Something Blue.

You know what I hate? Local news. Not only do the weather people lie to me, but all the news is so scary/depressing. Every time I'm over at my Mom's house or click it on at the gym it makes me feel horrible. If someone is getting killed then someone was robbed and stabbed... or a kid who is training for his first iron man was hit by a car. I seriously can't watch the stuff. The other day I heard a story about a toddler who held its baby sibling under water in the tub because it wouldn't stop crying. That topped the list of things I didn't need to hear about ever. When I watch this stuff it makes me nervous to be out in the world. I'm not naive, I know bad stuff happens, but I guess I don't see the use in watching all the bad stuff that happens. It just creeps into my sugar dreams and makes them sugar nightmares.

How about enough ramblings and I give ya some book updates?!

011. Dead Reckoning- Charlaine Harris

Do you watch 'True Blood,' on HBO? You should. It is like a grown up 'Twilight.' It is still silly, but oh so addictive. The next best thing would be to read the books that the show is based on. But I will warn you, after about book 6 things start to feel a little stale. The weird fantasy aspect gets a little too weird even for someone like me who read the first 6 in about a week. I guess I'm just kind of bored with this series, but I will probably keep on reading them because they are so easy to get through and I have to know who Sookie is meant to be with!

012. Something Blue- Emily Giffin

I really really enjoy Giffin's writing. 'Something Borrowed,' 'The Heart of the Matter,' and 'Love the One You're With" are near the top of my chick-flick-best-ever-book-list. They are the type of books that get you hooked, make you stay up way too late at night, then make you cry while your reading them during your lunch break. Giffin sometimes weaves characters from past books into other novels, 'Something Blue' is the only one that is a direct sequel. I have had this book on my shelf for years because when I finished reading 'Something Borrowed,' I couldn't fathom reading a book based on the character of Darcy. After a few years I finally took the plunge and I am oh so glad that I did. I like this book. Not as much as the first three of Giffin's novels that I've read, but definitely a page turner.

013. Baby Proof-Emily Giffin

After I finished 'Something Blue,' I knew there was one last Giffin book I had to check out. Sadly, 'Baby Proof,' just wasn't as good as her other books. I felt like it was rolling right along until the end when things get wrapped up in much too tidy of a bow. The major issues of the book seem to get swept under the rug to preserve a happy ending. I was disappointed with this one.

014. The Engine 2 Diet- Rip Esselstyn  

I picked up this book because I had the secret idea that after I read it (and it was good) I would maybe be able to sneak it into my Dad or Brother's book pile and turn them into vegetarians like the firemen of engine 2. But my Dad saw me reading it on our camping trip, asked what it was and immediately acted uninterested. I know I wouldn't be able to turn him into a plant only eater, but maybe make him see why I am. This book was really interesting, but totally preaching to the choir. Rip is basically an elite athlete (iron man triathlons) and found he performs better with a plant based diet. He gives advice on exercise and meal plans. He also goes into detail about medical evidence. It is a quick read with some interesting stories, but Rip is an athlete and fireman, not a writer so at times I felt like he was trying a bit hard with his stories. Still a good resource (especially for men) to get a jump start on a plant based diet.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to take a cycling class... I wanted to go today after work, but my body is seriously in pain from that interval workout class I did yesterday. I think I need to do it at least every week, those are some muscles that don't get a lot of attention. I still haven't ran. Sort of freaking out, but I have started to put together my newest 1/2 marathon training plan. I felt like I did a pretty good job of it last time but I want to be even smarter this time around. More meal planning, rest days, stretching, strength training, hill work, mental prep, and more listening to my body!

Since I don't do well with goals unless I've invested some money or have publicly announced it... I've done both...Oh! look what I just registered for:  

Just the Half-Marathon! September 25th! It will be sort of like going back to school in the Fall! Time to get serious again

Sugar dreams await me.... 

I've been reading.

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
― C.S. Lewis

The day after I included a few of my favorite daily quotes, I received this gem! C.S. Lewis! Basically speaking from my heart on that one.

