I chose this picture of our family together on an excellent day to sum up the year because, in a way, we've come to the end of those days: With Kennedy moving into her own home, and even with Mallory moving back in here with me and her Dad, our family foursome is no more. It's bittersweet, of course: we're proud of both of the girls and the women they've grown into, and while we always want them near, we also want them to be independent adventurers in life outside these walls. We had it all too good for far too long (but the future promises to be good as well). Once again, this was a year free of hardship and tragedy for our family, and for that, I acknowledge our bountiful blessings.
To begin my recap, my top reads:
Top Five Fiction Released in 2018
This was probably my most entertaining read of the year - it puts the grrr in girl power and I loved every bit of Miller's female perspective on the Greek myths.
This was my favourite Canadian fiction release of the year, and if I ruled the world, it would have won the Giller Prize.
I loved the grit and suspense of this read; really a stand out for me.
Some surreal short stories that really piqued my imagination.
A book that becomes better in my memory as time passes - my favourite read on the Man Booker Prize shortlist.
It's funny that this year's fiction releases didn't, for the most part, blow me away, but I read quite a few excellent nonfiction.
Top Ten Nonfiction Released in 2018
I agreed with just about everything Dr. Peterson writes in this book - and I loved being in the know when it became controversial to those who hadn't bothered to read it.
BraveI was also fascinated by Rose McGowan's story and was pleased to have read her book just before she experienced fallout over it.
This is such a strong work of investigative-journalism-meets-memoir on its own, but the related events of this year elevated the whole learning experience it provided.
Such a touching and personal memoir; probably more touching for me at this stage of my life.
This book struck me in the way that it reminded me of a line of inquiry I had pursued decades ago; so fascinating, but I reckon I'll always be too straight-laced to drop that acid in search of answers to the big questions.
I loved everything about this book - from the fascinating information to the unbiased writing.
This is the book that I wish I could put into the hands of every Canadian and say: read.
Fascinating information, enthusiastically recounted.
Winter's Bone, The Price of Salt, and Imagine Me Gone were my favourite recent(ish) fiction releases, and I found some excellent reads among the classics: The Old Man and the Sea, Crime and Punishment and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (which, surprisingly, turned out to be my favourite of the Brontë sisters' novels). I also loved the related reads I encountered this year: the update that The Meursault Investigation added to The Stranger; the biographical information from Mary's Monster that elevated Frankenstein for me. All in all, it felt like another productive year of reading for me.
But, of course, my year consisted of more than just reading. This year, the bookstore where I work moved into a new location - with new branding and new store standards. Now, instead of spending all of my shifts talking to customers about books, my job is more about tidying and restocking; primarily lifestyle goods. Honestly, in every way that matters, the new ethos is that how the store looks is more important than how it functions - for us and for the customers. It doesn't help that two other stores in our chain had grand openings in the region this year - leaving our managers short-handed and our store overrun by these other stores wanting to train new staff there - but I feel let down by the entire company. I'm not quite at the point of rage-quitting, but the job has changed so much that I almost feel like they have quit me; I'll need to think on what will make me happy going forward.Like every year, we went to plenty of live shows. We started the year by watching Mal's directorial debut with Bye Bye Birdie at Laurier - I missed seeing her perform, but she certainly left her artistic mark on that play. In February, we went into Toronto to see the amazing Seanna McKenna star in a gender-bent Lear, and later in the summer we saw her in the title role of Julius Caesar at the Stratford Festival. Also at Stratford we saw The Tempest (not fantastic) and Coriolanus (which was fantastic), along with The Music Man and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (in the picture above). We went to the Drayton Festival twice - once to take Ella and her friend to see Hairspray here in town, and Dave and I took Mal to see Beauty and the Beast when she was on an archaeological dig up in Penetanguishene (such an awesome getaway that made for us). We went to see Jimmy Carr do standup at The Centre in the Square in May, and in an undisputed highlight of Dave's life, we were front row to see Carol Burnett perform there in September. An undisputed highlight for both of us: Seeing Kennedy in her first Fringe show in Toronto in July, followed up by a live play reading in October. In July, Kennedy's boss gave her tickets to take me into Toronto to see Come From Away, and Mal was so jealous that Dave took her in to see it on Boxing Day (it was a hit with all of us). Also, because Kennedy works in the office of a children's musical theatre company, Dave and I went out to support her by watching performances of School of Rock and Fame - not nearly as interesting as seeing your own kids perform, but the company does put on high quality shows.We also saw some bands play live this year: In February, Dave and I saw Rob Thomas at the GIFT Gala, and later that month, Mallory and I went into Toronto to see a tribute to Leonard Cohen starring various Canadian artists. In June we went with Dan and Rudy to see The Monkees (really just Mickey and Mike, but it was very exciting for Dave), and in September, the family saw Gowan at the Fall Fair. In October, Rudy and I went to see Jann Arden sing and tell her stories - and that was a special night for both of us.As I wrote about before, summer vacation saw me, Kennedy, Zach, and Ella drive down to Nova Scotia to visit my parents, followed by a brief camping trip around Cape Breton (Mallory was busy taking a trip to Europe with her pal Chris; Dave was busy working). And in a last minute decision to give Dave a holiday this year, too, he and I went to Cuba at the beginning of December.
This was a year with a few more changes for me: I finally decided to join the book club that a few of my coworkers go to. It's good for me to get out like that among women, nice for me to be able to talk books with others readers, but I don't have much in common with this particular group; we don't really like the same books (but I do like going). I also said yes back in September when Rudy asked me if I wanted to join a boot camp with her. We attend at 6:45 every morning, and that half hour workout plus a limited meal plan saw me lose thirty-five pounds in twelve weeks. It's funny how some people tiptoe around asking me if I *maybe* was doing something different - I understand that saying, "You look like you've lost weight" can feel like saying, "You sure had a lot of weight to lose" - but I have enjoyed the attention; and particularly at Christmastime, seeing the people I only see a few times a year.My inlaws have been about the same: Granny Bev is losing more mobility and memory all the time, but still seems like herself. Grandpa Jim takes care of her the best he can, getting older and a bit weaker all the time (but it is good that he gets away once a week to his bowling league; that he can put Granny into an all day program once a week to get some respite). Of course, Rudy is the one holding it all together, working hard to take care of both of them every day. So far so good.Meanwhile, my own parents have decided to move into town from their big impractical house in the woods - if they ever make a final decision on their new living situation, my little brother Kyler will take over the lake property for all of us to continue using. There has been some drama - especially for my big brother Ken - surrounding this, but we'll all be happy and relieved once the parents are in a safer, less strenuous situation. Finally, we got through Christmas with all the usual traditions (including long and tiring shifts for me at work):
So, I worked and read, went to shows and the gym. I did some low key travelling this year, and as I began with, knew very little strife; I get more than my share of happiness. I am delighted that Mallory moved back home to figure out her next steps after pausing University, and although I'll miss having Kennedy's smiling face around here, I am so proud that she and Zach became homeowners at the tender age of twenty-three. And although that also meant that Kennedy took her dog, Peaches, with her, that directly led to the happiest of year-end situations for us. Meet Cormac, who will be coming home next week:
What more could anyone ask? Happy New Year!
