My 2013 reading wrap-up

I read 217 books in 2013. About 12 of those include short stories and novellas, and 21 of the books fall into the young adult/juvenile fiction category, which I tend to whip through pretty fast. What stands out for me is that only seven books were re-reads. Last year, that number topped 29. I deliberately reduced my re-reads because there are so many books I want to read, that I tried to make reading new books my priority.

At the start of 2013, I had 224 books on my Goodreads.com “To Read” list. Now that number is 426.

I already have three books in progress that I did not finish in 2013.



By the Numbers:
Total Books Read: 217
Books I read again for the second (or third or more time): 7
Romance:  71
Mystery:  36
Young Adult/Juvenile Fiction: 21
Nonfiction:  9
Paranormal, Horror, Sci/Fi, Fantasy:  23
Series books: 109

Here are my favorite books from 2013, in no particular order.
 

“The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green

Written for the young adult market, this book tells the story of a girl with terminal cancer who meets a boy with cancer at a support group. This tale of love and loss had me laughing and crying. Sometimes at the same time. A movie based on the book comes out this year. Read the book first.

“The Round House” by Louise Erdrich

Set on a North Dakota reservation,  this book reveals the aftermath of a brutal attack on a woman, and how her son Joe tries to solve the mystery of what happened to her and why. The statistics about sexual assault against Native American woman shared at the end of the book haunt and horrify me.

“Murder in Chelsea” by Victoria Thompson

Thompson wrote romance novels in the 1980s and 1990s, but switched genres to historical mysteries and found her voice. This series, based around a midwife working in New York City in the early 1900s, is amazing, and the latest book in the series finally gave readers some character/relationship development that is long overdue.

“Maisie Dobbs” by Jacqueline Winspear

I will cheat a bit here, and include all 10 books in the series. I discovered the Maisie Dobbs series early this spring and inhaled it before the 10^th book came out. Set in Great Britain between World War I and World War II, it follows a young woman whose employer discovered her in the library in the middle of the night and helped her get an education. She works as a personal inquiry agent (private investigator) and her cases often deal with World War I veterans.

“7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess” by Jen Hatmaker

I travelled to a woman’s retreat in February with a dear friend for the chance to meet Jen Hatmaker and listen to her speak. Amazing experience and an incredible book. I really want to try the 7 challenge this year.

“Silent in the Grave” by Deanna Raybourn

Another mystery series, set in Victorian England, begin with the murder of Lady Julia Grey’s husband. So far the series includes 5 books and two short stories, one of which I need to get my eyes on.

“The Perfect Mile” by Neal Bascomb

A great read about Roger Bannister and the race to break the four-minute mile. 

If you like to read romance, you cannot go wrong with books by Mary Balogh, Celeste Bradley, Lynn Kurland, Julia Quinn or Eloisa James. I tried a few new authors this year and enjoyed books by Tessa Dare, Courtney Milan and Kate Noble. Most of these authors are on Facebook, and I love following them and may still "squee" a bit when I get to interact with them. A work highlight from the year was my phone interview with Celeste Bradley to learn more about her writing and her latest book.

I shall try to rediscover my love of writing, as I fell into a major writing slump in 2013 that I have not been able to shake. My list of books to read includes several writing guides/advice books to try to help me find my writing mojo again.

I set my goal for 2014 at 180 books (just under one book every two days.) This year will bring several changes, including my son graduating from high school and heading off to college. I hope to enjoy spending time with him (as much as he’ll allow) and make time for fitness.

To take a look at all the books I read in 2013,  click here.

10 years as a journalist

March 31 will mark my 10th anniversary of working for the Daily Citizen. It was supposed to be a temporary job, but the privilege of sharing people's stories and the flexibility in the work hours that allows me to do things like volunteer at a library and help coach middle school track have kept me here. 
Please keep sending me story ideas. 

Here's the column I wrote, introducing myself to readers.


