Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

We've had our group grow a lot recently. Very exciting. This is a little getting to know you game. Tell the group five fun facts about yourself.

1. I read too much!!! But I don't have T.V. or video games
2. I used to teach, special ed.- now retired YAY!!
3. I have three art shows coming up and have been painting like mad.
4. I am also madly trying to prune the fruit tree orchard before it's too late. Only 12 left to do.
5. I have border collies and do a lot of barn hunt and agility and throw a ball about 200 times a day.

1. I'm left-handed.
2. I'm an only child.
3. I have never met my father.
4. I never left Australia until I was 33, and now I live on the other side of the world and have visited fourteen different countries.
5. I'm a photographer, and although I photograph people for my work, my favourite type of photography is black and white macro flower photography.

1. I'm married to a British man but I hate speaking English.
2. I hate it when sauce touches the salat on my plate
3. I don't have a drivers license
4. I've sprained almost every finger, both ankles, one knee and my hands but never broken a bone.
5. If I won the EuroJackpot I would move away from the cities and have lots of dogs

1. I'm from Switzerland, living in New Zealand, my father lives in Brazil and his sister lives in Canada with my cousins... We've almost conquered all the continents haha.
2. I have eaten meat less then 10 times in the past 12 months.
3. I've been with my boyfriend for 12 years, but have no interest in getting married or having kids.
4. I used to stubbornly scorn at any kind of physical activity. Then I moved to New Zealand and now I'm in love with hiking!
5. I've had 19 piercings done in my life, but only have 12 left.

1. I joined a psychology research lab that studies eating disorders and suicide
2. I’ve seen Hamilton in nyc and got to meet Jonathon groff (king George)
3. I look really good in leather jackets
4. I have a cactus named pickles
5. I’m studying abroad in Czech Republic this summer

1. I love snow, skiing and skating
2. I have a really slow car named “The Lightning”
3. My first cat was named after a star (don’t have a cat now unfortunately)
4. Music (may) have an even bigger place in my heart than books
5. I work too much

1. I am the older of six siblings.
2. I emigrated with my husband and children from El Salvador to Norway 10 years ago.
3. I love to read comics and manga, and watch animated shows since I can remember.
4. I have skied only twice in my life, the first time I couldn't move forward and the second time I couldn't stop :(
5. I can't touch jewelry, It makes me anxious, so I never use any kind of jewelry.

Silvia wrote: "1. I am the older of six siblings.
2. I emigrated with my husband and children from El Salvador to Norway 10 years ago.
3. I love to read comics and manga, and watch animated shows since I can rem..."

Your #4 answer cracked me up! Third time is a charm, right?;)

1. I severed the tendons in my pinky finger when a dish I was washing broke. I had to have surgery and it didn't heal right so that finger doesn't bend.
2. I'm a cancer survivor. The type I had is so rare it accounts for only about 1% of all ovarian cancer diagnoses.
3. I am a crazy cat lady. My wife and I have seven cats.
4. My favorite color is orange.
5. I'm a statistical anomaly, as a queer left-handed redhead. (Less than 2% of people have red hair, about 4% of people identify as LGBT, and only about 10% of people are left handed.)

O, I thought of another one! Can I do six? I'm doing six.

6. I worked as a newspaper reporter for several years and one of the coolest interviews I did was with a physicist (Dr. Ronald Mallett) whose life work is developing a working time machine. His book - Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality - is fascinating and I highly recommend it.

1. I teach high school economics and coach cheerleading (but my undergraduate major and my first teaching job was English literature!)
2. My two favorite reading buddies are my pup Arthur and my cat Addy, who only comes around me when I have a book in my hand. 😼
3. I've crossed the only two things I've had on my bucket list off (skydiving and getting a tattoo), so it's all downhill from here, really.
4. I am the very pickiest eater, which is a huge reason why traveling to other countries isn't on my bucket list. (Don't get me wrong, I love to travel! I'm just very wary of the food selection). I'm from Louisiana, so we take our food seriously.
5. This is the first time I participate in this challenge from January, and it's causing me a lot of anxiety, TBH. I'm 4 books ahead, but I still feel like I'm behind haha!

1. I love living in NYC but my favorite place on Earth is Paris and I would move there in a second if I had the opportunity.
2. I work in real estate.
3. I don't have kids but I adore my dog Oliver and cats, Siegfried and Roy, who are all laying on the couch with me as I type.
4. I love to travel and have visited over 50 countries.
5. I'm a shoe and handbag addict.

