Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 8, Books of 2019 (including Top Three)

For Christmas, it seems EVERYONE gave me a book. And that's a perfect Christmas.

As I begin to delve into my stack of books, I want to take a moment to list my TOP THREE books of 2019. If you're interested in the entire list you can scroll below; the list isn't complete because I listened to some books on Audible, and there were many I forgot to write down. As you can see I also rated the books--know that I don't give out five stars lightly.

Anyway, here are my top choices from last year:

TOP THREE BOOKS OF 2019

Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens) *****
So beautifully written. Almost lyrical, poetic. Delia Owens came to Augusta to speak when I was out of the country, so a sweet friend attended and brought me back an autographed copy.

A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles)*****
This made my top three for 2018, but I read it again in 2019 and it STILL made my top list. And if I can get my Book Club to select it, I'll read it AGAIN this year. You can't learn too much Russian history.

The Secret History (Donna Tartt)*****
I first read Tartt's The Goldfinch to see what the fuss was about. I really, really liked that book and decided to read this one, which I also really, really liked. Maybe even a little more.

Honorable Mention

Lost for Words (Stephanie Butland)*****
A bookshop, a girl with a secret past, poetry readings, a good guy, a bad guy ... this book made me cry. In good ways, and sad ways. Touching. Endearing. Moving.

Reading list for 2019

I Know this Much is True (Wally Lamb) *****
Gritty. Harsh. Beautiful. Reminded me of Pat Conroy's books.

Ghosted (Rosie Walsh)***
I had never heard of the term "ghosted" but now I know! While I enjoyed the book I gave it three stars because the main character didn't act logically. In our book club everyone wondered why the main character just didn't go to the guy's house and simply confront him.

The Bookshop (Penelope Fitzgerald) ****
The last line in the novel inspired our Book Club to come up with our own interpretation of the book's ending.

Where'd You Go Bernadette? (Maria Semple)****
Read the book, saw the move. The book was much better.

A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)*****
Quirky. Endearing. A story of love.

A Place to Call Home (Deborah Smith)****
Historical fiction with a splash of romance. Takes place in the South, so lots of quirky humor.

Radium Girls (Kate Moore)****
Yikes. Don't get a toothache or you'll imagine all sorts of horrid things. Don't get x-rays, either.

Killers of the Flower Moon (David Grann)*****
My son gave me this book. True story of the Osage Indian murders and the birth of the FBI.

The Scribe of Siena (Melodie Winawer)***
Great premise, but felt the author missed the opportunity to make this a great book.

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me (Jennifer Teege)***
Saw her speak. Fascinating story, but found the book cold and impersonal.

Innocence (Dean Koontz)****
This is a book I will have to read again, slowly this time so I can ponder. I jotted down some quotes that I found profound.

The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)*****
The reviews for this book were all over the place, but I loved it so much I then read her other book, The Secret History, which made my top three for the year.

Game of Thrones, Books 1-3 (George R. R. Martin)****
Haven't seen the television series, but really liked the books. My son had to help me keep the characters' names straight. Still working on the fourth one ...

Bury Your Dead, The Brutal Telling, A Fatal Grace, Still Life (Louise Penny)****
I haven't read all the Chief Inspector Gamache series, but I'm working on it.

The Things We Cannot Say (Kelly Rimmer)**
Interestingly, many blogs rated this book as a favorite. I found it ponderous and predictable. I started skimming just to get to the end already.

Brunelleschi's Dome (Ross King)***
When you're taking a group to Florence, you read this book. Then you can teach everyone in the group about Brunelleschi.

Misery (Stephen King)***
We happened to watch the movie one afternoon, so I had to read the book. Annie is even more horrid in the book.

Bill Hodges Trilogy: Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, End of Watch (Stephen King)***
I remember reading these books over a period of two weeks (after watching and reading Misery). I remember liking them. But when I sat down to compile this list I couldn't really remember what they were about.

A Room with a View (E.M. Forster)*****
When you're planning a trip to Italy, this is a must read. Love the book, love the movie.

Lord of the Flies (William Golding)***
In high school I read this book because I had to; when my son had to read it for his literature class, he asked if I could read it too so we could discuss it together. I get why it's a classic, and I understand why it's required reading, but it's still not a favorite. My son wasn't thrilled with it either.

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 7, New Year's Eve with the Celtics!

Whoa. This year we actually have plans for New Year's Eve! With the exception of two years ago when we celebrated New Year's Eve while cruising to Cozumel, Mexico, most years we are home with pizza, a movie, and the obligatory bubbly for midnight celebrations. But THIS year we are headed to Charlotte for a Celtics-Hornets basketball game.

Jonathan is a HUGE Celtics fan, and since Joe was able to get four tickets (more on this later) we decided to attend the game and then, on the way home, spend a couple of hours at Carowinds' WinterFest celebration.

Now, about those tickets. There is something funny about the seat assignments, and SOME of us will need binoculars, but that's okay. Timothy and I are going to have a BLAST. You know ... spying on Jonathan and Joe, eating all the popcorn we want, catching t-shirts, and sending annoying texts to TWO SOMEBODIES sitting court-side.

Happy New Year and ... go green!

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 6, A Year in Review

I love this time of year, this in-between period of reflection and hope, of seeing where you've been and where you want to go, of looking back at footsteps in the sands of time and stepping forward to create new ones. And as I straddle the Old Year and the New, I begin here, in reflection ...

