The big book list

Hello empty blogsphere! I have decided to keep a Booklog like Steph/ven because I'd like to try and read 100 books in a year (Jan 1-Dec 31), also it's a good idea, I quite like keeping lists and I feel I need to have a look at my choice of books, as I am detecting that in recent years a) I tend to read a lot of kiddies books (which began upon my becoming a teacher, since I have found that one way to get the little darlings reading, is to enthuse about some book I have just finished reading to which I then say 'Ooooh, I just read this, it's fab, who wants to read it?!' which always gets a response and also, if there is a child who lacks a certain something in their writing, or is somewhat restricted in their reading choices, I will target them with a particular book I think they'd like (e.g. A. recently with The 39 steps) because I like their relative innocence and 'imaginary happenings and worlds' untainted by adult preoccupations. I also notice I read a lot of one author, so I feel I need to subject my reading list to critique! And well, I find it hard to actually think of anything to put up here, so here is something! (to my obviously huge audience!) And yes, I am detecting definite themes already!

1. The country gentleman- Fiona Hill

2. Sanditon- Jane Austen and another lady

3. The Watsons - incomplete – Jane Austen

4. Beware the babysitter- Kate Williams

5. The Night before- Kate Williams

6. The verdict. - Kate Williams

7. Princess Diaries, 10 out of 10 - Meg Cabot

8. Boy meets girl – Meg Cabot

9. All American girl, ready or not - Meg Cabot

10. Eden Hall – Veronica Heley

10. The reluctant marquioness – Anne Ashley.

11. The screwtape letters. – C.S Lewis

12. Emma Watson – Joan Aiken (The Watsons completed.)

13. Nell – Elizabeth Bailey

14. Teen idol - Meg Cabot.

15. The diary of a young girl- Anne Frank

16. Who’s that girl? – Alexandra Potter

17. Twelfth night- William Shakespeare.

18. Lady Catherine’s necklace – Joan Aiken

19. Mansfield Revisited – Joan Aiken

20. The Great Gatsby – Scott Fitzgerald.

21. Third form at St Clare’s- Enid Blyton/Pamela Wise.

22. A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E – Malorie Blackman.

Snow is...

...a lily blanket laid upon shivering ground.
... a fleece stolen from a benevolent polar bear.
...A scattering of fallen sheep from the sky. (if you believe some of my year 5's...)
... feathers shed from busy angels.
... a blank canvas donated by the great artist.
Oh how utterly corny, I give up!

... pretty, soft and lovely.
...scrunchy and squeaky when trod upon heavily.
... an inducer of child-like emotions and actions.
...romantic if someone to enjoy with.
... wonderful when it causes you to have unexpected days off!

2 DAYS! NO SCHOOL!
2 DAYS! NO SCHOOL!
2 DAYS! NO SCHOOL!
2 DAYS! NO SCHOOL!
2 DAYS! NO SCHOOL!
2 DAYS! NO SCHOOL!
2 DAYS! NO SCHOOL!

100 things to do...

I have borrowed this from Rach's blog which I haven't looked at for ages. Have a look, fab blog! She borrowed this from Lyn's blog I like the idea of seeing what has changed over a year, and seeing if I have done anything new... (ones in bold I have done...)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (not yet...)

5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (really don't want to again! Too high! Too clumsy!)
9. Held a praying mantis (no, but I've been conducted by one! Or so it would seem!)
10. Sang a solo (ever increasing in recent times...)

11. Bungee jumped (IS. NEVER. GOING. TO. HAPPEN)
12. Visited Paris (a one day Eurostar special, except that I wasn't very well, got up at 3.45am and returned to bed 22 hours later. Fun, but not ideal)
13. Watched a lightning storm (I was only about 11, helped set up a stall at my school fete on a Friday night, forked lightning. Super scary for a wuss like moi!)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I dabble at arty things, but don't think I have learned something proper from scratch!However, would like to do this with mosaicing)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (oooh, salmonella twice in the 80's. NOT good!)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (yep, first grew corn on the cobs aged 7...)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (sleep is a generous verb for it. The sleeper to Penzance- air conditioning was too high to sleep. Stupidly, didn't realise the link between by apparent insomnia and the aircon control...)

21. Had a pillow fight (Oooh, not for years. Want one now!)
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (To my shame, as someone who drags myself to work/school when sick, I believe there was an incident with a GCSE history project if I am honest and remember rightly, when I wasn't quite finished...)
24. Built a snow fort (not sure, think I tried in Lucy's garden aged 8...)
25. Held a lamb (yeh! And given it a bottle. At the house of a lovely stranger in Abbeydore/Craswall, Herefordshire!)
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (I wish...)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (lovely ones in Kuta, Bali.)

31. Hit a home run (if we are counting rounders in this...)
32. Been on a cruise (no, although been on Scandanavian seaways to Hamburg. Does that count?)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (not been to Greece yet...)
35. Seen an Amish community (I'd really like to visit the Pennsylvania, though I agree with Rachel that not a spectator sport.)
36. Taught yourself a new language (yep, when I started Indonesian. And also, started learning Greek via Beeb website)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. (Is satisfaction about money?)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (I'd prefer never to do this again. Did not enjoy it!)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (largely stationary, but it involved lots of us foreign students in Bali, bizarrely learning Polish vocab!)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (as part of a String quartet in France.)
48. Gone deep sea fishing (eels in the Wye?)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (soooooo preetty snorkelling!)
52. Kissed in the rain (Don't think I've actually stood out in the rain to kiss. But we all love that Four weddings and a funeral 'Is it raining? I hadn't noticed' moment. Would like to!)
53. Played in the mud (yep, with my class when we were tree planting this autumn, well, we all slid around in it! It was fun!)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (alla Fred Flintstone?)
55. Been in a movie (I've sung in an animated film- does that count?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia (would like)
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (plenty of times. In Bali. Side saddle!)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (Have had a piece of music published.)

81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (several times- all embarassing- young composer's comp, A level results,and 'Mother's worry at daughter in Bali bomb' amongst various embarassing music events.)
85. Read the entire Bible (I think I've read the whole thing, but never in one go...)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (yes but most delightfully- the lovely JJ Feild!)
92. Joined a book club (have been invited to, want to, not got around to.)
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a mobile phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day (too many times...)


Hmmm, I am quite boring aren't I?