1) I'm a librarian
2) I'm a left-hander. Lefties unite!
3) My husband & I just barely qualify as high-school sweethearts. Our lockers were next to each other all four years, yet we never talked to each other until the last semester of senior year.
4) I play RPGs (role-playing games) and have run some campaigns for my friends.
5) I like to think that I can keep plants alive. I've been slowly killing off a pot of succelents for the last 3 years, and am trying to decide if my year-old Philodendron is actually going to make it.

1. I'm a Certified Public Accountant (freaking test took me a couple of times......not a good test taker so this is a big accomplishment for me)
2. People can't touch their feet around me and especially their toes and for goodness sake don't break out a nail clipper. Disgusting!
3. We have 12 acres in rural Virginia and have about 17 chickens, 4 cats and 2 dogs
4. I married my middle school sweetheart
5. I have a 16 year old son and a 13 year old daughter. I'm liking the teen years more than I thought I would!!

I loved reading about all of you!

dalex wrote: "6. I worked as a newspaper reporter for several years and one of the coolest interviews I did was with a physicist (Dr. Ronald Mallett) whose life work is developing a working time machine. His book - Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality - is fascinating and I highly recommend it. "

Thanks for the recommendation, I'm fascinated by time travel!

Congrats on being such a unique person, statistically speaking or not ;)

Rachelnyc wrote: "4. I love to travel and have visited over 50 countries."

Wow, 50 countries, that's impressive!!! I love to travel too! Which were your favorites?

Amanda wrote: "5) I like to think that I can keep plants alive. I've been slowly killing off a pot of succelents for the last 3 years, and am trying to decide if my year-old Philodendron is actually going to make it. "

I managed to kill an aquatic plant, so... no judgement here haha

1. On a field trip at work once, I almost walked into a llama
2. I am absolutely obsessed with the Addams Family in all formats
3. I was mistaken for an English major in university because I was always seen with a book (often a classic), but I was actually a psychology major
4. I have a terrible sense of direction, which is complicated by the fact that I don't drive. I'm completely useless at telling people which way to go (even sometimes to my own house, since I naturally tell them the walking directions)
5. The only pets I've ever had were goldfish, and my brother's fish (in the same bowl) was a bully that outlived four of mine, until I got one that was huge and I guess intimidated it enough to leave it alone

1. I worked as a librarian in schools and the public library for 35 years, and am now retired.
2. My husband and I live on 6 acres in rural Wisconsin, USA.
3. We travel quite a bit, mostly in the US and Canada, and one time to Europe--Belgium in 2012--so far.
4. Besides reading, my interests are sewing, walking/hiking and travel.
5. I'm hoping another cat adopts us. We lost our Kitty in October.

1. I moved to China in 2011 with the intent to teach for a year to pay off student loans, but met my husband within 3 months and now have a toddler and a baby due in June.

2. I’m from Canada where winter is usually-20 C or so, but since I now live on a subtropical island, I wear a winter coat at +15 C...

3. I’m a high school science teacher by education, but since the only international high school here closed in 2013, I am currently teaching Mommy and me classes (I hate it because it’s not my passion). Hoping to work for a new international high school next year.

4. My high school sweetheart died of cancer when we were in our 20’s, and that’s the reason I moved abroad (to Japan the first time).

5. I write songs, sing and play the ukulele and harbor a secret dream of becoming a recording artist (currently just perform for school events).

Sophie wrote: Rachelnyc wrote: "4. I love to travel and have visited over 50 countries."

Wow, 50 countries, that's impressive!!! I love to travel too! Which were your favorites?

Paris will always be my first and best foreign travel love and I go as often as I can. I also will read pretty much anything set there so if anyone has recommendations, please share. I also love London and Hong Kong and for non-city destinations, Bali, Bolivia and Kyoto.

What are your favorite travel destinations?

1. I grew up in Minnesota, went to college in Massachusetts, 1st post-college jobs were in Washington, D.C., and have lived in or near San Francisco for more than 30 years.

2. I have two artificial lens, due to cataracts, and two hip replacements — almost but not quite bionic.

3. I have two daughters —ages 31 and 33; plus my husband already had 6 children when we got married.

4. Books run in the family. I was one of those kids who always carried a book with me. Husband is a (retired) publisher, and both daughters are constant readers.
Husband likes poetry and biography, one daughter likes sci fi and horror, other daughter likes literary fiction. Me — I’ll try anything.

