it is an AWESOME idea to play live music in the middle of downtown chaska, right in FRONT of homes and in the middle of a residential area until midnight! That's some great minds for you. I have almost made it through another year of it.

Who Cares About America, I've Got Talent!

I look around at people that I know, friends, family, co-workers and I see some of their talents so clearly defined. I have a cousin that can sing and play 4 or 5 instruments. My dad's talent was art, I have several friends who a writers, and others who are crafty. Yet when I try to think of a talent that I possess I have always had trouble thinking of something that I am good at, something that rises above the other skills I possess to be a TALENT.
I am an okay writer. I don't play any instruments. I am not able to draw. I don't have a green thumb. I have no real artistic skills, no one area where I excel beyond average. Except when it comes to listening and understanding people. I have always been good at empathizing, with people and understanding people. That seems to be my true talent.

Mr. Moss

I am attending a funeral today for a most amazing man. His name is Cary Moss. I worked with him for the past 7 years at Barnes and Noble. I sold books, he sold knowledge. I have never liked funerals, who really does, but this funeral I am dreading like no other I have attended. I spent all of yesterday sleeping instead so I wouldn't have to think about going. Today I find myself with little courage to get out of bed. I know the only thing that will get me dressed and to the chapel is my respect for the man that Mr. Moss was, and the fact that he never let anything stop him from achieving what he wanted to do, not even in the end.
I will never forget the sound of Cary's voice, his laughter, stories, or the unbending support he gave to those he considered his friends and colleague.

My Wedding/Future Wedding

Well it will have to be the second part of this title as I am not married. I have never spent a lot of time sitting around planning my wedding like some girls and women do. I have never thought about what kind of ceremony, colors, flowers, and dress I would want. It just never seemed like a good way to pass my time, so I really never thought about weddings at all until my Bff became engaged. Then I became more aware of the world of the wedding. I still don't sit around planning my own, but I have more of a blip of an idea of what goes into one. Luckily for me, my best friend is VERY good at planning things, and planning weddings. So, should I need assistance (if I ever actually get married) I know she will be more than willing to help me. As for what I do know here is my list-
Colors-Lighter Green and darker purple
Dress-something without puffy sleeves, and no Diana length train.
Place-?
Groom-?
Bride-me
Cake-you bet. Maybe cupcakes. I like pie too. Little pies would be cool, with additional dessert as Bff does not like pie and hey she planned the wedding after all.
Size of wedding- smaller the better
Time of year- Hot summer weddings suck. Fall would be nice because it is my favorite time of year but my colors kinda say more spring...I think, and I love the time of year (like around now) when the flowering trees are all out in bloom.
Date-?
Honeymoon-My ideal honeymoon would be to Europe or on a road trip.
Wedding Party-Bff, Cousin J and ?
I am sure I missed LOTS of details, photography, music(dj, not live), open bar vs pay bar, food and more but really I think I should focus on the groom first don't you?

P.S. the wedding of my dreams- Elopement followed by a big party later where I get to wear a big frilly dress:)

It's Been Awhile.

First let me start by apologizing. I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back here and blog.  I have no clear reason why I have not blogged in a coon's age (not quite sure how long that is...). I took a vacation, wrote several mind numbing papers for school, broke my computer, am in denial about having to fix my computer, joined a gym, enjoyed hanging out with and playing with my BFF's new puppy, watched some of the new season of Doctor Who, and did as little errand running as possible.
The real reason it has taken me so long is probably that my computer is broken and I have to go ALL the way into the living room to get to a working computer to blog. I know, craziness. Even crazier if you know how small our apartment is (basically 3 rooms, two of which are bedrooms). So, instead of being able to blog from the comfort of my laptop and my comfy bed I have to sit in a non ergonomic chair, at a DESKTOP!! computer. Will the horrors never end;)
But I have risen above these problems to blog again.
More to come when I actually think of something to blog about :)

