Walt Wednesday

Some people do a "Wordless Wednesday" post, where they simply share a photo or image, but I thought I'd make a little series out of my Wednesdays. And since I love alliteration so much, why not go with Walt Wednesdays (obviously everyone can use a little break from the seriousness, scariness and sassiness of life - and what better way to help put a smile on your face than with a cute wiener dog picture, am I right?!)... So, without further ado...

WALT WEDNESDAY!

When life gets overwhelming, how do you de-stress?

Workout Recap - Week 46

Sunday, November 10th – 6 mile run (first 4 with the hubby, final 2 solo)

Monday, November 11th –  60 minutes on the stationary bike

Tuesday, November 12th – 3 mile lunch run

Wednesday, November 13th – 40 minutes on the stationary bike 

Thursday, November 14th – 3 mile lunch run

Friday, November 15th – Rest day

Saturday, November 16th – 5 mile run

I guess you can say this was the first official week of my LA Marathon training cycle/ plan. I'm still not even registered for the race, but I'm at least following a plan. I got in all of the workouts (even though my tummy may have been angry with me during my lunch run on Thursday) and I'm stoked to be getting back to longer runs. And even though I might not be registered for the marathon, I am already signed up for the Rose Bowl Half Marathon in January - thanks to ASICS (it just so happened to fit into my training plan for LA and I was offered a comped entry from our rep - kismet!). WE GOT THIS!

How were your workouts this past week?

Walt Wednesday

Some people do a "Wordless Wednesday" post, where they simply share a photo or image, but I thought I'd make a little series out of my Wednesdays. And since I love alliteration so much, why not go with Walt Wednesdays (obviously everyone can use a little break from the seriousness, scariness and sassiness of life - and what better way to help put a smile on your face than with a cute wiener dog picture, am I right?!)... So, without further ado...

WALT WEDNESDAY!

When life gets overwhelming, how do you de-stress?

Workout Recap - Week 45

Sunday, November 3rd – 60 minutes on the stationary bike

Monday, November 4th –  Rest day

Tuesday, November 5th – 4 mile lunch run

Wednesday, November 6th – 60 minutes on the stationary bike 

Thursday, November 7th – Rest day

Friday, November 8th – 4 mile run

Saturday, November 9th – 60 minutes on the stationary bike

I'm sure all y'all know by now that I work at a running store (wowser, it's almost been 5 years at this point). With that said, some of the brands I work with will sometimes gift/ comp us things for being great partners. Once such brand is ASICS. They have offered a few different race entries - one of which is for the LA Marathon in March. I have tackled LA numerous times (it was actually the final race I did before the world shut down with COVID 19), but never with the new course. I have put my name in the hat for an entry, which means I need to legit start training ;) This was my last week of doing whatever floated my boat, but now it's time to actually follow the plan I wrote out. (FYI - I am not shooting to break a world record, but I'd love to get back into the 'I can run 26.2 miles without having to start from ground zero' shape again :)) 

How were your workouts this past week?

Walt Wednesday

Some people do a "Wordless Wednesday" post, where they simply share a photo or image, but I thought I'd make a little series out of my Wednesdays. And since I love alliteration so much, why not go with Walt Wednesdays (obviously everyone can use a little break from the seriousness, scariness and sassiness of life - and what better way to help put a smile on your face than with a cute wiener dog picture, am I right?!)... So, without further ado...

WALT WEDNESDAY!

When life gets overwhelming, how do you de-stress?

Workout Recap - Week 44

Sunday, October 27th – 6 mile run

Monday, October 28th –  60 minutes on the stationary bike

Tuesday, October 29th – 4 mile lunch run

Wednesday, October 30th – 3 mile Halloween decoration run with the hubby 

Thursday, October 31st – Rest day

Friday, November 1st – 60 minutes on the stationary bike

Saturday, November 2nd – 4 miles of hiking in Idyllwild with the hubby (and pup)

A more active week than last week, so I'll take it ;) Three runs (13 miles), 2 bikes (2 hours) and a few hikes at altitude, not too shabby! There's even a chance I might start training for a race or two (a half marathon in January and a full marathon in March, depending on the logistics of bib pick-ups), so I guess I'll have to start following a plan sooner rather than later.  

