May Reads (8)

One star = did not like it at all

Two stars = eh, it was okay

Three stars =  liked it

Four stars = really, really liked it

Five stars = absolutely loved it

1-Star (0)

2-Star (0)

3-Star (1)

***The Body (Fiction, S. King)

Hmm.  This is the short novel written by Stephen King that was adapted into the popular 80s movie, ‘Stand By Me’.  I LOVED the movie.  But the little novel was just okay.  I found myself skimming.  I think this is one of the few times that I can actually say the movie was better than the book.  And what’s interesting is that the book is categorized as YA, probably because the four main characters are teenagers.  However, the book is DEFINITELY not YA in my opinion.  It’s very adult.

4-Star (5)

****Lilac Girls (Fiction, M. Hall)

The first half of this book is very slow.  But the second half is amazing.  It’s based on the life of Caroline Ferriday, a philanthropist during World War II, and the ‘godmother’ to the women of Ravensbruck, a Nazi concentration camp.  It’s a difficult read (don’t let the pretty cover fool you…this book is very dark in places), but well worth it.  I plan to read the pre-quel, ‘Lost Roses’.

****Postmortem (Fiction, P. Cornwell)

This is book one of a series of about 24 I believe.  It follows Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her grisly murder cases.  It’s pretty gross in detail (she does autopsies and is usually one of the first ones on the scene) but I LOVED it.  I couldn’t put it down.  Of course, I like all of the gross medical details.  I’m looking forward to starting the next one in the series.

****The Gown (Fiction, J. Robson)

A complete 180 from Postmortem, this book is historical fiction about the ladies who made Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown.  It follows 3 women, Ann (1940s), Miriam (1940s), and Heather (present day, Anne’s granddaughter).  I loved this book too and flew through it.  Although the writing is good (not great), the story is phenomenal. I never knew how interesting embroidery could be!  Ha ha.  It was really good and one that I would recommend to ANYONE without hesitation.

****Things My Son Needs to Know About the World (Non-Fiction, F. Backman)

Fredrick Backman (author of two of my favorites, Bear Town and Us Against You) has an amazing sense of humor, which shines in this book.  You should also follow his Instagram which makes me laugh out loud constantly.  This is a good one!

****All You Can Ever Know (Non-Fiction, N. Chung)

I enjoyed this book on audio (it’s quick).  Listening to Nicole’s perspective on adoption and culture and being different was very interesting.  “I didn’t know how to tell people about surviving a loss I didn’t even remember.”

5-Star (2)

*****Caroline (Fiction, S. Miller)

This book was the perfect read at the perfect time for me.  I was having a rough couple of weeks getting caught up in the rat race of work and life and errands and so on and so on.  This book was a calming, serene escape.  Little House on the Prairie told from Caroline’s perspective.  The contentment she had for such simple things was so refreshing and a wonderful reminder for me to enjoy and NOTICE the simple things in life and be more grateful in general.  And the writing was really good as well!

*****Where the Crawdads Sing (Fiction, D. Owens)

I LOVE a good, atmospheric book.  And boy did this one deliver.  I could vividly picture the marshes along the southeastern coast all throughout this book.  And not just the marshes…the birds, the grasses, the ocean, everything.  We follow Kya though her rough childhood, abandonment, and watch her navigate her way to adulthood being known in her community as ‘the Marsh Girl’.  I loved it!

Total Books Read: 8 (6 fiction, 2 non-fiction)

DNF (Did Not Finish) : 1

The Secret History (couldn’t get into it)

April Reads (8)

One star = did not like it at all

Two stars = eh, it was okay

Three stars =  liked it

Four stars = really, really liked it

Five stars = absolutely loved it

1-Star (0)

2-Star (0)

3-Star (5)

***Ready Player One (Fiction, E. Cline)

1 star for the incredibly original plot.  1 star for the amazing pop culture references.  And 1 star for Wil Wheaton reading it!!  J 

***Inheritance (Non-Fiction, D. Shapiro)

The first ¾ of this book were INCREDIBLY slow.  If it weren’t for that, I would have given it 4 stars.

***Longbourn (Fiction, J. Baker)

This was a nice quick read about the fictional servants at Longbourn (the home of the Bennett girls!)

