2013 Movie List

*6* Awesome
5 Loved it
4 Liked it a lot
3 Liked it
2 It was okay
1 Nope

So far this year, 47 movies.....

Last Vegas (12/21/2013) hilarious! (4)
About Time (12/11/2013) great, feel-good movie! (4)
Philomena (12/10/2013) bittersweet story, wonderful actors (4.5)
Hunger Games: Catching Fire (12/6/13) watchable, good in places, but draggy in others... (2)
Grown Ups 2 (11/22/2013) stupid...perfect for a Friday night (3)
Dallas Buyers Club (11/19/2013) almost flawless and unforgettable (6)
Austenland (11/14/2013) cute, and much better than the book (3)
Thor:  The Dark World (11/11/13)  good one with lots of chuckles (4.5)
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (11/6/2013) mesmerizing actors (3)
The Fifth Estate (10/31/13) interesting and informative (3)
The Family () as much as I wanted to love it, I didn't (2)
We're the Millers (10/26/13) a freaking funny movie! (4+)
Captain Phillips (10/24/2013) Edge-of-your-seat true story (5)
Pulling Strings (10/13) This was a blast (4)
Don Jon (10/13)  I keep thinking about this one...(5)
The Patience Stone (10/1/13) extraordinary story! (4.5)
This is the End (9/24/2013) silly, nutty, funny....(2)
Thanks for Sharing (9-20-2013) a splendid movie with fantastic acting (5.5)
The Spectacular Now (9-6-13) a particularly good movie (5)
The Butler (9-4-13) a great overview of the civil rights movement (5)
Instructions Not Included (8/30/13) just wonderful and F-U-N-N-Y (5.5)
Reds 2 (8/23/13) Left in the middle - BLECH!
The Attack (8-22-13) nope, the book was SO much better.... (2)
The East (8-18-13) just terrific (6)
Blue Jasmine (8-16-13) sad, but brilliantly acted (4.5)
2 Guns (8-8-13) enjoyable, but nothing special (3)
The Heat (8-6-13) freakin' hilarious (5)
The Way, Way Back (8-5-13) fabulous movie (6)
Before Midnight (7-21-13) just dialogue (but some really good dialogue!) (2)
Love is All You Need (7-9-13) sweet film -enjoyed the Italian setting, Danish language, and Reel Pizza (3)
World War Z (7-13) will watch for the sequel (3)
Monsters University (6-13) Not bad for an animated movie... (4)
Mud (5-29-13) Good movie, though a bit slow and long (3.5)
Ironman 3 (5-27-13) Liked it at least three times more than Ironman 2 (3.5)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (5-26-13) - It bowled me over (6)
The Big Wedding (5-25-13) It was lots of fun - very predictable but fun (4)
33 Postcards (5-17-13) Liked it despite its badness and goodness...something different! (3)
The Company You Keep (5-3-13) I liked it a lot (4)
Searching for Sugarman (4) It was really good, I liked it a lot
Admission
The Impossible
Olympus Has Fallen
Oz the Great and Powerful (3-12-13) It grew on me, liked it quite a bit (4)
The Guilt Trip (2-15-13) Quite a few chuckles, enjoyable (3.5)
Zero Dark Thirty (1-28-13) A bit of hugely important contemporary history (4.5)
Silver Linings Playbook (1-7-13) Fantastic movie- WOW! (6)
A Late Quartet (1-6-13) As it developed I liked it more and more (4)

WOW Movies of 2013
Dallas Buyers Club
Thanks for Sharing
Instructions Not Included
The East
The Way, Way Back
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Silver Linings Playbook

Really Good Movies of 2013 (4.5 & 5)
Philomena
Thor: The Dark World
We're the Millers
Captain Phillips
Don Jon
The Patience Stone
The Spectacular Now
The Butler
Blue Jasmine
The Heat
The Impossible
Zero Dark Thirty

Good/Fun Movies of 2013 (3 & 4 Liked and Liked a lot)
Last Vegas
About Time
Grown Ups 2
Austenland
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
The Fifth Estate
The Family
Pulling Strings
2 Guns
Love is All You Need
Monsters University
World War Z
Mud
Ironman 3
The Big Wedding
33 Postcards
The Company You Keep
Searching for Sugarman
Admission
Olympus Has Fallen
Oz the Great and Powerful
The Guilt Trip
A Late Quartet

