meme

Ketchup and Mustard

November 24, 2008 By heather 4 Comments

I’ve been slow responding to two tags, one an award and one a meme. So today’s the day I reveal all to you.

Yes! I’ve won an award. Drinks on me. Fellow writer Danica bestowed the Kreativ Blogger award on me. (Picture me kneeling in humbleness as she sets a crown on my head. It’s a sparkling, red crown, by the way.)

It’s fitting that I post about it this week because in order to officially win my award, I have to tell you six things that make me happy. Six thing’s for which I’m thankful, in other words. Without further ado, I give you the six (in no particular order):

1. My sexy husband for being sexy, supportive, loving, godly, and all-around amazing

2. My church, for accepting and loving me though I often make them furrough their brow

3. Claire (my piano) for inviting me to play (and takes a pounding without complaint)

4. Scarves and soft yarns

5. Working from home, whether it be teaching flute and piano lessons, writing/editing for Solomon Summaries, or working on my fiction–I love setting my own schedule and getting to be alone for the most part

6. My online community–you let me be alone when I want to be alone and keep me company when I want company, and you get me

Bonus: Christmas music! (And by the end of this week, Christmas movies!)

Tag number two: a meme. This one comes from Tina Howard. She’s created a meme inspired by the book, Me, Myself, and I AM: A Unique Question and Answer Book: The Story of You and God. Though I haven’t read the book, I’m happy to participate in the meme. Basically, she asked that I link to the book (which, you can see, I’ve done above), answer one or more of the following situations (to be listed below), and invite others to join.

The situations are thus:

If I’d been Mary or Joseph holding Jesus for the first time, I’d have been feeling:
If I’d been a disciple traveling with Jesus, I would have asked him:
If I’d been at the Last Supper, I would have said to Jesus:
If Id’ been the first person to the tomb after Jesus rose from the dead, I would have:
If I’d been with Jesus after the resurrection and realized he would be returning to heaven soon, I would have:

Here are my answers:

If I’d been Mary holding Jesus, I’d have been feeling this slipperyness and nasty film–someone needs to give him a bath. And speaking of baths, when’s the last time that donkey’s had one? Wshoo! My poor nose. And where’s the Tylenol? Don’t they give out Tylenol in this place? And will someone stop that incessant drumming? Can’t this guy see I need my sleep? Oh dear, here come shepherds. What the heck? Hasn’t any one heard of privacy?

If I’d been at the Last Supper, I would have said to Jesus, "Please pass the wine, man."

If I’d been the first person to the tomb after Jesus rose from the dead, I would have said, "Whoa, man. What’s the fuss? Tell me what’s a-happenin’!"

In the tradition of not following directions, I tag no one and everyone. If you’re still around this Thanksgiving week, join me in what if. If not, Happy Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: awards, creativity, giggles, meme

A Name I Call Myself

September 15, 2008 By heather 7 Comments

Confucius say, "A rolling stone gathers no moss, but a blog collects many memes."

(Or maybe it was Mick Jagger.)

In the past few months, I’ve accumulated four meme tags. Michelle hit me up for the quirky meme (you know, the six weird things–I’ve done it before, but you can never run out of weird things about me). Tanya Dennis put me on her favorite blogs list (whereby also tagging me for same said meme). Spaghettipie passed along the how-blogging’s-affecting-me meme (a fairly new one started by LL Barkat).

It’s quite possible there’ve been more that have escaped my brain. (I learned in yoga class the other day that memory function is linked to your physical balancing ability. Our teacher told us this as I was falling out of a pose.)

The question is, at this point, how to fulfill them all in one post. The favorite posts list and the how-blogging’s-affecting-me list are easy enough to combine: how my favorite posts are affecting me. (Ta da! You should see me when I’m fully awake.) The weird-slash-quirky things about me. Hmm. How my favorite posts are affecting me by making me weirder?

Don’t think that’s possible.

