West Coast "Best Coast" vs East Coast "Beast of a Coast"

Portland and Boston, Sbux and Dunks -Getting along.... for now. 

     In honor of tomorrow's West Coast/East Coast Superbowl, I present a post comparing the two lovely regions I've called home. It's a bit of a long post (partly I started working on it almost two years ago and have just kept adding stuff) but I hope it's a fun one. While I certainly do become more state-riotic when I'm not in my home state, I really do mean these comparisons in jest. There are things to love and hate no matter where you live. I'm just very lucky to have lived in some excellent places. If you need proof of the beauty of each region, just behold Buzzfeed's gif collection for the West, and for the East. So, without any animosity, here are just some differences I've noticed. Some points are more about East Coast/West Coast differences, some pertain more to regions (Pacific Northwest vs. New England), and some are merely Oregon/Massachusetts comparisons, but I hope they're all a bit entertaining. Without further ado, here they are:

Sports

The Prudential Center the night of the
final game. Taken from Boston Tweets.

Portlanders like their sports (or at least the Blazers and the Timbers) pretty well, and Seattle fans can be pretty amazing (though I'll admit there's a lot more Seahawks fan now than there were a year ago), but I really don't think the Pacific NW has anything on Boston in this category. Bostonians are insane. And it’s not like they’re passionate about just one sport. Oh no. Baseball, football, basketball, hockey… Bostonians love them all. They wear gear for their favorite teams no matter the season or the game (plenty of people were in Pats gear at the Celtics game last night), and on a game day many go all out. It’s not just individual people who get excited either. The whole city seems to get excited and you see team spirit everywhere: the Prudential lights up red when the Red Sox are winning, businesses show support on their signs, and during the 2013 World Series many of the buses displayed “Go Red Sox!” on their screens. Speaking of the World Series, when the Red Sox made it in 2013, the Boston police sent out emails that MCPHS passed on to all the students and these emails outlined exactly which areas of Boston would be closed off during the games, and what would be done in case of a riot. Just craziness. One of my professors even told us that our big papers would probably not be graded until after the World Series, and everyone seemed to accept this as reasonable. That same teacher has also informed us that this year she will answer any question we have, unless it relates to Deflategate. I’d never really kept up with sports before (I prefer playing to watching), but when I came to MA for undergrad it seemed like the first question people asked me (after the customary "what's your name" and "where are you from") was what teams I root for. It was a bit embarrassing to have no answer, or to say that I'm a Blazers/Timbers/Seahawks/Mariners fan by virtue of my birth. When I came back here for PA school, I decided to change that. Last year I started keeping an eye on the Red Sox, last night I went to my first Celtics game, and this whole season I've been watching the Patriots. I had my dad explain the positions I didn't know, I watched the games with friends (or kept track of the scores during study breaks if I had too much homework), I learned the names, numbers and positions of many of the players (I can even pronounce Hoomanawanui now), and I even got to go to a game in November. That was awesome. It’s such a communal thing over here that it’s a lot of fun. Even if Bostonians can get a bit irrational, everyone's in it together, and even a "scandal" tends to unite rather than divide, as Jimmy Kimmel proved this week with "I Am the Locker Room Guy." My family has informed me that I will be shunned if I root for the wrong team tomorrow, so I will simply say that I will be wearing blue for Superbowl XLIX... and cheering for players whose names I actually know. ;)

A collage a made years ago of Oregon things

"Washington"
           Here's a quick and random difference. Before I came to Massachusetts, I never used the term "Washington state." I always just called the state "Washington" and the capital of the US as "Washington D.C." Over here though, if you just say "Washington," people are likely to assume you're talking about Washington D.C. so you have to say "Washington state" if you're referring to the state. I'm sure this isn't just a New England and would guess that the phrase "Washington state" gets used more the further you get from the Northwest. 

State Mottoes
     Here's another quick comparison between the West Coast and the East Coast. Each state in the U.S. has their own state motto that I feel says a lot about what the founders of that state believed in or wanted for their state's future. Personally, I think Oregon has one of the best mottoes, but I'm a bit biased. Washington state gets props for having a motto in a Native American language (Chinook) rather than Latin or English. I also enjoy that Massachusetts chose such a wordy phrase, whereas Rhode Island went with a single word. New Hampshire might just be the champion of this competition though.

