Ring it in: I'm ready

2010 was asteroid-gazing in Oahu and startling mooselings in Cape Breton, metatheatre and Mt. Grademore, becoming a Reformist and eavesdropping on the Monster Raving Loonies, seaside Bollywood dancing and snorkeling with cylons, It was reuniting with lost friends, and it was lobsters and trashy novels and shocking my students equally with Aristophanes and Racine and Genet. And lobsters, lobsters in every ocean.


Now I'm ringing it out with cassoulet and sturgeon and my mother's edition of The Wild Duck, filled with scribblings from her turn as Hedvig when she was a dozen years younger than I am now.


"If I had known then what I can see now in front of me," she says wonderingly to me, "would I have believed it?"


Happy New Year, all.  Tidings of comfort and joy:  remember that it's all longer days from here on out.

2010 in Film

in
Sycorax Pine's 2010 in film:
[Films from my 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Project are in bold]


Week 1 (January 1-7)
1)  Vicky Christina Barcelona, dir. Woody Allen (USA/Spain, 2008)  **

Week 2 (January 8-14)
2)  If..., dir. Lindsay Anderson (UK, 1968) ***1/2
3) Cat Dancers, dir. Harris Fishman (USA, 2008) ***
[In Treatment Season 1]

Week 3 (January 15-21)
None! (For shame...)

Week 4 (January 22-28)
4) Kinsey, dir. Bill Condon (USA, 2004) **1/2

Week 5 (January 29-February 4)
5) The Warrior, dir. Asif Kapadia (UK/India, 2001) ***1/2
6) Spartacus, dir. Stanley Kubrick (USA, 1960) ***1/2
[True Blood Season 1]

Week 6 (February 5-11)
None! (Deepening shame...)

Week 7 (February 12-18)
None! (Into the abyss of regret...)

Week 8 (February 19-25)
8) Shoot the Piano Player, dir. François Truffaut (France, 1960) ***1/2
9) Inglourious Basterds, dir. Quentin Tarantino (USA, 2009) ***1/2

Week 9 (February 26-March 4)
10) Street Fight, dir. Marshall Curry (USA, 2005) ***1/2
12) The Hurt Locker, dir. Kathryn Bigelow (USA, 2008) ***
13) Avatar, dir. James Cameron (USA, 2009) ***

Week 10 (March 5-March 11)
14) Shakespeare in Love, dir. John Madden (USA, 1998) ****1/2

Week 11 (March 12-18)
15) Rescue Dawn, dir. Werner Herzog (Germany/USA, 2006) **1/2
16) Mondo Cane, dir. Paolo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti, and Franco Prosperi(Italy, 1962) ***1/2

Week 12 (March 19-25)
17) New Moon, dir. Chris Weitz (USA, 2009) **1/2

Week 13 (March 26- April 1)
18) Fantastic Mr. Fox, dir. Wes Anderson (USA/UK, 2009) ****
19) Molière, dir. Laurent Tirard (France, 2007) **1/2

Week 14 (April 2-April 8)
20) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, dir. David Fincher (USA, 2008) ***
21)  If..., dir. Lindsay Anderson (UK, 1968) ****
22) Into the Wild, dir. Sean Penn (USA, 2007) ***1/2

Week 15 (April 9-15)
23) Seven Up!, dir. Paul Almond (UK, 1964) ***1/2
24) Seven plus Seven, dir. Michael Apted (UK, 1970) ***1/2
25) Aparajito, dir. Satyajit Ray (India, 1956) ****
26) Jules et Jim, dir. François Truffaut (France, 1962) **** 
27) Sunshine Cleaning, dir. Christine Jeffs (USA, 2008) ***

Week 16 (April 16-22)
28) Surrogates, dir. Jonathan Mostow (USA, 2009) **
29) Up in the Air, dir. Jason Reitman (USA, 2009) ****
30) Precious, dir. Lee Daniels (USA, 2009) ***
31) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, dir. David Yates (USA/UK, 2009) ***1/2
32) A collection of 2009/10 Oscar-nominated shorts, including Logorama (France, dir. François Alaux and Hervé de Crécy), French Roast (France, dir. Fabrice O. Joubert), and Miracle Fish (Australia, dir. Luke Doolan)

Week 17 (April 23-29)
33) Pather Panchali, dir. Satyajit Ray (India, 1955) ****

Week 18 (April 30-May 6)
None! (But let it be said that I did see lots of plays in these filmless weeks in London....)