Okay, let’s try this. Four favorite blogs, how they’re affecting me, and some weird fact about me that’s somehow linked to that blog or to the way it’s affecting me.

Yup. Master of disguise. (Don’t try this at home.) Here we go:

1. Jeanne Damoff’s blog, The View from Here. Jeanne teaches me that every moment has the potential of being magical, that life is about unburying treasures. She’s full of joy and laughter.

Weird thing about me: I’m obsessed with pirates. Pirates, mafia, and gypsies. (Speaking of, I have this great CD of Macedonian gypsy music.)

2. Sarah’s blog, I Am Sarah Grace. She’s raw and honest. She teaches me about real vunerability–not the kind of authentic that we all pretend to be (or, at least, I pretend to be), which is to say, I want you to think I’m authentic, so I’ll open up parts of my life (and really, I think I’m a pretty open person), but I’m not going to show you the really dirty sides. You can be who you want to be in the blogging world (I suppose in the real world as well). So choosing to be the best side of you (through the power of the Holy Spirit) and willing to divulge the ugly side of you at the same time, that’s what I’m learning in blogging.

Weird thing about me: When I’m at some gathering of people, and I don’t know them very well (or they start talking business), I pretend to be a fairy or a cloud dancer or wind person. Fun stories come from this, but no one else knows them.

3. David Taylor’s blog, Diary of an Arts Pastor. This blog teaches me about the discipline of an artist. I consider myself a fairly disciplined person. That’s what happens when you’ve been taking music lessons since age five. It ingrains in you a sense of practice, practice, practice. But I’m learning about the attitude of discipline. To be honest, blogging’s made some of that discipline harder with blogs, with twitter, with facebook–so many things to interrupt (and to use as a procrastination tool). And there’s the aspect of how discipline in an artist is not just BOC (butt on chair). It’s also living life.

Weird thing about me: My favorite prayer times are the ones that happen when I’m sitting at the piano and using no words.

4. Erin’s blog, They Hang Like Paper Lanterns. This woman puts the art in artistic. I’m learning how to see everything as a kernel of beauty, whether in her children’s laughter, her artwork, or hanging laundry. I love this woman, her quiet strength, her imagination, and her artistic ability.

Weird thing about me: I’m a Broadway baby. I love all things Broadway. I’ll even watch horror when it’s a musical (i.e. Sweeney Todd and Dr. Horrible’s Musical Blog, which, granted, is not horror but sci-fi but horror’s in the name, so I’m counting it). There are certain words I can’t hear without breaking into song. There are certain songs I can’t hear without breaking into dance. (It’s good exercise, really.)

The madness stops here.

Filed Under: giggles, meme

Six Randomries and the Unveiling

May 30, 2008 By heather 13 Comments

I’ve been tagged by Sarah, who was tagged by Christianne, who was tagged Green Inventions Central, who was tagged by Michelle and Gina, who were tagged by… (Does this mean I’m related to Kevin Bacon?)

I think I’ve done this meme before, but you can never have enough me. (What, Lord, I must become less?) And I decided to merge it with the unveiling of my new toy!

1. I prefer pictures from behind than from in front. Remember my old profile pics?

2. An ancestor of mine was a pirate who came over for the American Revolution. The only way you could match this would be to tell me that I’m related to the mafia or have family wondering about as gypsies.

3. I have the Robinson spread, and I’m not going to tell you what that means.

4. I’m the biggest fan and worst critic of my writing. Sometimes, I have to tell you, my writing makes me laugh. I can’t help but think, "I’m brilliant!" Sometimes I wonder what the heck I’m thinking putting all this crap onto a page! Writing this bad is probably contributing to the deterioration of humanity. I’m definitely a fraud.

