Beam Me Up, Spotty; and Getting My January Mojo Back: A 30-Year Flashback and Shopping My Closet

I've had a case of the blahs for about a week, following being off for 10 days, and prior to that, having week after week of exciting, sparkly outfits. How to get myself out of this rut? 

Well, first of all, I did wear one outfit this weekend. 

It was a sunny but very cold Saturday morning, and L and I did our weekly walk to town and brunch at Floyd's.

Linking up to Patti's "Visible Monday" over at Not Dead Yet Style! Thanks for the mention of my New Year's Eve outfit in your "Real Life Fashion Show: We Dress Up" round-up, Patti!

• Top - Lord & Taylor; last seen here in October 2016 with grommets and copper
• Skirt - Mackage, thrifted; last worn here in May 2016 with teal
• Boots - Matisse, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in November for my final tattoo work
• Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted 

Notice that I have my Star Trek communicator badge on - I called this outfit, "Beam Me Up, Spotty" - ha! I laugh at my own jokes. 

 A simple mix of neutrals, textures and pattern. Lots of leather, as is my wont. I forgot how much I love this cream leather skirt, although the renegade snaps popped on me a few times.

The top is more structured than a sweater, but just as warm. I have a full vintage slip on underneath for warmth (you can see peeks of it in the top pic).

Outerwear:

L is always dapper - check out his shiny teal shoes!

L is so good to me - he always makes a big pot of coffee for when I get up (I'm a bear in the mornings, rarrr!). I use a straw to keep it from staining my dental work (I have a few fake teeth/parts of teeth in the front) and from messing up my lipstick.

Those are my usual Danier fur toque/scarf, and my thrifted vintage wool long gloves.

The stuff:

Good boots for walking! I shopped for groceries after brunch (they got delivered later in the afternoon), then we came home and watched football all afternoon. Playoffs!

Mixed bling:

Steampunk + Futuristic = my own special mix.

• Poe cuff - Jezebel Charms, gift from L
• Leather cuff - SkinZnHydez
• Star Trek pin - MoPop Gift Shop
• Earrings - thrifted

After watching the playoff game this morning (boo, Miami is out), I thought about what I could do to get myself out of these cold-weather, don't-wanna-get-out-of-bed doldrums. One of the best things I did for myself last year was to take better care of my mental health. For me, that has meant going to bed earlier, and making more time for things that make me feel good.

I really enjoyed doing my nails over the last couple of weeks, so I decided to do something I literally have not done in 3 decades: doing my nails on a Sunday, then planning my whole week's outfits around my manicure.

I used to do this in high school, back in the mid-80s, when I didn't do any kind of manual labour (ha!). Of course, now that we live in the future, we have quick-dry nail polish, so this is actually way easier than it was in the 80s, when I had to do base coat, 2 coats of polish, top coat and a quick-dry setter.

I am pretty sure that L'Oreal Jet-Set Quick Dry is from the late 90s, and I have nail polishes older than that! I never throw them out, I keep them in a box out of the light, although I'm not sure if that actually affects them at all, but two coats of this, followed by one coat of this Sally Hansen Insta-Dri sparkle and I have lovely purple uber-sparkly nails. I figured I would match my hair and make this easy on myself for picking outfits, as that choice nudges me towards neutrals for the week.

I haven't been shopping too frequently over the last month or so, not through any conscious decision - I've just been busy. Usually new clothes spur me into creating fun new outfits, but ya know...I have a LOT of clothes already, so why not shop my closet?

I went through my closet and looked at the hangers to see what's still left to wear this season, and then I considered what I needed to factor in this week. I have an after-work corporate event on Tuesday, and another WW meeting on Thursday followed by a concert that night. I also took a boo at the long-range forecast: more mixed rain/snow and cold but clear days ahead for the week.

Here's what I pulled out. I have a black skirt issue, some might say. These are 3 black wool skirts that I love (they are all different!) and would like to wear. Black is especially good for showing off shoes or a nice jacket or sweater, and it will also work with my built-in main colour block (my hair/matching nails).

I also have many black jackets - this is one I've had for years.

It's velvet with coloured embroidery - I adore it. There's purple in there, so that's a good choice. Maybe not with a black skirt, though - that would be a lot of black.

Then, there are shoes. All of these shoes deserve another wear, and they all go with my polish.

