I enjoy reading the “best of” lists in the Times, at NPR, and a variety of other sources,, including blogs. Most of those “Best of 2011″ lists are the books published in 2011. As an independent reader, I’m not held to that standard. I can choose to read whatever books I feel like, no matter what their publishing date.

So today I’m going to share with you my “notables,” as the New York Times calls them. These are the books I remember fondly without having to consult my reading list. These book experiences are the reason I keep on reading. After my notables I’ll list my Top Three Books of the Year. (If you want to check out my review for a book, click on the title.)

Notables in Fiction:

• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
• A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
• Guilt By Association by Marcia Clark
• Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
• Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley
• Cards On the Table by Agatha Christie
• The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

2011 was a good mystery year as you can see by the list above. It was also notable because of new-to-me authors. Most notable was Jennifer Donnelly and Stewart O’Nan. I’ll read more of them in 2012. In 2011 I also returned to an old favorite, Willa Cather, who always makes me glad I’m a reader.

Notables in NonFiction:

• The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock
• Radio Shangrila by Lisa Napoli

I like it when nonfiction takes me to new eras and new places. I’d never even heard of Bhutan before Lisa Napoli’s book.

Notables Among the Food Books:

• Tomatoland  by Barry Estabrook
• Heartland by Judith Fertig
• Food Trucks by Heather Shouse
• Grilled Cheese Please by Laura Werlin

I read so many food books last year that I decided to let food books have their own notable list. Tomatoland made me mad and turned me into a “tomato activist.” I determined to only eat the tomatoes I knew were grown without hurting the people who grow and pick them.

My Top Four Books: (I couldn’t pick just three. I had to add in my good friend Agatha.)

1. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

This historical fiction for young adults was beautifully written and the characters captured my heart. The author took a little known event and wove her story into it. I still think about the characters in this book. More of Jennifer Donnelly must be read in 2012.

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2. Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

It’s no wonder that Louise Penny wins awards for every book she writes. She’s really that good. I love the well-developed plots and the intricate mysteries Louise Penny creates. And then there’s Chief Inspector Gamache . . . I don’t know why this was the only book in the author’s series I read this year. Next year I’ll allow myself more. More of Louise Penny must be read in 2012.

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3. Heartland by Judith Fertig

This was a combination essay /cookbook on the agricultural and cultural traditions of the Midwest. It made me want to pull some weeds and pick some vegetables and cook every recipe. It warmed my midwesterner’s heart. This was the food of my roots.

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4. Cards On the Table by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie – the woman amazes me with nearly every book. Each book is interesting, mysterious, and a good look at English culture in that era. It’s a good thing I like them as I have a ways to go before I can say I’ve read them all. More of Agatha Christie will be read in 2012.

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This listing of my favorite books of 2011 isn’t complete. I read and reviewed a lot of award-winning books over at Quirky Girls Read. I’ll be highlighting my favorites over there next Thursday. (Come and visit then.)

Overall, I feel good about what I read this past year, but I’m ready to move ahead. I’m ready to go find the books written by those newly discovered authors as well as visit with some of my old favorites. And, of course, I’ll stay open to the possibility of new books/authors. Somewhere in all of that will be the books that will have me singing this time next year. Here’s my wish for all of us: Happy Reading in 2012.

The Virtual Advent Tour has become an annual event among the book blogging community that I enjoy. Bloggers who wish to can sign up for a day in which they share their thoughts about Christmas. Today it’s my turn.

Ever since I read Perfect Christmas by Felicity Cloake I’ve been thinking about my own attempts to create perfect Christmases. I’m sure other parents fall into this trap, especially when our children are young. We want to recreate the magic we remember experiencing as children. You know what I mean – the idea that Santa will bring you a special gift, and there will be amazing, special foods, especially sugary treats.  And, everything will magically appear overnight.

Of course the reality is that “overnight” takes hours, days, even weeks of frantic activity. Yet, year after year I worked hard to make it be “perfect.” I have some stand-out memories from those efforts, such as the time I waited outside in the cold for a department store to open so I might get one of those rare cabbage patch dolls. Same thing with those Star Wars figures. Also, I’m not sure what drove me to bake eight to ten different kinds of Christmas cookies or to decorate every inch of our house.

Even though, every year on December 26th I felt one breath away from death, I continued to repeat that insanity. And then, a week before Christmas in 1981, it all changed. That was the year my appendix ruptured. I wasn’t home for Christmas. I was in the hospital for two weeks. I was so sick there was no way I could create my version of a perfect Christmas for my children. I had only purchased a few of their gifts, baked only two or three batches of cookies, and Christmas dinner was only in my head.

