I got a lot of reading done last week (at least for me!). My birthday fell on Mother’s Day and I asked for reading time, of course. I took myself out to breakfast with my Kindle, then sat in a local park for a couple more hours of reading. It was kind of like my own, private birthday/Mother’s Day Readathon! And, the best part is that, since I sort of got screwed with the birthday/Mother’s Day double whammy (it’s like your birthday falling on Christmas), I get another “floating reading day” to use at a time of my choosing!
I finished reading…
Beneath the Bonfire by Nickolas Butler (May 5, 2015)
I’m not big on short stories, but I loved Butler’s debut novel, Shotgun Lovesongs. So, I was willing to give this one a try. And, it’s the first short story collection I’ve ever liked, much less loved! Review to come.
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon
Radiant Angel by Nelson DeMille (May 26, 2015)
Not my favorite Nelson DeMille counter-terrorism thriller, but a decent, page-turning read if you’re looking for something like this. Mini review to come.
Affiliate Link: Pre-Order from Amazon
I’m currently reading…
Mosquitoland by David Arnold (March 3, 2015)
I just started this YA novel about a young girl who takes a road trip in search of her real mother and it’s cute so far. There are already some big unknowns that have me intrigued…
Next, I’m thinking about…
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave (June 2, 2015)
I’m hoping this novel about a girl who returns to her family’s vineyard in Sonoma after discovering her fiancé has been hiding something will be a good summer book. Plus, Jonathan Tropper gave Laura Dave his stamp of approval.
Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller (February 16, 2015)
For months now, bloggers have been raving about this story about an eight year old girl who is taken to live in the wilderness by her father. I’m excited to finally give it a shot.
Weekend Update
I’m linking up with Tara at Running N Reading’s Weekend Update.
I just completed Week 4 of Hal Higdon’s Intemediate 10K Training Program. And, since the weather has now started to reliably warm up (yay!), I’ve been looking for some new racerback running tops (you know, the basic old school ones…no funny business in the back!). My favorite ones from The North Face appear to have been discontinued and I’ve tried Athleta, Under Armour, and LuLulemon with no luck. I just ordered a couple from Oiselle on Tara’s recommendation, so hopefully those will pan out. What are your favorite racerback running top brands?
Monday: Cross-Training (Renee Diamond‘s Diamond Cuts class at Equinox…and, she changed up her routine this week which made me SORE…but, that’s a good thing!).
Tuesday: Long Run (6.2 miles). Great news = shorts and sunscreen weather! Bad news = forgot to charge my Garmin and it died less than 1 mile into my run. I knew the route already, but I was clueless about my splits…which was actually a little bit liberating. And, I realized that the armband I got for my iPhone 6 this winter is not going to work in warmer weather. It slides, rubs, and pinches my skin. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good armband for the iPhone 6?
Wednesday: Stretch & Strength (Inside/Out Barre at Equinox)
Thursday: 40 min tempo run ([9:03], [8:46], [8:20] splits before slowing down for the last 10 min, almost identical to last week’s splits).
Friday: 9×400 at 5K pace ([8:00]-[7:48]), about 4 miles with a half mile warm-up and some cool down.
Saturday: 4.5 mile recovery run. I felt great, but my splits were so slow the first few miles ([9:59], [9:27]). I almost wondered if something was wrong with my Garmin (it was really foggy, but I could also have been feeling great because I was actually going really slow!). They were back to normal by the end of the run ([9:09], [8:45], and [8:36] pace for the last half mile). But, I guess it’s neither here nor there since this was a recovery run!
Sunday: Rest
Next week, I’m thinking of trying a local trail for one of my runs. There’s apparently a great one (Leatherstocking Trail) near where I live and it’s probably a good idea for me to do some actual trail running before the trail race!
What are your best tips for trail running?
Happy Birthday and Mother’s Day. It sounds like you enjoyed the day. Enjoy your new books. They look great.
So glad you liked Butler’s short story collection. I am usually not a fan of collections, but I LOVED Shotgun Lovesongs. Happy belated Birthday and Mother’s Day. Have a great week and good luck with your training. BTW, I like my Nike racerback running tops.
I would definitely give Bonfire a try if you loved S.L. I feel the same way you do about short stories, but loved it anyway and it has a similar feel to S.L.
And – I haven’t tried Nike, so I’ll look into those – thanks!
Happy belated birthday! Glad to hear you got some extra reading time in. I’d be super excited to hear what you think of Our Endless Numbered Days (something tells me you’d love it).
Thanks so much! Glad to hear that about Endless Numbered Days – I’m a little worried it’s been too hyped, but still looking forward to it!