Pacific Northwest

• Oregon: "Alis volat propriis" -"She flies with her own wings" (Latin)
• Washington: "Al-ki" -"Bye and bye" or "Hope for the future" (Chinook)
• California: "Eureka" -"I have found it" (Greek)

New England 

• Massachusetts: "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" -"By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty" (Latin)
• Maine: "Dirigo" -"I direct" (Latin)
• Connecticut: "Qui transtulit sustinet" -"He who is transplanted still sustains" (Latin)
• Rhode Island: Hope
• Vermont: Freedom and Unity
• New Hampshire: Live Free or Die

Driving

     Oregon is the clear winner in this contest. When I first came to Massachusetts, I asked what you call people from the Commonwealth (e.g. people from Oregon are Oregonians, people from Montana are Montanans, people from Michigan are Michiganders, etc.). Apparently the official term is Massachusettsans, but everyone I asked told me of a nickname that really just applies to drivers in MA (especially in the Boston area) and that I’m not going to write here because it’s not 100% family-friendly. The nickname is accurate though. Basically, you sort of risk your life every time you drive in eastern MA. Oregonians might not be the best drivers in the world, but they actually follow rules and they don’t try to kill each other. In fact, they can be almost ridiculously polite, as the show "Portlandia" pointed out in their sketch "No, You Go." In contrast, my brakes always get quite a workout in MA. The problem doesn’t solely lie with the drivers though. The roads in MA seem to have been designed by an evil genius whose goal was to kill as many people as possible. A few examples:

     In Beverly Farms, you find this three-way intersection above on the right. Drivers on 127 have no stop signs. Drivers on Hale do. However, if you’re on 127 coming from the southwest and want to go straight across the intersection to continue onto Hale, there’s no stop or yield sign, but you’d better stop, or at least slow down. Otherwise you’ll run straight into someone coming from your right who is turning left to stay on 127. To add to the fun, you also can’t see the traffic to your right until you’re pretty much in the intersection.

     In Lynn, there’s this little doozy to the left. Basically, all the red arrows indicate an area of no rules. If you want to make a left onto Market from Western, you have two terrifying crossings. The best plan tends to be to just hope for a break and then jet across, possibly screaming at the top of your lungs. It’s just as bad trying to get from Commercial to Market to Western. I used to have to go through this every time I commuted to school, though luckily I found a different way to drive to the T from Salem, and taking the Commuter Rail means I avoid this completely now.

City Nicknames
      At first I thought that Portland would definitely beat Boston in this category. After all, the most well-known nickname for Boston is probably "Beantown," and, well, that's rather lame. However, it turns out that Boston has quite a few more nicknames which are rather more flattering. I'll list most of the nicknames for both cities below so you can decide for yourself, but I think this category is probably a tie. I actually think the comparison of the nicknames for each city gives a decent idea of the things each city values, which is kind of nifty. Each nickname has a story which I'd recommend you check out if you're interested.

Boston

• Beantown
• The Hub of the Universe (a bit cocky if you ask me)
• The Cradle of Liberty
• City of Notions
• Puritan CIty
• Title Town
• The Olde Towne
• City of Champions
• The Athens of America

Portland

• City of Roses
• Bridgetown
• Little Beirut 
• Beervana
• P-town
• Rip City
• Stumptown 
• PDX

The Coast/Beaches

Looking towards Cannon Beach, OR from Ecola State Park

        Generally I try to avoid comparisons between states based on their natural beauty. I 'll jokingly do it, especially when teasing my friends from other states, but I tend to be of an opinion that every place is beautiful in its own way. I might prefer the lush forests and diverse ecosystems of Oregon, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the savannas of Kenya or the desert arches of Utah, or the neverending prairies of the Midwest and find them all lovely. So with that caveat, there are a few differences I want to mention. To start with, Oregonians call our beaches the Oregon coast, or simply "the Coast." Yes, we do have individual beaches, but I think we tend to think of our entire coastline as one entity, and not just sections of assorted beaches. Do I care whether people say they're going to the beach or the Coast? Nope, not at all. I bring this up though because I think there are a couple of good reasons why Oregonians might think of their beaches as one big coast, and those reasons are pretty swell. Firstly, beaches tend to be much longer, so long in fact, that you can't really walk from one end to another, not if you want to do something other than walk for the whole day. Beaches in Massachusetts tend to be much shorter. When I first arrived I was almost shocked. This difference is mostly due to the fact that Oregon has a pretty straight coastline, whereas Massachusetts kind of looks like a pre-schooler made it while trying to draw the head of a rhinoceros beetle. It's squirrelly and crazy, which keeps things interesting (though sometimes annoying to drive), and it tends to keep the beaches shorter. Again, I find both the long, sandy beaches of Oregon and the short, rocky beaches of Massachusetts to be beautiful. The most important difference to me is access. Oregonians can think of their coast as one thing, because in a way it is: the entire coastline of Oregon is public access, making it one big beach for everyone to enjoy. No entrance fees, no resident parking, nada. It drove me absolutely bonkers when I first came to Massachusetts and realized I'd have to pay to go onto a beach, even if I was just walking, and that I'd be totally banned from some beaches for not being a resident of the local town. Mass is pretty proud of being the state with the first public beach (Revere Beach, which became public in 1896), but Oregon took public beaches to a whole new level back in 1967 with the Beach Bill. I think MA needs to step it up in this category. 

