Happy New Year’s Eve everyone! When Jenn at the Picky Girl first announced her New Year’s Eve Readathon, I didn’t expect to be able to join in for more than a couple of hours. I was going to be working during the day, and New Year’s Eve or not, I can rarely stay up until midnight these days without suffering greatly the next day.
But as it turns out, my office closed for today, and I’ve done the various chores and errands I needed to take care of this weekend, and I have nothing but free time today to read.
My plan for the day is to finish The Fortune of War, the sixth of the Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O’Brian. When/if I finish that, I’ll turn to The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett, which Jenny and I are reading along with Annabel. Following Jenn’s suggestion to keep it laid back, I’m not going to take time to post updates here throughout the day. Instead, I’ll be sharing on Twitter (hashtag #nyereadathon). I’ll take some breaks during the day for blog reading, exercise, and snacking (which will include making a winter squash gallete that I’m super excited to try). But the focus of the day will be reading in the new year. Come join us?
Edited to add: Just finished baking my winter squash galette. It looks and smells yummy, but I’m supposed to let it cool for a bit. The crust started to lose its structural integrity on one side, but it held together.
The recipe is from Mark Bitmann’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, and it was pretty easy. But the verdict will be in the tasting!
And the galette, with a dollop of sour cream on the side, was tasty indeed. Just a spaghetti squash, tomato paste, onion, garlic, and red wine cooked on the stove top and then baked in a free-form crust. Yum! I’m guessing the leftovers will be just as good.
That sounds like a lovely way to finish the year!
It should be a nice day. I was glad to be able to clear space in my schedule for it!
Sounds like fun! I shall read along in spirit as I had hoped to finish a couple of books still this year, forgetting that while I have tomorrow off–it will be 2013 already! I would love to read Dorothy Dunnett—her series of Lymond books–but that would be quite an undertaking I’m not sure I am ready for yet (still need to work on the Morland Saga…). Have a really great day reading–your squash gallete sounds yummy!). Best wishes in 2013 and have Happy New Year!
I can’t believe it’ll be 2013 tomorrow!
The Lymond books are amazing. I’m really looking forward to rereading the whole series.
Have fun! I am working today so will be jealously thinking of those of you spending the day reading!
I’m lucky to have been given the day off to do it.
What a fantastic way to see in the New Year! I wish I had heard about it a month ago and could cancel my plans! I’m such a party-pooper. But I will read some Game of Thrones before and after the party in a mini readathon. :-) hope you enjoy the o’brien and the dunnett – what an amazing historical fiction duo to begin a new year on.
I haven’t been to a New Year’s Eve party in a few years, and I can’t say that I miss it. I’ve become less and less of a party person with every year that goes by.
I really need to have a personal challenge to read those O’Brian books. A friend of mine has almost all of them (I’ve bought him several in the series) and really enjoys them.
And oddly enough, I enjoy naval stories. :)
Happy reading today! So glad you’re joining in.
Jenny got me started on the O’Brian books two years ago (after years of badgering). If you like naval stories, you really ought to try them.
I’m in! Let us know how the winter squash gallete turns out.
Yay! The gallete crust is made and sitting in the refrigerator, ready for rolling.
Take pictures! :-)
I added a photo of the finished product to the post. Now to let it cool, so I can taste it. Smells good!
All the best. I’ve seen some book bloggers participating in this.
It seems there’s a nice little group of us, with a few more joining in over the course of the day.
Reading on New Year’s Eve would be a lot of fun. I read part of a short story…
It made for a very nice day.
That is too funny. You are the second person I know who made this recipe over the holidays.
That is funny. It is seasonally appropriate and has a nice comfort-food feeling.