I was a little late getting the site updated this month, but everything is up to date now.
I am starting to get reminders from Facebook that it was a year ago that Teresa and I were in Japan and South Korea for our month-long vacation. It seems sooooo long ago. As the pandemic continues to drag on, it certainly has lasted longer than anyone expected. With the current pace of vaccinations in Canada and with all the issues surrounding the global supply for vaccines, it feels like it could be late into 2021 before we begin to see signs of returning to something close to "normal". And that is only if the variants that are arising do not change the world again potentially making the current vaccines less or ineffective.
Having said all that, we continue to be thankful for what we have. Our family has remained healthy and although we certainly miss seeing each other we keep up to date with regular video calls. Compared to how many people around the world have been devastated by this disease, we are very fortunate.
Lots of new stuff on the website for this month.
I added a new post which I will try and write every month called Quick takes. These are items that I have noted during the month that I thought were interesting. I have added a few comments but by no means a complete analysis. I may revisit some of these topics for a more complete review, but for now, let me know any thoughts you have and if you think I have missed something
I created a new post for the books I will have read in 2021. The format will be largely the same as last year, the book, author, my rating and a few comments. I have added subcategories under fiction and non-fiction which should make it easier for you to find a book you are interested in. I will try this month to go back to the 2020 blog post and put the books I read last year in the same subcategories. I read 10 books this month The two best, Educated by Tara Westover was recommended by my friend Josephine. I initially thought this book was fiction as the story at times is so bizarre. I googled it only to find out that it is a memoir. The story tracks the life of a woman from childhood that grows up in an isolated Mormon community in Idaho. I guarantee you will feel better about your own family after reading the strange tales of this family. The book is really about how Tara Westover overcomes her background to understand herself and to be successful. Definitely worth reading. The second book, Winner Take-All-Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer - -and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class was disturbing but excellent. Our oldest son Sean lent me this book and it was fascinating. It was scary to read how both parties in the US are so corrupt and so disinterested in average Americans. As a bonus, it was fun to read the notes that Sean had written in the book. Worth reading
I have continued to update my book of the month blog for those that want a quick way to find great books to read. The January non-fiction book is A Promised Land by Barack Obama. As those of you that read the blog regularly know I am a big fan of Obama and thought the book was excellent. At 1200 pages (which only covers the first half of his presidency) it is a commitment but well worth it. The fiction book for this month is One by One by Lucy Foley. A fun to read page-turner that should keep your interest. If you are ever interested in seeing my full book reviews you can follow me on Goodreads (a great app for book readers). My id is Tgandco2.
I only added one wine to the Great Wines under $20 blog this month (we were finishing up the wines I bought for the holidays which I listed last month). The wine is not actually under $20 (it does get to $21.95 on sale) but is still worth trying. Quail's Gate Chardonnay is excellent. I have been to the vineyard in Kelowna twice for lunch. It is a beautiful spot and produces excellent wine.
The wine of the month is Smoking Loon. There is a whole family of these wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Old Vine Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay. They are all excellent but I picked the Cabernet Sauvignon as the wine of the month. My brother-in-law Ken first found this wine and it is one of our favourites to enjoy at the cottage (or anywhere really, enjoy!).
I want to thank Teresa again for being my editor. The articles are always clearer after she reads and updates them.
Let me know any feedback or questions at thethirdperiod.ca@gmail.com.
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