November Reading Review

Below is a list of all of the books that I have read for the month and my total books for the year.  I normally try to read more then 100 books a year and I track them on my blog to keep me accountable.  My second goal after getting to 100 books is to try to get as close to 150 as I can but most years that is a push that I don't make because the end of the year is always busy.  In addition, I review them here so that hopefully you can add some that interest you to your reading list in the future.  Make sure you click on the title if you missed the original review because it will take you back to my original post and give you a summary and my review of the book.  Luckily, I haven't read a lot of books this year that I didn't enjoy but hope that you enjoyed some of them too!!

But in truth, it is mostly to keep me on track for my own reading to make sure that I don't get the same book twice.  For whatever reason, I often stand at the new release section of the library and see what I can read but they keep books there for almost a year so I might have read it so long ago that I forget.  If I am at the library then I can search on my blog and see if I read the book before easily right from their computer or my phone.  I tried using a notebook but I don't do the greatest job at keeping it with me when I went to the library so I didn't always know unless I planned ahead.  I tried using Good Reads online so that I could look at the library or at home but I did a horrible job of actually updating my shelf.  I tried keeping two lists on Amazon:  one for books to read and the other for books that I finished.  How do you keep track of your books that you want to read and books that you have already read because I am exhausted with all my systems??

A Plain Leaving
by Leslie Gould

Map of the Heart

by Susan Wiggs

The Summer that Made Us

by Robyn Carr

Christmas in Icicle Falls

by Shelia Roberts

Sugar Pine Trail
by RaeAnne Thayne

You Say It First
by Susan Mallery

Positive Discpline Tools for Teachers
by Jane Nelsen and Kelly Gfroerer

The Girl of His Dreams
by Susan Mallery

Playing by the Greek's Rules
by Sarah Morgan

Huckleberry Christmas
by Jennifer Beckstrand

My Italian Bulldozer
by Alexander McCall Smith

Total Books Read for 2017

January    8

February  15
March     17
April      13
May        10
June         10
July          15
August       17
September  13
October      8
November  11

Total Books Read    137

Currently Reading:

Love in Plain Sight
by Debbie Macomber

My Italian Bulldozer Book Review

I was at the library picking up some things from reserve and I saw this book sitting on the new release section and I couldn't pass it up.  My Italian Bulldozer: A Novel by Alexander McCall Smith is a book that is not in his other series and is about Italy.  I was instantly interested because I love the author and his writing style and this is more of the same just in a different setting. 

Paul Stuart, a renowned food writer, finds himself at loose ends after his longtime girlfriend leaves him for her personal trainer. To cheer him up, Paul’s editor, Gloria, encourages him to finish his latest cookbook on-site in Tuscany, hoping that a change of scenery (plus the occasional truffled pasta and glass of red wine) will offer a cure for both heartache and writer’s block. But upon Paul’s arrival, things don’t quite go as planned. A mishap with his rental-car reservation leaves him stranded, until a newfound friend leads him to an intriguing alternative: a bulldozer.

With little choice in the matter, Paul accepts the offer, and as he journeys (well, slowly trundles) into the idyllic hillside town of Montalcino, he discovers that the bulldozer may be the least of the surprises that await him. What follows is a delightful romp through the lush sights and flavors of the Tuscan countryside, as Paul encounters a rich cast of characters, including a young American woman who awakens in him something unexpected.  A feast for the senses and a poignant meditation on the complexity of human relationships, My Italian Bulldozer is a charming and intensely satisfying love story for anyone who has ever dreamed of a fresh start.

I thought that this was another great story but Alexander McCall Smith.  It was in the normal fiction section where some of his other books are in the mystery section (although it seems a bit loose of a category of me).  This book was about Paul, an author who went into a slump after breaking up with his girlfriend so his editor decided that he should go to Italy and write the book there.  Of course everything that can go wrong does so you need to pick up the book to find out how he ends up driving a bulldozer across many miles from the airport to the place he is staying.  While there, he writes a lot and is super inspired by the countryside.  The best part is the things that the bulldozer does that a normal rental car wouldn't do so this is one of those times that we should look at the glass half full and figure out that it is going to work out for the best.  Pick up this book and find out for yourself because I think that it will have you laughing right along with it.  I know that you will enjoy this book as much as I did!

Menu Plan Monday 11/27

Monday- Chicken Fries, Buffalo Chicken with homemade french fries
Tuesday- Pasta
Wednesday- Friends House for Italian Dinner (bringing bread)
Thursday-Barber Chicken with white rice
Friday- Leftovers
Saturday- Lasagna
Sunday-??

I can't believe that we are already through November.  Trying to plan December's menu is hard because have so many guests coming and going and I don't know when anyone is going to be here so the whole meal plan is up in the air.  In addition, we start basketball practice so we are back to the grind in getting out of the house at night and getting dinner and homework done first.  Here is hoping that we make it through December in one piece.  Full Menu to be done soon.  Hope you have a great week!

