Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Summer Reading Reviews...

So, I've been running, but I'm also on vacation in the LOVELY VA beach! (Past posts from April will show you what it looks like around here!) I was in Rochester Last week, tons of pics to post, that will come later. I figured I'd do a fun little post about some books I've been reading and give them some reviews! My opinion of a good book is one that is decently clean, a little love, a little intrigue, and many changes in a character! So, here goes nothing!

BFF Forever was a really good book. It really made me think of my past childhood friends, and how strange it would be for those I've lost touch with to come back into my life suddenly; how much I've changed, how little we now know about one another despite having once shared EVERYTHING. An interesting aspect was that one of the main characters was formerly obese, so being inside her mind and thoughts was an interesting espect and hopefully eye opening for people who have never dealt with weight. I've never been obese, but I've been 20lbs overweight and often people just don't understand, even when you've lost the weight, it still feels like you have it sometimes. It was an easy book, decently clean and still though provoking.



Dune Road was a pleasant surprise. Jane Green has been one of my favorite authors for quick fixes and quick reads, but I DID NOT like her book last year, The Beach House. It felt rushed and silly. I didn't even finish it. This book was well thought out, many overlapping characters and plot twists but wasn't "heavy". I still figured out stuff before she wrote it, but it was ok because it was a good way to write the book. It is definitely geared more toward her age range (middle aged women), but I liked it because it spoke about friends, love relationships, and how typical materialistic behavior can bite you in the butt. My kind of lesson! The one thing with Jane Green you must know is that she never gives a definitive ending. I questioned her at a book reading in Manhattan about whether or not she would write sequals or why she doesn't give complete endings, and she said she likes to leave things open to interpretation like her life and real life; more often than not there aren't clear cut answers etc. Alright Jane Green, I'll try to comply.

Barefoot might be my favorite book of the summer. I cried, I laughed, I identified with how the main character was feeling, it was a great beach book. It got a little dicey with the love stuff, but I enjoyed it all the same. (I don't need to read about people's love lives, I HAVE ONE OF MY OWN! Ha ha) The premise is a woman has cancer and wants to have chemo in her favorite place, Nantucket, with her two young boys and her sister and a friend. All their lives are dysfunctional in one way or another, and Hilderbrand REALLY develops the four main characters evenly, while still surrounding them around the mom who has cancer.


Summer Reading is not for Summer Reading. I did NOT like this book, but read it because I had nothing else to read and it was only 250 pages. The characters were underdeveloped, they were spacey, nothing was really cohesive, and nothing was really solved or discovered. It was a silly book that really read like a smart person wrote it with hopes you would interpret a deeper meaning, when there was none. I didn't know enough about the characters to even think about what they might mean. Sigh.

Well, that's all for now! Tell me about any good books you've been reading this summer! These are my current conquests for the rest of my vacation while laying lazily on the beach after early morning runs (It's going to be in the 90's the rest of the week!):



Wednesday, August 5, 2009

TRAIL RUN!

THE TRAIL! The iPhone case looked like a cool camera trick ;-)
The end of the 8 mile run...MY THIGHS WERE BURNING!

Decided to do an 8 mile run in a trail in Connecticut...it was EXCELLENT! It was really hot out but the trail was completely shaded and kept me from the heat. It was 89 degrees when I was running...smart Kristin, REALLY SMART! Ha ha ha. I had a powerade and a bottle of water, and I stopped at my brother's house on the way back to refill! IT WAS HOT but great. I saw a group of three horseback riders, but unfortunately my mapmyrun app was working on the iPhone at that moment, so I didn't want to take a picture...and then it ended up stopping shortly thereafter! GPS signal is a killer in these rural areas! But it was wonderful.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! My daddy saved my ring yesterday...it's true! Brian is away camping on Mount Washington till tomorrow (He's been gone since Monday...ugh I miss him SO much!) and I dropped my ring down the sink! My dad got it out for me thank GOD, I almost fainted/threw up/cried but I was too in shock. It happened in slow motion. I can't imagine being a parent if I'm that dramatic over a piece of jewelry! Ha!


Off to watch HGTV...I should just read Sarah's blog because she is doing AMAZING renovations!


MY HUNDRETH POST IS NEXT! I may do a giveaway, but I don't think a lot of people read my blog. It's a combo giveaway/promo for a friend who is starting a business. It'll be my experiment for marketing on blog! Ha give me feedback. I can't do it if no one is going to participate. DO YOU READ MY BLOG?! LET ME KNOW! Pass the word. It's going to be a CUTE giveaway, a piece of me if you will!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Rainy Sunday wake up in the late afternoon

First, a letter to my Fuel belt.

Dear Fuel Belt,
I left you in New York City. I know I know, I always bring you, and often don't use you, but just having you around is always nice. This trip, however, I have run a lot. I have been in Connecticut for over a week, which means, yes, you guessed it: a long run. Plus it's been super hot. FUEL BELT I NEED YOU! I don't know how I survived before you came into my life, wrapping yourself around me, keeping me safe and hydrated. I miss you so much. I can only imagine you, collecting dust on my counter in front of the coffee maker, your cousin. Today I did a 10 mile run carrying a water bottle...A WATER BOTTLE. Singular. You give me FOUR water bottles. I can't believe I was distracted enough to leave you behind this trip, but I promise you: It will never happen again. NEVER AGAIN!

Sincerely,
The Waist You Go Around

But seriously, my Fuel Belt has left me lonesome! I had to carry my bottle, but thankfully at the 5 mile mark there is a Panera, so I drank the whole thing and when I got to 5 miles I filled up at Panera...hey, I've purchased enough coffee from that place to deserve a free refill on water! DON'T JUDGE! 10 miles was ok though, I ran 11 minute miles, but I wasn't trying for time. Honestly, on my long runs I could care less how fast I go, as long as I finish. I hope I burned calories though ;-) This run was great, it was sprinkling when I started but I said to heck with it, it's now or never for this thing! So I bit the bullet and set out. It sprinkled for about 4 miles and stopped. The humidity was at a minimum, and it was extremely overcast, but it wasn't sunny and blazing hot, so I survived! Best part of the run: A teenager in his souped up truck (I ran in a ritzy town next to mine!) said "Hey Baby" to me...through the loudspeaker on his truck! I would've flipped him the bird but it was so funny I started laughing! (If you don't get why it's funny, imagine a police speaker system saying hey baby...except no police car! I was caught off guard I guess!) All in all it was a good day. I haven't weighed myself in a while and I don't think I'll like what I see, so I'll just wait a little longer. No matter how much you exercise, some weight just doesn't want to budge!

BTW (And yes, I say those three letters in everyday life...) I want you to check out this giveaway! It's ladies only!!!