{Books} March 2018

Little Soldiers
by Lenora Chu

Little Soldiers was a fascinating read about an American woman raising her son in China.  He was part of the Chinese school system there and she got an insiders look at it.  It is incredibly competitive, and gave me good insight to my student's lives.  Many of my students are involved in multiple sports, some sort of musical instrument lesson, in addition to math, English and Chinese tutoring.  It's incredible.

The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah

I could not put down The Great Alone.  If you have ever said to me that you wished you had lived in Alaska, please read this book.  It's so good, and it gives a very accurate portrayal of life in rural Alaska.  The harshness and the beauty.  The desire for independence, and the need for community.  Gah, I just can't say enough- it was such a good book.  I underlined so many lines, and I felt like the entire book was a walk down memory lane to our time in the village.

The Case Against Sugar
by Gary Taubes

This book was a hard read (sometimes boring) and I'm super glad I was listening to it (not reading it myself), but in the end, I am so glad I read it.  It made things very clear to me about diabetes and it's link with cancer, Alzheimers, and metabolic syndrome.  It re-inspired my dedication to reducing the amount of sugar in my children's lives (our goal is 24 grams or less each day), and made me disgusted with our food culture.  I highly recommend listening to it.

The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale might be one of my top five reads ever.  It's one of the biggest books I've ever read, and I read it in record time. I found myself carrying it with me everywhere I went.  It's about two sisters torn apart during World War II.  It is, like The Great Alone, un-put-down-able.

Option B
by Sheryl Sandberg

Option B is about Sheryl losing her husband unexpectedly and how she moves forward.  The book also offers a lot of practical advice about how to walk your friends or loved ones through a loss such as hers.  I listened to the book on audio, and it was really lovely.

Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven was amazing. I listened to it, and I found myself looking for chores around the house that I could do while listening. Laundry? Yes please. Dishes? Sure! Anything so I could listen for ten more minutes.  It's a story that takes place in a post-influenza world where the entire infrastructure sort of crumbles.  The whole story is so well written, I found myself completely riveted, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

The Immortalists
by Chloe Benjamin

The Immortalists was a book that stuck with me long after I had finished it.  It's about a set of siblings who has the date of their death revealed to them by a fortune teller in their childhood.  The book then goes on to tell how this impacts them as adults.  It had me questioning whether I would want to know; how it would impact me; and whether or not I play my life too safe.  I highly recommend it.

Every Note Played
by Lisa Genova

Every Note Played is a book I had highly anticipated after loving every single other book by Genova (Love Anthony, Left Neglected, Still Alice, and Inside The OBriens), but it fell way, way short.  I hated all the characters in this book and felt the whole book was short on feeling.  The entire read left me feeling disappointed and let down.  My suggestion? Don't waste your time.

Uncommon Type
by Tom Hanks

This was an unexpected delight that I listened to on audio, and fell in love with.  It's a collection of short stories that had me smiling and feeling light hearted and happy.  It made me want to write more and read more and live more.  The best part was that it was read by Tom Hanks himself, so I could really hear him as he told the stories.  Hear his heart. It was a fantastic book.  Nothing deep, but exactly what I needed.

Today Will Be Different
by Maria Semple

I finished this book in about a day.  I listened to it on audio and just never stopped listening. It was engaging and fascinating and Semple's characters are just so real and relatable.  It helps, too, that her books often take place in Seattle/the Northwest (where I'm from) so I love that!  Another book that was entertaining from start to finish and left me feeling really good about myself as a human.  Ha!

Cold Tangerines
by Shauna Niequist

This was a book club pick that I liked in the beginning, but by the middle felt like an uninspired collection of blog posts someone threw together and called a book.  There was nothing cohesive about them, and the author seemed kind of self important or whiny... It just wasn't the book for me right now.

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I was shocked (!!!) that I was able to read eleven books in one month. It made me really proud of myself to make a goal (8 books) and stick to it. It makes me want to make more outrageous goals and stick to them.

{January Books}

{February Books}

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March Tally: 11

2018 Tally: 21

Yearly Goal: 21/60

March Goals:

Read 8 Books:
I already finished The Great Alone & Little Soldiers, which feels terrific! On the recommendation of a good friend, I picked up Nightingale, also by Kristin Hannah, like Great Alone was, and I have not put it down. I bought it Saturday, and I'm already on page 300.  It's so good.  In fact, this morning when Josh got up at 5:00am to work out, instead of rolling over to go back to sleep, I turned on my bedside lamp and laid in bed reading until 6:30 when I finally got up and made his lunch.

Phantom Illness
The Immortalists
(Audio:)
The Case Against Sugar
The Untethered Soul
Braving The Wilderness

The books I actually choose to read may or may not be these specific books, but these are the ones I have my eye on. We shall see!

Track Eating:
Write down what I'm eating every single day in March

Track Swearing:
Mark with tick marks any swearing I do on my wall calendar each day

Track Yelling:
Put a sticker on the calendar for days when I am successful

Journal 2x weekly:
Write down my feelings, especially on days when I yell or lose my temper

Blog 3x weekly:
Get creative with the blog.  Keep up with weekly "Around Here", monthly book reviews, and Carly's monthly updates.  Brainstorm other ideas as well.

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{Books} January 2018

Idaho
 by Emily Ruskovich

Idaho enthralled me from the start, and I kept waiting for a twist at the end that never came.  Part of what pulled me into it was the Alzheimers (or some form of dementia) that one of the main characters had. I really liked the story and the writing, and enjoyed the story right to the end.  That said, the ending did not tie things up with a bow the way I like, so in that way, it was not a five star book. 


Winter Storms (#3 of the Winter Street series)
 by Elin Hilderbrand

I enjoyed Winter Storms, as I do all of Hilderbrand's books.  This is the third time I have read this Christmas charmer about the Quinn family, and it was just as enjoyable as the first.  An easy read, lovely around the holidays, highly reccomended. 


Winter Solstice (#4 of the Winter Street series)
 by Elin Hilderbrand

This is, by far, the best of the Winter Street series.  It is the surprise fourth in the trilogy, and a wonderful read.  It had me spellbound.  I will tell you it has a bit of heartbreak, and I was in tears for the last two chapters.  Like, hysterical crying.  But it was oh-so-good. 


Before We Were Yours
 by Lisa Wingate

A story written about a group of siblings stolen from their riverboat home while their mother was in the hospital attempting to birth their twin siblings, this book is full of adventure, heartbreak and tough life lessons for all involved.  It weaves together the stories of an older generation with that of a younger generation who has no idea where their heritage really comes from, and the effect is charming.  You'll find yourself rooting for the truth to be discovered.


The Best of Us: A Memoir
 by Joyce Maynard

A heartbreaking true story written by Maynard about her husband of three years and herself as they navigated his diagnosis, treatment and death from pancreatic cancer.  It has made me more grateful for the ordinary everyday things I often take for granted in my marriage: dinner together each night, falling asleep holding hands, and making plans for the future... 

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January Tally: 5

2018 Tally: 5

Yearly Goal: 5/60