How were your workouts this past week?

October Books

Can you believe that reading wasn't my jam growing up?! Clif Notes were my best friends in high school - I'd "read enough" to get by, but other than that I did not enjoy the act of reading so never did it... like ever. Maybe I wasn't reading things that held my interest or maybe it was because it was "required" so I didn't find it enjoyable, but whatever the reason, I'm glad I challenged myself to add the goal of reading 17 books in 2017 (which turned into 88 books in 2017, 77 books in 2018, 67 books in 2019, 66 books in 2020, 67 books in 2021, 41 books in 2022 and 98 books in 2023). The majority of my "reading" has been listening to audiobooks since I don't have as much time to sit and read physical books once I started working full time (not to mention I walk to work and walk on my lunch break so have two-ish hours a day I can listen to something). Even still, holding a physical book is the bomb dot com and I hope to get back to adding more reading vs listening. Just like in years past, writing a monthly recap of the books I get through is a great way for me to both record what I'm reading and to stay accountable. So, here are the books I finished in the month of October:

• A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole - While I was waiting for more of my 'for later' books to become available on my Libby app I did a quick search of YA romance (tends to be cute and sweet). This popped up at the top for most popular (and available now ;)). Technically I finished this one on the last day of September, but since my recap had already gone live I figured I'd add this one to October. Well, it was cute and sweet, but I wasn't warned that this book would RIP MY HEART OUT EVERY CHAPTER! This one started off so sweet with two five year olds becoming neighbors and best friends. Shortly after we meet the two main characters, Poppy and Rune, Poppy's grandma passes away (it's sort of like all of the Pixar movies that pull at your heartstrings right from the beginning). As Poppy's grandma is "heading home" she gives Poppy (her favorite granddaughter) a challenge, a new adventure to tackle - collect 1,000 boy kisses and write each of the special memories on a blank heart in the mason jar she gave Poppy. The majority of the book is about those significant moments. I don't want to give away any of the plot twists, but let's just say I was glad to be listening to it at home alone because the tears were almost constantly flowing. As always, I enjoyed that the audiobook was read by two different actors (when the story was told from one of the main character's POV). I would give it a 9 out of 10. 

• Teenage Dirtbags by James Acker - None of my Libby books were available (that app only has so many copies of a book, so you have to wait in line to check out the different titles), so that sent me to my Hoopla app - and because it was the beginning of the month my downloads reset and I had five more titles I could use. I had read/ listened (I'm never really sure if I should say "read" or listened" when it comes to audiobooks) to another of this author's books and I enjoyed it so wanted to give this one a try. I liked this one for a few specific reasons. First, I found it clever to be set up as different 'tracks' on a mixtape and the names of the 'tracks' were a portion of a song lyric that went with the theme of the chapter (and the fact I knew the songs and once they made me either smile or start singing the rest of the song). I also liked this book because it dove into serious topics (like cutting, drug use, verbal abuse, physical violence, alcohol abuse, outing someone's sexual orientation, etc) and didn't steer away from addressing them or stigmatize the "issue" or person. It also focused on social media and what people can do for their 'likes', 'views', 'clicks', etc. There were a few unbelievable incidents, but it made my heart smile to see the love between Jax and Phil. I would give it an 8 out of 10. 

• Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano - I had seen this series on my Libby app with a ton of positive press, but only the fourth book was available there, so I snagged books one, two and three on my Hoopla app when my downloads for the month reset. I didn't know what the series was about, but I'm pretty sure I love it! The main character, Finlay Donovan, is a single mom, recently divorced, going through a custody battle with the kids' father and an author of mystery romance. After a series of miscommunications and blunders, Finlay and her friend/ nanny, Vero 'accidentally' becoming contract killers. Finlay uses the "murders" to write her next novel and becomes famous from it. It's quirky, it's fun and Finlay is more of your average Jane (relatable) heroine. These are light, quick reads and I would totally recommend them. I'm stoked there are at least four books in this series because I can see myself flying through them all quickly. I would give it a 9 out of 10.

