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LJ2020


LOL at the angry cabbage burning 2020 down. :P I probably would have had more entries, if I had been able to travel and do other fun summer stuff..oh well :P

I REALLY hope 2021 is better than the craziness of this year..wow. I remember we all had such high expectations for a new decade! At least I was able to go to Colorado to see family and see my cousin get married. I hope we can manage to get corona under control! I think my family might shoot off fireworks later..hopefully the neighbors won't object lol

Now one of the best parts of the end of the year: the books I read in 2020! Yay!

January
A book with a map: Antarctic Navigation by Elizabeth Arthur (Dec 31-Jan 14) (4/5)

A book set in a country beginning with "C" (Canada): Death Wins in the Arctic: The Lost Winter Patrol of 1910 by Kerry Karram (Jan 15-18) (3/5)

A book you picked because the title caught your attention: Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North by Blair Braverman (Jan 18-21) (3/5)

A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader: The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard (Jan 22-28) (4/5)

A medical thriller: Scurvy by Stephen R. Bown (Jan 29-31) (4/5)

the rest )

I read 73 books this year! (A lot during quarantine haha.) Last year I read 84, which would have been hard to beat lol..still not a bad number though!

See ya next year ;)

30. If you could change one bad habit you have, what would it be? Procrastinating so much, especially on housework..ugh

31. Do you prefer beginnings or endings? Depends on what it is!
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Death Takes Passage by Sue Henry (Oct 30-Nov 3). I love that this took place in the Inside Passage! It was fun going up the passage on the ferry, it was so pretty!

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan (Nov 4-10). Cows would starve to death because they had so much dust in their stomach that food wasn't able to get to their stomach..that is CRAZY D:

Disappointment River: Finding and Losing the Northwest Passage by Brian Castner (Nov 11-17)

Flight to the Top of the World: The Adventures of Walter Wellman by David L. Bristow (Nov 18-23). I love that the airship's cat was a bigger celebrity than Wellman LOL

Cold Burial: A True Story of Endurance and Disaster by Clive Powell-Williams (Nov 23-26)

The Wind Is Not a River by Brian Payton (Nov 27-30)

Mom got a new car! (A Subaru)
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She's been wanting a new one for a LONG time, but we had to buy and sell houses and our other cars first lol. Now we can go on road trips without worrying about it breaking down! Mmm, new car smell :P

The other day at work a customer saw me and was like "I think I was at your garage sale this summer! The one with all the glass stuff and tools?" YEP, that one was ours LOL..I figured people would remember one as weird and unique as ours. :P She was saying how nice the yard was too..awww, that made me really miss that house. I hope the new owners are treating it well..

nov. 28-dec 1 )

Today's trivia: In Slovakia, families have tradition of having a Christmas Carp that lives in the bathtub for a few days before they are eaten
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Read a banned book during Banned Books Week (September 27-October 3): The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel (Sept. 28-Oct. 7). Banned from a middle school library for being "too sexual." It's definitely not appropriate for middle schoolers, so it shouldn't even been considered for their library. It was an interesting book though (and weirdly, after reading it, people kept asking for it at work haha)

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman (Oct. 8). Aww, I loved Odd! He never stopped smiling, even after his father died and a tree fell on his foot and shattered it. The frost giant didn't immediately kill him because of how stupidly big his smile was haha. I try to smile as much as possible, so this little book spoke deeply to my soul <3

Penguins Have Square Eyes by Patrick Trese (Oct. 9-12)

The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey Into Greenland's Buried Past and Our Perilous Future by Jon Gertner (Oct. 13-20). I love that I've seen Greenland from a plane..its ice cap is epic! I'd like to visit in person though, before the glaciers melt. The book talked about the Jakobshavn Glacier, one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world (it's thought one of its icebergs was the one that sunk the Titanic), and how fast it's retreating..but weirdly, when I Googled it, I read it had actually grown from 2016-2019! I think the ocean currents were cooler in those years..glaciers are so fascinating!

