One of my bookshelves
Good morning everyone.
I hope all is well in your world.
I am resting and it is feeling,
pretty good.
Catherine and I had a lovely weekend.
The theatre on Friday,
a nice quiet Saturday,
and on Sunday,
I preached at my church.
It’s Monday,
Sunny, cold but the sky is blue.
I have been going over,
which books I read this year,
I had some goals going into,
2022,
I fell short in some areas,
I exceeded in others.
So far,
as of December 5 th,
I have read 35 books,
I should manage,
a few more before the year,
is done.
It is less then I had hoped for,
but, ultimately,
that isn’t really important.
I read deeper,
than I used to,
and I read lots of online sources,
as well as magazines.
I have a subscription to,
Chatelaine, House & Home,
Esquire and Bon Apetit.
I also read lots of,
New Yorker,
The Paris Review,
Literary Hub,
The Atlantic etc.
I read, quite a bit,
but, I also watch more,
You Tube videos than I used to,
again,
so what.
Of the 35 books read so far,
in 2022,
twenty were written by women,
I am pleased about that,
I want to read more women.
Nine of the thirty-five were in,
French.
Eleven were by Quebec authors,
in both French and English.
Four were by native authors,
or told native stories or history,
three of those were in French.
Nineteen were non-fiction books,
memoirs, essays, correspondence,
sociology, history.
Six were by LGBTQ authors,
and all of them had LGBTQ content.
When I started my 2022 reading,
I wanted to read more than fifty books,
I didn’t reach that objective.
I wanted to read more,
women writers,
not only did I accomplish that,
but, a majority of my reading,
was women authors.
I wanted to read more in,
French, mission accomplished.
I wanted to read more,
Quebecois content,
I did that as well.
I wanted to read more,
by and about Native peoples,
I did but I am still way behind,
in that sphere.
I wanted to read more,
on LGBTQ history,
cultural and otherwise,
I did but again less than,
I would have liked to.
It has been a fabulous,
reading year,
a lot of that I can attribute,
to my wonderful peeps,
in the Montreal Literary Book Club,
who have suggested,
some incredible books.
Kukum by Michel Jean,
When Women Were Birds: Fifty-Four Variations On Voice,
by Terry Tempest Williams,
both those books were,
top notch, touching,
beautifully written,
great books.
My stand out book of,
2022,
is La Femme Qui Fuit by Anais Barbeau- Lavalette.
it has been translated,
here is a link to an article,
from Canada Reads about the book,
and it’s translation,
https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadareads/why-ana%C3%AFs-barbeau-lavalette-wrote-a-novel-inspired-by-the-grandmother-who-abandoned-her-family-1.4981954
Catherine gave me a copy of this book,
for my birthday,
my mother had read the book,
in 2016 or 2017,
and had loved it,
and told me I should read it.
I resisted,
it was a very popular book,
and a critical success,
and I often resist the books,
everyone is reading.
This novel which is based,
on the Barbeau-Lavalette’s,
maternal grandmother’s life,
was shattering,
when I finished it,
I looked up to the sky,
and said “Mom, you were so right!”
Catherine bought me this book,
because she listens when I tell her,
stories,
when I share,
the things I wish I had done,
the small regrets.
Her giving me this book,
and understanding the link,
with my mother,
made me love her,
that much more.
If Quebec culture, art, feminism,
family and what it means,
memoirs, women, history,
any and all of these subjects,
interest you,
read this book,
in French or English.
It is haunting and hard but,
mostly,
beautiful.
So those are my reading numbers,
and a tiny bit of my,
reflections on a year’s worth of,
reading.
I will give it a little thought,
and come back with a reading plan,
for 2023.
Be well everyone,
read some books,
good for the mind,
good for stress,
good for the imagination,
and so good for the soul.
Later girls,
BB