Week 19 (May 7-13)
None! 

Week 20 (May 14-20)
None! 

Week 21 (May 21-27)
34) Shutter Island, dir. Martin Scorsese (USA, 2009) ***
35) The Last Station, dir. Michael Hoffman (USA/Germany, 2009) ***1/2
36) Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, dir. Nick Park and Steve Box (UK, 2005) ****

Week 22 (May 28-June 3)
37) Iron Man, dir. Jon Favreau (USA, 2008) **
38) District 9, dir. Neill Blomkamp (South Africa, 2009) ****

Week 23 (June 4-10)
39) Up, dir. Pete Docter (USA, 2009) ****

Week 24 (June 11-17)
40) The Raiders of the Lost Ark, dir. Steven Spielberg (USA, 1981) ***
41) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, dir. Steven Spielberg (USA, 1984) **

Week 25 (June 18-24)
42) Cleo de 5 à 7 / Cleo from 5 to 7, dir. Agnès Varda (France, 1961) ****
43) Ponyo, dir. Hayao Miyazaki (Japan, 2008) **

Week 26 (June 25- July 1)
None! (I am just racking up a bigger and bigger film debt here.)

Week 27 (July 2-8)

Week 28 (July 9-15)
None!

Week 29 (July 16-22)
46) The Work of Director Anton Corbijn (Netherlands, various years) **

Week 30 (July 23-29)
47) Bigger than Life, dir. Nicholas Ray (USA, 1956) ****
48) The 400 Blows (Les 400 Coups), dir. François Truffaut (France, 1959) ***1/2
49) Dead Like Me: Life After Death, dir. Stephen Harek (USA, 2009) **
50) 9, dir. Shane Acker (USA, 2009) ***1/2

Week 31 (July 30-August 5)
51) Man on Wire, dir. James Marsh (UK, 2008) ****1/2

Week 32 (August 6-12)
52) Super Size Me, dir. Morgan Spurlock (USA, 2004) ***
53) Kiss me, Kate, dir. George Sidney (USA, 1953) ***

Week 33 (August 13-19)
54) It Happened One Night, dir. Frank Capra (USA, 1934) ***
55) Floating Weeds, dir. Yasujiro Ozu (Japan, 1958) ***1/2
[Avatar: The Last Airbender - Complete Series]

Week 34 (August 20-26)
56) The Virgin Spring, dir. Ingmar Bergman (Sweden, 1960) ****
57) From Here to Eternity, dir. Fred Zinneman (USA, 1953) *** 
58) The Queen, dir. Stephen Frears (UK, 2006) **** 

Week 35 (August 27-Sept 2)
59)  Where the Wild Things Are, dir. Spike Jonze (USA, 2009) **1/2
60) Coco avant Chanel, dir. Anne Fontaine (France, 2009) ***1/2

Week 36 (Sept 3-9)
None. (Boo.)

Week 37 (Sept 10-16)
61) Fame, dir. Alan Parker (USA, 1980) ****
62) Julie and Julia, dir. Nora Ephron (USA, 2009) **1/2
63) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, dir. John Ford (USA, 1962) ***1/2

Week 38 (Sept 17-23)
64) A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop, dir. Yimou Zhang (China, 2010) ***1/2
65) Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand, 2010) ***1/2
66) The Illusionist, dir. Sylvain Chomet (France, 2010) ****
67) Centurion, dir. Neil Marshall (UK, 2010) **1/2
68) A Screaming Man / Un Homme qui Cri, dir. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad, 2010) ***
69) Another Year, dir. Mike Leigh (UK, 2010) ***1/2

Week 39 (Sept 24-30)
70) Noises Off, dir. Peter Bogdanovich (USA, 1992) ****
71) Howl, dir. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (USA, 2010) ***1/2

Week 40 (Oct 1-7)
72) In Bruges, dir. Martin McDonagh (UK, 2008) ***1/2
73) Man of the West, dir. Anthony Mann (USA, 1958) ***1/2
74) Horror of Dracula, dir. Terence Fisher (UK, 1958) ***
75) Synecdoche, New York, dir. Charlie Kaufman (USA, 2008) ****

Week 41 (Oct 8-14)
None. (Birthday shenanigans = no time for movie-watching.)