New editor introduces herself
Neighbors came out in a new format last week, and with all the changes, you may have missed a change in the staff.
I'm the new Associate Editor for the Randolph/Cambria/Friesland office, replacing Paul Scharf who has transferred to the Columbus Journal.
I live in Beaver Dam, where my son is a first grader at Prairie View Elementary. When I'm not working, I enjoy reading, taking bike rides with my son, surfing the internet for spoilers to my favorite TV shows, and cooking.
I was born in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and spent my childhood living in small communities in the U.P. before my family moved to a western Colorado town in the early 80s. I learned to ski in the Rocky Mountains, and confess that the “mountains” in the Midwest would amuse me if it weren’t for the puddles that pass for lakes back in Colorado.
My family moved back to Ironwood, Michigan in 1991. After graduating from the same high school my parents and grandparents graduated from, I attended a local community college, and then transferred to Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. I moved to Wisconsin in 1997.
Writing is not a new profession for me, though I am new to journalism. My previous jobs include working as a technical writer for Alliance Laundry Systems in Ripon and John Deere in Horicon. People often ask what a technical writer does. The simplest explanation is to pull out the owner's manual in a car, the programming guide for a VCR or the operating instructions for a tractor. A technical writer wrote those. Please don't blame me if you can't program your VCRs, as I still have trouble with mine.
I'm not the only member of my family to relocate to southern Wisconsin. My parents reside in Pardeeville, my sister lives in Madison, and one of my cousins is a senior at Beaver Dam High School.
I still visit family and friends in Upper Michigan, and if you run into me after I've spent a weekend up north, listen for my Yooper accent, which is similar to the Canadian accents heard in the great comedy classic "Strange Brew". For those unfamiliar with the term, "Yooper", it's the name given to natives of the U.P. If you know anyone from Lower Michigan, be sure to call them a troll, as they live below the bridge.
Having survived many a U.P. winter, the recent snap of snow and cold weather didn't faze me much. To learn more about the area, I've been flipping through back issues of the paper and found out there was a foot of snow on the ground at this time in 1973. A long weekend of cold and slush doesn't seem so bad. I hope this weekend's weather is more spring-like, as so many communities have Easter egg hunts scheduled.
I'm really looking forward to getting to know people in the community. Since I'm still relatively new to the area, I welcome ideas for stories.

My 2012 Reading Wrap-Up

I read 233 books in 2012, but do not let that number impress you. I read quickly, especially if the book is one I have read before or one written for the youth market.

By the Numbers:

Total Books Read: 233

Books I read again for the second (or third or more time): 29

Romance: 86

Mystery: 22

Young Adult/Juvenile Fiction: 50

Nonfiction: 16 (Nine were memoirs/autobiographies)

Paranormal: 29

Six of the books were novellas or anthologies. Many of the books I read could easily fall into more than one category, especially the paranormal fiction. I enjoy reading series, and 89 of the books I read were part of a series or trilogy.

Here are my 10 favorite books that I read for the first time in 2012, in no particular order.

“Paris in Love” by Eloisa James

I love James as a romance novelist, but she really knocked it out of the park sharing her story of the year she spent in Paris with her family. Someday, when I plan a visit to the City of Light, I will tuck this book into my carry-on bag as a travel guide.

“Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir)” by Jenny Lawson

I laughed so hard I nearly pulled my abdominal muscles while reading this book written by the Texas woman also known as The Bloggess. Some chapters also punch you in the gut with their poignancy, as Lawson struggles with mental health and fertility issues. She makes one realize it is OK to not be “normal.” If you find yourself easily offended by foul language, don’t read it.  

“Code Name Verity” by Elizabeth Wein

Part mystery and suspense, set in France during World War II about two friends, one a pilot, and what happens when they get caught behind enemy lines. I found it nearly impossible to put down and a bit heartbreaking.

“The Sky is Everywhere” by Jandy Nelson

Written for the young adult market, this book shares the story of a young woman grieving over the death of her sister. It shares how the loss affects her relationships with her grandmother, uncle, sister’s fiancé and her friends. I especially loved the small notes and poems she scatters in her wake as she tries to cope with her grief.

“Bossypants” by Tina Fey

Another memoir that is hysterically funny yet poignant as Fey shares stories from her life and career and her adventures in motherhood. Brilliant.

“The Shoemaker’s Wife” by Adriana Trigiani

An epic story of family, love, sacrifice and loss that begins in the Italian Alps and moves to the United States, first in New York City and then Minnesota. It is loosely based on the love story of the author’s grandparents.

“The Winter Sea” by Susanna Kearsley

Part romance, part historical fiction and pure magic. The story follows two star-crossed lovers in Scotland several hundred years ago through the eyes of a woman tracking down their story in modern times while inexplicably drawn to her landlord’s son.

“Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen” by Christopher McDougall

An excellent book following the story of a native tribe in Mexico that sets amazing strides running barefoot, and those who learned better techniques for running by following their examples.

“A Lady by Midnight” by Tessa Dare

The latest in Dare’s Spindle Cove series. While I loved the first two, “A Night to Surrender” and “A Week to Be Wicked,” this book is my favorite. It follows the story of a woman who discovers the truth about her family while falling for the man who holds a key to her past.

“Case Histories” by Kate Atkinson

The first in her Jackson Brodie mystery series, it shares the story of a former soldier and police officer turned private investigator in Scotland. Excellent books, and the mini-series starring Jason Isaacs is a great adaptation.

Other books I read and liked include Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” trilogy. I also loved Veronica Roth’s “Divergent” and look forward to reading more in that series in 2013. I look forward to watching the movie “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” because I loved Stephen Chbosky’s book. “The Flight of Gemma Hardy” was another excellent book. 
I rated the books I read on a six-point scale. Six books earned a six from me, and three of them are in my top 10 for the year (the other three were books I have read before.) I graded 42 books with a five, so it was a struggle to pick the remaining seven in the Top 10.

When I get hooked on an author, I tend to greedily inhale more books by them. I read at least five or more books by the following authors: Kate Atkinson, Lynn Kurland, Eloisa James, Eileen Wilks and Rachel Gibson. I highly recommend books by the first three.

So, what’s up for 2013? I set my reading goal as 200 books, even though that was my goal for 2012. I hope to find the discipline to read less this year, and instead take better care of myself and spend time with people I love. I already have three books in progress that I did not finish in 2012, and my list of books I want to read on Goodreads.com is currently at 224. This does not include my reading wish list on Amazon.com or the endless list I keep in an Excel spreadsheet. To further my temptation to read, I now own an iPad with a Kindle app (thanks to the generosity of my sister.) I have stacks of books at home waiting for me to read them. I will need to set some priorities, and perhaps give up reading fiction for Lent again in an effort to slow myself down. 

Bells will be ringing...

When you are cold, your sense of time becomes unnervingly acute. My son and I spent two hours ringing bells for The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Campaign on Friday. Temps were in the teens, and the 9-mph wind gusts sent the cold right through us. The wind even knocked over the kettle.
My son took four warm-up breaks in the store, coming back outside with heat packs, candy bars and a  Mountain Dew. I offered him some of the heat packs I keep in the car during winter, but he preferred buying his own. I'm sure that had nothing to do with the pretty girl on the checkout lane he kept using.

Most people who scurried by us did not seem have a giving spirit. Perhaps they just wanted to get in out of the cold. Those who did give warmed our spirits. One woman said times have been tough, with her husband out of work since 2008. That did not stop her from emptying her change purse into the bucket. It both pleased me and gave me hope for younger generations when several teenagers stopped to donate. One woman rushed past, and I figured she must not have heard me compliment her stylish plaid pea coat. A few minutes later, she pulled up to the bucket in her SUV, rolled down the window and poured all the change she had into my mittened hands as her little white dog wagged its tail at me from the passenger seat.
My favorite part of bell ringing is when children give. One little boy dropped in a quarter after his two little brothers did.
"You better take good care of that money," he solemnly said.
I assured him that we would.
Another young boy looked over his shoulder at me like I was crazy and asked: "What are you doing, standing out in the cold?"
"Raising money for a good cause," I replied.
And it is a good cause. While I do not like the way The Salvation Army discriminates against gay people, I continue to volunteer as a bell ringer because I remember how that organization stepped up to help when a community I care about suffered a devastating flood. I don't have a lot of disposable income to offer to good causes. My time is my most valuable resource, and I'm happy to use it.
I'll be ringing the bell again next year, but I may first consider my son's request to either ring earlier in the season or at a store that allows bell ringers in out of the cold.
By the end of our shift on Friday, I didn't have to think about ringing the bell. My constant shivering  kept the bell jingling.
Merry Christmas.