Work of Art

This is the Greek Myth of Daphne and Apollo-

Daphne was Apollo's first love. It was not brought about by accident, but by the malice of Cupid. Apollo saw the boy playing with his bow and arrows; and being himself elated with his recent victory over Python, he said to him, "What have you to do with warlike weapons, saucy boy? Leave them for hands worthy of them. Behold the conquest I have won by means of them over the vast serpent who stretched his poisonous body over acres of the plain! Be content with your torch, child, and kindle up your flames, as you call them, where you will, but presume not to meddle with my weapons."
Venus's boy heard these words, and rejoined, ":Your arrows may strike all things else, Apollo, but mine shall strike you.:" So saying, he took his stand on a rock of Parnassus, and drew from his quiver two arrows of different workmanship, one to excite love, the other to repel it. The former was of gold and sharp-pointed, the latter blunt and tipped with lead. With the leaden shaft he struck the nymph Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus, and with the golden one Apollo, through the heart. Forthwith the god was seized with love for the maiden, and she abhorred the thought of loving. Her delight was in woodland sports and in the spoils of the chase. Many lovers sought her, but she spurned them all, ranging the woods, and taking thought
neither of Cupid nor of Hymen. Her father often said to her,"Daughter, you owe me a son-in-law; you owe me grandchildren."She, hating the thought of marriage as a crime, with her beautiful face tinged all over with blushes, threw her arms around her father's neck, and said, "Dearest father, grant me this favor, that I may always remain unmarried, like Diana." He consented, but at the same time said, "Your own face will forbid
it."
Apollo loved her, and longed to obtain her; and he who gives oracles to all in the world was not wise enough to look into his own fortunes. He saw her hair flung loose over her shoulders, and said, "If so charming in disorder, what would it be if arranged?" He saw her eyes bright as stars; he saw her lips, and was not satisfied with only seeing them. He admired her hands and arms bared to the shoulder, and whatever was hidden from view he imagined more beautiful still. He followed her; she fled, swifter than the wind, and delayed not a moment at his entreaties. "Stay," said he, "daughter of Peneus; I am not a foe. Do not fly me as a lamb flies the wolf, or a dove the hawk.It is for love I pursue you. You make me miserable, for fear you
should fall and hurt yourself on these stones, and I should be the cause. Pray run slower, and I will follow slower. I am no clown, no rude peasant. Jupiter is my father, and I am lord of Delphos and Tenedos, and know all things, present and future. I am the god of song and the lyre. My arrows fly true to the mark; but alas! An arrow more fatal than mine has pierced my heart! I am the god of medicine, and know the virtues of all healing plants. Alas! I suffer a malady that no balm can cure!"
The nymph continued her flight, and left his plea half uttered. And even as she fled she charmed him. The wind blew her garments, and her unbound hair streamed loose behind her. The god grew impatient to find his wooings thrown away, and, sped by Cupid, gained upon her in the race. It was like a hound pursuing a hare, with open jaws ready to seize, while the feebler animal darts forward, slipping from the very grasp. So flew the god and the virgin he on the wings of love, and she on those of fear.The pursuer is the more rapid, however, and gains upon her, and his panting breath blows upon her hair. Now her strength begins to fail, and, ready to sink, she calls upon her father, the river god: "Help me, Peneus! Open the earth to enclose me, or change my form, which has brought me into this danger!"
Scarcely had she spoken, when a stiffness seized all her limbs; her bosom began to be enclosed in a tender bark; her hair became leaves; her arms became branches; her feet stuck fast in the ground, as roots; her face became a tree-top, retaining nothing of its former self but its beauty. Apollo stood amazed. He touched the stem, and felt the flesh tremble under the new bark. He embraced the branches, and lavished kisses on the wood. The branches shrank from his lips. "Since you cannot be my wife," said he, "you shall assuredly be my tree. I will wear you for my crown. With you I will decorate my harp and my quiver; and when the great Roman conquerors lead up the triumphal pomp to the Capitol, you shall be woven into wreaths for their brows. And, as eternal youth is mine, you also shall be always green, and your leaf know no decay." The nymph, now changed into a laurel tree, bowed its head in grateful acknowledgment.

 This sculpture along with Da Vinci's David brought a new dramatic dynamic to sculptures of the time, as this sculpture done by Gian Lorenzo Bernini shows the most arresting moments in one of Ovid's tales in Metamorphosis. While the story is about a woman becoming an inanimate object, a tree Bernini has manage to give his sculpture life in that the stone itself has movement, and tells the story and the final moments of Daphne's story.

I have seen many interpretations of this, and this is by far my favorite. It has been done in many ways, painting, sculpture, and drawing but this one never fails to amaze me every time. The hands turning to branches, and becoming leaves are so delicate and he even includes her hair blowing behind her straight from the myth.