Week 42 (Oct 15-21)
None. (Catching up on work that I ignored during birthday shenanigans = no time for movie-watching)

Week 43 (Oct 22-28)
76) The Social Network, dir. David Fincher (USA, 2010) ****

Week 44 (Oct 29-Nov 4)
77) Monkey Warfare, dir. Reginald Harkema (Canada, 2006) ***1/2
78) Zodiac, dir. David Fincher (USA, 2007) ***
79) Heaven can Wait, dir. Ernst Lubitsch (USA, 1943) ***

Week 45 (Nov 5-11)
80) 3-Iron, dir. Ki-duk Kim (Korea, 2004) ****
81) Hobson's Choice, dir. David Lean (UK, 1954) ****
82) The Browning Version, dir. Anthony Asquith (UK, 1951) ****1/2

Week 46 (Nov 12-18)
83) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, dir. Tom Stoppard (UK, 1990) ***1/2

Week I'm not entirely sure, such was my end of semester befuddlement
84) Step Up 3D, dir. Jon Chu (USA, 2010) **
85) Yankee Doodle Dandy, dir. Michael Curtiz (USA, 1942) ** (These last two films of the year formed quite the pair.)


Alas, I fell 15 films short of my goal this year.  Maybe because I read 78 books more than I thought I would....

