Midnight Musings – A journal by Jade Walker

My favorite books of the 2010s

December 30, 2019 / No Comments

I’ve read about 500 books during the past decade. Way back in 2010, my reading ratio was 80% fiction and 20% nonfiction, but 10 years later, it’s closer to 50/50. Which made putting this list together a lot easier than I thought.

So without further ado, here are the novels and nonfiction tomes that I enjoyed the most during the 2010s. If you’re looking for something interesting to read, you can’t go wrong with one of these books.

(Note: Not all were released during the past decade.)

Fiction

1. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
2. “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern
3. “11/22/63” by Stephen King
4. “The Golem and the Jinni” by Helene Wecker
5. “Dead Harvest” by Chris F. Holm
6. “The Girl Who Played With Fire” by Stieg Larsson
7. “Secrets From The Vinyl Cafe” by Stuart McLean
8. “Stories from the Vinyl Cafe 10th Anniversary Edition” by Stuart McLean
9. “Mr. Mercedes” trilogy by Stephen King
10. “N0S4A2” by Joe Hill

(Honorable mentions: “The Institute” by Stephen King, “The Outsider” by Stephen King, “The Red Notebook” by Antoine Laurain, “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss, “The Uncommon Reader” by Alan Bennett, “Invasive” by Chuck Wendig, “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson, “The Year of Pleasures” by Elizabeth Berg and “Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins)

Nonfiction

1. “Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History” by Erik Larson
2. “Life’s That Way” by Jim Beaver
3. “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual” by Michael Pollan
3. “The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland” by Jim DeFede
4. “The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America” by Erik Larson
5. “The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century” by Kirk W. Johnson
6. “The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well” by Meik Wiking
7. “Tell Me Where It Hurts” by Dr. Nick Trout
8. “Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins” by Susan Casey
9. “My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business” by Dick Van Dyke
10. “The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment” by A.J. Jacobs

(Honorable mentions: “Drama” by John Lithgow, “Neither Snow nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service” by Devin Leonard, “Truth Be Told: Off the Record about Favorite Guests, Memorable Moments, Funniest Jokes, and a Half Century of Asking Questions” by Larry King, “One Summer: America, 1927” by Bill Bryson, “Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania” by Erik Larson, “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean, “Beware of Cat: And Other Encounters of a Letter Carrier” by Vincent Wyckoff and “Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses” by Bess Lovejoy)
Reading challenge completed!

December 29, 2019 / No Comments

Last year, I decided to challenge myself to read more in 2019. My aim was to dedicate additional time in my life to something I love and so I aimed high: 60 books.

With just three days left in the year, I attained that goal:

According to GoodReads, I read 18,094 pages this year. My shortest book was the poetry collection “Beating the Bounds” by Liz Ahl, which came in at 100 pages. My longest book was “Sleeping Beauties” by Stephen and Owen King, which was a whopping 915 pages.

Next year’s goal? Read 60 more!
2019: The Year In Review

December 26, 2019 / No Comments

At the end of each year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced. What follows is my personal and professional review of 2019. I:

* Produced/edited hundreds of breaking news stories about the presidency — and impeachment — of Donald Trump, the investigation into Russian election interference in the 2016 election, another government shutdown, numerous mass shootings (including 3 in one week), Brexit, the wildfires in California, Australia and Brazil, Hurricane Dorian, the protests in Hong Kong, immigration and the continued forced separation/detention of children at the border, the college admissions scam, the run-up to the 2020 election, dozens of celebrity deaths and the birth of a royal baby.

* Penned 21 journal entries.

* Passed the 58,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker).

* Updated The Written Word and The 10th Muse mailing lists.

* Maintained two Instagram accounts: @thejadewalker and @catsofjade. Finally became verified.

* Wrote 3 short stories.

* Submitted a photograph into the Manchester Art Contest and saw it framed and displayed at a local hotel.

* Entered a contest to win a writer’s retreat in the UK.

* Read 60 books and numerous magazines.

* Watched 46 films and dozens of TV programs.

* Went leafing in the White Mountains.

* Traveled to Quebec City for the first time.

* Spent a weekend in New York City.

* Participated in The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New Hampshire Writers Guild, the New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group, the Authors Guild, PEN America and the Silent Book Club, Manchester, NH chapter.

* Helped coordinate ObitCon 2019 and the Grimmys contest.

* Created my second sourdough starter.

* Hosted three friends, six cats and a puppy dog in our home.

* Bought new glasses.

* Suffered through A LOT of dental work.

* Tried to get more sleep. Failed miserably, due to stress.

* Finally had a gas line installed in the kitchen and purchased a beautiful new stove. Also replaced our furnace.

* Planted a container garden and continued to decorate the back yard/deck with a dining table and chairs, a badminton net and a hammock.

* Started composting.

* Donated my hair to Locks of Love.

* Decorated the front and inside of our house for Christmas and mailed 40 Christmas cards.

* Suffered from at least 45 migraines and lost 67 days of my life to pain. Average headache duration: 34 hours, 56 minutes.

* Raised a litter of kittens into adulthood and cared for our two older feline beauties.

* Mourned the deaths of our 9-year-old dog Duncan and our 17-year-old cat Dany.

* Celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.

* Turned 46.

Goals for 2020

* Change careers.

* Avoid library fines.

* Organize the pantry.