Not-so-great Movies of 2013 (1 & 2: Mediocre and dislikes....)
Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Family
This Is the End
Reds 2 (no review - walked out!)
The Attack
Before Midnight

Foreign Movies of 2013
Instructions Not Included
The Attack
33 Postcards
The Patience Stone

85th Annual Academy Award Nominations

Motion Picture

Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)
Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Hugh Jackson (Les Miserables)
Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
Denzel Washington (Flight)

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin (Argo)
Robert DeNiro (Silver Linings Playbook)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams (The Master)
Sally Field (Lincoln)
Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
Helen Hunt (The Sessions)
Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Director

Michael Haneke (Amour)
Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)


70th Annual Golden Globe Nominations

Motion Picture/Drama

(5) Argo  WINNER
.....Director (Ben Afleck) WINNER
....Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
(5) Django Unchained
.....Director (Quentin Tarantino)
.....Supporting Actor (Leonardo diCaprio)
.....Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
(3) Life of Pi
.....Director (Ang Lee)
(5) Lincoln
.....Director (Steven Spielberg)
.....Male Lead (Daniel Day Lewis) WINNER
.....Supporting Female (Sally Field)
.....Supporting Male (Tommy Lee Jones)
(4) Zero Dark Thirty
.....Director (Kathryn Bigelow)
.....Female Lead (Jessica Chastain)  WINNER

Motion Picture/ Comedy or Musical

(2) Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
.....Female Lead (Judi Dench)
(3) Les Miserables  WINNER
.....Male Lead (Hugh Jackman) WINNER
.....Supporting Female (Anne Hathaway) WINNER
(1) Moonrise Kingdom
(3) Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
.....Female Lead (Emily Blunt)
.....Male Lead (Ewan McGregor)
(4) Silver Linings Playbook
.....Female Lead (Jennifer Lawrence) WINNER
.....Male Lead (Bradley Cooper)

Best Foreign Language Film

Armour (Austria) WINNER
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
The Intouchables (France)
Kon-Tiki (Norway)
Rust & Bone (France)
.....Female Lead (Marion Cotillard)

Other

(1) Hitchcock
.....Female Lead (Helen Mirren)
(1) The Impossible
.....Female Lead (Naomi Watts)
(1) The Deep Blue Sea
.....Female Lead (Rachel Weiscz)
(1) Arbitrage
.....Female Lead (Richard Gere)
(2) The Sessions
.....Male Lead (John Hawkes)
.....Female Supporting Actress (Helen Hunt)
(3) The Master
.....Male Lead (Joaquin Phoenix)
.....Supporting Female (Amy Adams)
.....Supporting Male (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
(1) Flight
.....Male Lead (Denzel Washington)
(1) Quartet
.....Female Lead (Maggie Smith)
(1) Hope Springs
.....Female Lead (Meryl Streep)
(1) The Paperboy
.....Supporting Actress (Nicole Kidman)
(1) Anna Karenina
(1) Cloud Atlas
(1) Bernie
.....Male Lead (Jack Black)
(1) Hyde Park on Hudson
.....Male Lead (Bill Murray)

Movie - Jack Reacher

PG-13 (2:10)

Wide release 12/21/12

went on Saturday, Dec. 22nd to the Ellsworth Theater with Brian

RT Critic: 60    Audience: 75

cag: 3.5 (Very entertaining)

based on the series written by Lee Child

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Paramount Pictures

Tom Cruise,  Robert Duval

Rotten Tomatoes synopsis:

MOVIE INFO

Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: You got the wrong guy. Then he says: Get Reacher for me. And sure enough, ex-military investigator Jack Reacher is coming. He knows this shooter-a trained military sniper who never should have missed a shot. Reacher is certain something is not right-and soon the slam-dunk case explodes. Now Reacher is teamed with a beautiful young defense lawyer, moving closer to the unseen enemy who is pulling the strings. Reacher knows that no two opponents are created equal. This one has come to the heartland from his own kind of hell. And Reacher knows that the only way to take him down is to match his ruthlessness and cunning-and then beat him shot for shot. --

Thoughts:  It was fun to go with Brian, although the theater was FREEZING.  If I didn't KNOW that part of Jack Reacher's appeal is that he's something like six-foot-five I would have been quite pleased with Tom Cruise's depiction of Reacher, but I couldn't get Cruise's under-six-foot stature out of my head.  The antagonist is a ruthless bad guy, an Reacher is not going to let him get away with it.  Very entertaining movie, especially if you're any sort of fan of the Lee Child books.