5. I wish I could write fantasy. But I also love what I write now.

And unedited, unmake-upped, uncaffeinated…

Who knows where this will take us all…

Filed Under: giggles, meme, webcam

24601

March 27, 2008 By heather 13 Comments

I saw this meme lurking around the High Calling Blog collection (a fun network of people that I recommend you check out if you haven’t already) but thought, what odd job have I done? I skipped it. Then Brandon tagged me, and I can’t very well go ignoring good tags now, can I? Which means I’m doing a meme and combining it with some unformed thoughts rattling around in my head about my job now. First the rules (because you can’t have a game without rules–I tried once, and while it was fun for me, no one else wanted to play again):

1. Write about the Strangest Job I Ever Had and tell what I learned from it.

2. Link to other “Lessons from Odd Jobs” posts.

3. Tag my post “Lessons from Odd Jobs”.

4. Tag other bloggers, in or out of the HC network. (I tag Michelle, Tanya, and Pam because they’re three good story-tellers.)

5. Link back to the Lessons from Odd Jobs page and and email this month’s host at “Marcus AT highcallingblogs DOT com”.

As I said, I’ve never had an odd job. I’ve been a janitor, a worship administrator, a women’s ministry intern, a pharmaceutical tech, a music librarian, a medical receptionist, and a musician. I’ve babysat, edited, taught flute and piano lessons, played odd gigs at odd places, composed, and entered mass amounts of data. I’ve learned that author’s are touchy, the floor of a man’s bathroom is always sticky, and certain pills smell good.

But the strangest job I’ve ever had: a writer.

Who else gets away with hearing voices in their heads? Who else can zone out of conversations while creating alternate realities and have a legitimate excuse?

This brings me to the tweaking part of the meme. The wilderness part. You guys were with me as I wrote about becoming me, the imaginative theologian who loves the arts. It’s who I am. I have visions of the Church being a patron of the arts, of incarnating Christ through art, of being a beacon of creativity. I have a desire to help shepherd and guide artists and lead them in spiritual formation. Something (or Someone, I should say) pushes me to do more with my writing, to work harder, to be excellence (by the way, there’s a good article, The Habit of Excellence, up at The High Calling this week), to embody the sufferings and the hope of resurrection.

I’m an artist.

Or am I?

I’m a mediocre musician and a rookie writer. Am I an artist?

I’m in a place of stripping and purging. I prayed for insignificance that God would strip away my pride.

And He’s answering it.

I read last night in Dark Night of the Soulthat in the purging process, there’s a time when the soul feels rejected by God.

I’m in that process. Some of it, I suspect, is God telling me, No, that’s not what I have for you when I take on jobs impetuously. Some of it is an answer to that prayer for insignificance. Some of it, I don’t understand.

I feel alone. I feel useless. I’ve been in this wilderness for four years. God reveals things now and again, like oases. A couple years ago, I started writing. I thought, now we’re getting somewhere!

Only I’m not anywhere.

It’s not that I don’t love my job and my life. I teach flute and piano. I spend most of the day writing. And I’m heading up a new group blog for bible.org (more on that later). I love my job(s).

But I wonder if God loves them. If He loves them, why doesn’t He use them? If He loves them, why doesn’t He give me that bit of encouragement when I ask for it?

So the oddest part of my odd job: watching everything be stripped away.

I can’t help but think of the part in the Maundy Thursday service when the priests stripped the altar. Christ’s presence gone (metaphorically speaking).

I can’t help but think of Mary meeting Christ in the garden, of the travelers meeting Christ on the road to Emmaus, of the disciples meeting Christ in the locked room.

I warned you that these thoughts are unformed, swimming around without a dock. Next week, I’m going to the symposium, Transforming Culture: A Vision for the Church and the Arts. I’m looking forward to refreshment. I’m looking forward to just being who I am, an imaginative theologian, and perhaps, an artist.

My soul belongs to God, I know
I made that bargain long ago
He gave me hope when hope was gone
He gave me strength to journey on

Who am I?
I’m 24601!

Filed Under: art, imagination, imaginative theologian, meme, ministry, music, work, writing

Sesame Street's Count

February 11, 2008 By heather 3 Comments

Jenn tagged me with the p. 123 non-meme going around (because it’s not really about me, it’s about my books, which, really, though, is about me, so I guess it is a meme).

