I don't usually come up with a yearly to-read list, but I did this year, so I can answer this. My list includes a Tolkien history book, a Lewis non-fiction, some Mervyn Peake, and some Edmund Spencer.

What's a good memory or highlight from 2022?

Canning peaches...top of mind because we eat some yesterday.  

Are you planning to garden this year?

Not seriously, although we might plant some herbs in a trough.

What is your favorite soup?

Ooh, there are lots of soups I love, but my absolute favourite would have to be harira, a traditional Moroccan soup made with chickpeas and tomatoes and spices. I have a simple recipe for it out of a cookbook, which I remember was one of the first things I made when I was learning to cook for myself, but there's a Moroccan restaurant in Bath (Somerset, south-west England) that makes the BEST genuine version of it — the taste is just out-of-this-world!

Where are you planning to go for your next holiday / vacation / trip away from home?

A big city on the West Coast, to visit my youngest sib and my cousins and explore museums.

If you could have any one skill you don't have yet - not a superpower, just something cool that would normally take a lot of training, given to you instantly - what would your chosen skill be?

Being able to play a pipe organ, I think... I'd love to be able to just sit down and play Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor... (still can't play it on the piano either, but that's my own fault.)

Can you play an instrument?

Not anymore, I am so out of practice.

What is your favorite Christmas treat?

Ooh, so many things I love about Christmas, but if I had to pick only one, it would be Christmas carols — singing them, listening to them, going to concerts of them, performing them with a choir (haven't done that for some years now)...

What is your favourite season of the year and why?

Summer, for the following reasons:
1. More daylight, which means more time to do outdoor things

2. The warmth

3. How alive everything is

4. Sometimes my brain forgets that I'm no longer in school, so I'll just say it anyway: HOLIDAYS

What is your favourite activity to do in your spare time?

It'll depend on a number of things, but reading and chatting with friends are two that are always good.

If you could create a new minor holiday, what would you celebrate (and why, if you so desire)?

International Chocolate Day. Do I really need to give a reason??  

Which language (that you don't already speak) would you most like to learn, and why?

...Spanish. I know a little bit, but I am nowhere approximating fluent, and we have a large local Spanish-speaking population so it would be useful for actually communicating with people. 

If you could get one book you like that hasn't been filmed yet adapted as a movie or miniseries, with enough creative control to make sure they got your favorite bits right, which book would you choose?

Hmm, that's a good question! There are a lot of good choices but the first one that came to mind was The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope.

Do you like tea and, if so, what is your favourite kind?

I *love* tea! I seem to go through phases on what kind appeals to me most, but one of my current top ones is a tisane called Briar Patch by the Piper and Leaf company in Alabama - it's got berries and lemongrass and sage in it, and a lovely light fruity flavor, and comes out deep pink when it steeps.

Have you ever had or made a meal specifically inspired by a book you liked? If so, what meal/book? If not, would you like to?

(I'm amused by your answer, @Silverlily, because I was given some of that tea as a gift and enjoyed it!)

I have! I think there have been multiple meals, but the one that comes to mind was inspired by The Lord of the Rings. I don't remember all the details, but I do remember there were stuffed mushrooms and shortbread for lembas - delicious! It's something that I should do more often in general too.

Do you own any pieces of furniture you particularly like?