My 2014 Lists

[Please check back again soon!  I am in the process of creating and annotating these lists but I'm not at all finished yet...]

Some of my favorite books this year:  

• Mercy without Borders: The Catholic Worker and Immigration, by Mark and Louise Zwick.  The Zwicks started the Casa Juan Diego House of Hospitality in 1980 in Houston, TX, in response to the flood of homeless refugees from Central America.   This is a powerful story of authentic Christian witness in action and an excellent in-depth discussion and explanation of the connections between poverty, illegal immigration, and fair-trade policies.   
• Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino, by Joyce Rupp.  Joyce Rupp and a friend walked the Camino de Santiago some years ago, and this book describes in a very readable and beautiful manner what walking the Camino meant to her, and the many valuable lessons she and her friend learned while walking.  The Walk changed her way of living in the world, and reading this book helped me to see ways that I need to grow and change.  
• *The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, by Laurie King.  A young woman meets the famous Sherlock Holmes, who is in retirement, and they begin to solve crimes together.  (That's leaving out a lot!) This is the first in a series of books; I can't wait to get started on the next one!
• *The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, by Tom Rachman
• All Clear, by Connie Willis (the last book in a trilogy)
• Land Grabbing: Journeys in the New Colonialism, by Stefano Liberti
• The Latehomecomer, by Kao Kalia Yang (actually from Dec. 2013 but too good to leave out)

* indicates book on CD -- I do a lot of my "reading" while driving!

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A selection of new places I visited in the Bay Area this year:  

    In San Francisco:             Elsewhere
    Baker Beach                           The Botanical Gardens at Tilden Park

    Crissy Field                             The overlooks on Grizzly Peak Rd.  (excellent views of the Bay)

    The Cable Car Museum        Corte Madera and Mill Valley

    Fort Funston Park                 The Oakland Zoo

The list of places I want to visit next year is growing!