63. The Mercedes Coffin - Faye Kellerman

Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus #17

audio read by George Guidall

9 cds, Harper Audio

Pages: 384

Ages: Adult

Finished: 12/21/2012

Publishing Info: 2007, William Morrow & Co.

Genre: Murder Mystery (Police Procedural)

Goodreads' rating: 3.50

My rating:  3/5

Acquired: PBS Audio

Setting: Contemporary LA

GoodReads' Summary/Review:  Fifteen years ago, Dr Ben Little, a very popular school VP, was murdered execution style and found in the trunk of his Mercedes. The crime was never solved. One of the students whose life he touched is now a very wealthy woman. When she reads a current article in the newspaper about another man found dead in the trunk of his Mercedes, she believes the two crimes are somehow related. She offers a million dollars to the LAPD to take another look at the cold case.

Reflections:  This book seemed to be a lot of sitting, talking, rehashing the case. It was a good story, but seemed to repeat itself, lending to the feeling it should have been shorter than it actually was. I listened to it...George Guidall is a great reader and did a wonderful job. There were a lot of people that were being discussed and referred to and it got a little confusing. Passed the time, though. Not great, but not bad....

2013 Reading Challenges

FINAL SYNOPSIS for 2013
I finished 56 NOVELS - 20,011 pages:
22 were novels written in 2013
only 2 were written before 2000
     18 were CRF, 7 were dystopian/fantasy/paranormal, 15 were rated a 4.5 or 5 (meaning they were really, really great), 11 were YA, 32 were AUDIO BOOKS, and 25 were mysteries. Of these I read 29 new authors.
     I read 38 picture books, 17 of which were written in 2013.

My Very Own Reading Challenge!
Click here to go to the list.
1. Iron Lake (Krueger)
2. Sweetheart (Cain)
3.  Drop Shot (Coben)
4.  The Intercept (Wolf)
5.  The Island (Hilderbrand)
6. Let the Devil Sleep (Verdon)
7.  Heat Lightning (Sandford)
8.  Robert B. Parker's Lullaby (Atkins)
9.  City of Bones (Connelly)

13-13-13 Reading Challenge

1. 2013 Copyright
1.  The Intercept (Wolf) Adult
2.  The Different Girl (Dahlquist) YA
3.  Dualed (Chapman) YA
4.  Tapestry of Fortunes (Berg) Adult
5.  If You Find Me (Murdoch) YA
6.  Taken (Bowman) YA
7.  Her Last Breath (Castillo) Adult
8.  The Burgess Boys (Strout) Adult
9.  Frame 232 (Mara) Adult
10.  After the River the Sun (Calhoun) MidGrades
11.  Maya's Notebook (Allende) Adult
12.  The Silver Star (Walls) YA
13.  The Time Between (White) Ad
14.  The Arrivals (Marr) Ad
15.  The Buddha in the Attic (Ad)
16.  Listening for Lucca (LaFleur) Mid
17.  A Guide For the Perplexed (Horn) Ad
18.  Night Film (Pessl) Ad
19.  Japantown (Lancet) Ad
20.  The Circle (Eggers) Ad
21.  The Cuckoo's Calling (Galbraith) Ad
22. Eleanor & Park (Rowell)

2.  Written before 2000
1. Iron Lake (Krueger) 1998
2. Drop Shot (Coben) 1996

3.  One-Word Titles
1. Sweetheart (Cain)
2. Lullaby (Atkins)
3.  Dualed (Chapman)
4.  Crossed (Condie)
5.  Taken (Bowman)
6.  Japantown (Lancet)

