Focused

I borrowed Focused: Keeping Your Life on Track, One Choice at a Time from a friend after seeing an advertisement for it. This book is by Noelle Pikus Pace, a world champion and Olympic medalist in the Skeleton. I'd heard about her during the last winter Olympics because (1) she won the silver medal after having some big trials in the past (getting hit and seriously injured by a runaway bobsled just before the 2006 Olympics and then getting 4th when she had a comeback in the 2010 Olympics), (2) she was LDS (same religion as me), and (3) she had her husband and 2 young kids travel with her on her Olympic journey. This book tells of some of Noelle's experiences and how she chooses to move forward and be happy even during life's challenges.

This was a really good book. It was a quick read but very inspirational and motivating. I was impressed by how she didn't give up when life threw her curveballs, and I really respected how she stood up for the things she believes in. She also shares some experiences about how she learned to be confident in and accepting of herself. (I think this is probably a great book for teenage girls.) I enjoyed the read.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

The Family Romanov

On the day the 2015 Newbery winners were announced, I read Shannon Hale's blog post and saw that she mentioned that Candace Fleming won a Sibert Honor (most distinguished informational book for children) for her book The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia. I decided to get the book from the library because I've always been intrigued by the Romanovs (mainly because all I know is from the movie Anastasia, which I knew was completely inaccurate historically). This book tells about Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (an incredibly wealthy monarch who was somehow chose to ignore the greatest needs of his people), his wife Alexandra (obsessed with the mystic faith healer Rasputin), and their five children Olga, Tatiana, Marie, Anastasia, and Alexei. The book also describes the lives of others in Russia, the political uprisings, and what eventually brought about the downfall of the Romanovs.

This book was fascinating, and I learned so much. It was incredibly well-researched but didn't feel like a slow, nonfiction read. I was engaged and interested and was anxious to see how things would turn out for this family. The author did a good job presenting both sides--I could see the Tsar and his family in both a super positive light and a super negative light. I love books like this that give me a great history and education in a readable format--not too long and not too boring. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in this time period in Russia or in the Romanov family.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters

Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters is the third book in Shannon Hale's Princess Academy stories. I am a big Shannon Hale fan and loved the two other books about Miri, so I was excited to get this one from the library. This book follows Miri after she is asked to start a princess academy for three royal cousins who live in a faraway swamp. The experience turns out to be very different than she expects,  but Miri becomes close to Astrid, Felissa, and Sus. When trouble comes, the new friends must work together to save the kingdom.

This was another great read. I loved how the plot came together, and it's always fun to reunite with loved characters from previous books. The writing was beautiful with lots of great details and lots of little humor hidden in the dialogue. I was continually engaged and wanted to see if my predictions would turn out how I expected. And based on how the book ended, I'm hoping Shannon Hale writes another continuation book.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

(Book 1 review, Book 2 review)

How to Be Like Walt

I recently decided I wanted to read a biography about Walt Disney, and after some research, I chose How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life by Pat Williams. This book tells the story of Walt Disney's life--his background, the beginnings of his animation studio, his movies, Disneyland, and his death.

I really enjoyed this book. I have always loved Disneyland, and I love so many Disney movies, so it was fascinating to learn the background on Walt Disney. I especially liked the way this book focused on the admirable traits of Walt Disney and how we can apply them into our lives to be better people. The book didn't act like Walt Disney was perfect--it definitely admitted his faults, but I liked that the book didn't dwell there. Instead, it used the words of dozens of people who knew him to show us what an amazing person he was. Not only did he dream big dreams and never give up, but he was a man of true compassion who cared about people. I really felt like I came to know Walt Disney in a small way after reading this book, and it made me even more admire and appreciate him and what Disney stands for. In the end, I was tearing up as I read about his death. The shock felt by those who knew him was just heartbreaking--one said, "We couldn't imagine living in a world without Walt Disney." Another quote I loved was this: After Walt's death, Walt Disney World was finished, and someone said, "Isn't it too bad Walt Disney didn't live to see this?" A Disney employee and friend of Walt's replied, "He did see it--that's why it's here."