2010 in Books

in
My reading in 2010 (links are to my all too rare reviews):
  1. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden (1996, Australia) ***1/2, finished January 4. 
  2. Reckless by Amanda Quick (1992, USA) **, finished January 4.
  3. More than a Mistress by Mary Balogh (2000, Canada) **1/2, finished January 6.
  4. The Indiscretion by Judith Ivory (2001, USA) ***1/2, finished January 9.
  5. Untie my Heart by Judith Ivory (2002, USA) ***1/2, finished January 10. 
  6. Look Back in Anger by John Osborne (1956, UK) ***1/2, finished January 11.
  7. Lady Elizabeth's Comet by Sheila Simonson (2008, USA) ***1/2, finished January 11.
  8. Agamemnon by Aeschylus (458 BCE, Athens) ****1/2, finished January 12.
  9. Angel in a Red Dress by Judith Ivory (1988, USA) ***, finished January 13.
  10. Lord Ruin by Carolyn Jewel (2002, USA) *1/2, finished January 17.
  11. Oedipus the King by Sophocles (c. 428 BCE, Athens) ****, finished January 18.
  12. The Caretaker by Harold Pinter (1959, UK) ***1/2, finished January 18.
  13. Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer (USA) **1/2, finished January 18.
  14. The Wild Child by Mary Jo Putney (1999, USA) ***, finished January 21.
  15. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard (1967, UK) *****, finished January 25.
  16. The Bacchae by Euripides (406 BCE, Athens) ****, finished January 25.
  17. The Winter Queen by Amanda McCabe (2009, USA) **1/2 , finished January 25.
  18. The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost (2004, USA/Holland) ***, finished February 1.
  19. What the Butler Saw by Joe Orton (1967, UK) ***1/2, finished February 1.
  20. Lysistrata by Aristophanes (411 BCE, Athens) ***1/2, finished February 2.
  21. The Proposition by Judith Ivory (1999, USA) ***1/2, finished February 6.
  22. Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale (2010, USA) ****, finished February 7.
  23. Equus by Peter Shaffer (1973, UK) ***, finished February 8.
  24. Sleeping Beauty by Judith Ivory (1998, USA) ***1/2, finished February 10.
  25. Eyton by Lynne Connolly (2010, USA) *, finished February 12.
  26. Ember by Bettie Sharpe (2008, USA) ****, finished February 13.
  27. 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School by Matthew Frederick (2007, USA) ****, finished February 13.
  28. Everyman (15th C, England) ***1/2, finished February 15.
  29. Top Girls by Caryl Churchill (1982, UK) ****, finished February 16.
  30. Black Ice by Anne Stuart (2005, USA) **1/2, finished February 16.
  31. Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole (2008, USA) **, finished February 17.
  32. The Rebellious Ward by Joan Wolf (1984, USA) ***1/2, finished February 17.
  33. The Double Deception by Joan Wolf (1983, USA) **1/2, finished February 19.
  34. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (1811, UK) ****, finished February 22.  
  35. To Have and to Hold by Patricia Gaffney (1995, USA) ***, finished February 23.
  36. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie (2004, USA) ***, finished February 23.
  37. Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker (1988, UK) ***1/2, finished March 1.
  38. The Slightest Provocation by Pam Rosenthal (2006, USA) **1/2, finished March 1.
  39. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (1590-1593, England) ***, finished March 3. 
  40. Pentecost by David Edgar (1995, UK) ****, finished March 10. 
  41. A London Season by Joan Wolf (1980, USA) **1/2, finished March 10. 
  42. Sabriel by Garth Nix (1995, Australia) ***, finished March 12. 
  43. A Gypsy at Almack's by Chloe Cheshire (1993, USA) ***1/2, finished March 12. 
  44. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell (2008, USA) ***, finished March 13.  
  45. Like a Thief in the Night by Bettie Sharpe (2008, USA) **1/2, finished March 14. 
  46. Fuenteovejuna by Lope de Vega (~1614, Spain) ***, finished March 15.
  47. Copenhagen by Michael Frayn (1998, UK) ****1/2, finished March 15.
  48. Celia's Secret by Michael Frayn and David Burke (2001, UK) ***1/2, finished March 17.
  49. Dark Angel by Mary Balogh (1994, Canada) ***, finished March 19.
  50. Lord Carew's Bride by Mary Balogh (1995, Canada) **1/2, finished March 20. 
  51. 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane (1999, UK) ****1/2, finished March 22. 
  52. Bliss by Judith Ivory/Judy Cuevas (1995, USA) ****, finished March 23.
  53. House by Alan Ayckbourn (2000, UK) ***1/2, finished March 25.
  54. Tartuffe by Molière (1664-9, France) ***1/2, finished March 29.
  55. Garden by Alan Ayckbourn (2000, UK) ***1/2, finished March 29. 
  56. The Scottish Lord by Joan Wolf (1981, USA) **1/2, finished April 3. 
  57. Incredible Change-Bots by Jeffrey Brown (2007, USA) ***, finished April 3.
  58. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (2008, UK) ****, finished April 3.
  59. Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth (2009, UK) ****, finished April 5.
  60. Phaedra by Jean Racine (1677, France) ****, finished April 5.
  61. Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri (2009, USA) ***, finished April 12.
  62. Mind Games by Carolyn Crane (2010, USA) ***1/2, finished April 14.
  63. Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare (2009, USA) ***, finished April 15.
