Space Station Mir

 My 2022 reading stats will not be as impressive as former years in overall numbers and also less impressive when I break it down, but I did do at least some diverse reading in 2022, which I hope I can significantly improve upon in 2023. I've modified my usual survey to just some basic stats that matter to me--it was originally taken from the sadly now discontinued blog, Boston Bibliophile . 2022 Reading Stats How many books read? 38 Fiction/nonfiction? 31 fiction, 3 nonfiction, 4 poetry Female/male/nonbinary author ratio? 32 female, 5 male, and 1 collection with mixed genders  Writers of Color/Minority Writers? At least 3 books by writers of color, at least 7 books by Jewish authors, at least 1 Muslim author, 1 collection with multiple writers of color and minorities, at least 2 LGBTQ writers Favorite book? Fresh Water for Flowers  by Valerie Perrin, about a French cemetery keeper finding joy after tragedy Longest and shortest books? Longest:   Fresh Water for ...

 This year, I want to go easy but still have some overarching guidelines for my reading. Thanks to That Artsy Reader Girl for continuing to host Top Ten Tuesdays.  Bookish Goals for 2023 Read at least 36 books. Read books I already own, library, or Kindle books. Read at least two books by women in translation. Read at least 25% books by authors of color. Rearrange my bookshelves. 

 Although I didn't read as many books as I normally do in 2022, I still read some incredible books that I continue to think about. I tried to stay on the lighter side in 2022, but some of the books I really loved featured characters who suffered from tough issues while they experienced new and bright beginnings. Some of my favorite books were also from debut authors, including one of my cousins. Without further ado, here are my favorite books that I read in 2022. Favorite Books I Read in 2022 Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin--Beautiful evocative story about a French cemetery keeper and how she finds hope after tragedy The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab--What if you could live forever--but no one remembered you were there? One, Two, Three by Laurie Frankel--the incredible hopeful story of three triplets grappling with the aftereffects of the polluted water in their town The Temple Scroll by Erez Hassul--Indiana Jones-style mystery thriller set in Israel; my re...

For the first time in many years, it looks like I will not hit my annual reading goal (52)--and that's okay. It has been a rough year at times, and I've turned more to television shows and movies than to books. That's okay. Maybe next year I will turn more to books or maybe I can start writing more about the TV I've been watching (Netflix's Wednesday was everything I could have hoped for). I have still read some truly excellent books this year, which I will post about soon, and I've spent some time reading and savoring books of poetry, nonfiction, or literary magazines over longer periods of time. I'll update this list if I do manage to finish anything else before the new year. Books Read This Month Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins--I enjoy Collins' poetry, which tends to be accessible and also center on a lot of wordplay, although a few of these did not age well. Collins is an older poet whose gender essentialism makes it to the forefront ...

Since I've been teaching Hebrew school this year, I've been preparing for Hanukkah since November. That's when I learned the apparently indispensable "I Am a Latke" song (my students were shocked I never learned it), as well as helped them learn some of my more traditional favorites like Maoz Tsur and the blessings over the candles. The first night of Hanukkah is fortuitously timed for next Sunday night, so my students will showcase their songs at the Hanukkah extravaganza at Hebrew school that day and get to show off their prayer skills for their families that night. Then, one night during the week, we'll go and sing at a nearby senior center. We already sent Hanukkah cards to Jewish soldiers overseas too. So, it is looking to be a very special Hanukkah indeed, but here are a few books and other items that could make my Hanukkah even brighter. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! I'm switching up the topic today for obvious reasons.  Paper Brigade, Vol. 6 --This is th...

 I'm doing winter books this week, since I will be sharing my Hannukah wish list next week. Hannukah starts relatively late, on Dec. 18 this year, but ends on Dec. 25.  I haven't really been keeping up with my TBR list much lately, and now I have a bunch of books (ok, two) to review (whyyy do I look at all the LibraryThing and Goodreads giveaways whyyy), but here's the aspirational list. Books on My Winter TBR List I Bought My Husband's Mistress Lingerie by Stacey Freeman--I tend to find memoirs easy to read these days, and this one looked interesting despite the, er, provocative title. (LibraryThing review) Caribbean Competitors by Poppy Minnix--Childhood friends in the Caribbean--it made me click. (LibraryThing review) Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater--Saving this up for a rainy (snowy?) day. Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom by Carl Bernstein (Book club read) And, maybe I'll just stop there so I can catch up. What are you all reading?

I only read two books in October (one was a literary magazine but I still think that counts), so I decided to just put these together. Reluctant Genius  I've actually been reading with one of my students for months, and we finished the beginning of November. It was a great choice, and I would highly recommend it for anyone 12 and up interested in Alexander Graham Bell.    Books Read in October and November Wanderlost by Natalie Toon Patton--Received for LibraryThing review; the odyssey of an evangelical Christian woman from Arkansas who travels the world and learns a lot in the process. Ploughshares, Spring 2022, edited by Ilya Kaminsky--So glad I subscribed when I saw Kaminsky was editing; I loved every single poem--unfortunately, all their other issues seem to be prose, and I tend not to love the litmag short story genre :-/ Reluctant Genius: The Passionate Life and Inventive Mind of Alexander Graham Bell by Charlotte Gray Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin--Love...

I'm focusing on books that give a cozy feeling, aren't hard reads, but leave you feeling satisfied, and maybe gently challenged along the way--mostly mysteries, romance, and whatever amazing, cozy sci-fi/fantasy amalgams Becky Chambers produces. And there's something cozy about books that literally teach you how to create an atmosphere of coziness too :-)  Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Cozy Reads Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman The Latke in the Library & Other Mystery Stories for Chanukah by Libi Astaire The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin--this might not be an obvious pick, since the protagonist has dealt with a tragedy, but it's really about the life she's built for herself, and her cozy future Once and For All by Sarah Dessen--similar to above, the protagonist has dealt with tragedy, but this is about moving on and a subsequent fun romance Devotions: The Selected Poems o...