Watermelon Snow by William A. Liggett (Oct. 21-22). This book had an awesome twist at the end!

The Secret Lives of Glaciers by M. Jackson (Oct. 23-27). Ugh this book was dumb..I wanted to read about glaciers, not philosophical discourses on people's opinions and stuff, and it was super repetitive. A shame, it could have been so much more interesting!

The Wreck of the Whaleship Essex by Owen Chase (Oct. 29)

We only had 4 or 5 trick-or-treaters yesterday, but we had forgotten to turn on the light, and the house is kinda hidden from the road, plus it was in the single digits and I imagine corona didn't help either. One of the people that came was the kid who lived here before us! I showed her inside and she met my parents..I thought that was cool lol. I actually did that when I lived in Texas, but was met with hostility when I told the owner I used to live there. I told mom and she said there was drama that happened, so they didn't like us and not to mention again I used to live there..sad. Hopefully next Halloween will be better! We have lots of candy left haha

oct. 31-nov. 1 )
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The Ice Passage: A True Story of Ambition, Disaster, and Endurance in the Arctic Wilderness by Brian Payton (Sept. 1-6)

Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition by Buddy Levy (Sept. 9-16)

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson (Sept. 17-23). These three books were SO GOOD. I love history that isn't just dry facts!

The Sinking of the Princess Sophia by Kenneth S. Coates (Sept. 24-27)

Ouch, that's probably my worst reading month in awhile..sometimes it takes me a long time to choose one, and I was helping mom move too..I probably could have finished another one, but Banned Books Week started on Sunday, and the one I'm reading is kinda long..oh well :P

It may be the first of October..but it's 63 degrees!! (Yay, Chinooks!) When I first moved here, it would snow in September! This is some of the nicest weather we've had this year. It's supposed to get back into the 50s this weekend, then drop into the 40s..I guess winter has to come eventually :P

sept. 29-oct. 1 )

Today's trivia: Bobbing for apples started as a British courting ritual. In one set of rules, each apple was assigned to a potential suitor. The bobber would attempt to bite into the apple associated with her preferred beau. If she bit it on the first try, they would be destined for love. If it took her two tries, their love would sizzle and then fade. If it took her three, their relationship would be doomed
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An anthology: Desperate Journeys, Abandoned Souls: True Stories of Castaways and Other Survivors by Edward E. Leslie (Aug. 1-9)

A book written by an author in their 20s: Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (Aug. 10-17) Aww, he went to Catalina Island too! :D

A book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement (a nod to 20/20 vision): Bird Box by Josh Malerman (Aug. 18-20). Probably not the best book to read during a pandemic LOL

A book by an author with flora or fauna in their name: Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris (Aug. 21-26)

A book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics: The Log Of "Bob" Bartlett by Robert A. Bartlett (Aug. 26-30). "I have been shipwrecked twelve times"?!? I don't think I'd be sailing with him LOL (yay, only one more topic left, Banned Book Week, at the end of September!)

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (Aug. 31). Her sci-fi books are SO good! Please write more!! Haha

the topics )

There's a place in town called the Co-Op Market where you can become an "owner," where you pay once and can get sale benefits, run for the Board of Directors, etc..mom became an owner right before they opened, so I just use her account when I go there. I've been stopping in more often lately (they have snacks I like, and I can grab something for dinner if I haven't been to the regular store yet), and at least one cashier knows my last name now..the other day I went in and he was like "hey Karen, how are you?" OMG that was the WEIRDEST FEELING EVER..of course he'd think that was my name since I use that account, but it makes me want to shiver every time he says that haha. Mom thought it was hilarious when I told her :P

Sep 1. What Hogwarts house would you be sorted into? )

Today's trivia: The the Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia is the world's deepest hole. It is 7.5 miles deep, but only 9 inches wide
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A book about or by a woman in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math): The Radium Girls by Kate Moore (June 29-July 5). OMG this book was HORRIFYING. D: Those poor women! warning: graphic! )

