These were my favorite reads of 2019. I narrowed it down to four, although I admit I voraciously read a number of excellent books (and some not-so-great ones, too) for the first time in many years. These books have been out for varying lengths of time, but they were all new to me. It was wonderful to discover new authors and instantly pursue reading some of their other works. The year will also go down as one of my best reading years in a long time, meaning, I actually got back into the pleasurable habit—I even finished the entire stack (plus oodles more) that I had lined up.

​Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
UNFORGETTABLE. This was the first book in the lineup to grab my attention as I read it early in the year after watching part of the series created for TV. I stopped watching and read the book before finishing the series. The book wowed me. First, it was highly original in its format—with a technique I loved that gave me an idea for a new novel. The book's characters have also stayed with me all year. I found the plot refreshing, twisted, smacking of reality and I believe very much in the idea that people believe what they want about others without knowing what's really going on in their perfect-on-appearance lives. It made me tear through Liane Moriarty's other works, and while many were enjoyable, none lived up to this piece of sheer perfection.

The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan
DEVOURED. This thoughtful novel about two best friends who become estranged affected me deeply, playing on my own profoundly emotional experience with my first best friend. It’s also set in California (can we get any more nostalgic?) and weaves an original story that left me crying and breathless all at the same time. I also loved Summer Hours, which I purchased as soon as it came out this year. Amy Mason Doan is a deft storyteller with lovely prose that almost feels like sailing. I don’t feel manipulated, pushed or any number of techniques many authors employ to keep the pages turning. Her stories unfold in an authentic way, giving you hints of where you’re going without being able to know exactly where. Her writing speaks to me, maybe because I think similarly to her characters, or have walked in their shoes, or literally on the streets and in the settings she has chosen. 

All The Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
INCREDIBLE. I purchased this when I heard about the controversy associated with it. I’m all in when people start throwing stones because I, too, think life is messy and lines are blurry sometimes. And this book has it in spades. I’m not a very black-and-white thinker and at times, that’s maybe not an asset but it challenges me to think harder and deeper. This author told a deft, challenging story using multiple points of view. It all worked brilliantly. I stayed in bed to finish this one! I will definitely read more by Greenwood.

The F*ck It Diet by Caroline Donner (nonfiction)
HELL TO THE YEAH. This book is f*cking great, validating what it took me a painstaking number of years to figure out on my own. I have experienced a lot of food freedom in the past couple of years and practiced self-love and self-acceptance a hell of a lot longer than that. I stumbled across this book doing research for The Self-Loathing Project, and was just amazed at all the anti-diet blogs, books and movements out there, including this one. Refreshing. Back when I used to try and diet (never very successful or motivated for long), and I punted on whatever thing I was trying, I’d tell people I’d gotten a case of the f*uck-its. Now, I realize, I could have written this book! I know, for some, the content of this book will seem like a bridge too far. Some probably run away shrieking. But dieting (even when under the guise of being a “lifestyle”) is a doomed-for-the-dieter-to-fail enterprise, often for-profit. Maybe you won’t fail right away, but eventually. It doesn’t matter whether you’re buying products, membership, a book, or reading a set of rules and guidelines. When the author of this book said she made intuitive eating a diet, I laughed out loud. Because we can take anything and make it a diet. Some of us are rule followers (but it’s still never enough, is it?) and some of us aren’t (f*ck it!). I highly recommend for everyone f*cked up about food, nutrition, diet, weight, what they eat or don’t eat, can’t or won’t eat, etc.

Please do tell me what books stood out for you this year—I'd love to add to my own list for 2020!

​Some people are already running for the hills knowing the holiday season is careening toward us and wondering how they will navigate All That. Be it drama, irritations, differences of opinion, or in some cases, animosity or ambivalence, family is a word that brings out the emotions.
 
I’m the kind of person who wishes all family members would get along.
 
I’m also the kind of person who is disappointed. A lot.
 
Because in my world, despite my wants, all sorts of fractured family dynamics exist. Some close to the heart, others further out in my tree’s concentric circles.
 
