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I haven’t said here, but I’ve been taking driving lessons in order to drive in the UK. I drove in America for a decade or so, but over here they have a few challenges to passing the test. There’s roundabouts and they drive on the non-right side of the road. Also, the test is a lot harder in England. In America the test takes 15 minutes, a drive ’round the block and it’s done. Over here it’s a grueling 40 minute test of your complete competence behind the wheel. So unfair!

So, one plan is to have a car for next year in order to get around to more places around the country. We’re a bit stir crazy in the small town we’re in. It’s a lovely place to live, but we’ve done everything there is here a couple of times over. We need to explore! See some of the sights; maybe go to London. So there’s that.

Plans for my reading challenge next year are to re-read books I’ve already read that I thought were great at the time. The thing is… With some very specific exceptions, I don’t re-read books. I love the joy of being surprised by books and the twists and turns of plot. One exception to this rule is The Hobbit, which is my favourite book and I’ve read it ten or so times. This is an experiment, taking me out of my comfort zone.

A sneak peek at some of the books on the slate, in no particular order:

1. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

3. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

4. Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake

5. Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

6. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

7. Last Call by Tim Powers

8. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

 

More plans another day…