Song That Makes You Cry (or Almost)

This is a song that my dad used to sing, so it reminds me of him. He used to sing it when he was playing his guitar, just walking around the house doing stuff, or working out in the garage.

Nutsy's Doggie Dash!

This past year has been a hard one for me and my friends and families. The wonderful man pictured above is Paul, my best friend's (Dawn) dad and a loving husband to Dawn's amazing mom. He passed away last year due to complications from chemotherapy for Lymphoma. It was very surprising and so unfair to the world that he should be taken from it.
His pillow in this picture is named Sasha, she was his best buddy. So, in order to do something to help fight Leukemia and Lymphoma and honor the memory of Paul, Dawn and her family have started a fun 5K run/walk that welcomes all comers and, of course all pets! Sasha will be there for sure!
Details-
First Annual Doggie Dash!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
9:00 AM

North Creek Park Farmington, Mn
Upper 182nd Street West and Echo Drive.
You can come and walk, come and run, come and push a stroller, or come and volunteer. If you want more information on the event, or want to sign up please visit the site here.
You know it will feel good to get outside after this winter!
Thank you for your support.

Dream House

This is as close as I could come using just an image search. I call these houses gingerbread houses. I don't know why. I have always liked them, and I love all of the different greenery in the yard as well. This looks to be a house with character, and I like that. If I could have my dream house and lived in the city this would be it. I would also want a glass paneled door.

Yet, when i was growing up one of my friends lived in the coolest log cabin home. It was beautiful. Ever since then log cabins have always held my attention and awe. This one is considered a luxury version. I love the three different levels of walkout, and off to the left it has a patio with a huge chimney fire, this is right off of the kitchen for convenience. Of course my log cabin would have to be in the mountains. Where else could you properly place and enjoy a log cabin such as this one.

A Non Fiction Book

NonFiction-

–noun


1. the branch of literature comprising works of narrative prose dealing with or offering opinions or conjectures upon facts and reality, including biography, history, and the essay ( opposed to fiction and distinguished from poetry and drama).

2. works of this class: She had read all of his novels but none of his nonfiction.

3. (esp. in cataloging books, as in a library or bookstore) all writing or books not fiction, poetry, or drama, including nonfictive narrative prose and reference works; the broadest category of written works.

(see the reasoning for this post in the following post)

A Fictional Book

Fiction-

–noun


1. the class of literature comprising works of imaginative narration, esp. in prose form.

2. works of this class, as novels or short stories: detective fiction.

3. something feigned, invented, or imagined; a made-up story: We've all heard the fiction of her being in delicate health.

4. the act of feigning, inventing, or imagining.

5. an imaginary thing or event, postulated for the purposes of argument or explanation.

6. Law . an allegation that a fact exists that is known not to exist, made by authority of law to bring a case within the operation of a rule of law.

This was on this list as something to blog about, but I couldn't figure out exactly what they were looking for as they had already asked for books in the first several days. So this is what I did instead seeing as I work in a bookstore and I KNOW there are plenty of people out there who don't know the difference between fiction and Non fiction so here it is, spelled out for you.

Something I am OCD about

I don't really have anything that I can think of that I am OCD about. I have things that I have issues with, but not to the extent that I consider it OCD. The one obsession I do have is with hair. I hate hair that has been separated from its source. It makes me gag, hack, and flinch. I cant clean out my own hair from my own brush because I end up gagging, and the feel of it makes me shiver. Just the sound of it being pulled from the brush is enough to set me off. Wet hair is the worst, but I really hate hairs that suddenly appear on things and there is no discernible source to trace them to.
I believe that this phobia if you will, can be traced back to when I was about 4 or 5 and was eating some boxed mac and cheese and felt a hair in my mouth, however when I reached in to pull it out half of it had already gone down my throat so I had to pull it out of my throat, gagging the whole time. It was my hair. This would explain the gagging and the reason that even my own hair bothers me.

Photo Of Me Recently

This photo was taken...I don't really know why it was taken. Just that I was making a kissy face and we were by the lake in Duluth.

Photo Taken Over 10 Years Ago

6th grade school photo. The only one that mom let me pick out what I wanted to wear!

Okay, Okay, Okay....Okay.

