2022 :: Year In Review
Welcome to the 2022 Holiday at the Sea year in review. These are a few of my favorite things (from this year at least).
2021 Year In Review :: Favorite Books
At the time of this writing, I read 41 books in 2021. Not quite a book a week, but still a good pace. This year I finished the novels of Haruki Murakami in chronological order and started re-reading Kurt Vonnegut’s novels in chronological order. I read a lot about grief and grieving but I only had a chance to read a couple of books published in 2021. But two of them really stood out to me.
One about chewing gum, the creative process and the fight for survival. The other about a father’s love for his son and the desire for connection and the fight for survival. I’m sensing a theme.
Nina Simone’s Gum by Warren Ellis
Bewilderment by Richard Powers
Browse my favorite albums of the year
Browse my “2021 Yearly Wrap-it-Up” which is really a ramble about seeing Phish
Browse my favorite books of 2021
Browse my favorite movies of 2021
Browse my favorite television of 2021
Listen to a nearly 5-hour very low quality mix of one song from each of my favorite albums of 2021 called “Soundtrack to the Collective Meltdown”
2020 Year-End Books and Reading
Well, The only thing from 2020 that I read this year was the fun Grateful Dead Origins graphic novel and Ken Layne’s Desert Oracle (both of which appear here). But that doesn’t mean I didn’t try to do my fair share of reading. It just means that I’m not very good at keeping up with the newest books.
So, here are a few of the books/authors that kept my attention or made an impact on me this year.
Grateful Dead Origins Graphic Novel by Chris Miskiewicz
If you’ve read some of the fuller book-length treatments of the Grateful Dead, there won’t be much “new” material here for you. But that doesn’t make the graphic novel treatment any less enjoyable. Well worth your time if you have any interest in the Dead.
Purchase Grateful Dead Origins by Chris Miskiewicz at Amazon
The Overstory by Richard Powers:
Published in 2018, this beautifully written story collects the stories of seemingly random characters, intertwines them with the story of trees, and leaves us moved. Highly recommended.
The Anatomy Of Peace by The Arbinger Institute
I was assigned this book during my second unit of CPE. I don’t often do this with assigned reading materials, but I asked my wife to read it as well. It was that impactful for me. Telling the story of a 60-day teen AZ desert recovery camp, the authors force us to examine whether our hearts are at war or at peace. This book has been tremendously helpful for my own personal emotional health. Highly recommended.
Purchase The Anatomy of Peace at Amazon
Haruki Murakami
Though I’ve heard of Murakami for years, I had not actually read anything by him until this year. And, I have been captivated. First of all, any novelist who lists Kurt Vonnegut as one of their main influences already has my attention. Couple that with an author who has over 10,000 LPs, most of them jazz records?! I mean, come on, what has taken me so long to read this guy?! Kafka On The Shore was my entry point, and then a friend sent me A Wild Sheep Chase. But after that I decided to work my way through everything else in chronological order. I just started my sixth Murakami book, so that should tell you that I connect.
Desert Oracle Volume 01 by Ken Layne
A collection of tales from the Zine. Layne takes us exploring through the sunbaked Southwest where we meet UFO’s, doomed hikers, gamblers, unknown creatures, and the resiliency of human life. Even in the desert; we can find life.