A Fish Tale

My friends Rebecca, Jenni and I have an annual tradition of getting out of dodge during FIESTA weekend!  We each get Friday off for Battle of Flowers and we use that extra sweet opportunity to pack our beach gear and head south-ish....more south and east-ish.  

This year I was particularly craving a long escape to the water.  As I pulled out of my garage I promised myself I would not think about a) work, b) the kitchen ceiling disaster or c) the new termite family procreating behind  d) a new wall with moisture behind it.  What I allowed myself to consider was a) the excitement of the new car waiting for me upon my return, b) my first pole performance choreography (I must have listened to November Rain 100 times on the way down), c) Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Melton Doyle and d) Garden & Gun and Country Living.  And a boat ride...a sweet, sweet boat ride I gently (debatable) coerced and old friend into providing for me!

I would LOVE to take 100% credit for these two friends...I mean fish...sitting in front of me...and while Facebook allows me the forum to COMPLETELY fib...the truth is my friend, Chris caught these two fish (for me).  And then he did some other things to them that I won't get into...but in the end I was able to come home with black drum filets, vacuum sealed for freshness!  

I grew up in South Texas so fishing was a readily available activity which I learned to enjoy early on.  Well...let me back up...I enjoyed the boat ride more so than the act of fishing.  However, when Dad invited, I was eager to participate.  Plus I also learned early on fishing in the morning and frying at night was a pretty damn good way to spend the day!  (Yes...my mom allowed FRYING...outside the house.)

I ran into Chris at a wedding in November and 100% invited myself onto his boat on my next Port A trip.  He was incredibly accommodating and willing to entertain us during our weekend of respite and reward!  Chris is one of these expert angler, hunter, commune with nature people...and like knows where the wind is coming from by feeling one breeze and identifying tracks in the soil and knows how to shoot arrows with some crazy strong bow which requires the upper body strength of The Rock.  You know...one of those highly attuned individuals...who ULTIMATELY respects nature and works to conserve it.  I don't know...you have to meet him...it works.  He's not the type of hunter/fisher I am mad at (bleeding heart liberal) rather the type I am awed by. 

Anyhow...we go out fishing.  The boat ride was DI.VINE!  The oxymoronic fragrance mixture of fuel and salt water excited my senses and I was ready to let my hair FLY!  So...drop anchor...ankle deep water.  "We are sight casting," he proclaims.  Here's whats going on in my little head..."Is that 'site' like a website, or 'cite' as in 'cite your references' or is that 'sight' as in looking."  Really, Patty?  How could the first two be possible.  I just shut my mouth and smiled.  So...here's the deal.  You look at the shallow water shadows...and cast straight to the shadow and catch a fish.  Yeah!  Just like that. 

So this was a new experience for me.  BUT...what I will say is that was the MOST enjoyable method of attempting to fish (he did it all) I have ever participated in because I was sort of like "one with it."  Not me...in a boat...lording over the sea...wondering if there is anything out there.

This was "sport."  And it was fun!  Except when he says, "Stay quiet (yeah, right...has he met me?), shuffle your feet so you won't upset a sting ray (uhm....Steve Irwin?) and oops...watch out for the jelly fish."  

Oh...it must be noted, though, Chris was at a HUGE advantage because he has superhero sunglasses.  I just have regular people sunglasses.  Perhaps my next investment?

Lorelai: Hello sailor, bait your hoooooook for you?

Luke: You look ridiculous.

Lorelai: I look adorable! No one ever told me that if you fish, you get to buy an outfit. I'll do just about anything if I can buy an outfit!

Stayed tuned for Part II where I share my recipe for black drum.  (Plus that gives me an opportunity to do some food styling and photography!  Woo hoo Misha Hettie and Amanda Raba Gentis!  So inspired!)

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Christmas in September

Dear Santa,

Thank you for my early Christmas gift.  Since Jace' snagged her own apartment and claimed her Keurig  back...well, things just haven't been the same.  It takes a REALLY LONG TIME to boil the water for my French press every morning.  This will make brewing coffee easy, breezy, snappy and speedy!  Of course, it will also make "sneaking in" that second cup a delicious, dangerous possibility.  It was so sweet of you to keep me in mind today...an ordinary day in September.  When I arrived home I actually let out a little squeal of glee!  It actually made me forget...for a second...that Mary Gertrude killed a lizard and brought into the house.  I can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning, Santa!  

See you soon?  In case you were wondering....I am vibing hard on an iPad...I don't really NEED one...but...

Love always,

Patty

COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE!!!!!! -Lorelai

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SA Blogging Scene

Last night between catching up on thank you notes, addressing Father's day cards and messing with my new (not really...just "new" as in "fresh out of the box") Crosley turntable I managed to squeeze in a little blog surfing.  One of my favorite blogs, Not Going Postal, which I know to be local, shared about the SA blog community's trip to play with sting rays at Sea World earlier in the day.

