A Year of Books

Well, it's happened. 2013 has slipped away into 2014, and I reached my goal of reading 52 books in one year. (I have simple goals, really.) Most of them were new, not too many re-reads, which makes for a change from a few years ago when nearly everything I read was a re-read. Here's how the year looked, book-wise...

1. Summer Breeze by Nancy Thayer
2. The Sisters by Nancy Jensen
3. Re-read

4. Son by Lois Lowrey
5. Eva's Story by Eva Schloss
6. Re-read
7. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
8. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
9. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
10. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehanne

11. Cemetery Girl by David Bell
12. The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner
13. Ashenden by Elizabeth Wilhide
14. Circles of Time by Phillip Rock
15. Lay Me Out Softly by Francesca Lia Block
16. Re-Read

17. Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer
18. The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood
19. Fly Away by Kristen Hannah
20. Re-read
21. Re-read
22. Telling the Bees by Peggy Hesketh
23. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
24. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
25. He's Gone by Deb Caletti

26. The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
27. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
28. The Pact by Jodi Picoult
29. Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
30. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
31. Night Road by Kristen Hannah

32. Desire to Inspire by Christine Mason Miller
33. 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
34. Dear Lucy by Julie Sarkissian

35. Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer
36. The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard
37. Re-read
38. The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards
39. Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell
40. The Brave by Nicholas Evans
41. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snickett

42. In the Woods by Tana French
43. Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton
44. Dream with Little Angles by Michael Hiebert
45. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
46. True Believer by Nicholas Sparks
47. Magic Hour by Kristen Hannah
48. Mercy by Jodi Picoult

49. The Memory Thief by Emily Colin
50. The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
51. A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd
52. Stella Bain by Anita Shreve

53. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - another re-read, but who cares

Left unfinished: The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

What I've noticed while typing out this list is that I read a lot of dark/crime novels, and also a lot of lighter books (Nicholas Sparks, I'm looking at you). Maybe I'll have a slightly more refined palate this year, but you know what? If I don't, who cares? It's who I am.

So here's to 2014 - may it be a year filled with new literary loves!

At What Age Is It Unacceptable to Not Spell-Check Your Blog Posts?

Welcome to 2013! I hope everyone's New Year's Eve was wonderful! Mine was quiet - James and I had "Asian Fare" for dinner (which means frozen pork buns, orange chicken, and pot stickers from Trader Joe's), watched a few DVDs, watched the ball drop in Times Square at midnight, and toasted with a mini bottle of cava. Then we went to sleep. You know, I've really made a terrible 20-something. Maybe my 30's will be better.

James and I went to Crystal Cove on Sunday. It's a state park off of PCH between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, and I've never been. We got caught in a rain shower, saw a rainbow, and wandered among tide pools and old cottages.


James at Crystal Cove's tidepools



Crystal Cove

 

Crystal Cove



An absolutely gorgeous day - is there anything like a vast landscape to make you and your problems feel oh-so-insignificant?



The only thing that ruined getting caught in a rain shower under a rainbow was the fact that I didn't bring an umbrella, rain coat, or camera case, and I had my DSLR zipped up under my hoodie looking like a preggo woman while it slowly got more and more damp. The camera is fine, btw.

 Although our year got off to a quiet start, I have a feeling it's not going to stay that way. Our Christmas tree is still up, and every day I feel thankful that it hasn't burst into flames yet. (It's coming down tomorrow, I promise.) I turn 30 in a little over a month. (Can you tell it's totally weighing on my mind? What the heck? I remember when I was in college, my friend Max found himself repeatedly in relationships with women turning 30, and he said it made them go "a bit mental." At the time, my 22-year-old self thought "Why would that upset them so much? How dumb!" And now here I am, actually semi-freaking out. I vascilate between wanting to hide at home or go out to a dance club in LA where I and my friends are sure to be the oldest ones there to mark the occasion. Poor James.) Also, there is at least one trip back to London on the horizon - 2 friends have had babies, and I'm going to will myself not to get sick because  I want to hold some babies!

So, hello 2013, may you be a year of laughter, friendship, growth, positive energy, forgiveness, strength, and resilliance. Also, maybe the year I remember (or care enough) to spell check my blog posts.