A book with a main character in their 20s: The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan (July 7-10)

A book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it: Descent by Tim Johnston (July 7-10)

A book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club: The Overstory by Richard Powers (July 16-25). Am I a nerd for reading a 600+ page novel about trees? Oh yeah :P

A book about a book club: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer (July 26-29)

A book by or about a journalist: Kingdom of Frost: How the Cryosphere Shapes Life on Earth by Bjorn Vassnes (July 29-31)

the topics )

Today my parents and I went with Ryan and Jo up to Murphy Dome to pick blueberries, but we hardly found any! There were a lot of people there, so maybe people already picked them, or it's not a good year for blueberries. Still not a wasted trip..it's so pretty up there! Jo had never been there, and it had been a long time since I was up there. We could see damage from the fire from last year. It was too smoky to see Denali though..oh well :P

Aug 1. Do you have a favorite book series? Yeah, like the Charles Lenox mysteries by Charles Finch, and the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley
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A book with a pun in the title: Probable Claws by Rita Mae Brown (May 29-June 2)

A book about or involving social media: A Midsummer Night # nofilter by Brett Wright (June 3). Haha, now that's an entertaining way to read Shakespeare :P

A book from a series with more than 20 books: No Fixed Line by Dana Stabenow (June 4-9)

A book by a woman of color: Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (June 10-15)

A book published the month of your birthday: Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr (June 16-20). Poor Anna Pigeon, she's always getting shot at and beaten up :P

A bildungsroman (coming of age novel): The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje (June 21-24)

A book with "gold," "silver," or "bronze" in the title: From Antarctica to the Gold Rushes: In the Wake of the Erebus by John Ramsland (June 25-29)

the topics )

Where did June go?? Summer always goes by so fast in Alaska lol

27. When you mentally go to your “happy place,” what does it look like in your mind? It's cozy, like getting under a warm blanket lol. I'll think of mountains/glaciers and Wheathampstead too!

28. Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team? Alone..it seemed like I was always the one doing all the work in school..

29. What is your least favorite musical band? Why don’t you like them? I'm not a huge fan of the Chainsmokers..just not my kind of music. Also Manowar, because they are ridiculous :P

30. The year is half over now. What’s been the highlight of 2020 for you so far? Going to Colorado, going back to work after the shutdown..everyone had such high hopes for 2020, which was ruined by coronavirus..ugh. Everyone is so over it by now..

Jul 1. What was the first concert you went to? Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 2005..it was super awesome!

Today's trivia: Scorpions can hold their breath underwater for up to 6 days
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A book by a trans or nonbinary author: An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (Apr 28-May 1). This was their debut novel?? Impressive!

A book that passes the Bechdel test (two women who talk to each other about something other than a man): Ashes to Dust by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (May 2-7)

A book set in the 1920s: Beyond the Barrier: The Story of Byrd's First Expedition to Antarctica by Eugene Rodgers (May 7-11). Ewww, another book that trashes Scott and praises Amundsen's "perfectness." Apparently Byrd wasn't even a good pilot and didn't give his men credit in the books he wrote..there seemed to be a lot of drama on his expedition..bleh

A book with a bird on the cover: Empire Antarctica: Ice, Silence, and Emperor Penguins by Gavin Francis (May 12-17). And this one was the exact opposite..I love when people understand the friendship Scott's men had with each other, how "gold, pure, shining, unalloyed" Wilson and Birdie were on the journey with Cherry to Cape Crozier. <3 You think I'd be tired of reading about that by now..never! A truly amazing story <3

Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: A book set at sea: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (May 18-21). I'd been DYING to read this for months lol. Shipwreck, mutiny, cannibalism and icebergs, oh my!

