What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast

A short and sweet motivation to put first things first in our busy days.  I have put this into practice (most days) and wake up early to exercise, study and paint.  I love what a difference it makes in my attitude during the remainder of the day.  I can defintely feel a difference on the days I slack off.

Letters from Father Christmas

J.R.R. Tolkien’s children recieved a letter from Father Christmas every year for 23 years.  Some were short and some were long and detailed.  Most contained beautiful illustrations.  A storyline develops through the letters, involving Father Christmas, the North Polar Bear, goblins (of course!), and various other characters.  Both my 10 year old daugher and I were smitten with this book. I think it might join the list to be reread each Christmas season.

Life as We Knew It

This book was recommended to me after I read The Age of Miracles and it has a very similar feel. Readers are witnesses to the catasrophe of the moon moving closer to the earth and all the natural disasters, disease and chaos this creates.  Told in diary form by a teenage narrator.   Another book that makes you want to stock up on food and emergency supplies.

84 Charing Cross Road

This tiny book has been on my to-read list for years.  I finally read it this month and found it absolutely charming.  I loved the witty, heartwarming letters exchanged and the friendship between book lovers that developed over decades.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

We finished this family read aloud this month. It was a re-read for Ellie and me (but we were more than happy to enter the wizarding world again), but the first time through for my husband and 6 year old son.  It’s magical.  What more can be said?

Gone Girl

I was sucked into this gripping story.  I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s a pretty wild ride. I’m having a hard time knowing what to say!  Let me sum up: love, murder, psychopaths, unhappy marriages, revenge, plot twists.
(warning: language, big time)

Head over to Modern Mrs. Darcy for more quick book reviews.