Julie A. Wallace

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Year In Books 2023

One of my missions this year revolves around writing. And writing means books: writing the second draft of a book plus sharing the books I read through the year.

Yes, I’ve done the whole Good Reads annual reading challenges and I’ve shared Amazon links…but I felt something was missing from those.

Bookshop.org

And then I learned about Bookshop.org. This company “connects readers with independent booksellers all over the world. More specifically, they given over 80% of their profit margin to independent bookstores.

My local, independent bookstore is Sleepy Dog Books. The community-focused boutique bookstore opened in downtown Mount Pleasant last year. It’s been a pleasure to have a bookstore just a few blocks from my house.

Just before Christmas I walked in and asked for recommendations for gifts. The two recommendations ended up being some of my favorite books this year: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

I’m A Bookshop Affiliate

Once I learned about Bookshop and realized that I could get books and support my local bookstore (and walk in the bookstore, too) I jumped at the chance to be a Bookshop Affiliate.

For you, that means if you click through one of the links below and finalize a purchase, I earn a small commission. My affiliate store is also linked to Sleepy Dog, so some of that purchase will also benefit Sleepy Dog. (I’m not quite sure how all that works, it’s my first year doing this.)

(Disclosure: All of the links to books are Bookshop.org affiliate links. If you click through the link and finalize a purchase, I earn a commission.)

Bookshop Advantages and Disadvantages

The most obvious advantage is that any purchase from Bookshop helps me and my local, independent bookstore a little bit. It also helps keep dollars away from Amazon, which I contribute to enough over the year!

The biggest disadvantage I’ve found so far is that Bookshop doesn’t have the depth that Amazon or even Barnes and Noble has. For example, because I published my poetry book through Amazon KDP, it’s not available at Bookshop; maybe I should do something about that, right?

If it’s an older or out-of-print book, you may not find it at Bookshop because they (so far) don’t deal in used books. In turn that means you’re buying a new book which can be pricey at times.

Still, I feel the opportunity to support local, independent bookstores far outweighs the extra cost – especially when I’d buy the darned books anyway. This year, I’ll look to Bookshop first!

Favorite Books of 2022

Felt Like Visiting An Old Friend, ie, Honorable Mentions for 2022

  • A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear. Sigh, the Maisie Dobbs mystery series is fantastic.
  • The Dressmaker’s Secret by Rosalie Ham (great if you loved the first book or movie)
  • The INFJ Writer by Lauren Sapala
  • The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
  • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

All Books Read in 2022

Your Turn

What’s in your to-read stack for 2023? I’ve already worked my way through one book and am starting on another. I’ve found another interesting website to help track books (and I already have Good Reads and Library Thing;) so I think I’ll work on a comparison of the three sites.

What are you currently reading? What do I need to read?

Mission 2023

A woman stares at a paper map. She is sitting on a suitcase. The suitcase is in the middle of a deserted country road. The woman is contemplating where she will go next.

A year ago, I set forth on a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined. I supposed I conquered a few things last year, like the back yard. In 2023, I’m on a different quest.

It’s been tricky to narrow down what missions I want to make public. So this year, there are a few public goals, a few more secret goals, and some other odds and ends like a word for the year.

On to this year’s mission!

Move More Sit Less

I sit all day for work, then I stand and make dinner. Then I sit to eat dinner and I sit to read books. And sometimes I putter around my yard and call it gardening, but most of the time I sit.

This year I will move more and sit less. I got myself a FitBit Charge 5 and -to keep myself motivated – I signed up for three different Conqueror Virtual Challenges on a total whim. If I’m going to complete all 175 miles of these challenges by the end of the year, I’d better get moving!

All Things Writing

Last year I managed to finish the first draft of a novel. This year I want to finish the second draft. I also enjoyed posting twice a month here, so let’s see if I can meet or exceed that one in 2023.

Finish All The Projects

If you’ve owned a home, you know that the list of projects never end. And to be honest, I don’t think I’ll finish ALL of the projects. But this year, I’d like to knock a few of those things that I’ve been thinking about for a long time right off the list.

This mission has things like paint the bathroom, take the cardboard boxes in the garage to the recycling center, garage, work on Wallace genealogy, replace the shade in the kitchen window, and more.