At first I was going to do Moby Dick, because that’s the book I started reading. But I decided to put off reading Moby Dick until the cruise my husband and I are going on (I like to read thematically–I read Treasure Island and Old Man and the Sea at the beach, and I think hearing the waves and feeling the breeze adds to the experience). So no Moby Dick. Then I figured I’d follow the rules, which ask for the book nearest you. So I picked up On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner, but the sentence is kind of boring ("We do not see a dog rummaging through garbage cans but, instead, individual words: A dog was."). I guess it’s not that boring if you think about these three words like on Sesame Street "A," "dog," and "was," popping in and out of garbage cans. Still, one would like something they can sink their teeth into.

Then I thought I could go to the book I’m actually reading now, but it’s horribly written (don’t worry–I’ll lambast it later). I’m reading it for a friend.

So back to Moby Dick: "Wonderfullest things are ever the unmentionable; deep memories yield no epitaphs; this six-inch chapter is the stoneless grave of Bulkington."

Ah, much better! Now that’s a sentence! That’s why Moby Dick is a classic.

So now, to tag five people.

Nevermind. I’m not tagging this time. If you want to do the 123 non-meme, let me know. I’ll be happy to read your selection!

Filed Under: books, meme

Monday Memes Mean Mmm-hmm-hmm*

February 4, 2008 By heather 7 Comments

Remember Saturday morning cartoons? Smurfs and all that jazz? Right before they’d break for commerical, these three clay people with skinny bodies, huge heads, and even bigger hair, would come out and sing, "After these messages…" then they’d bow down, their heads would switch, they’d stand again, "We’ll be right back!" Remember that?

I have one more part of my theologian story, but I thought I’d take a break for some silliness courtesy Jennifer, who tagged me. After all, I’m a big fan of silliness. It’s what keeps me sane.

4 Jobs I’ve Had:

Janitor of a church
Music librarian
Medical Receptionist
Worship administrator for a church

4 Movies Watched Over and Over:

When Harry Met Sally (the best movie ever)
Pirates of the Caribbean
White Christmas (several times each Christmas)
High Society

4 Places I’ve Lived:

New Jersey (land of the best tomatoes, land I long to live in again, but I can’t, so I set my books there)
Waco, TX (college, sic ‘em, bears!)
Dallas, TX
in my own little corner in my own little world

4 TV Shows I Watch:

(Note: I should say "watched" with the writer’s strike.)

Pushing Daisies (my favorite in years)
House
Chuck
Lost

4 Places I’ve Been:

Prague–one of my favorite cities
to the furthest corners of my imagination
Honduras
Starbucks

4 People Who Email Me Regularly:

Amazon (with latest sales)
Suzanna B. @ Dear Reader (with latest books)
my best friend (with the latest news)
my credit card company (with the latest bill)

4 Favorite Things to Eat:

Italian food
sushi, especially super white tuna
chocolate cake with chocolate icing
anything free

4 Places I’d Rather Be:

on the beach
in New Jersey
in New Jersey on a beach
Anne’s House of Dreams

4 Things I Look Forward to This Year:

Going on a cruise
Taking dance lessons with my husband
April Fool’s Day
Eating lunch today (leftover Italian food)

4 People to Tag:

Michelle, cause you never know what’s gonna come out of that girl’s mouth
Jeanne, cause she gets my pixie dust
Chris M., cause the world could use a little more snarkiness
Peter Pan, cause he’s the logical choice

*As in laughing through your nose (c.f. Mary Poppin, the "I Love to Laugh" scene).

Filed Under: giggles, meme

Memes for Sale

January 16, 2008 By heather 11 Comments

D’Ann–a woman who I believe has the gift of encouragement–and Jeanne–who I want to be when I grow up simply because I don’t think she ever grew up–tagged me for this bookish meme.