Protecting children should be a parent’s first priority

My column from March 29, 2008

 
Evil exists in this world. Proof can be found in the epidemic of stories of parents who kill their children.
There is a funeral this weekend for a family of six in Iowa. In Iowa City on Monday, a woman and her four children were found dead in their home. Police believe her husband, recently indicted on federal charges of stealing $560,000, beat his family to death with a baseball bat before killing himself by driving the family minivan into a concrete pillar on Interstate 80.
Last week, a 28-year-old man in Georgia killed his son and twin daughters before killing himself. His son was 3 and his daughters not yet 2.
Last month in California, a man shot his wife, a stepson and his three children before turning the gun on himself. The stepson survived. Police believe it was a domestic violence situation that escalated into murder-suicide.
Last year in Alabama, a man shot and killed himself in front of his estranged wife at her mother’s home during what should have been a custody exchange. She found the body of her 6-year-old son in the man’s car. Her other two children, ages 11 and 4, were clinging to life with gunshot wounds to the head and later died. The man and woman were in the process of divorcing and the the day he killed himself and his children would have been their 12th anniversary.
Last March, in Bedford, Ind., a man killed himself and his 8-year old daughter by slamming his small plane into his former mother-in-law's house. He allegedly told his ex-wife before the crash that he had the girl "and you're not going to get her."
In 2006, an Illinois man killed his two young children by throwing them off the 15th floor of a hotel in South Beach, Fla., and then jumped to his own death. The mother told police she and her husband had been having marital problems, but that the family had been celebrating the couple's 10th wedding anniversary.
Last August in Melbourne, Australia, a man pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder. He allegedly killed his three young sons in 2005 to make his estranged wife suffer “and hate Father’s Day all her life.”
The problem is not limited to fathers. Too many mothers have killed their children. I cannot begin to fathom how a mother could harm any child, especially her own.
Andrea Yates killed her five children in a case that haunts me to this day because her two oldest sons looked so much like my own. Susan Smith drowned her two young sons in 1994. In 2004, a woman smothered her 10-month-old daughter with a stuffed animal before stabbing herself.
Too many more examples of filicide — of a parent killing a child — can be found by doing an Internet search, but I don’t recommend it. The stories will haunt you.
Financial problems and depression led to some of the deaths, but most seem to be related to child custody disputes.
Love has nothing to do with these cases. It has been replaced by something ugly and selfish, an “If I can’t have them neither can you” mentality.
If winning over your ex becomes your prime objective, everybody loses. I guarantee that your children will ultimately pay the price.
I can appreciate the frustrations of dealing with child custody issues, as I share custody of my son. It is not easy, especially when you have to spend a holiday without your child.
In covering police news in Randolph, I see too many reports of child custody disputes where one or both parties have contacted the police to help resolve the problem.
There are no easy answers or solutions to prevent the loss of innocent lives. Requiring people to go through rigorous mental health evaluations and pass parenting classes before being allowed to have kids is not feasible. Family court systems need more funding to employ people to serve as advocates for children in custody cases.
If you are going through a divorce or dealing with custody issues, grow up and don’t let your kids be caught in the middle.
If you know of someone in a child custody case who makes threats of violence or suicide, please take the threats seriously. Urge them to seek counseling and alert the proper authorities who can take steps to intervene. Don’t be a bystander when innocent lives are at stake.

