"The Christmas Orphans Club" by Becca Freeman

"The Christmas Orphans Club" by Becca Freeman was irresistible reading over the Christmas holidays, for several reasons. First, it was a Christmas read at Christmastime, which is always fun. :)  Second, it was recommended by the wonderful Nora McInerny of "Terrible, Thanks for Asking," whose chose it for her "Terrible Reading Club" podcast/Substack in December (haven't listened in yet).  Third, while I'm not a Christmas "orphan" -- at least, not yet! -- I am very aware that many people feel that way at this time of year, for many different reasons. And fourth, I'm always on the lookout for suitable books for the Childless Collective Nomo Book Club (where I'm one of the hosts), and this seemed like it might fit the bill. And, for the most part, I think it does. :)   

"Christmas Orphans" is a lighthearted rom-com with some serious underlying themes/messages/life lessons. If you liked "Friends" and their "Friendsgiving" episodes, you will probably like this book. 

The book is narrated in turn by best friends Hannah, whose parents both died when she was a teenager, and Finn, whose family cut him off he came out to them as gay. They've spent every Christmas together since they met in college. Now living and working in New York City, they've been joined for subsequent Christmases by Hannah's one-time roommate Priya, and the rich and handsome Theo (son of a Richard Branson-like British airline billionaire). 

But now Finn is moving across the country to start a new job in L.A. -- and Hannah's boyfriend David is pressuring her for a commitment she's not sure she's ready to give him. Hannah is determined to spend one more last, special Christmas with her friends before Finn leaves. David will understand... won't he? 

While it's possible some of the main characters -- generally all around the age of 30 -- may go on to become parents someday -- and David's annoying uber-mom sister pops up as a peripheral character -- pregnancy & parenthood are not major themes here.  It's about "chosen family" and the importance it assumes in our lives when our traditional family structures are lacking and holidays make us feel like we're on the outside looking in. And what happens when situations change and our friends start going places where we can't follow. In that way, it's very relevant to those of us without children. 

The ending is the stuff of Hallmark movies (I was casting in my mind as I read, lol).  

3.5 stars on StoryGraph. I debated whether that should be rounded up or down on Goodreads. I settled on 4 stars there.  Hannah can be somewhat clueless/annoying at times, and hey, not all of us have mega-rich friends like Theo who can produce a limo on Christmas Day when every car in the city is booked, or buy up every room at a boutique hotel in Mexico, or save your fledgling podcast by handing over the hottest Taylor Swift-style pop star in the world as your initial guest. 

But it was a fun read overall, I appreciated the Christmas orphans theme -- and hey!  It's (still!) Christmastime!  :)  

This was Book #1 read to date in 2024 (and Book #1 finished in January), bringing me to 2% (!) of my 2024 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 1 book ahead of schedule. :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2024 tagged as "2024 books." 

Some good things to start the new year :)

A couple of not-so-small pleasures to start off the new year. :)  (A post of annoying things that happened during the holidays still to come, lol.)

