Book Review: January 2019

Happy Monday!

It's a weekday and we are actually in school!
Woohoo!

It's going to be nearly 60 degrees today in Ohio and not even a week ago it was about -20!

If you're looking to experience every season in one week, head our way!

Today I'm sharing my book review from January!

My goal is to read three books each month, and I did just that!

The Power of Moments

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This book was all about living more intentional. 

It was about how to make the most of each moment that you have. 

If you like inspirational books on how to make your life better or how to improve certain aspects, this book is for you!

While I love a good inspirational book, this was my least favorite of the month. 

I liked the idea behind the book, but it didn't really hit it home for me. 

Girl, Wash Your Face

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This next book was absolutely fantastic!
I just recently jumped on the Rachel Hollis bandwagon, and man is she good!
A lady who built her million dollar business with a high school diploma and a Google search bar. 

Girl, Wash Your Face unpacks lies that women believe and how we can isolate ourselves because we're always down on ourselves. 

Talk about high energy, kick yourself in the butt and get it going!
You have to read this book and then start listening to her podcast. 

Her next book comes out later on this year, and I already have it ordered at the library!

Swear on This Life

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If you're looking for a realistic love story about two kids who grew up in poverty, then this book is for you!

I read this book in not even two days!
It made me cry and want to bawl like a baby. 

I swear the lives that Em and Jace live are the same lives that some of my students are living. 

I teach in an extremely rural area where some of my students don't see an adult within the day outside of those of us they see at school. 

I teach where some students don't have water or heat, and yet my kids are fabulous!
They're kids!

They laugh, they cry, they want someone to correct them and love them!
They are no different than kids living in cities, except they aren't privy to many things. 

They know what it's like to hurt and be hurt. 

They know what it's like to go without. 

I love my students so much, and I thought of specific kids as I was reading this book. 

My hope is that my own students find a way to make it out of the struggle that was portrayed in this book.

I hope they make it and move out and flourish in life!

Two of these three books were fabulous!
One made me really excited and motivated and the other really touched my heart. 

I'm onto my first book of February and can't wait to see what the month has in store!
Enjoy!

February Book Review

Happy Middle of the Week and Book Review Day!

Last month I only read two books. 

I got stuck in a rut, and then life as a teacher got super busy, so I didn't have much time to read. 

I will say that the two books I did read were phenomenal. 

Flight #116 is Down

I was looking for a book that would be part of my spring literature circles and wasn't sure what to grab.
One of my co-workers suggested Flight #116 is Down.
I quickly ordered it from the library and sat down to read it.
This book is a really easy read.
Heidi lives in the Dove House.
She's surrounded by fancy decorations, a caretaker and parents who are always on the go.
Another round of trips leaves Heidi alone with her care taker when she hears an overpowering sound. She then realizes that a plane has crashed on their property.
Heidi puts the ball in motion when she goes to the aid of the badly hurt.
This book encapsulates a story of not only trying to help all of the passengers survive but in befriending the help and maybe making lifelong friends.
This was a great book, but it wasn't as high of a level that I was wishing for my literature circles, so I decided to go with option #2.
I'm currently finishing option #2, so I hope to report back on it during my March Book Review.

Refugee

I ordered Refugee a few months ago and hadn't had the chance to read it.
A lot of the boys in my classes had been passing it around, so I was interested in seeing what all it was about.
Three different stories are told in this book from three different time periods.
Josef is trying to escape the Nazi's in Germany during the 1930's.
Isabel is trying to escape Cuba in the 90's and Mahmoud is trying to escape the Syrian war in 2015. All three of these children are with their families trying to escape to a new country and create a new and better life.
Each time that they think they've found the answer, another obstacle pops up.
There's only so much time before they will be captured or returned to their homeland.
Will their escape efforts work or will they return and have to start all over again?
I loved that each chapter gave just enough information to make you wonder what was going to happen next.
As soon as you were onto the plot line, the chapter ended and another story began.
This really kept me intrigued and wanting to read more.

That's all for today. 

Hopefully, next month I will have more books to report back with!

Book Review: January

Happy Monday and Book Review Day!

Last month I read three books. 

I felt like I started out strong and then had a major loll half way through the month. 

I was stuck at home for 7 days without a good book, so I lost a lot of reading time!

This year I'm going to share my books in reverse order of how well I liked them each month. 

So, here we go...

Winter Solstice

This was the last book in the Winter Street series. 

I'm the type of person who hates beginnings and endings, so I really held out on reading this final book. 

I grew to love the characters at the Winter Street Inn, especially Ava and Margaret, so I didn't want my connection to them to end. 

Alas, the story had to end. 

I really can't give away too much, but once again more characters are mingled into problems that continually arise.

Ava makes a big decision and learns to live away from her former home-at the Inn. 

The characters enjoy one more Christmas at the Inn before some big changes take place. 

While I loved the series, this book kind of wrapped everything up, which made me sad, and thus I deemed it my 3rd favorite book of the month. 

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain

This book has been on my list for over a year. 

We tend to always read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in my classes at the beginning of each school year. 

The students love that book that shows life outside of a concentration camp through a German boy's eyes. 

This book mixes a few of the characters from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, but it details an orphaned boy who goes to live with his aunt, who he doesn't even know. 

She, ironically, enough works for Mr. Adolf Hitler. 

A series of changes occurs in Pierrot as he entrusts and begins to look up to the Fuhrer. 

This book was great, and a lot of my students were intrigued by my reading it because it was written by the same author as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. 

This book might become a book in our literature circles next year. 

Orphan Train Girl

I randomly selected this book out of the Scholastic book magazines that I get each month. 

It's about another orphan who is looking for a home. 

She has grown up on a train looking for her forever home. 

Each time she comes to find it, something falls through. 

This child is skeptical and hopeful for people who will love and care for her. 

Along the way, she tries to escape the horrors of one home by clinging to her teacher. 

At a new home she befriends an elderly lady who she learns has more in common with her than she thought. 

This book was a page turner!

It was a quick read, and I loved the story of hope that it shared, and so I've ranked it my #1 book for January!

That's all for today. 

Hopefully, next month I will have more books to report back with!

2017 Books

Hey all!
Today I'm giving an overview of all of the books that I read in 2017!

I know we've been in 2018 for a month now, but I figured I would wait until the dust of the new year settled before giving a big recap. 

Next week I will share all of my books from January 2018, but for now here's 2017...

January

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February

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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37 books for 2017!

I haven't kept track of the amount (actual numbers) of books I've read each year.

Sure, I jot down the titles, but I never looked back to see how many until this year. 

While 37 books is a decent amount since I'm usually busy planning lessons and grading papers, there are months where I wonder what happened. 

Did I get in a reading rut or was life just busy?

This year I'm aiming for an even 40!

40 books in 2018!

Also, next year I hope to name a favorite book of the year in each genre. 

If I had to name an overall favorite for 2017 I would probably pick 

Little Beach Street Bakery

What a feel good, happy go lucky story set during summer in a bakery. 

This book reminds me of summertime!

It was the first book of summer 2017 that I read in my lounge chair by the pool.

So, if you're wishing to be in a lounge chair by the pool, grab this book. 

If you're interested in stories of overcoming, check out the books that I read in July and August. 

Those were all trials of books to use in literature circles in my classroom this year. 

Some made the cut and some didn't. 

I will save that post for another day.

Happy Monday!