ABC Reads: June Review

Today is the day to link up your ABC Reads!!  Before we go any further, I want to announce that Jessica from Frikken Duckie successfully completed our challenge at the end of May.  I'm super impressed with how quickly she blazed through all 26 books!! Congrats, girl!  Even though we have a winner, Mia and I will continue to post the link-up throughout the remainder of the year.  Personally, I'm on a mission to complete the challenge myself...and I hope you are as well! 

Here's a refresher on the terms of the challenge in case you missed it previously:

What does the challenge entail?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  There are 26 letters of the alphabet and Mia and I challenge you, during the course of 2016, to read a book that starts with each letter.  For example, Atonement (A), The Bell Jar (B), Catching Fire (C), and so on.  Makes sense, right? You don't need to go in order - if you want to start with S, go for it.  On the last day of each month, we'll host a link-up for you to share your ABC Reads.  We will award one point for each letter you review AND a bonus point for linking up with us!  At the end of the year (or when the first participant reviews a book beginning with each of the 26 letters), the winner will be awarded a $30 Amazon gift card.  So, what do you say?  Do you accept our ABC Reads challenge?

It was another slow reading month for me. Summer can be such a hectic time full of all kinds of fun and free events.  Unfortunately, that means I slacked off a bit in the book reading department.  I'm determined to step it up next month though.  I want to shoot for at least four books by the end of next month since I only managed two this month.  I completed the following letters: X and D.  Here are my thoughts...

The X by Lorena Bathey

I was dreading finding an X book so when Jessica (our ABC Challenge winner) reviewed it last month, it caught my eye.  Plus it was only 99 cents on my Kindle.  It follows the story of a recently abandoned wife and mother whose powerful ex is attempting to destroy her life by taking away their sons.  He's well connected so it isn't an easy fight, but she's up for the challenge.  In the end, it didn't knock my socks off, but it wasn't horrible either.  I felt like it was a quick read that kept me interested, but was quite predictable.  If you still need an X book, give it a shot...and let me know what you think!   

The Dark Ferret Society by Emily Humphreys

I discovered this little gem via The Lady Okie. When Amanda mentioned this book that her friend wrote, I was immediately intrigued.  I have always thought the idea of a secret society is fascinating.  It was definitely meant to be for me to find this fun story.  I really enjoyed getting to know Ruby Fink.  She's the new girl (though she's become quite a pro at it since her eccentric family moves quite often) and immediately finds herself befriended by Elizabeth.  That friendship leads her to an invitation to a secret society that specializes in pranks and an opportunity to be a part of a great group of pals for the first time in her life.  Additionally, I absolutely loved Ruby's family with all their traditions and non-typical ways.  I may even incorporate a few of those lovely ideas into my own life.  I would certainly recommend this book to anyone.  It is wholesome and fun.  Exactly what I hoped when I decided to give it a shot!

Which letters did you cross off your list this month?

Andrea :)

Our 1st 10k Together!

Today, I have a special guest joining me on the blog to share all about our 1st 10k experience together.  I thought it would be fun for you all to hear his point of view regarding our recent 6.2 mile run in Queens.  Without further ado...

Last year, I decided I wanted to run a race where all finishers received a New York City Road Runners medal. As a Queens resident, the Queens 10k was a logical choice. To prepare, I ran three races - Run for Japan, LIC Run the Waterfront, Retro 4 Miler - and bought fancy running shoes that probably cost too much money. That is the most I ever ran in my entire life, but I wanted to be ready for this race.

The race took place at Flushing Meadows Park which is a long ride on the 7 train especially on Saturday morning when you are half asleep. But Andrea and I got on that train early and were greeted with quite a few others heading to the same place. Due to my bad knees, I have what could be described as an elaborate stretching routine.  I need to get there 20-30 minutes early so I can get ready. There were so many people at this race that I could have shown up at the 8:30 scheduled start and still had time to stretch. We didn't start until almost 9.  At that point, it had started to get warm.

This was the only the second time I ran alongside Andrea. Before, we had a great race routine - she ran and I watched. My desire to get a medal changed that but I wanted to run with her. Most of the time I ran listening to podcasts, but recently I felt that music was more helpful. My mp3 player was loaded with music from the Roots and I was flying. Unfortunately, I started too fast. Flushing Meadows Park is not like Central Park. You are not running under trees. After the first mile, it started to get very warm and we started to slow down. The heat got to us and our pace suffered.

The second and third miles seemed to be entirely in the sun, wearing us down even more. This race also has narrow paths making it mentally easier to walk in small spaces. There was even a point right before you reach the 5k mark where you run over a bridge. By the 4th mile the end was in sight because there was a turnaround ahead. Plus at that point, I could see people with the medal that was awaiting me when I finished. That plus the Roots kicking in moved me on.