So, I started out this semester registered for my Capstone, and an online Greek class that I had already taken. (bummer). That left me the day before classes were to start (when I realized my mistake) searching and searching for a new online class to take. I always prefer to take one online class during spring semester simply because the weather is so unpredictable. It also makes it easier when I don't have to drive all the way out to the different campuses ( yes plural-one in St. Paul, one in Midway and one in Mpls) twice a week in the cold weather, on both me and my car.
I did not find an online course and had settled myself in to take a Wednesday DAY course about museums and galleries. I knew there would be some transporting of myself involved, however I thought this would mean that I would be responsible for getting myself to and from each place on my own time. NO, nononono. Apparently we are to visit the different museums and galleries TOGETHER, as a class, but we have to all get ourselves there AFTER we meet at campus, and pay 2.50 to park in the parking lot for an hour.
So, I was going to have to drive from Chaska, to St. Paul, park, walk in to meet for 20 min to an hour. Then I would have to get back in my car and drive to a second meeting place in MPLS (they are all in mpls) possibly pay to park again, some days drive to a third location, and then drive home. This struck me as asinine. I was not excited about the logistics of this class AT ALL.
My friends and I had also been trying to plan a trip for late March and since all of the museum visits would be done during class there was no way to miss class! This eliminated all chances of travel until summer! So, I went back on the school website on the off chance SOMEONE had the decency to drop an online class that I could take, AND THEY DID! Yipee!

A Photo That I Took.

This is one of the flowers that was still growing in fall (October? November?) when we went to tour Glensheen up in Duluth. It was about the size of my face!

School As the New Prozac?!

Yesterday was my first day of class in the Spring 2011 semester. While I found the idea of driving from one side of the city to the other in the not ideal weather conditions not a real stirring reason to leave my warm abode I got ready and set off into traffic anyway. By the time I had run an errand for my mother, battled traffic on Crosstown, and 94, I was running, well not late but darn close. So, by the time I got on campus, parked and walked into the classroom there was little time to laugh and joke with some of the people I have come to know through my program. Yet, as the class started I found myself in a better mood being in the classroom than I have in any other place in my life lately. My spirits were lifted, I was just happy being there for the time. I didn't think or worry about others, and problems in my life. I just focused on me and what this was going to bring me. One step closer to my degree. It is starting to seem real I guess.

I Thought It All Looked...Familiar.

Tomorrow I start the Spring semester of school. The second to the last semester before I graduate after about 10 years in college. After that long things are bound to be a little fuzzy; stuff like if I have taken a class or not... So I was all jazzed about my classes for this semester. Last semester I signed up to take my Lit Capstone (required to graduate) and an online course about Classical Greece. All was well in the educational word of JoAnnaland. Until tonight. I ordered my books a couple weeks ago and had them delivered to the house and something about the titles were nagging at me. Sure many of the books looked familiar, but I work at a freakin book store! I could have shelved the same titles over and over within my time as a book seller. That could have been what I was remembering. Then I came across one of the books titled "Greek Lyric". If you ever have to read this book, you will remember it. It is not a horrible book, boring, or mind numbing (at least for an English major with a interest towards history), but it is structured in such a way that you will remember reading it. Greek Lyric is a book full of the ancient poets of Greece, separated by poet, and theme. The depressing ones that write about death, go here. The ones that write about love, they go in there, yada yada.
When I first got my books for my classes I had somewhat of a sinking feeling when 3 out of the four books looked familiar. I should have payed attention to the feeling. I didn't. Not until this evening when the idea that the class started tomorrow and I just better make sure everything was kosher...
I went online and sure enough it had wiped my perfectly good grade from the first time I took it and had me repeating it! GAH! I had one night to pick a new class, because said class might start at 9am tomorrow! After much fiddling trying to get my computer to hook up to the Internet:( and searching for online courses, as that is what I was giving up,  :(   I finally found 2 classes that wouldn't have me crying by the second day, one was about information access and research (and online), the other was an art class about Museums and Galleries and met Wednesdays from 1-420. While the Museum one had more of my interest I was all for the online one. However, after registering I realized that it would leave me 2 credits short of graduation, as the info class was worth less credits than the museum course. GRRRRR! I now am registered for my Capstone and a museum and gallery class. Neither I have taken before. I don't think.

Picture that Makes Me Sad/Angry

This picture makes me sad and angry because I had lost so much weight and proceeded to gain so much of it back.