This is Singing Beach in its entirety.

        
        Two more things I just thought of: When I came to MA for undergrad, I kept hearing about "Singing Beach." It's a nice beach and all, and I just assumed that its name came from a history of sing-a-longs held there or something. I was pretty surprised to hear that it's because people think the sand there sometimes "sings." I was more surprised when I finally heard this "singing" and realized that it was just the same squeaking noise I hear at pretty much every Oregon beach, every time. Let's just say I was not impressed. Lastly, in Oregon, you get to watch the sun set over the ocean, which is simply gorgeous. As a night owl, I tend to prefer this to waking up early to watch the sun rise over the ocean in Massachusetts, but really, both experiences are worth it. Plus, thanks to MA's crazy coastline, there are some places where you can watch the sun set over the ocean too. I don't have a video of the loveliness of MA beaches, but Uncage the Soul just finished one of the Oregon Coast, which you can watch here if you'd like.
        

Allergies
     I feel like I often tell people in MA that allergies are much worse in OR, but I sometimes forget just how true that statement is. Granted, it mostly just applies to the northern Willamette Valley, but that is where most of Oregon's population lives. Here's two situations from my life to illustrate the difference. 1) When I moved to Salem in 2013, I started my "home pharmacy" by grabbing some Sudafed and Benadryl because I knew I was heading into allergy season. Most of that initial stock remains untouched a year later. 2) I flew back to Oregon to visit last August and within 4-5 days I had a sinus infection caused by a confluence of a weakened immune system and allergies. The allergies actually started affecting me by day 2, but it was the reaction I had to a vaccine that sent my immune system over the edge. Let's just say allergens are not one of the things I miss about OR.

Accents

     Coming from Oregon, I certainly don't think that people in the Pacific Northwest have an accent. My opinion is partially correct because the people in this region tend to speak "standard" American English. Part of the reason that West Coasters have "less" of an accent is because that region of the country hasn't been densely populated for long, unlike the East Coast. However, everyone has an accent to somebody else. New Englanders, and particularly Bostonians, just have accents that are a bit more noticeable and recognizable. Personally, I'm not really a fan of the Boston accent, but after spending years over here, it sort of feels familiar and even homey. For the record though, not everyone over here speaks with a strong Bostonian accent. It tends to be much more prevalent amongst older generations, and I notice it most in men. Here are a couple interesting maps from here comparing linguistic differences across the country: 

Roundabout is the more British term and the one I use, but over here it's a rotary.

West Coast roads don't have tolls. That's my guess on why we prefer the term "freeway."

Education
     This is a category that Massachusetts definitely wins. This really isn't surprising considering there are more than 100 colleges and universities in Boston alone. Even if you just look at PA programs, Oregon and Washington have only two programs each (one of the WA programs has only provisional accreditation), whereas Massachusetts alone has 8 programs (four of which have provisional accreditation), and all the other New England states (except Vermont) have at least one or two programs. When it comes to high school education, Massachusetts is consistently ranked as the best state on list after list. In this list, four of the top five states are in New England. Oregon rarely shows up on such lists because it is neither the worst state (West Virginia or Nevada depending on who you ask), nor one of the worst. The Kids Count Data Center ranked it as a painful #37 out of 50 (Washington was right in the middle as #25). The U.S. Census bureau actually reported fairly similar numbers for MA and OR for 2009 when it came to educational attainment (attaining a high school diploma, Bachelor's degree, etc.), but that seems to have changed by 2013 when Oregon had the worst high school graduation rate (just 69%) in the nation. Oh Oregon, I love ya, but you need to set up your game here.