Finishing up the 5th mile, Andrea and I were settling in. We were running towards the Unisphere. I could see the finish line. Except our path to it was not straight. We had to run around the Unisphere. Andrea tells me there is a time she wants to beat and we have to finish in 5 minutes. I see this as the time to go back to how I ran that first mile. We kicked it into high gear and finished the race. We held hands as we ran across the finish line. Then we got our medals. Andrea put it around my neck. She knew how important this was to me.

My knees were sore and I knew I would spend the rest of the day with ice but I made my goal. I was happy about that. When people run the NYC Marathon, they wear their medal to work the next day. I didn't go out in public with my medal, but I sat on the couch wearing it around my neck icing my knee and thinking I really accomplished something today.

Thanks for that great recap of our experience, Christopher!  It really was a special day.  I'm so glad we were able to be there for one another throughout the training and all 6.2 miles on race day!

We finished our first 10k together in 1:26:37 at a pace of 13:57 per mile.

Andrea :)

My Picks for Erin's Book Challenge 5.0

Since I've been having such a great time reading book for my and Mia's ABC Reads Challenge (don't forget to link up with us on Thursday!!), I decided to join in the fun with Erin.  Her challenge is a bit more specific with categories and a shorter time frame, but I thought it looked like fun.

I selected book that were already on my to read list in Goodreads. Several of them will double as ABC Reads picks. And one had already been chosen as my book club's July book.  I'm looking forward to the challenge!  Here are the selections I made in each category:

• 5 points: Freebie - The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

• 10 points: Read a book that starts with the letter “R” - Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman

• 10 points: Read a book with five words in the title - The Unraveling of Mercy Louis by Keija Parssinen

• 15 points: Read a book that has a (mostly) blue cover - We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride

• 20 points: Read a book with twins as characters - The Silent Twin by Caroline Mitchell

 

• 20 points: Read a book made into a movie - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

• 25 points: Read a book set in a country you have always wanted to visit - The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (set in Australia) 

• 30 points: Read a historical fiction book - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

• 30 points: Read a music related book - Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song by Sara Bareilles

• 35 points: Read a book originally published over 100 years ago - Persuasion by Jane Austen

I'm looking forward to getting started on Friday!  Here's hoping I can get them all read within the timeline!!

 

Here are the rules of the challenge:

• First and foremost, have fun. Don't stress. No one is being judged, graded, or penalized. Even if you finish only one book the entire challenge, if you enjoy it and it's an accomplishment for you, then that's awesome.

• The challenge will run from JULY 1, 2016 to OCTOBER 31, 2016. No books that are started before 12 a.m. on July 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on October 31 will count. (We live in different time zones – follow this according to your own time zone.)

• Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audio books are fine too.

• A book can only be used for one category, and each category can only be completed once. If you want to switch the category of a book, or change the book you originally chose, no worries.

• You can read your books in any order you choose.

• Rereads can be used only once. If a book you love fits into a category, go ahead and visit it again. Read it in its entirety. But, only do this once for the challenge.

• There will be a photo album for each category with links to books chosen. Please comment on the photo for each of your books when you finish reading them. A comment can include a review, a rating, a recommendation…other readers want to hear what you thought of your choice. (if you need help with this, let me know…or there is a file attached to our group explaining what to do.)

• There will be 10 book categories with a possibility of earning 200 points. That’s 10 books in four months. For some of you, this will be a BIG challenge; for others it will be easy peasy. It’s all for fun, remember!

• Book categories will be posted June 1st to give you time to gather books in preparation.

• After the categories are posted, please post a preliminary list with books of your choice according to their categories on the facebook group page by June 15th (if possible). If you need help with a particular category or want a book suggestion, we as a community of reading enthusiasts can help each other. (Late entries will still be accepted.)

• The first three people who finish the challenge will be invited to contribute a category for the next challenge. The top 3 winners will get a small prize from me ((1st to complete 1st round; 2nd to complete 1st round; 1st to complete both rounds)! If the same person wins all categories, then I’ll move to the 2nd finisher, then 3rd, and so on. Plus, everyone who completes the challenge will gets all sorts of recognition and support!

• Lastly, have fun. Don't stress. No one is being judged, graded, or penalized. Even if you finish only one book the entire challenge, if you enjoy it and it's an accomplishment for you, then that's awesome. Wait, I’ve read that somewhere before…Good luck!

Andrea :)

DCX World Tour!!

The soundtrack to much of my high school and college years fell into the genre of country.  And a bit of Eminem.  You know, to keep things real.  But seriously, I loved so many popular country artists during that time of transition and new opportunities.  There were so many that I kept on repeat - Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Lonestar, LeAnn Womack, Rascal Flatts, and the Dixie Chicks.

