#AMonthofFaves 2019: Winter Reading (Or In My Case, Last/First Books of the Year)

All this month, I’m joining Tanya & Kimberly at Girlxoxo and Tamara at Traveling with T for their annual #AMonthofFaves blog event – a fun way to recap the year that was. They had a schedule of topics planned out for 14 days and so far, I have participated in two: Popular Books Worth The Hype and On The Screen or In Your Ear. In addition to this one, I probably will do two more, Challenges and Goals, and This is How We Read. next week. To see the entire list, visit #AMonthofFaves 2019 [Blog Event] Announcement. Today’s topic is Winter Reading – Your fave reads from last Winter, or seasonal reads you love, or books on this year’s winter reading list.

For this prompt last year, I wrote specifically about Christmas books. This year, I think I’ll talk about the books I’ve read towards the start of new years. This seems apropos as I look once again toward choosing a book for my first book of the year and consider what I will be reading to end the year.

In late December of 2014, just before the start of 2015, I read Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World by Thich Nhat Hanh. Then to start the year 2016, I read The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Miguel Ruiz. In early 2017, I read The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. Last year, I jumped off the self-improvement bandwagon to read The Library Book by Susan Orlean. Out of the self-improvement books, the best was The Four Agreements, with the other two fair to middling. The Library Book, despite a slow start for me, was one of my favorite books this year.

This year, I’m thinking about jumping back on the self-improvement bandwagon, but I don’t know yet which book I’ll choose. I have a couple of possibilities:

• Almost Everything: Notes on Hope by Anne Lamott
• Your Erroneous Zones by Wayne W. Dyer

I remember trying to read one Lamott book years ago and not being able to get through it or it not catching me at the time. But I’m willing to try this since right now, like much of the country and indeed the world (I’m looking at you, Great Britain and India), I think we all need hope. The Dyer book, meanwhile, I’ve had on my Kindle for years, but just never had read although my wife has read several of his books and loves the late author’s work.

I’m leaning toward Lamott’s book, but I already started reading a little and enjoyed it, so it might be before then. I’ll let you know, of course.

Before my first book, though, I have to finish my last book or two this year. I’m in the middle of The Lord God Made Them All as I continue to make my way slowly (but enjoyably) through James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small series. I probably will finish it by year’s end, but to be honest, this one isn’t “grabbing” me like the others or maybe I’m a little weary of all the cow’s vaginas that he has explored.

In this latest one, he also put in interludes about a trip to Russia, which isn’t breaking up the book in a good way for me either. I’ll finish it, but will be taking a break before getting to Every Living Thing, the last in the series, probably some time in 2020. I can say for certain this final book of the series won’t be my first book of 2020.

So what are some of your favorite winter/seasonal reads? And/or what are you reading to end the year and/or what are you reading to start 2020?