Jamieson Wolf
Number-one bestselling author
The Top Ten Books of 2014
It’s been a FANTASTIC year for books. There were so many great reads this year that my bookshelves and my Kindle couldn’t keep up.
It’s been hard to narrow it down to just ten books that I felt stood out from the rest. I haven’t read as much as I wanted to this year, but I did manage to read just over 60 books, so more than a book a week.
These were the books that stood out from the crowd for me. To make it on the list, the book had to be published in 2014.
All set? Here we go!
10- The Table of Less Valued Knights by Marie Philips
This is a delightful read from start to finish. It reminds me a lot of The Princess Bride mixed with healthy doses of Monty Python and The Holy Grail.
Part camp, part quest and all part hilarious, this novel surprised and delighted me from start to finish. It also had me laughing out loud in quite a few places.
I was curious to see how Philips would follow up her first novel Gods Behaving Badly. I love that book a lot and have read it multiple times.
I’m happy to say that I loved The Table of Less Valued Knights even more and can’t wait to re-read it!
9- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
I won’t lie: this book frightened me.
The fact that the protagonist knows as little as the reader, but that she’s so emotionally invested in the story had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the urgency of the novel, the creepy intimacy. I also loved how we never found out the characters names.
Blending science fiction with elements of suspense and fantasy. it’s also ground breaking due to the fact that all three volumes of the trilogy were released this year. It was a thrill ride, every moment, and not a word wasted.
8- Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood
This is Atwoods most wonderful book yet.
It follows on the heels of MaddAddam and is almost quiet by comparison, but no less amazing. The first three tales make up almost a novella and there’s where the collection really shines. The three tales, each focusing on a different character.
The rest of the stories are filled with different kinds of people and make us examine what we would do if in their shoes and encompasses many different emotions. The collection is filled with some of Atwood’s best writing; it’s elegant, thought provoking and haunting. I can’t wait to read it again.
7- Robin’s Hoods by Darren Craske
You’ve never read the story of Robin Hood like this.
A mix of dystopia, science fiction and fantasy, this is the retelling of Robin Hood you’ve always wanted to read. Craske takes a simple “what if?” and twists it on its ear, giving us what is arguabley one of his best novels yet.
Though he’s written several wonderful adult novels, he really shines when he’s taking on the young adult genre. What I loved most about this novel was that, at its heart, it was about bravery and that when push comes to shove, anything is possible.
6- Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
I waited with anticipation for this book.
After Miss Pergerine’s Home For Peculiar Children, I was left spellbound. Riggs tells a tale of a house full of pecurliar children in another time mixed with real found photos that give the story a creepy feel.
To say that my expectations for Hollow City were high would be an understatement. However, Riggs blew them out of the water and went beyond what I had thought possible.
I’m now highly anticipating the third book! I love when that happens.
5- Revival by Stephen King
This is arguably Stephen King’s most accomplished novel to date.
Yes, Mr. Mercedes was wonderful, but Revival was electric. It dealt with loss, aging, drug abuse, death and what lays beyond. It’s not a light read by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a great one.
If I have one complaint about the novel it’s how they marketed it as dark horror. It’s a very dark book indeed but not horror really until the last 40 pages.
Should that take away from your enjoyment? Nope. Read it and prepare to be riveted.
4- Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
I love Sarah Addison Allen’s books.
She writes such wonderful magical realism that you can’t help but be pulled into the story and begin to believe that magic is real.
In Lost Lake you have a woman who is desperate to find herself again. Eby hopes to reclaim a part of herself by visiting a place from her childhood. What she doesn’t expect is to find a piece of her future.
Beautiful in every way.
3- The Silworm by Robert Galbraith
How does J. K. Rowling do it?
Not only did she create the world of Harry Potter, but she’s created Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacot are the most thrilling detectives to grace the printed page in years.
When a novelist disappears and is found, killed like one of the victims in his novel, Strike knows that he is in a race against time against a killer who knows no bounds.
What I love about Rowling’s Galbraith novels is that I can’t figure them out. I’m as surprised by anyone at the ending. Marvelous brain candy!
2- Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
This novel surprised the heck out of me.
I love Picoult’s writing, but was blown away by this one. It is told in alternating chapters of present and past with a roving narrative told in the voices of Jenna, Alice, Serenity and Virgil.
Jenna wants to find her mother, Alice, who disappeared thirteen years ago. Virgil is the police detective that worked on her case and Serenity is a disgraced physic. When Virgil, Serenity and Jenna get together, anything can, and does, happen.
Intertwined is Alice’s story of her past, giving us glimpses into what happened. To say any more abou this novel would be to take away from the sense of discovery.
Trust me, you’ll want to read this book. I already want to read it again.
1- The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown
It was hard to decide on just one of Alexandra Brown’s two books this year. I loved both of them, but the one I’ve already read twice is The Great Christmas Knit Off. It was just such a great, feel good book.
It was great to see Brown try something different but still give us characters that we can fall in love with. Sybil, Lawrence, Hettie and more. She always creates characters that feel like friends rather than people on the page.
You can read my review of The Great Christmas Knit Off here: https://jamiesonwolfauthor.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/the-great-christmas-knit-off-by-alexandra-brown-a-book-review/
Whew! That’s it for 2014! Bring on 2015!
Happy reading!
2015 – The Year of Awesome
It’s that time of year again.
As the New Year approaches, we all make New Year’s Resolutions. You know how it goes: They’re difficult to stick to, almost impossible to do and we always abandon them less than a month later. At least our intentions are good.
My New Year’s Resolution for last year was a simple one: to live 2014 to its fullest. I’ve certainly done that. I’ve done more this year than the last five combined. I’ve grown more mentally, spiritually and physically than ever before.
For 2015, my NYR was going to be the same as 2014…but then I started thinking (don’t you hate when that happens?). While I’ve done a lot and accomplished much this past year, there are a few things I need to work on in 2015.
So my New Year’s Resolutions for 2015 are (in no particular order) as follows:
1 – Keep on living as much as I can. Every day is a gift.
2- To quiet my internal critic and finish Boy Friends in early 2015. It really is the best book I’ve written, now I just have to work on finishing it.
3 – To study more and develop my Tarot skills further. This includes learning everything I can about astrology, the zodiac and different kinds of spreads.
4 – To not be so darn hard on myself. This includes feeling horrible when I have to tell friends I can’t get together due to brain fog, fatigue, etc. but is not limited to lack of faith in my ability as a writer and my dream of writing full time.
5 – To educate people when needed on the side effects and symptoms of MS or CP. To not stay quiet when someone makes a snap judgement based on what my body is doing that day. If I don’t speak up, how will people learn?
I think that’s a pretty hefty list. The thing is, they’re all doable, achievable and manageable. That’s key to my doing NYR’s. Keep them simple, right?
I hope that whatever 2015 brings all of you that it’s full of everything awesome and wonderful. Oh, and full of sparkles.
You gotta have sparkle.
Happy New Year!
Dear 2014: You Rock!
Dear 2014.
You freaking rock! I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. It certainly went a lot faster than 2013!
My New Year’s resolution for 2014 was to live, as much as possible. I’m happy to say that, after looking back over this past year, that I’ve done that tenfold and then some. I just went back and read my letter from last year and I’m in such a different place and mind set now and that’s fabulous.
I have so much to be grateful for and this year is proof of that. I thought I’d do things a little differently this year and give a rundown of what happened this year by highlighting what I’ve done month to month.
Ready? Here we go:
January
After living in a basement apartment for close to six years, I finally made the decision to move out. It just wasn’t liveable for me anymore and I deserved a place where I could thrive and live, not wallow and hide as I had been doing.
I made the decision to give my notice on January 1st and haven’t looked back. I think my decision to have an amazing year and beyond began that day, when I first decided I deserved happiness and joy.
February
I published Talking to the Sky, my first book of poetry and went on a blog tour to promote the book. It’s been my only published book for 2014 but that’s okay. Less is more, right? The book went on to become a Number One Best Seller on Amazon.ca less than a week after it was released! How awesome is that?
