Habitual.

They say that human beings are creatures of habit.... I would have to agree. It seems to me that my good habits are a whole lot easier to break than my bad ones.... like eating healthy, exercising, blog writing, and reading..... The things that I want to keep up on are the things that I have to work the hardest for. Taking a few days off the blog became taking a full week off! But there is good news there... I've been reading and keeping up with my training, so all is not lost. These next few weeks may be a bit sporadic with the blogging, lots of adventures that will keep me muddy away from the computer.... but pictures will eventually make it up!

So how about an update?!

Half-Marathon Training:
This past week I did really well. I stuck to my plan! The only day I went off course was on Saturday. I was supposed to run 6 miles. Since I didn't have enough time I decided I would just run a really fast 3 miles. Under 29 minutes on the treadmill for me is unheard of. For some reason treadmill running is more comfortable at a 10 minute mile pace. It feels uncomfortable and almost silly to run faster than that. The downside of running faster is that I also run much harder, so I was feeling it for the next two days (which were thankfully a cross-training and a rest day). Yesterday I went back to the PT (finally!) I sort of got the feeling that he is confused as to why I'm still hurting. But this morning after the electrosound therapy and sleeping in my compression sleeves I felt a little better and I'm ready for my 2 mile run today!

Reading:
I've been hooked by the summer reading bug! Something about this time of year makes me want to sit down and read read read! I think I can probably link it back to my school days when Summer was the only time I was able to read something I actually wanted to! I remember the summer I graduated from college I read like 40 books because finally I had a choice!

The Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes
I would love to say that this is a book that even non-runners could enjoy, but I don't really think that is true. Too many of his stories are play-by-plays of his races. I completely gobbled this book up! Dean describes his journey into running. After a terrible high school coach he quits running until his 30th birthday, he then describes how he became obsessed with the sport and became an ultramarathoner. I liked the honesty with which he writes. He isn't afraid to tell an embarrassing story. I felt inspired by the way he juggled a full-time job and family while training for some of the most difficult races in the world. The time and dedication it takes to push your body to those extremes is so motivating. You should check out more about Dean Karnazes.... he is amazing! Running 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states?! Or maybe running a marathon to the South Pole... or how about running across the country?! Crazy inspiring.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
We all know I love me some young adult novels, but recently I've been pretty disappointed with everything I've picked up. It feels like the same story over and over again. But when I saw this book at the store, saying that it had won some award, I picked it up. I am very glad I did. It was such a welcome change to read a YA book that didn't involve vampires or werewolves... or both. There was a touch of the supernatural here though, but not the fantasy type, more of the spiritual. What I like about this book was how real the protagonist was.... she was written with such honesty. There was also a depth to this book. It isn't just a love story, although there is a boy. This is a story about this girls life...... of choosing life. Parts of this book are heartbreaking so be warned. I surprisingly didn't cry, but I could have.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman
What I love most about my Nook is that when I finish a book that I didn't know was a series.... I don't even have to change out of my Pajamas to get it! This is the follow up to If I Stay. I have to say this isn't as good of a book. It couldn't stand alone and probably should have just been the last 208 pages of the first book. But I would have been so mad if she would have just left the story the way it was. This book ties all of the loose ends of the romantic half of the first book. This is just the story of a girl and a boy, without any supernatural mumbojumbo. If you like easy to read YA novels you should pick these up.

The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
If you are looking for something a little more thought provoking... Pick up The Abstinence Teacher. This book stirs up a lot issues.... issues people don't usually like to talk about, like religion and sex. I'm not really sure yet if I liked this book or not. It is an un-put-down-able books, but I think the ending was a little too quick for me. I like a book that at least ties up a few loose ends.

I really enjoyed the characters but at times they were a little extreme (the protagonist switches back and forth which some people hate, but I like). I felt like Perrotta told the story well from both sides. I'm not really sure how to describe it without telling too much..... but here goes. Ruth is a health teacher at the local jr. high. Recently a new church has moved in to town and has influenced her curriculum. She creates a bit of scandal when it becomes a strictly abstinence only subject. The other character is Tim, a recovering drug addict who was saved by the church. This is the story of an unlikely friendship and following the path that you believe in.


No photo today... cause I gotta run! Literally! :)

Hunger Games

Well folks, I'm moving into the future. I finally am in possession of a smart phone. Since Verizon lacks the iphone, I went with the Droid. If you would have asked me a week ago if I needed anything besides the text and phone function, I would have said "Heck no!" Ask me today and I will tell you that I don't know how to live without it! One of this things I'm most excited about is that I was able to sync my google calendar with my phone. I'm excited to get organized, something I've attempted and failed to make resolutions about all year long.

Update Book 66: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

There is something very sad about finishing a series. No matter how many times I do it, I still feel like I'm saying goodbye to a friend. After three books, the story kind of becomes a part of your life. Spending so much time with the characters, it is very sad when you realize you wont read anything new about them.

