Saturday, February 13, 2016

Best Books of 2015!

Last year I managed to work my way through 84 books.

Many were good, which was an improvement over years past.

I rated eight of them with 5 stars, which I will share below!

Happy Reading!


The Language of Flowers by Diffenbaugh:  Incredible story. Slows a bit in the middle, but still keeps it grasp on you as you read on to find out how the story will come together.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: Amazing story of two women working to save others during the horrors of WWII and German occupied France.

The Sea of Tranquility by Millay: Couldn't put it down.

The Absolute Value of Mike by Erskine: I've got to say, this book is super cute. Appropriate for 4th grade and up. Follow Mike as learns how to become his own kind of engineer, not just the one his father wants.


Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand: First, the amount of research that went into this book is incredible. The citations at the end are unbelievable. Second, I think that Japan's role in WWII is under taught in American schools. I had no idea about these POW stories in the Pacific during this time. Lastly, Zamperini's story is one that I won't soon forget. I was desperate for him to be rescued from those terrible shark-infested waters and then horrified by the treatment he and his fellow POWs received. I'm glad to have read Hillenbrand's well woven story of this American hero.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes: I didn't write a review on Goodreads when I finished this one a year ago, but I've enjoyed all of Moyes' latest works.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: In Eleanor & Park, Rowell failed to end the book the way I really wanted, so I was prepared for the same fate with Attachments. Happy to report that I'm smitten with the ending of Attachments and the undeveloped relationship of Lincoln and Beth throughout the book. Unique storyline, easy to read, and likable characters that you find yourself rooting for them. This makes for a story I love. And I love to love a book.

A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout: Despite the focus of the book, I really enjoyed reading Amanda's story. It's written in a surprisingly upbeat tone almost all the way through. Knowing that she, of course, lived to tell the tale of her ordeal, I was still desperate to see how the story played out.

What were your favorite books of 2015? Give me some suggestions for this year!

2015 Goal Check-in!

In 2015 I set some goals to work towards over the course of the year.

Let's review my accomplishments...and failures...before 2016 moves any further along.

goal #1 to walk 1,007 miles

met!

In July, I switched from the Moves app to a FitBit, which caused a few challenges in calculating my mileage. In the end, I believe that I walked just under 1,500 miles last year.

Some rights reserved by Simon Clayson


goal #2 to read 75 books

met!


I need to follow up soon with my favorite books of the year!

Some rights reserved by Brittany Stevens


goal #3 to regularly attend yoga

not quite.

I was doing pretty well with this through September. Then I started traveling, had a crazy apartment situation to deal with, worried about my Dad's impending surgery and let the practice of yoga slip to the wayside.

Some rights reserved by mosabua


goal #4 to learn more conversational italian

maybe.

It's hard to gauge if my italian has improved. I did take that 12 week course last year, but found 3 hours a week a lot to deal with so I returned to my favorite Italian teacher, Bruna, for my once a week lessons.

Some rights reserved by Antonio Cinotti 


goal #5 to visit 5 new countries

met!

I didn't really like having this goal. I felt I chose some places to go even though I was quite so interested in actually going there. But, alas, goal met.

In 2015, I was lucky enough to add Egypt, Slovakia, San Marino, Hungary, the Philippines, and Poland to my countries traveled list.

Egypt

Slovakia

Poland

Philippines

Hungary


San Marino

If the travels I have planned for 2016 work out, I'll add quite a few more to the list.

As of now, I've visited 31 different countries. There's so many still to see!


Do you have goals for 2016? Let's hear them!


Saturday, February 13, 2016

Best Books of 2015!

Last year I managed to work my way through 84 books.

Many were good, which was an improvement over years past.

I rated eight of them with 5 stars, which I will share below!

Happy Reading!


The Language of Flowers by Diffenbaugh:  Incredible story. Slows a bit in the middle, but still keeps it grasp on you as you read on to find out how the story will come together.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: Amazing story of two women working to save others during the horrors of WWII and German occupied France.

The Sea of Tranquility by Millay: Couldn't put it down.

The Absolute Value of Mike by Erskine: I've got to say, this book is super cute. Appropriate for 4th grade and up. Follow Mike as learns how to become his own kind of engineer, not just the one his father wants.


Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand: First, the amount of research that went into this book is incredible. The citations at the end are unbelievable. Second, I think that Japan's role in WWII is under taught in American schools. I had no idea about these POW stories in the Pacific during this time. Lastly, Zamperini's story is one that I won't soon forget. I was desperate for him to be rescued from those terrible shark-infested waters and then horrified by the treatment he and his fellow POWs received. I'm glad to have read Hillenbrand's well woven story of this American hero.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes: I didn't write a review on Goodreads when I finished this one a year ago, but I've enjoyed all of Moyes' latest works.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: In Eleanor & Park, Rowell failed to end the book the way I really wanted, so I was prepared for the same fate with Attachments. Happy to report that I'm smitten with the ending of Attachments and the undeveloped relationship of Lincoln and Beth throughout the book. Unique storyline, easy to read, and likable characters that you find yourself rooting for them. This makes for a story I love. And I love to love a book.

A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout: Despite the focus of the book, I really enjoyed reading Amanda's story. It's written in a surprisingly upbeat tone almost all the way through. Knowing that she, of course, lived to tell the tale of her ordeal, I was still desperate to see how the story played out.

What were your favorite books of 2015? Give me some suggestions for this year!

2015 Goal Check-in!

In 2015 I set some goals to work towards over the course of the year.

Let's review my accomplishments...and failures...before 2016 moves any further along.

goal #1 to walk 1,007 miles

met!

In July, I switched from the Moves app to a FitBit, which caused a few challenges in calculating my mileage. In the end, I believe that I walked just under 1,500 miles last year.

Some rights reserved by Simon Clayson


goal #2 to read 75 books

met!


I need to follow up soon with my favorite books of the year!

Some rights reserved by Brittany Stevens


goal #3 to regularly attend yoga

not quite.

I was doing pretty well with this through September. Then I started traveling, had a crazy apartment situation to deal with, worried about my Dad's impending surgery and let the practice of yoga slip to the wayside.

Some rights reserved by mosabua


goal #4 to learn more conversational italian

maybe.

It's hard to gauge if my italian has improved. I did take that 12 week course last year, but found 3 hours a week a lot to deal with so I returned to my favorite Italian teacher, Bruna, for my once a week lessons.

Some rights reserved by Antonio Cinotti 


goal #5 to visit 5 new countries

met!

I didn't really like having this goal. I felt I chose some places to go even though I was quite so interested in actually going there. But, alas, goal met.

In 2015, I was lucky enough to add Egypt, Slovakia, San Marino, Hungary, the Philippines, and Poland to my countries traveled list.

Egypt

Slovakia

Poland

Philippines

Hungary


San Marino

If the travels I have planned for 2016 work out, I'll add quite a few more to the list.

As of now, I've visited 31 different countries. There's so many still to see!


Do you have goals for 2016? Let's hear them!