Where I’ll find the time to finish the projects between working full time and writing a second draft and walking 175 miles and doing these secret things, I don’t know. But I sure would like to finish some of these projects.

Secret Things

There are a handful of other things I’m hoping will happen. I mean, one of them is definitely going to happen in April, but the others – I’m not too sure. So for right now, these stay secret.

Year In Books

I have enjoyed doing the Good Reads Reading Challenges, but this year, I just want to take it easy and report to you all what I’m reading. More on this in another post later this month.

Word of the Year

Action is the word of the year. I want to accomplish, do, go, make things happen. At least I want to do those things here on December 31, 2022. We’ll see how I feel in a few months on all that action.

Guiding Thought

As I went through the process of thinking about my mission for the year, the one thing that I kept returning to was: what was life like before the internet? Do more of that!

I remember life before the internet. It was so very, very different, and more simple. But with AI coming on full force (have you heard about the capabilities of ChatGPT?) it seems like the time to be less on a computer and more, well, away from the computer.

Of course, I’m also the person who will be writing the second draft of a novel this year, working in a tech job, and using apps to track walking 175 miles…

Quote of the Year

The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless victim. This is well within your power, whatever fate might have dealt you.”

Martha Beck

Have You Hear of The 20 Things 23 Times Challenge?

I only just learned about this “challenge” today – January 1, 2023. I’m adding it here to remind myself that there are other ways to do yearly missions. Here’s how this works:

  • Make a list of 20 things you want to do.
  • Do those things 23 times.
  • Think of things like make 23 new recipes, visit 23 new places in my city, write 23 poems, listen to 23 new podcasts, read 23 novels, try 23 new things, write 23 letters, bake 23 loaves of bread, play the piano 23 times, contact 23 genealogy DNA matches, eat at 23 new restaurants, say one kind thing to 23 strangers, 23 new drawings, and so on.
  • Next year make it 20 things 24 times.
  • And carry on through the years: 20 things 25 times, 20 things 26 times, 20 things 27 times.

Can’t say I’ll be doing 20 things 23 time times this year, but I love the idea and wanted to share.

Your Turn

What’s on your mission list this year?

Mission 2022 December

In 2022 I combined lessons from the heart with some –cough cough – goals.

But I don’t like the word goals, so this year has been a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined.

So how was the year?

Tarot Cards for November and December

I did a tarot spread for the full year and November’s card was Detail Details reminding me to look at the fine print of anything and everything plus accept things as they are. December’s card was Rock Bottom which encouraged me to surrender and a way will appear asking the question: are you willing to change.

I heard on TikTok that there are three key ages where your body changes. I forget the first one (maybe in your 30s?) but remember the other two were 60 and 78. It’s said that at these ages, your body has noticeable changes, and I have to agree.

I turned 60 last February and gobbled up the chocolate and sweets and tea. By the end of March I’d let go of most sweets and tea and feel better the majority of the time. I still dip my toe into both; err, as I write this on a Sunday, I’ve guzzled down one mug of caffeinated tea and love it. But I can’t subsist on sugar and caffeine alone anymore (and believe me, I’ve done that for a LONG time.)

My body takes longer to recover now, and is more easily injured. Sigh.

So yes, I’m willing to change and learning to change and practicing changing and changing and embracing change and loving change. I’m listening for clues from spirit and and reading the fine print where appropriate.

I liked doing the tarot cards for the year, liked doing the monthly missions so I’m already thinking about 2023. How about you?

Write 250 Words A Day, 5 Days A Week

Not happening. I wrote the first draft of a novel and went to the Lost Lake Writer’s Retreat instead.

Revamp WordStorm Casserole Poetry Book

Not happening. I lowered the price instead

Post Twice A Month On This Website

I did well with this mission and did post twice a month most months. I’ll carry on with this in 2023.

DeGoogle, deApple, deMicrosoft – embrace Linux!

Why? Because Google, Apple, and Microsoft all track your every move online and that’s wrong.

For most of the year, I used my Linux machine most of the time for personal use: checking personal email, watching YouTube videos, checking social media. I’ll carry on with this in 2023.

Have Fun

November and December have been fun-ish. At the beginning of November I was out sick for a bit and grieving the loss of a dear friend.