All heels, however. Since Tuesday and Thursday will involve social events that will have walking, standing, and long-time wear, that's something I'll have to take into account. I may have to trade out a pair for a lower heel.

I also want at least one casual-feeling outfit for Casual Friday.

I haven't worn this shiny leopard skirt yet this season, so yeah, that will work.

I like it with this slouchy indigo sweater, which I haven't worn for a while.

Ooh, and look how nice it is with these shoes! That'll work. I can do purple tights with this.

The velvet jacket looks great with these teal shoes...

And I love that lighter teal suede skirt with it - it brings out the blue/greens in the embroidery. I'm also on the fence with this skirt (it rides up and catches on tights, and now has a small stain on it), so it's getting another chance. However, if it doesn't behave, I'm kickin' it to the curb.

This black skirt is shaped like a vintage 50s circle skirt - it needs a fitted top to show off the waist well. This velvet plummy-purple military-cut jacket is perfect. I'll probably belt it.

These boots go well with it, and keep the outfit looking modern. Plus, they are very comfy and walkable. The downside to them is that they aren't easy to take on and off. This outfit might work well for Thursday, when I'll have my shoes on almost all day.

This black skirt is a high-waisted pencil shape with slits at the front and back. It needs something tucked in.

Like this lovely vintage red silk "secretary" blouse with the built-in bow. I've pulled my cream/black dotted shoes, even though it's another heeled shoe - the skirt is long, plus blouse is very full, so I need a heel to help balance that.

I was very taken with how well this silk blouse goes with the magenta shoes.

But no, not that blouse with that fit-and-flare tulip-shaped skirt - those shapes don't quite work together. This blouse needs a bottom with a more defined waist. I will keep the blouse/shoe combo in mind for when the weather warms up.

Ah, there we go - I saw this giraffe-print sweater in one of my "last seen here" links the other day, which reminded me to pull it out to wear again. I like how it looks on me.

The sweater's fitted shape will look amazeballs with that skirt, and then the pop of the magenta shoes? Yes! Happy with this.

And so here we go, now all the tops/bottoms are grouped together in my closet.

With all the shoes lined up with each top/bottom, so I don't forget what goes with what.

I usually do my outfit selection and completion just before bed; I find it very soothing to go through my accessories, soft tops and tights and pick just the right things to complete the look.

We have 4 new people starting at work tomorrow, so lower heels will be good (I give them the tour of the office and run around a lot on Mondays). I also like to have a nice bright, colourful look to kick my week off.

I'll be wearing a green top under the jacket (only a bit of it will be visible), and I've added a skinny purple belt (for my keys and waist definition), and black lace tights where the pattern will echo the embroidery of the jacket. My jewelry is just some shiny coloured bits: two rings and plain stud earrings. I might have to layer a slip under this whole thing, but I'll see how cold it is in the morning, and how well this skirt goes over the tights.

There we go! I feel better already, and now I don't have to stress about what I'm wearing all week. That took less than half an hour to put all those outfits together, and I've taken all the stress out of my wardrobe-planning for the week.

Two-Fer: Bowed and Plaid Ruffles, and Tongueless and Grey

Miss me? I totally forgot that L and I had an event to go to on Thursday night - we got home too late for me to post, so for the weekend, you get a two-fer-one! 

Here's Thursday:

I liked this outfit a lot - a little body-conscious to remind me how much I love my clothes and want to stay fitting in them.

• Blouse - Ralph Lauren, consignment; purchased here for $14.98
• Skirt - J. Michael, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here in June 2015 with turquoise and peach
• Shoes - Coffee Sumatra, Fluevog; last seen here in Feb 2016 with giraffe print
• Coat (below) - Danier Leather

I had to double-check on dates "last worn" for both the skirt and shoes. I was sure I'd worn this red vintage wool skirt in 2016. Maybe I forgot to record it? I don't know - anyways, I went back a few clicks and I paid $12.00 for this and I've worn it 4 times, so I don't feel too bad. It's good to have some basics in the wardrobe for things like this wonderfully ruffly plaid flannel blouse.

I wore a vintage camisole under it so that I wouldn't freeze. I walked to work, then to my WW meeting, then to our event afterwards, and then home. Brr!

Outerwear:

Remembering that we were going out, I had to wear a coat that wouldn't take up a lot of room when sitting in a venue before and during the show. Yeah, same stuff: Danier fur toque/scarf, vintage long wool gloves (thrifted).

