I am a lifelong nailbiter. I have tried any and all solutions (except hypnosis) to quell this bad habit. I've had fake nails over the years, fidget toys (before they were a thing), and even tried the nasty-tasting solution that supposedly works every time. Except I didn't really mind the taste. At least not enough to keep me from an enticing hangnail. And several times, I've actually had a beautiful, ten-fingered manicure. But as soon as that begins to chip, I jump in to finish the job.

Currently, I have little "finger condoms," or finger protectors, as they are called, on my thumbs, the two digits I fuss with most. The other day, I saw them in a drugstore and thought, "That's the answer!" So far, so good.

So, in this renewed effort to get manicure-ready, I decided to keep track of when I bite my nails. Here's what I concluded: Reading the news, scary or tense TV shows and movies, dinner party menu planning, Senior Nomad budget meetings, in waiting rooms, running late, and sitting in traffic. But here's the reason for posting this confession -I am at my worst when I'm reading for pleasure!

Curling up with a good book, a cup of tea, and my imaginary cat should be blissful. But often, it is not. After some self-analysis, I concluded that I am anxious when reading fiction because I haven't given myself permission. Surely, I should be doing something more productive with my daylight hours!

Don't get me wrong, I love reading, but in my head, reading is for bedtime - for as long as one can stay awake! Or on a plane or a train. However, if I'm on an airplane, I nibble because I am anxious over which of the one hundred movies I should watch instead of reading! Because when else, as a nomad, do you have the chance to binge-watch?

Michael had a banner year of reading books on a wide variety of topics! He reads all the time, day or night, and seems perfectly at ease with that decision. As for myself, bodily harm aside, I do manage to get through quite a few books. We both started and abandoned a few, and others didn’t stick, but we have a solid list of favorites that made our annual Top Ten.

Once again, Michael's favorite books focused on strong female characters, both fictional and real. He enjoyed Nina Totenberg's memoir Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships, about her close and unlikely friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and news anchor Cokie Roberts's biography, Cokie: A Life Well Lived, lovingly written by her husband, Robert. Of course, Cokie and Nina were both NPR correspondents and also good friends. The most unique book he read last year was Trust by Hernan Diaz, a family saga about money, power, and perception.

Books with female protagonists (including a robot) that we both loved were Kristen Hannah's novel The Women, about the under-appreciated field nurses in Vietnam who were as courageous as any man on the battlefield. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Secret Book of Flora Lea, and Annie Bot - a surprisingly enjoyable read about a sassy AI-powered companion’s emancipation from her sexist owner. And then there was All Fours. Even though it is the "darling" of many Best Books of 2024 Lists, it was so sex-crazed, we couldn't bring ourselves to recommend it. The writing is excellent - but we kept asking ourselves, “What is this actually about?” It is better left to peri-menopausal women to parse that one.

My list includes books set in locations we visited last fall, including The Talented Mr. Ripley, which takes place in Italy. I'd never read it, and my poor nails suffered the entire time. It was intense! For my Paris read, I chose Sisters of the Resistance, about Christian Dior's sister, Catherine, and her heroic efforts as part of the French Resistance. And for Switzerland, I smiled my way through a reread of the children's classic Heidi. What a timeless tale of love, optimism, and the beauty of nature. And, of course, The Dictionary of Lost Words, our favorite book from 2023, got us to Oxford, England. I also savored every page of Tom Lake because I love anything by Ann Patchett. Now we have Michigan on our places to visit checklist!

I am putting The Wedding People on my 2024 list even though I just finished it. I loved it so much that I can't wait until next year to share it. What a witty romp of a book! The characters are delightfully developed, and the banter is spot-on.

My favorite nonfiction read was Empress of the Nile, the story of one woman's determination to save the ancient treasures of the Nile Valley, including Abu Simbal, from being submerged by a giant reservoir when the new Aswan Dam was complete in 1960. Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, a brilliant archeologist, was a force to be reckoned with, and she almost single-handedly convinced world leaders to come together to painstakingly remove several temples stone-by-stone and reassemble them on higher ground.

Michael continued to read books on Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the former Soviet Union. To show how wide his interests range, he found Schuyler Bailar's He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters very engaging. Although it did not make his Top Ten, he said he learned much about gender identity from Shuyler, a female-to-male trans athlete on the Harvard men's swimming team.

We are both poised to read The Tipping Point by Malcomb Gladwell. Somehow, we missed that one in 2000 but are familiar with the term. Our daughter Mary gave us The Revenge of the Tipping Point for Christmas, also by Mr. Gladwell, so we need the backstory.

Now, with full self-permission to read to my heart's content in 2025, I have Beloved by Toni Morrison, Bear by Julia Phillips, It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover, and Table for Two by Amor Towles in my Libby queue.

And, probably like many of you, we read way too much news in 2024. So to create more time for reading for pleasure, we will try to maintain our current “news diet” for the foreseeable future.

Here are our top ten reads from last year. We love to read your comments and learn about your favorites!

MICHAEL’S LIST

Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships - Nina Totenberg

Cokie: A Life Well Lived - Steven V. Roberts

Far from the Tree - Robin Benway

Enough - Cassidy Hutchinson

The Caretaker - Ron Rush

The Women - Kristin Hannah

Trust - Hernan Diaz

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Ried

The Secret Life of Flora Lea - Patti Callahan Henry

Annie Bot - Sierra Greer

DEBBIE’S LIST

The Talented Mr. Ripley - Patricia Highsmith

The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights - Kitty Zeldis

Far from the Tree - Robin Benway

The Bookbinder - Pip Williams

Annie Bot - Sierra Greer

Empress of the Nile - Lynne Olson

Sisters of the Resistance - Christine Wells

Tom Lake - Ann Patchett

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Women - Kristen Hannah 

We are wrapping up two weeks in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, before our annual winter migration to San Miguel de Allende. We’ll return to Seattle in the Spring. Next fall, we plan to visit Montreal, Eastern Canada, and the Maritime provinces, including Prince Edward Island. I can't wait to reread Anne of Green Gables!

Happy New Year! May yours be full of good books, great travels, and happy memories.

Thanks for following along,

Debbie and Michael Campbell

The Senior Nomads

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