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Man's Search for Meaning

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a book I've been wanting to read for awhile. (A few months ago, I started--but didn't finish--an awesome book called Character is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember by John McCain. I want to go back and finish that book, but in the meantime, I wrote down the names of those whose stories I read and wanted to learn more about. Viktor Frankl was one of them.) Viktor Frankl was a psychiatrist who was in four different concentration camps during the Holocaust.  Even before his time in the camps, he had developed a theory about the importance of finding meaning our lives. Once he spent time in the camps, he realized that even in suffering, we can choose to find meaning in our lives and move forward with purpose.

This was a really beautiful book. I am always completely shocked and amazed by what the Holocaust victims had to go through and how they endured, and Viktor Frankl's experiences are no exception. This book was super deep at times and used a lot of psychiatric vocabulary that I was not familiar with, so I'm sure the book would have been even better if I were smarter. :) I also felt like the book was not organized in a super logical way but was more like a stream of consciousness. But despite this, I really enjoyed the read and was touched and inspired by the messages. I'm glad I read it and think it was an important and meaningful read. Although there are so many more I'm not going to include, here are some favorite quotes I want to remember:

• "We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms--to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
• "There was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer."
• "A man who became conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the 'why' for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any 'how.'"
• "We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed....When we are no longer able to change a situation--just think of an incurable disease such as an inoperable cancer--we are challenged to change ourselves."
• "It is one of the basic tenants of logotherapy that man's main concern is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in his life. That is why man is even ready to suffer, on the condition, to be sure, that his suffering has a meaning. But let me make it perfectly clear that in no way is suffering necessary to find meaning. I only insist that meaning is possible even in spite of suffering."
• "Researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine 'have been impressed by the number of prisoners of ward of the Vietnam war who explicitly claimed that although their captivity was extraordinarily stressful--filled with torture, disease, malnutrition, and solitary confinement--they nevertheless...benefited from the captivity experience, seeing it as a growth experience.'"
• "Most important, he realized that, no matter what happened, he retained the freedom to choose how to respond to his suffering. He saw this not merely as an option but as his and every person's responsibility to choose 'the way in which he bears his burden.'"
• "I do not forget any good deed done to me, and I do not carry a grudge for a bad one."

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is one of the 2015 Newbery Honor books. It is a memoir/autobiography--the true story of Jacqueline's childhood. It follows Jacqueline and her family in Ohio, then South Carolina, then New York during the 60s and 70s. The book shares her relationships with family members, what it was like to grow up during the Civil Rights era, and how she found she wanted to be a writer.

This book was written in verse and was beautifully written. (I debated calling this a "loved it," but I don't know if it quite made it there--but I really, really liked the book.) It was so interesting to follow Jacqueline's life, and having the story in verse made it even more vivid and compelling. I especially loved the chapter "The Selfish Giant" partway through where Jacqueline shares with her class a story she memorized. Her classmates are all amazed she could do that, and she doesn't know how to explain--"How can I explain to anyone that stories are like air to me,/ I breathe them in and let them out/ over and over again." Then her teacher compliments her as well, and Jacqueline says, "And I know now/...Words are my brilliance." Earlier in the book, Jacqueline compared herself to her siblings and wasn't as good as them in certain things--but here she found that she had her own gift. I just loved that since she grew up to be an incredible author who has won the Newbery honor with 4 different books.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

One Came Home

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake was a Newbery Honor book in 2014, so I found it and started reading it last year. I lost interest and returned it to the library, but then last week, my sister Molly recommended the book to me after reading it in her Children's Lit class. So, I got it back from the library and gave it another shot. The book is about Georgie Burkhardt in 1870s Wisconsin. Georgie's sister Agatha runs off with a pack of pigeoners, and soon after, an unidentifiable body is found wearing Agatha's ball gown. Georgie won't believe that Agatha is truly dead and sets out on a journey of her own to find the truth.

I'm glad I gave the book another chance because it was an interesting story once I got more into it. The book was very well written with details that really let you imagine the setting and characters. It was a mystery mixed with historical fiction, which made the book unique and fun. I liked trying to figure out what would happen. Everything came together a little too quickly in the end, and something I had hoped for didn't happen, but I still enjoyed the read. Georgie was a strong, likable character, and it was fun to read the book through her perspective.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)