Mind Picking : Farewell 2013

Last day of 2013, time to reflect I guess (that's what bloggers do, right?) On my "The Big Who" section I describe myself as "a little bored" and that is certainly true -- life doesn't change too much for me day after day or even year after year. But I don't say that with a baleful tone -- my life is happy and stable and utterly free from tragedy. The most tense and unhappy time for me and my family in 2013 was when my father-in-law had his (third) bypass operation in November, but since he was able to travel to our home for Christmas, I'll call that a happy ending. 

This is primarily a book blog, so it feels appropriate to make a Top Ten list out of the 111 books that Goodreads says I read this year -- but that's easier said than done. I tried to sort my reading into a Top Ten of books written in 2013 and another Top Ten for earlier publishing dates (because I couldn't decide on just ten books), but that felt arbitrary in the end: I would have needed to include more from this year than I really loved and fewer from earlier years. So after much internal debate, I have a Top Five for 2013 and Top Fifteen for other years:

Top Five Books Released in 2013

 The Orenda

My absolute favourite book of the year, based on its plot and writing and how important it felt to me. My pick for the GGs.

  Harvest

A portrait of an inevitable downfall that would have been my pick for the Man Booker.

 The Crooked Maid

Perfectly captures a fascinating time and place. My pick for the Giller Prize.

  Hellgoing: Stories

Disturbing short stories that lingered in my brain.

  Night Film

Plain fun.

Top Fifteen Reads From Earlier Years

  February

My other absolute favourite book of the year -- made me cry and marvel in equal measures.

  Come, Thou Tortoise

This is the most affected I have ever been by an essentially funny book; laughing through the tears.

  1Q84

Totally messed with my brain. And I liked it.

  The Fire-Dwellers

Something about this feels like my story, even though it's nothing like my story. It's a shame that I read/re-read all of the Margaret Laurence this year since I decided to limit myself to one book per author for the sake of variety -- this is one of my very favourite authors, and I feel guilty not including all of her works on my "best of" list. Honorable mention to: The Stone Angel.

  Away

This also felt incredibly personal and intimate.

  Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

I flatter myself to think that this is exactly the book I could have written in my 20s if I had had the confidence (and, you know, the talent).

  The Stone Diaries

Simply one of the most perfect books ever written.

  Gargantua and Pantagruel

Historically interesting and (mostly) funny.

  The Master and Margarita

A sly peek into Stalinist Russia.

  A Good Man

Another pure Canadian story by one of the masters.

  Farewell, My Lovely

I don't know what I regret more: That I waited so long to read Raymond Chandler or that he wrote so few books. OK, it's the latter because I want to read and read and read Chandler, and then read him some more.

  The Dinner

Totally intriguing.

   Anansi Boys

Fun and interesting.

  Shake Hands With the Devil

The most important nonfiction book I read this year.

  Bossypants

My favourite memoir of the year, and I listened to quite a few memoirs (27 according to Goodreads) since they are easy to listen to (no character voices that usually bother me in audiobooks).

And now a look back at 2013 in (mostly fuzzy cellphone) pictures.

We started the year in Orlando. The girls pointed out that it had been 8 years since we had last taken them there and that they would really like to go again (imagine being bored of our Caribbean resort vacations?) So we rented a house and invited Dave's parents to meet us there (since they always rent a trailer in Clearwater for a few months and they couldn't get into it this year until the 8th of January). We went to Disneyworld and Universal Studios -- and, of course, Hogwart's was the big hit. Since our preordered Universal tickets were messed up, they compensated us by giving us "skip the line" passes for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and it was decadent to be able to wander through the castle, pausing to see the things that interested us, and passing the hundreds (thousands?) of people corralled in the regular, snaking lineup. When we went on the ride, no one took our special passes, and I must tattle on myself and say that we came back at the end of the day to skip that line again. Another life-hacking highlight: When we went to Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney with the inlaws, after waiting what seemed like quite a while for our meal, we watched in horror as our lunches slid off the waiter's giant tray and landed on the table and laps of a different family. We could appreciate that they would have been compensated for the accident, but we were gobsmacked when the manager came running over to assure us that our lunches would be free as well.  We played cards and drank champagne as a family to bring in the New Year, and another highlight, I got to take Kennedy to buy her prom dress. A big success!

Butterbeers at Honeydukes.

Yep, that's what I call a prom dress and Kennedy had a great time, attending with her boyfriend, Zach, and co-hosting the party as one of the Presidents. Soon after Prom was Graduation, and Kennedy took home a pile of awards and scholarships.

This was also the year that Dave's parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary and preparing their party was a big job in which I participated.

Summer brought Canada Day and our annual pilgrimage to Nova Scotia, where the highlight was Pop's new pontoon boat.

And like most years, my favourite part was a mini-vacation just for the four of us on the way home. This year was a stop in Sudbury and this turned out to be an inspired choice -- great museums and scenery and food. (Especially The Laughing Buddha!)

Fall came too soon: 

 Kennedy started university at Guelph:

And Mallory took home her own academic awards:

We had fun at Oktoberfest, Thanksgiving and Halloween:

Grandpa had his health scare, but it all worked out fine.

And this was the image I put on a mug for him for Christmas, lol

And we were grateful that the pretty icestorm didn't affect our power right before Christmas:

And I suppose we end the year with Christmas, and I am so happy that the girls still insist that their Dad read to them The Night Before Christmas before they go to sleep, that they still wait on the top step, asking when they're allowed to come downstairs in the morning, and also that they'll permit me to put them to work in the "cookie factory".

Christmas in July with all the Jonses.

So, there it is: A totally typical year, and while it may not seem terribly exciting, it was a year with many laughs and few worries. A year that, once again, filled me with gratitude and joy and lots of time to read and, for the first time, the gumption to sit down and write about it.