***Tell Me More (Non-Fiction, K. Corrigan)

A good, quick and FUNNY read about grief.  Which sounds like it shouldn’t be funny, and parts of it were truly heartbreaking, but Kelly Corrigan is a great  writer.  I laughed out loud multiple times.

***The Dream Daughter (Fiction, D. Chamberlain)

Time-travel.  Sigh.  I wish I had read more about this book before I started it.  Time travel is just not my thing, however it gets 3 stars because it kept me entertained and was a quick read.

4-Star (3)

****To Kill a Mockingbird – The Graphic Novel (Fiction, H. Lee)

After I read and LOVED LOVED LOVE the Diary of Anne Frank Graphic Novel, I insisted on reading the graphic novel for To Kill a Mockingbird.  It was wonderful.  I didn’t like it quite as much as the Anne Frank one because it was MUCH larger and a lot more detailed.  But the illustrations were great and the author said he took the text directly from Harper Lee’s novel.

****Rebecca (Fiction, D. du Maurier)

Wow.  My first Daphne du Maurier book.  I NEVER EVER would have guess this book was published in 1938.  I am officially impressed.  This book had a few twists and turns that I was not expecting.  Just when I thought I had the ‘mystery’ of Rebecca figured out, I was wrong.  Great book (and no ghosts) and I look forward to reading more of du Maurier’s books.

****America’s First Daughter (Fiction, S. Dray)

This is a LONG book and it’s a bit wordy especially in the beginning.  However, I really enjoyed it and learned so much about Patsy Jefferson - her early years in Paris with her father (and time spent with Abagail Adams) and then back home at Monticello and then eventually acting as First Lady in the White House.  She endured significant losses, had an abusive husband, and took care of her father until his death.  She was an amazing woman!

5-Star (0)

Total Books Read: 8 (6 fiction, 2 non-fiction)

DNF (Did Not Finish) : 4

The Dressmaker – stupid and frivolous

The Expats – I don’t think I’ve ever hated a main character more than this one

Dark Corners – I couldn’t stomach how they talked about how fat one of the characters had gotten and how disgusting she was now.  L

Heartless – I just could not get into this one, and I tried a couple of times (because it’s Marissa Meyer!)

Home Chef

A few years ago, I got a meal-box subscription to Blue Apron.  Meal-box subscriptions were a new thing at the time, and Blue Apron was the one that started it all.  Once a week, I would receive one box full of all the ingredients to make dinner for the week.  The box came with everything needed and detailed recipe cards.

I LOVED it.

But eventually we reevaluated our budget and decided to let it go.  And I started meal planning our dinners again for a few years.  Meal planning is necessary, unless you are one of these people that don’t mind going to the store every single day.  It’s nice to have a plan for the week so you can go to the store, get your ingredients, etc.

BUT.  There are sooooo many things I dislike about the whole process.  Figuring out what to make.  Actually shopping for the ingredients.  Not finding what I need while I’m shopping and having to go to TWO (or more) stores.  Buying an entire bottle of a certain spice for $6 when all I need is ½ teaspoon.  Not making good use of the ingredients and throwing out stuff every single week because it goes bad.  Busy stores with clueless people who leave their cart in the middle of the aisle while they browse elsewhere.  I could go on and on.

Work is busy.  Life is busy.  On a typical day, I leave the house at 5:40 a.m. armed with at least 3, sometimes 4 bags (gym bag, purse, lunch bag, and my computer bag if I’ve brought work home the night before).  I then go to Barre, then shower at work (hauling all the bags inside), work for 8-9 hours, and then leave (hauling all the bags back out to the car) around 4:00 or 4:30.  Sometimes, if I’m really ambitious I will take the 4:30 Barre class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  So I get home anytime between 4:30 – 5:45.  And then even later if I have to go to the store. 

There was a day back in February when I left Barre at 5:30 p.m. and then went to get groceries and bought maybe 8 bags worth?  When I got home (around 6:30 or 7:00) and opened my trunk and saw my grocery bags and all of my other bags that had to be hauled inside and unpacked and dealt with and THEN knowing I had to make dinner on top of that I literally started crying.  And yes….I realize these are not first-world problems.  But I was so incredibly overwhelmed with it all the time. 