"What," I grumbled.  "I want in on the SA blog community sting ray day of fun!"  I immediately wrote a message to the author of Not Going Postal and she responded very quickly!  Yay!  She included me in their Facebook group and I introduced myself, and Fete, to them last night.  The group has been most welcoming and it looks like everyone works together for the greater good of the San Antonio community!

Source

For my mommy friends...check out this San Antonio Mom Blogs!  Not only is there a host of suggestions on a variety of mom-topics, there is a comprehensive list of other local bloggers whose focus is often on parenting and specific to our local community!

I am extremely excited to participate in this community and meet other like minded individuals...who like "living out loud," sharing what they know and casting their musings across the seemingly infinite space of the world wide web.  

Lorelai: ...just make sure you wait for the  right moment.

Rory: Oh the right moment is now.  The right moment arrived in a big pink hat full of feathers, screaming, "Notice me, because I am here!"

Lorelai: Well, if it was wearing a hat....

I've been spending some time down town lately and I have parked in the P-A-R-K Lot (as my friend, Jace' lovingly refers to ALL lots with the work "park" in them) across the street from the bus stop and catty corner (?)/kitty corner (?) from Bill Miller BBQ.  In the elevator lobby areas on each level...this is the art work adorning the floor.  I love it!  The moment I saw it...I heard Steven Tyler SCREAM in my ear..."Well just give me a kiss...LIKE THIS!"  

I love these little cultural gems!  Despite living in this town since 1997...I have never had the pleasure of coming across this quirky adornment to a rather benign structure.  Makes me happy to park and not at ALL upset that I had to write an 8 dollar check to the city for two hours worth of parking!

Happy Sunday, friends!  Off to vacay tomorrow.  Depending on the level of energy...I may or may NOT post for the week!

Second Story Window

With help, I took three deep breaths and I learned that my organic, free, joyous life is just outside the window from my own heavy stone imprisonment and I am not sorry for what I want.  I am not sorry at all. 

"Oh yes...that is what I do when I really like something; I cut it out of my life completely."-Michele

It's All in the Eyes Today

Source

God don't make no junk, right?  That sweet sentiment notwithstanding....sometimes I feel my appearance could use an, ahem....enhancement sometimes, maybe...all the time, probably.  I digress.  

While I am no "junky monkey" as God would suggest...I was born with rather short, sparse little eyelashes.  I have used lash enhancement before and it has had moderate effects.  LiLash...on the other hand...has literally worked a follicle miracle!  

Had I known the lash length I would experience I would most definitely have had the foresight to do some "before" and "afters."  

I have used LiLash since Christmas and I am beyond pleased with the results.  I have experienced no bizarre side effects...just long lashes that make me want to bat them ever so coquettishly as often as I possibly can.

Rory:  It comes in waves, you know.  Big ones, really close together.

Lorelai:  Well the waves will get smaller, I promise, you just have to give it time.

Lessons Hard Learned

Luke: You know, I am sorry, too.  Now that I've had April...I've learned a lot.  I was crazy to think I had to fix everything in my relationship with April before I could really be with you.  That's just not how you fix things.  Things just don't stand still; they are always changing.

Lorelai: Yeah

Luke: I guess I was compartamentalizing, if that is what you call it.  I should have opened my compartments.  I should have gotten your help.

Lorelai: I wanted to help.

Luke: I know, and I am sorry. And I am sorry, also, because I think I kind of used April to push you away.

Lorelai: You did, huh?

Luke: Yeah, I think so.  I was afraid.  And I am so sorry.

Lorelai: It's really okay.

Luke: I'm glad.

Lorelai: Me, too.

This One is All About the Ladies

Hang on to your hats, friends.  This one is going to be a long one. 

This week has been a challenge; both physically and mentally.  Despite my present discomfort God....(and The Universe) have sent me a number of gifts that I would like to share with you, my readership of less than 100!  Granted, I have shared most of this on Facebook.  But, in the very rare and troubling event that YOU are not on Facebook...allow me to share these precious little gems of goodness and grace.

 Little known fact:  I am the Research and Communications Liaison for Monarch Media Productions.  

Who knew that?  

Had I mentioned it?  This brain is 100% on overload.  

Well, I am.  And proudly so!  

Today, Monarch Media Productions launched the trailer for Sweet Mary & Jane.

Why is Monarch Media Productions relevant, diverse, ground breaking and just plain bad a**?  

Well...it was created by Marisa Quinn, my "little"...but more importantly Monarch Media Productions is driven by a singular mission:

 "By challenging traditional stereotypes within all races, cultures, and lifestyles portrayed in Film, Television, and New Media, Monarch Media Productions is committed to generating innovative content that will seek to honorably represent and realistically portray the rich diversity of modern American society."-www.monarchmediaproductions.com

Take a look at the trailer for Sweet Mary & Jane....

