In my 7th year of participating in the 52 books meme, I read 183 various non-fiction, biography, fiction, craft, travel-themed, food-related and graphic design books, and graphic novels. 2011 was such a crazy busy year that the one thing I could still do that didn't take a lot of time was read. A 5-minute stretching break often involved calisthenics over a book, for example... Next year I hope to knit more, work less all-nighters, and just be a happier camper overall. Here's to 2012. Happy new year.

The titles in boldface were my favorites of the year.

NON-FICTION + BIOGRAPHY

1. Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand Biscuit!!! Good read. 
   
2. Unbroken, Lauren Hillenbrand I could not put this book down. My husband could not put this book down. Everyone I knew who read it could not put this book down. It was good.
   
3. Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food, Paul Greenberg Very informative.
   
4. The Perfection Point: Sport Science Predicts the Fastest Man, the Highest Jump, and the Limits of Athletic Performance, John Brenkus Fascinating look into man's physical achievements and limitations.
   
5. Nerve: Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool, Taylor Clark
6. Extreme Fear: The Science of Your Mind in Danger, Jeff Wise
7. War, Sebastian Junger
8. Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen, Mark Blake Loved the music, liked the book.
   
9. The Golden-Bristled Boar: Last Ferocious Beast of the Forest, Jeffrey Greene
10. Young Michelangelo: A Biography, John T. Spike A rather insightful look at Michelangelo.
    
11. The Art Detective: Fakes, Frauds, and Fins and the Search for Lost Treasure, Philip Mould I liked this.
    
12. The Last Man on the Mountain: The Death of an American Adventurer on K2, Jennifer Jordan This was good, too.
    
13. The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses, Richard A. Jones, Sharon Sweeney-Lynch
    Niiicely done. We visited a beekeeper in Germany, and of course we
    sampled all sorts of raw, unfiltered honeys when we lived in France. My
    favorite honeys are acacia and sunflower....
    
14. Anselm Kiefer: Works on Paper in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
15. The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century, Edward Dolnick
16. Theo: The Other Van Gogh, Marie-Angelique Ozanne and Frédérique De Jode
17. The Shakespeare Thefts: Stealing the World's Most Famous Book, Eric Rasmussen
18. Beneath the Sands of Egypt: Adventures of an Unconventional Archaeologist, Donald P. Ryan, PhD
19. Finders Keepers: A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession, Craig Childs
    
20. True Food: Eight Simple Steps to a Healthier You, Annie Berthold-Bond, Wendy Gordon
21. The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, David A. Kessler
22. American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food, Jonathan Bloom
23. Living Large: From SUVs to Double Ds, Why Going Large Isn't Going Better, Sarah Wexler
24. You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness, Julie Klam
25. The Dog Who Couldn't Stop Loving: How Dogs Have Captured Our Hearts for Thousands of Years, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
26. Dog, Inc.: The Uncanny Inside Story of Cloning Man's Best Friend, John Woestendiek
27. Last Dog on the Hill: The Extraordinary Life of Lou, Steve Duno
    
28. History of a Suicide: My Sister's Unfinished Life, Jill Bialosky
29. On Rereading, Patricia Meyer Sacks
30. Prophet's Prey: My Seven-Year Investigation into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints, Sam Brower
31. Freemasons for Dummies, Christopher Hodapp 32°
32. Fire, Sebastian Junger
33. Worm: The Story of the First Digital World War, Mark Bowden. This read much like a third or fourth draft. I think he could have written it better.
    
34. What Your Body Says (And How to Master the Message): Inspire, Influence, Build Trust, and Create Lasting Business Relationships, Sharon Sayler
    
35. The Good Daughter, Jasmin Darznik
36. Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves, Crystal Renn, Marjorie Ingall. Meh. This model is actually back to model-thin, so this book is really about her insecurity.
    
37. Alek: From Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel, Alek Wek
38. Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica, Mick Wall
39. The Secret of Chanel No. 5
40. Samurai Tales: Courage, Fidelity and Revenge in the Final Years of the Shogun, Romulus Hillsborough
41. Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love, Matthew Logelin

FICTION

1. A Brief History of the Dead, Kevin Brockmeier Finally read this and liked it very much.
2. Innocent, Scott Turow The bookend to his Presumed Innocent. I liked this.
   