1- Most Popular Posts 

(things I've written which have resonated)

Smiling Eyes

(this continues to be my top post for 2019 which brings multiple visitors to my blog every day) 

The Garden of Answered Prayer

(understanding prayer)

The Story Behind a Book

(the story on why I wrote my book)

The Bumbling Christian

(resulted in some very sweet emails)

On a Wing and a Prayer

(parenthood and letting go)

A Perspective on Gratitude

(seeing things differently from above)

2- Posts which Created a Buzz 

Without a doubt, my Girls' Trip to Italy Recaps created the most buzz. Because of them I received emails, private messages, phone calls, and texts wanting to know two things: 1/ when is the next trip and 2/ can I put their name on a list.

Girls' Trip to Italy, Days 1-3

Girls' Trip to Italy, Days 4-5

Girls' Trip to Italy, Days 6-8

Girls' Trip to Italy, Days 9-10

 Girls' Trip to Italy, Days 11-12

3- Top Photos of 2019 

(no fancy equipment, just the camera on my iPhone 8 plus)

(and it's impossible to take a bad photo in Italy ... I'm just saying)

(Isola San Giulio, Italy) 

Isola San Giulio, Italy

Venezia

4- Top Trips

(this isn't a fair category since my two week trip to Italy was the highlight of the year, 

but I love to travel ANYWHERE so, technically, they are ALL my favorite) 

ITALY - New Orleans - Hilton Head - 

Arkansas - Jekyll Island - Virginia Beach 

biking the Virginia Creeper Trail   

White Water Rafting on the Chattooga River 

5- The Best Worst Poems 

(from the files of very bad poetry by bia)

words

something said

thoughts

raindrops of many

moody blues

leaving

by any other name

 6- Events that Inspired Personal Growth

(and pushed me outside my comfort zone)

 An Ocean, an Airplane, and Two Countries Full of Kisses

(writing my book)

Deep Breaths

(the learning curve on book talks and speaking engagements)

My Session with a Personal Style Coach

(identifying my style, updating my wardrobe, branching out)

My Interview with mi.o (my modern italian network)

(on being interviewed)

In Awe

(on the responsibility of getting 31 people to Italy, and back home again)

2019 Girls' Trip to Italy

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 5, Destination Ornaments

Welcome to my newly updated blog. I've rearranged, updated, changed out photos, and generally cleaned things up a bit. I've included links to published articles, my book, and my web site. Let me know what you think!

And since we're still celebrating the twelve days of Christmas, here is something I love: destination ornaments!

clockwise from top right: 

New Orleans, Va. Creeper Trail, San Juan, Rock City, Puerto Rico, 

Santa Fe, Mexico, Las Vegas, Russia, Italy, Iceland, Sedona, Mount Vernon

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 4, A Memory of Christmas Past

One dark and cold evening just before Christmas, we were sitting around our backyard fire pit. I was wrapped in a blanket, Nicholas and Jonathan were lounging in the Adirondack chairs, Joe kept feeding the fire, and Timothy went back and forth between sitting and kicking the soccer ball against the fence.

There is something about sitting around a fire that encourages us to be in the moment; to simply watch the flames crackling and spitting; to sit in quiet contemplation or to share a story.

That evening around the fire pit, we remembered how Once Upon a Time Nicholas claimed, with wide eyes and breathless excitement on Christmas morning, that he had seen a red glow outside his bedroom window which he was certain must have been Rudolph.

It wasn't until several years later he learned that the red glow had been the car brake lights of the guy delivering our morning paper.

It was a good memory to bring forth while sitting around the fire a few days before Christmas.

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, 

and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, 

become a child again at Christmastime.

~Laura Ingalls Wilder 

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 3, Not Ugly Christmas Sweaters but ...

Ugly Gingerbread Cookies!!!!

Decorating gingerbread cookies is something we do every year. Sometimes we go all out and have an official competition with a tray of assorted goodies to use (last year my parents participated and Nonno won with his Christmas Yoda gingerbread man). This year I kept it simple by adding a tub of vanilla frosting and a jar of Nutella to the few goodies that came with the kit.

Because the goal of my guys is to just eat the darn thing already, I have rules:

1- To eat, you must decorate.

2- You can't eat until everyone is finished decorating.

3- And you cannot eat until I've taken a photo.

But let me tell you, once that photo is taken ...

CHOMP.
CHOMP.

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 2, We Have Mail

During the Advent and Christmas seasons, our mail carrier is one of my very favorite people. His daily visit brings excitement and anticipation in the form of actual mail. Addressed to us personally. With a real stamp on an actual envelope.

This time of year reminds me that letter-writing is not a lost art after all; that it's always there, dormant, ready to resurface on a surge of Christmas spirit. 

And the treasures each card holds! Inside there may be blessings, good wishes, family photos, shared memories, or even a funny joke. Once we received a card someone forgot to sign, and we had ever so much fun trying to guess who sent the red cardinal on the holly branch. Was it Uncle David? Aunt Ann? Our realtor? We never did find out. 

It is a wonderful tradition, this exchanging of Christmas cards, for each one reminds us that at some moment in time someone out there was thinking of us when they signed the card, wrote our name on the envelope, and placed a Christmas stamp in the upper right hand corner. 

On a closet door which straddles the family room and kitchen, I tape up every single card we receive (along with Christmas family photos we've taken through the years). And because the location is such that we pass it numerous times of day, one of us will often stop to look, read, remember.

And each time we do, at that moment in time one of us is thinking of you.