Books I’ve Read in 2002 (48 Titles)

Fiction

The Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials, Book 3
Author: Philip Pullman

And Then There Were None
Author: Agatha Christie
Another classic detective novel. I read the entire Agatha Christie murder genre when I was a kid, and I happened to find one of my old paperbacks at my mom’s house, so I picked it up again. This is one of my favorites, because it was one that truly stumped me when I first read it.

The Ape That Guards the Balance: An Amelia Peabody Mystery
Author: Elizabeth Peters

Artemis Fowl
Author: Eoin Colfer
A children’s book along the lines of Harry Potter. Artemis is the main character and a bad guy to boot, which is makes for a bit of cognitive dissonance while you cheer for the real heroes, the fairies, whom Artemis is trying to cheat out of a lot of gold.

Auntie Mame
Author: Patrick Dennis

A Beau Brummel Mystery: Death on a Silver Tray
Author: Rosemary Stevens
The first of a new mystery series starring Beau Brummel, the famous arbiter of fashion during one of my favorite historical periods, The Regency, in England. It wasn’t a great novel, but they score points for a cute idea… the notoriously frivolous Brummel is secretly an intelligent crime solver in this series.

A Beau Brummel Mystery: The Tainted Snuff Box
Author: Rosemary Stevens
The second book in the Beau Brummel mystery series. If you want a completely non-stressful waste of time, this series is great.

The Body in The Library
Author: Agatha Christie

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery
Author: Graeme Base
The kids picture book with mystery puzzles embedded in the artwork.

Ex Libris
Author: Ross King

The Falcon at the Portal
Author: Elizabeth Peters

Fingersmith
Author: Sarah Waters

The French Lieutenant’s Woman
Author: John Fowles

The Gilded Chain: A Story of the King’s Blades
Author: Dave Duncan

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor
Author: Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Man of the Cloth
Author: Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Wandering Eye
Author: Stephanie Barron

Kiss the Girls and Make Them Spy
Author: Mabel Maney

Lady of Quality
Author: Georgette Heyer
Heyer is one of my favorite authors, I managed to win this copy of one of her many out of print Regency books from eBay. It is, of course, a romance novel set it Regency England, but unlike most romances, and like all Heyer novels, it stands out as an excellent piece of characterization and farce.

Lemony Snickett: The Unauthorized Autobiography
Author: Lemony Snickett

The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold

Lord of the Fire Lands: A Story of the King’s Blades
Author: Dave Duncan

Murder At The Chess Board
Author: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers

Pride and Promiscuity
Author: Arielle Eckstutt, Dennis Ashton

Sky of Swords: A Story of the King’s Blades
Author: Dave Duncan

Storm of Swords: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3
Author: George R. R. Martin

Three Weeks
Author: Elinor Glyn

Whose Body?
Author: Dorothy L. Sayers
Classic Lord Peter Wimsey detection story from a classic mystery author.

Wizards First Rule
Author: Terry Goodkind

Non – Fiction

All About Plumbing Basics
Author: Ortho

Dick Wolfsie’s New Book (Longer, Funnier, Cheaper)
Author: Dick Wolfsie

The Drag King Book
Author: Del Lagrace Volcano, Judith "Jack" Halberstam

Fast Food Nation
Author: Eric Schlosser

Fun Along the Road: American Tourist Attractions
Author: John Margolies

Gardening for Pleasure
Author: Barron’s Publishing

The Good Citizen’s Handbook: A Guide to Proper Behavior
Author: Jennifer McKnight-Trontz
Compiled from real guidebooks on good citizenship from the 1920s-1960s, including information on the importance of a meat diet and why it’s never right to poison the neighbors’d dog, this handbook is hysterically funny in a completely straight-faced way.

The Good, The Bad, and the Difference
Author: Randy Cohen

Indianapolis: A Pictoral History
Author: Edward Leary
I bought this book from eBay; a nice picture book of early Indianapolis. It’s out of print.

Inside the West Wing
Author: Paul Challen

Man Flies: The Story of Alberto Santos-Dumont
Author: Nancy Winters

Me Talk Pretty One Day
Author: David Sedaris

MTIV: Process, Inspiration and Practice For The New Media Designer
Author: Hillman Curtis

Puppies
Author: Forbush

Seventy Great Mysteries of the Ancient World
Editor: Brian M. Fagan

The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family
Author: Matt Groening

Stupid White Men
Author: Michael Moore

You Are Being Lied To
Author: Russ Kick, Editor. Disinformation.com
A collection of articles on political and social issues, examining cultural myth and disinformation from the government, big businesses, and religion.

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Xmas Update

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So. Xmas was very fun. There was a lot stuff going on around my house, but not much that’s interesting, except stuff about my girlfriend, which there’s no way I’m gonna talk about here. So, hey, I got nothin’ to write about. Hope everyone had a happy holiday. I’m doing New Year’s at Dan and Doug’s, because it’s quiet, fun, and close to home, and I want to ring in the new year with people I love.

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Free State Project

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  • Post category:Politics

Now, the concept behind the “Free State Project” is interesting. What they want to do is get a whole bunch of people who have roughly the same libertarian sort of political beliefs and have them all move to one state, where they would have enough voting power to run the state the way they wanted. Not that I agree with their political beliefs at all, but hey… neat idea. Now if we could only get all the gay people to move to Indiana. That way I wouldn’t have to move. Come on. You could always vacation in California; you don’t have to live there. Seriously, Indiana’s a nice state. Yeah, I know it’ll never work. Stupid Bible Belt.

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Cheese Ball

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From the kitchen of: Ken Jackson.

  • 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
  • 2 jars Old English
  • 2 jars olives, minced
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons minced onions

Mix together and roll in chopped nuts. Chill and serve.

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Cheese Sauce

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From the kitchen of: Elsie the Cow.

  • 1/2 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika

In small saucepan, combine ingredients. Over low heat, cook and stir until cheese spread melts. Serve warm over vegetables, baked potatoes, burgers or tortilla chips. Refrigerate leftovers.

Microwave in 1 quart glass measure with handle, combine ingredients. Cook on high 2 to 3 minutes, stirring after each minute or until cheese spread melts. Proceed as above.

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Chex Party Mix

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From the kitchen of: Chex Cereal.

  • 6 tablespoons margarine
  • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
  • 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cups Corn Chex
  • 2 cups Rice Chex
  • 2 cups Wheat Chex
  • 1 1/2 cups mixed nuts

Melt margarine in shallow pan over low heat. Stir in seasoned salt and Worcestershire sauce. Add chex and mixed nuts. Mix until all pieces are coated. Heat in 250 degree oven for 45 minutes. Spread out on paper towels to cool.

Makes 7 1/2 cups.

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Cucumber Dill Dip

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From the kitchen of: Breakstone Sour Cream

  • 1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
  • 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
  • 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon dill weed

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Refrigerate. Serve with vegetable dippers,
in red or green bell pepper.

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

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