Books read in 2022

I didn't hit my goal of reading 48 books this year, but I read 36, which is the second most I've read in any year. Here's to setting ambitious goals and celebrating even if you don't do everything perfectly!

Highlights below.

Lots of re-reads this year: The Catcher in the Rye (held up fairly well for me!), the first two books in the Baby-sitters Club series (ditto!), Persuasion (Jane is always a good idea), and two faves from just last year's list, Evvie Drake Starts Over and Circe.

Possibly my last read-aloud series with my kiddo (sniff, sniff): Gregor the Overlander. Good but quite violent. Not a surprise from the author who brought us the Hunger Games series. My nine year old has moved on to reading a dragon series on his own, which is wonderful to witness, but I'm still a little sad at the end of an era.

Sprawling epics: 

The Poisonwood Bible. Wow! So good.

The Lincoln Highway, by one of my favorite authors, Amor Towles. Sadly, I haaaaated the ending, and will probably never read it again.

Circe. I want her to be my cool, witchy aunt and teach me all her potion-making, spell-casting ways.

Absolute Obsession: The Heartstopper series. I watched the Netflix show (so sweet and charming and good!) and then went back and devoured the graphic novels via Alice Oseman's tumblr, which is how she originally released the story a little at a time.

Nonfiction that made me...

Inspired: Atomic Habits. Small changes add up!

Angry: Know My Name. Our "justice" system is quite terrible.

Nostalgic: The Nineties. I wish there had been more women included, but still fun.

Refreshingly relevant poetry: What Kind of Woman. Kate Baer is awesome.

13 states in 3 weeks, part 3

My record of our very long road trip has been bugging me with its incompleteness, and I'm old enough to really understand that if I don't write it down, it will soon be a fuzzy memory at best. So even though it's been almost three months (!) since we got back home, here's the final installment.

After visiting friends and family in Louisiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina, we headed up the east coast. We covered a lot of states in one day: through Virginia, through the tiniest corners of West Virginia and Maryland,  through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and finally arrived in Massachusetts.

As we whizzed by state after state, we quoted popular culture references whenever it was relevant. 

Passing a sign for Chesapeake Bay:

"Lafayette is there waiting, in CHESAPEAKE BAY!"

***

Passing a sign for George Washington's office, one of the kids wonders aloud where GW lived: 

"Young man, I'm from Virginia, so watch your mouth."

***

Passing a sign for New Jersey:

"Everything is legal in New Jersey."

***

Passing a sign for Albany:

"Corruption's such an old song that we could sing along in harmony, but nowhere is it stronger than in Albany."

***

Crossing the Hudson River:

"They row him back across the Hudson. I get a drink."

You can see that when I say we quoted popular culture references, I mostly mean we quoted Hamilton. We listened to Hamilton a ton on this part of the trip, and it brought me great joy. I couldn't show too much of that joy, however, because I have two teenagers plus a nine year old who sometimes thinks he's a teenager. If they do something you think is cool, and you mention how much you like it, they will roll their eyes and immediately stop doing the thing.

Anyway, mostly Ham references. But a couple other things, too.

Passing a sign for Allentown: 

"I'm sorry Mr. Marsh, show business isn't for me. I'm going back to Allentown!"

"What was that word you just said, Allentown? I'm offering you a chance to star in the biggest musical Broadway's seen in twenty years and you say Allentown?"

***

Passing a sign for Vermont:

"That sounds very Vermonty."

We waved at Washington DC and New York City from the car, had to let an attendant pump our gas in New Jersey, and paid quite a few dollars to drive on New York tollway. Then we settled in for a week in the Berkshires.

The boys' Massachusetts grandparents live just a couple miles from the Hancock Shaker Village. First stop was the woodworking shop.

This is the round barn.

Baby goats!

Baby pigs!

Milking a large plastic cow!

Weaving!

Teenagers, following their natural instincts to connect with their virtual herd.

While touring one of the houses, I was about to remark on the beauty of some of the cloaks on display, when my mother-in-law said under her breath, "It's a real Handmaid's Tale feel over there..." indicating these rooms with red cloaks and blinder bonnets. 

I mean,...she's not wrong.

In one of the rooms, they had an installation in which an artist put a film over the windows that made the sunlight come through in these rainbows. It was weird and beautiful.

Love that vibrant prism light, but also, that project table! I could make a lot of messes and do a lot of puzzles on that thing.

One late afternoon the big kids wanted to stay home and watch Stranger Things while Matt and Theo and I took a walk along Lake Onota. The heat subsided, the light was golden, the clouds were giant, and the world was perfect for a minute.

Did I mention that New England is gorgeous? We weren't even there for leaf peeping season, but there were lovely summer flowers in most yards, including my in-laws'.

Did I mention that we brought a record-breaking heat wave with us to Massachusetts? I got an absolutely massive chocolate soft serve here, and by the time I had taken a couple bites and decided to take a picture of it, the murderous heat had it half melted. Womp womp. 

Matt made better choices when he took Theo here: order the giant cone in a boat, and take the picture immediately.

In New England you can play outside on a plush green lawn, rather than crispy yellow Texas grass.

We drove up Mount Greylock and wandered around a bit. Lots of stairs in that observation tower, plus a beautiful ceiling. (Side note: this is where the American equivalent of Hogwarts is set.)

A lodge for people hiking the Appalachian trail, or people who just want to spend some time up on a mountain.

 

When you realize you are 30 minutes away from the border of another state, you might as well hop over and add it to your "visited" list, even if all you do is eat overpriced ice cream from a food truck.

Vermont. Check!

Tomato basil risotto. Not for the cheese-averse.

I also may have found the nexus of the universe in Pittsfield, MA?

I'm sad to say that I did not visit any thrift or antique stores in New England; it just wasn't in the cards. One day I did find myself near a goodwill, pulled in where my phone directed me, and found this:

Oh, the heartbreak! I never got to see what old stuff people give away in New England. It's the oldest region of our country; I'll bet their old stuff is pretty good.

I still managed to collect (in my heart) a lot of excellent mid-century architecture, like this roadside motel.

And a couple dozen houses that I wanted to live in.

On the return trip, we stopped back at my sister's house for one more night. Check out my brother-in-law's sweet vintage ride.

And one last pet of the kitties before we continued south.

Home again, home again. 

Well, not really. Once you see this sign welcoming you across the Texas border, it's still another six hours before you reach Austin.

13 states in 3 weeks, part 2

Some more fun things:

Thread in my mom's sewing room, arranged in  ROYGBIV order.

Another mid-century church design, this one my parents' congregation.

Theo learning how to use the riding lawnmower, while his grandpa chills in the background and his anxious mother follows him repeating, "not too fast!..."

This horse, which had one eyebrow hair that was like 4" long, was pretty much the only bright spot at an ill-fated Airbnb rental. We left within 17 hours of arrival.

Gorgeous view, though.

Cleverly defaced no smoking sign.

Water park.

Bowling.

Donuts.

Playground.

Fruit shortcakes for 21 people.

Measuring to see who is taller: me or my growing-by-the-hour 14 year old. In this picture, taken 12 days ago, we seemed to be even. But I think he's passed me now.

Giant elephant ears that could easily work as umbrellas.

Finally, the gallery of vintage things I wanted to buy but didn't buy.

Scrabble junior with a beautiful, colorful border.

Amazing rainbow of Pyrex dishes.

Pantyhose with fantastic packaging.

Sooo tempted by this painting. Figured it might get ruined on the trip home in our crowded van.

Love this clock, wish it weren't for a cigarette brand.