Lists of Things: Books

I am 99.5% done with Christmas shopping (0.5% is because we just got our Secret Santa picks today at work). No, seriously. I know it's only December 8. I can scarcely believe it myself, especially since I'm a self-proclaimed Procrastinator and a notoriously indecisive shopper. I think stock-piling presents 2 months in advance helped. I'm not crazy, but I do have a lot of friends with birthdays in November, which makes the end of the year a double whammy of gift-contemplating and piggy-bank breaking. (It's ok, November children. I forgive you because obviously, I adore you.)

So while I am relieved that bit of holiday madness is out of the way, I also came to the rather troubling realization yesterday that I no longer have this thing called "break" - as in Winter Break, Spring Break, glorious glorious Summer Break. It is troubling because having been working full-time for a month now, I can tell you there are days when I miss my part-time status 3-day weekends, and with the cold weather (it's pretty dang cold for LA) and my sister freaking out about finals week to me, I'm really starting to itch for Winter Break. EXCEPT I NO LONGER HAVE ONE.

Normally during Winter Break, I like to curl up and catch up on the things Academia tended to keep me from - like TV shows (this is a half-truth since I had DVR and thus watched everything), my non-college/"home" friends (who I now see all the time: hi peeps!), and READING. Leisure reading. Fun reading. Non-dry reading. Reading I'm not doing for a grade or sticking post-its in for quotes or thinking up theses for. Reading that has nothing to do with test subjects, how experiments are set up, and what the results were (though psych experiments are quite interesting to read about).

So now I'll have to scrounge for time to do that since cold weather is ideal weather for reading. I do the bulk of my reading during Winter Breaks and Summer Breaks, and now I'll just have to adjust for lack of breaks. Plus, lately it seems people about the Interwebs have all been in reading mode (or otherwise doing tons of book giveaways). So taking a page from the lovely ladies of Nayu's Reading Corner, Inkfever, Merc Rants, Myth-takes, and From Elysium, I'm going to post about reading/books.

At least, I'm going to post a list of them that I'd like to read or finish reading on my days off. I think maybe Alz and I should do random Lists of Things more often. It is a sadly underused tag/label. In no particular order:

1. Percy Jackson & the Olympians series: I'm in the middle of Book 2, have Book 3 somewhere, and I'll get the rest when I need to. I started the series when I was tutoring. This one and the Keys to the Kingdom series were recced to me as series an 11 year old boy might enjoy. I finished Keys to the most current book (the last book isn't out yet), and it's about time I caught up with this, especially since I LOVE Greek myth so much. Plus, the movie's coming out soon, which has prompted my sister to read it. My sister's the opposite of me. I usually read books for books. She reads books for movies. I'm competitive. I must finish first.

2. God of Clocks by Alan Campbell: It's the third book in the trilogy, and I'd like to know how it ends, even though book 2 got reeeeeally weird. Also, this book belongs to Alz and I think I've had it for a few months...

3. Pride & Prejudice and Zombies: because nothing says holidays like Jane Austen and the undead.

4. The Graveyard Book: I forgot I bought it. It was recently unearthed, buried beneath a mountain of jackets and stuffed animals.

5. The Bone Doll's Twin: I took this to Taiwan last summer and took it all the way back without ever cracking the cover. It was a Christmas present from last year.

6. Assassination Vacation: This is the 2nd Sarah Vowell book I've taken hostage from my friend. I should read it and give it back, and I like US history too! Speaking of which...

7. Take the Cannoli: The 1st Sarah Vowell book I took hostage. How many YEARS have I had this now??? I'm sorry!

8. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow: This is a biography of Alexander Hamilton I've been reading since, well, practically since the 6th Harry Potter book came out. It's not that it's not interesting. It is; it's a great read. But as my friends can tell you, I love the dude on the $10. He is my favorite Founding Father. I have the nerdiest, geekiest AP U.S. History crush on him, and I blasted through this monster of a book fairly quickly (I'm a slow reader by nature). It was the last less than 100 pages that slowed me down because, well, I think you know how the story ends. Uh, Spoiler Alert, Mr. Hamilton dies in a DUEL with Aaron Burr. I know, I know. It happened like 200 years ago and I know it is inevitable, but it kind of sucks having to read up to it, knowing how it's going to end, seeing it can't be stopped, and seeing how MAYBE it could have been avoided. I'll get over it. Eventually.

9. The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix: I read this and loved it back in high school. Luce recently started reading it (she's on the last book) and reminded me how good it is. My usual elephant's memory is failing me on the details, so I think it's a good time to re-read.

10. Various manga I've neglected to keep up with.

11. Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett: Actually, this last random entry is for Alz. YOU SHOULD READ IT DURING YOUR BREAK.


I think that's a good list. Now, to figure out where I'm going to fit in massive TV/anime series marathoning into my lack of Breakage. (Yes, I'm a series marathon-er.)

What are you all reading or planning on reading? How are your holiday plans coming along?

P.S. Anyone want a holiday card/email from A Nudge?

P.P.S. Tere at The Lesser Key has some posts with linkage to nifty book contests if you're interested!