This is the third and final book in the series, 'The Hunger Games." These books take place in a post apocalyptic America, now known as Panem. Panem is divided into 13 districts which are ruled by the Capitol. About 75 years ago the districts tried to rebel against the Capitol and lost, so to punish the districts the Capitol created The Hunger Games. Every year two children aged about 12-17 are picked from each district, sent into some crazy landscape (the arena) and forced to fight until only one remains. Sounds brutal and terrible, but it makes for a great story! This series has an excellent main character in Katniss Everdeen. These books are categorized as young adult, but I think this is another instance where adults may get more out of it then the kids it was written for. There is a definite underlying political message going on, but feel free to get lost in the adventure and love triangle.

The first half of this "Mockingjay" was Hunger Games business as usual. The last half I felt rushed. Instead of experiencing everything first hand with the narrator, she just explains everything real quick and sticks a pretty little bow on top. It all ends the way I want it to, but not in the way I wanted it to. The whole point of reading a book, for me at least, isn't about knowing how it ends, but the journey you take. I really felt that Collins took that away from me. I understand that if she had written everything out it would have been twice the size and I probably would have complained about its excessive detailing. But after devoting my time to the series I wanted the conclusion to thorough, not rushed. I still recommend the series to everyone, young and old, but can't hide my dissatisfaction with the conclusion. I just wanted more.

*I just reread my review of this book and realized I should clarify. I sometimes rant about something small in a book that bugs me and it makes it seem like I didn't like the entire book, but I did. I did the same thing with 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." One detail about the translation bugged me and it made it seem that I didn't like the book, when I really did. I try to finish everything off with an "I recommend" if I liked it. Trust that more than my picky ramblings.

It's Been Awhile....

I feel like I've really been neglecting my blog lately! It has been more than two weeks! Geeze! Well the one thing I can promise is that for the next few weeks it wont be improving any! The good news in all of this is that I am still reading! Even if it is at a turtle's pace (slow and steady wins the race right?) Anyways... I'm a little short on time, but wanted to update the last three books I've read!

Update Book 60: Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosney

Yes, another World War Two book.... But not JUST another Word War Two book. This was written in a very creative and compelling way. Sometimes I dislike book that change narrators from chapter to chapter, but that wasn't so in "Sarah's Key." The author or editor or publisher did something brilliant that I just loved! The chapter's written from the two narrator's perspectives were in different fonts. Not crazy different, the effect was actually quite subtle, I don't think most readers would even notice, but to me it added a little something. This book is heartbreaking in ways that only a novel about war can be. Recommend by both my mom and one of my favorite coffeeshop ladies, this is a book that everyone will enjoy.

Update Book 61: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

I guess I lied about hitting my teen fiction quota. Lets be honest, I'm a sucker for anything vampire/werewolf/supernatural teenybopperness. Lately I haven't been read very many that I could even reluctantly recommend. But this is a series I do! The first in the series is, "Shiver." I think it's successor, "Linger," is even better. They are quick reads that are smart, feeling, absorbing. A must read for anyone who looking for a teen fiction fix.

Update Book 62: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

I think I used to use just about anything that was handy as a bookmark. Rereading some of my favorite books has brought this to light. Inside of "Into the Wild," I find a North Kitsap High School Hall Pass. Signed by Mrs. Beauchamp.

I really enjoyed this book. I have always enjoy Krakauer as an author. He is a journalist, which I think helps to make the type of stories he writes better. They are jam packed with information that obviously took time to research. This book is the story of Chris McCandless, a young man who went to live in the wilderness of Alaska where he died after four months. This book came out of a magazine article Krakauer wrote for Outside. While reading the novel, you can feel how deeply connected the author is to his subject, it is obvious he sees himself in McCandless. The feeling I got was that Krakauer wants the world to understand McCandless.

Usually I don't want to know how a book ends before I read it, but Krakauer writes in a way that still allows for some surprises. I also enjoyed, "Into Thin Air," also by Krakauer.

Bloomability.

Update Book 24: Bloomability by Sharon Creech

There are certain moment in your life when you notice something change within your personality. Sometimes it is little and only you notice it. Other times it is a large change. In books character go on big adventures often mysterious and confusing. On these adventures not only is the mystery solved by the end of the book, but the character also solves the mystery of finding out who they really are. This is a common theme in young adult novels. The target audience is usually teenagers who are trying to find their way in life.

The first time that I read "Bloomability" by Sharon Creech, I was exactly the same age as the main character Dinnie. She is the youngest of a family who has never lived in one place for more than a year. After several things happen, her aunt and uncle take her to live with them at an American school in Switzerland. Her uncle will be the headmaster and Dinnie will attend the school. Here she meets people from around the world and has experiences she could never have dreamed about.

I read through several comments made about this book on its Amazon site. One of the biggest complaints that people had was that there didn't seem to be a plot. I think this is why as a thirteen year old I loved it so much. Life often doesn't have a plot. Life is about the journey. In the book, bloomability is actually a word used incorrectly by one of the students who's native language is not English. Bloomable means possible. What a beautiful way of putting it. This book is about possibilities, discovering that everything is bloomable.

"Bloomability" opened up inside of me an awareness of the rest of the world and a desire to see every inch of it. There are certain books that grab you and never let go. "Bloomability" captured me at the age of thirteen and once again at twenty-four.