  • In Spirit Zoom calls have been refreshing. It’s so nice to talk and meditate with friends.
  • Same thing is true for the regular phone calls with the same people.
  • My hair is still colored purple, teal, and dark blue. Every so often while out and about, someone will say, “I love your hair” and that makes me smile.
  • I’ve had several craniosacral massages. Man, I love those so much!
  • I went to the annual Christmas lighted parade. I stood close to a very vocal group of kids who shouted, “Merry Christmas” at the top of their lungs to every passing float. The kids were rewarded with a lot of candy. My reward was laughing a lot and enjoying the lights.
  • It’s not necessarily “fun,” but I was happy to have an easy dental checkup and no cavities.
  • There was Thanksgiving, right? That was a lovely day spent with family.
  • It was fun to hear mom describe the beautiful bouquet I sent for her birthday.

Big Secret Goal #1: Finish the first draft of a novel.

I turned in the first draft of my novel into The Write Practice over Labor day weekend. My reward was attending the Lost Lake Writers Retreat in October.

Big Secret Goal #2: Backyard Landscaping.

This goal is done and dusted! Check out the big secret goal reveal that goes into a lot more detail about what was completed in the back yard this year. I added two pear trees and one dwarf mulberry. At the end of the year I had the same company come back and plant a bunch of Allium, Tulips, and Hyacinths – all which will explode come spring.

What I’m Reading

On GoodReads, I have a 2022 Reading Challenge goal of at least 50 books. I have two more books to go and really, with two weeks, I’ll crush this goal!

  • Living to Tell The Tale by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  • The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
  • Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper
  • The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
  • The INFJ Writer: Cracking the Creative Genius of the World’s Rarest Type by Lauren Sapala.

How About You?

How was your year? What big dreams and projects did you accomplish?

Farewell Michelle

On October 15, 2022, my dear friend Michelle Mather passed away. My world is a little more lonely without her. It was comforting to know that she was out there, living her life, and never more than a phone call away.

Beginnings

We met in the 1990’s in Athens, Georgia at the Pathfinder Bookstore. Pathfinder was a hub for new age activity in Athens and it was run by Gayle Clayton. I suppose new age isn’t the best term anymore, but in the 90s, that’s what it was. You could pick up a copy of a book on meditation or a book on earth changes or have a tarot reading.

There were classes, too, and that’s where where I met Michelle. We were both in Psychic Arts I and II, and then in workshops and more going forward. We were both in workshops with Ron Mangravite, and even now I can hear Michelle asking questions on the recordings of those workshops.

At the time Michelle was finishing up a master’s in social work at the University of Georgia and going through a divorce. We bonded over meditation and music and food and shopping.

Between the divorce and finishing the masters and moving on to her first social work job, she even lived on my couch for a time. We became very good friends. Heck, she and my sister shared the same birth date and year.

Tarot

As I said, we both took several classes at the time that helped us explore and learn about “new age” stuff. In one of the classes that Gayle taught we learned about the major arcana of the tarot. Being a pack rat, I’ve kept notes from that class, so I know that Michelle had the High Priestess and the Hermit cards to explore and explain to the group.

The High Priestess represents intuition, mystery, and sensuality combined with common sense. Michelle was earthy and mysterious and had a load of common sense: she did the right thing even when it was the hardest choice.

The Hermit represents a period of soul searching, self-reflection, and spiritual enlightenment; it can mean seeking (or offering) the services of a counsellor or psychiatrist. Michelle was a social worker and she spent a lot of time alone searching for – well, searching.

Travels

Over the years we kept in touch on the phone and through visits. I visited her in Albany, Georgia, Huron and Lorain, Ohio, and finally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I never did get to her home in Anderson, South Carolina.

At her apartment in Albany, Georgia, we hit the local thrift store. I found one of my most cherished vintage jackets that day.

Michelle came to my home here in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and visited when I lived in Knoxville, Tennessee, too. She was at my wedding and was a friend through the subsequent divorce and bankruptcy. We met up one time in Ann Arbor, Michigan, too, and we ate and shopped our way around town.

On two occasions I visited with Michelle at her family’s home in Florida. I vaguely remember a holiday in a brown brick house and then another visit to a white house that had a sunken living room and a moon light. I really don’t remember the details of the whens or the whys and they truly don’t matter anymore.

On one of these occasions we stopped on the long drive from Athens to Orlando at the Spiritualist community at Casa Dega so Michelle could have a reading – she loved having readings.