  64. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs (2008, USA) ***, finished April 16.
  65. The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin (2008, UK) ***1/2, finished April 20. 
  66. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (2008, Australia) ****, finished April 21.
  67. Wicked all Day by Liz Carlyle (2009) **1/2, finished May 5.
  68. The Gilded Web by Mary Balogh (Wales/Canada, 1989) **1/2, finished Mary 8.
  69. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb (1995, USA) ***, finished May 16.
  70. The Best of Saki by Saki (1904/1910/1911/1914/1923, UK) ****, finished May 24.
  71. Wicked Becomes You by Meredith Duran (2010, USA) ***1/2, finished May 27.
  72. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (2008, UK/USA) ***1/2, finished May 30.
  73. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (1991, USA) **1/12, finished June 9.
  74. Pyongyang by Guy Delisle (2003, Canada) ***1/2, finished June 16.
  75. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (2010, USA) **, finished June 16.
  76. Improper Relations by Janet Mullany (2010, UK) ***, finished June 20.
  77. His at Night by Sherry Thomas (2010, USA) ***1/2, finished June 27.
  78. Jim the Boy by Tony Earley (2000, USA) ****, finished June 29.
  79. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams (1987, USA) ***, finished July 1
  80. Dungeon: Twilight, Vol. 3: The New Centurions by Sfar, Trondheim, Kerascoet and Obion (2006, France) ***1/2, finished July 2.
  81. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (2005, USA) ***1/2, finished July 4.
  82. Ooku: The Inner Chambers, vol. 1 by Fumi Yoshinaga (2005, Japan)***1/2, finished July 6.
  83. A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro (1982, UK) ****, finished July 8.
  84. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig (2005, USA), ***, finished July 9.
  85. Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley (2010, USA) ***, finished July 9.
  86. The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison (2007, USA) ***, finished July 10. 
  87. Bangkok 8 by John Burdett (2003, USA) ***1/2, finished July 13.
  88. Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder (2006, USA) ***, finished July 14.
  89. Scandal by Carolyn Jewel (2009, USA) ****, finished July 15.
  90. If his Kiss is Wicked by Jo Goodman (2007, USA) ***1/2, finished July 16.
  91. Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie (2000, USA) ****, finished July 17.
  92. House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (2002, USA) ***1/2, finished July 21.
  93. Whisper of Warning by Laura Griffin (2009, USA) **1/2, finished July 23.
  94. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (1988, Japan) ***, finished July 24. 
  95. The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany (2007, USA) **1/2, finished July 24.
  96. Heaven's Fire by Patricia Ryan (1996, USA) ***, finished July 28.
  97. Lily by Patricia Gaffney (1996, USA) ***, finished July 28.
  98. Still Life with Murder by P.B. Ryan (2003, USA) ****, finished July 29.
  99. Murder in a Mill Town by P.B. Ryan (2004, USA) ***1/2, finished July 29.
  100. Death on Beacon Hill by P.B. Ryan (2005, USA) ***, finished July 30.
  101. Murder on Black Friday by P.B. Ryan (2005, USA) ***, finished July 30.
  102. Memories of my Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia, 2005) ***1/2, finished July 31.
  103. Web of Love by Mary Balogh (1990, Canada) ***1/2, finished August 1.
  104. The Devil's Web by Mary Balogh (1990, Canada) ***, finished August 2.
  105. The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt (2007, USA) ***, finished August 4.
  106. Silken Threads by Patricia Ryan (1999, USA) ***1/2, finished August 6.
  107. Flat Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy (2008, USA) **, finished August 7.
  108. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (1987, UK) ***, finished August 8.
  109. My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne (2008, USA) **1/2, finished August 9.
  110. The Village Spinster by Laura Matthews (1993, USA) ***, finished August 10. 
  111. The Devil's Waltz by Anne Stuart (2006, USA) **1/2, finished August 11.
  112. Suddenly Last Summer by Tennessee Williams (1958, USA) ****, finished August 11.
  113. Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy (2005, USA) **1/2, finished August 11.
  114. Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty (2000, Australia) ***, finished August 12.
  115. Master of Desire by Kinley MacGregor (2001, USA) **, finished August 15.
  116. The China Garden by Liz Berry (1996, UK) ***1/2, finished August 17.
  117. Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living by Carrie Tiffany (2005, Australia) ****, finished August 18.
  118. Everything and the Moon by Julia Quinn (1997, USA) **, finished August 19.
  119. The War against Miss Winter by Kathryn Miller Haines (2007, USA) ***1/2, finished August 24.
  120. Dead of Night by John Marsden (1994, Australia) ***1/2, finished August 25.
  121. Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin (2009, UK) ****,  finished August 26.
  122. Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 2 by Fumi Yoshinaga (2006, Japan) ***1/2, finished August 27.
