Well, here we are, the last day of 2024. I will do a separate end-year reading stats post, but on a more personal note, 2024 had some major ups and downs for me. In terms of downs, my father passed away in the very beginning of 2024 and a good friend of mine lost her battle with breast cancer in the fall. Also, my daughter after doing great for most of 2024, had a set back in her chronic illness earlier this month. It will take a while to get her back on track. In terms of positives, I went to Europe twice: in May, my daughter and I took my mom to London for her 70th birthday, and then in August, we went on a family vacation to the Greek islands which was truly magical!
Now, in terms of my December reads, the beginning of the month was a bit of a struggle with reading, but it did pick up around the holidays. I mostly tried to focus on holiday-themed books. Here are some highlights:
1. In Deep was a very informative non-fiction about the concept of "deep state", its origins and myths surrounding it. I found it very helpful.
2. The popular romantasy When the Moon Hatched did not work for me at all. I really struggled to get through it. I did not connect to the characters at all and found the storyline dragging.
3. My favorite Christmas read was Waiting for Christmas by Lynn Austin. The plot was very Dickensian centering on an orphan boy trying to get re-united with his lost baby sister and missing father. I definitely see myself re-reading this one sometime in the future.