4.  Where in the World?
1. Two Graves (Preston & Child) some of the book is set in Brazil
2. Night Ferry (Robotham) London & Amsterdam
3.  The White Giraffe (St. John) South Africa
4.  The Weight of Water (Crossan) Great Britain
5.  Maya's Notebook (Allende) Chile
6.  In the Kingdom of Men (Barnes) Arabia
7.  The Lake of Dreams (Edwards) Japan (at the very beginning)
8.  The Book of Blood and Shadow (Wasserman) 2nd half - Prague
9.  A Guide For the Perplexed (Horn) partially set in Egypt
10.  Japantown (Lancet) set partially in Japan
11.  The Cuckoo's Calling (Galbraith) London

5.  Arizona or Maine?
1.  AZ - Web of Evil (Jance)
2.  ME - The Bone Garden (Gerritsen)
3.  AZ - Hand of Evil (Jance)
4.  ME - The Burgess Boys (Strout)
5.  ME - Listening for Lucca (LaFleur)

6.  Historical Fiction
1.  The Bone Garden (Gerritsen)
2. The Silver Star (Walls)
3.  In the Kingdom of Men (Barnes)
4.  The Buddha in the Attic (Otsuka)

7.  Poetry
1.  Dare to Dream; Change the World (Corcoran)
2.  Forest Has a Song (Vanderwater)

8. Contemporary Realistic Fiction
1. Once Upon a Day (Tucker)
2. The Island (Hildebrand)
3.  Flight Behavior (Kingsolver)
4.  The Widower's Tale (Glass)
5.  Tapestry of Fortunes (Berg)
6.  Gone Girl (Flynn) (might be considered mystery?)
7.  If You Find Me (Murdoch)
8.  The Weight of Water (Crossan)
9.  Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Sloan)
10.  The Burgess Boys (Strout)
11.  Dairy Queen (Murdock)
12.  Off Season (Murdock)
13.  After the River the Sun (Calhoun)
14.  Maya's Notebook (Allende)
15.  Front and Center (Murdock)
16.  The Lake of Dreams (Edwards)
17.  A Guide For the Perplexed (Horn)
18.  Eleanor & Park (Rowell)

9.  Paranormal/Dystopian/Fantasy
1.  The Different Girl (Dahlquist)
2.  Dualed (Chapman)
3.  Crossed (Condie)
4.  Taken (Bowman)
5.  The Arrivals (Marr)
6.  The Book of Blood and Shadow (Wasserman)
7.  City of Bones (Clare)

10.  Rated a 4.5 or 5
1.  Iron Lake (Krueger) 5
2.  Flight Behavior (Kingsolver) 4.5
3.  The Widower's Tale (Glass) 5
4.  If You Find Me (Murdoch) 4.5
5.  Taken (Bowman) 4.5
6.  Night Ferry (Robotham) 4.5
7.  The Weight of Water (Crossan) 5
8.  Dairy Queen (Murdock) 4.5
9.  Off Season (Murdock) 5
10.  Mad River (Sandford) 4.5-probably should be 5...
11.  Night Film (Pessl) 5
12.  City of Bones (Clare) 4.5
13.  City of Bones (Connelly) 4.5

11.  YA
1.  Dualed (Chapman)
2.  Crossed (Condie)
3.  If You Find Me (Murdoch)
4.  Taken (Bowman)
5.  Dairy Queen (Murdock)
6.  Off Season (Murdock)
7.  Front and Center (Murdock)
8.  The Book of Blood and Shadow (Wasserman)
9.  Eleanor & Park (Rowell)