• I've been under the weather for the past week now -- scratchy throat, drainage, cough -- and while I didn't think it could be covid, I knew covid is a sneaky SOB and we couldn't rule it out either.  We were careful to mask in stores, etc., while we were visiting my parents, and other than my family, we only saw Parents' Neighbours' Daughter and her family as well as one of my parents' neighbours during the holidays. Two of the Little Princesses had colds -- their mom said it was NOT covid -- but I assumed that whatever this was, I got it from one of them.
• I finally got up the nerve to do a rapid test first thing this morning. Negative. That put my mind at ease. (Even if I still don't feel 100%...!). 
• You may remember that I got scammed back in late July, and as a result, my Amazon account has been suspended for the past FIVE MONTHS while my bank/credit card provider wrangled with Amazon. (Most recent update here, with links to previous posts explaining the whole saga...!) 
• I called my bank/credit card provider on Dec. 11th to check on the status of my case -- and was informed that it had been resolved -- in my favour -- and I would not be charged the $500.  I had checked before calling, and Amazon was still blocking access to my account, offering me a screen with two choices/buttons to click on:  pay up ($500!), or disagree with the charges. I mentioned this to the (very helpful) guy I spoke with at the credit card company, and he suggested I should get in touch with them. 
• Yeah, but HOW??  I searched the site (as much as I could, with access to all but basic/homepage functions blocked), and there was no easy or obvious way to ask for help -- no 1-800 number to call, no email address, no chat window.  
• I did not want to click on either of the two choices offered without knowing what would happen next (i.e., what the consequences would be).  
• I did have the email that Amazon sent to me on Aug. 6th, informing me that my account was suspended. I decided I could try the email address that message came from, or another one mentioned in the text. 
• Failing that, I was prepared to take my case to Twitter/X. 
• I sent an email to the one address later that day  (Dec. 11th), outlining everything that had happened. I apologized for not contacting them sooner but said I did not want to interfere in the process that was set in motion when I first called my credit card provider (which I initially assumed would resolve the matter quickly).  I pointed out that I had been told the dispute was resolved in my favour.  And I asked them nicely for their assistance in restoring access to my account. 
• Three weeks went by (and I was busy with Christmas anyway). I knew they were probably busy with Christmas too, but I decided three weeks was plenty long enough for a response (!), so last night I sent essentially the same email to the other address I had.  
• Lo and behold, this morning!! I received an email informing me that my account had been reinstated!!  (And thanking me for my patience!)(!!)  I opened my Kindle app on my phone and signed in, and there were all my books. 
• HALLELUJAH!!  :)  :)  :)  

Right now

Right now...* 

*(an occasional (mostly monthly) meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current"). (Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first "The Current" post, here.)

Pandemic diary/update: December was month #45 (going on FOUR YEARS...!) since the COVID-19 pandemic began. While I did develop a cold during the week between Christmas & New Year while at my parents' house (which I still have...), we remain covid-free (knocking wood, loudly...), and continue to mask in most stores and other public places, especially where there are a lot of people. Hard data is difficult to come by -- but anecdotally, we know that case numbers are on the rise, and we continue to hear about others -- including friends & relatives, and friends & relatives of friends & relatives -- who have recently tested positive, many of them for the first time.  Among them:  my sister and her partner had covid for the first time in mid/late November, and BIL & SIL in mid-December. More than a month later, my sister still has a nasty cough. 

December was a blur.  It was a mad dash to the finish line, i.e., the airport on Dec. 16th, to head west to spend Christmas with my family.  We never seem to do a lot while we're there, but somehow, the days just go whizzing by...!  My online time was minimal, especially while we were there -- I am sooooo far behind on blog & Substack reading and commenting, and my inbox is overflowing with unread emails...  (Getting a better handle on all my to-do/want to do lists and regular routines, etc., will be one of my goals for 2024...!)    

Among other things this month, we: 

• Went with BIL & SIL on Saturday, Dec. 2nd, to visit a cousin who recently got the "all-clear" following surgery & treatment for cancer. Her brother also stopped by when he heard we were all coming, and a good visit was had by all. :)  
• Four days later, on Dec. 6th, we got a text from the cousin:  her daughter (a junior kindergarten teacher, who lives at home and was present for part of the time we were there, including hugs in greeting and goodbye) just tested positive for covid. :(  
• BIL & SIL also tested positive, 10 and 12 days after our visit (so not sure they picked up there from her, or from somewhere else in the meantime?). 
• Returned to the mall on Dec. 5th to return some things to Old Navy and do a bit more Christmas shopping. 
• Had an unmasked early lunch in the food court. 
• Headed back to our old community on Friday, Dec. 8th:  brought some holiday decorations to the cemetery for Katie's niche, got haircuts, and then headed to the local mall for a little more Christmas shopping. En route back home, stopped at the supermarket to pick up some takeout soup for lunch. 
• Went to the drugstore on Dec. 11th to pick up some prescriptions, buy some stamps at the postal outlet there and pick up a few other things I needed (including a few stocking stuffers for dh). 
• Flew west from Toronto to Winnipeg on Dec. 16th to spend Christmas with my family. 
• While in Manitoba, we made a few (masked) trips to the grocery store, drugstore, chicken restaurant for takeout, and a wholesale greenhouse operation for (gorgeous, CHEAP!) pointsettias for Mom. 
• Saw Parents' Neighbours' Daughter & one of more of the three Little Princesses almost every other day, including Little Princess #3, who is now 4 months old and adorable.  :)  (She's the likely source of my cold...! -- or possibly her next-oldest sister, Princess #2.)  