It’s the book I’m most proud of because it took the most effort to write and has been the most rewarding.
March
I finally moved into my new apartment on March 1st! It’s still home to me, almost a year later. Instead of a dark basement, this was and is an apartment of light. Rather than just a place to stay and lay my head, it’s a home.
I also started honoring my spirit as well as my body. I took my second level Reiki and took many other workshops to further my balance of the spirit, mind and body.
I also saw Potted Potter with Karine and Meaghan and that was fabulous!
April
April was an incredible month for me for a few reasons. In the beginning of the month (on the 4th to be exact) I met Michael.
To think, all these months later, that I wasn’t going to go on the coffee date where we first met. However, my mother gave me a push (“How do you expect to find love if you’re not open to it?”) and the rest is history in the making.
He’s taught me what love really is, what it means to be in a real honest to goodness relationship. He really is my Prince that I found after kissing a lot of frogs. 🙂
Later in April, I did something I thought I could not do. I walked the 3KM MS Walk and I ended up doing the 3KM in under an hour! I had a great team of family and friends with me (we were called The Wolf Pack) and I could not have done the walk without them.
What’s more, it proved that I was capable of anything I put my mind to and that I was stronger than I thought I was. So that’s just awesome.
May
In May, I appeared on television to promote Talking to the Sky. I was really nervous about the appearance as it was taped live! I was terrified of saying something stupid or swearing live on the air, but the appearance went beautifully.
Check out the video of my appearance!
June
In June, I took further steps to gaining balance with my body. My Wonder Mom gave me the gift of an exercise program. My doctors had been saying how important it was for me to do exercise. So she signed me up for some sessions with Sarah Zahib, a Kinesiologist and Fitness Professional.
She designed a workout of five simple exercises that I could do with my balance and body issues and I’ve continued to grow stronger because of them. It was difficult at first, but the exercises have shown that I’m able to push my body beyond what I thought possible.
And that’s always awesome.
July
July was a quiet month for me but it was remarkable for two reasons. One, I got to spend a beautiful weekend at a cottage that belongs to one of Michael’s friends. It was gorgeous and peaceful. It really taught me what beauty is about.
Second, I posted the first picture of me shirtless…ever! In fact, it’s the first time I went out in public and took my shirt off. It was normally something I didn’t do. It’s remarkable because it showed how much more comfortable I was with my body and marked a change in myself.
I love when that happens.
August
In August, I turned 36. While that is awesome enough, Michael took me to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for my birthday!!!!
He had told me earlier in June that he was going to take me somewhere and that all I would need was a passport. Then on August 16th, I found out where I was going!
It truly was a dream come true! We flew out on my birthday and flew back after four days. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was everything I could have hoped for and then some. It was a Potterhead’s dream come true in every sense. The park was beautiful, the rides fantastic. I got to eat in the Three Broomsticks and the Leaky Cauldron and had Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice!
I was and still am in awe that I went and I want to go again! LOL
September
September was wonderful.
I had an article on my weight loss of 140 pounds published in The Huffington Post! How cool is that? It’s the first time a piece of my non-fiction was published in such a widespread publication. More than that, I’m thrilled with how it’s inspired other people!
You can read the article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/09/09/weight-lost_n_5790924.html
I got a new tattoo in September! This is my third one and I got it to go with the one on my right wrist. Here
it is!
My friend Karine came with me and stayed with me for the whole process. It was way too much fun!
Michael also took me to see Jann Arden in concert! It was a lovely, amazing and wonderful concert. I even got to meet the opening act, Jill and Kate! Still in awe over how incredible the concert was!
October
October was another awesome month!
I saw Loreena McKennitt perform and she was absolutely amazing in every way. Her voice hasn’t changed, it’s only gotten better and more vibrant.
Michael and I also went to Pittsburgh with his friend Donald. I’ve never seen such a beautiful city, full of mountains and hills, trees and nature. Michael and I went to The Andy Warhol Museum and the Mattress Factory of modern art.