12.  Picture Books
1.  America the Beautiful, Together We Stand (Bates)
2.  Glasswings:  A Butterfly's Story (Kleven)
3.  The Matchbox Diary (Fleischman/Ibatoulline)
4.  Black Dog (Pinfold)
5.  The Walking Stick (Trottier/Galouchko)
6.  Bluebird (Staake)
7.  The Sky of Afghanistan (Eulate)
8.  This Moose Belongs to Me (Jeffers)
9.  The Stories of the Mona Lisa: An Imaginary Museum Tale About the History of Modern Art (Barsony)
10.  Nelson Mandela (Nelson)
11. A Splash of Red; The Life and Art of Horace Pippin (Bryant/Sweet)
12.  Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? (Stone/Priceman)
13.  Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt; Pioneering Woman Astronomer (Burleigh/Colon)
14.  The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau (Markel/Hall)
15.  Driving My Tractor (Dobbins/Sims)
16.  Boy Who Loved Math, The  (Heiligman/Pha013
17.  Colorful Dreamer, The Story of Henri Matisse (Parker/Berry) 2012
18.  Open This Little Book (Klausmeier/Lee) 2013
19.  Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs (Willems) 2012
20.  Noah Webster & His Words (Ferris/Kirsch) 2012
21.  Return of the Dragon Lady (Deede/White) 2012
22.  Dare to Dream, Change the World (Corcoran/Jepson) 2012
23.  Captain Cat (Moore) 2013
24.  Forest Has a Song (Vanderwater/Gourley) 2013
25.  Santa is Coming to Tucson (Smallman/Dunn & Brown) 2013
26.  My Pen Pal, Santa (Stanton/Bell) 2013
27.  The Dark (Snicket/Klassen0 2013
28.  Papa's Latkes (Edwards/Schuett) 2004
29.  An Orange for Frankie (Polacco) 2004
30.  The Smallest Gift of Christmas (Reynolds) 2013
31.  Winter is for Snow (Neubecker) 2013
32.  Gifts of the Heart (Polacco) 2013
33.  Desert Night, Desert Day (Fredericks/Spengler) 2011
34.  The Sparkle Box (Hardie/Kornacki) 2012
35.  Snowflakes Fall (MacLachlan/Kellogg) 2013
36.  Boxes for Katje (Fleming/Dressen-McQueen) 2003
37.  Little Santa (Agee) 2013
38.  Charlie and the Christmas Kitty (Drummond/deGroat) 2012

13.  Audio Books
1. Web of Evil (Jance)
2.  Sweetheart (Cain)
3.  Once Upon a Day (Tucker)
4.  Drop Shot (Coben)
5.  The Intercept (Wolf)
6.  The Island (Hilderbrand)
7.  Heat Lightning (Sandford)
8.  The Bone Garden (Gerritsen)
9.  Robert B. Parker's Lullaby (Atkins)
9.  Flight Behavior (Kingsolver)
10. The Widower's Tale (Glass)
11.  Two Graves (Preston & Child)
12.  Gone Girl (Flynn)
13.  61 Hours (Child)
14.  Night Ferry (Robotham)
15.  Hand of Evil (Jance)
16.  Evil at Heart (Cain)
17.  The White Giraffe (St. John)
18.  Fearless Fourteen (Evanovich)
19.  Dairy Queen (Murdock)
20.  Off Season (Murdock)
21.  Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Evanovich)
22.  Maya's Notebook (Allende)
23.  The Silver Star (Walls)
24.  Front and Center (Murdock)
25.  The Time Between (White)
26.  The Buddha in the Attic (Otsuka)
27.  Rough Country (Sandford)
28.  Mad River (Sandford)
29.  Night Fillm (Pessl)
30.  The Circle (Eggers)
31.  The Cuckoo's Calling (Galbraith)
32.  City of Bones (Connelly)

2013 Mystery/Crime Reading Challenge
(link here to The Crafty Book Nerd's Original post...)
1. Web of Evil, Ali Reynolds #2 (Jance)
2. Iron Lake, Cork O'Connor #1 (Krueger)
3  Sweetheart, Archie Sheridan #2 (Cain)
4.  Drop Shot, Myron Bolitar #2 (Coben)
5.  The Intercept, Jeremy Fisk #1 (Wolf)
5 books= Detective 

6.  Let the Devil Sleep, Dave Guerney #3 (Verdon)

7. Heat Lightning, Virgil Flowers #2 (Sandford)

8. The Bone Garden (Gerritsen)

9. Robert B. Parker's Lullaby (Atkins)

10.  Two Graves (Preston & Child)

10 books = Sergeant

11. 61 Hours (Child)

12. Night Ferry (Robotham)
13.  Hand of Evil (Jance)

14. Evil at Heart (Cain)

15. Her Last Breath (Castillo)

15 books = Lieutenant 

16.  Fearless Fourteen (Evanovich)

17.  Frame 232 (Mara)

18.  Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Evanovich)

