Bye bye 2011- it was fun reading!

I'm sad to announce that I didn't end the year with a lot of books having been read this month. Only 8 (and 3 of them were shirt stories so I'm not even sure those count!). But here we go with the list!

Anthem by Ayn Rand. This was a re-read. But I'm not sure that a book I read in middle school (or maybe early high school) should really count as a re-read. It had been so long that I didn't really remember much about it. So I enjoyed the re-read. It's an interesting look at individualism v. socialism, advancement v. control. In a distant future, and another dark age, Equality 7-2521 doesn't fit in. Society calls for the "we" to prevail. He begins to sneak away and gain knowledge from hidden books. He falls in love with Liberty 5-3000, an emotion that is not allowed. When he finally decides to share his knowledge with the scholars, they attack him. He leaves the city and finds himself in the uncharted forest. Liberty 5-3000 (or the Golden One, as he calls her) joins him and they look for a new life. They find a city from the Unmentionable Times and make that their home. While reading, Equality discovers the Unspeakable Word and realizes that humanity is an "I," not a "we." He renames himself Prometheus, because he attempted to bring electricity to the scholars and renames Liberty Gaea, because she will be the mother of a new people. It's an easy read and a rather interesting look at how socialism destroys the individual and it is up to each man to retain his individuality, or his EGO.

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. If you are in a book club, this needs to be on your list!! This story takes place in the 1940's and 1986. In the beginning, twelve year olds Henry (Chinese-American) and Keiko (Japanese-American) becomes friends in Seattle. When her family is sent to a Japanese internment camp thanks to the war, they are forced apart. And begin to realize how much they mean to each other. Eventually, they both move on and lose contact with each other. Over 40 years later, The Panama Hotel, entryway to the former Japantown in Seattle, is bought and refurbishing begins. Henry, who is now a widower, and his son find items left there by Japanese families upon their evacuation. Henry uncovers memories of Keiko. And wonders what ever became of her. It was a beautiful story, one I didn't want to end!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. I know I've seen about a million versions of this movie and assumed I'd read the books. But half-way through the first book, I realized I never had read either. I loved reading everything about Wonderland. Namely because I love all the Alice movies that have been made (prequels, sequels, everything). So it was great to get to the bare bones of Alice.

Peter Pan by JM Barrie. Again, during the reading of this one, I realized I had never read it. Shocking! Just like with Alice, I love all things Pan. In fact, I just watched a movie on SyFy (most awful spelling of a channel ever) called Neverland. It was kind of a prequel to Peter Pan. Which is probably why I decided to read Peter Pan rather than something else. I'm really enjoying reading all of the old classics (whether they are re-reads or first time reads).

Mommy, Where Do Baby Unicorns Come From, The Ugly Kids, and The Ugly Kids: To Hell in a Hand Basket by Renee Adams. These were free short stories on iBooks when I started downloading stuff. Thought they sounded cute. Maybe young adult-esque. The first one is about a little girl who sees a unicorn outside her school. She asks her mom where baby unicorns come from. Seeing as her mother doesn't believe in unicorns, she can't give her an answer. But the little girl eventually does learn the answer. When an innocent dies, they become a unicorn. Kind of sad and almost gruesome, huh? The second is about a girl named Lily who is very tall and very big. A Goblin prince falls in love with her and decides to court her. She is able to become an honorary Goblin. But doesn't want to be courted by Gohber. Until she realizes his even more grotesque brothers would like to be courting her. In the third, Gohber's parents invite Lily to their Goblin kingdom for a celebration. But before the celebration can begin, Gohber's brother literally send Gohber to hell in a hand basket. And Lily has to go save him. Because she is an honorary Goblin after all!