There’s not much going on from day to day here, so very little to report. I will be doing some website maintenance in the next couple of weeks, so there may or may not be posts for a bit. We will see how it goes. There was a request (thanks, Erin!) for book recommendations from 2025, so here goes…

I read fewer books this year (70-80 instead of 100+) due to the fact that we were on the move so much. As a result, my “Did Not Finish” list was much longer than usual. Here are some that I did finish and enjoyed:

Fiction

Series:

Although I have burned out on a lot of other series, I have still not tired of Craig Johnson’s Longmire books. There is something about that crusty old Wyoming sheriff that I really enjoy.

Also not a new recommendation, but the Irish Country Doctor  novels by Patrick Taylor. They are gentle and sweet and funny. The audiobooks are a real bonus for all the Irish accents.

They’re no secret, but Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club and sequels are winners. Subtle humor and great characters. I also recommend his other series, starting with We Solve Murders. Different characters, but just as entertaining.

The Searcher and The Hunter by Tana French. Also thrillers, set in Ireland.

I’ve been recording my own versions of the Little House books (Laura Ingalls Wilder) for the grandkids. I have been surprised at how interesting they still are.

Stand Alones:

Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life was a nice romance

Lucy Foley’s The Hunters has big Agatha Christie vibes

The Wedding People by Alison Espach was a good comedy of errors

Non-Fiction:

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green. I just can’t recommend this one highly enough–we could wipe this disease out if people cared more about the poor.

Changeable by J. Stuart Ablon is absolutely awesome, especially for parents. The world could really benefit from his approach to collaborative problem solving. Other books that are great for parents: 10 to 25 by David Yeager, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlis, and 1-2-3 Magic by Thomas W. Phelan.

The Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel

Reading American history books is soothing for me because it reminds me that our country has always been tumultuous, a little kooky, and people have always been at odds. It helps to make the situations of today not feel quite so catastrophic. Although not a book, Ken Burns’ newest PBS documentary, The American Revolution is excellent and should be required viewing for all citizens.

David McCullough never goes out of style. The books this year were Truman (president, obviously), The Great Bridge (massive book about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge), and The American Spirit (a collection of some of McCullough’s essays and speeches). Nathan also read The Wright Brothers.

I also read Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (another big one) and Nathan and I just finished The Aviator and the Showman by Laurie Gwen Shapiro about Amelia Earhart and her husband, publisher George Putnam.

Nathan also recommends the evergreen Atomic Habits by James Clear and I add that his weekly email newsletter is EXCELLENT.

She’s not for everyone, but I enjoyed the awkwardness that is an extra character in That’s a Great Question, I’d Love to Tell You by Elyse Meyers.

Chris Hayes examines why we can’t shut off our phones, but should, in The Siren’s Call

Bonus Podcast Recommendations

(most of these are probably repeats from previous lists, but this is what I’m listening to lately):

Dear Hank and John, No Such Thing as a Fish, Wild Card, Everything Everywhere Daily, No Stupid Questions, Life Kit, The Moth, Hard Fork, The Wirecutter Show, Cautionary Tales, Revisionist History, unPaused, Good Hang, The Happiness Lab, Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know, Home Cooking, How to Do Everything, and if you’re into Star Wars and want to see it from a whole new angle, The Daughters of Ferrix. Also, a very old program that still makes me laugh is Cabin Pressure (the episodes are destinations and go alphabetically, so definitely start with Abu Dhabi). To help me get to sleep when I’m on a plane or we are staying somewhere noisy: Get Sleepy and Sleepy History. They’re engaging enough to get you to shut off the ruminating part of your brain but boring enough to send you to dreamland.

Ok, that’s it! Cheers!