The stuff:

I didn't wear these shoes much in the fall, but I still have 3 months to get more wear out of them. They are very comfy.

Minimal bling:

I felt very clever for remembering this menswear bow-tie - I loved how it looked with the plaid and ruffles.

• Bow-tie - Harry Rosen, vintage, thrifted
• Belt - Nygard
• Earrings - thrifted

We went to see Henry Rollins, former Black Flag singer, Rollins Band lead, writer, actor and speaker, in a spoken-word show. He was astounding.

L bought the t-shirt

Link here to his site, 'cause I love. If you ever get a chance to see him, GO. I had no idea what to expect, but I was stunned - I cried, I laughed, I winced (in empathy) and I was inspired. He talked (rapidly and non-stop) for 2.5 hours solid, about topics from the US election to his friendship with RuPaul (hilarious stories), to the passing of his friend of 30 years, Lemmy of Motorheard, to the time he met David Bowie, to how every one of us can make a difference in the world. One of the best shows I've ever been to. Damn good stuff.

I did a half-assed outfit today. I wanted to wear this dress again.

And I've decided that, although I like it, it's not for me. It will go to a good home, after I wash it.

• Dress - Ports International, thrifted; first worn here with a bigass belt and Santa boots
• Shoes - Sopranos Angelina, Fluevog; last seen here in November with more greys
• Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted 

The dress is just too bland and sack-y on me. I have other, better dresses that I like more. Eh, wore it twice, paid $19.99 for it, so $10 per wear. Not bad, but I've done better.

It's not the most flattering thing I own, but I was warm and comfortable on a very busy Friday, thank you.

Outerwear:

Gee, I've never worn this before! Same accoutrements as above.

The stuff:

I like these boots - and so did my coworkers! Many of the men commented, "They have no tongue!" like this was some sort of design flaw. Hee.

Scarf bling:

I'd originally planned to wear a necklace with this dress, but I folded up the scarf and tied it snug instead. It was like an instant silk turtleneck, and it was nice and warm!

• Scarf - Adrienne Vittadini, vintage 80s, consignment
• Leather obi belt - thrifted
• Earrings - 5th anniversary gift from L

Have a great weekend! I'll be holed up at home watching football for most of it - go, Dolphins!

The Most Layers: Tights, Boots, Slip, Dress, Jacket...and Another Request

I always find myself in the doldrums this time of year. It's cold, it's grey, and nothing in my wardrobe inspires me. However, today I dressed for absolute warmth. Dagnabbit, it's cold outside!

Although I didn't go overboard in my purchases over the holidays (you know I'm just itchin' for a good shop!), I do have a few new-to-me things that I can make outfits out of. Like this jacket.

• Jacket - CAbi, consignment; purchased here for $40.98
• Dress - Olsen, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in January 2016
• Boots - Marc; last worn here in October 2016 with a dress of many colours
• Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted 

I really enjoyed wearing this jacket all day - it's a thick cotton, but not so thick that it felt constricting. I took the Christmas decorations and tree down at work today, so I was actually a bit sweaty in this by the end of the day.

I have my hands in my pockets...and I'm looking at the roaring wind tossing the trees around outside the den window.

I am surprised that I haven't worn this dress in a year! It's a lovely pure red, and nice and warm (and washable! it's in the wash right now).

Back detail.

I wore a full vintage slip under this, but it caught at the tights and the hem of the sweater dress. Ah well. It kept me warm!

Outerwear:

Trying not to look as cold as I am! I am getting tired of the same coat/hat/gloves/scarf combos, though. Scarf/toque are Danier Leather, gloves are Club Monaco (consignment).

The stuff:

A dark, blurry picture. How thoughtful of me! 

• Earrings - local

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Reader Mujeril requested, "It would be nice to know your shopping tips; how you spot the garment you want to look [at] closer, what are things you pay attention and finally what criterion have to be filled that you buy the item. And maybe some tips how to spot great value piece."

That is a darned good request, but you know, I have been blogging a long time, and I have actually covered this before. Dig in, and enjoy this bigass post here on thrift shopping with me! 

