#37: Last favs of 2023, exciting 2024 plans
It's gonna be some year....
NYC Winter scene, 2018
Welcome to 2024 at Cover Your Bases! We all know this year to come is going to be unforgettable, and hopefully, not in the very worst way (wars, elections, homelessness). This past year, I read more than 150 books and immersed myself in countless movies, series, and specials. Not to mention, I cooked more than 208 dishes in 2023, some of them more than once. So before we let go of 2023, let's reflect on some of the highlights from my year.
BOOKS: Discovering Authors I Just Couldn't Get Enough Of
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, James McBride, Random House, 2023: This extraordinary novel explores the lives of working-class Blacks, immigrant Jews, and Italians in a small Pennsylvania town. It's a captivating tale of unique individuals and an instant classic portraying the evolving values, society, history, and culture of America. At a time when the world can seem cold and filled with hate, the deep compassion and humor of this story captured my heart—and make me want to read ALL of McBride’s work.
Wellness, by Nathan Hill, Random House, 2023: I found The Nix, Hill’s first book (2016), to be unique and memorable, so I had to read Wellness when it came out, and it’s really good. This novel traces the lives of Jack and Elizabeth, who, fifteen years after their youthful romance, find themselves grappling with life's peak moments of fatigue, frustration, and discontent. Their struggles and issues are dryly chronicled by Hill, who taps many of the themes of the upwardly-striving creative class as he tells the story of their little family.
Akwaeke Emezi and Melissa Febos
Two of my great 2023 discoveries were queer writers—novelist, and video artist Akwaeke Emezi, and memoirist and essayist Melissa Febos. Emezi’s blazingly gorgeous novel You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty blew me away with its writing, color, poetry, and queerness. Following this, The Death of Vivek Oji paints a poignant picture of a young man's life in a Nigerian society where difference is misunderstood, and non-conformity spells danger. Their works have profoundly moved me, and I’m eager to delve into their entire collection in 2024.
Melissa Febos had a similar impact on me; the first book I read was Abandon Me, a collection of essays. I moved on to Body Work, then, Girlhood, and finally, her first book, Whipsmart. Febos has a unique ability to revisit and reinterpret stories from her life as her perspective matures and her self-understanding deepens. This is something I have done in my talks with myself, but experiencing Febos doing it in writing is powerful.
TO MAKE: Cooking
In February 2023, when I stepped away from my full-time job, I decided to start tracking the dishes I cooked in a spreadsheet. This has been fun and informative. I can now track all the salmon dishes and see which one I want to make again, or easily find the banana bread recipe I want to repeat. And it’s useful to see which recipes came out so poorly that my comments are Never Again, or Meh.
The dishes below are favorites I made at least three times each in 2023; I know they will be regulars in 2024, as well:
Blueberry FrenchYogurt Cake: This variation on a simple French Yogurt Cake has become a go-to treat both for my family and as a gift for friends. Using turbinado sugar on top of the fruit gives it a pretty finish.
Cauliflower, potato, tomato curry: This was one of those recipes on the internet that I tried, randomly, but it was so good, I’ve made it over and over.
River Road Cookbook Shrimp Gumbo: River Road is a classic Southern/Creole Community Cookbook, and this dish has become one of our special celebration meals. It’s simple, but if you use good-quality shrimp, it’s magically delicious.
What else is new with me? Goals for 2024.
Consulting: New focus on AI: Yes, I went back to work part-time, supporting smaller nonprofits with fundraising and development work, mostly (and I have great clients). Starting this winter, I am also doing generative AI training and coaching for nonprofit clients, both 1:1 and in small groups. I am especially interested in working with foundations to help their grantees build skills in this area. Oh, and I am writing about AI quite a bit, AI-focused blog posts are here.
Travel: Keeping it local, mostly: 2023 saw me take a 6-week trip to Europe, and two trips to New York, 2024 is a lot closer to home, at least until Spring/Summer, when I will head back to NYC probably a couple of times–but no long-haul travel is planned.
YOU MADE IT THIS FAR, NOW WHAT?
Slow Horses–Are You Watching? This British series on AppleTV has me obsessed. If you’ve seen it, I hope you enjoy it; if you haven’t, you should check it out, starting with Season 1.
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All best,
Susan