This past weekend, I was out in Aldergrove helping out with a Christmas craft fair that my mother helped organize. When I wasn’t busy uploading photos to the Facebook page and website, I was sneaking in breaks to read Eula Biss’ brilliant new book, On Immunity: An Innoculation.

It’s the most clear-headed view of vaccine controversies I’ve seen to date. But it’s also beautifully written and wide-ranging, in much the same manner as Rebecca Solnit’s work. I’ve got it out from the library at the moment, but I’m going to be buying it eventually and tracking down her previously published work, too.

Here are few more things on my ‘To Read’ pile:

• Pudding: A Global History, a little gem from Reaktion Books’ Edible Series. I’d like to find more of the single food explorations in this series.
• The Science of Good Cooking from Cook’s Illustrated, which I think needs to be added to my list of books every new cook needs.
• Nigel Slater’s Eating for England, in hopes that I’ll finally understand the food references in my favourite British television series.
• Boundless: Tracing Land and Dream in a New Northwest Passage by novelist Kathleen Winter, who was given the opportunity to ride along on a ship sailing the route explorer John Franklin took in 1844.

Not that reading is the only thing on my agenda in the coming weeks. In the run up to the holidays, I’ll have a few cookbook reviews for you and I’ll be telling you about some of the craft fairs and seasonal events that are starting to fill up the calendar.

In the meantime, I’m picking out this year’s cookie swap recipes, planning my holiday gathering contributions, and finishing up putting the garden to bed. So much for spare time.

What are you up to as 2014 rapidly comes to a close?