Fall foliage in MA

Climate
      People in Massachusetts often seem to think that Oregon would have a similar climate because both states are in the north. I then have to explain that OR is much larger and has a multitude of ecoregions, so summing up the weather for the entire state is a rather difficult task. After all, Oregon's ecoregions include everything from coastal lowlands to high desert to prairie to temperate rain forest to mountain peaks. Often I simply compare the climate of Portland to the climate of Boston because it's easy and familiar, and also covers the general climate for the majority of Oregonians. So for that comparison, the weather of Portland is milder than Boston. Winters are not as cold, so there's less snow, and while summer's can be hot, there's usually less humidity. Really, Portland just swings less between extremes. Portland's average rainfall is usually similar to or LESS than Boston's, but Portland gets a reputation for being rainy because it tends to drizzle for days rather than just dump all the rain all at once. I used to laugh at the New Englanders who complained or freaked out if rain was in the forecast for more than two days in a row. In contrast, I once had a professor in Oregon let out a class early because the sun had appeared for literally the first time in almost 30 days. The "Winter in Portlandia" episode of "Portlandia" shows this pretty well. In general I do enjoy the milder climate of Oregon, as well as the variety of regions within the state, but I also have to say that I really enjoy having both lots of snow and lots of sunshine in the winter in Massachusetts. Fall, of course, is completely gorgeous here as well, as this Buzzfeed list points out. Plus, this summer in New England was fairly mild and it was just lovely. If this is a competition, neither state "wins" because I like them both, just for different reasons. 

Even the snow in Boston likes the Pat

      However, just to prove that sometimes even the western third of Oregon gets a good amount of snow, I present this footage from last January.

        


Inventions        This category isn't even close to a tie. When your state is home to MIT, not to mention over twice as many colleges and universities as Oregon, it's a fair bet that your state might also be home to quite a few inventions. Just narrowing down MIT's contributions to the world to the top 50, or even the top 150, was quite a challenge. Even Genentech, which has expanded and set up camp near my home in Oregon, has its roots MIT. Furthermore, Massachusetts can also lay claim to such inventors as Benjamin Franklin, Elias Howe, Samuel H. B. Morse, and Eli Whitney, among others. So what does Oregon offer in return? Well, when it comes to inventions, the answer would seem to be: not much. The best I could find was the computer mouse and the hacky sack. You win this one, Mass. 
      
Coffee

Despite the poor showing in the previous category, it should be no surprise that the Pac NW beats New England in this category. I could offer loads of examples (the almost complete lack of roasters or independent coffee shops in the Boston area should be enough), but perhaps the easiest way might be to compare the big names in coffee in each area. Massachusetts is the home of Dunkin’ Donuts, the ever-present coffee and donut place with the obnoxious pink and orange logo and the rather annoying catchphrase (I’m not sure how they think “America runs on Dunkin” when a good number of states, including Oregon and Washington, don’t even have a Dunks). In the west there’s Starbucks, born in Seattle and the first company to bring Italian-style espresso drinks to the U.S. Obviously I’m a bit biased, but considering that many on the West Coast look down on Starbucks compared to other coffee places (especially those hole in the wall indie places where the owners roast their own beans and only buy organic and fair trade), whereas people on the East Coast tend to think of Starbucks as more of the ritzy, expensive place, I think it’s clear which coast knows quality coffee. 
I have two more comments on coffee when it comes to East vs. West. At my old coffee shop in Oregon, we went through maybe 3 L of iced coffee in a day in the winter, and probably up to 8 or 12 L per day during the summer. Over here in MA we begin each day, summer or winter by brewing 12 L of regular iced coffee, 2 L of decaf iced coffee, and 2-4 L of blonde roast iced coffee. It's nuts. Sometimes I think we even sell more iced coffee in the winter here. It's like the more iced coffee you drink when the temperature is freezing, the more of a New Englander you are. 
Finally, here's final note in the Starbucks versus Dunkin Donuts war. The following pictures show approximately all the Starbucks and all the Dunkin Donuts locations in the US. I think it's pretty clear which coffee place really fuels America. 

Here's one final funny comparison from Oatmeal:

     Also, using words to compare two different areas really isn't enough. When you come from an area as ecologically diverse and beautiful as Oregon, you want to show it off. I'm just glad that the guys from Uncage the Soul spent half a year documenting some of its beauty so I can watch their video if I ever get homesick. 

Finding Oregon from Uncage the Soul Productions on Vimeo.

        Since I've already posted a couple inspirational videos about Boston on this blog, it seems only fair that I also include Uncage the Soul's stellar video for Portland as well. 

Finding Portland from Uncage the Soul Productions on Vimeo.

     In case anyone thinks I'm being unfair though, here's a similar time lapse video for Boston. 

     In the end, there's really not a competition. I love both coasts, both states, and the cities I call home. I may pit them against each other in jest (and tomorrow they'll be pitted against each other in football), but I have been very lucky to have lived in two such wonderful regions. Should I ever forget, the pictures and quote above my dresser remind me every day. 

