January 4, 2015 - When it Works Out

Today just kind of worked out...  We were able to get out for our run, grab a beverage and pie from the always fabulous Gipsy Kitchen, play scrabble in the sun, read a good book, and then head to the beach with the dogs to cap it all off.  No complaints (except the excessive vowels I drew in our scrabble game)!

January 3, 2015 - Still Life with Breadcrumbs

This was the title of the book I read today, but also kind of how the day felt.  It was a day where we lingered close to home for the most part and while it wasn't the most exciting day in the world, it was kind of satisfying and the dogs loved it!

The Day After New Year's is My Favorite Stat Holiday

I'm trying an experiment and am going to try and document something about our lives every day this year.  Granted I've already missed January 1st, so....everything else is gravy as technically I've already failed.

Today is January 2, 2015.  Upon arriving in New Zealand seven years ago, I would soon come to realize that they had one of the best named holidays ever.  Essentially, January 2 is known as The Day After New Years's and is officially a stat holiday.  I love it because someone realised they wanted a day off, but couldn't be bothered to go so far as to create an actual name.

At any rate, today was a fabulous day that I am glad qualifies as a stat.  We did so much...  Started the day with a water front run, headed up to Hemi Matengi Scenic Reserve for a new and glorious hike high above sea level, and then spent four hours talking to our good friends from Canada.  Capped the day with a late meal of maki and then off to bed so that we can do something similar tomorrow (this time with puppies in tow).

Book that made me laugh out loud

For me, "The Rosie Project" definitely comes to mind here.  I loved the way that Don Tillman was in many ways "the straight man" because he was unaware that his behaviour was unconventional.  His observations about people's BMIs and his commitment to science at all costs were absolutely classic.  I'm hoping that Graeme Simison can once again hit one out of the park with his new book "The Rosie Effect".

Book with one of the best and most surprising twists

Obviously I can't say too much here, but suffice it to say that Ann Patchett in State of Wonder set up a real doozy of a surprise (or two) in this book!  If you look being thrown for a loop, pick this one up!

Book You're Most Embaressed to Say You Liked

I went through this weird phase after finishing my Masters where I wanted to read fluff and it was the era of chick lit.  One of the books that I found myself enjoying (but no longer would) is Confessions of a Shopaholic.  While the main character was somewhat endearing, there was really just no substance to the book.  For me, this book is now too light for even a beach read!

Best Book I've Read in the Past 12 Months

I'm going to (once again) cheat a little and choose two books here: one fiction and one non-fiction.

For fiction, it is The Golem and the Jinni.  This book was amazing in a number of ways.  It was a plot-driven page turner, it was completely unlike anything else I'd read, and the character development of both main and side characters was amazing.  I'll be recommending this book far and wide.

In the non-fiction category, I've chosen Spillover, which explores how viruses (mainly) can be transmitted from animals to humans.  Quammen explores this phenomenon in such a way that I could barely put this book away at night.  I loved learning about the science, as well as the scientists working to understand how this "spillover" from animals to humans had happened.  It's an amazing read - even for people who don't normally read non-fiction.