A book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (May 21-25). "A ship's AI who becomes trapped in a human body and her quest for revenge" sounded way too interesting to pass up haha..too bad it was confusing and hard to follow :/

A book with a great first line: The Devil in Amber by Cherry the Second Mark Gatiss (May 26-29). "He was an American, so it seemed only fair to shoot him." Haha what! Ouch LOL

the topics )

It was SOOOO nice to be back to work for "real" haha (though I'm exhausted now, phew!). Customers are having to make appointments to come in to limit the people in the store..some were annoyed at that, others didn't care and just were so happy we were open, and then there was the lady who got super angry and stormed out because she lives out of town and didn't know..sorry, but that's what the board of directors wants us to do for now. I hate that people can't see me smiling at them when I'm wearing a mask lol..they must think I'm weird for seemingly just staring at them, until I remember and say "I'm smiling, I promise!" haha. Alaska had 27 cases of corona a couple days ago, yikes!! Our biggest one day count so far (only one in Fairbanks recently). I think part of it is that people are coming from out of state to do fishing stuff for the summer..most cases are now in Anchorage and other southern areas. Guess it will be with us for awhile still..siiigh

30. Make a list of three things you can do today to be kind to yourself. Oops, guess I'm too late on that lol

31. If you could acquire a talent without any extra effort, what would it be? Flying a plane maybe..it could be fun lol

Jun 1. If you had to leave on a road trip tomorrow with little notice or planning, where would you go? Maybe to Denali, I think the road is open again lol
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A book featuring one of the seven deadly sins: The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor (Mar 31-Apr 5). A mystery taking place during the Great Fire of London in 1666? Excellent! I ordered the second one, but it's taking forever to arrive..Amazon says it might be lost :(

A book on a subject you know nothing about: A Land So Strange: The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca by Andrés Reséndez (Apr 5-8)

The first book you touch on a shelf with your eyes closed: Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan (Apr 9-15)

A book with "20" or "twenty" in the title: Twenty Years Before the Mast by Charles Erskine (Apr 15-18)

A book by an author who has written more than 20 books: Winterkill by C.J. Box (Apr 19-22). Ooo, I think I found a new favorite author..I can see why they're so popular at work lol (the book kept mentioning Waco and Ruby Ridge, and now I keep seeing other references to them! Crazy how that works..)

A book with a three-word title: Days of Night by Jonathan Stone (Apr 22-25). Trapped in Antarctica in the middle of winter with a murderer and communication cut off..thrilling haha

A book published in the 20th century: A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (Apr 26-27). The Titanic will always be fascinating :P

the topics )

Still no new cases of corona in Fairbanks! Mom and I actually got to go out to eat on Wednesday, woohoo! I keep wondering if they're still going to cancel summer things like the Midnight Sun Festival..impossible to social distance there :P

28. What’s the one song that could be the theme song your life? Hmm..not sure..

29. How have your goals changed as you've gotten older? I don't want to be a botanist, I don't particularly want to go to Egypt, I don't want to live in a mall LOL, and other random things :P

30. What’s a nice thing you did for somebody today? Yesterday..does snuggling with a cat count?? Haha

May 1. Who made you feel good this week? Nenana livestream lady (Rebecca??) haha
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A book with an upside-down image on the cover: Bearskin by James A. McLaughlin (Feb 28-Mar 3)

A book with a made-up language: Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers (Mar 6-10). "From the ground, we stand. From our ship, we live. By the stars, we hope." I absolutely love this series <3

A book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads: Dead Reckoning: The Untold Story of the Northwest Passage by Ken McGoogan (Mar 11-15)

A book that won an award in 2019: Circe by Madeline Miller (Mar 11-15). I loved The Song of Achilles, but this one was just depressing :/

A book that has a book on the cover: The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe (Mar 21-25). Every time I read a book like this, I learn something else heinously awful the Nazis did, like Dr. Menegle's "experiments" on twins D:

A book set in Japan, host of the 2020 [2021 now] Olympics: The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (Mar 26)