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Also right now:  

Reading: I finished 4 books in  December (reviewed on this blog, as well as Goodreads & StoryGraph, & tagged "2023 books").  

• "The Travelling Cat Chronicles" by Hiro Arikawa (the January pick for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club). (My review.) 
• "The House on the Cliff" by D.E. Stevenson (a chapter-by-chapter re-read with my DES group.).(My original review, and my most recent review.)   
• "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid (March pick for my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club). (My review.) 
• "Anne of Windy Poplars" (known as "Anne of Windy Willows" in the UK) by L.M. Montgomery, in advance of my L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook group's upcoming read of the next book in the series, "Anne's House of Dreams." Discussion on that one will start on Jan. 15th.. (My review.) 

This brings me to 48 books read in 2023, 107% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. :)  

Current read(s): 

• "The Christmas Orphans Club" by Becca Freeman. (Recommended by Nora McInerny of Terrible, Thanks for Asking.) 
• "L.M. Montgomery and Gender," an essay collection edited by E. Holly Pike & Laura Robinson. Slowly working my way through...! 
• "Living the Life Unexpected" by Jody Day.  Re-reading (for the 5th time, I think!) and discussing one chapter per month (for the second time) with a group of other childless women within the private online Gateway/Lighthouse Women community. If & when I/we complete the full 12 chapters (early in 2024), I'll count it as a(nother) re-read. We will discuss Chapter 11 in mid-December! (My most recent review -- with links to previous reviews -- here.) 

Coming up: Most of my book groups have their next reads plotted out for a few months in advance -- and listing them here helps me keep track of what I should be reading next. ;)  

• For my L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook group: "Anne's House of Dreams." This is one that's near & dear to many loss mothers' hearts, including mine. Discussion will start on Jan. 15th.
• For my Childless Collective Nomo Book Club: 
• "Best of Friends" by Kamila Shamsie (February)
• "The Improbability of Love" by Hannah Rothschild (April)
• "Queen High/Queen Wallis" by C.J. Carey (May -- my earlier review here) 
• "All In" by Billie Jean King (June)
• For my D.E. Stevenson group:  This list of upcoming books should keep us busy through 2024, and into 2025!  (A couple of the books are ones we covered when I first joined the group back in 2014 -- you know you've been around for a while when....!)  
• Bel Lamington (beginning in January 2024). 
• Fletcher’s End
• Miss Buncle’s Book
• Peter West 
• Miss Buncle Married
• The Two Mrs Abbotts
• Crooked Adam 
• The Four Graces

• For the Notes from Three Pines (Louise Penny mysteries) Readalong: The last discussion was for book #3, "The Cruellest Month," posted June 7th -- no further posts/books since then.  I've continued dipping into the series on my own, between other book club obligations. Book #6, "Bury Your Dead," is on the horizon as one of my next reads...! 
• Here I go again...? (!)  Footnotes and Tangents is hosting a year-long readalong of Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace" (!) -- a chapter a day for a full year, beginning Jan. 1, 2024. As I wrote here, I'm tempted -- although I realize I need yet another book club/readalong obligation like a hole in the head..! 
• (He's also doing a full-year readalong of Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell Trilogy, beginning with "Wolf Hall," also on Jan. 1st -- oh dear...) 