Her family was warm and welcoming. I remember we had a delicious dinner at a Mexican restaurant one time. Another time we went to breakfast at the Old Sugar Mill Pancake House at the Ponce DeLeon Springs State Park.

I remember visiting Michelle in Ohio and a dinner with meditation friend Deb; there was another time when most of the Ohio meditation group drove to the college town of Oberlin for a dinner at a Japanese restaurant. One time Michelle and I went into Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We always went shopping and out to eat.

Michelle loved clothes. She loved matching her nail polish to the color of her outfit. She took great care to be well presented at all times and she loved shopping…

No, It’s better to speak the truth and say that she was obsessed with shopping. I should know, I’m obsessed with shopping, too. And that’s another reason why we were good friends.

Luna’s Love Loaf

In the 90s we participated in sweat lodges and drumming circles near Athens. These were potlucks and I’d bring a casserole or a salad or some new recipe I’d learned. Michelle always brought beer bread.

Michelle loved food but confessed to being a poor cook. One thing she could whip up at the drop of a hat was a good batch of beer bread. Her nickname in Athens was Luna, so beer bread will forever be known as “Luna’s Love Loaf” to me.

The poem “Luna’s Lending Library” in my book The WordStorm even features Luna’s Love Loaf!

Dessert and Mouth Orgasms

On the night Michelle passed away, I felt pulled to go out to dinner. Before the pandemic, I ate dinner out almost every Thursday. Since the pandemic and the arrival of HelloFresh in my life, I haven’t gone out to eat nearly as much. But that Saturday night, I was compelled to leave the house and drive to Stir – one of the best restaurants in town.

Uncharacteristically, I had steak with forest mushroom demi, Dauphinoise potato, with fresh vegetable. And then there was dessert.

I don’t believe Michelle ever missed a chance to have dessert. From the Chocolate Decadence at the Athens Coffee House (where the phrase “mouth orgasm” first showed up) to a lowly cookie, Michelle loved her sweets.

Mouth orgasm – do I have to explain? It’s when you take that first bite of a dessert and it just sends out of of this world…like an orgasm…except it’s dessert. (But don’t limit yourself to dessert – any food can cause a mouth orgasm.)

So the dessert for me on that Saturday night was one that Michelle would have loved. It’s was called a peanut butter honey tart, but that doesn’t suffice. Just imagine:

Peanut butter mixed with sour cream and sugar. Piped into a flaky pastry crust. Topped with whipped cream. Drizzled with caramel and chocolate and honey. Dusted with crushed peanuts.

Oh, just look at this—

It was remarkable and I’m sure my friend would have loved this dessert. Every bite sent me out of this world.

I’ll have to go back and enjoy the dessert all over again, just to be sure. And I’m sad that we’ll never share dessert again.

Music

We both loved dancing to the legendary one-armed blues harmonica player Neal Patman in Athens. Patman routinely propositioned Michelle; she accepted his compliments and graciously turned him down every time. This video is from somewhere in Athens in the mid-1990s – right around the time Michelle and I would have gone to see him.

Another somewhat obscure band we both enjoyed was October Project. If I remember correctly, Michelle actually got to see the band live in Athens – sometime before we met.

Showing The Way

Because of Michelle’s passing and my subsequent illness, I had plenty of time to think about what I would leave behind. Because Michelle’s passing was unexpected, she’d didn’t have time to make a will or even attempt to give away cherished items.

Right now, I’d leave behind a mess of books, paperwork, clothes, and a whole lot of unfinished stuff. I’d leave behind those little secrets that we all hide in the junk drawers in our hearts. I’d leave behind books not written, excuses, hopes for the future, and the little bites that these things eat from our souls.

One time when Michelle and I were talking, she said that she was working her way through my poetry book by reading one poem at a time. That astonished me.

And now, it makes me want to write more. To stop the little bites from eating away the books I haven’t written and to actually get those books written. It makes me want to get my house (literally) more in order, but that may well be a future never written.

I’m happy to have someone on the other side looking out for me, sending me little whispers. I’m pretty sure Michelle’s job is to help me be sure to eat enough and to eat well. She’ll keep me writing and keep me seeking out new friendships. I’ll carry her memory with me on the best shopping trips.

