I haven't read any books in the past month or two, in part because I've been tremendously busy but moreso because The Picture of Dorian Gray took such a weird turn that I've been actively avoiding my entire reading list. (Thank you, past me, for hoarding hundreds of amazing magazines for just such a time.) However, I'm determined to make a vat of coffee this weekend and get back on track with my goal of finishing fifty books this year. For kicks and giggles, here is what I've enjoyed—and not enjoyed—in 2014:

• Divergent and Insurgent (good story, terribly written)
• Yotsuba! Vol. 11 & Vol. 12 (cutest, funniest manga series)
• Delicate Edible Birds and Other Stories (haunting in a way that very much reminded me of The Awakening, by Kate Chopin)
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (had some good moments but was overall disappointing)
• Eleanor & Park (quick read, fantastic love story)
• Unless (also kind of haunting, not my fave but not bad)
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (so wonderful, possibly because I felt like I could relate to the autistic kid being overwhelmed by environmental stimulants)
• Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars (ohhhh my gosh, I cannot stop raving about this series)
• The Light Between Oceans (poorly written and super sad, but it generated my favorite inside joke of the year)
• Casino Royale (quick, fun read, even if Bond did mistakenly think many good Americans were from Texas)
• Howard's End (perfect first book to read for my miniature book club with Tyler)
• The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers (duh)

I took extensive notes on all of these books and will someday share them on Goodreads. Until then (and after then), add me as a friend and/or give me recommendations!

Jenni Rom is credited as the proofreader for the 15th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. I don't know anything about this woman, but it is my new life goal to find her and befriend her and beg her to become my mentor. We will then embark on an epic journey, one that is remarkably similar to the first episode of Samurai Jack, and with her blessing, I will go on to fulfill my destiny—one Grammar Sauron to rule them all.

The main thing that kept me from flinging myself off of a cliff today was the fact that I didn't know where to find a cliff. I suppose that's something I could've asked Siri, but that sounded particularly exhausting, and since I was doing my best imitation of a morose character from a Douglas Adams novel, I stayed put and sighed as loudly as I could. Moments later, a masked hero stopped by the office with some really amazing doughnuts from the really amazing doughnut shop in town.

(Oddly, I just now remembered that my coworker and I opened a sample pack of business cards first thing this morning, and one of the cards featured the very creepy superhero mascot of a very creepy doughnut shop. Foreshadowing!)

There isn't really a middle part to this anecdote because, unlike Douglas Adams, I am incredibly bad at storytelling. However, I hope this serves as a reminder that even on the worst days, you shouldn't give up hope. And that hope sometimes looks exactly like a double-chocolate doughnut. Or two.