I have a love-hate relationship with this meme. It’s about books, hence the love. It uses the word "one" too often, hence the hate.

1. One book that changed your life.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. How could you not fall in love with Anne? I wanted to be Anne with an e. I still want to be Anne. I have red highlights because of Anne. Anne taught me that an active imagination is a good thing.

2. One book that you have read more than once.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Because I thought it best to put a different answer than the above.

3. One book you would want on a desert island.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe for inspiration. Or How to Prepare Sushi.

4. Two books that made you laugh.

The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie and Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller.

5. One book that made you cry.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

6. One book you wish you’d written.

Back When We Were Grown-Ups by Anne Tyler

7. One book you wish had never been written.

Vague memories of yelling at books flit in my head, but I don’t remember why or which books I yelled at.

8. Two books you are currently reading.

The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie and Nobody’s Fool by Richard Russo. The latter I’m listening to on my iPod, and I’m only allowed to listen to it when I run, which hasn’t been frequent lately (I won’t bore you with the excuses). But I like coming back to a character that’s been there a while. I don’t want to finish this book because I want to live in the town with there characters for as long as possible.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. It’s been on my shelf for years. One day…

10. Five people that I tag: Marcus, Heather Tipton (mostly to annoy her, which is good fun), Jenn, Christianne, and Erin.

Filed Under: meme

In the Year 1977

January 14, 2008 By heather 9 Comments

My friend, fellow-writer, and crit-partner, Michelle, tagged me for the 10-20-30 game. I had been pouting because the meme went around to everyone else in the face of this blogging world, but not me.

But Mich tagged me the month I turned 30. So I guess before then, the last bit wouldn’t have been much fun. Unless you wanted a dissertation on amniotic fluid.

So here we go:

10 years ago–College. I lived in the music building, in practice rooms, in the music library, where I worked, in lockers. Okay, I didn’t actually live in the locker. It was a difficult but fun life, living, breathing, eating music (you’d be surprised at the flavors in sheet music, although I’d stay away from Mahler sheet music when training for a marathon–a bit on the heavy side). I was also learning to swing dance.

20 years ago–I spent my time at a bar. In the basement of our house in Jersey, the previous owners had installed a bar, and my sister and I employed it to play "waitress." Or it was the office for "teacher." Or the Mediterranean getaway for our Barbies.

30 years ago–The babe in arms. I liked quite a few arms–my mom’s, my dad’s, my grandfather’s, although apparently my grandmother’s made me cry.

There you have. A life in times.

In other -ehem- recent news, Jen nominated me for the Rockin’ Girl Blogger.

Back in July.

Some would call me a procrastinator. I just like to savor.

Filed Under: meme

Me, me, me, me, me

August 4, 2007 By heather Leave a Comment

Mir shot me, I mean tagged me for this crazy long meme. Like her, I’m picking and choosing. I may steal some of her answers just because I can’t beat them.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Last night. Just because. Welcome to my world.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING
What’s handwriting?
Oh, right, right, when you use that old fashioned pen thingy, the one that doesn’t do anything on the blackberry but scratch the surface. Sure, I do. Why not? It’s mine, and it’s all I’ve got.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
It depends on which other person I was. If I was someone like me, I’d drive myself crazy. If I was someone with a lot of compassion and forgiveness and mercy, then sure. If I was someone with lots of money and decided to become a patron of writing, then of course!
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Moi? Sarcasm? Come on. I’m from Jersey. It’s the language of love.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Only if I completely lost my mind first.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No. That would take too much time.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Hey, I do Pilates! Don’t mess with me!
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Baileys. That’s good stuff. Especially when laced with chocolate.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Anything that can be used against them. Just kidding. I don’t know.
15. RED OR PINK?
Red, baby.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My cattiness. I know, I know. It’s terrible. It pops up now and then, and the worst part is, it’s really my insecurities.
There, now you have it.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My best friend who moved to Chicago.
20. WHAT WAS The LAST THING YOU ATE?
Breyers chocolate ice cream.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Thorougly Modern Millie.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Red, baby. Or maybe orange, bright orange. Or a deep plum purple.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
my husband, the ocean.
30. FAVORITE FOOD(S)?
potatoes, potatoes, potatoes. my husband jokes that i’m setting off the next potato famine.
oh, and pasta.
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
From Homer to Harry Potter by Matthew Dickerson and David O’Hara, A Bigger Life by Annette Smith, Digging to America (audio on my iPod when I run) by Anne Tyler
42. FAVORITE SOUND?
ocean waves, my husband telling me he loves me and thinks I’m gorgeous
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Um, nothing I can tell you guys about…