I feel like I've really gotten away from what this blog was in the beginning.... all about books. But I think I like it like that. Last year my life was very book centered and this year it is just a part of my goals. Awhile ago I was looking through some biographies that I have on my bookshelf and got to thinking, "Are the things in my life interesting enough to write a book about?" What I decided right then and there was that I don't care if my biography would be something that anyone else would be interested in, but I want it to be something that I would want to read. So I guess that is where all my ramblings and goal setting comes from. Sort of an open journal. In ten years it will be neat to go back and see what I was doing and what my goals were when I was 25.

Lets get back to some books.

First off, how about I go back to "Born to Run." Since I never gave it a proper review. Usually I wouldn't mind too much, but I really loved this book and feel incomplete about not saying all the good things I'm thinking about it!
Book update 06: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

I loved the writing style and the flow of this book. There were only a few chapters that I felt my mind wander away. This book is basically a thesis, giving facts and stories that support the claim that all humans were born to run. The author started the journey of writing this book when he became injured himself from running. The first few chapters are all about how beat up you will get if you make running your sport. How about this fact: 8 out of every 10 runners every year suffers an injury. I don't really like those odds. But it makes sense when you think about the fact he gives, "Each footfall hits one of their legs with a force equal to more than twice their body weight." Seems like this book would be kind of a downer for someone who loves to read, but the rest of the book goes on to tell us how we have created an environment for getting injured. Everything from the shoes we wear to our overall point of view on the sport.

His book is more than just injury rates. He talks about the love of running, the science behind it, the history, and so much more!

He dedicates a portion of the book to talking about barefoot running. Have you seen those five finger shoes?! uggggh... they creep me out.

Through McDougall's extensive research he comes to the conclusion that in America, running is a means to an end. It is about putting on your earphones running for 20 minutes so that you can fit into a smaller size jeans. Remember when you were little and you ran everywhere you went? Tag and capture the flag were favorite games? Somewhere along the line running became the opposite of fun for us.... maybe we were told to slow down too many times?

The thing that really captured me the most about this book was the stories he told about specific runners. How they fell in love with running and what it meant to them. The relationship they have with running is close to romantic. Things like pain and fatigue are almost embraced, they take what would normally make someone stop, embrace it and make it power them through....
Some favorite passages from the book:
"You don't have to be fast. But you'd better be fearless." (My second mantra)

"You live up to your own expectations."

"There's something so universal about that sensation, the way running unites our two most primal impulses: fear and pleasure."

"Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction."

"When you run on the earth and with the earth, you can run forever."

"If you don't have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain't getting them."

There was so much about this book I liked! And I don't think it was all because I'm trying to attain that sort of meditative relationship with running. There is a great story here that is incredibly well written. Read it and let me know what you think!
Book Update 07: Food Rules by Michael Pollan

This is a book that anyone who eats should read. It is a small paperback containing 64 rules you should consider when you are deciding what to eat. The biggest lesson that can be learned from this book is that there are a lot of things on our grocery shelves that we should consider far from being real food. Obviously me reading this book is preaching to the choir, I think if I turn one more box over to read an ingredients list in front of my Mom she is gonna hit me! But there was a lot of good rules here that make choosing good foods easy, here are some of my favorites:
"Rule 2: Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.
Rule 13: Eat food that will eventually rot.
Rule 14: Eat food made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature.
Rule 25: Eat your colors.
Rule 39: Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.
Rule 51: Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it."

These are just a few of my favorites, I could have easily typed all of them out! I enjoyed this book and am going to pick up his other books soon! Lately I've been more into non-fiction than ever before! I think my mind is craving information rather than stories right now.


My favorite Happiness Commandment has got to be "outer oder contributes to inner calm," I think now that I have my book organized and all visible I will have a better relationship with reading! Check out my progress!

Before 

I never took a photo when it was really weighted down after this Christmas/Birthday.

 After!

Now my books are organized onto three separate bookshelves instead of using just the one big on and half the little blue one!

Now I can see almost all of my books easily!

I was nervous that the new bookshelf would be too large for my space, but I love how my entry way looks now. Somehow it made it seem bigger even with less space!

I wish I could show you how how well I ate today, but I left my camera at my parent's house! Guess my post tomorrow will be extra full of food shots. I did especially well with the "Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself!" Lets just say there was baking done! I have recipes to share tomorrow! Right now I have overnight oats in the fridge and eyes that wont stay open!