3. The Heartbreak Lounge, Wallace Stroby Not as good as Gone 'til November.
   
4. City of Falling Angels, John Berendt Makes me long for Venice!
   
5. The Blasphemer, Nigel Farndale Good story.
6. Bury Your Dead, Louise Penny I really liked this mystery set in Quebec.
   
7. Ruslan, Barbara Scrupski
8. Matchless: A Christmas Story, Gregory Maguire
9. The Peach Keeper, Sarah Addison Allen. Meh.
   
10. The View from the Seventh Layer, Kevin Brockmeier
11. The Weird Sisters, Eleanor Brown
12. The Truth About Celia, Kevin Brockmeier
13. Girls in Trucks, Katie Crouch
14. Men and Dogs: A Novel, Katie Crouch
15. The Maid, Kimberly Cutter
16. Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall, Kazuo Ishiguro
17. Don't Breathe a Word, Jennifer McMahon
18. Left Bank, Kate Muir
19. Foreign Bodies, Cynthia Ozick
20. The Still Point, Amy Sackville. Boooring.
    
21. Bad Blood, John Sandford
22. Dark of the Moon, John Sandford
23. Leaving Van Gogh: A Novel, Carol Wallace
24. A Rule Against Murder, Louise Penny
25. The Brutal Telling, Louise Penny
26. Second Nature: A Novel, Jacquelyn Mitchard
27. Still Life, Louise Penny
28. City of Veils, Zoe Ferraris
29. The Tailor of Panama, John le Carré
30. The Night Manager, John Le Carré
31. Single & Single, John le Carré
32. A Most Wanted Man, John le Carré
33. The Enchantress of Florence, Salman Rushdie
34. Luka and the Fire of Life, Salman Rushdie
35. East, West: Stories, Salman Rushdie
36. Color Blind, Jonathan Santlofer
37. The Sherlockian, Graham Moore
38. Dog Walks Man, John Zeaman
39. An Impartial Witness, Charles Todd
40. The October Killings, Wessel Ebersohn
41. One Fifth Avenue, Candace Bushnell
42. Kill the Messenger,  Tami Hoag
43. The Alibi Man, Tami Hoag
44. Deeper than the Dead, Tami Hoag
45. Broken, Karin Slaughter
46. The Almost Moon, Alice Sebold
47. The Inspector and Silence: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery, Hakan Nesser, Laurie Thompson (Translator)
48. Sunset Road, Paul Auster
49. Invisible, Paul Auster
50. Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving
51. A Lion Among Men (Wicked Years, #3), Gregory Maguire
52. Mirror, Mirror, Gregory Maguire
53. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Gregory Maguire
54. Son of a Witch, Gregory Maguire
55. Dracula My Love: The Secret Journals of Mina Harker, Syrie James
    
56. Fragile, Lisa Unger
57. An Object of Beauty, Steve Martin
58. Limitations, Scott Turow
59. The Charming Quirks of Others, Alexander McCall Smith
60. Port Mortuary, Patricia Cornwell
61. Captive, Jere Van Dyk
62. The Red Garden, Alice Hoffman
63. My Name Is Memory, Ann Brashares
64. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte Meh. I know. It's a classic... borefest...
    
65. Amphigorey Also, Edward Gorey
66. The Headless Bust, Edward Gorey
67. Tinkers, Paul Harding
68. Deliver Us From Evil, David Baldacci
69. The Queen's Lover, Vanora Bennett
70. Corduroy Mansions, Alexander McCall Smith
71. The Brightest Star in the Sky, Marian Keyes
72. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
    
73. The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett
    
74. Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
    
75. The Ice Princess, Camilla Läckberg
    
76. The Russia House, John le Carré
    
77. Through A Glass, Darkly, Donna Leon
78. Suffer the Little Children, Donna Leon
    
79. About Face, Donna Leon
    
80. The Girl of His Dreams, Donna Leon
    
81. Death in a Strange Country, Donna Leon
82. The Wings of the Dove, Henry James
83. Chloe Zhivago's Recipe for Marriage and Mischief: A Novel, Olivia Lichtenstein

TRAVEL-RELATED: VENICE, MAINE, CALIFORNIA

1. Venetian Stories, Jane Turner Rylands Nice short stories told from the point of view of various Venetian citizens.
2. Turner and Venice, Ian Warrell Turner's work is fantastic; Venice is so beautifully depicted by him.
   
