Quote of the day

"People really, truly believe that it is not only acceptable, but right to treat fat people with disdain. I'm sad to say that I've been inculcated with enough societal garbage that I occasionally hate my own body--but as a thin (white, able-bodied, etc.) person I cannot fathom what it must be like to have others take it upon themselves to hate my body for me. As I've said before, if you think fat people have no self-discipline, consider the fact that they haven't killed you yet."



{{swoons}} 

I has much love :)

Every Month a Holiday - January

The World of Charles Addams by... well... Charles Addams -  Charles Addams was born January 7, 1912. A remarkable cartoonist and creator of the characters that would become the TV show & movies - The Addams Family - a twisted, macabre group that I would love to know :)

Over 300 pages of witty and warped cartoons that graced The New Yorker magazine. Wonderful stuff.


For February's 'holiday', I'll be reading James Herriot's Dog Stories in honor of the Westminster Dog Show, which I will also try to remember to watch :)

Miscellany: fiction, nonfiction, teen, fantasy

Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way by Bruce Campbell - A B-movie actor gets a shot at A-list fame. Bruce gets cast in a Mike Nichols film starring Richard Gere and Renee Zellwegger and goes all out to fit in. And then things start getting weird - B-movie weird.  Funny, but a bit much (which might be the point!). Enjoyed his autobiography If Chins Could Kill much more - the conversational style works much better there. (challenges: 100 books, A to Z, and 888)

The Fat Girl's Guide To Life by Wendy Shanker - Tired of the dieting mentality, Shanker decides to go after life at her current size and takes on society's prejudices, media, and medical 'experts' to show that you don't have to be thin to have a life. Lots of humor, lots of excellent points. There are better books on the subject, but Shanker kicks some butt here :)
(challenges: 100 books, A to Z)

Remembering Raquel by Vivian Vande Velde -  How will you be remembered after you're gone? Velde's novella shows different points of view in each chapter as Raquel's classmates deal with the news of her death. Also seen are glimpses of her family, the witnesses to the accident, and the driver of the car that hit her. Short, but powerful - another hit by Velde.
(challenges: 100 books, A to Z)

Diana Tregarde Investigates by Mercedes Lackey - SFBC omnibus - includes Children of the Night, Burning Water, and Jinx High - 788 pages!  Before Buffy or Anita Blake, Diana Tregarde was a Guardian, protecting good from evil, doing battle with the occult. Somewhat dated, but still kick-ass. Diana takes on psi-vamps, Aztec spirits possessing human bodies, and a sorceress targeting a friend's teenage son and in danger of waking a slumbering goddess. Burning Night really reminded me of LKH's Obsidian Butterfly - just without the gore.
(challenges: 100 books, A to Z, 888, Chunkster)