It’s that time again, friends! Here’s what I’ve been reading in 2016: some nonfiction, a bunch of memoirs, some novels, a few plays, and a bit of Young Adult. Not too shabby, me thinks.

*Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett. (Actually read this at the end of 2015 but forgot to record it.) Slow and beautiful, hauntingly sad.

*Black Chalk, by Christopher J. Yates. Can’t remember it—Oh, wait! Yes, I can! A dark thriller that I thought so-so.

*The Art of Memoir, by Mary Karr. Some good (and comforting) writing nuggets (like, it took her months to write the first chapter of her memoir and find her voice), but I still prefer Bird by Bird.

*Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs, by Sally Mann. I’m fascinated by her perspective on life, and her work: raw and evocative.

*Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff. I don’t remember it, but my notes say: Not credible but interesting.

*All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. Good, but I wasn’t head over heels like everyone else.

*The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdich. Young adult (for book club). An okay, easy read.

*When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. I appreciated the healthy perspective towards death, but I enjoyed his wife’s writing better than his.

*Tips: Ideas for Actors and Tips II: More Ideas for Actors, by Jon Jory. Extremely helpful. I only wished that I could’ve read this books before Outside Mullingar, not after.

*A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic’s Wild Ride to the Edge and Back, by Keven Hazzard. A fast, entertaining read. Informative, too, for a mother of an EMT.

*Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee. I read this play in two sittings. It left me gasping for air.

*Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson. (For book club.) Absolutely abhorred it, which is funny because so many respected friends loved it.

*On Acting: A Handbook for Today’s Unique American Actor, by Steven Breese. Excellent.

*A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams. My first time reading the play; I enjoyed it. 

*Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, by Carlo Rovelli. I didn’t understand most of it…but I read it!

*Small Blessings, by Martha Woodroof. (Name drop: the author is in one of my writing groups!) Likeable characters and enjoyable read. The book was set in a town not far from here, and I got a kick out of reading about familiar places within a novel.

*Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Challenging and paradigm shifting, I wish I could’ve read this one with my book club because it requires processing. I chewed over the ideas for months.

*The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers, by Betsy Lerner. Informative.

*Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor. Required reading for my kids, so I read it, too. So, so good.

*The Silver Star, by Jeannette Walls. Can’t remember it.

*Lab Girl, by Hope Jahren. Excellent (though I skimmed some of the science parts). Gained new insight into bi-polar disease. Also, it made me want to plant an oak tree.

*A Story Lately Told, by Anjelica Huston. Dull and souless, but I was intrigued to learn Angelica is one of the actors in Transparent (which I loved).

*Hungry Heart, by Jennifer Weiner. The beginning was interesting, but after a bit it felt long-winded and whiny. By the end I was skimming whole pages.

*The Babylon Line, by Richard Greenberg. A play. Okay, but just that.

*Accelerando, by Lisa Loomer. A play. Complicated and slightly bizarre.

*Jesus Land: A Memoir, by Julia Scheeres. Powerful, dark, incredible. I felt like I was reading a nightmare; had to hurry through so I could end it and get on with my life. Highly recommend (but only if you’re emotionally stable, and even then, proceed with caution).

Up next: In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, by Neil White and then I’m open to (desperate for) recommendations. Fire away!

PS. 2015 book list and 2014 book list.

PPS. Books I’ve read to the kids for our bedtime read-alouds include Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O’Brien, A Little Princess and The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, More Stories from Grandma’s Attic, by Arleta Richardson, and we’re right now finishing up A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith. Have you discovered any new read-alouds this year (for ages 10-15)?

This same time, years previous: toasty oatmeal muffins.

This same time, years previous: brightening the dark, supper reading, on my to-do list, fa-la-la-la-la, how to have a dunging-out date, the quotidian (12.19.11), chocolate-dipped candied orange rinds, scholarly stuff, and walnut balls (and I’m not even being dirty).

Baked, so far: butter cookies, gingerbread men, lemon squares, cranberry crumble bars, peppernuts (made by my younger son whose desire to bake is so fierce that denied kitchen access makes him weepy), and this almond shortbread.

They’re not called shortbread, though. According to Luisa, they’re Heidesand, or Sandy Almond Sugar Cookies, but they don’t taste sandy to me, and they’re definitely not sugar cookies because sugar cookies are soft, HELLO. Hence, shortbread. (They could also be butter cookies, I suppose, but let’s not complicate things, ‘kay?)

I adore these cookies. Really, really adore them. The crunchy pearl sugar, the strong hit of almond, the dry richness: it’s all most satisfying. My husband, however, much prefers the leckerli and everyone (but me) was wild over the pfeffernüsse. Funny thing, taste buds.

But since I am cook and reign supreme of all things food, I made another batch (a double batch, actually) of the ones I loved. Being dictator has its perks (which is not a very funny joke, considering the current political shitstorm, Merry Christmas and Happy—Ha—New Year.) (Wow. I was in a good mood when I sat down to write this. Down, Subconscious, down!)

ANYWAY WHERE WAS I? Oh yes, cookies. Sweet, yummy, cozy-safe cookies. In order to make these cookies, one must have almond paste. I’d never used, tasted, or even seen almond paste before, but I trusted Luisa, noted the book’s high volume of recipes calling for almond paste, and shelled out forty-plus dollars for a bucket of the stuff. (And then this week, I saw teeny-tiny boxes of the stuff on the grocery store shelf for over five bucks a pop and I was like, Bulk buying rocks.)

After I opened the almond paste, I divided the paste into 8-ounce portions, wrapped them up tight in plastic, put the whole lot in a large plastic bag, and stuffed them into the freezer where they will last a short eternity. Seeing how much I love the one and only cookie I’ve made with the paste, I’m awfully glad for my stash. What can I say? I’m half squirrel and almond paste is my nutty security blanket. 

What Christmas treats have you made thus far? I have a few more on my list, and weepy boy is at it again. In other words: we’re not done yet.

Almond Shortbread
Adapted from Classic German Baking by Luisa Weiss.

No pearl sugar? Use demerara or granulated sugar instead, though it won’t be nearly as crunchy.

I used a kitchen aid to mix the dough, but these can be mixed by hand, using your fingers to crumble everything together.

14 tablespoons butter
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 ounces almond paste, grated or broken into small pieces
¼ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 egg yolk, beaten, and pearl sugar, for coating

Cream together the butter and almond paste. Beat in the salt, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar. Add the flour. Roll the dough into logs, about 2 inches in diameter (though mine were smaller, I think). Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for a couple hours or several days.

When ready to bake, brush the logs with the beaten egg yolk (à la buttering corn on the cob) and roll the logs in the pearl sugar. Slice the logs into ¼-inch slices and place on a cookie sheet. The cookies will only puff slightly, so they can be fairly close together. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Cool completely before storing in a glass jar at room temperature, or, if wanting to keep them for longer than a week, bagging and freezing.

This same time, years previous: the warming, the quotidian (12.14.15), mini dramas, bits of goodness, the quotidian (12.16.13), soft cinnamon sugar butter bars, the quotidian (12.17.12), fig and anise pinwheels, my baby, and cranberry white chocolate cookies.