A few recently purchased titles (mostly in digital format, mostly discounted ($5-10 or less) or purchased with points):  

• "Adoption Unfiltered" by Sara Easterly, Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard and Lori Holden
• "Still Born" by Guadalupe Nettel 
• "The Librarianist" by Patrick deWitt
• "The Guest" by Emma Cline 
• "Wellness" by Nathan Hill 
• "Madonna" by Mary Gabriel 

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Watching:  I can't think of anything memorable that we watched during December...??

Listening:  

• To a lot of April Wine songs, following the death of its lead singer and guitarist Myles Goodwyn on Dec. 3rd, which I wrote about here. 

To Heardle Decades: Stats as of  Dec. 31st:  

• Heardle 60s:  76.9% (349/454, 152 on first guess), down slightly from the same as last month. Max. streak: 15.
• Heardle 70s:  81.3% (161/198, 91 on the first guess), about the same as last month. Max. streak: 18. 
• Heardle 80s:  45.2% (33/73,  15 on the first guess), up slightly from last month. Max. streak: 4. 
• Heardle 90s: 32.6% (61/187, 13 on the first guess), down from last month. Max. streak: 4. 

Following: 

Eating/Drinking:  All the Christmas goodies that I only get once a year at Mom & Dad's, including  pickerel (walleye pike to you Americans), turkey, stuffing/dressing, gravy, cabbage rolls and perogies, nuts & bolts, shortbread, and those Canadian delicacies:  Nanaimo bars and butter tarts (gift links). :)  

Buying (besides books, lol -- and Christmas gifts!):  Not much! 

Wearing: Holiday-themed waffle-weave PJ tops from Old Navy. :)  And I pulled out my heavy winter jacket and boots to wear "home" to Manitoba -- but I didn't really need them, as they're having one of the mildest winters in years (so far...!), with barely enough snow to make it a white Christmas. 

Noticing:  How much milder/less snowy this Christmas season was, even in Manitoba, where (I've always told people) a white Christmas has always been practically guaranteed. Closer to home, Older Nephew built a backyard skating rink for Little Great-Nephew, but so far, it's mostly been just a pool of water... 

Enjoying:  Spending time with Parents' Neighbours' Daughter and the Littlest Princess (now 4 months old), who came to visit almost every day we were there. Also enjoyed the nightly card games (and even won a few...!).    

Trying:  (and failing!) To gently convince my parents (and my mother in particular) that they need to move from their overstuffed split-level  house with the big yard, into something smaller and more manageable (and less costly) to keep up. 

Appreciating: The comfort of my own bed!!   

Wanting: A return trip home this summer to celebrate my dad's 85th birthday -- which would be the first time we've made it there in the summertime since 2019!  

Wondering: What to do to celebrate my upcoming birthday...?  (I have a few ideas. Nothing elaborate!)    

Prioritizing: A trip to the supermarket today, to restock our fridge and cupboards, and visits this week to BIL & SIL's house:  Little Great-Nephew doesn't start school again until next Monday, and his parents had to return to work after being off over Christmas week, so he's there all this week!  

Hoping:  To wade through all the emails that have piled up over the past two weeks and weeding out my inbox...! 

Loving:  Being at Mom & Dad's and spending time with my family -- but also being back in my own space! 

Feeling: Glad to get 2023 behind us.  Hoping for better things in 2024.  

2023 Year in Review

I'm trying something a little different this year from my usual "Year in Review" format (which got to be a little lengthy & repetitive from year to year...!). :)  I found this format/list of questions in the long-gone scrapbooking magazine Creating Keepsakes January/February 2013 issue (!). 

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1) What was the coolest thing you did or that happened to you last year?