Feeling lazy? Here are my tips:

1. Dress for shopping: Wear clothes you can take on/off easily, minimal accessories, skip the lipstick, wear shoes you can slip on/off, carry a cross-body bag (hands free!) and be prepared to take your clothes off/on several times. 
2. Go for the good stuff: Dresses, jackets/blazers, skirts, blouses (not knits), outerwear, shoes, then belts/scarves/jewelry/accessories. I don't bother with jeans or sweaters (most of the time), or anything in t-shirt material, usually. You're not going to find the good stuff on a rack of ratty t-shirts or a sea of jeans.
3. Colour, pattern, texture, shine: I look for these gems to pop out on the racks. For colour, it's got to be rich or saturated, no fading. For pattern, I want timeless ones (dots, plaid, paisley) that don't look dated (hello, 90s florals). Texture has to be felt - you can teach your hands to discern quality fabric. I touch everything, and I can pull wool, silk and cashmere off a rack without even looking at the content. Shine...well, I'm a crow. I'll always look at and for shiny details; it's not always allover shine that grabs me.
4. Examine before you try on: Look for the heart-breakers (moth holes), deal-breakers (rips, smells or stains), or the "I'm too lazy to actually do this" issues, like sewing up a seam, or taking an item to a tailor. Don't even bother trying them on, just put them back. 
5. Pose it and move it: Strike your most flattering pose, walk towards the mirror, sit down, cross your legs. Walk a little more if you can, doing your regular stride. Move your arms like you're lifting or getting something from a shelf that's a little too high. You'll find out quickly if it's a "standing only, dang, this is short" or "I can work all day/dance all night in this" piece.
6. Construction matters: Turn it inside out and look at how it's made. Look at how the seams are finished (or not). Look at the buttons, the lining, how the pattern lines up with itself. The more you do this, the more you'll learn about garment construction (I don't sew, but I can spot something well-made!), and the better you'll get at spotting fabulous quality garments. Look for seams that give shape - they are what makes a garment fit perfectly.
7. Ignore sizes: I wear a 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, 38, 40, 42 and B - and none of those are bra sizes! Carry a tape measure if you must, but unless a garment is obviously way too big or small, it's worth a shot trying it on. Even shoes! I wear a 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 39, 40. They all fit. Go on, try 'em on.
8. Look at accessories: Sometimes you can find great quality and designer names (note my Fendi belt from yesterday's outfit!) for cheap. Also, if you don't have a lot of time, have a Zen moment in the vintage scarf bin, teaching your hands to recognize silk. 
9. And lastly, Prices: Thrifting something cheaper than retail, especially WAY cheaper than retail, is still a waste of money if you don't love it and wear it. Yes, it's a cheap way to try a trend, or give something a shot ("it's only $5.00!") - and hey, I have done and still do this myself! But you should love everything you put on your body. Every. Single. Thing. Otherwise, what's the point? 

Thanks, Mujeril, for your question! Happy shopping!

Retro Dress - and How I Track My Pieces

Woo, first outfit of 2017 and...it's basically a repeat. I'm sayin' it - I didn't care. When I left the house this morning, I realized I had not been outside since Thursday, and had not talked to anyone other than L since Saturday. People! I have to deal with people! Give me coffee!

No thinking involved here, other than, "What belt can I hang my keys on?" I didn't really want to wear a belt, but I hate my lanyard, and I don't like those arm-spring things (I have too many keys/cards that I have to carry around).

• Dress - A Dress Town Original, vintage 70s, thrifted; last seen here in October with - you guessed it - these same boots!
• Boots - Clark's; last seen here in October with leopard and grommets
• Coat (below) - Hilary Radley, thrifted

Double-knit polyester is a big YES for this freezing weather we've been having. It's minus 1 (-1) Celsius and the Weather Network helpfully tells me it "feels like -10". Yes, that sure does feel cold. Okay, I'm done with winter now, please and thank you. Bring me warm weather.

I was still cold, even in double-knit polyester. *sigh*

Outerwear:

I was freezing in this on the way home! This is the warmest thing I own! I may have to resort to wearing my down duvet in public. You've been warned!

The stuff:

Comfy boots.

Bigass bling:

"I think you need a bigger belt" - L, being a smarta**.

• Belt - Fendi, thrifted
• Necklace - Nygard, consignment
• Earrings - local

So. Ever wondered how I remember when I last wore something or was able to so easily see how many times I've worn an item? So does Reader Laurie!

I am curious how you catalog your outfits so you know not only when you last wore a piece but also how many times (for price per wear). Part of me thinks you once explained this before, so I'll go check your links at the top of your site.

