Hello. How is everyone doing? Getting ready for Christmas? It’s a little bit early for me, but I hope to break out the decorations this week … and maybe even bring home a Christmas tree if we see a good one.
I just came back last week from Thanksgiving in California. I had a really nice visit with my parents, brother, sister, nephew, and brother-in-law. They all live in various places, but we were able to get together. And check out the photos I took at the beach — and the view of Catalina! There were some pretty big waves for the days I was there, and I didn’t even stick my toe in the water. Too cold and crazy. But we had a great turkey dinner and visit, and I hope yours was lovely as well.
Now I’m back in North Country, trying to acclimatize to the cold temps. We had a few days below 0F, so my system was completely thrown off after the time in California, see the sunset at left. Still I’m getting back into it and we had a great cross-country ski on Sunday with the doggies. It’ll be nice to have a white Christmas here as we don’t plan to travel during the holidays. Will you be?
Meanwhile in book news I noticed that a few publications have put out their Best Books of 2022 Lists. I always like to look at these in case I want to add a few to read in 2023 that I missed. So here they are:
Usually December is not a time when notable new fiction releases, but I see that Jane Smiley has a new novel called A Dangerous Business (due out Dec. 6) set in 1850s Gold Rush California, and Lily Brooks-Dalton has a new novel called The Light Pirate (out Dec. 6) set in a near-future Florida beset by calamitous climate change. Also Cormac McCarthy has his follow-up novel Stella Maris (also due out Dec. 6), which is Book 2 to his novel The Passenger that came out in October. I have heard the first book is better than this one, but I still need to give them both a go. I have read his novels All the Pretty Horses and The Road but those were long ago now.
As for movies this month, there’s several I’m hoping to see as contenders for the Oscars get rolling. I still haven’t seen Cate Blanchett in the movie Tar, which came out in October, or the Steven Spielberg film The Fabelmans released in November, but I saw She Said recently which was quite good — and all of these films will likely be getting some nominations.
Now the Sarah Polley film Women Talking is out (Dec. 2) based on the novel by Miriam Toews. It looks a bit intense about a religious colony whose women are facing a brutality going on in their midst. Perhaps I should read the novel first. Have you read it? I love seeing these book-to-film adaptations. They’re usually excellent and this one features Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Frances McDormand among others.
There’s also the movie The Eternal Daughter (out Dec. 2), which looks pretty spooky with Tilda Swinton playing two roles — as a filmmaker, Julie, and her mother, Rosalind, who come to stay at a remote Welsh hotel for a few days before Christmas. The hotel appears haunted and the daughter and mother apparently confront long ago buried secrets. If you’re looking for a Gothic ghost story, this seems to be one to check out.
Swinton has long had a distinguished career (often playing oddball characters) but perhaps this will be a crowning achievement. I was too scared to see her play the mother in the 2011 movie We Need to Talk About Kevin adapted from the Lionel Shriver novel, but she was pretty amazing I heard.
Next is the movie The Whale (due out Dec. 9) starring actor Brendan Fraser playing an overly obese reclusive man who tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter. It looks sad and moving and has received much acclaim already.
Brendan Fraser apparently gained some weight for the role, but prosthetics and makeup really transformed him into appearing severely obese. He had to wear up to 300 pounds for the character in a “fat” suit and apparently plays the character with much dignity and respect. He and the director Darren Aronofsky will likely get Oscar nominations for this — as well as perhaps the screenplay writer Samuel D. Hunter.
Lastly I’m looking to see the movie Living (due out Dec. 23) starring the actor Bill Nighy as a civil servant in 1950s London who decides to take time off work to experience life after receiving a grim diagnosis. Apparently the movie is a remake of the 1952 Akira Kurosawa film Ikiru and was written for this adaptation by novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, one of my favorite writers today. Woohoo!
The movie looks to be inspiring and awesome and has gained a big following already. I loved Bill Nighy in Love Actually and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and this one should be even better with him.
So there you have it: some of the big 2022 movies that are due out at the end of year.
What about you — do you plan to get to any of these? And will you be making a Best Of list for your reads in 2022?
I always enjoy the end-of-year “best of” lists and this year there are several books on those lists that I’m adding to my own TBR list for the coming year.
Hi Dorothy, yes I agree. These lists often steer me to pick up a novel in the coming year too. So much to read that I didn’t get to this year. But there’s always next year! Have a great week.
My Christmas spirit is sorely lacking this year. My husband has started putting up a decoration here and there–something he rarely does, so you know I’m off my usual holiday game. I did manage to get most of the gifts bought and wrapped. And the lights are up outside. I am taking my staff out for our holiday lunch/meeting tomorrow. It’s a little early for it, but one of my staff is having surgery and will be out work for six weeks. We didn’t want to exclude her.
I am glad you had a nice visit to California for the Thanksgiving holidays with your family. We stayed in town–had our traditional lasagna dinner with my mom and one of her friends. We generally host Christmas at our house and so I should probably start thinking about that.
I hope you have a great December!
Thanks LF: it’s great to hear from you and hear about your Christmas plans. It seems like you’re getting in the spirit with your holiday lunch meeting tomorrow. How nice! Once I start getting the decorations up – maybe I’ll feel more in the spirit. Just feels a bit early now. But if you’ve already bought your gifts & wrapped them — you are Way ahead of the game, woohoo. Have a great holiday season!