That year my children were 13, 10 and 8, none of them believed in Santa, but they still believed in the magic. As I discovered, they were old enough to learn and then teach me a valuable lesson: A very happy Christmas is one we all give to each other. It’s not just the mom who creates the perfect Christmas for the family. It’s actually a lot more fun if each person contributes something to make it magical. Each family member (including extended family) pitched in and created a beautiful Christmas for me in the hospital as well as for each other at home.

From that year on we scaled back on our overabundant Christmas celebrations. I learned we didn’t need ten batches of over-the-top cookies or a Christmas dinner that took me six hours to prepare. We tried to change the focus from selfish desires to thinking of others. We were quite happy to have quality gifts rather than every item on a long list.

It wasn’t easy to make those changes, but gradually things turned around. I’ve had relapses from time to time, especially when the grandchildren came along. I think every grandparent wants to spoil their grandchildren. Thank God our grandchildren’s parents are working to raise their daughters to develop good values.

We’re all learning that to share our time and our resources with others is the best gift for everyone. I’m glad we developed a different definition for the perfect Christmas.

I want to wish you, your family and friends

a very happy and joyful Christmas

filled with love, laughter, good food, and

There will be no highway driving on this trip. We are off to catch Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, one of my favorite ways to travel. We’ll get there some time tomorrow. The key to happy Amtrak travel is to not care about timetables. Those big wide comfy chairs help too. Every time I travel by train I meet the most interesting people. I expect the same thing on this trip.

I’m not taking a complete vacation from blogging. I have some posts already scheduled and I’m taking my laptop with me. It’s just that blogging isn’t going to be my main focus the next three weeks. And, although my kindle is loaded with some great books, and my iPod has some fantastic audiobooks on it, reading isn’t a big priority either. It’s a time to simply enjoy life.

Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home;

All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.

God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied;

Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

I hope your belly is full of turkey and you’re in a house filled with family and friends.

 The two big limbs were from the giant Eucalyptus trees. The trees are old and very big as you can see from the picture above. That picture was taken three years ago when the kids first moved in. (That’s Christopher dealing with some other tree problem.)

The decision was made to “cut back” those big trees before any more limbs could fall.
Fortunately, we have a neighbor who is a professional tree trimmer. He was hired to cut them back, not down. I’m so glad he feels called to this type of work. It makes me dizzy just watching him.

Eucalyptus trees are very interesting trees. When the trees are cut back they will then promptly grow new trunks and spread out again. The tree pictured above was cut back a few years ago. The tree will build a huge base to the trunk, making it very sturdy. In addition to being very tall, (usually about 100 feet) Eucalyptus trees are great shade trees with beautiful long slender leaves. They are native to Australia and were brought to this country many years ago.

As a species they are valuable for their oil, gum and resin, and their leaves for medicinal purposes. In our case, these Eucalyptus trees will be valuable for firewood. As you can see in this picture, there is still a lot of work to be done.

That’s what’s happening in my world. I hope your world is exciting and joyful as well.

Those nice temps have kept the garden looking green and lush. That’s an artichoke in bloom in the center. On the right you see yellow wax beens in bloom. I ate a couple right there in the garden and found them crisp, sweet and perfect.

On the inside of our world, we treated ourselves to a new TV. We could not believe the difference between the old and new. The color is spectacular and the picture so detailed. We especially noticed it while watching football. We could clearly see numbers and names on players, blades of grass on the field, and people in the stands. On the other hand, we can see pimples, bad hair jobs and weird make-up on people. We were also thrilled that this new TV is about 75 pounds lighter than the old one.

We’ve watched a few of the new shows of the seasons. There are only a couple that stand out for us: Person of Interest and Unforgettable. We’re not totally won over yet, but we’ll keep watching to see how it develops. Two from last year that are still my favorites are The Good Wife and Blue Bloods. Have you identified any favorites yet this year?

In September my son challenged me to make a decision about future travel plans. I’ve talked for years about traveling to Europe but, during my career, I could never take enough time off to go. So, Christopher’s challenge was to make a decision and, if I want to go, I have to make it public.

I don’t want a quick tour. I want to be able to stay six to eight weeks. I have enough time now but my husband is not interested. So, do I want to go by myself? Yes I do.

It won’t be easy as I am not able to walk long distances. But, I’m determined to figure it out. I’ve purchased Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door. No more borrowing from the library and just dreaming about it. Nothing is scheduled so far, but I’ve given myself a deadline to go by September, 2013. What do you think – can a woman in her seventies wander around Europe by herself?

I tried to catch it all which was, of course, impossible. I’d like to tell you about the highlight of the day for me. It was a panel discussion of local mystery writers. Left to right, the authors are Linda Morganstein, David Hayward, Michelle Gagnon, Lisa Lutz, and Sophie Littlefield.