Michelle wasn’t perfect; none of us are. She was a truly compassionate soul. She struggled with weight loss and gain, with money, and with other health issues, too. Mental health and especially depression followed her everywhere.

Despite these, Michelle was incredible at building community wherever she lived. Yes, she lived on her own, but she always found friends and lovers wherever she went. She’d share about road trips to the beach or a birthday celebration on Kelleys Island or meeting friends after work for dinner and a movie or brunch on Sunday. She’d often recount the annual trips to stay with her cousins in Pennsylvania.

Michelle is responsible for connecting the Athens meditation friends up with the folks in Ohio. She moved to Ohio and promptly found a community. Michelle had Gayle go to Ohio to teach and, from those teachings emerged a tightly knit group that later merged with the Athens group.

That blended group had only just begun meeting again on Zoom and, upon learning of Michelle’s passing, we gathered to celebrate her life. She will be missed, and I thank her for showing the way.

Please Remember Me

One night in the 90’s Michelle, Gayle, and I went to see singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt in Atlanta. Here’s Dante’s Prayer with it’s haunting “please remember me” refrain. I will never forget my friend Michelle.

Mission 2022 November

In 2022, I’m combining lessons from the heart with some –cough cough – goals.

But I don’t like the word goals, so it’s a quest, a journey, a mission: that for which I am destined.

So how was October?

October’s Tarot Card

I did a tarot spread for the full year and October’s card was One Ring Circus which celebrated independence and boundaries – and the need to let go of control.

October started with a big bang and lots of fun. There was the fabulous escape to the North of Michigan with the Lost Lake Writer’s Retreat. There was a book sale and the final weeks of the CSA for the year.

But then, on October 19, I learned that a dear friend passed away on the 15th – the very night I had felt an overwhelming pull to have a really nice dinner at a local restaurant. It’s fitting, I suppose, because Michelle loved good food. I’m working on a tribute post; I think it will be ready by next Monday.

Write 250 Words A Day, 5 Days A Week

Not happening. I wrote the first draft of a novel and went to the Lost Lake Writers Retreat instead.

Revamp WordStorm Casserole Poetry Book

Not happening. I lowered the price, though!

Post Twice A Month On This Website

Yes! I did publish two times in October. There’s the October wrap up of September and the post about Lost Lake Writers Retreat.

DeGoogle, deApple, deMicrosoft – embrace Linux!

Why? Because Google, Apple, and Microsoft all track your every move online and that’s wrong.

In October I carried on using my Linux machine most of the time for personal use: checking personal email, watching YouTube videos, checking social media.

Have Fun

October started with a bang with the local library’s annual book sale. Then I went on that fantastic writer’s retreat to Lost Lake. I had a fabulous dinner at a local restaurant on my own, met with meditation friends, and caught up with my sister at yet another yummy dinner.

And then, as I said, it went downhill. A close friend tragically passed away and that shook things up. Then I got sick at the very start of November and had to cancel a massage, hair appointment, meditation, and coaching call.

I’m better now but man, the last part of October and first part of November really sucked.

Big Secret Goal #1: Finish the first draft of a novel.

I turned in the first draft of my novel into The Write Practice over Labor day weekend. My reward was attending the Lost Lake Writers Retreat in October.

Big Secret Goal #2: Backyard Landscaping.

This goal is done and dusted! Check out the big secret goal reveal that goes into a lot more detail about what was completed in the back yard this year.

What I’m Reading

On GoodReads, I have a 2022 Reading Challenge goal of at least 50 books. Since the last update I’ve read a lot. I was sick so I read and read and read. Some of these were finished more in November than October, but oh well. Here’s what I’ve been reading.

  • The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames.
  • Secrets of the Tides by Hannah Richell.
  • Groupies by Sarah Priscus.
  • Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama
  • The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
  • The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
  • The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  • Poor Man’s Feast: A Love Story of Comfort, Desire, and the Art of Simple Cooking by Elissa Altman
  • The Little Lady Agency in the Big Apple by Hester Browne
  • The Falcon’s Eyes by Francesca Stanfill
  • Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan
  • Memoir of the Sunday Brunch by Julia Pandl
  • Fire Monks: Zen Mind Meets Wildfire by Colleen Morton Busch

How About You?

How was your October? Heck, do you even remember October now that Thanksgiving is staring you in the face?