I’m learning to accept it…as if I have a choice in the matter. I can’t control what others believe, how they behave, or whether they want a relationship. Conversely, I am not so willing to accept someone carte blanche anymore, especially if I find them offensive, abusive or uncaring. 

Lately, I’ve been thinking family is actually a broader term than the technical definition I’ve always attributed to it. Family can be someone important to you or your family unit whether they are related or not. Sometimes those non-relations become the best kind of family. The kind you wish your actual family was like.
 
What does that look like for me?
 

• The kind that always has my back. 
• The kind who I genuinely hope will come for Thanksgiving dinner. 
• The kind who wants to spend time doing stuff with me and my people.
• The kind who actually asks about my husband and kids—and gives a damn about the answer (even better if they make an effort to know or mentor my kids…or, heh heh, my husband!).
• The kind who can listen to my joys and woes, and give me a sympathetic ear or a kick in the right direction, respectively.
• The kind who texts, calls and (gasp!) actually makes time to see me in person.

 
So here’s what I say. If your family dynamics suck, build a new one. Make your own tribe. Take a nod from the Serenity Prayer and accept the things you cannot change but also change the things you can. While you’re at it, nurture the family relationships that are thriving, so they’ll continue to grow. And if you want to try and fix the fractured relations, have at it. Just know the world isn’t going to end if things aren’t perfect. And if sucking it up to foster family peace is worth the price of admission, there ain't nothing wrong with that, either.
 
Just remember, Thanksgiving is coming. #pleasepassthecranberrysauce

Nice review from Chick Lit Central on their website today about FIFTY, FOUR WAYS. Makes me feel seriously legit! Thanks, Sara Steven and the Chick Lit Central crew! Click on the image above to see the full review. 

​1. I thought I lived in the country when I moved to Charles Town. Turns out I lived in a small town. Not to say others didn’t live in the country just a short distance away, but I was a townie. 
 
2. You thought you’d seen about every insect already in your lifetime. Think again. This has its highs and lows. I’ve never seen more varieties of dragonflies and butterflies, but also ginormous stingy creatures and bugs you can’t even see! I can do without the centipedes climbing out of our drains, too. Spider web production begins the moment you park your car.
 
3. Once you’ve gotten an infected tick bite, you’ll get vigilant about checking for those suckers.
 
4. If it can grow, it will. Everywhere. One example: I live in an area that is heavily logged by the timber industry. Vast sections of trees are mowed down, leaving an Armageddon-like landscape in its wake. And yet, the second it’s cleared, plant life begins growing in that same space. I’ve also seen plant life in the middle of the lake on log stumps. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
 
5. Wildlife is abundant and a joy to watch. Also, if you give wildlife a good habitat, it will hang out. It sometimes sounds like Jurassic Park out there in the surrounding woods—day or night. And I love the toad serenades that happen every night!
 
6. It’s d-a-r-k at night. There is no light pollution, and a full moon is pretty epic. You can also see all the stars, just like when I went camping in the mountains as a kid.
 
7. Aside from the insects, birds and critters—and in our neck of the woods, the occasional military plane flying through—it’s blessedly quiet. We don’t hear traffic, or the constant droning of someone’s lawn mower, leaf blower or snow blower.
 
8. You can pick your own assortment of wildflowers (or pretty weeds) as they grow in abundance along the sides of the roads.
 
9. The best fried chicken I’ve ever purchased (not to be confused with the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten, which my husband makes) happens to be in a tiny roadside store near my house at a place called Granny B’s.
 
10. The people here are among the nicest I’ve ever met. Strangers start up conversations in the grocery store line, have hopped off their tractor to introduce themselves, and in general, say hello or smile in our comings and goings. Moreover, not only has there been an absence of racial tension in a place with an ugly history, it’s been quite the opposite.
 
11. We had to cut down three trees in order to get Internet service, and even then, it’s pretty lacking. It’s still a good tradeoff.
 
