January's Bookstack -- and a Happy Ending

I haven't exactly been turning the page this past month! But I have enjoyed several offerings, two mysteries and an autobiography of sorts (diaries, actually).

 

And January Goes On!

Lots of bits and pieces to go on, as the month of January continues. This morning I woke to our first measurable snow since Christmas. The weather folk say 3-6 inches are expected today. We'll see. This has been our weirdest winter in ages.

Year of the Rabbit

Bloggers know that many of us pick a guiding word of the year. Last year, my word of the year was "Endure." After two years of adjusting our lives for Covid, and looking forward to uncertainty, it seemed like a good one. 

It was (unfortunately) more fitting than I knew. I had loads of health and mobility issues and Rick wasn't far behind. I continue to deal with some of those still. They affect the quality of life and perhaps are the hardest to endure. But then, don't we all have to endure something?

Gogh-ing to VanGogh Land!

I went to the Land of Van Gogh. No, not that one -- not the sun-drenched spots in Provence where so much of his beautiful and most memorable works were painted. Nor to the Netherlands, place of his youth. And no, not Paris either. I went to Detroit.

Yes, Detroit, Michigan and the Detroit Institute of Arts, home of the Van Gogh in America exhibit!

Life Around Here

Gray. If you had to put our month into one color it would be gray. 

Not that we haven't had the (rarely) occasional blue sky. But mostly gray. 

The Books of 2022 -- The Annual Book Report

It's time for my annual accounting of books read (often devoured) in 2022.

In the past year I read 58 books, a few short of my goal of 60. But I topped my page goal of 18,000 with a grand total of 21,994 pages, meaning, I read longer books, often more complex. (Why do I do this? Curiosity, and to keep myself accountable. I won't read just to check off a book or pages; I'll give it a fair shot, but life's too short.)

All books listed here have been reviewed in previous posts and are linked.

Things I Learned this Holiday Season

There are lessons to be learned from everything. Here are some of the things I learned this holiday season!

The Books of December

As one might expect, December was a terrible month for reading! I only managed four books and even that was a challenge! (One was only 48 pages!)

I'll have the overall book wrap post soon, but here are my takes on the December reads.

In-Between Week

The week between Christmas and New Year's is one of my favorites. Things calm down -- and even if they don't quite calm down, it's a gentler, more relaxed feeling. A good time for naps, tidying up, quieter gatherings with friends and looking forward to a new year. 

In our case, it involved saying goodbye to Rick's mom as we met up with Rick's brother and his wife, where she would spend the next few days, our annual Christmas song celebration, a quick hug with an old friend and lots of rest!