I often opt for audiobooks and podcasts over music, but there's one artist that's been turning the tide. My friend recommended Zach Bryan and I've been hooked on his set list, swept up in his voice, guitar, harmonica, and easy lyrics. Love a good throwback to my country music days :)
Here are my jukebox pics:
17. Mine Again
"And I ain't ashamed to say who the hell I am"
16. Heading South
"He was a boy who was a dreamer"
15. Cold Damn Vampires
"Don't let 'em steal your hope, child"
14. Snow
"It's nights like these in the August heat"
13. Sun to Me
"Find someone who grows flowers in the darkest parts of you"
12. Revival
"Baptize me in a bottle of Beam and put Johnny on the vinyl"
11. November Air
"Memory gives warmth to right here"
10. Let You Down
"I will let you down and that's a damn guarantee"
9. Hey Driver
"To a place they still put sugar in their iced tea"
8. Something in the Orange
"But I miss you in the mornings when I see the sun"
7. Oklahoma Smokeshow
"But she swears that his love is a damn God send"
6. Dawns
"Love's just another drug I have grown a victim to"
5. Tishomingo
"And I've been dreaming of a porch swing with some lights"
4. I Remember Everything
"But I'll remember you singin' in that '88 Ford"
3. Burn, Burn, Burn
"I wanna feel it all, joy, pain, and sky"
2. Nine Ball
"Corner pocket at 12 AM"
1. Spotless
"If you want spotless, I'll always lose"
I'm kicking off this year's installment of February Features, my annual celebration of creatives, entrepreneuers, and their work, with a post that couldn't be more fitting. Earlier this month, my artsy friend hosted a house party art gallery night with one twist -- the walls were adorned with the guests' artwork! I loved having an excuse to make something and enjoyed the easy conversation starter when meeting people for the first time. It felt very Seattle and made for such a fun and unique evening that I couldn't stop talking about :)
Cheers to another year of books! In 2024 I hope to do three things for my reading life: continue, simplify, and stretch.
Updated categories for this year:
2. Simplify my lists i.e. use the rule of threes and only focus on the next three titles in my queue
3 Books I'm excited to start:
3. Stretch myself in reading longer books. I don't want a high page count to scare me off!
My reading continues to be eclectic and fun. I find joy in discovering new favorites and discussing books with friends. This was the year I fell for Ann Patchett, encountered my first Stephen King, and completed a sampling of graphic novels. It was also by and large the year of the audiobook as I was completely won over by the format! I'm sharing some fun stats and my 5-star ranked reads for the year -- all 25 of them!!
Highlights:
- 68% female author
- 40% nonfiction
- 31% BIPOC author
- 5% 2023 releases
- Listened to over 35 books on audio
- Read over 12 graphic novels
- Read one play
- Went to West Seattle's Silent Book Club for the first time
- Went to two Seattle Art & Lectures events (Ann Patchett and Tom Hanks)
- Continued my personalized monthly prompts, and attendance in multiple Book Clubs :)
- Read 13/16 books on my initial reading list for the year
My subjective 5-star ratings are based on how much I enjoyed the reading/listening experience, which is usually a direct correlation with how enthralled I was by the writing/language. How much the story and themes stick with me, and how enthusiasticly I recommend to others helped determine my top 5 favorites.
I love an excuse for gathering friends and tonight we hosted a Winter Solstice Party with the same group we celebrated the first day of fall. NLW was very excited and expected it to snow. :) Fortunately we had a little snow kit that we received as a party favor earlier in the year. It was a hit! We made this soup and had a dance party to this festive song to mark the occassion.
While I've loved the foggy mornings and stunning sunrises of these late fall days, I'm so looking forward to sunsets that creep past 4:30pm.
