Top Books of 2015

I read fifty-seven books in 2015 {a post on that coming soon}, though some were baby books for my toddler. Still, I think that's a pretty good amount. And I read a lot of books that I actually enjoyed, so narrowing the list down was tricky. Enjoy!

Best Books of 2015

1. The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen

2. Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen

3. Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life by Marta MacDowell

4. The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter

5. The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen

6. Soulless by Gail Carriger

7. Miss Manners' Guide to Domestic Tranquility by Judith Martin

8. The Curiosity Keeper by Sarah E. Ladd

9. Spindle's End by Robin McKinley

10. The Unassisted Baby by Anita Evensen

Bonus book: Get Yourself Organized for Christmas by Kathi Lipp

Worst Books of 2015

1. Call Me, Maybe by Ellie Cahill

2. 52 Ways to Love Your Body by Kimber SImpkins

3. Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James

4. Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran

5. Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber

Top Baby Books of 2015

1. Little Bunny's Bible by P.J. Lyons

2. Tiny Bear's Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

3. One Fish, Two Fish by Dr. Seuss

4. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

5. Dinosaur Roar by PaulStickland

6. Thumper's Fluffy Tail by Laura Driscoll

7. God Bless Our Fall by Hannah C. Hall

8. Biscuit Visits the Pumpkin Patch by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

9. Jamberry by Bruce Degen

10. Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton

Happy Reading folks!

The Movies of 2015

I know that technically Frozen Fever isn't a full length movie but I don't really care. I'll try to get reviews up on these movies soon but we'll see. In the mean time, here are my picks for the best movies we saw in 2015.

Best Movies of 2015 

1. Frozen Fever

2. This Means War

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron

4. Inside Out

5. Paddington

6. Home

7. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

8. Jurassic World

9. Big Hero Six

10. How to Train Your Dragon 2

Worst Movies of 2015

1. The Starving Games

2. Kingsmen

3. Jupiter Ascending

4. 21 Jump Street

5. Insurgent

Happy New Year folks!

A Baby's Guide to Surviving Dad Book Review

Title: A Baby's Guide to Surviving Dad

Author: Benjamin Bird

Genre: Children, Humor, Parenting, Soft Cover

Plot: You're a brand new baby and need others to survive. Unfortunately, Dad is just as new as you are, so you'll need to teach him a few things. To survive Dad, it's best to just train him n the big areas that he needs to know about and take the second watch at night. Who knew that being a baby would be so much work?

A cute easy to hold soft cover book that children will enjoy, this book is wonderfully unique and fresh, the prefect gift for new dads everywhere.

Likes/Dislikes: I loved all the colors in this book and the simple wording was fun to read out loud. The dad in the book looks a little hipster-modern which my husband doesn't look like, but I don't think this bothered our daughter very much. I gave her the book {she's almost two} and she had a lot of fun looking at it and made me read it to her half a dozen times. It's a good size for her to hold but it's a little tricky for her to turn the thin glossy pages. I noticed that it's about babies but the age recommendation is for three-to-five year olds. I can't wait to read the mommy book!

Rating: G- all ages. Highly recommended!

Date Review Written: December 3rd, 2015

I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the publishers in exchange for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are mt own.

Doctor Who Christmas Special 2015

Just how many husbands does River Song actually have? In this exciting Christmas special, we can safely say at least three, including the Doctor. While on a snowy far away planet, the Doctor is mistaken for the local surgeon and is brought to the mysterious River Song who, surprisingly, doesn't recognize him in this regeneration. She brings the "surgeon" in to see the dying King Hydroflax and begs the Doctor to save her husband. The Doctor scoffs and gets annoyed by all of River's attention toward Hydroflax but the tables have finally turned and he has his chance to one up her because she doesn't know what's next for him. When they leave Hydroflax, River bluntly explains that she wants the diamond lodged in his head and asks the "surgeon" to remove the whole head, thinking this would make the operation much easier. The Doctor is obviously surprised and wonders if she's always like this when he isn't around.

Of course, Hydroflax overhears them, removes his own head as a show of strength and sets his robot body to destroy River and the Doctor. Thinking quickly, River grabs the head and off the twosome go, on the run from a deadly robot body and River still has no idea who she is with. That all changes when her attempt to sell the diamond still in the head goes south. And that's when the story picks up and goes all epic and terribly bittersweet at the same time, tying in beautifully with River's first appearance in the library.

With a little bit of a slow start, this special was epic and I loved having River back with a Doctor who is finally close to her age. It was a lovely wrap-up to her whole story.

The Time Chamber Book Review

Title: The Time Chamber

Author: Daria Song

Genre: Coloring Book, Fantasy, Fairies, Unique

Plot: A fairy enters the human world when the cuckoo clock chimes midnight and the fascinating wonders that she finds fill each page as her journey serenely takes her through doors and windows. She discovers jewelry boxes, pens and clocks with charms and stars abounding, dazzling the eye. And the best part is; you get to decide what color everything should be in this gorgeous creative adult coloring book.

A sequel to The Time Garden and holds eighty pages that beg to be filled in and brought to life with pens, pencils, even crayons in a pinch! And just in time for a lovely Christmas gift to the artist in your family.

Likes/Dislikes: I love coloring now that I'm older but haven't indulged in the current trend of adult coloring till now {though I have flipped through a couple}. The title caught my eye first and I thought, why not? The paper feels smooth and thick with a slightly odd smell to it {yes, I smell books}. The pages are filled in lovely intricate designs that make me itch to color them in. I bet colored pencils would look beautiful on the paper. The book jacket slips off so you can easily color that too which is nice, though I intend to tape mine in once it's colored because jackets never stay in place for me. Now all I need is more pencils.

Rating: G-14 and up, mainly for intricate designs {no nudity or anything weird like that, thankfully}.

Date Review Written: December 17th, 2015

I received a free copy of this book courtesy of Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Big Bang Theory 9.11

With the new Star Wars movie finally out, the guys are all excited to get tickets and go see it on opening night. There's one small hitch for Sheldon; the movie premieres on Amy's birthday. Penny points out that now that they are back together, Sheldon should spend her birthday with Amy. After a dream in which Arthur Jeffries' ghost appears to him, Sheldon calls Amy and tells her he'll spend her birthday with her. Of course, now he isn't sure what to get her as a gift so he consults Penny and Bernadette. The results are unexpected, hilarious and long awaited.

Meanwhile, with an extra ticket on hand, the guys pass up Stuart and invite Will Wheaten to attend the movie with them. They only slightly regret this when Will shows up dressed like Spock. But apparently they really enjoyed the movie.

I'm totally on Penny's side; now that the movie is out, can everybody please stop talking about it? Seriously.