* Plant more flowers and veg in the garden.

* Sleep at least 7 hours a night.

* Work on my fiction.

* Read at least 60 books.

* Practice hygge.

* Win the lottery.
In Memoriam: A Look Back At Many Of The People We Lost in 2019

December 21, 2019 / 1 Comment

Some people view obituaries as morbid stories, but in truth only one line of an obit deals with death. The rest of the story focuses on the amazing lives people led.

In 2019, these 20 obituaries featured people whose lives most affected and intrigued me:

* Barbara Brown, staffer and donor at the Field Museum

* Walter Chandoha, cat photographer

* Walter H. Munk, oceanographer

* Bill Caprio, animal-rescue hero

* Lenny Gilleo, barber

* Jim Nicholson, obit writer

* Carmine J. Persico, Mafia boss

* Mike Greco, the Salami King and Mayor of Arthur Avenue in the Bronx

* Jim DeHorn, Mister Tree

* Georgia Sheehan, candy dipper

* Stephen Mullins, founder of Toby jugs museum

* Molly O’Neill, food writer

* Hal Prince, Broadway producer and director

* Richard Booth, bookshop owner and King of Hay-on-Wye

* Dr. Seymour Diamond, founder of U.S.’s first private headache clinic

* Werner G. Doehner, the last survivor of the Hindenburg disaster

* Susan and Carl Chase, artist and musician (respectively)

* Minnie Mae Freeman Penney, teacher

* Caroll Spinney, puppeteer behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch

* Johanna Lindsey, romance novelist
My top 10 favs of 2019: A year spent reading, watching and listening to stories

December 12, 2019 / No Comments

Amidst the madness of the world, I consumed 59 books, 46 movies, dozens of TV programs and many podcasts this year. These were my favorites:

(Note: Not all were released during the past 365 days.)

MY FAVORITE BOOKS

1. “The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland” by Jim DeFede

2. “The Institute” by Stephen King

3. “The Perfect Cookie: Your Ultimate Guide to Foolproof Cookies, Brownies, and Bars” by America’s Test Kitchen

4. “The Complete Slow Cooker: From Appetizers to Desserts – 400 Must-Have Recipes That Cook While You Play (or Work)” by America’s Test Kitchen

5. “Cook It in Cast Iron: Kitchen-Tested Recipes for the One Pan That Does It All” by Cook’s Country

6. “Britain by the Book” by Oliver Tearle

7. “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean

8. “The Uncommon Reader” by Alan Bennett

9. “Beware of Cat: And Other Encounters of a Letter Carrier” by Vincent Wyckoff

10. “Something Warm From the Oven: Baking Memories, Making Memories” by Eileen Goudge

(Honorable mentions: “Christmas Teatime: Celebrating the Holiday with Afternoon Tea” by Lorna Ables Reeves, “The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook” by America’s Test Kitchen, “The Story of The Great British Bake Off” by Anita Singh, “Click-Clack the Rattlebag” by Neil Gaiman, “Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir” by Ruth Reichl, “The Hit” by David Baldacci, “Sleeping Beauties” by Stephen and Owen King, “Bachelor Brothers’ Bed & Breakfast” by Bill Richardson, “Have a Nice Day” by Billy Crystal and Quinton Peeple, “The Innocent” by David Baldacci, “Wanderers” by Chuck Wendig, “The Dreamers” by Karen Thompson Walker, “Nigel: My Family and Other Dogs” by Monty Don, “Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey” by A.J. Jacobs and “Lights on the Sea” by Miquel Reinaand.)

Overall reading ratio: I read 17,501 pages — 53% fiction, 47% nonfiction; 61% male authors, 30% female authors, 9% other.

MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS
1. The Great British Baking Show
2. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
3. Escape to the Country
4. Gardeners’ World
5. Love Your Garden
6. Downton Abbey
7. The Kominsky Method
8. One Day at a Time
9. Broadchurch
10. Big Dreams Small Spaces

(Honorable mentions: Escape to the Continent, Shetland, A Million Little Things, 9-1-1, Santa Clarita Diet, A Discovery of Witches, Stranger Things, Modern Love, Elementary, Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father, Jack Whitehall: At Large, Jessica Jones, Stephen Fry in America, Good Omens, Grace and Frankie, Supernatural, The Bodyguard, Comedians in Cars Having Coffee and Grimm.)

MY FAVORITE MOVIES

1. Yesterday
2. If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast
3. Avengers: Endgame
4. Never Surrender
5. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
6. Finding Hygge
7. Judy
8. Downton Abbey
9. Doctor Sleep
10. Brene Brown: The Call to Courage

(Honorable mentions: Klaus, Blackkklansman, Green Book, Shazam, Captain Marvel, Jumanji: The Next Level, Knives Out and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.)

MY FAVORITE PODCASTS

1. Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me
2. Small Town Dicks
3. Mobituaries
4. Christmas Past
5. 10 Minute Writers Workshop
6. 99% Invisible
7. Clear+Vivid With Alan Alda
8. The Anthropocene Reviewed
9. Radiolab
10. Criminal

(Honorable mentions: David Tennant Does A Podcast With…, Death, Sex & Money, Sidedoor, Fresh Air, Dear Hank & John, Nocturne, Let Me Google That, The Bookshelf, Reply All, Rumble Strip and The Christmas Stocking.)