5. I’m a baseball, basketball, football fan. Always some good local teams here.

1) I am left handed, as is my husband, and our only son.
2) I have been to 48 of the 50 United States. I've told my husband he need to take me to North Dakota and Alaska before I turn 50.
3) I work as an Occupational Therapist in a nursing home.
4) we have a yellow Labrador retriever. We had a chocolate and a black one before that.
5) I read a lot to my son as a child, and I think that contributed to his love of reading. Several of the books I am reading this year belong to him!

1. Last October I was the speaker at my church's Womern's Retreat. It was the first time I tried my hand at writing and speaking to a large group.of people.
2. One of my favorite things to do is cook for a large group of people. The most I have ever cooked for is 350.
3. I am a huge baseball and football fan. Go Dodgers!
4. I have worked for the same company for 35 years.
5. I am pretty addicted to books and coffee.

Rachelnyc wrote: "What are your favorite travel destinations?"

New Zealand is for me the most beautiful country in the world, and second in my heart is Iceland. I also loved Bali, Canada and Italy. My favourite cities ever are London and Berlin.

1. I use the name Dirty Pickle at coffee shops. It tickles me when they call my name and they never spell it wrong on the cup.
2. I am very competitve. I once walked 80 miles in a week so that I could win a weight loss competition at work. I also spit in a cup for 10 hours because I'd read that wrestlers do it before weigh ins. I won by the slightest margin and I like to think the spit pushed me over for the win.
3. I've had four shih-tzus: Phat Doobie (RIP), Slim Sadie (RIP), Gumball, and Pee Diddy (one day we might decide to start calling him Ruff Daddy).
4. I have a collection of Beatles mugs (20+) that I keep at work and I color coordinate them with my outfits every day. My daughter was named after a Beatles Album (Revolver...just joshing with you)!
5. My husband hated me in college. I had to call him 5 times to get him to go out with me. Looks like I won that one, too. I never back down from a challenge.

Ann-how many and what kind of Fruit Tree do you have? I need to get on the ball
Jody: You've never met your dad? If you don't want to elaborate that'S OK
Marina-what language to you prefer?
Sophie: why are you not interested in marriage?
Sabrina: I's super jealous about yiour number 2. Loved the book and he audio
Hilde: what do you work too hard at?
Silvia: not interested in jewelry either. Only my wedding ring
Saliex: I think it's pretty cool how special you are
Emily: what's the next thing on your bucket list?
RachelNYC: I can't even imagine wanting to live there. What's the attraction?
Amanda: as a plant lover I want to encourage you to keep trying!
Joan : I echo you living with chickens, cats and dogs
Rachel: my sense of direction is so bad. I get lost in a brown paper bag
Erica: I'm so sorry that must have been horrible
Lizzy : I also carry books with me. I feel lost without them
Kathy Jo: I have been to all 50 states and that feels kind of cool . It's thanks to my parents
Jill : I admire cooking for a crowd. Cooking even for a few is stressful for me
Tammy: I'm anti competitive. I shut down immediately. So that's interesting to me. Are you in extrovert?

1. I'm trying to live as sustainable as I can with a big garden and a simpler lifestyle
2. Both my daughters have made me so happy with a grandson and granddaughter. The best!
3. I've time to read and Goodreads had enriched my experience so much with vetted great books
4. Dogs are a sub-passion and I'm always up for a great dog book
5. I volunteer where my passions lies-the local library and the Garden Club.

Perri wrote: "Sophie: why are you not interested in marriage?"

I've always reacted really strongly in the opposing way I felt pressure to go (from people, society, etc.), so I guess the rebel part of me doesn't want to conform with marriage. And also we don't think it would bring anything more to our relationship so we don't feel the push to do it!

And it's the same for kids, plus I get really weird around children, they make me uncomfortable and I don't know how to act around them. And I'm REALLY NOT a patient person haha

Perri wrote: "Tammy: I'm anti competitive. I shut down immediately. So that's interesting to me. Are you an introvert?"

Perhaps I should have used the word driven or self motivated because the pleasure doesn't come from the winning as much as the knowledge that I can accomplish anything if I am willing to try. I'm a pretty classic introvert. Large groups or parties make me shudder. I've had the same 3 friends for 30 years (that is plenty) and I absolutely require my own space.

Perri wrote: "Jody: You've never met your dad? If you don't want to elaborate that'S OK"

I don't mind elaborating. 😊 My mother decided not to tell my father that she was pregnant, so he doesn't even realise that I exist. Growing up, apart from always being different to everyone else, I wasn't overly concerned about it. However once I was older, and particularly after struggling with infertility for years, my whole perspective on it changed and I realised how selfish it was on my mother's part. It was not her decision to make - she took away any opportunity we had to have a relationship, and for me to know half of my heritage and family (including my medical history). It is one of the main reasons I haven't spoken to her in some years.