• Finlay Donovan Knocks 'em Dead by Elle Cosimano - Like I expected after finishing the first book in this series, I was hooked and I wanted to keep listening, listening, listening! In the follow-up book, Finlay and Vero get connected with the Russian mob (because obviously ;)). I'll be honest and say I may have been a little more Team Julian in the first book, but now I'm all in with Detective Nick. Although I am definitely NOT Team Steven, I enjoyed seeing Finlay's heart start to warm towards her ex - especially when trying to save his life time and again. I love how time after time the comedy of errors are not only hilarious, but also how they all come together. I normally pride myself on being able to figure out the mystery, but I think with how fast-paced and twisty-turny the stories are I don't even have time to ponder the end. Definitely a bit more gruesome than the first, but with things being so far-fetched at points it didn't feel too gory to me. I would give it an 8 out of 10. 

• Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano - Yep, another winner! I love how the series just rolls from one book into the next. I don't think they've explicitly said it, but I'd guess these could be within a few months of each other on a timeline. I was originally going to say that this one stood apart from the first two because there wasn't a dead body, but then I remembered that wasn't correct. With that being said, instead of this book taking part out in the "real world", Finlay and Vero are at a sleep away camp for civilian "police" training. The pair says it's research for Finlay's upcoming book, but really they are being forced to search out a dirty cop on behalf of the Russian mafia... Yep, just like the others, it's a bit outlandish, but fun nonetheless. I think the first book has been my favorite thus far, but am stoked for Finlay now that she seemingly has moved on from Julian to Detective Nick ;) [and Steven's out of the picture as far as a love interest]. I would give it an 8 out of 10.

• The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul - I had this book in my "for later" list on my Libby app, but it always had a line so I looked on my Hoopla app and it was available so I used my final download of the month on it (less than a week into October, oops!). This popped up in the "new and newsworthy" section so I wanted to give it a go. I always enjoy memoirs and although I don't know a ton about RuPaul I thought it'd be an interesting listen - and it was. I love when the author reads their memoirs because you can really feel the emotion in the words (whether it's a big smile or getting choked up). RuPaul grew up in the San Diego area (which meant I knew a lot of the places being mentioned) and even though it was way before our time living here [we moved to SoCal in 2006] it was fun to hear how the area was. I know you can't "fight" a memoir, so I absolutely think it is a good book, but I wish there was more. Like maybe more about his life as a fashion icon and mogul, how life was/ is in the drag world, a little more behind-the-scenes, etc. I would give it a 7 out of 10.

• The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah - Of course when one of this author's books becomes available I snag it. I read The Women last month and similar to the majority of her books, this is another historical fiction piece. This story focuses on a family who lives in Texas during the Dust Bowl, the Depression and then move West for better opportunities. It is extremely interesting that what the characters (and of course real people) were going through parallels what our country has been going through recently - in regards to the COVID pandemic, climate change and the subject of immigration. Neither of my parents' families were in the farming industry so I don't have a personal connection, but golly gee, I can see how resourceful, strong and courageous these folks [Americans] had to be to simply survive! Come on now - WE ARE A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS! We shouldn't treat others differently in different times, especially when most of those factors are economically driven. PS I absolutely appreciate how female-focused Kristin's books are, especially with so much of history (whether fact or fiction) being men-centric. We are here, we were there, our stories matter! I would give it a 9 out of 10.

• The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware - I noticed that this book had a little "I've been made into a series/ movie on Netflix" sticker, so I grabbed it. I wasn't sure if it'd be too nervousing for me or not, but thankfully more of a thriller than anything else. I don't know, I was hoping for more... This seemed like a story I had heard time and time before. Someone 'mysterious' is seen, one of the characters sees them (or something they aren't supposed to have witnessed) and then calamity ensues. I was waiting for a big twist or ah-ha, but nothing exciting really happened. Seemed too slow and never really grabbed my attention. I'll be honest and say I didn't really like how they treated mental illness in the story (I don't know if it was meant to seem like they were pointing out the fact that it is stigmatizing or if the author was just stigmatizing it more). I'm sure it's a decent enough movie/ series, but I'd assume it's nothing to write home about. I would give it a 5 out of 10.