I greatly look forward to seeing all the end-of-the-year lists. I gather title names as if I were grabbing up colorful Easter eggs in a field and save them for times when I don’t know what to read next.
I start but don’t finish my books of December. I save up a nice stack of them to finish in the first few days of January. That gives me a good start on my next year’s challenge. I know, I know…a bit quirky.
Living sounds like a movie I would love to see. I wonder if it will have wide distribution. It would be lovely if we could see in Houston.
Hi Deb, I think Living will have a wide distribution. I’m looking forward to it as it looks like a lovely film.
Finishing books in January seems like a good idea to me as the holiday season is always a bit frantic. But we’re staying calm here.
Year-end lists help me as well with titles and seeing possible reads. I enjoy checking out. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season.
I’m looking forward to viewing The Good House, based on the novel which I read in 2013–oh, gosh, the author?? Loved the book. And recently released is the film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Kevin Kline is one of my favorite actors from way back.
Very intrigued about the new film starring Bill Nighy. Will add it to my list! I am so glad when there are movies starring older actors about older people. They are few and far between!
Hi Judith, yes we might rent The Good House movie tonight … now that I’ve finished the book. We will see if it’s faithful to the story.
I agree the Bill Nighy movie looks really good … and I’m excited about perhaps more than others this season. Happy Holidays!
I think Bill Nighy is a wonderful actor so I’ll have to check out Living.
I am glad to hear you enjoyed your CA vacation; we’ve been having fantastic sunsets so I’m glad you got to the beach to see one/some.
It is starting to feel holiday-ish in my neighborhood, which is fun. I love all the lights and decorations.
Hi Helen, Yes the winter sunsets in California are amazing! It’s my favorite time of year for seeing the sunsets. And many Christmas lights are up all over. It’s looking nice outside.
The Living movie looks to be a winner! Can’t wait to see it. Happy Holidays!
Love those beach/ocean photos! I’d love to be spending my winter break on a beach somewhere; instead we’ve got snow. Lots of snow. But it’s good. We need the water. And I do like curling up in a warm house with a good book while it snows outside. 😀
Thanks Lark. The photos take me away! Now I’ back in Alberta and we have lots of snow too. Good to hear Utah is getting snow – the ski resorts will be happy. We plan to X-country ski tomorrow … then read afterwards! a perfect combo. Have a great week.
It sounds like you had a lovely Thanksgiving in California. Wonderful photos! Thanks for the Top 10 lists, they are always good for inspiration. Living sounds good. I’m also an Ishiguro fan, so will try to check it out.
Hi Stargazer … thanks I was pleased by the photos and it was a fun trip.
It’s terrific that Ishiguro has written the script for Living … & adapted from the original screenplay. Wow right?! And I hope he’s started writing his next novel too, ha. Have a great week.
Hard to believe it’s not only time for a December preview, but that Christmas is almost 2 weeks away!
Boy, I don’t remember ever seeing Catalina so vividly as in your photo. It must have been a pretty clear day. Have you ever been? I think we’ve been 2 or 3 times, but I’ll bet it’s changed a lot since the 80s.
Thanks for sharing the links to the lists of “Best Books of 2022.” I’m always surprised that so many slip under my radar.
What a great cast in Women Talking. I wasn’t sure it was for me until I saw who is starring in it! Living looks like a great film, too.
I’ve started a draft of my favorite reads in 2022, but with over three weeks left in the year, there’s still time to add more.
Hi Lesley, December is flying by. I need to get on the stick about Christmas. We are staying at the old house & moving mid-January now to the new place.
The clearest times to see Catalina are during Winter — the air is just so clear to see the island. I’ve been there a few times — the last time being about 7 years ago we took my mother there for her 80th birthday and had lunch & a tour of the middle part of the island by golf cart. It was nice but I can’t imagine living there, ha. And I agree The Women Talking movie looks to have a wonderful cast. Might be disturbing but I’ll see it. Hope you have a great week.
I just reposted Goodreads Choice Awards 2022 books voted on by readers. I used to list my books read every end of year, but I don’t have the patience to continue doing it, lol.
Yeah Harvee : it takes a bit of time to make one’s year-end book lists, but somehow I’m still looking to do it. Usually I’m late with it though. I will look to see the Goodreads choices; I voted for them but haven’t seen what was picked. Have a great week.
Glad you had a great Thanksgiving! California sounds pretty good right now- it’s 30 here and we just got a fresh batch of snow! Although it is pretty out. And I’m miss winter (hate to admit that). Anyway… The whale sounds fabulous.
Hi Greg. California was good. What part of Michigan are you in? We have good snow in Alberta now and plan to ski tomorrow. If it’s 30 degrees then it’s pretty warm. I think The Whale will be a sad film so I’m sort of bracing myself. We will see how it goes. Have a great week.
I’m in the western part of the state (near Grand Rapids) although I grew up on the eastern side. 🙂
Ahh. Sounds nice. I have not been to Grand Rapids area but I have been to the Lansing area and Detroit and Grosse Point and Lake St. Clair. It seems beautiful where you are.
I’m glad you had a good trip! Going from California to Canada would be quite the change. I hope you’re having a good winter and getting lots of reading done.
Hi AJ, thanks! Not sure if I’m getting lots read but I hope to reach my reading goal for the year on Goodreads though it will be close! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and lots of books under the tree 🙂