I’m linking this post to Sunday Post, Mailbox Monday, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

I hope everyone rang in the new year with good terms!

I’m excited for what 2023 will bring. This past year I went on quite a few vacations to check out mainland Japan. We were able to go to Tokyo and Kyoto before Japans borders opened up to tourist travel. So it was nice to get to see some pretty populated areas before tourism started back up. With that being said, I am happy for the businesses to have tourism back. While I might be selfish in wanting to not have to deal with massive crowds, I know that the economy has been hurting and it’s been sad to see places no longer open because of it all.

Unfortunately, due to a lot of big surgery costs towards the end of the previous year and the beginning of 2022, I had to slow way down on cat rescue and TNR. The local government stopped giving out TNR vouchers this year, and I was having to pay out of pocket. So, while it’s been sad to not be able to go out and save as many cats as possible, it has allowed me to spend time working with the ones I can help. I have had our two TNR neighborhood cats in the house since the beginning of the year, which has been a challenge. I never planned on bringing them in, but we got new neighbors who immediately reported them to Animal Control. So, I pulled them in until AC finished their patrols. However, by the time they finished, new cats had moved into the area and I was no longer able to release the boys outside. While they LOVE it in the house, one of them immediately attacks my cats when he sees them. So, we have had to build a makeshift door leading to the upstairs level to keep them separate. Aside from the boys I was able to rescue and find homes for a baby kitten that was darting through traffic, a TNR cat that has cancer and needed her eye removed, and another TNR cat that had been beat up with infections multiple times and then was bit by a snake. She was clearly not outdoor savvy and I was able to find her a home before the holidays. So, while I haven’t been as active in the cat community as I was the previous year, I suppose I have still been doing quite a bit.

This year I also started my Youtube channel to share all the various fun things that Japan has to offer. I share footage from trips, and when we are home, I go out and compile interesting foods and drinks to try on camera. It’s been a way to not only show my friends and family the various facets of Japan, but it’s also going to be my video journal that I can look back on years down the road.

As far as to what this year holds… we are planning some more trips, and I definitely plan to keep up on my reading. Since signing up for Kindle Unlimited, I have found that I’m reading more books because I have access to more. So, I think it’s safe to say I my reading mojo is back!

While I did enjoy the vast majority of the books I read this year, I realized while compiling this list that I didn’t have any 5 star favorites.

Have you read any of the books below?

What was your favorite read from 2022?

Read More →