19.  Rough Country (Sandford)

20. The Book of Blood and Shadow (Wasserman)

20 books = Captain

21.  Mad River (Sandford)
22.  Night Film (Pessl)
23.  Japantown (Lancet)
24.  The Cuckoo's Calling (Galbraith)
25.  City of Bones (Connelly)
25 books = Chief
30+ books = Sherlock Holmes

A to Z Reading Challenge
(Click here to see where the idea came from on Goodreads)
A- After the River the Sun (Calhoun) The Arrivals (Marr)
B- The Bone Garden (Gerritsen), The Burgess Boys (Strout) Buddha in the Attic, The (Otsuka) The Book of Blood and Shadow (Wasserman)
C-  Crossed (Condie) City of Bones (Clare) The Circle (Eggers) The Cuckoo's Calling (Galbraith) City of Bones (Connelly)
D- Drop Shot (Coben), Dualed (Chapman), Different Girl, The (Dahlquist), Dairy Queen (Murdock)
E- Evil at Heart (Cain) Eleanor & Park (Rowell)
F- Flight Behavior (Kingsolver), Fearless Fourteen (Evanovich) Frame 232 (Mara) Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Evanovich) Front and Center (Murdock)
G- Gone Girl (Flynn) Guide For the Perplexed, A (Horn)
H- Heat Lightning (Sandford) Her Last Breath (Castillo), Hand of Evil (Jance)
I- Iron Lake (Krueger) The Intercept (Wolf)  The Island (Hilderbrand) If You Find Me (Murdoch) In the Kingdom of Men (Barnes)
J- Japantown (Lancet)

K-

L- Let the Devil Sleep (Verdon) Listening for Lucca (LaFelur) Lullaby (Atkins) Lake of Dreams, The (Edwards)

M - Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Sloan) Maya's Notebook (Allende) Mad River (Sandford)

N- Night Ferry (Robotham)  Night Film (Pessl)

O- Once Upon a Day (Tucker) Off Season (Murdock)

P-

Q-

R- Rough Country (Sandford)

S- Sweetheart (Cain) Silver Star, The (Walls)

T- Two Graves (Preston & Child), Tapestry of Fortunes (Berg), Taken (Bowman), Time Between (White)

U-

V-

W- Web of Evil (Jance), The Widower's Tale (Glass) The Weight of Water (Crossan), The White Giraffe (St. John)

X-

Y-

Z-

New Author Challenge
(Click here to go to Literary Escapism's original post) 
1.  William Kent Krueger (Iron Lake, Cork O'Connor series)
2.  Lisa Tucker (Once Upon a Day)
3.  Dick Wolf (The Intercept)
4.  Elin Hilderbrand (The Island)
5.  Elise Chapman (Dualed)
6.  Julia Glass (The Widower's Tale)
7.  Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (Two Graves)\
8.  Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)
9.  Emily Murdoch (If You Find Me)
10. Erin Bowman (Taken)
11.  Michael Robotham (Night Ferry)
12.  Robin Sloan (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore)
13.  Elizabeth Strout (The Burgess Boys)
14.  Catherine Gilbert Murdock (Dairy Queen)
15.  Wil Mara (Frame 232)
16.  Isabel Allende (Maya's Notebook)
17.  Jeannette Walls (The Silver Star)
18.  Karen White (The Time Between)
19.  Kim Barnes (In the Kingdom of Men)
20.  Melissa Marr (The Arrivals)
21.  Julie Otsuka (The Buddha in the Attic)
22.  Suzanne LaFleur (Listening for Lucca)
23.  Robin Wasserman (The Book of Blood and Shadow) 
24.  Dara Horn (A Guide for the Perplexed)
25.  Marisha Pessl (Night Film)
26.  Cassandra Clare (City of Bones)
27.  Barry Lancet (Japantown)
28.  Dave Eggers (The Circle)
29.  Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park)

