More Than a Bucket List by Toni Birdsong

More Than a Bucket List by Toni Birdsong is an interesting book.  It focus' on establishing dreams, your passions, and building your faith.   It is filled with short stories, positive thoughts, and quotes that center around various themes.  After a few paragraphs of stories or thoughts, the author lists some dreams, adventures, passions, or ways to build your faith.  These lists are not meant as a check off list, but rather a list of suggestions.  The suggestions are broad and deep.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH:
This is not a sit down are read through book.  It is a book intended to be picked up, read for a little bit, and then set back down.  My wife and I thought this this would be a good bathroom book for those who tend to spend a lot of time in there.  I like the fact that this bucket list book was more well rounded than the others I have read or skimmed.  This one was more focused on the individual rather than things that can be done as a couple.  However, I will say that as I skimmed the many lists on dreams, adventures, passions, and building faith, I found myself writing them down in our Bucket List journal.  This book is definitely worth the look over because it has a lot of unique ideas and suggestions.

AR Quiz:  No AR quiz.

MTH: China - Land of the Emperor's Great Wall by Mary Pope Osborne

This particular book written by Mary Pope Osborne and her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce, is a non-fiction book about China.  In a nutshell, it an easy to read book that states facts about China.  The book covered bits and pieces of the Great Wall of China, the first emperor, the Terra-Cotta Soldiers, many of China's great inventions, the daily life in China, and the many things they celebrate.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH:
A few years back I visited China as one of the requirements for my doctorate degree.  It was a fascinating trip and very  educational.  Many of the things the book covered, I was fortunate enough to see or hear about while I was there.  However, we did not have enough time to visit the Terra-Cotta Soldiers.  I heard it was fascinating to  see.  As I read the chapter on inventions, I was impressed to learn that paper, the compass, and gunpowder were invented in China.  China is definitely an old civilization and have contributed a lot to what we take for granted today.  I do want to take a trip back to China with my wife.  I would like to visit the Great Wall and the Red Square once again.  In addition, I would take some time to visit the Terra-Cotta Soldiers.

If you like reading the MTH fiction series, then these books (the Fast Tracker series) are well worth the read because they bring you behind the senses of the fiction books.  They help you see what the author saw when she began writing the story.  In addition, these books are filled with fun facts that can lead you in a discovery direction on other topics.

AR Quiz: 90%

Family Ties by Gary Paulsen

Family Ties is one of five books in this series written by my favorite author, Gary Paulsen.  The other books in this series written by Gary Paulsen were:  Vote, Crush, Flat Broke, and Liar, Liar.  All five books have Kevin Spencer as the main character and he is about middle school age.  He lives in a family of five - a mom, a dad, a brother, and a sister.  He is the youngest of the three children and plays the part of the glue that keeps the family together.  Each book is about a specific family/friend adventure.  Keven is hopelessly in love with a girl by the name of Tina.

In Gary Paulsen's book Family Ties, Kevin has been struck with the idea of reconnecting his dad with his brother Will.  Will and dad had a falling out in the past and has not been restored.  Kevin emails his Uncle Will and he agrees to come over to the house.  Will brings his new wife and the adventure begins.  Kevin recommends that his Uncle and new Aunt get remarried and Kevin begins the planning.  It turns out that their Aunt who lives above the garage has considered getting married also.  Kevin goes into high gear to organize the two weddings.  There are new characters introduced into the Spencer family and bring about some interesting, and funny, dynamics.  In the end, Uncle Will and his wife have to take their dog to the veterinarian because it was going to have puppies.  Kevin's Aunt who lives above the garage gets married and the Spencer family is there as the witness.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH:
If you like Gary Paulsen and his many youthful books you will enjoy this book.  In fact, I would recommend the series because the build upon one another.  Each book brings you into the life of Kevin and his desire to solve family problems.  You are left chuckling and laughing out loud because of some of the situations Kevin gets himself in.  I have read all five of the books in the series and enjoyed each one.

