Hello, friends. After a holiday season filled with family and fun, we are finally back in Florida. This is the longest we've been away in nearly a decade and it feels great to be on the island again. We are pleasantly surprised by the progress that has been made since we left at the end of May. There's still a very long way to go, but Sanibel is coming back strong!
It's been a few weeks since my last post and there's a lot to talk about this time of year. December turned out to be an excellent reading month, so I'll begin with a wrap-up.
Books Read in December//
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
literary fiction, reread,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Shortest Day by Colm Toibin
short story/novella, audio, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Day by Michael Cunningham
literary fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang
fiction, read/listen combination, ⭐⭐⭐
How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis
nonfiction, ⭐⭐⭐ (I'm an outlier, most readers love this one.)
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
literary fiction, Booker Prize shortlist 2023, read/listen combination, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
One Woman Show by Christine Coulson
literary fiction, novella, read/listen combination, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
January Reading Plan//
Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
I love Pilcher's novels and am starting the year with this 900+ page chunkster. Buddy reading with Tina is adding to the fun!
by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Next up will be February selection for the Modern Mrs. Darcy book club.
Posts to Write//
My Favorite Reads of 2023
2023 Reflections and 2024 Game Plan
Overdue Reviews
Also in January//
Now that we're back home, we can resume our Hurricane Ian repairs. There are also friends and neighbors to catch up with, postponed appointments to reschedule, and as many sunsets at the beach as possible!
I hope 2024 is off to a good start for you. What have you been reading lately?
Welcome home! It must still feel a little strange after having been gone for so long, especially with the visible changes since you guys left. I'm hoping to get to "Lillian Boxfish" in the next few days after all the good things you've had to say about that one. Sounds like a lot of writing ahead of you...good luck.
ReplyDeleteSam - After last winter and spring, it's almost like returning to a different island... which is a good thing.Lillian Boxfish is just a delightful read, and knowing the character is based on a real person made it even better.
DeleteI'm glad you had a good holiday with your family. It's always nice to be back home, isn't it? I'm glad December was a good reading month. I hope January and 2024 are good reading months for you as well.
ReplyDeletehttps://jennielyse.com/sunday-news-50/
Jenni Elyse - Yes, it's great to be home again. I have a feeling that January's books will be low in quantity, but high in quality!
DeleteIt must feel great to be back in FL and I am so pleased that the island is bouncing back. What a relief. Have a wonderful week
ReplyDeleteHelen - I was especially struck by how much greener everything is! Last year the vegetation was mostly brown and depressing, but it sprung back to life with the summer rains.
DeleteI've got Day here, but I've been waiting to see what others thought of it before I started it.
ReplyDeleteI hope you will share as many sunsets at the beach as possible. Good luck with your repairs.
Deb - It's always such a pleasure to read Michael Cunningham's writing and I thought Day was excellent! Such an interesting structure and he did a beautiful job with the characters, too.
DeleteHooray you're back at Sanibel! Glad the island is doing well. Must be nice to walk the beach. It'll be really cold here this week so I'll be living vicariously. I read The Personal Librarian this year and thought the whole story was amazing due to the courage of Belle. The Pilcher book seems huge! I've not seen that one. Happy Reading in 2024!
ReplyDeleteSusan - I'm hoping to read both The Personal Librarian and then Belle Greene by Alexandra Lapierre. Marie Benedict will be speaking in Sanibel next month and I entered the ticket lottery today... fingers crossed!
DeleteWow that would be great to hear her talk. I hope you get to. !!
DeleteSusan - I'll find out Monday or Tuesday!
DeleteYay for a great month of reading in December! Sounds like you have been busy, but things are going well. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier. Cindy cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteCindy - I had low expectations for December reading, but then was able to fit in some great books! Hope than continues into January.
DeleteI remember seeing the destruction of Sanibel from Ian. It registered because I had just watched a Samantha Brown Places to Love on the area and it saddened me to see that. It's wonderful to hear you're making progress on repairs! Happy reading and have a lovely week!
ReplyDeleteRachel - I remember when Samantha Brown and crew were here filming... lots of excitement! Things will bounce back slowly. Right now the problem is that almost all the beachfront hotels and condo complexes are major constructions zones. Very few places for visitors to stay...
DeleteSo happy to hear you’re back home. Coming Home sounds like it’s a perfect fit for you. Have a wonderful week ahead.
ReplyDeleteJodie - I'm loving Coming Home so far. Reading Pilcher is a real treat!
DeleteI'm glad Sanibel is bouncing back and you're back in Florida! We'll be heading to Naples sometime this winter to visit my in-laws. It looks like you had a great reading month in December. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteJen - Sanibel has really come a long way! It's going to take another two or three years, I think, but more people are coming back every week. Our friends in Naples were recently able to move back into their first floor condo on Gulfshore Blvd. We're looking forward to seeing it soon... and hopefully a visit to the Botanical Garden, too.