2013 Illustrated Book Challenge
1.  America the Beautiful: Together We Stand (Bates)
2.  Glasswings: A Butterfly's Story (Kleven)
3.  The Matchbox Diary (Fleischman/Ibatoulline)
4.  Bluebird (Staake)
5.  Lookup! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer (Burleigh/Colon)
6.  The Boy Who Loved Math (Heiligman/Pham)
7.  Open This Little Book (Klausmeier/Lee)
8.  Captain Cat (Moore)
9.  Forest Has a Song (Vanderwater/Gourley)
10.  Santa is Coming to Tucson (Smallman/ Dunn & Brown)
11.  My Pen Pal, Santa (Stanton/Bell)
12.  The Dark (Snicket/Klassen)
13.  The Smallest Gift of Christmas (Reynolds)
14.  Winter is For Snow (Neubecker)
15.  Gifts of the Heart (Polacco)
16.  Snowflakes Fall (MacLachlan/Kellogg)
17.  Little Santa (Agee)

The Short Stories I've read in 2013

1. "Runaway" from Runaway by Alice Munro

2. "Long Lost" eBook short story by Linda Castillo (#4.5 Kate Burkholder)
3.  "The Amiable Miss Edith Montague" (Jan Burke) from The Mystery Box (Meltzer)
4.  "Victory Lap" from Tenth of December by George Saunders

The Novels I've Read in 2013

1. Web of Evil (Jance)  368 pgs.

2. Iron Lake (Krueger)  438 pgs. (806 pgs.)

3.  Sweetheart (Cain)  328 pgs. (1134 pgs.)
4.  Once Upon a Day (Tucker)   368 pgs. (1502 pgs.)
5.  Drop Shot (Coben)  341 pgs. (1843 pgs.)
6.  The Intercept (Wolf)  387 pgs. (2230 pgs.)
7.  The Island (Hilderbrand) 416 pgs. (2646 pgs.)
8.  Let the Devil Sleep (Verdon)  449 pgs. (3095 pgs.)
9.  Heat Lightning (Sandford)  400 pgs.  (3495 pgs.)
10. The Bone Garden (Gerritsen)  370 pgs. (3865 pgs.)
11. Lullaby, Robert B. Parker's (Atkins) 320 pgs. (4185 pgs.)
12.  The Different Girl (Dahlquist) 231 pgs. (4416 pgs.)
13.  Dualed (Chapman)  293 pgs. (4709 pgs.)
14. Flight Behavior (Kingsolver)  437 pgs. (5146 pgs.)
15.  The Widower's Tale (Glass)  402 pgs. (5548 pgs.)
16.  Crossed (Condie)  367 pgs. (5,915 pgs.)
17.  Two Graves (Preston & Child)  484 pgs. (6399 pgs)
18.  Tapestry of Fortunes (Berg)  219 pgs. (6618 pgs.)
19.  Gone Girl (Flynn)  422 pgs. (7040 pgs.)
20.  If You Find Me (Murdoch)  248 pgs. (7288 pgs.)
DNF  The Raven Boys (had to return to Library) 100 pgs. (7388 pgs.)
21. Taken (Bowman) 360 pgs. (7748 pgs.)
22.  61 Hours (Child) 383 pgs. (8131 pgs.)
23.  Night Ferry (Robotham) 384 pgs. (8515 pgs.)
24.  Hand of Evil (Jance) 384 pgs. (8899 pgs.)
25. The White Giraffe (St. John) 180 pgs. (9079 pgs.)
26.  Evil at Heart (Cain) 345 pgs (9424 pgs.)
27.  Fearless Fourteen (Evanovich) 310 pgs. (9734 pgs.)
DNF The Secret Keeper (Morton) 162 pgs. (9896 pgs.)
28. The Weight of Water (Crossan) 213 pgs (10,109 pgs.)
29.  Her Last Breath (Castillo) 308 pgs. (10, 417 pgs.)
30.  Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Sloan) 288 pgs. (10,705 pgs.)
31.  The Burgess Boys (Strout) 320 pgs. (11,025 pgs.)
32.  Dairy Queen (Murdock)  275 pgs. (11,300 pgs.)
DNF:  The Thirteen Hallows (Scott & Freedman) 62 pages (11,362 pgs.)
33.  Frame 232 (Mara) 424 pgs. (11,786 pgs.)
34.  Off Season (Murdock) 277 pgs. (12,063 pgs.)
35.  After the River the Sun (Calhoun) 348 pgs. (12,411 pgs.)
36.  Finger Lickin' Fifteen 308 pgs (12,719 pgs.)
37.  Maya's Notebook 387 pgs. (13,106 pgs.)
38.  The Silver Star, 288 pgs. (13,394 pgs.)
39.  Front and Center, 254 pgs. (13,648 pgs.)
40.  The Time Between, 352 pgs. (14,000 pgs.)
41.  In the Kingdom of Men, 324 pgs. (14,324 pgs.)
42.  The Arrivals, 278 pgs. (14,602 pgs.)
43.  The Buddha in the Attic, 144 pgs. (14,746 pgs.)
44.  Listening for Lucca, 232 pgs. (14, 978 pgs.)
45.  The Lake of Dreams, 377 pgs. (15,355 pgs.)
46.  Rough Country, 388 pgs. (15,743 pgs.)
47.  The Book of Blood and Shadow, 450 pgs. (16,193 pgs.)
48.  Mad River (Sandford) 387 pgs. (16,580 pgs.)
DNF - Wake Up Missing (Messner) 60 pgs. (16,640 pgs.)
DNF: Triangles (Hopkins) 150 pgs.(16,790 pgs.)
DNF - Storm Cycle (Johansen & Johansen) 101 pgs (16,891 pgs.)
DNF - The Drowning House (Black) 40 pgs.(16,931 pgs.)
49.  DNF - A Guide for the Perplexed (Horn) 168/336 pgs (17,099 pgs)
50.  Night Film (Pessl) 602 pgs. (17,701 pgs.
51.  City of Bones (Clare) 485 pgs. (18,186 pgs.)
52.  DNF- Japantown (Lancet) 146/401 (18,332 pgs.)
53.  The Circle (Eggers) 491 pgs. (18,823 pgs.)
DNF- Will finish/re-start when I can borrow again - The Bookman's Tale (Lovett) 58 pgs (18,891 pgs.)
54.  The Cuckoo's Calling (Galbraith) 455 pgs. (19,346 pgs.)
55.  Eleanor & Park (Rowell) 325 pgs. (19,671 pgs.)
56.  City of Blood (Connelly) 408 pgs. (20,079 pgs.)
DNF in 2013 - Sanctum (Fine) read 320 pgs. of 433 pgs)  (20,512 pgs.)
DNF in 2013 - The Goldfinch read 188 of 771 pgs (20,700 pgs.)
DNF in 2013 - City of Ashes read 311 of 453 pgs. (21,011 pgs.)