AR Quiz: 90%

Books I Hope to Read in January/February of 2018

I typically have two to four books in the hopper (in the process of reading). These four books always fall in one of the following five categories: children's literature, personal (self-help type books), religious, professional development, and other. Although this journey can be a bit cumbersome, I enjoy reading and the adventure that follows.  It is my hope that I can keep this going like I did year's back.  My life has begun to settle and my doctorate program has concluded.  Now I can read for fun, enjoyment, and self-fulfillment.  The reason I want to blog the books I read is so that I hold myself accountable as well as create a log of the books that I have read.  Then I can go back to the log entries and job my memory about the book I once read.

January/February books are:

*  Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat by Gary Paulsen
*  Family Ties by Gary Paulsen
*  Field Trip by Gary Paulsen
*  Wonder by R. J. Palacio
*  More Than a Bucket List by Toni Birdsong
*  What if God Wrote Your Bucket List? by Jay Payleitner
*  Magic Tree House - Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne
*  Magic Tree House - China:  Land of the Emperor's Great Wall by Mary Pope Osborne

*  The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
*  The End by Mark Hitchcock

All of these books were either recommended by a friend, picked because I have a goal of reading the whole series, goal of reading every book by a specific author, selected due to an Amazon search, mentioned in a book I am currently reading, or a specific genre I am currently interested in.

Ceasar's Way

Cesar's Way was written by Ceasar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier. Melissa Jo Peltier co-writes many of his books. Cesar's Way is a book about dog psychology. It is a book that clearly identifies the difference between human psychology and dog psychology. Cesar guides the reader into the ways of a dog. He helps the reader deal with a dog from the dog's perspective.

Throughout the book, Cesar talks about the three part formula for a well-balanced dog outside as well as inside the home. Realizing that dogs who live in the wild, typically live in packs. The pack structure consists of an alpha dog who supplies the pack with rules, boundaries and limitations. The alpha is the definer as well as the enforcer. Since dogs have become domesticated, the alpha must be the human in the home. In fact, Cesar strongly encourages that ALL humans in the home (i.e. mom, dad, the children and even the baby) must be looked at by the dog or dogs as the alpha. Rules, boundaries and limitations need to be created and enforced by the alphas in the home. According to Cesar, to help a dog become balanced, the alpha must offer exercise, discipline (rules, boundaries and limitations), and affection.

Cesar dog owners to excercise their dogs with one to two healthy walks a day. The walks can range from 45-60 minutes in length and they need to be vigorous. A dog who has burned energy is more inclinded to receive discipline and follow the recommended rules. Lastly, a dog needs affection. Cesar Millan talks at great length about how here in America we, as dog owners, give our lovely pets too much affection. Rather than follow the three part formula for a balanced dog (e.g. exercise, discipline, affection), we tend to give our dogs affection, affection, affection. This causes an imbalance in our dogs and then "issues" arise. According to Mr. Millan, if you provide your dog with exercise, discipline (rules, boundaries and limitations), and affection (in that order) you WILL have a well-balanced and happy dog.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH:
No AR quiz. :(
If you own a dog or have frequent contact with dogs, this is an excellent book. It really makes sense to look at a dog as if it were a dog. It makes sense to understand a dog from the dog's perspective and deal with the dog with the mindset of a dog. Human psychology is great for humans but one should not use human psychology to work with or communicate with dogs. Cesar's insight and proven history working with dogs has inspired me to become the alpha within the relationship with our dog. I have to admit, our dog seems content and actually follows my commands. I look forward to reading his other books and applying them to my daily interactions with our new dog. I highly recommend this book to those of you who own a dog.

Siberian Huskies

Siberian Huskies: A Complete Pet Owner's Mannual was written by Kerry Kern and published by Barron's. This book provides the reader with a brief history, considerations before getting a husky, and multiple tips. These tips cover understanding husky behavior, basic caring, feeding, grooming, general health, and training. Lastly, the book introduces the reader about what breeders look for when they are going down the breeding trail.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH:
As a new owner of a Siberian Husky, I have purchased a number of books regarding Siberian Huskies. This book is geared for owners who have a new puppy and it does little for those of us who start dog ownership with an older (i.e. 1-4 year old) husky. For those of you considering a Siberian Husky puppy, this is a good book to review. However, if you will be getting an older dog, I would skip this book.

No AR quiz.