12. I may be guilty of a false sense of security, but I feel pretty dang safe out here.
 
13. The deer here are smart! I’ve seen more deer in a short time living here than I’ve seen in my entire life, and yet they always seem to get out of the way, or turn and run in the safe direction instead of crossing the road, when I approach in my vehicle. If they do cross, you have plenty of time to see them. I’ve seen one deer as road kill. One. I don’t know how else to explain it, other than these four-legged friends are savvy! And one of the best things going about plentiful deer is seeing all the fawns. SO cute!
 
14. I’ve also seen more box turtles since living here than I’ve seen in my combined years—and as a result, helped many safely cross the road (sometimes two a day!). It’s prompted me to study up a bit on these doofers.
 
15. One last thing. My husband was worried about how a former bona fide big city girl was going to do in such a remote location, because country woods living is fairly remote (although I can get to that fried chicken in about ten minutes, and even greater civilization in about twenty or more, so I’m sitting pretty). I wasn’t concerned—I’ve been heading this direction since leaving the big city. I can report I fully embrace it now that I’m here. I’m overjoyed to have lived in such diverse places from big cities, to historic cities, to small towns, to the wooded countryside. I believe humans were meant to be ensconced in nature. The wonder and beauty of it alone resets your cells on a daily basis and reminds us of our place in the world. I’ve told a few people my cells are recalibrating since I got here—it’s the closest I can come to describing it. My biggest takeaway is how important it is for all of us to change our venue from time to time so we can change our perspective and allow it to broaden. You can change things up through moving (preferably not just down the street or across town) and traveling (so many options!). In hindsight, I’m sorry I stayed so long in one place. But with new foresight, I hope I keep nurturing this insight.

I celebrated by 55th birthday in April, which is when I started this list. While I'm not sure it's full of stunning revelations, they are some of my most important and how-I-live-my-life practiced beliefs—and more than a few are hard-fought lessons. I'd love to know yours if you want to write me back.

​1. Ego is not your amigo.
2. Argue your limitations and they exist.
3. Love yourself.
4. To thine own self be true.
5. Don't give other people power.
6. Something is broken if you are self-medicating with booze, drugs, food, sex, shopping, workouts, or fill-in-the-blank here. The good news? It’s in your power to fix it.
7. Be introspective. It is your key to evolving.
8. Be better tomorrow than you are today.
9. Walk through the pain vs. running, hiding or obliterating it. It’ll just be waiting for you if you don’t.
10. The more we identify our differences, the more separate we remain.
11. Take risks. What are you gonna do…sit around and watch Brady Bunch reruns all day?
12. Understand true reality and realize your perception is not it.
13. Fix your shortcomings.
14. Love is always the answer. Even if you don’t want it to be the answer.
15. The world does not revolve around you.
16. Resentment hurts you the most. Practice forgiveness.
17. Be honest. Period.
18. We can do hard things.
19. Take the high road.
20. Thoughts become things. (Be careful what you think about!)
21. Life is not fair and you aren’t owed anything.
22. No one but you can fix you.
23. Love unconditionally, including yourself.
24. Ditch your expectations—they are just resentments under construction.
25. No matter how hard or painful life gets, you can get through it.
26. You can do anything you set your mind to.
27. Believe.
28. Give generously.
29. Stand up for yourself and others. It’s how self-esteem and self-respect grow and blossom.
30. Don’t gossip.
31. Take responsibility for your actions. Always.
32. There are lots of walking wounded out there. Have empathy for your fellow man.
33. We are all connected.
34. You are stronger than you know.
35. Saying you’re sorry without changing your behavior is an empty apology.
36. Faith without works is dead.
37. True beauty is not skin deep.
38. If there are a bunch of assholes in the room, there is usually only one asshole.
39. We are all creative in our own ways, and we all have at least one book in us (writing it is another matter).
40. What appears to be the easier, softer way is usually the hardest, worst way. Just do it the right way.
41. No matter what life has thrown at you, you are responsible for the person you are right now.
42. Life is short. Make it sweet.
43. Live in the present moment.
44. Exiting a bad relationship is a win. Staying in a relationship and overcoming challenges is also a win.
45. Live in gratitude—if it’s your predominant attitude and action, life will be so good.
46. Stay humble.
47. Don’t judge.
48. Have dreams and goals. It’s pretty hard to achieve something you don’t imagine first.
49. Don’t bother with resolutions. Every day is a day you can choose to live the way you want.
50. Comparing yourself to others is a waste of time.
51. Don't blame your parents, siblings, teachers, government, society, (i.e., others) for your circumstances (and also re-read #2, 5, 21, 26, 34 and 41).
52. Money is not the key to happiness.
53. When someone is at their worst, that’s when they need your love the most.
54. Different is good.
55. Appreciate the big things, the little things and all the things.