Getting my DNA analyzed was pretty cool. :)  

2)  What major milestone(s) did you or a loved one experience last year?

First and foremost, my brother-in-law had a transplant, with his son (our Older Nephew) donating part of his liver to save his dad's life. That's pretty major!  

Younger Nephew & his wife also welcomed our Little Great-Niece in February.  :)  

And Little Great-Nephew headed off to school this fall (junior kindergarten)!  

3)  What was your favourite celebration last year?

It was great to get together with small and large groups of dh's cousins (on both sides of the family) on several different occasions -- and NOT for funerals!!  (Too many of those in recent years!)  

4)  What was your most memorable holiday of last year, and what made it special?

Christmas with my family is always memorable. I am well aware that my time with my parents is not unlimited, and so I appreciate the opportunity to spend time with them while I can.  (Even when they drive me nuts sometimes...! lol) 

5)  What family vacation or activity was the most memorable, and why?

We had a lovely weekend at dh's cousin's cottage with BIL & SIL, Older Nephew, his wife & Little Great-Nephew -- until Older Nephew revealed he wasn't feeling well, and we had to make a hasty departure.  :(   

6)  What big goal did you or a loved one achieve or work toward last year?

I guess keeping BIL alive and getting him to, through and beyond his transplant operation, was our family's main goal of last year! and I'm so glad that we achieved that! (SIL asked his doctor if he would have survived the year without the transplant.  His answer was "No."  :(  )  

7)  What's something that changed in your life last year?  (something new, a loss, etc.)

We got a new great-niece in February!  We got to spend a lot of time with Little Great-Nephew (providing fill-in child care while SIL took BIL for his various medical appointments). Then he started school (junior kindergarten) in September, and we haven't seen as much of him since then. We miss him!  

8)  What was your favourite movie, book, album or song from last year, and why?

Haven't been to the movies since before the pandemic  :(  and I don't follow music the way that I used to either. I just posted my 2023 Reading Year in Review and as I said there, it's hard to pick one favourite book. A few of the standouts included: 

• "In Memoriam" by Alice Winn 
• "Tom Lake" by Ann Patchett 
• "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus
• "The Last Devil to Die" by Richard Osman 
• "Surrender:  40 Songs, One Story" by Bono 
• "Spare" by Prince Harry 
• "Wintering" by Katherine May

Also, we FINALLY got to see "Hamilton"!  

9)  What world, national or local event or news story affected you most?

The ongoing war in Ukraine, plus the renewed conflict in the Middle East. I am not Jewish nor Muslim/Palestinian, but who can read those stories or see that footage and not be horrified by what has happened??   

The ongoing political instability south of our border (and its effect on the political atmosphere in my own country) is unsettling. I am NOT looking forward to the coming year in American politics...! 

Closer to home, I am sickened by our provincial government's determination to raze and move the landmark Ontario Science Centre (where dh spent hours & hours as a kid), and to redevelop the prime parkland/public space of Ontario Place, including moving a downsized version of the Science Centre there and adding a luxury spa with a massive underground parking garage (!). Dozens of trees, carefully chosen & planted by the original site developers more than 50 years ago, have already been removed.  In general, the indiscriminate destruction of designated greenbelt lands, heritage buildings and well-established neighbourhoods in the pursuit of growth (and development dollars) was a disturbing feature of the past year.  

10)  What life lesson did you or a family member learn and take to heart last year?

Life is short, and tomorrow is not promised. I am more aware of this with each passing year...! 

Blogging Year in Review

A hat tip to Mali, whose post "2016: Looking back on the blog" has inspired me to do the same for the past several years. Also to Mel, whose Crème de la Crème lists from 2007 to 2012 prompted me & other bloggers to review our posts from the year past & pick out our favourites to share.  (There was a list in 2006 too, but that was before I started my blog.)  If the Crème de la Crème list still existed, one of these posts would probably be the one I would have submitted. :) ) 

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2023 was not quite as prolific in blogging terms as the past several years have been. 2021 was my best year ever in terms of numbers of posts (213), followed by 2020 (197), and 2022 (193). I will wind up the year with 171 posts (including this one)  :) -- ranking #5 in terms of numbers of total posts for the year, just below 2008 (#4) with 172 posts. (And if I manage to squeeze in one more post after this, then they'll be tied!)  