I am so proud of all the individuals who came together to make this possible.  Now...on with the show. Chat at me about film festivals!  

 I am "literally" loving Kat Edmonson's new album, Way Down Low!  A fellow Texan, which makes me love her even MORE, I was first introduced to Kat Edmonson when she teamed up with, my man, Lyle Lovett on three Christmas songs.  Her voice is a perfect mix of pixie quirk and throwback hauntings.  I love the vibe of this album and feel inspired to bathe in vintage and take myself out for a Sidecar, Slow Gin Fizz or a classic Martini.  BUY IT, NOW!

 Photo Source

 I have been unable to face scouring my house...for one reason or another.  I never really got to the source of the fear and blockage...but I honestly didn't delve all that deeply into the root cause.  Perhaps because I was afraid of what I might find.  

Domestic Divas told me it was okay to leave "the dust to them."  And so, I took them up on their offer! According to their founder, Nikki Jefferson, it is okay to feel like I can't possibly keep up with the demands of my life AND keep a clean house.  Of course, what Nikki does not know is that I have no children and no husband.  I live alone and have no excuse....other than pure laziness....for not cleaning this house on my own.

Thank you, Nikki, for your understanding nature!  It is not lost on me.  And...good for you for finding your niche!  I HIGHLY recommend Domestic Divas.  

For information about menu and pricing visit www.domesticdivas.net.  Let them know I referred you, pretty please!

HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL:  I do not even know where to start on HOW MUCH I found this blog a source of total comfort this week.  I am not even going to try!  Just go to www.momastery.com.

Yes, this is a "mommy blog" and NO, I am not a "mommy."  But...that does not mean Glennon's story did not completely resonate with me, inspire me, break me down, build me up.  I experienced a range of emotions while I navigated through this lovely "e-space," meeting up with like minded individuals along the way.  It is a forum for "yourself-ness" and thank you Glennon for allowing a space like this to exist!  I love, love, love when God uses the internet for His good graciousness.  THIS is one of those places.  Go there...NOW!  And...become a "monkee!"  

Rory: Wait.  Where are you going?

Lorelai: I am gonna drive in a circle really fast to reverse the earth's orbit.

Ahhhh.....I feel much better now!  Much, much, much love....

Set Backs and Set Ups

A set-back is really just a set-up for future accomplishments-Lorelai

Book Bucket List

Rory's Reading List (or at the very least books mentioned, referenced, ravaged by Rory throughout the 7 seasons)

