I’m looking forward to a cozy evening in front of the fire on Saturday night, as we get our first snowstorm of the season. It looks like I will be shoveling snow with my fellow New Englanders on Sunday.
Welcome to the first weekend of the new year! I hope that you are able to stay warm and that you don’t have too much shoveling to do.
Last weekend, I spent a little time looking at online “Best of 2023” reviews and I am sharing some in my first weekend post of 2024.
I have a small list of personal favorites from last year. In terms of books — Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is at the top of my list. It was a reread and I loved her writing as much the second time as I did the first. She is thoughtful, clever, and witty. And she’s a fierce advocate for taking care of our planet. I haven’t read her new book Demon Copperhead yet, but I’m looking forward to reading it in 2024. (Bookshop.org)
Two of the best things that I cooked in 2023 were made in the last week of the year:
- Stuffed and roasted head of escarole shared by Renata Briano on Instagram. The translation of her post was not complete, so I had to be creative. It was easy and delicious. Not a single leaf remained on the serving platter! (Instagram)
- Butternut squash, leek and za’atar pie from Yotam Ottolenghi. It was delicious! There are a lot of steps in this recipe, but it is worth the effort. Not only is it beautiful, the flavors are divine. (Ottolenghi)
Here are some “Best of 2023” reviews, in case you missed them.
Books:
- The New Yorker: Best Books of 2023
- Harper’s Bazaar: The 45 Best New Books of 2023 You Won’t Put Down
- The New York Time: Ten Best Books of 2023
- Literary Hub: The 38 Best Books We Read in 2023
- Vox: The very best books of 2023
Cookbooks:
- Food & Wine: The 18 Best Cookbooks of 2023
- The New York Time: Best Cookbooks of 2023
- Epicurious: Best Cookbooks of 2023
- NPR: A buffet of 2023 Cookbooks for the Food Lovers on Your List
Movies:
- The Washington Post: 10 Best Movies of 2023
- IndieWire: 25 Best Movies of 2023
- Rotten Tomato: Best Movies of 2023
- Roger Ebert: Ten Best Films of 2023
- Deadline: Best Movies of 2023
- New York Time: Best Movies of 2023
- Variety Magazine: 40 Great Movies from 2023
Music:
- Rolling Stone: Best Music of 2023
- NPR: Best Music of 2023
- The Guardian: Best Music of 2023
- The New Yorker: Best Music of 2023
- Pitchfork: Best Music of 2023
Television Shows:
- Roger Ebert: 25 Best TV Series of 2023
- Rotten Tomato: Best New TV & Streaming Shows of 2023
- Wired: 10 Best TV Shows of 2023
- The New York Time: Best TV Shows of 2023
- Rolling Stone: Best New TV Shows of 2023
- Mashable: 20 Best TV Shows of 2023
- The Washington Post: These are the Best Television Shows of the Year
Here are a few topics that don’t involve 2023.
- If You’re Already Dreading Winter, Here’s How to Get Ahead of It — I don’t know about you, but I can use any tips I can get on this subject. Luckily the days are already getting longer. (Self)
- 12 Monthly Goals to Build a Life You Love This Year — If you’re looking for new year inspirations, here are some monthly suggestions. (Camille Styles)
- Welcoming 2024 — I’m taking an easy approach to 2024 resolutions. What about you? (Sea Salt and Sailor Stripes)
- Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz
— Here’s how Pantone describes their 2024 color of the year, “In seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a color radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless.” (Pantone) - Goodness: Barbara Kingsolver’s post about “apricity,” which we can all use during the winter months. I saw her post on New Year’s day and experienced apricity during a lovely walk that day. It was welcome after days of gloom and rain. Here’s to more apricity this winter! (Instagram)
About the photo: A tangled bunch of bittersweet vines adorned with their berries.