3. Venice Sketchbook, Huck Scarry (Useless trivia: The author is Richard Scarry's son and is no doubt the inspiration for Huck the Cat in Richard Scarry's books.)
4. Venice 697-1797: A City, A Republic, An Enigma, Alvise Zorzi
5. Art and Life in Renaissance Venice, Patricia Fortini Brown
6. Venice, Alexandra Bonfante Warren
7. No Vulgar Hotel: The Desire and Pursuit of Venice, Judith Martin
8. The da Fiore Cookbook, Damiano Martin
9. Venetian Taste, Adam Tihany, Francesco Antonucci, and Florence Fabricant
10. The Photographer's Guide to the Maine Coast: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them, David Middleton
11. Best Places Central California Coast: Santa Cruz to Santa Barbara, Judith Babcock Wylie
12. Compass American Guides: Maine, 4th edition, Charles Calhoun
13. Maine: The Seasons, Terrell S. Lester
14. Golden Country: Touring Scenic California, Susan M. Neider
15. Saltwater Seasonings: Good Food from Coastal Maine, Sarah Leah Chase, Jonathan Chase

CRAFT + INTERIORS

1. The Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques, Margaret Radcliffe
2. The Complete Book of Traditional Guernsey and Jersey Knitting, Rae Compton Invaluable resource
3. The Complete Book of Traditional Knitting, Rae Compton Great resource on the origins of the craft
4. Reversible Two-Color Knitting, Jane F. Neighbors
5. The Knitter's Book of Socks: The Yarn Lover's Ultimate Guide to Creating Socks That Fit Well, Feel Great, and Last a Lifetime, Clara Parkes
6. The Knitter's Book of Wool, Clara Parkes
7. Knitting 24/7: 30 Projects to Knit, Wear, and Enjoy, On the Go and Around the Clock, Véronik Avery
8. The Magic of Handweaving, Sigrid Piroch
9. The Weaver's Idea Book: Creative Cloth on a Rigid Heddle Loom, Jane Patrick
10. 1000 Chairs, Charlotte & Peter Fiell
11. New French Country: A Style and Source Book, Linda Dannenberg
    

FOOD-RELATED

1. The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook: A Year in the Life of a Restaurant, Michelle Rizzolo, Michelle Wojtowicz, Michael Gilson, Catherine Price, Phillip Wojtowicz Loved this cookbook; I want to eat there! (And one of their vendors shares a birthday with me!)
   
2. Becoming a Chef, Andrew Dornenburg, Karen Page
3. The Making of A Chef, Michael Ruhlman
4. Avec Eric: A Culinary Journey with Eric Ripert, Eric Ripert
5. On the Line, Eric Ripert
6. Spiced: A Pastry Chef's True Stories of Trials by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, and What Really Goes on in the Kitchen, Dalia Jurgensen. Meh.
   
7. What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained, Robert L. Wolke, Marlene Parrish
8. What Einstein Told His Cook 2: The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science, Robert L. Wolke
9. Women Who Eat: A New Generation on the Glory of Food, Leslie Miller
10. The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, Judith Jones
11. Food Heroes, Georgia Pellegrini
12. Medium Raw, Anthony Bourdain
13. The I <3 Trader Joe's Party Cookbook, Cherie Mercer Twohy
14. The Turkish Kitchen, Ghillie Başan

GRAPHIC DESIGN + ILLUSTRATION

1. Vaughan Oliver: Visceral Pleasures, Rick Poynor I've been a fan of Vaughan Oliver's work since college. This is a good look at all his work for 4AD.
   
2. Inspirability: 40 Top Designers Speak Out About What Inspires, PASH Great tactile cover, and a nice way to present the designers.
   
3. A Treasury of the Great Children's Book Illustrators, Susan E. Meyer
4. Logolicious, Peleg Top Some great logos, some good logos, and an astonishingly bad one that fails at context.
   
