Can't say I'm sad to see 2023 end. The first six months (session) were rough and really dragged by. The next three months passed at a fairly normal pace and then September onward went by in about three weeks. 😐 The optimist in me is hoping this next session will go more smoothly and be less stressful/contentious, while the (much stronger) realist in me knows it's going to be another train wreck. All prayers for the retention of my sanity would be greatly appreciated.
One way I survive each year is to travel. I think I may have broken a record for the number of trips I made this year:
- February: Las Vegas (visiting Matt)
- April: Las Vegas (for Mom & Matt's birthday/Easter) and New York (Sweeney Todd!)
- July: Denver (dog sitting)
- August: San Diego (summer vacation with mom)
- September: Omaha (one night for NFA gala)
- October: Omaha (one night for my birthday) and Denver (dog sitting)
- November: Kansas City (traditional Thanksgiving weekend trip)
- December: Las Vegas (see below)
While they were probably necessary in correlation with how tough this year was, I was a bit traveled out by the end (something I never thought I'd say it).
As to books, fortunately my reading list isn't quite as tragic as Part 1 of this year. It includes a great number of audiobooks and - Katie P-A should be proud of me - I officially signed up for Hoopla and Libby, making me one of the cool kids. 😎
Speaking of Katie (author of Once Upon a Pyne), she put together a rating system that she uses on Goodreads. I asked for permission to steal it and have implemented it below.
Here is her (and now my) criteria:
⭐: the worst piece of garbage I’ve ever read ⭐⭐: overall bleh book, but some redeeming qualities
⭐⭐⭐: liked it, but wouldn’t read again
⭐⭐⭐⭐: liked it more and would read again
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: amazing and definitely should read again
I've decided to add a + designation, which is basically a half star.
If you want to keep up with what I'm reading on a more updated basis, you can follow me on Goodreads.
- Seveneves by Neal Stephenson ⭐⭐⭐+
"The moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason" is the opening sentence. 😳🌙 Broken into three parts, I'm still in Part One...which is where I was at the end of last year. I plan to bring it with me when dog sitting, so hopefully I can finish it then. UPDATE: I finished it! :) The amount of extensive details is very impressive. Lengthy, long winded, somewhat-mind-numbing-because-I-have-no-point-of-reference, endless detail. Watching how humanity handled the situation and the interpersonal interactions were the most interesting part of the story. - All Creatures Great and Small by James Harriot (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐
I ended up kinda finishing the audiobook. I found a 4 part series on YouTube and when the 4th part ended, it clearly wasn't the actual end of the book. I tried finding another recording, but couldn't find my place (where the other one left off), so I listed to about 2 more hours before giving up. I like the writing style, but the subject matter just wasn't for me. All it did was make me super grateful that I live in the city...which is a plus, I guess. - Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (audiobook) ⭐⭐+
I'm not a big fan of WC. I thought this was better than My Antonia, but likely won't read it again. I know I must be missing something, since several people I know like it a lot...so it's likely a me problem. - Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Fr. Jacques Philippe ⭐⭐⭐½
Lots of good thoughts and perspectives about finding peace in your life. Would definitely recommend giving it a read. Thanks for the loan, Katie P-A! 💗 - Alpha Attacked by Eve Langlais ⭐½
Guys, it was so bad! 😂 Bad characters, poorly written, sexist garbage that I couldn't put down because I had to see how it wrapped up. I bought it as a prank, a joke based off something that happened at our White Elephant last year. Ask me if you want more details. 🐺 - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell ⭐⭐⭐⭐
While the rampant racism can be very uncomfortable at times, this is a well crafted story that is definitely worth reading. You really get to know the characters and can feel the atmosphere shift and change as the years go by. The characters of Rhett and Scarlett are really interesting, because you spend a ton of the book wishing they could just have an honest conversation, which should lead to them both being happier, better people...but if they were real human beings, I don't know if that ultimately would have been the case. Rhett tended to bring out the worst in Scarlett, which is something they both kind of liked and doesn't make for a healthy relationship even if they'd been better communicators. - The Golden Enclaves: Lesson three of The Scholomance by Naomi Novik ⭐⭐⭐
The third and last book in The Scholomance series, this wrapped up the magical and wizarding saga. While there were some interesting twists, there were some eye-rolling and unnecessary inclusions of teen sex that will keep me from recommending it. - Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (audiobook) ⭐⭐