Book List of 2014 (14/30)

     This year was a bit of an odd one for me. It was light on classics, heavy on Lewis, and included quite few trilogies. I found with PA school that it was a bit harder to fit in the time to as much read as I’d like, but I still read some real gems. As I’ve done in the past, my five favorites of the year are bolded below. As always, feel free to leave suggestions for what I should read this year in the comments.

The Lunar Chronicles: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Glitches, The Queen's Army, and The Little Android (Marissa Meyer) -I'm always a sucker for fairy tale retellings, so it was not hard for me to enjoy this sci-fi/fairy tale crossover series. What's not to love about a Cinderella that's a cyborg, a Rapunzel who's a computer whiz trapped on a satellite, or an evil queen who rules the moon? If you think I'm joking, I'm not. I actually have really enjoyed this series. There's even a short story spinoff about a Little Mermaid-like robot. I think the stories are well-written and the concept is pulled off well, rather than feeling forced, and there's even intelligent political and social commentary. Even though I have some idea of where the stories are going because I know the original tales so well, I still feel pulled along and anxious to see what will happen next. The last two books won't come out until this year, and I'm hopeful they will end as well as they've begun.

This is Portland: The City You've Heard You Should Like (Alexander Barrett) -I saw this book at Powell's and the few sections I read there entertained me enough that I bought it. It's a rather tongue-in-cheek description of Portland from a recent transplant to the city. While sometimes a smidge exaggerated, the descriptions and commentary were usually spot on and hilarious. Locals will enjoy it, and everyone else will wish they lived in Portland.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) –I read this one just to finally read it. I was never a big fan of the film adaptations I’d watched as a child, but I was curious about the original. I’m glad now that I’ve read it at last, but I feel like it barely made an impression on me because I don’t remember much. Perhaps someday I’ll read it again and find it more memorable.

The House of Seven Gables (Nathaniel Hawthorne) –Years ago my grandmother bought me this book, but it wasn’t until this year that I finally read it. Man o’malley I’m glad I did. I think it took me a little while to really get into it, but I loved it. Of course, it probably helped that I’m living in Salem now and could actually visit the real House of the Seven Gables (and I did just that this October), but I can easily understand how the story of Phoebe and Holgrave and the whole Pyncheon family became a classic. It has all the eeriness and spookiness of a mystery or horror novel, but with romance, humor, redemption, and moral lessons all thrown in. It was one of my favorites this year, and Phoebe and Holgrave will always have a special place in my heart.

God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) –Many of the passages overlapped with my daily devotional from Bonhoeffer, but it was still a worthwhile read. The subtitle is quite accurate, as this is not a typical Advent devotional. It does not explicitly follow the Christmas story, but rather begins with a passage from Bonhoeffer’s writings (either published works or private letters) that relates to Christmas and then ties in a Bible verse or passage that fits his passage. It also continued until Epiphany, rather than just ending on Christmas day. I liked it. 

Forbidden (Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee) –I have rather enjoyed much of Ted Dekker's previous works, and I was excited for this one. I found the premise intriguing (all emotions except fear have been eradicated from the earth by a virus, leaving people “alive” but not truly living) and I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I meant to finish the rest of the trilogy but just didn’t get around to it. Maybe this year.

Book Lust (Nancy Pearl) –If you’re looking for some suggestions of good books to read, but don’t even know where to begin, Book Lust is a pretty good start. Ms. Pearl does a great job of offering suggestions based on themes, so you can probably find a book or two to fit your mood and interests. She also gives most of the books a quick little review so you can get a good idea of whether or not you’d be interested.

Ruins (Dan Wells) -I had high hopes for this final book in the Partials trilogy after reading Partials and Fragments, but, sadly, I felt this fell to the same trap of recent trilogies like The Hunger Games and Divergent. Too much was added and changed in the third book, and while I feel like the author might have been trying for gritty realism, I think he just made things unnecessarily complicated and depressing. It did not live up to its fairly clever premise. Alright, but a bit of a disappointment.

The Maze Runner series (James Dashner) -This was a bit similar to the Partials series in that it too had a clever premise, but the execution was not always the greatest. The first two books were well-done and intriguing, but the third book seemed to struggle a bit to tie everything together. I felt like Dashner's vision was perhaps a bit more realistic than Wells', but he also seemed to revel in particularly realistic and graphic descriptions of death, and there were plenty of those. I still enjoyed this series, but it wasn't my favorite of all time or something like that.