5. Creative Solutions: Logos: Making a Strong Mark: 150 Strategies for Logos That Last, Anistasia Miller, Jared Brown
6. 2 Color Graphics: Unlimited Design Solutions, Templin Brink Design
7. The Big Book of Bags, Labels and Tags, Christian Campos
8. The New Big Book of Layouts, Erin Mays, Katie Jain, Joel Anderson
9. Catalog Design: The Art of Creating Desire, Dianna Edwards, Robert Valentine
10. The Best of Brochure Design 7, Wilson Harvey
11. Fashion Design Course, Steven Faerm
12. Breaking Into Freelance Illustration: A Guide for Artists, Designers and Illustrators, Holly DeWolf

GRAPHIC NOVEL

1. Batman RIP, Grant Morrison, Tony S Daniel
   
2. Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul, Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, David Lopez
3. Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 2, Greg Rucka, et al
4. Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 4, Greg Rucka, et al
5. Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 5, Greg Rucka, et al
6. The Death of Superman, Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, Roger Stern
   
7. The Return of Superman, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson

#

Swatches are like sketches. When I'm online I always have a sketchbook at the ready; I find that parsing inspiration immediately is the best way for me to work. An instant hook, that emotional pull, is usually my barometer for liking something: this is also true in fine art, where I've witnessed people snap up piece$$$ because it resonated with them personally. So I see a bit of detail such as a keyhole neckline, draw a series of tops around it, add notes about surface treatment or fiber, then move on. While Pinterest and Flickr are good for online archiving and bookmarking, a sketchbook is portable and lets me work in color and a variety of media. (Call me old-fashioned!) Even better, there is no undue influence, and all the ideas I create are mine.

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So. These are what I see in my project list for the next year: knit-and-purl textures, reversibility, pompoms, and my current color favorites cardinal, robin's egg, and cool medium grey. (Oh dreary light.)

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In 2012 I see a car coat (no to poms), a scarf, a wrap (perhaps with poms), a shawl, a hat (definitely YES to poms!). Maybe my resolution for next year should be to knit more than 3 items! Ha ha. Maybe it should.

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Happy holidays! Sometime before the end of the year I'll post my list of 2011 books. I read plenty. And you know I mean 100+.

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The beach, Thanksgiving weekend.

I've been thinking about direction and focus lately. This year has been a particularly interesting one. In many ways I can't wait for it to be over, but then reality slaps me in the face because WAIT! You have projects due in January! You can't make the days go faster or you'll never make deadline!

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One day at a time.

I went back to this post to see if I had made, and kept, any resolutions, and it appears I have. For trying something (almost) new, I attempted detestable bobbles on one project, and for improving on the old, I did some lo-fi cable technique on St Léger. Cables on a single-color background are easy-peasy, but cables on a striped, 3-color background in the round are absolutely FUN, not the least bit complicated, and I highly recommend that you try it for yourself. As for detestable bobbles, it popped up in my radar from the mental list of knitterly things I'd like to try. (Process knitter that I am.) So now that I was successful with this year's resolutions, I need to come up with another non-committal one for next year! Steeks, perhaps?

Anyway, on to reading material!

The first two books, Nerve by Taylor Clark and Extreme Fear by Jeff Wise, are related to each other. In both, the authors discuss the amygdala, that portion of the brain that governs the fear response. They cited many examples, even the same ones, most of them having to do with flight, wild animals, and nuclear destruction. All really interesting stuff (really, it *is* interesting), but the passages that drew me in where the ones about sport. It's fairly common knowledge that mental training is as important as physical training in any sport and at any level, but particularly for professional athletes and Olympians. The books examined the mental games of ball player Larry Bird (here's a snippet from the book) and speed skater Dan Jansen, among others, and how they and other athletes pushed (or failed to push) through the mental barrier. However, whereas Nerve and Extreme Fear just examined causes and examples, the last book offered solutions.

Lanny Bassham's With Winning In Mind is all about sport psychology; the name says it all. While I am neither an Olympian nor a pro climber, I think the techniques discussed in the book are highly relevant because they are all about overcoming mental barriers that keep people from succeeding in competitions physical and otherwise. (The otherwise part applies to every aspect of life, really. I mean, Lamaze breathing technique is all about calming the expectant mother and reducing panic, right?) What got me reading this book was my fear of falling: years ago I fell 20 feet from a route (the average 2-story building), and while I'm still climbing, that fear has never really left me. Routines and repetition are all good, yes, and I've been able to break through my fear to redpoint some f*cking hard routes. But once in a while the fear comes back, and that's where Bassham's book comes in handy. I highly recommend this to anyone who's hit a mental or physical wall.

Happy Monday!