It's Monday 1/2! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

Life

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We enjoyed our quiet week off between Christmas and New Year's, but as always, it went by too fast. We gathered with old friends for our annual Cookie/Grinch party on Monday. The "kids" are all adults now, but we still enjoy this tradition, and this year was our first in-person gathering with all of us there since 2019:

The "kids" with the cookies we decorated!

  

My stamina is still poor, but my husband and I managed two short hikes at nearby parks last week on beautiful warm (50's), sunny days:

 

Reflections in the creek with a brilliant blue sky

A good start for the new year

We rang in the New Year in our usual wild style--from our couch and recliner! I made it to midnight and even enjoyed half a beer, so it was indeed a crazy night for us:

 

Happy New Year!

And now I am immersed in my annual review of the past year and look forward to objectives for the new year. 

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On the Blog

I used the week "off" to do some catching up on reviews here. These were all great novels read in December:

Fiction Review: Horse by Geraldine Brooks - excellent historical fiction, ranging from 1850 to 2020.

Fiction Review: Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - compelling, riveting story of the rise and fall of a fictional '70's rock band.

Fiction Review: The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker - chilling, engrossing story of an unprecedented event and how people in a small town react. 

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On Video

Two quick videos last week:

Christmas Book Haul - the books we gave and received this holiday season

Friday Reads 12-30-22 - a brief update on my last two books of the year 

 

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What We're Reading

 

I finished reading The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer (technically just after midnight, but it counts for 2022!) and very much enjoyed it. I rarely read romances or holiday-themed books, but this one was special. The author and the main character both have ME/CFS, the same disease my son and I have. It was so wonderful to see my own experiences in the pages of a novel! It's honest and authentic and accurate about life with chronic illness, but it's also a fun romcom!

 

 

 

Now, I have just started my First Book of 2023: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, one of my many books received for Christmas. It's about a female chemist in the 50's and 60's who is a single mother and ends up hosting a popular cooking show. Great so far!

 

 

I fit in one last audio book in 2022, Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson. I enjoy his novels, especially on audio. This one is a coming-of-age story of a teen girl, Frankie, who doesn't feel like she fits in, the fellow misfit teen boy she meets one summer, and their art project that takes on a life of its own, affecting many other lives (not in good ways). Some of it is narrated by Frankie at 16 and some by Frankie at 36. Thoughtful and funny; I enjoyed it very much.

 

 

My husband, Ken, started one of his Christmas gifts (from me) last night, Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale, book one in the Hap and Leonard series. I've been hearing about this fast-paced, funny thriller series for years and think he'll like it. Then we can watch the TV adaptation!

 

 

Our son, 28, just finished Journeymage by Terry Mancour, book 6 in the Spellmonger series, which he's been flying through recently! He says he's now re-reading Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima, book two of the Shadowed Realms series, in preparation for reading book three, Stormcaster, a Christmas gift from his girlfriend.

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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.  

What are you and your family reading this week?