Maintenance Phase

I titled this post "Maintenance Phase", which doesn't have anything to do with the podcast (although I am a fan.) It's become clear that this the life phase I am currently in. Keeping things moving - getting kids to school, getting myself to work, keeping the house clean and staying on top of chores - is the focus of my days. The weather is not helping, with freezing temperatures and windy days keeping us inside. We've had a few glimpses of Spring, but we're not quite there yet.

It's been awhile, so here are some photos from the past few months. You can still see leaves on the trees in many of these, which is a time I have already forgotten existed.

In a glorious moment of serendipity, I was able to see one of my all-time-favorite pieces of classical music, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto (no. 2), performed live. This venue isn't too far from me and I hope to see more performances there. But - this one started at 8:00. AT NIGHT. I'm basically the social media meme of a 40-something who can no longer leave their house after dark. I was out way past my bedtime so I guess I can only go to matinees from now on.

It was the snowiest winter in several years. I've heard the phrase "stick season", mostly used in New England, to describe the time before it snows when the world is brown. Well, in the mid-Atlantic that's just winter. It's dark, grey, and brown and depressing. Snow is always welcome, brightening up the landscape. Because of all the snow days, instead of school ending on a Friday this year, it now ends with a half day on Monday. I mean, come on. No one is going to go to that and it messes up all the camp schedules!

Flower season has now started with hundreds of seedlings being sewn and tended to. It's not long now before I start preparing the garden and planting out. My flower subscription sales have been much lower than normal this year, something I'm hearing from other flower sellers as well. Everything is expensive these days and I understand that fun purchases, like flowers, are the first to go. I also decided to take a 6-week break in the middle of the summer so that's also going to impact sales. Luckily I am not financially dependent on this business at all, but I know other growers are, so please support your local flower farm, even if it's just one bouquet during the season! (Buying locally is now more important than ever, no matter your location.)

I have been struggling with my "why" regarding this blog for awhile. Posting takes time and effort, and I'm already a regular journaler so I don't necessarily need to record my life in this way. If you are a blogger, I'd love to hear what keeps you going. Although I have had significant breaks, I have been blogging for twenty-one years. But, the state of the world is not great right now, and I like the idea of documenting the beauty that still exists.

In other news, the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist dropped this week! I've already read three books on the list (The Safekeep, All Fours, and The Ministry of Time), and plan to read the full longlist eventually. I started this week with Broken Seeds, the only book I don't have to wait in a lengthy hold line for. I look forward to discussing these with those of you who are also reading along this year.

Favorite Books of 2024

In 2024 I focused on reading what I enjoyed, rather than a number. I wanted to get to some longer books without being fixated on my stats. Although I read 24 less books than in 2023, this was a high-quality reading year. Here are some of my favorites.

Favorite Books of 2024

Of the 91 books I read in 2024, seven stood out to me. I am a rare 5-star giver, which I reserve for the cream of the crop. If I really enjoyed a book and thought it was well written, it generally gets a 4. Five-star reads are those books that I thought about while I wasn't reading, anxious to get back to them. I know I will remember details from these books for years.

God of the Woods by Liz Moore: I think most of the internet loved this book, a literary mystery about a girl who goes missing from a summer camp. The story had me hooked and I kept looking forward to picking this one up. I also really liked how the chapters were labeled with the narrator and year; because of the dual timelines and multiple perspectives, this could have easily been confusing.

Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy: This is the most accurate portrayal of motherhood to a young child that I have ever read. The husband drove me nuts (which I think was the point). If you are a parent, read this to feel seen, and if you don't have kids, read this to know what parents are going through. Really, nothing has captured the conflict between the exhaustion of parenting, loss of self, and love for a child better. (from this post)

North Woods by Daniel Mason: A novel told in interconnecting stories, this is a book not about people, but the land. Mason follows one parcel of land in Western Massachusetts over hundreds of years, describing the evolution of a house and the people who occupy it. Most of the stories are completely captivating and original, but my favorite thing about this book is how Mason respects the reader's intelligence. He doesn't explain everything outright, but trusts that if you read closely, you pick up on the full story. (from my earlier post) I really hoped that this would win the Pulitzer for fiction this year, but I was wrong. Ack! [I did read this year's winner, Night Watch, and meh.]

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout: Everyone loves Olive and now I understand why. Told in interconnecting stories, this book is about a small town and its inhabitants, with Olive playing a role in most of the townspeople's lives. Grumpy and sometimes downright mean, she has a good heart hardened by a difficult past. She is one of the most real characters I've ever read. I'm looking forward to reading more by Strout. (from my earlier post) 

A Ghost in the Throat by Dorieann Ní Ghríofa: For some reason I thought this book was fiction when I picked it up, but it's actually a memoir. Combining the author's experience of motherhood with the life of an 18th-century female poet, this book has a hauntingly beautiful quality. Ní Ghríofa is a poet and this fact shines through in her writing. One reason why I personally enjoyed this so much is because I studied abroad in Ireland at University College Cork, which is the same university that the author attended. We are exactly the same age so I can only assume we were there at the same time - the mentions of places in Cork that I remember drew me back to this time. (from my earlier post)

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne: This book is the story of Cyril, born in Ireland right after World War II. It spans his entire lifetime, from being giving up for adoption by his teen mother, until the end of his life. Cyril is gay and grows up with immense shame, tamping down feelings of love for his best friend. The book spans countries and time periods, handling the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and other tough subjects. But also: this book is funny. 

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead: Another long book, following the entire life of Marian Graves, a female pilot in the early 20th century. It was the perfect combination of plot, forward movement, character development, and excellent writing. (It was shortlisted for both the Booker and the Women's Prize, quite a feat.)

2025 Reading Plans

Over the years I've learned that I generally do not have great reading experiences when I pick up a book just because it's popular, or because it "looked good" on the new shelf at the library. In 2024 I focused on reading books that had been recommended to me or had stood the test of time. I have never been able to stick to prescribed monthly or otherwise time-bound TBRs, so for 2025 I'm focusing on several lists of books.

• My Storygraph TBR (54 books currently): I am very picky about what I add to my TBR these days. It has to have been recommended by a trusted source (generally by more than one), have relatively good reviews, and be in a genre I know I like. (No romantasy or thrillers for now!)
• My owned TBR (58 books currently): The library sells paperbacks for 50 cents which is my  weakness. I prefer to read actual library books because the due date gives me motivation, so buying a book is a sure-fire way to ensure that it will take me forever to get to it. I have owned some unread books for over 15 years. I need to whittle this down!
• Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and Women's Prize Winners (17/98 and 6/29 respectively): I will continue to work my way through these lists.
• Completing the works of Barbara Kingsolver, Maggie O'Farrell, Claire Fuller, and Peter Heller: Apparently I like authors with double ls in their names. 
• Reading from series I have started: Every once in awhile I like to check in with old friends. I am currently in the middle of reading Louise Penny's Three Pines (skipping to the later books because of her choppy writing style); Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite; and Elly Griffith's Ruth Galloway. Other series I have started and may pick up are Ragnar Jonasson's Dark Iceland, Jussi Alder-Olsen's Department Q, and all of Ann Cleeves' series.

This is well over the number of books I can read in a year, and I am viewing it like Oliver Burkeman suggests: a river, not a bucket. I am not up on what new releases come out next year, but I will definitely be picking up any books by authors I have previously read and loved.