A book that's published in 2020: The Last Passenger by Charles Finch (Mar 27-31)

the topics )

And a little survey everyone's doing lol:
Last time I traveled abroad: In 2018, the awesome Cherry Pilgrimage in England :D
Last time I slept in a hotel: Last year, in Anchorage
Last time I flew in an airplane: January
Last time I took a train: 2018 in England
Last time I took public transit: Last year?
Last time I had a houseguest: Mom came over in the last month I think
Last time I got my hair cut: Last summer
Last time I went to the movies: A couple months ago?
Last time I went to the theatre: *shrugs*
Last time I went to a concert: In 2010, to see HammerFall in Seattle
Last time I went to an art museum: January
Last time I sat down in a restaurant: In the past month, before they closed for regular service. Alaska is up to 133 cases now D:
Last time I went to a party: *shrugs*
Last time I played a board game with more than two people: *shrugs*
Last time I went to the office: A couple days ago

28. What characteristic do you most dislike about yourself? Laziness, etc

29. What fictional world would you most like to visit? Hogwarts or Narnia would be cool lol

30. What do you want to say when someone asks, "What do you do"? Say I work at a bookstore

31. What famous or important people share your birthday? Frank Lloyd Wright, Noel Wien (a famous pilot in Alaska), Barbara Bush, Jerry Stiller, Joan Rivers, Nancy Sinatra, Bonnie Tyler, Julianna Margulies, Kanye West

Apr 1. Nobody really likes to be the victim of cruel hoax, but how do you feel about good-natured pranks that don’t cause harm? If everyone is ok with it, then it's alright I think..
glacier_kitty: (Default)
A Western: A Death in Eden by Keith McCafferty (Feb 1-4)

A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics: The Dreadful Judgement: The True Story of the Great Fire of London, 1666 by Neil Hanson (Feb 5-9). The fire is estimated to have destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the city's 80,000 inhabitants..wow O_o

A book with more than 20 letters in its title: Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen (Feb 10-17)

A book with a pink cover: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (Feb 18-23). I HAD to see why this book is SO popular, and now I see why..it's so well written, and the story is intriguing!

A book you meant to read in 2019: The River at Night by Erica Ferencik (Feb 25-27). I love wilderness thrillers!

the topics )

29. If you were given an extra day every year to do whatever you want, what would you do? Sleep haha, read, etc

Mar 1. Let’s do some pseudo-science! What’s your Enneagram type? https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test
my result )
glacier_kitty: (Default)
A book with a map: Antarctic Navigation by Elizabeth Arthur (Dec 31-Jan 14). Phew, this book was almost 800 pages long! It had been on my to-read shelf way too long lol. I like when the main character had "conversations" with Scott's men in the Terra Nova hut, "especially Cherry," which surprised her because Cherry was so shy and scared of women..aww! I'm pretty sure he said hi to me through my phone when I was at his grave..I've put my phone in my pocket a million times, but only then did it suddenly say "hi"? I'm honored, Cherry! <3

A book set in a country beginning with "C" (Canada): Death Wins in the Arctic: The Lost Winter Patrol of 1910 by Kerry Karram (Jan 15-18). Those poor people ate their dogs and died a horrible death..remind me never to get lost in Canada in the winter D:

A book you picked because the title caught your attention: Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North by Blair Braverman (Jan 18-21). This was too much about her sex life and less about her adventures..yawn. The title was so promising though!

A fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader: The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard (Jan 22-28). The Amazon jungle sounds terrifying D:

A medical thriller: Scurvy by Stephen R. Bown (Jan 29-31). This is the fourth book I've read by that author haha. Scurvy sounds like one of the worst ways to die..it's crazy that we need Vitamin C to survive, but our bodies don't produce it..

the topics )

Feb 1. What is your birthstone and flower? My birthstone is a pearl, and my flower is a rose and honeysuckle (I had to look that up, I didn't know we had birth flowers too!)

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