I also got to read Tarot cards at the Haunted Carnival! I had a brilliant time and it was grand to help all kind of others find the answers they were looking for.
November
In November, I started reading Tarot cards at Planet Botanix!
It’s been my dream to help others use Tarot for their personal growth. It was also the first time I’ve seen my name on a sign, but it won’t be the last!
Here’s a promo video that was shot in November!
December
This month has been a flurry of activity to get ready for the Holidays! That didn’t stop me from going to see Matt Dusk at the NAC for his Christmas concert!
I went with my good friends Julie and Alexandra and am finally feeling in the Christmas Spirit!
Whew! What a year!
Never before have I been so thankful and so grateful for everything and everyone in my life.
When I made the decision to live rather than hide back in 2013, I had no idea how much living I would do in 2014.
I don’t recognize myself at all. This year has been one of growth: physically, mentally and spiritually. It’s also been one that highlights how blessed and lucky I am.
I can only hope that 2015 is just as awesome, if not more so, than 2014 has been!
Thanks 2014, you’ve been awesome!
Growing Invisible Light – A Poem
“What’s wrong with you today?”
I looked up.
A friend was
looking at me
with worried concern.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you just don’t seem to be here today. Like you’re lost in your head.”
“I haven’t had coffee yet.”
She shrugged and
made a face.
“It’s more than that. It’s like you’re not really here.”
I shrugged and
went on with
my day. At
first, I didn’t
pay her words
any attention. However,
when my fingers
began to slide
into the keyboard
instead of hitting
the keys, I
wondered. Looking at
my fingers, I
noticed that they
had grown dim,
there, but not.
I could see
the outline of
them, I could
feel them, but
they weren’t visible.
She came over
to me again
and looked closely
at me with
growing concern. Reaching
out, she touched
my face with
soft, careful fingers.
“What’s wrong your skin? It’s clear.”
“Clear how?”
“Like, it’s like your face is made of glass.”
I ran to
the washroom and
looked in the
mirror. I saw
that she was
telling the truth.
The skin of
my face had
gone dim, indeed
clear as glass.
I wondered if,
somehow, I was
growing invisible. I
finished my day,
wondering if more
of me would
cease to exist
by the days
end. There was
a heat growing
in my stomach.
It pulsed inside
of me and
I could feel
it snaking its
way further inside
my body with
each pulse. I
left the building
and stumbled outside.
The skies were
grey and the
air cold. Snow
was falling down
like fairy dust.
The heat growing
in me pulsed
again and despite
myself, I cried
out loud, heedless
of people looking.
“What’s happening to me?”
An older woman
stopped and looked
at me. She
smiled kindly at
me and came
closer. She held
out her hand
and touched my
face. I was
astounded to see
wetness on her
fingers and wondered
when I had
started crying. She
gave me another
kind, beautiful smile.
“Don’t you know? This is your first time isn’t it?”
I shook my
head. I didn’t
know what she
was talking about.
“The first time?”
“You’re letting your light shine. I can see it there inside you.”
“You can?”
“Yes. It’s so bright, I can hardly look at you, but I want to.”
“I don’t understand.”
She smiled again.
“Well, look around you. Only grey, cold skies. People need light. Didn’t your mother ever tell you that you were a light bringer?”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“That pulse inside you? Let it out, set it free.”
“But my body…”
“Will go back to the way it was afterwards. Here, I’ll shine with you.”
She took my
hand and I
watched as the
opaqueness of her
skin faded and
she too was
as there and
not there as
I was. She
smiled at me.
“Come on now, let it out. Shine bright, little sun.”
I watched as
her own light
began to shine,
first a growing
sliver of sunlight,
then a blinding
flash of brightness.
My own light
responded in kind
and the pulse
thickened, intensified, grew.
The light shone
from me as
if it was
always meant to
do so, filling
the skies, once
grey and dreary,
with bright and
beautiful sunlight. It
streamed from me,
from the woman
beside me, and
I could hear
music, as if
a choir was
singing around us.
As quickly as
it had come,
the light faded.
