It’s been a year. 

I’ve gotten no writing done since school let out on Friday, March 13th. 

I just… couldn’t. 

I haven’t edited the books I unpublished. 

I haven’t written anything new. 

I’ve spent a LOT of time creating content for my online classes and trying to keep my high school students engaged.

I’ve spent a lot of time looking at pictures of my new granddaughter and getting happy.

I’ve spent a lot of time doom scrolling and getting depressed.

My husband and I have talked about moving to Canada. 

I did read some good books:

Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh – which helped with the doom feelings.

Shatner Rules by William Shatner – that was a surprisingly interesting and fun read.

The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis – different than, but as good as, the series. Now I am reading his Mockingbird, which is creepy-good.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – good story, although not as amazing as the reviews made it sound. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab – good story, although the ending was disappointing.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh – some of it was hilarious and some of it was not. 

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – so, so good that I read it three times, bought a copy for my son, and bought the sequel, Harrow the Ninth and read that twice.

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson – started out great, but kind of lost its way. 

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison – intriguing and enjoyable, although not as touching as The Goblin Emperor.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu – a good and very challenging read. 

The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot by Colin Cotterill – which I would have enjoyed more if I hadn’t read that it was the last in the series and I do not want this series to end. 

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin – I enjoyed it, although not as much as I enjoyed The Fifth Season.

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody – lots of good advice which I have not yet taken.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine – great start to a good series.

Hand to Mouth by Linda Tirado – depressingly accurate picture of middle – and sinking – class America. 

Lockwood & Co.–The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud

 – good continuation  of a great series. Feed by Mira Grant – I had to re-read this because  a scary real virus can only be combated by a scary fictional virus.

Aunty Lee’s Delights by Ovidia Yu – I love Aunty Lee!

Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic by Michael McCreary – Excellent for helping me increase my understanding of autistic students.

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis – What could be better during a pandemic than reading about the black plague?

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters – The flu of 1918.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater – Listened to the audio and it is so good!

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells – Murderbot never disappoints!

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer – Good, but strangely enough, the movie was better. 

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey – Ultimately pretty sad. I enjoyed her other books much more. 

The Power by Naomi Alderman – wow. Such a powerful story. No pun intended. 

Mort by Terry Pratchett – How could I have known that the best way to start 2020 was with a funny book about death?

I read more, but those were the highlights from a year with a lot of lowlights. 

May the new year bless you and yours.