It was a lovely Christmas break. We all took time off, enjoyed each other's company, stayed in and watched movies, played games, put together puzzles, and ate too much food. It went by too fast but it was lovely.
Shadow and Nala got in on the Christmas spirit. And my friend Bethany stopped by on New Year's Eve for a game and fun times with my little family. We played an escape room game we got for Christmas and we survived and solved the puzzles! Whew. It was a fun way to ring in 2023!
Now on to looking back at some of my favorites from 2022. I didn't read as many books as I had hoped for but I still read some great ones last year...let's see...
My favorite series was The Expanse by James S.A. Correy. I'd been meaning to read the whole series for a few years and I finally did it last year! So worth the wait. It'll definitely be a reread eventually.
I reread my second favorite Jane Austen book Pride and Prejudice and it was better than I remembered! I have plans on rereading my favorite Austen this year Persuasion.
I even delved into more romance this year due to Bridgerton's second season coming out. I listened to the first four books in like two weeks back in April. Pretty fun. I plan to get to the rest eventually probably spring/summer again.
I loved reading Six Crimson Crowns by Elizabeth Lim with G. It was a beautiful retelling that takes place in Japan's past. A love story and a family story all in one.
Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive by Philipp Dettmer was my favorite science read of the year. Simplish enough to grasp some basic concepts and the drawings are amazing and fun.
People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn was the memoir and culturally critical book that haunted me the most. It's a searing look into our society's narrative around Jews and their history.
TV: I loved Bridgerton season two, Wednesday, The Midnight Club, and Slow Horses.
Movies: So many but Fire of Love was my favorite documentary. Turning Red my favorite kid's movie. Banshees of Inisherin was a beautiful movie on grief and loneliness and friendship in a very small town. Everything Everywhere All at Once was one of the trippiest movies I've ever seen but also so visually stimulating and heartfelt. I was floored. Definitely my top movie for the year. Black Phone and The Innocents were definitely my top horror for the year as well.
Overall, it was a pretty good year. I can't complain. Looking forward to new books, movies, and travel!
Happy New Year! Glad you had a nice Christmas break. The cats look adorable in their Santa hats. Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI'm putting Everything Everywhere on my list! I need to reread Persuasion too. It's always been my fave, but then I watched the new Netflix adaptation and it soured me. Your New Year's celebration sounds better than ours. We watched Ohio State lost the game against Georgia as the ball was dropping :( Here's hoping for a great year for both of our families! (also your puzzles arrived while we were still in covid lockdown so they were much appreciated.)
ReplyDeleteI heard not great things about the Netflix adaptation and thus have not seen it. I'm sad.
DeleteI just watched an Ohio State game today and thought of you! Sorry they lost and made your New Year's celebrations not so great plus Covid. Yuck. So happy the puzzles reached you at a fortuitous time. Glad you're all feeling better.
I'm glad you had a lovely holiday. It's nice to have time to spend together.
ReplyDeleteBridgerton is a show I have not yet gotten around to. Maybe this year. I would like to read Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive. I've bookmarked it. Thank you, Heather.
I hope you enjoy Immune as much as I did!
DeleteYour reading list is interesting. I’m a big fan of Dara Horn, and like you, I enjoyed “People Love Dead Jews.” Have a good reading year in 2023.
ReplyDeletebest… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
It was a very impactful read for me and one I keep turning to.
DeleteGlad you had time off and a great holiday! Good luck getting back into the routine of things. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks! you too.
DeleteGlad you had great holidays. Nice list of favorites. Thx for the tip on the Banshees movie. We were a bit on the fence but now I think we'll see it. The kitties I'm sure were happy at Christmas -- nice to see them in the holiday spirit!
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends wasn't as impressed with Banshees but something about it just spoke to me at the time. I found it really moving. I hope you get something out of it as well.
DeleteMy cats barely tolerate the hats but it's too cute to not get a pic each year!
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ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good break... this is my year to reread some Jane Austen. It's been too long!
ReplyDeleteRight? I love rereading Austen. Glad you are looking to reread one or two this year as well!
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