Movie - Skyfall

PG-13 (2:25)

Wide Release 11/9/2012

saw with Sheila at El Con

RT Critic: 92    Audience: 88

cag:  2/It was OKAY

Director: Sam Mendes

MGM

Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem

Nope, this one just didn't do it for me.  Why are my views so different from others? The movie seemed to go on and on and on....a little bit of humor but not enough, not even the most interesting storyline....I'm not convinced that Daniel Criag makes a good Bond, though Jaier Bardem was super.....

62. Son - Lois Lowry

The Giver Quartet #4
Pages: 393

Ages: Older Middle Readers/YA

Finished:  12/19/2012

Publishing Info: Oct. 2, 2012 Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 

Genre: Fantasy

Goodreads’ rating:   3.99

My rating: 4/5

Acquired: THA Library

First Sentence:

Setting:  Somewhere in the future (?) in three different places, the setting of
The Giver, an isolated fishing community at the foot of a huge cliff, and in the community where Jonas arrived after leaving The Giver.

GoodReads’ Summary: They called her Water Claire. When she washed up on their shore, no one knew that she came from a society where emotions and colors didn’t exist. That she had become a Vessel at age thirteen. That she had carried a Product at age fourteen. That it had been stolen from her body. Claire had a son. But what became of him she never knew. What was his name? Was he even alive?　 She was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible. Now Claire will stop at nothing to find her child, even if it means making an unimaginable sacrifice. 

Reflections: Because I've read Giver many times, I was able to remember some of the details that I would not usually remember years after the original reading. Therefore, I was able to relate to the setting and happenings in SON very clearly, which made it a really wonderful read. The book is divided into three parts, all very different and enjoyable in their own way. Lois Lowry is certainly and wonderful writer and fantastic storyteller!