Words by Allyson

2023 was an interesting reading year for me. I met my goal of reading 50 books, but I had fewer standouts than in previous years. Nevertheless, here are the best books I read in 2023.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross. Since I'm not much of a fantasy reader, I worried if I would like this or not, but it turns out this is right up my street. I'd say it has fantasy elements more than it's a fantasy book and I absolutely devoured it. Also, the sequel came out about 2 weeks ago and I've already fiinished it too - just as good as this one.

 Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. An epistolary novel about WWI - this was fabulous. I read it at Christmas which I think helped too, but it's one I would reread because I loved it so much.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. I went through a series of children's and middle grade books last spring and early summer and this was one of them. I listened to it on a car ride and immediately called my parents to tell them they should read it to (and for good reason - it was Dad's favorite book of the year!).

The Labors of Hercules Beale by Gary D. Schmidt. It seems Gary D. Schmidt has got my number and this book was no exception. I listened to this on a road trip and had to pull over at one point because I was crying so much, so you've been warned. But it was worth every tear!

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. My book club read this and even though it was a reread for me, I enjoyed it just as much the second time through. Such an inventive and fast-paced story - I loved revisiting it this year.

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl. I discovered several years ago that I really enjoy food writing so reading this book was a delight! Reichl had wild stories about her time as the NY Times restaurant critic and the most lush and fabulous descriptions of the meals she ate. It includes recipes and some of the reviews that she wrote. I read her book Save Me the Plums last year and will certainly read her others soon.

I'm watching Gilmore Girls for the first time. I watched several episodes when I was in high school and didn't love it. This go around, I'm about halfway through and I'm really enjoying it.

I mean, it is a lot. 

Lorelai's clothes are truly heinous, but I'm growing a soft spot for her. Sookie gives me anxiety every moment she's on screen. The set is the same one from Hart of Dixie, so there's a weird feeling when I think it's Bluebell, and not Stars Hollow. Also, Stars Hollow is such a TV show name for a town. I absolutely love Kirk; he's maybe the best part of the show.

But it's fun and clever and cozy.

And that's what I need right now.

Last weekend, I went to a bridal shower for one of my dear friends. 

At the beginning of the event, the bride went around the room to introduce everyone. About halfway around the circle, she paused. Her eyes filled with tears, and she got choked up, and eventually she said, "I just really love you guys."

We all could feel it - just how precious each of us were to her. And just how grateful she was to have a room full of people near and dear to her.

I hope that I make my family and friends feel like that. That they know how much I love them and how much I'm grateful that they're a part of my life.

Do you have favorite sounds? I saw someone ask this question a few weeks ago and I keep thinking about it. Ever since, I feel like I've been much more attuned (for better and worse) to the sounds around me.

I love the sound of rummaging through my makeup bag.

Water on rocks.

The crunch of gravel under foot.

Shaking sprinkles in a jar.

Clicking keys on a keyboard.

Waves on a beach.

Wood-wick candles.

Pianos.

There's an elevator at my therapist's office that smells just like my kindergarten classroom. The first time I stepped inside, I recognized it immediately even though I've not set foot in that room since I was 5. And every time I take the elevator to my appointment, I remember my kindergarten self. I recall my first day--the outfit I wore and where my assigned seat was on the carpet in front of our teacher.

Every year at this time I am reminded of how much I did love being in school. 

This week, I've driven by the neighborhood kids waiting for the bus on my way to work and I silently wish them the best. That they make good friends and don't get swallowed by the middle school darkness. 

That they make the soccer team and their show choir audition goes well and that they have memories they can smile at.

I hope that school brings them joy.

And then, at the end of it all, that it makes them excited to grow up. 

Here's to first days.

A few things I've listened to lately:

1. Field Trip - This was fascinating! The host travels through five National Parks and explains their past and plans for their future. I've never visited any of the parks mentioned so it was especially interesting for me.

2. All of the Finlay Donovan books - I'm finally up to date and they're so much fun! I'm so sad that the next one doesn't come out until late next year.

3. The Retrievals - This was truly heartbreaking. 

4. Speak Now (Taylor's Version). Long Live is still as good as it was in college.

I need another pair of sandals like a hole in my head, but I keep looking at these.

While we're on the shoe front, these have already made it past the cart and are on the way to my house.

I watched Hook the other day, and though I've seen it a million times, I just couldn't get over how sweet it is that his kids are his happy thought! Made me tear up!

I made this dressing this week and it's just spectacular.

Just rotating sandwiches.

During the pandemic I bought a Kindle since I couldn't go to the library. I used it for several months but once the library opened again, I set it aside. About a month ago, I picked it back up again and I've been obsessed. Mostly because I can read just about anywhere and the library lines are much shorter for ebooks.

I've been browsing for weeks for a new dresser and it's not going well so far.

I'm OBSESSED with this home. Really into that wallpaper.

It seems that everyone had some book or reading that has made a visceral impact. When a story, even a fiction one, stirs up a disquiet that lingers. I had several. In elementary school, it was Charlotte's death in Charlotte's Web. Middle school brought Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron and Golding's Lord of the Flies.

But ninth grade takes the cake.

In my freshman English class, we read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, a short story where a town draws straws and then publicly stones one person each year. I was utterly disturbed by it. For weeks afterward, I replayed lines from the story over and over in my mind until I'd frightened myself so badly that I couldn't sleep. 

It was too much; there were too many feelings.

Overwhelm is not always uncommon for me, but it does feel like books drag it out a bit more. The images from these books last a little longer, and I can nearly always recall where I was and how I felt when I first read them. 

But overwhelm need not always be negative. I have some lovely memories, too. I still remember learning to read and the thrilling moment it started to make sense. Or also freshman year, crying on the couch as my mother read to me the last few chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird, now my very favorite book. Or just a few years ago reading late into the night and waking up early the next morning to finish a book before work because I simply could not put it down.

All too much. Too many feelings.

I am obsessed with this tiny lamp. Completely obsessed. I don't really need it, but my self control is waning and it may end up in my shopping cart soon.

This post on Emotional Touchstones was really stirring for me and I've been thinking about it ever since.

How great is this bag? 

I've been listening to the Second Life podcast. The episode with Blaire Eadie was especially fascinating to me!

My book club is reading Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson, the most recent Newberry award winner. I don't read a lot of children's literature, and it's exciting to turn to something so different!

On Saturday, I woke up, got dressed, and drove to DC in the pouring rain to run the Cherry Blossom 5K. It was my second race in about 6 months and the first I'd run by myself. It's been a long time since I felt this proud about an accomplishment.

I've been running for a little less than a year. My friends can confirm this has truly become the most annoying part of my personality, but I really do love it. It's been so satisfying to work at it and (very slowly) see the improvements. When I started, I could hardly run for a minute at a time. Comparing that to the 40 minutes that I ran this weekend without stopping makes me immensely proud.

I always have equated getting better at something as that task becoming easier. This has not been the case; the very nature of the activity is that every run is a challenge. Even on the days when I'm feeling my best, I always end the run tired, sweaty, and usually with some aches or pains. Getting better at running has been more about abiding discomfort than ease. Running when I don't want to run. Finding ways to convince myself to push a little harder and a little longer. 

It's been a lesson in patience with every stride, and I'm grateful for it.