Tiffany Painter

With the end of 2024 came my results for my reading challenge. I set a goal of reading 60 books in 2024 and ended up reading 90 books. They covered a wide range of genres. I read a couple of picture books that caught my attention. The Accidental Hero – A Mostly True Wombat Story by Laura Roettiger (Debbie Palen illustrated) was a sweet little story about a not so sweet big fire in Australia. The Ofrenda That We Built by Jolene Gutierrez and Shaian Gutierrez (Gabby Zapata illustrated) taught me about the Day of the Dead and family traditions. Both great picture books but very different. My favorite books to read are in the middle grade category. These are books for kids between 8 and 12 years old. Some of the national authors like Kathrine Applegate, Kate DiCamillo, Erin Entrada Kelly, and Lynne Kelly did not disappoint, but some local authors treated me to some great reads as well. I always love Boulder author Claudia Mills and savored her multi-generational book The Last Apple Tree. The last two books in the Book Scavenger series by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman did not let me down for some fun kid-lit adventures. This year I even read some YA (young adult books). Another local author, Ellen O’Clover, entertained me with her awkward summer after high school of self discovery book The Someday Daughter. And I discovered an author who shares the same last name as me, but we don’t seem to be related. Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter gave the same good vibes as all those high school movies from the 80’s. I did read adult books, and lots of them. I proved that I will read just about anything and love to see different ways authors are creative. A few favorite authors from my year of reading include: Ann Napolitano (Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward), Amor Towles (The Lincoln Highway and Table for Two), Ann Patchett (everything fiction and non fiction), Chris Whitaker (All the Colors of the Dark) and even Steven King (On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft). Overall it was a great year to get lost in a book. My TBR (to be read) stack is ready to kick of 2025. First up is Wellness by Nathan Hill, a gift from my son. Happy reading everyone.

1/1/25

clear path to a new year
might be icy in some spots
slow and steady steps

1/2/25

clean slate for a new year
blank page to begin again
ready to leave mark

1/3/25

devoted to you
watching every move you make
a treat would be nice

1/4/25

before dinner walks
always better with a friend
enjoying the day