12/31/18
Filed under:
General
Posted by:
Ann @ 7:53 pm
I know you are probably thinking, what a way to spend New Years Eve! I will keep it short and then relax in front of a roaring fireplace on this cold rainy December 31st.
We had a lovely Christmas season with family and friends. Christmas Eve we settled around the tree with our advent candles glowing, and the lights out, singing Christmas Carols, which somehow always includes Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. It is lots of fun and even though we have a few grumblers, I think they all enjoy that tradition as much as I do. The we start the gift exchange. With great grandchildren ages three, four and five… it was an exciting time! It’s wonderful to see the generations interacting and enjoying their time together, making memories to last a lifetime. We had twenty-four for Christmas Eve dinner, from ages four months to eighty-nine.
I read a few good books this month:
My favorite was The Children’s Christmas Carol by Johanna Spyri. Fiction. It was a small, out of print book, written by the author of the classic, Heidi. It was an unforgettable WONDERFUL story. Also takes place in the Swiss Alps.
The Bird’s Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggins. A beautiful Christmas story. (*Bird was the family name; Carol was their daughter’s name.)
Year One by Nora Roberts. Fiction. End-times saga about a virus that changes the world as we know it in just a few weeks. A gripping haunting story.
An Unsuitable Match by Joanna Trollope. Fiction. A master story teller at her best. Great characters and many twists and turns. Received this novel from my best friend for Christmas and after taking a peek at the first two chapters, it stayed on the top of my stack of books to read.
Sisters, The Lives of America’s Suffragists by Jean H. Baker. Nonfiction, biography. It was not an easy read but such a thoroughly interesting and informative book. It was our book club read for December, the book discussion was intense and detailed. Everyone agreed it was a worthwhile and important book to read.
On Audible, we listened to Fallen by David Baldacci. Fiction. But it was almost like listening to the evening news, set in Northwest PA. and dealing with the opioid epidemic. Many twists and turns and quite different from his usual novels. Another worthwhile story given the state of affairs around the country.
We watched a few fun Christmas movies, but probably nothing most of you haven’t seen several times yourselves.
I continue to work at my writing and have a detailed plan of action for the coming year. My first Willow Lane Newsletter was finally published in early December. You can subscribe to the Newsletter at
authorannmcccauley@gmail.com So far I have over one thousand subscribers.
I am also becoming more active on BookBub, if you want to buy current e-books by your favorite authors, check out this site, they have great bargains that change daily. My first BookBub book review was posted last week:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ann-mccauley?list=reviews
Till next time, keep reading and stay warm!
Later,
Ann