Wishing can make it so

 From Jan. 29, 2005

It began with an E-mail from my mother last Tuesday and ended with me removing an item from my Amazon.com wish list.
“Let me know if you're in Cambria or close by some night. Grandma sent a gift for you and I would like to get it to you soon. You'll be VERY surprised...”
Mom had just returned from an extended weekend up North, spent with her parents. I called her that night to try to find out what the gift was, but she refused to tell me, insisting that it had to be a surprise given in person. All she would say was “It’s something you’ve always wanted.”
My father and I had been planning for over a month to go to a basketball game together that Friday, and I had no plans to head to Pardeeville before that.
The next call almost had me out the door though. It was my sister. Mom had called her and spilled the secret. Living up to the stereotype of the annoying little sister, she had to needle me with the knowledge that she knew what the surprise was and I didn’t.
“Don’t let them get your goat” is a bit of sage advice. As Dad puts it, my sister learned long ago where my goat is tied. But that’s a story for another column.
“They’re taunting me,” I said to my son.
On Wednesday I tried again to learn what the surprise was. This time I used my not-so-secret weapon. What grandmother could resist the entreaties of her only grandson?
I put my son on the phone with her. Surely he could weasel the information out of her. She was too wily for that trick, though, only offering another cryptic hint:
“The note with it will make you cry. I didn’t even know she owned it.”
Friday finally arrived, and weather conditions were less than ideal. My parents called to find out if I was still going to come over.
Of course I was. I HAD to know what the gift was
Driving in a snowstorm is no obstacle for a Yooper. We’d never leave our homes in winter if we couldn’t handle some flakes blowing around.
“Where is it?” were the first words out of my mouth when I walked in my parents’ front door. Mom made me wait in her bedroom with the door shut while she went to get the gift, which was still in the garage.
It wasn’t a patient wait. As soon as I was given clearance, I was out the door and down the hall in a flash. Waiting for me in the living room were two plastic tubs, filled with books. Very large books.
It was the Oxford English Dictionary, a 13-volume set, grandma purchased it in the early 1970s.
Anyone who read my column on Jan. 8 will remember that I outed myself as a word geek who coveted a copy of the OED.
Mom was right, the note did make me cry. Grandma was considering leaving the set to the college library, as she didn’t think anyone in her family wanted it until she read my column. Mom had brought copies of my last few columns up North for Grandma to enjoy.
I called my grandmother to thank her for such a lovely gift. She’s a retired English teacher, and knowing that we share a love for words and the evolution of language makes the gift even more special.

Having a way with words

From January 8, 2005

A Yooper university makes an annual contribution to the evolution of language. Lake Superior State University, on the far eastern side of the UP in Sault Ste. Marie, releases an annual list of words and phrases that need to be banished.
Known as the “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Overuse and General Uselessness,” it is put together by a committee at the university from nominations that come in from across the country. Written with tongue-in-cheek humor, this year’s list banishes phrases like “I approve this message” and Trump’s abuse of “You’re Fired.”
Political terms like battleground state, blue state/red state, and flip-flopper were also targets for banishment.
To view previous lists or nominate a word or phrase for banishment, visit www.lssu.edu/banished.
LSSU was established in 1946, as a branch of Michigan College of Mining and Technology (known today as Michigan Tech, my alma mater) to make room for returning World War II veterans. Lake Superior State College became autonomous in 1970 and developed into Lake Superior State University in 1987.The list began as a publicity ploy for little-known school in 1976.
This year’s list is the 30th annual. Proving that math isn’t a strength for English majors, I had to pause to think about that. 2005 minus 1976 seemed like 29 to me, until I counted it on on my fingers.
Another puzzler for me was why the Associated Press had DETROIT as the dateline in a story about the banished word list.
Anyone who looks at a map will see that Detroit is a fair bit south of the Soo, and you have to cross a bridge to get there. Just another example of the lack of respect given to Michigan’s better half.
Lake Superior State University is also known for its annual snowman burning ceremony to welcome the return of spring and for issuing Unicorn Hunter licenses.
Words fascinate me, and I enjoy learning about evolution of language and the origins of words. I’ll wish Latin had been offered as language choice when I was in school.
Looking up a word in a dictionary can be dangerous because I may not stop at one word. My dream addition to my book collection is the complete Oxford English Dictionary. It is a 20-volume set with over 22,000 pages and costs $995. Amazon.com lists the COMPACT version of it at $248.85.
I know that my desire for something that would be a few month’s rent completely outs me as a word geek. I subscribe to an e-mail list that sends me a word of the day to tide me over until I own a copy of the OED.
E-mail seems to be killing off the more formal, written letter. Universal Letter Writing Week begins today, Jan. 8 and continues through Saturday, Jan. 15.
Take the time to write a letter to someone you know before letter writing becomes a lost art. While I have a file saving special e-mails, I don’t treasure it as much as the box of cards and letters I hold on to. I still have cards sent to me from my paternal grandmother, get well cards from my second grade class when I missed school to have my tonsils out and a special valentine. I have even kept copies of letters I’ve written, which is easy as I usually only type longer letters so the recipient can actually read it.
The use of email and on-line options to pay bills are hurting the United States Postal Service. It is the only government agency that relies on its own revenue to stay in business.
It was recently announced that there may be an increase to the cost of postage soon. My initial reaction was to complain, but then I thought about it for a minute. A first class stamp cost 10 cents in 1974. What was the cost of a gallon of gas, a loaf of bread, or a gallon of milk that year compared to what we pay now? Sending a letter is a bargain.