Needless to say, when I heard the Dixie Chicks were planning to go back on the road I knew I had to be there.  I have never been a big concert fan, but so many of their songs are burned into my memory because they are associated with such meaningful moments in my life.  I'll never forget singing my heart out to Wide Open Spaces as I drove to college for the first time by myself.  And I can't possibly forget the time me and my best gal pals from church decided we should make our own Goodbye, Earl music video at a sleepover one night.  Such precious memories for me.

The concert added another great memory to the list.  It was terrific.  I fell off the Dixie Chicks wagon prior to their final album so I wasn't as familiar with the songs they played from it, but otherwise I absolutely loved it.  I remembered every word to those old songs.  It all just came flooding back to me.  So many feelings and emotions washed over me as I sang from my soul with thousands of other attendees.  It was truly wonderful.

What is your most magical concert experience?

Andrea :)

Pour the Core

Cider is one of the most refreshing drinks on a hot summer day.  Chris and I had the opportunity to try several types when we visited a cider festival a couple weeks ago.  We didn't discover anything truly Earth shattering, but there were several new to us companies represented at the event.

We mostly sampled new flavors that some of our favorite cider companies offered.  I really liked McKenzie's Lazy Lemon and Doc's Sour Cherry.  My favorite from the whole event was a cider called Gumption from Woodchuck. So tasty!  We also really enjoyed our samples of all three Strongbow offerings - Honey, Cherry Blossom, and Gold Apple.

The festival mostly offered familiar brands of cider, but we did manage to find a few new ones that caught our attention.  I absolutely loved the pineapple flavors that two different companies - Ace in California and Austin EastCiders in Texas - provided.  The perfect mix of sweetness for me!  Chris and I both liked J.K.'s Farmhouse Summer hard cider. 

Do you enjoy cider?  What is your go to summer drink?

Andrea :)

Bright Star

Upon its initial release to Broadway, I wasn't interested.  It wasn't one of the many that caught my eye.  And then, the Tony's happened.  The Bright Star performance was fantastic.  I really wanted to hear the story she had to tell. Unfortunately, there isn't much time left for anyone else to hear this heartbreaking yet redemptive story.  It leaves Broadway this weekend.  I hope it travels to some other parts of the country though.  The bluegrass style music would fare much better around the part of the world that I call home.

The lead, Carmen Cusack, has an absolutely stunning voice.  I loved listening to her on stage.  The humor throughout and whimsical nature of certain scenes made the overall production feel less sorrowful which I appreciated since we'd seen such dark plays recently.  It was a perfect mix of both serious subject matter and lighthearted song and dance numbers.  The music was my favorite part.  It even helped me overlook a bit of a broad jump in the story line toward the end.  I'm sad that more people weren't interested in keeping it alive for a bit of a longer run.  Definitely an interesting story to tell... 

Do you enjoy the bluegrass style of music with banjos, cellos, and violins?  

Andrea :)

My 5th NYRR Mini 10k

The NYRR Mini 10k has become a staple in my summer race schedule.  As I trekked through the course for my 5th straight year, I was overwhelmed with joy for the community of women runners.  I love this race because the ladies out there attacking the hills and heat alongside one another always find a way to encourage and uplift me.  This year, I also had Chris on the course cheering me along.

I started the race strong.  Chris was waiting for me around the 1.5 mile point so I committed to run the whole way to him - and I did it!  Just after seeing him, I headed into the park.  One of the first major obstacles after entry is a massive hill. That wasn't fun, but I ran as much as I could through it.  By the time I hit the 5k marker, I was really wishing it was a 4 miler instead of a 10k.  I pushed through the next mile before I really hit a low point in mile 4.  Chris was just on the other side of the mile 5 marker so I tried to focus on just making it there.  Fortunately, I had some good music kick in about that time as well!

After seeing Chris for the second time, I knew there was just a mile left to go.  I wasn't feeling great, but I was hanging in there.  I was dead set on beating my time from the Healthy Kidney 10k a few weeks ago...and I knew it meant I'd have to fight to the finish. Once I got close enough to feel the presence of the finish line, I made myself go as hard as I could to the end.  I felt like I was in slow motion, but I was thrilled when I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:25:30.  An improvement of almost exactly 3 minutes!  I managed to shave 30 seconds off my miles!  Running 13:46 minute miles still isn't really anything to brag about, but I was happy with the improvement!  Here's to hoping I'm able to shave off a little more time when Chris and I run the Queens 10k this weekend!

Have you ever run an all-women's race?  

How did it compare to those you run in mixed company?

Andrea :)