(makes frustrated sounds) So...the quality of writing was excellent. GGM is a very talented writer. But the protagonist in this perverted male fantasy was an absolutely irredeemable human being, which I don't think I've ever felt about a character before. His obsession, complete self-centeredness, utter lack of regard for others and zero self-awareness made him a completely despicable character who had no right to any kind of a happy ending. SPOILER(ish): Were I to write an alternate ending, the underage girl he groomed into a relationship would have left a suicide note (she didn't in the book), kicking off his misdeeds coming to light and the object of his obsession refusing to have anything to do with him, depriving him what he wanted most. Either that or have him be eaten by a crocodile. I'd have been ok with that too. - You're Invited by Amanda Jayatissa (audiobook) ⭐⭐
While there was an interesting twist at the end, the characters were annoying in fairly cliched ways. No idea how it has a 3.9 rating on Amazon. 😐 - Never Lie by Freida McFadden (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐+
The perfect thriller for a snowy winter day...too bad it was in the 50s while I listened to it. 😄 The author did a good job of escalating the tension and including a couple good twists. Felt a little Blake Crouch-lite. - The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐+
An interesting thriller about three couples with "A Letter to Three Wives" (1949) vibes. I felt the author was purposely confusing a couple times, which was a little annoying, but I liked it overall. - The Gift by Frieda McFadden (novelette, audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐
Look, I don't condone murder, but... - The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐
Can therapy solve your problems in just ten sessions? That's what former therapist (now consultant) Avery Chambers believes. While I think the ending wasn't quite earned, it was an interesting premise and made me think of Shrinking (2023). - The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen (audiobook) ⭐⭐⭐
Once I realized there was a time jump, the story made more sense. The author does a good job playing off assumptions to then share the twist about halfway through (and another one near the end). Similarly to The Golden Couple (by the same authors), I didn't feel the ending was quite earned.
And the last trip of the year, back to Las Vegas!
Matt, Mom and I stayed two nights at the Bellagio, a quick trip for them to attend the Raiders vs Chargers game. We also had dinner at Hell's Kitchen and toured The Sphere, which was super cool.
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| Chihuly sculpture in the lobby of The Bellagio. |
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| The Nutcracker Christmas display in the Conservatory at The Bellagio. |
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| Giant Christmas tree in the Conservatory at The Bellagio. |
Video of the Nutcracker Christmas display at The Bellagio.
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| View from our hotel window. |
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| The fountains in front of The Bellagio. |
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| Fancy outfit for a fancy dinner. |
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| Fancy shoes too! |
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| I'm a big Gordon Ramsey fan, so was excited to eat at Hell's Kitchen. |
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| Cool light fixtures in the entry of Hell's Kitchen. |
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| I ordered a drink called Notes From Gordon: gin, green tea, lemongrass, peach and lemon with a little rolled up scroll. |
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| This is the note that came with it. 😂 |
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| My Beef Wellington. |
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| We had brunch at The Wynn and wandered through their Christmas display afterwards. |
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| After Mom & Matt attended football game, we toured The Sphere, the world's largest structure. We wandering the interactive atrium and attended the immersive cinematic show. The outside is a giant screen, which displays various images/videos. |
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| The atrium in The Sphere. |
Matt asking the AI a question.
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| The view from our seat before the show begins. It's an immersive experience, including moving seats and blowing wind. |
Because of the curve of the screen, it looked like we were moving through the landscape, as opposed to looking at something on the screen.
The clarity of the screen was incredible and definitely worth checking out. My only complaint was the eventual "humans are the worst" message of the story woven through the video. I decided to disregard the propaganda and enjoy the spectacle.
Here's to 2024 being better, more peaceful and full of exciting adventures.
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