2023 was a decent year for reading for me. I made more space in my life for doing puzzles but still managed to read a total of 52 books. Quite a few were books I read at bedtime with my kids, including the Chronicles of Narnia series, the Hobbit, and the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy (which I consider an accomplishment in itself!). It was actually not too hard for me to choose my favourites for this year. In case you missed last year’s list, you can find my list from 2022 here.
Read More
Here we are at the end of 2022. It’s been a good reading year for me – finished 52 books and found many gems along the way. It’s a difficult task to boil it down to 5 top reads, but I will try! (In case you missed it, here’s my list from 2021). I’ll also include a list of honourable mentions at the bottom of this post. I’ve linked the books to Amazon here, purely for convenience of reference. If you’re able to support your local bookstore or get these from your local library, please do so.
Read More
Early on in our marriage, we realized that most of our everyday conversations were superficial in nature but we didn’t often get around to talking about the deeper things that mattered most to us. We decided to address this by booking off a day to discuss these topics. After all, businesses and organizations have annual planning retreats, why couldn’t we? That’s how Blue Days were invented. Over the 13 years we have been doing Blue Days, many people have asked us what we talk about. We put this post together to outline the topics we cover.
Read More
It was down to the wire. With two nights remaining until 2021 was over, I parked myself on the couch after the kids went to bed and got to work. I had a deadline to meet. I wanted to be able to say that I finished 40 books in the year that I turned 40. And I did it. (Yay!) Of the 40 books I read, some of them were older books that I’d had on my to-read list for years, others were re-reads of books I had loved and wanted to read again. 14 of them were audiobooks that I borrowed through our library and listened to while painting, knitting, or puttering around the kitchen.
In keeping with our tradition of posting a Top 5 List (in case you missed it, here’s my list and Tim’s list for 2020), I’ve chosen books that were new to me this year. Since they’re difficult to rank, I’m listing them by category. I’m also including an Honourable Mentions list as well as a list of top books that my kids enjoyed listening to me read at bedtime.
Read More
The first book that I read in 2020 ended up changing my life. Sounds dramatic? Let me explain and I’ll let you decide. In January, I picked up Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life (affiliate link) by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. It was a book Tim had asked for last Christmas but its pretty teal cover called to me and I stole it before he had the chance to crack it open. Little did I know what would come as a result.
Read More
For 2019, my reading goal was two books a month. This year, my goal was 3 books a month. I exceeded my goal this year by completing 38 books (with a few more partially read). This doesn’t include all the books I read aloud to my kids at bedtime. (Hello, Next Best Junior Chef Books 1, 2, and 3, and Unusual Chickens books 1 and 2 – all of which I read out loud twice…!)
Looking back, what surprised me is that 16 of them were audiobooks. I never thought I would enjoy audiobooks but thanks to our library’s audiobook system, I’ve been able to “read” while I paint. A win-win.
Now at year’s end, I’ve compiled my top 5 picks for 2020. Since it’s hard to rank them, I’m listing them by category:
Read More
At the beginning of 2020, I (Olive) was looking at the year to come, and thinking about what I wanted to invest in.
I was really challenged to take the artist part of me seriously, to not just treat it as a hobby, but to pursue it as a career. I realized that if my life were to end and I looked back at my life, I would really regret not living into that integral part of who I am.
Read More