Michelle Gagnon was the moderator and she kept the discussion quite lively and humorous. After initial introductions, Michelle had each author read some facts about themselves. Some of the statements were true and some false. It was hilarious and gave us a good look at the personalities and interests in each of the writers.

I have not read any books written by these authors, but this panel discussion prompted me to search out some of their books. The first three authors I’m going to read you see above. (Left to right: Gagnon, Lutz, Littlefield) You can see they were having a wonderful time just being together and talking about books and writing.

These three books are the ones I’m going to read first. Lisa Lutz has such an infectious sense of humor that I’m sure her series of books will be so much fun to read. I’m going to start with the first book in the series, The Spellman Files. Next I’ll read Bad Day For Scandal by Sophie Littlefield, and then Boneyard by Michelle Gagnon.

It was a great day to be outdoors.  Better yet to do it surrounded by books and fellow book lovers.

I have a question:  Has anyone read any of these books or authors?

Let me tell you what I did on my vacation and show you a few snapshots. The main event during the past two weeks has been the wedding of our son, Christopher, to his beloved Genevieve. Everything we did revolved around that event. If you’ve participated in a family wedding, you know all the little details that go into such a special occasion.

When Genevieve and Christopher first started planning their wedding they had several things that were important to them. That included having the wedding on their property, involving as many family members and friends as possible, and serving food that was local and organic. All of their goals were met in the best possible way.

The wedding ceremony itself was held in the back section of the property. After the ceremony the celebration expanded to the rest of their property. They own a little less than an acre, so it was plenty of room for nearly 200 people. In the past three years they have transformed the land into a real showplace. With the addition of round tables covered in white linen and all the gorgeous flowers, it was the perfect setting for a wedding celebration.

Genevieve’s mother made the wedding dress and the four bridesmaid’s dresses. They were incredibly beautiful. Christopher and the groomsmen wore white guayabera shirts. They looked quite elegant, but we teased them about being at a dentist’s convention. (Christopher’s shirt had long sleeves.)

My brother Brent, a professional guitar player and teacher, composed and played an original song for the processional. I want him to record it – it was that beautiful and just the right accompaniment for the bridesmaids, the bride and her father.

One of Genevieve’s sisters prepared all the flowers.  Here are just a few of them. Our youngest granddaughter was a flower girl. She took her job very seriously, scattering gold flower petals along the mulched path. (She was almost as pretty as the bride, but then I am her grandmother.)

Our eldest granddaughter was a bell-ringer. She led the guests back to the ceremony area. Another one of Genevieve’s sisters sang a lovely song, accompanied by my brother. There were words of wisdom from a father (Genevieve’s) and words of wisdom from a mother (me). The bride and groom wrote their own vows and, of course, they brought tears t o my eyes. As you can tell, everyone was involved in this event.

The remaining celebration involved dancing and plenty of fantastic food and drink. The food and drink was all local – all from Sonoma County. I’ll tell you about that tomorrow for Weekend Cooking.

For me, one of the best parts about an occasion like this is the reunion with family and friends, in addition to meeting all the new family members and friends. People came in from all over and we were all so glad to see them.

 My son-in-law Mark quietly snapped pictures all day. I’m thankful to him for these. It will probably be weeks before the professional photographer will have his photos ready. Here’s a shot of the new husband and wife as they stand talking after the ceremony. They look relaxed and happy with the setting sun shining on their backs.

But now it’s over and we will have to cherish the memories. We are slowly moving back to our regular life. In the meantime, I’m slipping off to take another nap. More tomorrow.

Some things are different today but not that many. My first trip to Disneyland in 1956 was just as much fun as last week’s. We took our children three times in the 70s and 80s but haven’t been since. Going with the granddaughters (and their parents) was actually less stressful and still thoroughly enjoyable.

I think one of the reasons Disneyland is so successful is because it’s about the total experience, not just the rides. My daughter did a smart thing when we first got to the park – she bought autograph books for each of the girls for when they met up with each of the Disney characters. Above you see Candice, Q, and Lou with Mickey.

And here is Candice and Q with Woody from Toy Story. I found each of the nearly twenty-some characters walking the park very gracious and patient. Each character stayed in character including Cinderella’s Evil Stepmother who was, . . . well, evil.

The rides are fun too, depending upon your level of daring. The older ones loved any ride that had the word ‘mountain’ attached to it. This nana and the six-year-old loved The Teacups, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dumbo, and It’s a Small World.

There are two more features that make Disneyland so much fun: the daily parades and the fireworks at night. The floats were very colorful but I liked the dancers such as the princesses and the chimney sweepers (from Mary Poppins).

Believe it or not there are places in Disneyland where you can pause and have some quiet moments. The a little wishing well park at the side of the castle where I snapped this picture. Everyone else was off screaming down a mountain while I sat quietly – just me and my kindle.  [Doesn't everyone take their kindle to Disneyland?]