Huckleberry Christmas Book Review

I have a pile of books overflowing on my book shelf and I am finally starting to read them. Huckleberry Christmas (The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill) by Jennifer Beckstrand was the one that caught my eye because I love to try to get in the Christmas spirit with lots of books about other people getting into the Christmas spirit.  So I decided to read it first because I knew that I had read it before and I don't know that I have read anything by this author.

Now that they've happily married off two of their grandchildren, Anna and Felty Helmuth are ready for their next matchmaking challenge. What better way to celebrate the most heartwarming of seasons--and make Huckleberry Hill, Wisconsin, the place for unexpected love. . .

A difficult marriage has left the Helmuths' widowed great-granddaughter, Beth, finished with wedlock. She's content to live with them and make a life for herself and her toddler son. But once she turns down handsome Tyler Yoder's proposal, it seems only fair to encourage him to find a suitable wife. Trouble is, his gentleness and generous ways are showing her how joyous a real meeting of hearts can be. . .

After a failed courtship, Tyler thought the best he could hope for in a wife was mere companionship. But spirited Beth is the one he longs to protect, and hold close. Earning her trust is the hardest thing he's ever had to do. And soon, both will discover that forgiveness and understanding are gifts that only rekindled faith--along with the happiest of holidays--can bring.

I haven't read any other books in this series but I got this one from one of the book sales through my free coupons so I was going to start with this one regardless.  It seems that Anna is a matchmaker who likes to make sure that everyone is matched with their perfect mate.  Although she has met her match when Beth moves home after being widowed with her young son.  Beth is getting over a horrible marriage to a controlling man and has trouble trusting the good things that others do for her.  It is true that we all bring our baggage forward with us and Beth is trying to overcome her problems.  Tyler is patiently trying because he loves both Beth and her son and wants to make a life with them.  First he tries to make a proposal based on necessity and then turns to making her realize that she loves him too.  It is a great story and I know that you will enjoy finding out all the steps forward and back that they make in their journey.  I hope that you check out this book and enjoy it as much as I have.  I am going to be looking for more by this author especially the rest of this series because I enjoyed it a lot!  Wonderful holiday story to show you what is really most important and to get out of your own way.

The Girl of His Dreams and Playing by the Greek's Rules Book Reviews

I grabbed this book off the new shelf at the library without any idea if it was part of a series.  The Girl of His Dreams: Playing by the Greek's Rules (Harlequin Bestselling Author Collection) by Susan Mallery was the last library book in my pile and I got to enjoy reading it.  I am not sure if it was part of a series but if there are some by either author, I am totally in for more.  I will have to look them up and see.

A DATE WITH DESTINY 
The moment she turns twenty-five, Kayla Bedford is going to grab her trust-fund money and take off for Paris. She'll drink wine, read at quaint cafés and meet a handsome prince who'll sweep her off her feet. It's been her dream since she was twelve. And now she's so close to realizing it, she's counting down the days. But first she's got to do something for her boss-slash-landlord-slash-best-friend. Patrick is a handsome, caring vet. But he needs someone to love, even if he doesn't think so. Yet, just as she finds the perfect person to set him up with, Kayla gets a last-minute case of blinding jealousy. Does she have feelings for Patrick? Should she abandon her dreams to find out?
And how can he hold her back if he feels the same?

FREE BONUS STORY INCLUDED IN THIS VOLUME! Playing By The Greek's Rules (Mills And Boons) by Sarah Morgan It's time to throw away the rule book… 

Idealistic archaeologist Lily Rose craves a fairy-tale love, but in her experience it always ends in heartbreak. So now Lily's trying a different approach—a fling with her boss, infamous Greek playboy Nik Zervakis!  Anti-love and anti-family, Nik lives by his own set of rules. There's no one better to teach Lily how to separate sizzling sex from deep emotions! But while Nik has the world at his feet, he also has dark shadows in his heart…It starts as a sensual game, but can Lily stick to Nik's rules? And what's more, can he?

The first book was unexpected since I had no idea what it was going to be about because I didn't even read the back of the book before starting.  Kayla is working as a vet assistant because she loves animals and her boss just happens to be her best friend and landlord.  She enjoys her life but has been waiting her whole life for her trust fund to release at 25 so that she can travel to Europe.  She has gone so far to have a calendar at work that she checks off the days.  She has decided that going there is going to meet her prince and live happily ever after until she realizes that she might have already met her prince.  The second book was a little shorter then the first but it was amazing.  It was about Lily who was living as an archeologist in Greece and working other odd jobs to make ends meet like cleaning houses.  While cleaning one house, she presses buttons on the shower and ends up soaked and the home owner shows up while she is in just a towel.  Funny enough, he doesn't have a problem with it but his girlfriend does so she leaves and he is left without a date to the evening museum opening.  Nik takes Lily and their relationship blooms from there because she is trying to get over her ex who turns out he was lying about being married.  They were both great stories and had me not wanting to put the book down.  I hope that you check out this book and enjoy the extra one at the end!! I am going to look to see if there are any other books by this new author.

Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers Book Review

I got this book before the summer started and after I was already out of school for the year.  Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers: Effective Classroom Management for Social, Emotional, and Academic Success by Jane Nelsen Ed.D. was something that seemed interesting for me at work and at home.  I was sadly thinking about stepping down to try to take care of my health and let myself heal so I think that I set this book aside and totally forgot about it.  I can't believe that it took me this long to find it but I was cleaning underneath a side table and found it sitting there.  I looked to see if I wrote the review and sadly saw that I did not.  I was a little disappointed but I guess that happens when you spend the summer having fun with your little one instead of working, everything else took a back seat.

The Positive Discipline method has proved to be an invaluable resource for teachers who want to foster creative problem-solving within their students, giving them the behavioral skills they need to understand and process what they learn. In Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers, you will learn how to successfully incorporate respectful, solution-oriented approaches to ensure a cooperative and productive classroom. Using tools like "Connection Before Correction," "Four Problem-Solving Steps," and "Focusing on Solutions," teachers will be able to focus on student-centered learning, rather than wasting time trying to control their students' behavior. Each tool is specifically tailored for the modern classroom, with examples and positive solutions to each and every roadblock that stands in the way of cooperative learning.

Complete with the most up-to-date research on classroom management and the effectiveness of the Positive Discipline method, this comprehensive guide also includes helpful teacher stories and testimonials from around the world. You will learn how to:

- Model kind and firm leadership in the classroom
- Keep your students involved and intrinsically motivated
- Improve students’ self-regulation
-And more!

I read just about 50 pages before I misplaced this 275 page book so there was still plenty to read.  The basic layout was really easy that each chapter tackled a particular problem and gave real world examples.  Although the stories were sometimes quick and I had trouble connecting to the person having the problem, these examples were often paramount in making the chapter go along smoothly.  Although many had a great message like giving praise for working hard instead of for being smart because kids try harder if you are impressed by their effort.  That is a super hard concept to put into practice because the first thing that always comes to mind is great job or something that isn't supporting the effort the child made to get the task accomplished which is more important then the final result.  There is a lot of information in this book and if you have the time to sit down and read it, I know that you will find tons of ideas on what would help different kids with lots of different problems.  I hope that you check out this book and find something new that you haven't thought about before or reminds you of things that you should do.  There are also funny cartoons at the beginning of each chapter which should bring a smile to your face.  I know that this book certainly made me slow down and think about certain kids, as well as my own upbringing.  I hope that I will remember to use these practices to improve the situation with all kids including my own.

**I received a copy of the book for my review from Blogging for Books but all opinions here are my own and my review was not required.

Menu Plan Monday 11/20

Monday- Pasta
Tuesday- Chicken Fries, Buffalo Chicken with homemade french fries
Wednesday- Leftovers
Thursday- Thanksgiving Dinner with my parents
Friday- Dinner with my cousin
Saturday- Dinner with family
Sunday- Meatball Sliders

Last week I had to cut the three packages of chicken that I had purchased with the turkeys so I had lots of chicken ready for dinners.  We had our normal Monday night dinner.  Tuesday was pasta night so I made Chicken Marsala with the Freezer to Plate box.  Wednesday was supposed to be Potstickers and Egg Rolls but I had all the chicken in the fridge so I made the chicken tacos which were tasty.  Thursday night was Spicy Honey Mustard Chicken Nuggets with mac and cheese.  Friday was supposed to be leftover night but we didn't have a ton of leftovers in the fridge so I tried to be creative and it ended up working out.  I had leftover pancakes from my son earlier in the week, my son had spaghetti from the fridge and my husband had chicken buffalo mac and cheese all from leftovers.  Saturday brought hash browns for breakfast and I made some roast beef sandwiches for my husband and leftover spaghetti alfredo from the free Arla cream cheese with a little milk.  Saturday dinner was Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes.  Super glad that I cut the hash browns and potatoes for dinner on Friday and soaked in water in the fridge so I didn't have a lot of prep on a busy day.  Sunday morning was homemade doughnuts which were amazing and although I was hungry for lunch, I went to the grocery store and the boys ate lunch that they made.  Sunday dinner was the meal from Wednesday with Potstickers, Egg Rolls and Simple Fried Rice which was super tasty...although eaten in shifts because I didn't get everything cooked at the same time.  This week was a little different but went well and I am hoping that this busy week is going to go well.  Hope you have a great week!