Six

Rylan at Six Years Old

• favorite color: blue
• favorite food: macaroni and cheese
• favorite dessert: ice cream with chocolate fudge and mint chocolate chips
• favorite thing to do: play video games
• favorite video game: SIMS 2 (on Gameboy)
• favorite subject in school: drama ("Math is really boring.")
• favorite book: Darth Paper Strikes Back - Origami Yoda Series

What is the meaning of life?

• To play video games.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

• A Subway man. Someone who works at Subway. (The sandwich restaurant, not the train.)

What makes you happy?

• Giving my mom a hug.

What are you afraid of?

• black widows, wolves, robbers, wild dogs, foxes. I'm afraid of looking behind me because I watched Despicable Me 2. When I watched Despicable Me 2, whenever I don't look behind me, I think there's a robber behind me.

If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

• All the video games in the whole universe.

What is the funniest word?

• Tessa says doo-doo a lot, so it might be doo-doo. I know what doo-doo means. Poop. Cole told me.

What is the hardest thing to do?

• A backward somersault.

What is the easiest thing to do?

• Definitely handstand. I can do one.

What is the best thing in the world?

• That's easy. Playing video games.

What is the worst thing in the world?

• Having to clean my job before I play video games.

What makes you mad?

• When Cole twists my leg and I tell you and he says he didn't.

What is the meaning of love?

• Hugging people. And kissing.

If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?

• I would give half of it to my family. I would keep the rest. 

* Interview questions from Crappy Pictures

59 Books in 2013

I'm continuing to challenge myself to read 50 books a year. In 2013, I either did awesome (59 books!) or I cheated (based on the number of books that are children's books or graphic novels).

As part of my challenge, I pick an author to read in-depth. Last year was Margaret Atwood. This year, I chose Ian McEwan based solely on the fact that I adored Atonement. After reading five more of his books, I've got to say that for me, he's a one hit wonder. Fabulous prose, yes. Boring stories? Also yes.

• On Chesil Beach: ***
• Enduring Love: ****
• Saturday:*
• Sweet Tooth: ***
• Solar: ***

I read Melina Marcheta's Printz Award-winning novel Jellicoe Road in January and then devoured every other book of hers that my library has. Then I read Jellicoe Road a second time.

• Jellicoe Road: ****1/2
• Saving Francesca: ****1/2
• The Piper's Son: ***
• Finnikin of the Rock: ***
• Froi of the Exiles: *****
• Quintana of Charyn: ****1/2

This book I adored: Okay for Now: *****

So I read these other books by the same author (Gary D. Schmidt):

• First Boy: ***
• What Came from the Stars: ****

This book I HATED:  Gone Girl: **

This book made me think more than any other book I read this year, so I wish I could change it to a higher rating, but there were also many, many parts that I want to erase from my brain: A Visit from the Goon Squad: ***

Two series:

• The Scorch Trials: ****
• The Death Cure: **

• The Nine Pound Hammer: ****
• The Wolf Tree: ****
• The White City: ***

Some non-fiction:

• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion: ***
• The Happiness Project: ***
• Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity: ***
• Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead: ****
• five books about teaching English to teenagers....

I read a few graphic novel-esque books:

• Wonderstruck: *****
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret: ***
• Hyperbole and a Half: ****
• American Born Chinese: **1/2
• The Odyssey: ****

And the rest:

• Ella Minnow Pea: *****
• The Night Circus: ****
• Moon Over Manifest: ****
• Fantastic Mr. Fox: ****
• The Age of Miracles: ****
• Chime: ****
• The Higher Power of Lucky: ****
• The Tiger Rising: ****
• Gossamer: ****
• Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: ****
• Where Things Come Back: ****
• A Single Shard: ***
• The True Meaning of Smekday: ***
• Dead End in Norvelt: ***
• Kira Kira: ***
• Criss Cross: ***
• Matched: ***
• Great House: ***
• The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate: ***
• The Cross of Lead: ***
• The White Darkness: ***
• When You Reach Me: ***
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane: ***
• Looking for Alaska: **1/2

The Big One Zero

Cole at Ten Years Old

• favorite color: green
• favorite food: kadu
• favorite dessert: chocolate soda from Goodberrys
• favorite thing to do: playing video games (2nd place: working on his novel)
• favorite video game: Super Mario Dream World (a game he saw at Target and has never actually played)
• favorite subject in school: science
• favorite book series: The Heroes of Olympus (Percy Jackson)

What is the meaning of life?

• To make it to Heavenly Father.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

• That's easy. My full time job would be a worker for Nintendo. My part time job would be a writer.

What makes you happy?

• Mainly getting a 3DS, which hasn't actually happened, but I know it's going to make me happy.

What are you afraid of?

• black holes, the end of the world

If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

•  a million more wishes

What is the funniest word?

• foot

What is the hardest thing to do?

• fly with only wings on your back

What is the easiest thing to do?

• breathe

What is the best thing in the world?

• technology

What is the worst thing in the world?

• bad breath

What makes you mad?

• getting stolen from

What is the meaning of love?

• to get married

If you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?

• I would use half of it to buy a mansion, and the other half to buy a video game company.

*Interview questions from Crappy Pictures