  123. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (2010, USA) ****, finished September 3.
  124. The Sun and the Moon by Patricia Ryan (2000, USA) *** 1/2, finished September 5.
  125. The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig (2006, USA) ***, finished September 7.
  126. The Marriage Bed by Laura Lee Guhrke (2005, USA) ***, finished September 10.
  127. Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney (2009, USA) ***, finished September 12.
  128. The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard (1983, UK) ****1/2, finished September 15.
  129. Agamemnon by Aeschylus (458 BCE, Athens) ****1/2, finished September 15.
  130. Ransom by Julie Garwood (1999, USA) ***, finished September 18.
  131. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (2009, UK) ****, finished September 22.
  132. Cold as Ice by Anne Stuart (2006, USA) **1/2, finished September 26.
  133. Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello (1921, Italy) ****, finished September 28.
  134. Double Cross by Carolyn Crane (USA, 2010) ****, finished September 30.
  135. Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan (USA, 2010) ****, finished October 4.
  136. Trial by Desire by Courtney Milan (2010, USA) ***1/2, finished October 5.
  137. The Blacks: A Clown Show by Jean Genet (France, 1958) ***1/2, finished October 10.
  138. Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas (2001, USA) **1/2, finished Oct 15.
  139. The Frogs by Aristophanes (205 BCE, Athens) ****, finished October 17.
  140. Stranger in My Arms by Lisa Kleypas (1998, USA)***, finished October 17.
  141. Mine till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas (2007, USA) ***, finished ~ October 19.
  142. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook (2010, USA) ***1/2, finished ~ October 21.
  143. Offending the Audience by Peter Handke (1966, Austria) ****, finished October 24.
  144. Seduce me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas (2008, USA) ***1/2, finished October 28.
  145. Faking It by Jennifer Crusie (2002, USA) ****1/2, finished October 29. 
  146. The Heir and the Spare by Maya Rodale (2007, USA) **1/2, finished November 1.
  147. Pantomime by Derek Walcott (1978, Saint Lucia) ****, finished November 2.
  148. Tempt Me At Twilight by Lisa Kleypas (2009, USA) ****, finished November 4.
  149. Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas (2010, USA) ***1/2, finished November 5.
  150. Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas (2010, USA) ***1/2, finished November 6.
  151. The Island by Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona (1973, South Africa) ****, finished November 9.
  152. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (1980, USA) ****, finished  November 9.
  153. Lady Sophia's Lover by Lisa Kleypas (2002, USA) **1/2, finished November 10.
  154. Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie (1993, USA) ***, finished November 11.
  155. The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd (?) (1582-1592, England) ***1/2, finished November 15.
  156. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (2009, USA) ***, finished November 17. 
  157. Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie (1994, USA) **, finished November 18.
  158. Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin (2010, USA) ***, finished November 20.
  159. The Native Star by M.K. Hobson (2010, USA) ***1/2, finished November 26.
  160. Maybe this Time by Jennifer Crusie (2010, USA) ***, finished November 27.
  161. Glory in Death by J.D. Robb (1995, USA) ***, finished December 2.
  162. Blue by George Eliot Clarke (2001, Canada) ****1/2, finished December 3.
  163. Silver Lining by Maggie Osborne (2000, USA) ***, finished December 4.
  164. Life as we Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (2006, USA) ***1/2, finished December 4.
  165. Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James (2009, USA) ***, finished December 6.
  166. Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie (1997, USA) ***, finished December 8.
  167. By Design by Madeline Hunter (2001, USA) ***, finished December 9.
  168. Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Banks (1999, USA) ****, finished December 9.
  169. The Author by Tim Crouch (2009, UK) ***1/2, finished December 11. 
  170. Enchanting the Lady by Kathryne Kennedy (2008, USA) *1/2, finished December 13.
  171. Women at the Thesmophoria by Aristophanes (Athens) ***, finished December 15.
  172. Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James (USA) ***, finished December 17.
  173. Hoops by Patricia McLinn (USA) **1/2, finished December 22.
  174. The Luneburg Variation by Paolo Maurensig (Italy, 1993) ***, finished December 24.
  175. And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander (USA, 2005) ***1/2, finished December 24.
  176. A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander (USA, 2007) ***1/2, finished December 25.
  177. Point Omega by Don Delillo (USA, 2010) ***, finished December 26.
  178. The Summer of You by Kate Noble (USA, 2010) ***1/2, finished December 27.
  179. Body Check by Deirdre Martin (USA, 2003) **1/2, finished December 30.