I stood there,
holding the woman’s
hand. I could
see my fingers
again, could see
hers. The smile
I wore on
my face was
like its own
kind of light.
“Thank you.”
I said. She
smiled once more.
“No thanks needed. I just gave you the push you needed. There’s so much light in you. You have to share if every once in a while.”
As she started
to walk away,
the snow began
to fall in
heavier, thicker flakes.
I called after her.
“Will I see you again?”
She turned back
and smiled again.
“Just let your light shine. I’ll see it where ever I am.”
She turned again
and walked away
and was soon
lost in the
falling snow. I
stood there, the
pulse still moving
through me. I
was happier than
I had been
in a long
time. I looked
to where her
silhouette was still
walking farther away.
“Shine bright.”
I said.
Doorways and Starlight – A Poem
I woke in
darkness. I got
out of bed
and walked toward
a rectangle of
light that shone
in the distance.
I knew that
if I opened
the door, there
would be brightness
to chase away
the dark. I
opened the door
and stepped through
the doorway. I
found myself in
a place I
used to know.
I had called
it home, though
towards the end,
it did not
fill me with
a feeling of
peace as homes
are supposed to
do. The walls
of places we
have known retain
voices of the
past, vibrations of
sound lost in
concrete and plaster.
I put my
hand on one
of the walls
and felt the
sadness there, the
turmoil. I took
my hand away
and looked at
my palm. It
was red, as
if it had
been burned. I
ran towards another
doorway and stepped
through it. I
found myself in
another place I
had called home
but it had
just been another
way station. The
walls here looked
as if they
were crying, thick
tears like wax
were seeping out
of the walls.
If the previous
place had held
sound, this one
held emotion. I
had tried to
find myself here
but to no
avail. I had
only found heartache.
I went to
the doorway to
the sun-room and
could see the
sky shining through
the cracks. I
opened the door
and stepped through
it. I was
inside my dark
basement apartment. I
had known despair
here, heartache and
disaster. However, oddly
enough, I had
found myself here,
had realized what
I was truly
capable of inside
these walls. In
the darkest part
of my life,
I had found
myself. I stepped
forward and placed
my hand on
the rough walls.
Instead of emotion
or sound, I
saw myself as
I had been.
I lay in
my bed, the
stories I longed
to tell brought
to life above
me as if
they were dreams
given life. I
could see characters
I had created
living out their
destinies and I
lay there, powerless
to stop the
story from going
forward. I watched
as I found
the strength to
learn to walk
once more, the
will to move
forward, the courage
to continue. It
was here that,
instead of giving
up, as I
had been tempted
to do, I
chose to live
instead. If the
previous places had
held sound and
emotion, this one
housed my strength
until I was
strong enough to
accept it. I could
hear music, a
soft kaleidoscope of
notes coming from
another doorway. I
stepped through it
eager to leave
the darkness behind.
I opened the
door into the
hallway and stepped
through into light.
I was in
my current place,
the first one
that felt like
home instead of
just a place
to exist. However,
the music wasn’t
coming from here.
These walls were
bathed in light,
but the music
came from somewhere
further on. I
felt as if
I was standing
on a precipice
as I stood
front of the doorway
of my apartment.
This place held
light within its
walls. I wondered
what would come
next? I reached
out a hand
and opened the
door. I heard
the kaleidoscope of
music, louder this
time, but could
see only stars.
I stood at
the doorway wondering
what to do,
when I heard
his lovely voice.
“You’re perfect for me. You complete me. I love you.”
The music around
me swelled to
a loud crescendo
and I stepped
through the doorway
and into starlight,
waiting to feel
his arms around
me. As I
fell through the
stars, I marveled
at the fact
that it had
taken finding myself
to find the
other half of
my heart.
Buy Little Yellow Magnet from Amazon and Kobo!
Jamieson Wolf has written a compelling story about navigating multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. His story will touch your heart, make you cry, then laugh, and inspire you. A touching memoir with a bit of magic…and tarot! ~ Theresa Reed, author of The Tarot Coloring Book
Jamieson Wolf 