So I first looked at our budget and looked what we were spending each month on groceries.  I talked to husband.  He said if I can make it work with our current grocery budget, then to go for it. 

I started researching.  There are probably 15 companies out there (Blue Apron, Freshly, Plated, Home Chef, etc.) and I did a comparison of ALL of them.  I initially thought of going with Blue Apron again, but some of the Blue Apron meals were VERY time consuming.  Like more than an hour for one meal, which is just too long.  While I was doing my comparison, I was looking for freshest ingredients, tastiest recipes, EASIEST recipes (aka less time-consuming), and flexibility with meal choices.  

I checked multiple websites, food bloggers, etc. and hands down the winner was Home Chef.  So that’s the one I signed up for.  The recipes take anywhere from 15 – 45 minutes (30 minutes  usually) to prepare from start to finish.  The ingredients are fresh.  There is minimal prep work.  You do have to chop all of the vegetables, but that’s not an issue.  The meat comes uncooked obviously, but there is no chopping of meat.  If the recipe calls for diced chicken, they send you fresh uncooked diced chicken (be still my heart!).  You can also choose what type of plan you want.  I chose the ‘mostly low-carb’ meal plans.

I signed up for the 2 person, 3 dinners a week plan (6 meals).  Each week you can go into the app and select your dinners.  This is the best part…there are 14 different meals to choose from.  I LOVE that.  Also, you can skip weeks if needed.  When my sister-in-law was visiting, I skipped my delivery that week.  And we’re traveling in a few weeks, so I skipped that week as well (and will obviously not be charged).  They charge by the week.  You can also skip meals…like if you only want 2 dinners that week instead of 3, you can adjust that as well.

As you can imagine, these meal boxes are not cheap:  9.99 per meal.  $60 per week.  $240 per month.  Yes, it’s a lot.  But I don’t care.  I worked it into our current grocery budget.  And here’s why:

1.       Portion sizes.  All of the reviews I read said that Home Chef’s portion sizes were generous.  And they were right.  We always get at LEAST 3 meals out of a 2-meal dinner, and sometimes even 4.  So we’re guaranteed at least 3 extra meals per week (9 meals instead of 6).  This brings the price down to $6.66 per meal (not bad for a generous portion of food that tastes like it came from a good restaurant!).

2.       They have taken the stress out of figuring out that horrible question ‘what’s for dinner’ completely.  And yes…I realize that the box is only 3 dinners and there are 7 days of the week.  But we usually go out once a week, and then for the other 3 nights we do leftovers of some sort or something easy (like tacos or spaghetti or grill out or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on meeting nights ha ha).  I made a list of ‘go-to’ easy dinners for our in-between nights. 

3.       They have done all of your shopping.  I hardly ever go to Target anymore (which is a big money saver especially with impulse purchases). 

4.       They send you things in individual containers that are the perfect portions.  There is no measuring.  EVER.  The only thing I had to do one time was cut a pat of butter in half ha ha. 

5.       I actually enjoy cooking now.  This is HUGE!  This is what I remember the most about Blue Apron.  It made me enjoy cooking and I felt like a fancy chef.

6.       The food is GOOD.  We have yet to have a ‘stinker’ meal.  And here’s what we’ve made so far:

Marsala mushroom chicken skillet with broccoli and peas

Korean pork noodle bowl and green beans and Fresno chile

Sirloin steak with balsamic sauce and fingerling potatoes and Brussels sprouts

Steak with garlic-herb butter and buttermilk-cheddar mashed potatoes and zucchini

Cajun chicken thigh & Italian sausage dirty rice with poblano pepper

One-pot creamy chicken chowder

Everything has been delicious!  My stress level regarding ‘what’s for dinner’ is completely non-existent now.  I’m going to continue with Home Chef for as long as I can!

