i hope you had a beautiful christmas snuggled up with those you love. the day passed quickly with us taking in a movie, chinese food, and then more documentaries in front of the fire with our furry sons. simple and savory.

as i often confess, i have a book problem. not any book problem, but a big book problem. my idea of heaven is being surrounded by piles of books and unlimited hot tea served in a vintage china tea pot while curled up fireside in a handmade afghan. for hours. no, make that days. actually, let’s go for weeks. shoot for the stars.

also, i procure books believing that all answers are contained within and that by owning specialty books, i’ll gain certain skills. for example, if i buy a sewing book {hello burdhastyle sewing handbook}, i’ll figure out my machine collecting dust. pick up a book by a fave artist {hello sarah ahearn bellemare} and i’ll be creating gorgeous sketchbooks, too. once i read the latest mindfulness book {hello mindful yoga, mindful life}, i, too, will be living in the present moment 24/7. ah, if only it was so easy, right?

although i don’t have a full record of my 2013 reads {will do better in 2014}, i wanted to share a partial list of many i’ve savored {and resavored} this year:

still writing by dani shapiro

wisdom 2.0 by soren gordhamer

the big enough company by abrams and lancaster

the power of less by leo babauta

the power of habit by charles 

ape by guy kawasaki

bonjour, happiness by jamie cat callan

ooh la la by jamie cat callan

savor by thich nhat hanh and lillian cheung

the now effect by elisha goldstein

real happiness at work by sharon salzberg

mindfulness based stress reduction workbook by elisha goldstein and bob stahl

courage and craft by barbara abercrombie

a paris wife by paula mclain

a life in frocks by kelly doust

crafting calm by maggie oman shannon

a writer’s paris by eric maisel

lessons from madam chic by jennifer scott

on writing by stephen king

blog, inc. by joy cho

dancing with life by phillip moffitt

since i don’t have my book shelves in front of me, there may be a few more texts that i read or skimmed heavily. however, this is a fairly good sampling of my 2013 reads. as i look toward 2014, i eagerly await new inspiration and the finishing of oodles awaiting attention on my overstuffed shelves.

wondering what to add to your reading wish list in 2014? here are a few suggestions:

as i sign off to curl up with my kindle, i want to wish you time over the next few days to tie a pretty bow around 2013 and to welcome 2014. i’ll provide tools for this shortly and it’s starting with this wrap-up of digested words to date. may there be many, many more. bisous. x