Son (Lois Lowry) –I thought this was a decent end to Lowry’s Giver series. In this fourth book she brought together all the stories of the previous three books, and I thought she did it in a way that felt natural, not contrived. I still think The Giver is probably the strongest of the series, but I liked this one.

The Selection Series (Kiera Class) -What do you get when you cross YA fiction with The Bachelor and The West Wing, or some other political drama? You get The Selection Series. That may or may not sound appealing based on who you are, but I liked the books. I feel like Class could have easily succumbed to the stereotypical plotlines that come with the story of a girl who might be selected by a prince to be his wife, but I thought she made the characters feel real and honest, with growth across the books. She even had some solid political commentary. My only negative might be that parts of the ending seemed convenient, but I still liked this.  

Hyperbole and a Half (Allie Brosh) –I loved this book so much. If you’ve never read Allie’s blog, you really should. Allie pretty much just tells stories from her life and accompanies them with funny and odd little drawings she makes in Paint, and the result is almost always hilarious magic. The book is basically the same (it even includes some of her old posts) and it was so hard to put it down. I had to force myself to savor each chapter. Allie is not only frank and honest about the funny exploits of her life, but also the hard ones. Her two-part tale of her struggle with depression should probably be a must-read for anyone in the medical field (or really anyone in general) and her tale of diving into her inner demons is one of the most honest secular accounts of the human condition that I have ever read. Despite the childlike drawings, Allie’s book (and language) is not for children, but she still well-worth the read for adults.

Waiter Rant (The Waiter) –Working in a food service industry, I was curious to compare my experiences being a barista with the waiter’s experiences. There were definitely some similarities, though I can tell you that, unlike waiters, people do not stay baristas because of the huge tips. I definitely recognized some of my own customers (both the good and the bad) in the waiter’s stories, and I kind of loved that he included a list of how to be a good/bad customer at the end of the book. Overall I’d say the book was alright, but not great. If you never work in a service industry though, perhaps you should read it just to understand a bit more about the life of those who wait on you.

The Everyman's Library Collection of Poems (Emily Dickinson) –I did a report on Emily Dickinson when I was in the 6th grade and I was not impressed. I thought she was bleak and depressing and confusing. Obviously I did not appreciate poetry as an 11-year-old. Thankfully I've grown out of that and I loved these. Sure, some still seemed a bit odd or confusing to me, but then there were those that you had to read slowly and just savor, or read over and over again and wonder how someone could have so vividly described what you yourself have felt. So good. 

Hatchet (Gary Paulsen) and My Side of the Mountain (Jean Craighead George) –I sort of read Hatchet by mistake. I actually thought it was My Side of the Mountain, which a friend had recommended to me. They’re both tales of young boys surviving in the woods on their own, though in Hatchet the boy ends up in the woods as a result of a plane crash, not by choice. I think I might have absolutely loved these books if I'd read them when I was younger, but I still enjoyed them as an adult. It's actually probably a good thing that I didn't read this when I was younger or I might have just run away from home to try living in the woods by myself. 

Outbreak: Plagues that Changed History (Bryn Barnard) –I do so enjoy when I can read a book that combines my love of medicine with my love of history. This book might not be for everyone, but I found it fascinating to see how much simple things, like the spread of an illness, could have such a huge impact on the course of world history. The section on smallpox was fairly difficult to read, but it’s an important thing to understand what horrors we’ve committed in the past so we don’t repeat them in the future.

Think Like a Freak (Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner) –I pretty much love anything the Levitt and Dubner write, as is probably very obvious from previous years’ posts, and this book is no exception. It’s different from their previous two books in that it’s almost an instruction manual of how to approach problems and think differently, but I liked it mucho. The chapter comparing King Solomon and David Lee Roth was particularly good. I highly recommend this.

An Abundance of Katherines (John Green) –I enjoyed this book, but I wasn’t amazed by it. I thought it was well-written and interesting, and I loved the fact that Green used footnotes (seriously, footnotes in more novels would make me so happy), but it wasn’t a book that I was dying to keep reading.

Losers Like Us (Daniel Hochhalter) –As I did last year, I must again admit my opinion of a book is biased because I know the author. However, even if I had never met “Hoho” before, I still think this would be one of my favorite books of the year. Mixing in his own personal story of “loserdom,” Hochhalter provides a study on each of the 12 disciples, showing each of their failings, from pride to betrayal to doubt to bigotry to simply being “nobodies.” Rather than being depressing, this book shows again and again how encouraging it is that Jesus didn’t come to call “perfect” people, but instead chose the losers of the world to be his closest friends, and eventually the very people who would carry his message to the world. I feel like this book is both a call to recognize our own shortcomings and also feel the hope of knowing that we are loved and called to follow the one who may have himself been seen as the biggest “loser,” but is truly the king and savior of the world. I’d recommend it all, though the chapters on “Doubting” Thomas and Judas (yes, the betrayer) were especially good and thought-provoking.

