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.