That's an average of 14 posts per month -- a little less than a post every other day. My least-chatty month was this one -- December -- this will be post #10.  My most verbose was January, with 19 posts. Not bad, especially after 16 years of blogging!  

I don't check my blog stats very often, but I had a look at the ones for the past 12 months, and (as of this morning), I had 269,000+ views and 377 comments this year (page views way up from last year, but comments down -- go figure?). The top-viewed post of 2023  (that was written/posted IN 2023 -- was this one, with 176 views since it was posted on July 10th.   

In addition to posts about or related to childless/free issues or other adoption/loss/infertility issues, I tried to do a "Right now" or "The Current" post at the beginning of each month, and participated in 43 #MicroblogMondays this year. I reviewed all 48 books that I read in 2023, and passed along and/or commented on news items, blog & Substack posts and podcasts, etc. (usually ALI-related) that piqued my interest. 

I also wrote a lot about other things going on in my life, including aging, retirement, being an auntie & great-auntie, supporting my brother-in-law and his family through his liver transplant this past summer, dealing with service people, and condo living. There were lots of "odds & ends" posts, as well as lists of recent "small pleasures & annoying things."  And the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic (now in its FOURTH year) provided PLENTY of fodder for blogging!! 

Here are a few of my favourite/noteworthy posts from 2023, or ones that say "2023" to me -- in more or less chronological order (from oldest/earliest in 2023 to most recent): 

January: 

• Home again 
• #MicroblogMondays: LGN made my day :)
• #MicroblogMondays: Portrait of an auntie :)

February: 

• Same song, 25th (!!) verse...
• #MicroblogMondays: Family Day 2023

March: 

• Odds & ends & Oscars
• A moment with LGN
• #MicroblogMondays: "This timeline is the only one we've got"

April: 

• #MicroblogMondays: Worth the wait :)
• Isn't it ironic?

May: 

• Pre-Voldemort Day odds & ends
• "Mommy bloggers" or not, we owe a debt to "Dooce"
• Verklempt
• #MicroblogMondays: An "ouch" moment

June: 

• #MicroblogMondays: Grey skies
• #MicroblogMondays: Neighbourly reminder
• Churches, community & childlessness

July: 

• #MicroblogMondays: A family update
• Family update
• #MicroblogMonday: Hanging in 
• Flash back 40 years...
• Kidding... (but actually not kidding...!)*
• Making space for childless/free experiences & voices

August: 

• Well, this is new...
• #MicroblogMondays: Katie, 25 years, and silver linings
• (Gradually!) Letting go

September: 

• End of an era
• #MicroblogMondays: The (Pandemic) Time Warp

October: 

• #MicroblogMondays: Grateful
• #MicroblogMondays: Plus ca change...
• Sweet 16 on Halloween :)

November: 

• #MicroblogMondays: Be careful out there

December: 

• #MicroblogMondays: A Christmas carol

(Still working on an overall Year in Review post, and finding it hard going... that may have to wait until the actual new year!) 

2023 Reading Year in Review

I started doing a specific "Reading Year in Review" post in 2020. I figured that since I was doing an overall year in review post (which includes some book information anyway), and a blogging year in review post -- and since keeping track of my books is a big thing I normally do on my blog -- my reading life deserved its own year-end wrap-up post too.  :)  

(Note:  I have not linked to all the books mentioned here, but they are all reviewed on this blog.)  