The Princess and the Goblin and The Day Boy and the Night Girl (George MacDonald) -I used to love The Princess and the Goblin in my childhood, but it's been oh so many years since I read it. I probably would not have read it again this year if I had  not read The Day Boy and the Night Girl for the first time on a whim and been inspired to read more MacDonald. I loved them both. It's easy to see how his fairy tales inspired so many authors after him, like C. S. Lewis himself (there are certainly similarities between the goblin's attack and MacDonald's tale and the Green Witch's plan in "The Silver Chair"). So many deep messages are hidden in these stories "for children," especially in "The Princess and the Goblin." I loved them, and I want to read more.

Mere Christianity (C. S. Lewis) –Although I’ve certainly read selections from this before, I’d never read all of Mere Christianity until this year. I can see why it’s a Christian classic. I love that Lewis tried to write, clearly and concisely, the beliefs that are central to all Christians, no matter their denomination. I think he succeeded. Much has already been said about this book, so I will just say that it’s a book I can see myself reading again and again over the years, and always finding something new. Muy Bueno.

The Great Divorce (C. S. Lewis) –I’d read this book for the first time about 4 years ago, but it seemed fitting to read it again. Classic Lewis. He has a knack, as I’ll gush over in the next entry, for using story and metaphor to communicate a message. The imagery from this book has remained with me long after I’ve forgotten some of the words, and I continue to mull over some of the ideas he raises about heaven and hell.

The Chronicles of Narnia (C. S. Lewis) –This one is a bit of a cheat since I didn’t actually finish the entire series in 2014 (I just finished the last two today), but wow. It’s been a long time since I’ve read this series, possibly 10 years or so for some of the books, but I don’t think I’ll wait so long again. I’m struggling to find a concise summary. I feel like I have so much I could say about each book. I suppose I must say that while there are some people who dismiss these stories as mere fairy tales for children (and in a way that’s accurate), what truth and beauty there can be in fairy tales! There are certainly some messages which are too obvious to be missed (and some have almost mocked Lewis for being heavy-handed with his symbolism), but I find that, now that I’m older, I catch the images I’d missed before and find deeper levels of meaning in the ones I’d always seen. As Aslan grew with Lucy, so these stories have grown with me. I think each book, even The Horse and His Boy which is possibly the weakest, brought me to tears at least once. Not to say that these stories are all deep metaphors and tears. Lewis writes with such a joy and playfulness, and describes the history and places and characters with such loving detail, that you cannot but help but be drawn in to his magical land. There is plenty of laughter and excitement, and the gaiety only makes the darker moments that much more profound. I can say nothing more than that I’d recommend this series to all, young or old.

The Four Loves (C. S. Lewis) –I’d read this before for an introductory literature class in college and remembered enjoying it, but felt I hadn’t spent enough time in it. When I decided to write an Advent post on love, I thought it’d be good to check it out again. Well, I didn’t finish reading it all in time to use it for my post, but I still loved it and I’m glad I reread it. The chapters on Friendship and Charity were probably my favorites, but I liked them all, even if I didn’t agree with everything Lewis had to say.

The Reason for God (Timothy Keller) –I feel like one could simply call this book a more modern version of Mere Christianity, but I feel like that would do Keller an injustice and make it sound like he’s simply rehashing old ideas. Keller was certainly influenced by Lewis, and his book certainly does a similarly good job of clearly delineating the central beliefs of Christianity, but it is his own work. I think it’s more specifically directed towards those who having questions and doubts about Christianity, and I think he does a wonderful job of addressing those. There are some very difficult questions that he raises, and I found his answers both challenging and convincing. I really liked this book, and plan to read more by Keller in the future.

The Story of B (Daniel Quinn) –I will admit from the beginning that I’m still working through my feelings on this book. Purely as a fiction novel it was very well-written and intriguing, difficult to put down. As a means of communicating the author’s views of the world, I was sometimes torn between being challenged to admit that his ideas seemed to have merit and value, and wanting to throw the book across the room when I came across beliefs (particularly regarding his thoughts on Christianity) that I felt were flat out lies. It was hard for me to get through at times, and it certainly made me angry at times, but it has also made me think and consider other views. I may not agree with them all, but I’m glad to have been challenged.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Washington Irving) –This book was not what I expected. This may be because most of my knowledge about the story came from the Johnny Depp film adaptation, which is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow only in name.  I read this during October, preparing myself for a spooky tale, and instead found a short satire of a puffed up and superstitious teacher who wanted to marry a girl only for her wealth, and who was chased from the town by a clever ploy. I found it enjoyable, but not legendary.