• The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley - I’ll be honest and say that after my last pick I was slightly nervous I might get another dud, but thankfully that was not the case. This is a novel about an apartment building in Paris (and obviously the people and the comings and goings inside said building). It is told from many different perspectives (the building has one apartment per floor, so the chapters are titled by the character whose POV it is from and the floor they reside). I found the story inventive and original (which is surprising because a lot of thriller/ mysteries tend to be the retelling of the same thing just in a slightly tweaked way). I really enjoyed it and it kept me on my toes the entire time (and the trillion and a half twists and turns all seemed to be wrapped up with a bow by the end - even if it took until the last paragraph or two). Cliffhanger after cliffhanger kept the guessing game going. The building itself seemed like a character in the story too. I would give it a 9 out of 10.

• The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods - If you know me, you probably know that I love libraries and bookstores. As soon as I saw that there was a new-ish book on the Hoopla app with a bookshop as a theme I grabbed it right away (using one of Ryan’s downloads since I had already blown through mine, oopsy - thanks hubby!). I’m happy to report that this one was just as good as I was hoping (and it even came with a little magic sprinkled in for good measure). There were a few different storylines that were being told and I loved seeing how they paralleled each other, then came together at the end. Who doesn’t love strong women characters and females leads?! I was pulling for them all (and maybe their relationships too ;))! I’ll be honest and say there were a few spots where I was confused as to which story I was listening to, but I bet had I been paying better attention or had the physical book it would’ve been easier to keep track. I would give it an 8 out of 10.

• The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson - Every once in a while I will scroll through previously checked out books on my apps to see if the authors I have enjoyed in the past have more titles to check out. I really enjoyed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, so when I saw this was from the same author, I figured I’d enjoy it. Similar to this author’s other books, I was left guessing until the very end - which normally isn’t the case. I’m stoked when I can still be surprised and also don’t have enough time due to lulls to guess where the plot is leading. I felt like this was a legit true crime podcast or documentary and I was engaged from the first few sentences (I could totally see this adapted for the big screen). I definitely wasn’t expecting the twists and turns of this book and hope this author continues to put out winner after winner! I would give it a 9 out of 10.

• How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang - I was on the waitlist for this book on my Libby app, but noticed that they had it available on Hoopla, so used another of the hubby's downloads for it, hehe. A friend had mentioned reading this book and enjoying it, so I snagged it while I was back in Michigan for my mom's open heart surgery. I was hoping it was YA, but it ended up being more like contemporary romance (meaning more explicit sex scenes...). Even still, I enjoyed it. Well, I enjoyed the relationship between Helen and Grant, but I'm not sure how I felt about their tragic past. It wasn't a plot I had heard in the past, but I wasn't sure if it seemed too "out there" for me or not. I was able to overlook it and cheered for the pair of them throughout the story. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in the YA book that they were making into a series (and was actually hoping they would bring that in a little more - but, hey, beggars can't be choosers ;)). I would give it an 8 out of 10.

• Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé - This had popped up on my Libby app as a 'new and noteworthy' book, so I was all in. I didn't know anything about the storyline prior to checking it out (and I'm actually glad I didn't because it didn't 'ruin' any of the story). The characters in this novel are high schoolers who live at a boarding school. There are some suspicious things that occur and the plot follows the students as they try to uncover the mysteries. The main premise is how often accounts given by POC (especially females) are often overlooked or not believed. White privilege drips throughout the story when the athletes and kids of wealthy families seem to be able to get away with just about murder. I loved at the twists and turns along the way. Seeing as I enjoyed this author's strong writing and amazing character development I'll probably go back and grab her first book (Ace of Spades) that has received tons of fanfare. I would give it an 8 out of 10.

• Six Truths and a Lie by Ream Shukairy - This book was in my 'recently released' section of the Libby app and since none of my other books were available I picked this one in the meantime. This is a story of six Muslim kids who are wrongly accused of a deadly attack on a beach in Southern California. Although this is a fictitious account, I could absolutely see it occurring today. Also, it reminded me of the Exonerated Six (if you are not familiar with this piece of history, please make sure you look into it - there are some great media retellings on the occurence I can totally recommend). I appreciated that the characters were of the Muslim faith because I know I personally don't know much about the religion and it seems as though this minority group is often overlooked in mainstream media. I also loved the assortment of characters - reminding us all that even if one age group, one geographical location, one belief system, there is much variance. I would give it an 8 out of 10.

• Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune - To say I have been excited about this release would be an understatement. This author is one of my FAVES and The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my top books (this is the sequel). I'll be honest and say that although I love TJ, I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as the first (it is very, very, VERY rare for me to enjoy a subsequent book more than the original), but I was hoping it would still be great. For me, it was! I had seen another friend who said she didn't like it as much, but enjoyed revisiting the characters and I would say I am in total agreement (PS I would not be upset if someone gifted me a copy to add to my personal library ;)). I would also say that if you haven't listened to both of the audiobooks, you absolutely should. They are a performance you shouldn't miss. I felt like I spent 90% of the book laughing out loud and the other 10% in deep contemplation. I appreciate this author so much and how much care/ consideration goes into every book/ chapter/ sentence. And to say the acknowledgement made me smile would minimize the amount of movement on my face once I heard it. I would give it a 9 out of 10.

 

• A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone - This popped up on my Hoopla app as a "series starter". I enjoy series because then I have at least a book or two in the wings before I have to go looking for something else to check out. The cover looked cute so I downloaded the first two books. Well, this was a little more scandalous than I was expecting ;) You know I love me a good holiday plot and this author has had some great books in the past [Dumplin', Puddin', Side Effects May Vary, etc], but I guess I wasn't anticipating all of the explicit sex scenes. This is about a plus sized porn star who fills in last minute as a star on a "wholesome" channel's Christmas film. Don't get me wrong, I try my darndest to be sex positive and am not judging the sex work (and the story was cute overall), I was just taken aback by all the sexy time ;) If I had known going into it that this was more of a contemporary romance I probably wouldn't have been thrown, but since I was expecting a little more PG-rated than NC-17 I had a few more shocks than normal. I would give it a 7 out of 10.

• Snow Place Like LA by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone - This turned out to be book one and a half (more of a short 'novella' than a full length novel) that dove into a relationship that happened on the film set of Duke the Halls (the movie that was being filmed in the previous book). Seeing as I was now well aware of the type of series this was, I wasn't blown away as much with all of the sex scenes that occurred in this book. It was a fun little story that I was able to listen to during a long run, but otherwise I'd say it wasn't necessarily something I would've considered worth one of my limited downloads. Don't get me wrong, it was well written and fit the overall feel, but the brevity of it made me feel as though you could take or leave it. I would give it a 6 out of 10.

• Again Again by E. Lockhart - I had listened to a few of this author's books before and saw there was another title I hadn't 'read' so I snagged it. This was interesting. The theory is there are multiple parallel universes due to different decisions we could have made. Although this isn't a new idea, the fact that there are different parts of the stories that repeat - like literal sentences and occurrences and then you can see what happens when the characters respond in different ways. I'll be honest and say I didn't love it. Maybe it would work better as a movie? I think the only characters I liked in the story were Toby and Oscar, but it felt like their roles were so small that I just couldn't get drawn in. (I was actually surprised I finished it at all.) I would give it a 4 out of 10.

• Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley - Obviously if I am scrolling through my Libby app and a cover has a dachshund on it I NEED to grab the book, right?! Well, as I suspected, it was a story about a wiener dog (and her owner), but let me warn you IT TUGS ON ALL OF YOUR HEART STRINGS! The relationship between Lily (the 12 year old ween) and Ted is deep and magical. I guess I should have assumed as much when I saw the author of The Art of Racing in the Rain was the one who wrote a blurb on the front cover (that's another amazing but heart-wrenching book), but I wasn't expecting to be near tears for the entirety of the novel. Let's just say that if you have a dog of the same age and breed, you may feel this story a little more visceral than others, but, let's be real, anyone with a heart will probably feel #AllTheFeels when reading/ listening to this one. I never like giving plot points away, but when animals 'don't make it to the end' I feel like a trigger warning might be needed - so, there, that's all you'll get from me. Even with all the emotional warfare that is being raged on the reader, I will still recommend it to others (with a warning). I would give it an 8 out of 10. 

With that, October is done-zo. If you have suggestions, let me know! I'm always looking to add to my "must read" list! 

What's the best book you've read lately?