nd of the year retrospectives are fun to do. I’ve been writing them since 2008. I guess they appeal to the listmaker in me, and the OCD-me as well, because now that’s it been a tradition for 16 years, I can hardly stop now, can I?
2024 was a good year in many ways, judging by the family Xmas letter that I wrote and posted last week. Lots of travel for all of us, and I DID make it to Ireland, after dithering for a very long time between it and the south of France for my birthday trip. Karin and I had a great trip to the US in the spring, and mom and Sarah deciding to come visit at the end of October for nearly 3 weeks was a huge bonus for the year. Looking back, I/we managed several of the stated goals so that’s nice to see!
Healthwise, 2024 was a little more of a mixed bag, with my knee accident weighing heavily for much of the year and increasing issues with my feet. The new medicine I started 2 weeks ago is helping with the nerve pain, but I’m still hoping to get it under control and see if what is causing it can be stopped or reversed. Fingers (and toes) crossed.
Family & Personal Highlights of 2024
- getting to see my mom THREE times during the course of the year
- getting closer to my sister
- Martin and Theo moving in together
- 3-week US trip with Karin
- bringing my favorite painting in the world home
- Karin’s 25th birthday party
- My 20-year anniversary at Axis
- Anders building the new swing patio
- visiting Ireland and Northern Ireland with the whole family
- turning 60, eesh!
- Karin moving to Copenhagen
- new jobs for both Martin and Karin
- 3 weeks with Sarah and mom visiting
I read 93 books in 2024, and might even manage another (though it would have to be a short one)! One of the better years, even though I waste so much time playing iPad games when I ought to be reading. If it weren’t for Two Dots, I might have beaten my high of a few years ago. Will have to try harder for 2025. This was also a very good year for books as evidenced by the long list below.
Best books of 2024 (in no particular order and not including re-reads)
- Alibi by Sharon Shinn
- Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
- The Other Valley by Alexandar Scott Howard
- Loot by Tania James
- There is a Door in This Darkness by Kirstin Cashore
- Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
- Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik
- The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal by Jodi Taylor
- The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher
- Illuminations by T. Kingfisher
- The Greenhollow Duology by Emily Tesh
- Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
- The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier
- The Mars House by Natasha Pulley
- The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
- The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley
- The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley
- The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley
- The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
- I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle
- The Waters by Bonnie Jo Campbell
- No One is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Asubel
- The Last Animal by Ramona Asubel
- Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty by Ramona Asubel
- The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
- A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke
- Right After the Weather by Carol Anshaw
- We Should Not Be Afraid of the Sky by Emma Hooper
- Whispering Wood by Sharon Shinn
Lots of good new music this past year, as I found a few songs nearly every week thanks to Spotify’s Discover Weekly, and Martin providing me with good recommendations as well. I did tend more toward single songs though, not so much adding lots of by any one artist, but nevertheless:
Best new music artists of 2024
- Will Young
- Cultured Pearls
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Japanese Breakfast
- The Shires
- Dani Sylvia
- Jude Cole
- Laufey
- Des’ree
I watched 59 movies this year, about average (since I started keeping track). The amount of series we watched was seriously down, though, and most of them were actually game shows of one kind or another. It’s hard to watch series when I want to watch WITH Anders and he’s gone so much.
The movies I enjoyed the most in 2024 were: Poor Things, Dune 2, Argylle, Kung Fu Panda 3, Finch, Pain Hustlers, The Fall Guy, Game Night, Deadpool & Wolverine, Wicked Little Letters, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Drive, Quiz Lady, Wicked, and Safety Not Guaranteed.
The new (to me) series I enjoyed the most and recommend were: Queen Charlotte, Shrinking, and Nobody Wants This. I loved both Queer Eye (twice!) and Blown Away. And of course, we watched Bäst i Test, Fråga Lund, and På Spåret on Swedish television.
Some manageable goals for 2025
- Keep cutting out sugar!
- Start walking again, pending knee improvement
- New fridge and freezer
- Plant tree/bush and move metal trellis around the swing patio
- USA trip in the spring
- Christmas in the US with the whole family
We’re heading over to Mats and Annelott’s tomorrow for New Year’s Eve, and apparently it will be a larger party, with a bunch of their friends (some we know a bit, others are strangers, eek!), and more dressed up than usual. Anders bought a new blazer today, and I’m still debating what to wear that is both dressy and comfortable. 🙂 It’s been a fun, relaxed, and quiet holiday so far, which is just what I needed, and I still have a whole week left (minus one day of work)! Happy New Year!
Mood: relaxed
Music: Stornaway—Zorbing