The Picture in the House; The Rats in the Walls; The Call of Cthulhu; Pickman’s Model; The Case of Charles Dexter Ward; The Shadow Over Innsmouth; The Dunwich Horror (H. P. Lovecraft) –I’d certainly heard of Cthulhu before last year, but I’d never read any H. P. Lovecraft. I’m glad that changed. I wish I could write reviews for each story, but I haven’t the time, so I will say that a) I can see Hawthorne’s influence on Lovecraft, b) I loved recognizing the MA towns mentioned in the stories, c) one or two stories may have been a tad predictable, but most were genuinely spooky and wonderful, and d) I’m glad to finally understand a bit more of the Cthulhu mythos. My favorites thus far might be The Rats in the Walls, The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and Pickman’s Model, but I look forward to reading more in the future.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy (Eric Metaxas) -This was my big book of the year. I almost thought I wouldn't finish in time, but I just barely made it, though I was dragging by the end because I knew what was coming. I’ve been meaning to read some of Bonhoeffer’s books (not just selections) for a long time, and finally getting a fuller understanding of his life, works, and death have only increased that desire. I could probably speak at length now about how much respect I have for this man, and for the love he showed to the church and to his country, for his boldness at speaking out against injustice, and for his courage to always hope and work for a better world, but I don’t think this is the place. I will simply say that I loved this book and how it provided so much detail to help me understand the times and situations that inspired Bonhoeffer’s words and actions. My only negative comment would be that the author seemed to almost glorify Bonhoeffer, to the point where he made him flawless. It is no bad thing, I think, to admit the flaws of a heroic person, because knowing they too had faults can make it easier to follow in their footsteps.

Bonus round! I did reviews of a couple films/miniseries that I watched this year, just because.

John Adams (miniseries) –This was such an excellent miniseries. I thought I knew about the founding of the U.S., but there's so much more to the story than what is taught in school. I feel like I understand the motivations and actions of the founding fathers more and, while I'm still not convinced revolution was the best choice, it still made me feel a bit patriotic. It also made me curious about whether our country could have done better had John Adams had more than one term in office, but that's something we'll never know. All in all this was moving, well-acted, well-paced, and thoroughly interesting. I'd recommend it to just about anyone.

Midnight’s Children (film) –As one could probably expect when the author of the original novel is involved in writing the screenplay, this film stuck pretty close to the original source material. Obviously some changes had to be made since so much of the novel takes place in Saleem’s head or is rather mystical, but I thought the film did a really good job of conveying the heart of the story. The film was also well-acted, and flat-out beautiful at times. Some of the social commentary was missing, but all in all it was a very good film. Last note for families: It's probably not a great choice for little kids watch this. They won’t understand much of it, and there’s some questionable material.

Romeo & Juliet (2013) –I’ll start by saying I thought this was a very good film adaptation of this play. It was lovely, well-acted, and it didn’t feel like you were just watching a play on screen. I loved the casting of Paul Giamatti as the priest too. He was my favorite. However, I just cannot like this story. I know it’s supposed to be a great romance, and a classic, and blah, blah, blah, but I sort of hate it. Yes, the writing is wonderful and in many ways it is a classic and excellent tragedy. I’ll admit that. There are a few points that ruin it for me, but the two biggest are their ages and the amount of time they actually spend together. Romeo’s age isn’t specified, though he’s young, but Juliet is 13! 13! I was rather an idiot when I was 13, and I don’t think she’s much smarter. Secondly, it takes these two just a few minutes to “fall in love” and the whole thing takes place over the course of 5 days. In fact, I figure they spend a grand total of 9-10 hours together, conscious, over the whole course of their relationship, and that’s assuming they don’t sleep at all on their wedding night. It’s worse than a bad chick flick. Call me cruel or unfeeling, but I don’t think they’re inspirational lovers; I think they’re children with raging hormones and brains that haven’t finished developing, surrounded by adults too blinded by prejudices and their own desires to give them any guidance. The best part of this adaptation, by far, was when the priest slapped Romeo for being an ungrateful, melodramatic fool. I think I cheered. In conclusion, if the story is taken as social commentary on the dangers and stupidity of feuds, I think it does its job well, but as a "classic romance," I think it's ridiculous.