Best Books of 2012

At Christmas last year my mom bought me a Kindle. I was so excited to use it to read books I wouldn't be able to find in print in English here in Italy.

I joined Shelfari and started reading right away. I set a goal for myself on the site to read 50 books in 2012. In October, I had met that goal and I increased it to 60. I really like to finish things, so I was really motivated by the goal I had set. It sounds funny to say, but I am so proud of myself for meeting this goal.

So, during 2012, I read 60 books. #61 is underway now.

And I wanted to share some of my favorite books I read this year.

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

This is quite a story. Walls' memoir grabs you from the beginning and keeps you turning the pages. I loved the story and hated the life that the Walls children were forced to live growing up. As a teacher, I found the story to be an inside window into the lives some of our students are forced to lead.




The Daughter of Siena by Marina Fiorato

I loved this book. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it since it was set in the 1700s, but with the twists and turns in the plot, there were surprises in every page.




Hunger Games (Book 1) by Suzanne Collins

Ok, I must admit, this was so addicting. Started it one night and couldn't put it down. Loved the storyline, with an element of societal control flashing back to The Giver and 1984. Even though the ending was predictable, I enjoyed every minute of it!




The Divorce Party by Laura Dave

So fun! A few great twists along the way to keep you interested.








The White Masai by Corinne Hoffman

Great book! True story of a Swiss woman's love affair with a Masai warrior in Kenya. Read it in 24 hours- couldn't put it down!



Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich
Ten Big Ones

So, I'm up to number 15 of these books, but number ten has been my favorite! Stephanie and Lula's adventures are a sure fire way to laugh so hard you'll cry.


Suggestions for books to read in 2013? Leave your favorite books in the comments!

#lucky?

The other day someone mentioned how lucky I was...

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo by JD Hancock:
http://flickr.com/photos/jdhancock/7175331883/

Lucky to live in Italy? Travel around Europe so regularly?

I've been thinking about this for a few days now. 

I don't think the life I currently live has much to do with luck. 

The life I live is possible because of the choices I made and the hard work that led up to it. 

Lucky to have these opportunities? Perhaps. But only because I worked hard to make them happen. 

“I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” 
― Thomas Jefferson

Christmas Cheer!

sunrise at school last week

There was one long weekend left before the Christmas break and I wanted to get another taste of the Christmas markets. Last year, I spend several days in Munich checking out the markets there. This year, I flew back to Munich, but spent my days in nearby cities- Nuremberg and Salzburg.

Nuremberg was a nice mix of old and new. There was an old European feel, with a modern vibe and shops. It was cold, and somewhat windy. I didn't get a chance to see much of the historic elements that Nuremberg is known for...perhaps another time around.

church in Nuremberg

market goodies

I also went to Salzburg, Austria. It's just a train ride away from Munich. It was really cold in Salzburg. And it snowed the entire time I was there. Which was beautiful and annoying all at the same time! I'd like to go back to Salzburg when the temperatures are warmer and do the whole "Sound of Music" sightseeing thing. It seems like a beautiful city, but I was just too cold to try and really see the sights.

Salzburg markets

from a square looking up at the castle

Today, it's been snowing here in Opera and we were lucky enough to have a snow day! It's almost three o'clock and I'm still in my pajamas! I love it! Just the kind of day you're supposed to have with the weather the way it is! Soup's on the stove and I've been having a film fest! 

I'm back in the US in one week!

The trees looked so nice this morning!

Thanksgiving in Prague

Another Turkey Day away from the States.

It's sad not to be with my family, eating some favorite Thanksgiving trimmings, but since I can't be there I'm happy that there is always a great travel destination a plane ride away.

This year I traveled to Prague, with some of our new teachers that arrived in August. I had heard that Prague had Starbucks and bagels, so this made Prague an excellent destination. I was not disappointed. I had bagels for breakfast most mornings and Starbucks lattes multiple times. Yum!

Enjoying my first Toffee Nut Latte
of the trip!

Twice while in Prague I ate traditional beef goulash with dumplings. It was pretty delicious. The beef was made with my favorite "stringy beef" and I was happy to try the traditional food.

Goulash #2- these dumplings were better than the 1st!

Another highlight of visiting Prague was getting to see Breaking Dawn 2 in English. The theaters in Milan have been showing it in Italian but my Italian is still pretty rough. In Prague, it played in English with Czech subtitles. I was so happy to get to see it before heading back to the States.

Breaking Dawn poster in Czech

So, onto things actually related to the city of Prague! We spent Friday and Saturday touring the city and its various quarters. The "Old Town" area was very nice. We wandered through those streets several times. There were a lot of souvenir shops! It felt harder to find handcrafted gifts here than in other places, but I did have a lead on a jewelry store where I could buy Bohemian garnets, so a few people are getting this under the tree this year!

Prague still shows evidence of it's communist past. Many of the buildings were cold and stark and felt very industrial. It wasn't a city that was warm and friendly like some other European cities seem to be. I wonder if my opinion would vary if I visited during the warmer months.

My favorite thing about Prague was that it was in the Czech Republic and everything says CZ! I bought stickers and magnets with my initials, which aren't always the easiest to come by!