March Reads (7)

One star = did not like it at all

Two stars = eh, it was okay

Three stars =  liked it

Four stars = really, really liked it

Five stars = absolutely loved it

1-Star (0)

2-Star (1)

***The River (Fiction, P. Heller)

This book had so much potential.  Two college friends take a canoeing trip in Canada, and along the way they find themselves dodging forest fires and crazy people.  This book reminded me a lot of the movie The River Wild.  Only it was SO BORING.  Up until the last 20 pages or so.  The descriptions of the forest, the water, the fishing, the equipment used (which was noted by brand name even), just went on and on and on.  The last 20 pages were completely amazing and it’s just a shame that the whole book couldn’t have been that way.  Peter Heller has the writing chops, he just didn’t use them in the first 90% of this book.

3-Star (4)

***The German Girl (Fiction, L. Correa)

I would have liked this book more if it didn’t feel like a YA.  And don’t get me wrong, I love a good YA book, but this one was not YA….yet it felt like it.  I hope that makes sense though.  But it gets all 3 stars for mentioning JWs multiple times and the suffering they endured during WWII along with the Jews.

***A Beautiful Mystery (Fiction, L. Penny)

This one was a little slow for me, but still a good read.

***A Faithful Place (Fiction, T. French)

Another good one.  It seemed to drag in certain places, but I still totally enjoyed it.

***Spineless (Non-Fiction, J. Berwald)

Too much memoir.  I learned a lot about these amazing creatures, but I found the authors memoir portions of this book ruined the flow of this book.

4-Star (2)

****A Trick of the Light (Fiction, L. Penny)

I love these books, even the mediocre ones.  I love Inspector Gamache and his deadpan humor (which really comes through on the audiobooks).  I want to live in Three Pines!  Actually…I don’t.  Lots of bad things happen there.

****Outer Order Inner Calm (Non-Fiction, G. Rubin)

I am a fan of Gretchen Rubin and her books.  While this one was sparse on content (it more like each page had it’s own ‘tip’), it was still really good.  She really focused on how if things at work and home are orderly, you will feel calm on the inside.  She also stressed that there is no right way to declutter and organize…you do what works for you.  A quick read.

5-Star (0)

Total Books Read: 7 (5 fiction, 2 non-fiction)

DNF (Did Not Finish) :

The Terror (not good)

Crazy Rich Asians (a younger friend of mine – 16 – told me I “must” read this book….I tried, I really did, but it’s just nonsense.  I think I gave it 30 pages.)

Renegades (I had high hopes for this one because Marissa Meyer wrote the Lunar Chronicles series I loved so much last year…but I couldn’t get into this one)

Killers of the Flower Moon (I made it more than halfway but I found it incredibly boring)

100

Today I took my 100^th class at Pure Barre. 

Last year in June, when my sister was here, she talked to me about Pure Barre and how much she loved (and hated) it.  She had been going for a while and we drove by the one here in town and peered in the windows.  About a week after she left, I went back and signed up for one year of unlimited classes.  !  This is without even taking my first class.  But she raved about it so much that I figured it couldn’t be that bad, right?

Hahahahaha! 

The first class I took I thought I was going to pass out.  And throw up.  And the next day?  I actually had trouble walking because every muscle in my body was indescribably sore.  Sorer than I have ever been in my life.  I had muscles that I didn’t know existed.  But I just kept coming back.

And today I attended my 100^th class!

I love it. And I hate it.  I haven’t lost any weight (because I don’t eat right), but I’ve lost inches.  My clothes fit better.  And I am stronger.  Part of the warm up of each class is a 90-second plank.  90 seconds doesn’t seem like that long, right?  WRONG.  When you’re planking….it feels like an hour.  It is awful.  I think the first time I was able to hold my plank without coming to knees was maybe in November.  And remember….I started taking classes in June.  And full (SLOW) sit ups (not crunches) from lying completely flat on the floor (legs extended and everything)...it took me a couple of months to do one of those as well without helping myself up on my elbows.

I still get sore.  But not after every class.  It depends on the class and it depends on the instructor.  There are certain instructors that push you harder. 

Here’s why I love it:

*You have to sign up for each class via the app.  Which means that the classes aren't super crowded, because once they are at capacity, that's it. 

*It doesn't feel like a gym or a large grouop exercise class, which is a huge plus for me.  It's more intimate than that.  In fact, they lock the doors after class starts.

*The instructors are INCREDIBLY nice.  And super encouraging.  And they know everyone's name.  This still baffles me.