DeleteYay for the Sanibel return! I've lived in Minnesota most of my life and usually love winter here, but the older I get, the less I love it. Sigh. Right now I'm reading a ripping good book, Manhunt, about the 12-day search for John Wilkes Booth. It reads like a good spy novel. Even though I know the ending, I'm still quite caught up in it.
ReplyDeleteAmy - I never minded winter until we got an ice dam on the roof... what a fiasco! When my in-laws offered us their condo here, we jumped at the chance. Never looked back...
DeleteGood to hear about the recovery from the Hurricane. It’s gone out of the news cycle, and we often wonder what’s happening, for example, to the National Seashore there.
ReplyDeleteYour book llist is very tempting.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae - There was quite a bit of damage to the mangroves here, but they certainly did their job in protecting the land and structures. After Charlie in 2004, it took almost a decade for them to fully recover. I think the damage was worse this time, so we'll see what happens.
DeleteSunsets at the beach seem a great way to celebrate being at your home. Yay for getting yourself back there. Happy reading in 2024!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joy. Being able to catch a sunset on the beach is my favorite part of living here. Happy New Year!
DeleteI really enjoyed The Personal Librarian!
ReplyDeleteSarah - I haven't read any of her books before and am glad to know you really liked this one!
DeleteIt sounds like the repairs in Sanibel are coming along. That is good news. And such a lovely picture! I hope to read The Personal Librarian and hope you enjoy it. Have a great week, JoAnn. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteWendy - I'm looking forward to The Personal Librarian and entered the lottery for the author talk here next month.
DeleteYay January! Yay Sanibel!!
ReplyDeleteCare - We're here, at last!!
DeleteGlad to see you are back in the Sunshine state--it is absolutely frigid in CO right now, and I would love to be in a warmer place myself. I want to reread Coming Home--I love Rosamund Pilcher's stories. They are always so satisfying. I hope you like Personal Librarian--I thought it was wonderful, so interesting on various fronts.
ReplyDeleteJaneGS - Pilcher has been a favorite for decades, probably beginning with The Shell Seekers when it was first published. About 25% in, Coming Home is so engaging. Looking forward to The Personal Librarian and also have Belle Greene by Alexandra Lapierre on my shelf.
DeleteI'll bet it feels wonderful to be on the island! I'm glad to hear that Sanibel is recovering. Isn't it interesting that December turned out to be such a good reading month for us? I'm usually too busy/stressed, but this year I really embraced my reading during the holidays. I bought my mom of Lillian Boxfish, but she's already read it, so it's in my stack. I have Day on reserve at the library and look forward to reading that one, too. I'll probably skip Joan Is Okay, even though I have it on audio. I might have gotten a comp audio edition of that one. Hope you're enjoying Coming Home. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your sunsets!
Les - It's so good to be here, especially with it being so much better than last winter! Judging from the comments on Modern Mrs. Darcy, most readers enjoyed Joan is Okay more than I did. You might still give the audio a chance and see what you think...
DeleteHow wonderful that you are back on the island and especially to hear that a lot of progress is being made. I cannot imagine just how do you reconstruct after such a major event. Here's to many wonderful sunsets this 2024! And, have a great time with the first books of the year. I'm really enjoying my Rosamund Pilcher read!
ReplyDeleteIliana - It's always such a treat to read Pilcher!
DeleteGlad you are back to Florida and things are looking up! So happy you had a fantastic reading month. Looks like you have two big books this month and I wish you luck! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHeather - Hope 2024 is off to a good start for you and your family! I'll stop by and see what you've been reading.
DeleteI am very much enjoying reading with you! Makes me want to read so many more Pilcher books. As it is I have a lineup for the upcoming months with Lillan Boxfish, a Claire Lombardo novel, Three by Valerie Perrin and a few more.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are safely back in Sanibel!
Tina - It's so much fun reading a book with a friend! You have some great books ahead of you, too. I never did get to Fresh Water for Flowers last fall, so now it is on my 2024 priority tbr... something new I'm trying this year!
DeleteWhat a fabulous pile of books read in December. I am currently making my way thought nonfiction books for the Cybils Award and jealous of people reading adult literary fiction. Guess that is a telling comment, huh?
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Anne - It is, lol! There will be lots of great literary fiction waiting for you after the awards.
DeleteI haven't read Coming Home in years but I really should reread it. It's a lovely book and I remember loving it. I'm finishing up a couple of thrillers and then I think I'm going to be looking for a quieter read. Happy January!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - Coming Home is such a wonderful book... can't believe I haven't picked it up before now! Hope you find the perfect next read, too.
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