Sophie wrote: "Rachelnyc wrote: "What are your favorite travel destinations?"

New Zealand is for me the most beautiful country in the world, and second in my heart is Iceland. I also loved Bali, Canada and Italy..."

I just saw that you live in NZ. I hear it's beautiful! I loved Australia and am hoping to return and include some time in New Zealand. I loved Iceland too and I'm hoping to visit Berlin for the first time this year or next.

Perri wrote: "RachelNYC: I can't even imagine wanting to live there. What's the attraction?"

It's hard to describe how much I love Paris but I am convinced I lived there is a previous life because it just felt like home from the first time I visited on a school trip in high school. Everything from the food to the people, the market streets, the museums, boutiques, I could go on. It just makes me happy. Have you been?

Tammy wrote: "1. I use the name Dirty Pickle at coffee shops. It tickles me when they call my name and they never spell it wrong on the cup.
2. I am very competitve. I once walked 80 miles in a week so that I co..."

Love your Shih Tzu names! I have one too and while I love all dogs, Shih Tzus are a very special breed.

Perri wrote: "Ann-how many and what kind of Fruit Tree do you have? I need to get on the ball
Jody: You've never met your dad? If you don't want to elaborate that'S OK
Marina-what language to you prefer?
Sophie:..."

I don't know if I'm going to add to my bucket list.. I feel like I had skydiving and getting a tattoo on my list because it was so unheard of for me (my friends were SHOCKED that I got a tattoo, and my students didn't believe I skydived until I showed them a picture). I have normal, run-of-the-mill stuff like see the tower of London and have kids, but nothing so daring or dangerous.

I tend to live vicariously through books 😂

How many and what kind of Fruit Trees do you have? Well, Perri you best get planting. They can be a joy in the spring and fall; but I notice no one wants to come to the orchard in the winter when they need to be pruned or when the leaves need to be raked. I have 65 trees, the best for easy growing and sales are Asian pears. I have 14 varieties of them and love taste tests. I Have a few pears, cherries, peaches, and plenty of apples. I always buy varieties that are made for this climate. If you want a list e mail me.

Rachelnyc wrote: "Love your Shih Tzu names! I have one too and while I love all dogs, Shih Tzus are a very special breed.

I have a rare gift for naming dogs ridiculously embarrassing names. I pushed for Bjark (Bjork combined with bark) which seemed very logical to me but my family vetoed that one. I totally agree that shih tzus are special. Have you had more than one? What is its name? Please feel free to contact me in the future if you need a totally impractical name for a dog.

I love reading all of your facts & getting to know more about you.

1. My favorite color is brown. My last name is also Brown. But it was my favorite color first.

2. My new obsession of the year is bullet journaling. If you bullet journal or are interested in learning more about it, feel free to join our ATY Bullet Journal group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/35690...

3. I love to bake. I've made a bucket list of 99 things to bake (and cook), and I'm working my way through it. The craziest thing I've ever made is a Cherpumple. It's a 3 layer cake with pies baked into each layer. More information here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherpumple

4. I love to watch hockey. I'm a huge Philadelphia Flyers fan.

5. I'm LDS (or Latter-Day Saint), often known as Mormon.

1. My name is not Emm. It's not Emma or Emily or any other Emm name. It's Michelle. Emm = M. All my names begin with M.
2. My favorite food is soup. I can't narrow it down to just one. I love soups of all kinds, they're like the ultimate comfort food.
3. I was very absent last year partially because I became a mom for the first time. In March of 2017, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! I don't plan to have any others. I'm perfectly content with him. :)
4. I'm borderline obsessed with lemons. I love the way they taste and smell.
5. For a brief time in my childhood, I had a mohawk/faux-hawk sort of thing going on after a tragic attempt to cut my own hair.

1. I am exactly 6' tall in bare feet, which is almost a head taller than my husband, and exactly twice as tall as my 4 year old son.
2. I have had both my appendix and gall bladder removed, but not at the same time.
3. In World of Warcraft I main a night elf holy priest and have since Vanilla. (I still miss having Starshards.)
4. I am allergic to peanuts and liquid stitches, the later of which was discovered after they were used for my gall bladder surgery, which really, really sucked.
5. I have seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show in the movie theater nearly 400 times, and was on a shadow cast when I was younger.