Well, I don't actually have this documented anywhere (I should do another clean-up of those tabs...she said, never intending to do it), and I've kind of just figured out a process over the years that works for me.

I do remember in my first posts (back in 2008) that I thought, "I will want to be able to find these clothes again on this blog at some point," so I've been noting brands (and method of purchase: consignment, thrift, vintage fair, or nothing, which means I bought it new) since the beginning. It's like I planned it!

Last worn: Here's what I do to find the last time I wore something:

1. I have a separate tab open (I blog on a desktop; no laptop/tablet/iPhone, etc.) so that I can look at my blog (View Blog) and switch back and forth between the post I'm writing and the main page. 
2. I use the search bar in the upper left corner to type in the most unusual part of a garment's name. It's a pain in the you-know-what to look up "Monaco" because I buy a lot of Club Monaco stuff, but it's easy to look up "Fendi" because I only have one piece. Don't even get me started on "feet" or "style" or "fashion" or "vintage" - those are practically useless for me to search on. Don't ever name your clothing company something boring.
3. The search results come back sorted by relevance (how prominent that word is in a post), but I want to use the "sort by date" (which sorts most recent posts at the top) so I click that and bam! I've sorted by date. 
4. I scroll through my entries quickly (rrr rrr rrr goes the mouse wheel!) until I find the item, note what month/year it was and then copy the hyperlink over to my entry (using the "Link" button to hide the URL). This sometimes takes a long time.

This is what it looked look for me to find the most recent wearing of my Clark's boots. Some items are easy to find, but some...take a lot more patience.

How many times it's been worn: When I want to see how many times I've worn an item, I just click back on that "last seen here" or "last worn here" in a published post, and open those in new tabs again and again until I've found every wear, and count how many times I've worn the item. I miss some wears (I'm sure) because of mis-spelling, mis-labeling (I get Jones New York, Ralph Lauren and Ann Taylor mixed up a lot), or I just forgot to write the brand down.

Cost per wear: If I listed the price of the item when I bought it (I didn't post my purchases right away in the early days of my blog and didn't always include the price, so sometimes it's harder to determine older things), then I just divide the price by the number of times I've worn it to get the cost-per-wear. This often takes a while because I get caught up reading the posts and remembering where I was at that point of my life - down the rabbit hole I go! So I don't do it for every clothing item simply due to the huge amount of time involved - only when I feel like it and have a longer time to spend blogging.

And that's it! Make sense? It works for me! I've never been inclined to do spreadsheets - although I did do them for my 2012-ish "30 for 30 for 12" year-long challenge because it helped me count how many times I'd worn each item without having to search them all. Gads, where did I ever get the energy to do that?

Thank you again so much for asking, Laurie! For any other readers: I'm happy to answer any "technical" posts or other posts about my blog, my blogging habits or anything else that I feel like answering (no heavy personal stuff, of course). Just drop me a comment, or an email (it's in my profile).

Happy New Year! 2016 Resolution Reviewed - All the Books I Read

Happy New Year, my dear friends and readers! I hope you had a good one! 

I've been spending my days doing not much of anything, and being offline. It's been fab. And this was my New Year's Eve party outfit.

• Blouse - Spense, consignment; last worn here in September 2016 with sick pants
• Skirt - Fairweather, c. 1999; last worn way back here in September 2008 when I wore it to my first Alice Cooper concert!
• Shoes - Poetic Licence; last seen here while fully fringed in January 2016

L and I hosted a small (12 people) potluck dinner and evening at our place. Only the most awesome people were there! I wanted to be comfortable, but also glam.

And so I shopped my closet! This blouse is fairly new-to-me, but the skirt is over 16 years old. I had to give it a good steaming to get all the wrinkles out! The skirt is very swooshy, and it was fun to swing it around all night, and sprawl dramatically on furniture.

"I'm unimpressed. Exit cat, stage left."

I think I paid about $40 for this skirt back in 1999-ish, when I worked at Fairweather women's clothing store. Pretty sure there are some pictures (real photographs!) from back in the day of me in a few party outfits with this on. Too lazy to look, hee hee.

Swoosh factor 10!

The stuff:

I totally forgot about these shoes - and it shows, since I haven't worn them in a year! I did deep blue tights (to match the blouse), which keeps the "taco" shape of these from looking weird on the front of the foot.

Silver bling:

Missing: one little fascinator which was moved to keep it safe from Monsieur Vizzini.

