Best Books of 2012

(Source)

 

 

Hi Friends!

I can't let 2012 come to a close without posting my annual "Best Books" list--my mom would be so disappointed! : )  I love that she reads all my favorite books throughout the year.  This year's list is FULL of fabulous books--2012 was a great year for reading--I ended up reading 55 books.  I had a hard time narrowing 55 down to 10 for my "Top Ten" list. I literally couldn't narrow it down any further than 14.  So, here's my "Top Fourteen" list, in no particular order: 

Heft, Liz Moore

Maud Martha, Geraldine Brooks

The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller

Please Look After Mom, Kyung-Sook Shin

The Art of Fielding, Chad Harbach

One Last Thing Before I Go, Jonathon Tropper

Gold, Chris Cleave

The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers

The Absolutist, John Boyne

Shine, Shine, Shine, Lydia Netzer

The Moonflower Vine, Jetta Carleton

Crossing to Safety, Wallace Stegner

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Maria Semple

 

This year's list is all about quirky, memorable characters and unforgettable stories.  There's a mystery, a couple of war stories, and a few very character-driven books. Three of the books were published more than 20 years ago, and a couple of them are new releases.  Click on the link under each book to find summaries and purchasing info.  Or, be like my mom and head over to the library and check them out!

Enjoy!

XO,

Vicki

The Most Magical Time of the Year

Hi Friends!

We are back up in snowy Wisconsin after a truly *magical* week in Chicago to celebrate Christmas.  So much has happened since our snow day celebration last week!  Want to see?  Of course you do! : )  So, without further ado, here's Christmas 2012 in 53 pictures (and that's with lots of paring down!):

Our little family Christmas (Thursday):

Christmas Open House (Friday):

 The Harold Hawley's Christmas Celebration at Tom and Tommy's (Saturday):

Downtown Chicago Trip (Sunday):

Christmas Day:

 Back to Chicago to see War Horse (so awesome!!!) on Wednesday:

Talk about packing a whole big bunch of good memories into one week! I loved every minute of it! 

Hope your Christmas was magical, too!

XO,

Vicki