Emm! Like two weeks ago I randomly had the thought, what if the Emm is M. Probably because my sister knows someone who goes by Emmy, but it comes from her initials, M E.

1. I love watching sports. Road cycling and football (or soccer if you’re American) are my favourites but I’ll also watch rugby, tennis, athletics, in fact most sports other than boxing and golf.

2. I’ve had eight different jobs since graduating from university, but my favourite is my current one as a stay at home mum.

3. I own far too many pairs of pyjamas but I like them all so much I can’t bring myself to get rid of any.

4. I grew up by the sea and I still miss being near to a beach despite having lived away from the sea for almost half my life now.

5. For several years I hardly read at all until last year when I found this group, developed a slight reading challenge addiction and read 180 books in a year.

Tammy wrote: "Rachelnyc wrote: "Love your Shih Tzu names! I have one too and while I love all dogs, Shih Tzus are a very special breed.

I have a rare gift for naming dogs ridiculously embarrassing names. I pus..."

I only have the one Shih Tzu but if/when I get another dog I will almost definitely seek out the breed and will be in touch for help. Mine's name is "normal" but I still love it, Oliver.

Katie wrote: "I love reading all of your facts & getting to know more about you.

1. My favorite color is brown. My last name is also Brown. But it was my favorite color first.

2. My new obsession of the year ..."

That cherpumple looks insane. I also love to bake but am not at that level. I love to make different varieties of cookies but my "specialty" that is recommended each Thanksgiving by my family is pumpkin cheesecake.

Rachelnyc wrote: "I just saw that you live in NZ. I hear it's beautiful! I loved Australia and am hoping to return and include some time in New Zealand. I loved Iceland too and I'm hoping to visit Berlin for the first time this year or next. "

Please make more than just 'some time' in New Zealand, it's definitely worth staying minimum 2 weeks if you want to see anything! The South Island is definitely the most picturesque and my favourite place on Earth ;)
Too bad there's no job there and I'm stuck in Auckland! That's one of the reasons we're leaving in April to travel around the world for a year! 😃

Emm wrote: "1. My name is not Emm. It's not Emma or Emily or any other Emm name. It's Michelle. Emm = M. All my names begin with M.
2. My favorite food is soup. I can't narrow it down to just one. I love soup..."

OMG I always pictured you as an Emily and somewhat my image of you changed now that I know you're a Michelle! This is so weird (and silly) lol

1. I’m from Canada, lived in Scotland and then South Korea and now the US.

2. I’ve travelled to some odd places, like North Korea, Togo and East Timor.

3. I got married somewhat by accident - we didn’t realize that in Colorado you can get married at the DMV when you get the license. We didn’t understand a key question we were asked and it wasn’t until after we had been married that we discovered it had happened. And our first anniversary was Friday the 13th.

4. Married four years, two kids - it was all meant to be a one night stand.

5. We have a cat named Sherlock, who was a Korean street cat and a dog named Watson, who was a rescue. He’s a Lab-Dane mix and 90 lbs.

Emm. Mind. Blown.

OMG Chinook, how is it possible to get married at the DMV?!? This is mad!

1. I'm an extreme dog lover. I got a chocolate lab when I was 14. She's still going strong at 15 but I left her at home when I went to college. Now I have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Nicholas and he's pretty much my baby.

2. I've lived in North Carolina, Orlando, Boston, and three cities in Ohio. That's a point of pride for me because many in my hometown rarely leave.

3. I'm a perfectionist. I added an extra major and two minors to my Bachelor's just so I could go longer and graduate with the GPA I wanted. Majors in Criminology and Psychology and minors in Philosophy and Forensic Science.

4. I'm currently working as a therapist in a middle and high school hit hard by the opioid epidemic. I'd like to get back into school social work though.

5. I love horror movies. I started watching them younger than I probably should have and haven't stopped.

Bryony wrote: "1. I love watching sports. Road cycling and football (or soccer if you’re American) are my favourites but I’ll also watch rugby, tennis, athletics, in fact most sports other than boxing and golf.

..."

I also love pajamas! I'm always horrified that I think I have more pajama pants then real world pants :P I'm partial to the fluffy fleece ones.

Sophie wrote: "Rachelnyc wrote: "I just saw that you live in NZ. I hear it's beautiful! I loved Australia and am hoping to return and include some time in New Zealand. I loved Iceland too and I'm hoping to visit ..."

I will definitely spend as much time as I can in NZ. Travelling around the world for a year?! I am beyond jealous!! Do you have a plan in place of where you are going and how much time in each location or are you more spontaneous?