1984 by George Orwell
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon*
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt*
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Archidamian War by Donald Kagan
The Art of Fiction by Henry James
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
The Awakening by Kate Chopin*
Babe by Dick King-Smith
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath* 
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney*
The Bhagava Gita
The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews by Peter Duffy
Bitch in Praise of Difficult Women by Elizabeth Wurtzel
A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays by Mary McCarthy
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley*
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Bridgadoon by Alan Jay Lerner
Candide by Voltaire 
The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer*
Carrie by Stephen King
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger *
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman
Christine by Stephen King
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens*
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
The Collected Short Stories by Eudora Welty
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty
A Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
Complete Novels by Dawn Powell
The Complete Poems by Anne Sexton
Complete Stories by Dorothy Parker
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas père
Cousin Bette by Honor’e de Balzac
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber 
The Crucible by Arthur Miller*
Cujo by Stephen King
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon *
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
David and Lisa by Dr Theodore Issac Rubin M.D
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Da Vinci -Code by Dan Brown *
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Deenie by Judy Blume
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx
The Divine Comedy by Dante
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells*
Don Quijote by Cervantes
Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhrv
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 
Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn
Eloise by Kay Thompson
Emily the Strange by Roger Reger
Emma by Jane Austen *
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Ethics by Spinoza
Europe through the Back Door, 2003 by Rick Steves
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Extravagance by Gary Krist
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 
Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore
The Fall of the Athenian Empire by Donald Kagan
Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The Fellowship of the Ring: Book 1 of The Lord of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien 
Fiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom *
Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce
Fletch by Gregory McDonald
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes*
The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand*
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley*
Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
George W. Bushism: The Slate Book of the Accidental Wit and Wisdom of our 43rd President by Jacob Weisberg
Gidget by Fredrick Kohner
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen*
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
The Godfather: Book 1 by Mario Puzo
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Alvin Granowsky
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 
The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford
The Gospel According to Judy Bloom
The Graduate by Charles Webb
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck*
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald*
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Group by Mary McCarthy
Hamlet by William Shakespeare*
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling 
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry
Henry IV, part I by William Shakespeare
Henry IV, part II by William Shakespeare
Henry V by William Shakespeare
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
Holidays on Ice: Stories by David Sedaris
The Holy Barbarians by Lawrence Lipton
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss*
How the Light Gets in by M. J. Hyland
Howl by Allen Gingsburg
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
The Iliad by Homer
I’m with the Band by Pamela des Barres
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Inferno by Dante
Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
Iron Weed by William J. Kennedy
It Takes a Village by Hillary Clinton
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan*
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
The Jumping Frog by Mark Twain
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair*
Just a Couple of Days by Tony Vigorito
The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 
Lady Chatterleys’ Lover by D. H. Lawrence
The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000 by Gore Vidal
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke*
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
The Little Locksmith by Katharine Butler Hathaway
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 
Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Lottery: And Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 
The Love Story by Erich Segal
Macbeth by William Shakespeare *
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert*
The Manticore by Robertson Davies
Marathon Man by William Goldman
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov*
Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir
Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman by William Tecumseh Sherman
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Mencken’s Chrestomathy by H. R. Mencken
The Merry Wives of Windsro by William Shakespeare
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka*
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion by Jim Irvin
Moliere: A Biography by Hobart Chatfield Taylor
A Monetary History of the United States by Milton Friedman
Monsieur Proust by Celeste Albaret
A Month Of Sundays: Searching For The Spirit And My Sister by Julie Mars
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway*
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and It’s Aftermath by Seymour M. Hersh
My Life as Author and Editor by H. R. Mencken
My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru by Tim Guest
Myra Waldo’s Travel and Motoring Guide to Europe, 1978 by Myra Waldo
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
Nervous System: Or, Losing My Mind in Literature by Jan Lars Jensen
New Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson
The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Night by Elie Wiesel
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 
The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism by William E. Cain, Laurie A. Finke, Barbara E. Johnson, John P. McGowan*
Novels 1930-1942: Dance Night/Come Back to Sorrento, Turn, Magic Wheel/Angels on Toast/A Time to be Born by Dawn Powell
Notes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck*
Old School by Tobias Wolff*
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey*
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life by Amy Tan
Oracle Night by Paul Auster
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Othello by Shakespeare
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan
Out of Africa by Isac Dineson
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton*
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster*
The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition by Donald Kagan
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde*
Pigs at the Trough by Arianna Huffington
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby 
The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
The Portable Nietzche by Fredrich Nietzche
The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O’Neill by Ron Suskind
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 
Property by Valerie Martin
Pushkin: A Biography by T. J. Binyon
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Quattrocento by James Mckean*
A Quiet Storm by Rachel Howzell Hall
Rapunzel by Grimm Brothers 
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier *
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Rescuing Patty Hearst: Memories From a Decade Gone Mad by Virginia Holman
The Return of the King: The Lord of the Rings Book 3 by J. R. R. Tolkien 
R Is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton
Rita Hayworth by Stephen King
Robert’s Rules of Order by Henry Robert
Roman Holiday by Edith Wharton
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster*
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
The Rough Guide to Europe, 2003 Edition
Sacred Time by Ursula Hegi
Sanctuary by William Faulkner
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford
Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller by Henry James
The Scarecrow of Oz by Frank L. Baum
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne *
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman
Selected Hotels of Europe
Selected Letters of Dawn Powell: 1913-1965 by Dawn Powell
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen – read
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Several Biographies of Winston Churchill
Sexus by Henry Miller
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Shane by Jack Shaefer
The Shining by Stephen King
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse*
S Is for Silence by Sue Grafton
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut*
Small Island by Andrea Levy 
Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway
Snow White and Rose Red by Grimm Brothers 
Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World by Barrington Moore
The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht
Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos by Julia de Burgos
The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker
Songbook by Nick Hornby
The Sonnets by William Shakespeare
Sonnets from the Portuegese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach*
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
A Streetcar Named Desiree by Tennessee Williams
Stuart Little by E. B. White
Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust
Swimming with Giants: My Encounters with Whales, Dolphins and Seals by Anne Collett
Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber*
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Term of Endearment by Larry McMurtry
Time and Again by Jack Finney
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger*
To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee* 
The Tragedy of Richard III by William Shakespeare
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Trial by Franz Kafka
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson
Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom 
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath 1950-1962 by Sylvia Plath
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe – started and not finished
Unless by Carol Shields
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
The Vanishing Newspaper by Philip Meyers
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray *
Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground and Nico (Thirty Three and a Third series) by Joe Harvard
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett*
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Walt Disney’s Bambi by Felix Salten
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
We Owe You Nothing – Punk Planet: The Collected Interviews edited by Daniel Sinker
What Colour is Your Parachute? 2005 by Richard Nelson Bolles
What Happened to Baby Jane by Henry Farrell
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire *
The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion*

*Completed

No * means I have not read this book and am frankly ashamed!

Source: It's Time to Read