If there’s a Heaven, it’s about to get louder and better. The world lost a giant, a king, and a special artist in Dick Dale upon his death yesterday.
 
Although I grew up in California, it was actually my husband, Greg, who introduced me to Dick Dale.
 
Sure, I logged some time on SoCal beaches anytime I visited my grandparents in Dana Point as well as watched the hokey Annette Funacello and Frankie Avalon beach movies that sometimes featured Dick Dale and his Del-tones, but I was too young to be impacted by those surf cultures enough to recognize the legend he already had become.
 
Dale is credited with inventing surf music in the 1950s. An avid surfer, his surfmates gave him the title “King of the Surf Guitar” and it stuck. Another claim to fame? Leo Fender gave Dale a Stratocaster and amp to play, asking him to “beat it to death” and tell him what he thought of it. Dale proceeded to blow up 49 amps and speakers because he plays so hard and loud, and some even caught on fire! In the end, it was Dale who helped Fender create rugged apparatus musicians would enjoy (and beat up) for generations.
 
Over the years, I have delved into my husband’s vast collection of music. He enjoys a large variety of genres, but surf music is one of his favorites. I was familiar with the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, and the Surfaris’ killer song “Wipe Out” (you’d have to be living under a rock not to know that one!), but Greg turned me on to surf music giants The Mermen, The Ventures and Dick Dale. And his vast Beach Boys collection offers a lot more than the “Barbara Ann” played on the radio—you should really check them out more closely.
 
My personal Dick Dale moment? When Greg and I, along with our son, Travis, saw him at The Birchmere in Virginia back in 2003. The venue is terrific—an intimate, supper club-style performance hall. We sat right in front, about a foot from Dale much of the time. He happened to like us and gave Trav his first guitar pick of the evening, winked at me a few times and told Greg during one of his songs, “It’s alright for her to look at me. She sees you all the time!” He was very conversational, offering up numerous opinions ranging in various topics between numbers. He also kept his drummer and bassist on their toes, as they never knew what song he was going to play next and sometimes, they just “made the shit up” right then and there. One highlight of the show was when Dale abandoned his guitar and grabbed a couple of drumsticks and played in tandem with the drummer. He was good at that, too. Then he took the sticks and played the bass while the bassist held the frets with his fingers. Dale and his band were clearly having a good time and I found it refreshing, a far cry from some of the shows I’d seen in my youth. I’ve attended at least a hundred concerts, and I can tell you Dick Dale plays the guitar louder than anyone—and that includes some of the biggest rock bands in the world. I admit, my ears hurt that night and into the next day, but I would be hard pressed to say it wasn’t worth it anyway!
 
I knew that evening we were witnessing greatness, a phenom really. Dale is an incredible powerhouse of talent and energy, but also witty and personable, likable on every front.
 
Dale, 81, reportedly kept touring to help pay for his medical bills, which is a pretty sad state of affairs. I noticed he was set to play on May 25 in San Juan Capistrano, the California town where my mother went to high school (and later got married), which just illustrates how true he was to his roots.
 
I’ll be celebrating him by playing his wonderful music today—and for the rest of my life. And if there is a Heaven, I imagine he is shredding it there as he did here, only maybe not in pain or feeling his age. Rock on, DD!
 
Visit www.dickdale.com to learn more about him—it’s worth the read.

Very grateful and excited readers are leaving reviews for my latest novel, Fifty, Four Ways—and they are all five-star reviews so far! Keep 'em coming! And please feel keep sending photos of you reading the book or getting your copy. Those are the best!