33 Comments

I love that you do this (list). Reading before bed is really the one way I sleep well, so I'm adopting this new term--the holy shied. Vowing to make this time for myself more sacred, and add a few of these to my own list.

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Dec 16, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

This is so great and encouraging. Do you keep most the books you read? You have so many in your living room, it seems!

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Dec 16, 2022·edited Dec 16, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

I am an addict of Books Read lists and have kept mine faithfully for many decades. It's been a long time, but I read "Mr. Bridge" and "Mrs. Bridge" in high school, and found them very sad and empty lives, especially Mrs. Bridge. It helped form my antipathy to marriage. "The Light Years," I read two decades ago, and it spurred me on to reading all Howard's books, but that flamed out. Nancy Mitford's "The Pursuit of Love" is enchanting; how could you not immediately read "Love in a Cold Climate?" And "Don't Tell Alfred." "Pride and Prejudice" is wonderful, though "Emma" is my favorite. I am on my 101th book of the year (I always aim for at least 100), an extremely long one.

Goodreads is an excellent place to record your books and write reviews for your own benefit. Thanks for sharing your list!

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Dec 16, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

I picked up "American Wife" on a whim and wasn't really excited to read it based on the synopsis. But I was drawn in completely, and loved it! I also enjoyed "The Palace Papers" and highly recommend Tina Brown's earlier book, "The Diana Chronicles," which is smart, gossipy and has an interesting perspective on the British media.

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Dec 16, 2022·edited Dec 16, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

Just now, I was wondering what to do with the package of ground beef thawing in my fridge. I have a vague recollection of a lasagna recipe I saw somewhere, one with bechamel and not ricotta... must be Luisa Weiss. I check the index of My Berlin Kitchen, but it's not there. Feeling disappointed, I go to check my email, and there at the top is Letter from Berlin. Synchronicity!

As for the books, I've started The Land Where Lemons Grow, dipped into Crying in H Mart, and Black Sea has been on my list for a while (I love the Samarkand cookbook). I'm a very slow reader, but looking forward to winding my way through these and more next year.

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Dec 16, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

I‘ve had The Latehomecomer on my shelf for eleven years, and this was the year i finally read it. It was one of my favorite books this year.

Thank you for doing this every year. It‘s fun to compare my list with yours, and I get lots of ideas for what I want to read in the future.

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Dec 17, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

Feeling chuffed that I read some of the same books this year! Ha! I think 50+ books is an amazing number for a mother of young boys, even without considering your book writing and recipe tasting. I’m retired, do very little of anything these days, and read 58 books this year. I only read them at bedtime and stayed up way too late a lot of nights, which is my next goal: get to bed earlier and get my reading in before midnight! Thanks for sharing your list, it’s nice to have some good recommendations.

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Mrs Bridge!!! What a book

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Dec 17, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

Thank you for this list! I love the image of a holy shield to protect my reading time. It really is a sacred time of day.

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Dec 17, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

Love the Cazalet Chronicles! Discovered them this year and read all in the span of a month

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Dec 17, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

I am so grateful for this post! One book that I made time to read recently was The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer and I wondered, "Did Luisa flash this title on Insta or did I listen to the review on NPR?" Now I can purview your lists to see if I come across it.

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Dec 18, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

Any list that includes Laurie Colwin is a good list

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Dec 18, 2022Liked by Luisa Weiss

I had already decided that this next year I will try to get to bed earlier and read- watching old reruns of shows I already know to calm me down enough to sleep is really getting old! So thank you for this list- it adds so many books to the ones that are already waiting for me on my night table 😅

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I started a tattoo session when I realized I forgot my book. Frustrated, I went to my inbox to see if I had any newsletters to catch up on. This was high up on my 'unreads.' I scroll through and see the first book listed is set (partly, I'm learning) in Laos. It was a serendipitous find to help with my literary prep prior to our trip to Laos in March! Even better, my library had a copy available, so I could start reading it during the session. Thanks for sharing, Luisa!

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Thank you for sharing your list! Always looking for good bks. I have to agree with your comment on “Lucy by the Sea”!

Have you read “Woman is no Man”? Although I could not put it down, it was horrifying.

Also-The Girl with Seven Names

Happy reading

Merry Christmas! 🎄

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Very similar reading recommendations ! I loved a lot of the books you listed here, and, like you, I can’t wait for the new Sittenfeld

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