Saturday, August 20

1/2 Marathon!

Some friends and I are signing up to run the Rock&Roll 1/2 Marathon in Las Vegas. This will be especially cool because it is at night on The Strip. This will be especially daunting since I haven't run more than two miles since high school. As a result, here is my training schedule:

The race is December 4th, so we've allowed plenty of time for training. Our plan is to drive up Friday afternoon, go out on Friday night, recover by the pool on Saturday, run the Half on Sunday, drive back on Monday. 

Anyone is welcome to come and cheer us on! 

Wednesday, August 10

Books Galore!

With Dave gone, I've had a lot more extra time this past week. So I've read two books - There isn't anything more satisfying and heartbreaking than finishing a good book. I love the can't-put-it-down-stay-up-till-1am-reading feeling, though I do feel sad when I finish a book.

So here's what I've been reading recently, and what's next on my shelf.

Recently Finished
Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
A Young Adult aka Teen novel, this was a fun book - adventure, fantasy, some romance. Barnes and Noble advertised it as an "Epic Series," so I bought it, read it in two days, and then moved to ....

Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck
... Book 2 in the series, read that in two days, and now have to wait until November for the next book in the series to be pulished. WhompWhomp. 

There's just something timeless about YA fiction. First, it's easy to read. Second, the themes transcend age. A 90 year old reader and a 20 year old reader can relate to teen anxiety, heartbreaks, rebellion. 

I will admit that these two Tiger books were more along the lines of the Twilight series - predictable, over the top emotions, but still a good adventure/escapism book

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
This one was more "my age." I love historical dramas. This book on www.paperbackswap.com was billed as Historical Fiction. Well there's some romance in it. Like Steamy romance. I hadn't expected that and it surprised me. But I've got the next book in the series on order, as well. 

Next Up



The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I think the two different covers of this book tell two different stories, so we shall see. I chose this book based on NPR's recommendation. Their book critics made a list of books to read for the Hogwart's Grad, books to read for (post)college students that grew up with Harry Potter. The list includes Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, which I've already read - coincidentally in my YA Fiction class in college, and The Magicians by Lev Grossman.