Aww, it sounds like you had a lovely Mother’s Day! I’m so excited for you to read Our Endless Numbered Days.
Sounds like you had a good Mother’s Day/birthday. And yes, I bet this double deal happens now and again. At least you get a second day of your choosing. Have a good week!
You share a birthday with my brother-in-law! Sounds like you had a wonderful day and I love that they gave you another “floating reading day” 🙂
Your comments on Beneath the Bonfire make it sounds wonderful (though I still need to read Shotgun Lovesongs).
Oh funny! And – it was more like I demanded a floating holiday…my husband gets his bday and Father’s Day!
I really loved it and that was pretty unexpected (due to my aversion to short stories)…full review coming later this week.
Happy belated birthday! And happy Mother’s Day–that is quite the double whammy but I’m glad that you were able to sneak in some reading time. My husband can’t seem to understand why I request a bit of alone time on Mother’s Day. 🙂 I feel asleep while reading (during naptime) but did get in a bit of sewing, which was nice.
I keep hearing good things about Mosquitoland–hope you enjoy it!
Oh no! That’s horrible! Tell him Mother’s Day is the day of “thanks” for all the mothering work you do on all the other days. Also the day that mothers get to do whatever they want! And, happy belated Mother’s Day to you as well…glad you got in a bit of alone time…maybe more next year!
I’m about halfway through Mosquitoland…I love some parts of it and am a little annoyed with some others. We’ll see how it all shakes out.
I LOVED Shotgun Lovesongs!!! And I love short story collections. Off I go to Goodreads to add Beneath the Bonfires!. Thanks so much.
Yep – then this is definitely a great pick for you! I didn’t think Shotgun Lovesongs got nearly the attention it deserved!
So many good books! Our Endless Numbered Days is excellent, and a pretty quick and compelling read! I’ve heard excellent things about Beneath the Bonfire, so interested to see what you think. Happy birthday!!!
Glad to hear good things about Our Endless Numbered Days…and that’s what I’ve mostly been hearing about it. My full review of Bonfire will be up on Thursday. And, thank you!
Looking forward to it!
I’m SOOOO excited to hear that you enjoyed Beneath the Bonfire; I’m going to have to get it now. Happy Belated Birthday and I’m glad you took yourself out and enjoyed a relaxing morning; what a fun treat, Sarah! I’m going to try Eight Hundred Grapes, as well, so we’ll see how it goes. Congrats on a GREAT training week; I could feel my own frustration welling up as I read about your Garmin…I hate when that happens! I mean, I know it’s my own fault for not charging it, but sheesh! Sadly, I do not have a good armband recommendation. I have a 5s and the armband I got is great for winter but chafes in the wet/warm weather. Ugh. I am now using a FlipBelt instead (you can find them online) and I love it. Another friend really likes the Armpocket armband, so that’s the one I bought; not sure why it rubs me so much because she doesn’t have any trouble with it. Thanks so much for linking up with the blog and I hope you have a great Monday!
Thanks so much! Yes, yes…grab Bonfire! My review will go up on Thursday. I think I’m going to try the Flipbelt…I feel like any armband will chafe in the summer. I didn’t really use one last summer, so this is my first go around.
Have a great week!
I fell in love with a Saucony tank a few months back, but bumped up a size to keep it from being too tight and riding up. I am picky about my tanks too, and I don’t want any fancy design in the back. I’m sweating in the thing, it’s not a fashion show.
I’ll check it out – thank you! And – nope – it’s not a fashion show! And, I just don’t find all the fancy tops supportive or comfortable enough…or conducive to a supportive sports bra (which I need).
Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Birthday, Sarah! I also have Our Endless Numbered Days in my TBR stack and am looking forward to getting started on it.
Happy belated Mother’s Day/Birthday, Sarah.
Sorry The Radiant Angel wasn’t that great. I like DeMille too, though I’m not a huge fan. I’m glad you liked the short stories collection; I’m looking forward to your review to decide whether I should add it to my pile.
I hope Mosquitoland is as light as the title suggests. Looking forward to your review as well.
Good luck with the training; it seems you are making great progress.
I used to love, love DeMille…but I wonder if I’m growing out of him a bit. Although, I did like The Panther (his last novel before Radiant Angel).
I know what you mean. Last one I read was The Lion and I thought it was just so-so. So different from the first, Plum Island; I only read the Reader’s Digest condensed edition, but I thought it was awesome.
I could never do an armband for my iPhone/iPod–I always chafed.
I’m reading Girl Underwater. Have you read it yet?