Photo Credit: Nancy White
Little Whale Cove
Depoe Bay, Oregon
December 2025
And just like that, we have reached the end of 2025. Tempus fugit!
December is always a busy month, but this year I was able to relax and enjoy the quiet days between social events. We hosted a small-ish cocktail party to kick off the Christmas season, quietly celebrated my 64th birthday, attended a large neighborhood holiday gathering, and enjoyed Christmas with my mom, brother, and niece. I managed to read several great books, completed my personal challenge to read all of Elizabeth Strout's works, and started planning for next year's reading goals.
Books Read (click on the title for my review):
The Nix by Nathan Hill (2/5)
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (5/5)
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout (4.5/5)
Oh, William! by Elizabeth Strout (3.5/5)
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout (4/5)
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout (4.5/5)
A Far-flung Life by M. L. Steadman (5/5)
Movies & TV Series:
A Complete Unknown - I'm not a big Dylan fan, but this was a wonderful movie! Chalamet gives a great performance.
Karen Pirie (Season 2) - We like this series, but after a couple of weeks, the storyline is long forgotten.
Visitors:
64th Birthday:
I had a very nice birthday with lots of cards (I love snail-mail!), emails, texts, and phone calls. Rod ordered a delicious cake (raspberry-filled white cake), and my mom took us both out to our favorite restaurant (Local Oceans) in Newport. I now have 9 months to start researching supplemental health insurance to go with Medicare, which I'll sign up for in mid-September.
Christmas:
Another borrowed photo from my brother. Not only did I not take any photos of our Christmas party, but I failed to take any on Christmas Day!
My mom at 92!
That's it for me. Stay tuned for my yearly wrap-ups where I share my reading stats, as well as my favorite audiobooks and tv shows.
Always a favorite for me, your monthly recap and this one is great roundup. There are movies I had not heard about and I will check some of those out. Good job on completng your personal challenge to read the Elizabeth Stout books. Stedman's new book has been on my radar since before she wrote it......after The Light Between the Oceans I have checked constantly for a new book by Stedman. Glad it's a 5 star.
ReplyDeleteFamily photos are nice, even if you borrowed them, haha. Is this your brother from Nebraska? Our son sure loves it in Lincoln and his only want is to be able to move out of an apartment into a house. He will definitely settle there permanently.
Here's to good reading in 2026!
Happy belated birthday! I did not read any of your books but I agree with you on the new Knives Out and Karen Pirie. I felt a little let down by both. Fun Fact the James A. Garfield home is in Mentor, Ohio a stone's throw from where I grew up in Cleveland. I used to drive past it all the time. That was a great series.
ReplyDelete