On the bookshelf

I made it a goal this year to read 65 books. It sounds like a crazy amount but last year I did 64 pretty easily so I figured, why not! According to Goodreads I am 2 books ahead of my goal for the year since I have read 11 books so far. You can keep track of my progress over there on my sidebar >>>

Here's a look at some of my favorites from the first 11.

Orange Is the New Black -- this is the book that the Netflix show was based on. I've heard the show is much funnier, but this was still a good read. I must be the last house in America without Netflix so I can't actually weigh in on that. 

The Paris Wife -- this was a sad story but also insightful. It was certainly a different time back then. I know I wouldn't be able to handle my husband's affair in the same way Hadley chose to. 

The Husband's Secret -- I was so excited to read this after hearing good things about it. It did not disappoint -- it might end up being my favorite book of the year. I love how all the women's stories linked together. It was an easy read and I finished it in 2 days.


And now for one that let me down ...
I said that as part of my goal to Live this year I wanted to work on my parenting. I started reading Positive Discipline and had high hopes of finding some new techniques in dealing with all sorts of issues. I was very disappointed to see that every page for every issue had the same basic steps "let your child feel heard" and "turn a negative into a positive". I think this advice is good but let's be honest there is not one magic cure for handling every situation. I felt let down. As I was admitting defeat on this book I came across this post from Life Rearranged. It spoke volumes to me -- please read it, I bet you can relate. I don't need a book to tell me how to deal with my kids. As long as my kids are safe and happy that's all that matters. I guess I'm learning lessons from all over the place this year.