• I increased my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal from 36 books in 2021 to 45 books in 2022, and kept that goal for 2023.  I reached it by Dec. 7th, and wound up with 48 books to my credit by year end -- 3 books more than my goal, or 107%. (I was secretly hoping to do better -- perhaps equal or exceed 2021's total of 59 books -- but, still not a bad showing!) All books read were reviewed on this blog and tagged "2023 books."  
• My Goodreads 2023 Year in Review report tells me I read 48 books with 16,980 pages (versus 50 books with 17,047 pages in 2022). 
• The shortest book I read was "Mothering Sunday" by Graham Swift (208 pages); the longest was "The Cruellest Month" by Louise Penny (849 pages). 
• Average book length was 353 pages. 
• The most popular book I read ( = shelved by Goodreads readers) was "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid (5.1 million readers);  the least popular was "Living the Life Unexpected" by Jody Day (387 readers).   
• The highest-rated book I read was "In Memoriam" by Alice Winn (4.5 stars). 
• My average Goodreads rating in 2023 was 4.2 stars (same as last year).  
• In 2021, I also started tracking books on The StoryGraph (which Brooke told me about), which provides slightly different stats (and even more, with a paid subscription -- although I don't have one of those!). 
• The "moods" of my books were overwhelmingly "emotional" and "reflective," followed by "mysterious," "lighthearted" and "funny."   
• The majority of my books were medium-paced (60%). 23% were slow and 17% fast. 
• 56% of my 2023 books were 300-499 pages;  38% were less than 300 pages and just 6% were over 500 pages. 
• 79% of my 2023 books were fiction;  21% non-fiction. This is a big change from recent years! (I credit the many book clubs I take part in, which mostly focus on fiction.)
• My most-read genre in 2023 was historical, followed by mystery and literary.    
• StoryGraph also tracks the format of your books, but selects print as the default. I think this is the first year that most of my books read were recorded as digital -- 71%! (and just 29% print).  This is more accurate than previous years, but may still not be entirely correct:  some books do not have a "digital" option, in which case I choose print. 
• Most-read authors in 2023:  D.E. Stevenson (6 books), followed by L.M. Montgomery and Louise Penny (5 books each), and Richard Osman (2). 
• Average rating 4.11 stars. (Unlike Goodreads, The StoryGraph allows fractional star ratings.) 
• Once again this year, fiction choices outnumbered non-fiction (many of them re-reads, but still...!):  38 fiction, 10 non-fiction.
• Re-reads -- which I started counting as books read in 2020 -- accounted for a good chunk of my 2023 total. It's difficult to make a firm calculation as to just how many, because some were books that I read on my own and then immediately afterward as part of a group readalong/discussion, while others were books that I've read in the past.  
• My library book club held its last meeting in late February 2020 -- just before the pandemic hit -- and the "Clever Name" online book club hasn't operated since summer 2021.  But, online, the Gateway/Lighthouse Women/Childless Collective Nomo book club (I'm now one of the hosts!), D.E. Stevenson fan group, L.M. Montgomery Readathon on Facebook, Notes From Three Pines Readalong on Substack (which has gone silent in recent months), and Men Yell at Me book club hosted by Lyz Lenz on Substack, helped boost my 2023 reading totals and provided me with a lot of reading/discussion pleasure.   
• My book groups were responsible for 23 of the 48 books I read in 2023 -- almost half!  I read 9 books for GW/LW/CC (including Jody Day's "Living the Life Unexpected"), 6 for DES (3 different books, each counted twice as re-reads), 5 for the L.M. Montgomery Readathon (2 different books, including 1 -- "Anne of the Island" -- counted twice this year as a re-read, plus two -- "Anne of Avonlea" and "Anne of Windy Poplars"-- read on my own), 2 for Lyz Lenz's "Men Yell at Me" book club, and one -- Lois Lowry's "The Giver" -- for a Zoom book discussion led by Lori Lavender Luz and her podcast co-hosts. 
• I also read 5 of Louise Penny's Three Pines/Inspector Gamache mysteries (which would make 28 out of 48 books for book groups!), initially to keep up with a Substack readalong -- but there haven't been any new posts there since June. I've continued to read on my own anyway! 
• As noted above, I reached my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal of 45 books by Dec. 7th, and ended the year with 48 books read -- but I didn't equal my 2021/best-recorded total of 59 books (when my goal was 36).  For 2024, I've decided to maintain my goal of 45 books ( = 3.75 books per month on average)(and hope to do better...!) -- which seems realistic for me right now. 
• I've read more than 45 books in four of the past five years (2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023), and almost 45 -- 43 -- in 2020 -- so that seems very do-able.  But I'm hoping I'll be able to improve on 2023's total, too!  
• While I'm grateful for my book groups and the boost they give to my reading totals, and while I intend to keep up with them in 2024, I'm hoping to be able to read more of my own choices this coming year too.  :)   