*They correct your form in class if necessary (which is super helpful).  It makes a big difference in how you feel (protect those joints people!) and it ensures you are working the targeted muscle correctly.

*The music is LOUD and really gets you going. 

*I gained a reading buddy, Rebecca.  We talk books before class.

*It doesn't get easier.  If it weren't challenging, then why bother going?  I don't know how they do it, but every single class is different (and I usually take 2 a day and they are NEVER the same) and every single class is hard.

*There is no judgment.  Everyone there is focused on themselves.  They are too busy trying not to die that they don’t have time to check out other people in class.  They don’t care what you look like, what you’re wearing, and how good your form is.  NOBODY CARES.  We’re all just trying to get through the class in one piece. 

Here’s why I hate it:

*Planking

*It's pricey

To celebrate my 100^th class and reward myself, I went to the Nordstrom Rack website and ordered 2 pairs of leggings (Zella), 2 sports bras (Puma & Nike) and 2 tank tops (Zella), all of which I needed.  

Next milestone?  250!!

Howie

On February 18, we made the tough decision to put our sweet boy Howie down.  His diabetes was just getting the best of him.  It was heartbreaking.  But he went very peacefully and is no longer uncomfortable.

I already miss his cuddles, his purring, his mischievous ways that he had most of his life, his toughness and most of all his cute little face.  

Howie:  2003 - 2019.  Goodbye sweet boy.  

February Reads (7)

One star = did not like it at all

Two stars = eh, it was okay

Three stars =  liked it

Four stars = really, really liked it

Five stars = absolutely loved it

1-Star (0)

2-Star (0)

3-Star (4)

***102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers (Non-Fiction, J. Dwyer)

An INCREDIBLY difficult read.  This book literally takes you minute-by-minute about what was happening inside the towers, from the time the first plane hit to the time the second tower fell.  This was written using accounts from survivors, desperate phone calls from those who were stuck, and phone calls from family members to their loved ones.  It was heartbreaking, and honestly I’m not sure what compelled me to pick it up. 

***Power of Habit (Non-Fiction, C. Duhigg)

This book was up and down for me.  Parts of it were completely fascinating and super helpful, but other parts seemed to drag on and on and it felt somewhat disjointed and all over the place.  But I am glad I read it.

***Counting by 7’s (Fiction, H. Sloan)

I feel like I’ve read so many versions of this story.  Young Reader: genius-awkward-preteen girl whose adoptive parents get killed in a car accident and she has to find her way through grief and accept the fact that her fate is in someone else’s hands.  Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice read, I just feel like it’s been done over and over again.

***Bury Your Dead (Fiction, L. Penny)

Not my favorite, but not bad.  After all, it’s Louise Penny.

4-Star (3)

****Dry (Fiction, N. Shusterman)

A YA novel about what happens to society when there is a ‘tap-out’ (aka extreme drought).  Murder.  Martial law.  Lies.  Deceit.  All for a few drops of water to survive.  Part of this book were slow, especially in the middle, but the last 50 pages or so were amazing. 

****An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good (Fiction,  H. Tursten)

This was filed in the ‘Mystery’ section at Barnes & Noble, but it is not a mystery book.  We know who the serial killer is:  88-year-old Maud.  Maud sees a problem that directly affects her, and she solves it.  By killing people.  I would like to say it’s not as dark as it sounds, but it totally is ha ha.  Although it’s not as gruesome as other crime/mystery novels I’ve read (and it’s a ‘light’ read if that makes any sense at all).  And the book itself is completely adorable, it’s this tiny little hardback book.  A very quick read.

****The Essex Serpent (Fiction, S. Perry)

4.5.  This book was incredibly slow (and I listened to the audio version, which was phenomenal), but the beautiful writing, intriguing plot, interesting characters and atmospheric tone made up for the slowness.  It’s dark, somewhat Gothic, very creepy (but not scary) and kind of right up my alley.  I loved it.   

5-Star (0)

Total Books Read: 7 (5 fiction, 2 non-fiction)

DNF (Did Not Finish) :

Orchid & the Wasp (couldn’t get into it)

Dressmaker of Khair Khana (couldn’t get into it)