Thank you for saying that about books finding us at different times! I have embraced my oftentimes chaotic reading desires and it’s been great. Have been meaning to post about the trio of books I’m reading now that would make one think I was three different people and which pleases me greatly.
Yes! I had Great Circle sitting on my shelf for 2+ years until I read it at the top of this year — I knew I needed to be in the right frame of mind for it, and waiting until I was ready made such a difference in my reading experience.
I love an end of year book recap! I read a few that you liked too. My favorite book of the year was My Brilliant Best Friend by Elena Ferrante. I loved how it described the dark parts of intimate friendships. It’s something I’ve known about all my life but never seen depicted so clearly. Plus I’m living in Napoli now so it helped me understand life here. Thanks for sharing, I’ll add some of these to my list!
I love when I remember a book by where I read it! This past July, while vacationing in mid-coast Maine and waiting for the rain to stop long enough to hike in Acadia, I read Little Monsters. Wonderful summertime read. While waiting for a delayed flight home from Maine (a different trip), I read a great big chunk of Wellness. I keep fastidious lusts and track my reading & TBR in Goodreads, but traveling with books makes them even more memorable. Here’s to another year of great travel with books!
Have you read Wild Game yet? I found both Wild Game and Little Monsters to be very intriguing reads, but requiring the right time and head-space to appreciate the stories.
We spend every Christmas at my parents’ in Portugal and I will sometimes save things I really want to dive into. Demon Copperhead last year, the Fraud this year.
Thank you for this. I read a LOT but have not managed to settle to a routine of recording what I read. Would you mind sharing how you keep the notes and built the habit of doing so?
I write it all down in a notebook...that then I lose. So I’m not really the best person to talk to about organization! I used to write down the books by month.
I also use a spreadsheet! It helps me keep track of the different categories I want to focus on for that year, and it makes it so easy when a friend asks me what I've read that year — all I have to do is share the link and they can see everything I've read since 2019.
Hmmm. I find challah the easiest but I’ve also loved making bread from Alexandra cooks online. No knead bread is such a good place to start -- Mark Bittmann!
Love this - What a great list! Added some of these to my To Reads. I am old school and use Goodreads to keep track of my reads of the year. That web site hasn't changed since 2008.
Thanks for sharing these reads, Abby. I'm making notes! So true that revisiting books is like traveling backwards in time to remember the places, feelings, and people they evoke. I've just reviewed my own literary year (mostly conveniently recorded for me on Libby:) and am awash in memories of Cambridge. (Re-reading, I see so many 're-' words. That time of year, I guess.)
I love that you're parenting a half-grown daughter while your bedside is piled with half-read parenting books!
We read quite a few of the same books this year:) And NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT is one of my all-time favorites!
Have you read any of Gillian McAllister's thrillers?! I read WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME & absolutely loooved it - and then read quite a few of her others. She's great!!
I just finished The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Even though it broke my heart I didn’t want it to be over. I’ve read three Maggie O’Farrell books that I really liked this year: Hamnet, This Must Be the Place, and After You’d Gone.
Thank you for saying that about books finding us at different times! I have embraced my oftentimes chaotic reading desires and it’s been great. Have been meaning to post about the trio of books I’m reading now that would make one think I was three different people and which pleases me greatly.
I love that. Yes, write it.
Yes! I had Great Circle sitting on my shelf for 2+ years until I read it at the top of this year — I knew I needed to be in the right frame of mind for it, and waiting until I was ready made such a difference in my reading experience.
What’s the trio of books - I’m curious?!?!
Just posted! https://www.instagram.com/p/C1ZyZFtrcOM/?igsh=ZWZqeW83bGczOGcw
Alice Hoffman FTW
My first!
Magic Lessons is my favorite Alice Hoffman book.
I love an end of year book recap! I read a few that you liked too. My favorite book of the year was My Brilliant Best Friend by Elena Ferrante. I loved how it described the dark parts of intimate friendships. It’s something I’ve known about all my life but never seen depicted so clearly. Plus I’m living in Napoli now so it helped me understand life here. Thanks for sharing, I’ll add some of these to my list!
Loved My Brilliant Friend.
I love when I remember a book by where I read it! This past July, while vacationing in mid-coast Maine and waiting for the rain to stop long enough to hike in Acadia, I read Little Monsters. Wonderful summertime read. While waiting for a delayed flight home from Maine (a different trip), I read a great big chunk of Wellness. I keep fastidious lusts and track my reading & TBR in Goodreads, but traveling with books makes them even more memorable. Here’s to another year of great travel with books!
Little Monsters has been on my TBR pile forever!
Have you read Wild Game yet? I found both Wild Game and Little Monsters to be very intriguing reads, but requiring the right time and head-space to appreciate the stories.
We spend every Christmas at my parents’ in Portugal and I will sometimes save things I really want to dive into. Demon Copperhead last year, the Fraud this year.
I love a Maine read 😄 I read Lucy by the Sea this year and loved it. I’ll add these to the list!
There are so many books set in Maine! Wellness isn’t, FYI. Next on my Maine list is The Berry Pickers.
Ah I see ☺️
Thank you for this. I read a LOT but have not managed to settle to a routine of recording what I read. Would you mind sharing how you keep the notes and built the habit of doing so?
I write it all down in a notebook...that then I lose. So I’m not really the best person to talk to about organization! I used to write down the books by month.
I use notes app! Organized by year, because I could never keep up notebooks and always wanted to remember when chatting with people.
I use a spreadsheet. I keep my TBR list at the bottom of the page and can copy it over into the next year, if needed.
I also use a spreadsheet! It helps me keep track of the different categories I want to focus on for that year, and it makes it so easy when a friend asks me what I've read that year — all I have to do is share the link and they can see everything I've read since 2019.
!!! That’s impressive!
Goodreads is an easy place to organize reading and to build a TBR list.
I also keep lists on my phone (in Notes) of what I’ve read (with dates) and a TBR (with the date added).
I need a bread baking book! suggestions? i can't seem to make a decent loaf anymore, so a basic recommendation please! & happy new year!
Hmmm. I find challah the easiest but I’ve also loved making bread from Alexandra cooks online. No knead bread is such a good place to start -- Mark Bittmann!
Love this - What a great list! Added some of these to my To Reads. I am old school and use Goodreads to keep track of my reads of the year. That web site hasn't changed since 2008.
Thanks for sharing these reads, Abby. I'm making notes! So true that revisiting books is like traveling backwards in time to remember the places, feelings, and people they evoke. I've just reviewed my own literary year (mostly conveniently recorded for me on Libby:) and am awash in memories of Cambridge. (Re-reading, I see so many 're-' words. That time of year, I guess.)
I love that you're parenting a half-grown daughter while your bedside is piled with half-read parenting books!
xoxo
Oh my god, only you’d see that! Makes me cry!
Yay, Abby!! I love this!!
We read quite a few of the same books this year:) And NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT is one of my all-time favorites!
Have you read any of Gillian McAllister's thrillers?! I read WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME & absolutely loooved it - and then read quite a few of her others. She's great!!
xoxo
No! Will investigate...
Jenny Erpenbeck’s Kairos was my favorite this year! Beautiful sentences, consuming story. Thanks for sharing these recommendations!
I felt like I time-traveled along with you. Thank you sharing these titles!
I just finished The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Even though it broke my heart I didn’t want it to be over. I’ve read three Maggie O’Farrell books that I really liked this year: Hamnet, This Must Be the Place, and After You’d Gone.
LOVED The Great Believers and also Maggie O’Farrell!