What I Read During the Holidays and a Little Reflection on 2012

Wow. As always, I ate too much during the holidays. Now I can fit in my work pants that used to be too big for me. Anyway, having so much down time allowed me to get some reading done. Over the holiday break, I finished reading Son by Lois Lowry. Son is the finale to Lowry's famous award winning novel The Giver. I found the novel to be a satisfying conclusion to one of my favorite books of all time. Unless you are familiar with the The Giver, her new novel might underwhelm. However, I recommend this to those who have read The Giver. If you haven't read The Giver yet, I recommend you do so immediately.

I also read a graphic novel called Unterzakhn by Leela Corman. The story is unique in its subject matter. It takes place during the early 20th century in New York City. It examines women's issues through the eyes of two Jewish sisters. What fascinated me the most about this graphic novel was the subject matter and the witty story telling of serious issues. The art compliments the story well with its simple black and white cartoon drawings. I recommend this to everyone whether you like graphic novels or not.

On a final note, I look at 2012 as something to learn from. I didn't get to be as creative as I wanted to be. I had a lot of personal family issues during the year. My mom got breast cancer, my parents divorced, my sister became pregnant with her second child, my mother-in-law continued to live with us, etc. However, a lot of positive events happened too. Samantha became a legal resident of this country, she got back into school and had a successful semester, and I finished the school year myself with high grades. I look forward to 2013, and look back at 2012 as a period of growth and learning. I believe we need periods of growth and learning. With that in mind, my new year's resolution is to just be creative. If I can create just one thing a day, whether it be a simple drawing or even one single haiku, I will feel accomplished. Hopefully, 2012 will give me something to reflect on during my creative episodes.

Here is to 2013. Cheers!