• Belt - Mimi Di N, thrifted
• Leaf bracelet - vintage store
• Bangle - local
• Earrings - Lazy Susan's (first wear)
• Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
• Fascinator (not shown) - Heart's Content

A very Happy 2017 to all of you, from L and I!

May you always be fabulous.

Linking up to:

• "Visible Monday" over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style
• "I Will Wear What I Like" over at Catherine's Not Dressed as Lamb
• "Hat Attack!" over at Judith's Style Crone

And a very big thank you to all of these awesome women for hosting these link-ups! I don't always participate, but I do always appreciate.

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So, I do a "soft" resolution most years, just a small challenge to myself to make sure I have something to work towards. I have always loved reading, and since 2008, I've tracked all the books I've read (in a little hard copy journal, because I like writing things down), and for the past few years, I've tried to "meet or beat" my previous year's total. I count books of any length, so some are just barely novella-sized (around 100 pages), but some are 700+ pages, so I figure it all evens out.

Anyway, last year, I read 45 books. Wow! I'm impressed with myself. I have been trying to be more mindful about shutting off all the electronics (neither L nor I have cellphones/iPhones/tablets/iPads, etc.) and TV at 10:30pm and then going to bed and reading. It's paid off.

In case you care, here are all the books I read last year. Most of them are my choice; some are Book Club picks (BC), some are bathroom books (heh), but most are just me working through the books in stacks beside the bed. The numbers are my personal ratings out of 5.

1. The Diamond Conspiracy - Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris (3/5)
2. No One Belongs Here More Than You (short stories) - Miranda July (4/5)
3. Furiously Happy - Jenny Lawson (3/5)
4. The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham (3/5)
5. Brothers in Arms - Lois McMaster Bujold (3/5) - I borrowed this whole series from a coworker this year
6. The Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin (2/5)
7. Variable Star - Robert A. Heinlein & Spider Robinson (4/5)
8. Revival - Stephen King (3/5)
9. Borders of Infinity - Lois McMaster Bujold - (3/5)
10. Frog Music - Emma Donoghue (3/5) - BC
11. The Luminaries - Eleanor Catton (3/5) - BC
12. Damned - Chuck Palahniuk (3/5)
13. The Dark Side of the Earth - Alfred Bester (2/5)
14. Memory - Lois McMaster Bujold (4/5)
15. Doomed - Chuck Palahniuk (2/5)
16. Wild Seed - Octavia E. Butler (4/5)
17. Look to Windward - Iain M. Banks (4/5)
18. The Slow Regard of Silent Things - Patrick Rothfuss (3/5)
19. Komarr - Lois McMaster Bujold (4/5)
20. Because of Love (poetry) - Robin Skelton (2/5) - he was one of my Creative Writing profs in university
21. The Map of Time - Felix J. Palma (2/5)
22. A Gift of Magic - Lois Duncan (2/5) - one of my favourite YA authors, who died this year, so I re-read all of her books that I own
23. Killing Mr. Griffin - Lois Duncan (2/5)
24. A Civil Campaign - Lois McMaster Bujold (3.5/5)
25. Winterfair Gifts - Lois McMaster Bujold (4/5)
26. Daughters of Eve - Lois Duncan (3/5)
27. The Imperfectionists - Tom Rachman (3/5) - BC
28. Thuvia, Maid of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs (3/5)
29. Stranger With My Face - Lois Duncan (4/5)
30. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt (4/5) - BC
31. The Twisted Window - Lois Duncan (2/5)
32. The Computer Connection - Alfred Bester (3/5)
33. The Chessmen of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs (4/5)
34. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (graphic novel) - Marjane Satrapi\
35. The Crow Road - Iain Banks (5/5)
36. Diplomatic Immunity - Lois McMaster Bujold (3/5)
37. Black Hills - Dan Simmons (4/5)
38. Spider Kiss - Harlan Ellison (1/5)
39. The Gods of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs (2/5)
40. The Algebraist - Iain M. Banks (3/5)
41. All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerrr (3/5) - BC
42. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman (3/5)
43. The Golden Spruce - John Vallant (5/5)
44. Working for the Devil - Lilith Saintcrow (3/5)
45. Dead Man Rising - Lilith Saintcrow (3/5)

This year's goal - again, "meet or beat" that number. I can do it!

Do you make a resolution, even a "soft" one like I do?