Filed Under: meme

Nother Book Meme

August 2, 2007 By heather Leave a Comment

My instructions were to bold the books I’ve read, italicize the ones I want to read, and leave in normal text the ones that don’t interest me. Everything in caps indicates those I’ve never heard of. The asterisks indicate those I recommend.

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown) (seen the movie: does that count?)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) ***
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) *
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) *
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien) (again, I’ve seen all three of these movies. I think I should get half credit for that)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) *** (you weren’t questioning this were you?)
9. OUTLANDER (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A FINE BALANCE (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling) **
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling) **
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) (seen the movie, which made me want to read the book)
16. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
17. FALL ON YOUR KNEES (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King) (the book’s been sitting on my shelves for a bit waiting for me)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling) **
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) *
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) *
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) **
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) *
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) **
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) (no desire whatsoever to read this book – it strikes me as a yuck)
31. DUNE (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell) *
35. THE MISTS OF AVALON (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay) (seen the movie and cried)
38. I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. THE ALCHEMIST (Paulo Coelho)
41. THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)**
43.Confessions of a Shopahaulic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) (another strikes me as a yuck book)
45. The Bible ***
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy) (another one sitting on my shelves eyeing me, batting her eyes, even)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) *** (one of my favorite books ever!)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt) **
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. SHE’S COME UNDONE (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)***
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) *** (another favorite)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens) **
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) ***
56. THE STONE ANGEL (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) **
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger) (I know, I can’t believe I haven’t read it either)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy) (although I’m not sure what the chances are that I’ll ever get around to this volume – as Radar on M*A*S*H said, "War and peace?" with confused look on his face)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
5. FIFTH BUSINESS (Robertson Davies)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) **
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo) (but I’ve seen the musical and the movie – both several times – and I own the soundtrack, so I should still get lots of points for this one!)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) (seen the movie)
71. Bridget Jones’s Diary (Helen Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)

75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson)
76. THE SUMMER TREE (Guy Gavriel Kay)

77. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (Betty Smith) (I read this in sixth grade, and when I bought the book, my mom first took it and white-outed [yeah, I just made that word up] all the curse words – I love that she did that for me)
78. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP (John Irving) (I know it’s odd to have an all-caps and italicized one, but in this particular case, the title and author are enough to convince me that I should pick it up)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) **
81. NOT WANTED ON THE VOYAGE (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck) *
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. WIZARD’S FIRST RULE (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) **
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) *
88. THE STONE DIARIES (Carol Shields)
89. BLINDNESS (Jose Saramago)
90. KANE AND ABEL (Jeffrey Archer)
91. IN THE SKIN OF A LION (Michael Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (William Golding) * (a hard book to read but recommended as a commentary on the corruption in all of us)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)**
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) (Some movies, once I see them, I want even more to read the book. This one, I’m content with just the movie.)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce) (Wait! you say. How can it be bold and italicized? I’ve picked it up, read about a third of it, and have picked it up and put it down more times than Anne Heche has changed sexual preference, and someday, I’ll finish it. Someday. Hopefully before I die.)

Because I wasn’t tagged but did this for the heck of it, I’m not tagging anyone. You can do it for the heck of it if you want.

Filed Under: books, meme