Lala Rules: Read the Books!

I think, as it's now less than 30 hours until the new year, we can officially declare my reading list for the year complete.
I've had a reading goal for several years now and I think I've only ever reached it once? I've come close but have fallen short more often than succeeding. I have discovered that having a prescribed list of books to read for the year doesn't really work for me. Sometimes you're not in the mood to read anything you picked out in January, no matter how well intentioned your choices were. Sometimes you need to follow a heavy book up with some excellent YA fiction or a hilarious comedy (Thanks Jim Gaffigan). Sometimes you find an authour and want to read everything they've written. Sometimes an audiobook performer leads you to other works they've performed you've never even heard of.
Anyway, this year my goal was 24 books and I nailed it! As of today, I've read/listened (science says listening counts!) to 33 books. Even without the YA fiction, which Adam maintains shouldn't count, I made it.

They are as follows, in no particular order, with my unsolicited thoughts:
(bold items were audiobooks)

Non Fiction:

1.The Examined Life - I listened to this and thought it was great but it might have been better to read so I could apply the lessons better. It's the same thing I think about Brene Brown books - they need a slow thorough reading in order to absorb properly

2.Why Not Me - I already loved Mindy, this just confirmed my enjoyment of her.

3.Yes Please - I love Amy too. I'm a big fan of comedians who read their own stuff.

4. As You Wish - Delightful. At some point I'd like to read 'Princess Bride' watch the movie and then listen to this again.

5. Upstairs at the White House - enjoyable to the max, so much so that I recommended it to my bestie and my Mother in Law.

6. I am Malala - a Christmas gift from Adam last year. This took me a long time to read because I owned it so it kept getting pushed to the back of the line in favour of books with deadlines.

7. The Big Short - this was shocking, disturbing and disheartening. Everyone should read it.

8. Not my Father’s Son - powerful memoir by Alan Cumming. I thought he did a fantastic job.

9. Dad is Fat - I needed something light and enjoyable after reading about the OJ trial and this was great. Plus, I keep thinking about some of the things he said, both hilarious and meaningful. Well done Jim.

10. The Run of His Life: The People vs O.J Simpson - I watched the mini-series of this earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to get more into the actual facts. Disheartening when you get down to brass tacks though and the fact that he literally got away with murder. Very accessible.

11. Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania - I've read both 'Devil in the White City' and 'In the Garden of Beasts' by this authour and this was more of the same - his skill at making history come to life is enviable.

Fiction:

12. The Luckiest Girl Alive - this was a hard one but one day I might want to read this with my girls, as a conversation starter.

13. East of Eden - get out! Why have I never read this before? Loved it.

14. The Lake House - Morton delivers enjoyable storylines, even if I HATE jumping between narrators/time periods device.

15. The Girl On The Train - gah! Full of frustrating and unpleasant characters but I could not put it down. Gripping stuff. Reminded me of 'Gone Girl'

16. The Martian - I still haven't watched the movie but now I totally would because the book was enjoyable and funny

17. Redeployment - this book of short stories from a writer who served in Iraq was HARD to read. Very upsetting I kept going though because I felt like I owed it to the people who have real stories like this. I left with my belief reconfirmed: we ask too much of these people. We ask too much of their families.

18. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - I thought I was getting the book the Tina Fey movie of the same name was based on. Nope. This was science fiction/conspiracy theory and I kept waiting for it to be funny/enlightening. Interesting but I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise.

19. Their eyes were watching God - book club delivers again. Loved this.

20. Sunset Song - every time I read this I love it and the place I grew up even more.

21. Laddie - I think this is sort of like the American, Norman Rockwell version of 'Sunset Song'

22. Still Alice - powerful and haunting

23. The French Lieutenant’s Woman - I want to read this again, I didn't care for the audiobook and I wonder if the main character would seem less obnoxious on the page

24. The Client - my first ever Grisham; not as gripping as I had hoped to be honest. Enjoyable, but maybe I've seen too many Grisham movies which might play to all the books strengths making the books seem lackluster by comparison

25. Big Little Lies - Moriarty does enjoyable twists and I loved the accents in this audiobook

YA Fiction

26. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before - fairly enjoyable YA, fast read

27. P.S. I still love you - ditto

28. Wildwood Dancing - a retelling of a fairytale, not my favourite YA of the year, but clean and enjoyable

29. We were Liars - a last minute twist that made me want to re-read the WHOLE book. Those are the best kind

30. Finnick of the Rock - enjoyable fantasy, not enjoyable enough to get me to read others in the series though

31. The truth about forever - meh

32. Eleanor and Park - dark and sad but good.

33. Liesel and Po - this was a Jim Dale audiobook (he read the Harry Potter series)

34. Girl In The Blue Coat - loved this. WWII Amsterdam - tense and twisty and thought provoking.

Wow, that got a lot longer than I intended it to be.

And now, for next year. The goal for 2017 is one book and one book only.

TEAM OF RIVALS

I'm coming for you Kearns Goodwin.

Maggie Rules: Grow Your Hair

The thing is, when your first baby comes with hair (which was a surprise to be honest, both in colour and amount) you expect subsequent babies to come with hair. Behold Jo's newborn locks.

She wasn't going to win any hairy baby contest but she had hair, no doubt about it. She continued to have hair too. She never really got that bald patch in the back that some babies get. 

There's an old blog post about the advent of her pigtails, at 8 months old even. 

Her pigtail game continued to be strong at two years old. Basically, Jo's hair went from strength to strength. Nowadays it's sort of off the charts in gorgeousness. People stop her and ask if I curl her hair. Nope. Ain't nobody got time for that. 

    It's just a thing that happens when you're Jo.

Now don't get me wrong, Maggie did come with hair. When they handed her to me, she had the tiniest little curls of red hair. I started telling all and sundry she was a red head. I was ecstatic on her behalf - I spent years envying my sister's lush red curls. Nobody was convinced though, and when you look at pictures it isn't hard to see why. Maggie's hair when not wet was nonexistent. She had fabulous wrinkly old man bald head. 

I was firmly convinced though that she was a red head and as time marches on I continue to hope she's got some curl. 

The lack of growth in Maggie's hair has led to an ongoing series of updates on her hair status. This results in a weird collection of pictures and outtakes that lead to much hilarity when viewed as a whole. Behold, just some of your Maggie hair updates:

So, our hair situation has recently moved firmly into the pigtail category. Not only that, but Maggie will now ask for her hair to be done. If she watches Jo get hers done first that is. And as such, I had to document the pigtails on the Christmas card. Oh what a joy they are, even the second time around. Perhaps especially the second time around.

Oh this girl!