• It's always very hard for me to pick a single book as "the best." I read some really, really good books this year -- very few disappointments or "meh" choices -- and I gave lots/most of them four and five-star reviews on Goodreads. (4.2 stars was my average Goodreads rating this year.)  A few of my favourites, in no particular order (I haven't linked to them here, but they're all reviewed on Goodreads, StoryGraph and this blog): 
• "In Memoriam" by Alice Winn 
• "Tom Lake" by Ann Patchett 
• "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus
• "The Last Devil to Die" by Richard Osman 
• "Surrender:  40 Songs, One Story" by Bono 
• "Spare" by Prince Harry 
• "Wintering" by Katherine May

Did you meet your reading goals for 2023 (if you set any)? What great books did you read this past year? 

(2023 Blogging Year in Review coming up. Still working on an overall Year in Review post, and finding it hard going... that may have to wait until the actual new year!) 

"Anne of Windy Poplars" by L.M. Montgomery

My L.M. Montgomery Readathon Facebook group will begin reading & discussing "Anne's House of Dreams" together, chapter by chapter, on Jan. 15th.  It's chronologically the fifth book in the Anne series;  we read #3,  "Anne of the Island," last year (reviewed here and here). Being a completist, though, I decided I needed to try to fit in #4 first -- "Anne of Windy Poplars"  (called "Anne of Windy Willows" in the U.K.).  

It's been many years since I last read "Anne of Windy Poplars." It was written in 1936, later in Montgomery's life, in response to readers' (and her publishers') demands for "more Anne," and bridges the three-years gap in Anne's story between her graduation from Redmond College ("Anne of the Island," 1915) and her marriage to Gilbert Blythe ("Anne's House of Dreams," 1917). While Gilbert attends medical school, Anne assumes the position of principal of the high school in Summerside, Prince Edward Island (which, unlike some of the locations in the Anne books, is a real town on PEI) and finds a new home as a boarder at Windy Poplars with "the widows," known as "Aunt Kate" and "Aunt Chatty," and their feisty housekeeper, Rebecca Dew.  She makes new friends -- and enemies (the entire Pringle clan) -- and describes her adventures in detailed letters to Gilbert. 

Many readers regard "Windy Poplars" as a lesser entry in the Anne series -- and some of the material in it is, admittedly, "filler," and derivative of character types and vignettes from previous Anne books. And yet, the characters are amusing and well drawn, and some of the episodes are truly funny (e.g., dinner at Tomgallon House with a hostess who regales Anne non-stop with lurid tales of her family curse and its victims). I particularly enjoyed the description of a cozy Green Gables Christmas (especially since I was reading this book during my own Christmas holidays!).  And I found myself misty-eyed at the end, as Anne says goodbye to Windy Poplars and this in-between time in her life, and receives a memorable send-off from Rebecca Dew.  

I'm glad I didn't skip this one.

4 stars. 

This was Book #48 read to date in 2023 (and Book #4 finished in December), bringing me to 107% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books! :)  You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2023 tagged as "2023 books."