I'm seriously excited to get back into books. I read quite a bit in 2013 but I don't feel like I read enough, at least not enough new books (I reread some favourites). Getting books for Christmas always makes it easier to kick off a new year with good reads, so that's what I did. I'm starting with The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper. I've read three of his other books and all have creeped me out but good, and so far The Demonologist is good and creepy.
The other books I'm looking forward to reading this year:
The Orenda by Joseph Boyden
The Antagonists by Lynn Coady
Ablutions by Patrick DeWitt
The Apartment by Greg Baxter
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
S. by JJ Abrams & Doug Dorst
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak
The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence
The first four on the list I already own, so that's another good start. And then I have to go book shopping, which is even better!
Ah, reading. I've missed you.
(I'm also going to blog about these books, because I've missed that too.)
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Monday, January 6, 2014
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Boxes and boxes and boxes of books
I packed some books tonight. 10 boxes, to be specific. No, we haven't bought a house yet but we're getting things ready for when we have to stage the condo - and staging means moving out A LOT of furniture. Since that includes bookcases, we have to pack books.
And we have plenty of books!
I should also note that there are about 15 boxes of my books currently sitting in storage and we've already packed two boxes of books here. Oh, and we still haven't packed them all. Hopefully we'll be able to fit everything in our five bookcases.
It's a hard life for a book lover.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Miscellany
A few random thoughts, late on a Tuesday night...
...I know I have to be patient in the house hunt, but I want one NOW dammit! Everyday we have new listings emailed to us and everyday we obsessively check MLS ourselves, just in case. So far, our dream home has not materialized. Apparently this kind of thing really does take time.
...I've been reading more about this study that showed women who cut carbs twice a week lose more weight than women who stick to a low-calorie diet. Of course, you have to eat reasonably the rest of the week, but I'm so tempted to try. Despite my whole "fad diets are for suckers" stance. I mean, what will happen when I stop cutting carbs two days a week? I don't want to end up as the Pillsbury Dough Boy. But it's so tempting!
...the Canadian Book Challenge wraps up at the end of June and I'm still seven books away. I was so gung-ho when it started. It makes me sad that I'm not more into Canadian writers. What can I say - I love my Brits. But I'll still get a few more reviews in before it's over (I hope).
...I really want a cheeseburger.
...for some bizarre reason, I have Gwen Stefani stuck in my head. And I'm not a Gwen Stefani fan. At all. I liked No Doubt back in the day, but not Gwen's solo stuff. I don't even know what inspired this song that I don't know the name of to get stuck in my head. Sigh.
...I need a new knitting project.
...I really want a pair of red pants, which makes me laugh, because when I was in second-year university, I really wanted a pair of red pants. I found some then and I'll find some again - 11 years later.
...I should find a blog template I like and stick with it. I change it because I get bored but I feel like it should be consistent. Alas, I have yet to find anything I like. If only I had the skills to make my own. It's a tough life.
...did I mention I want a house?!
...I know I have to be patient in the house hunt, but I want one NOW dammit! Everyday we have new listings emailed to us and everyday we obsessively check MLS ourselves, just in case. So far, our dream home has not materialized. Apparently this kind of thing really does take time.
...I've been reading more about this study that showed women who cut carbs twice a week lose more weight than women who stick to a low-calorie diet. Of course, you have to eat reasonably the rest of the week, but I'm so tempted to try. Despite my whole "fad diets are for suckers" stance. I mean, what will happen when I stop cutting carbs two days a week? I don't want to end up as the Pillsbury Dough Boy. But it's so tempting!
...the Canadian Book Challenge wraps up at the end of June and I'm still seven books away. I was so gung-ho when it started. It makes me sad that I'm not more into Canadian writers. What can I say - I love my Brits. But I'll still get a few more reviews in before it's over (I hope).
...I really want a cheeseburger.
...for some bizarre reason, I have Gwen Stefani stuck in my head. And I'm not a Gwen Stefani fan. At all. I liked No Doubt back in the day, but not Gwen's solo stuff. I don't even know what inspired this song that I don't know the name of to get stuck in my head. Sigh.
...I need a new knitting project.
...I really want a pair of red pants, which makes me laugh, because when I was in second-year university, I really wanted a pair of red pants. I found some then and I'll find some again - 11 years later.
...I should find a blog template I like and stick with it. I change it because I get bored but I feel like it should be consistent. Alas, I have yet to find anything I like. If only I had the skills to make my own. It's a tough life.
...did I mention I want a house?!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Book Review: The Guardians
I read the crap out of this book. I enjoyed the crap out of this book.
It's the story of four hockey-playing guys - Trevor, Randy, Carl and Ben - who were best friends in high school but went their separate ways after graduation. 24 years later, they're back in their hometown to attend Ben's funeral, after he kills himself.
Trevor is our narrator and has just been diagnosed with Parkinson's. As a result of the diagnosis, his doctor has recommended he keep a journal. Trevor decides to start a memory journal, in which he tells us about when the guys were 16 and what happened that winter that changed their lives forever. The memory chapters alternate with Trevor's narration on the present, being back in his hometown, facing his friend's death, the girl he left behind, the events that he can't forget...but may not remember correctly.
And that is part of the beauty of the book, a narrator who has no reason not to be honest, except that he drops those oh-so-subtle hints that he's sure that's how it went because that's how he remembers it or that this is what he remembers, whether it actually happened that way or not. It's a great story, a psychological thriller-cum-ghost story that, when read late on a Friday night, may make the reader hear things that aren't really there or see shadows that may not be from the streetlights. You still trust Trevor, though, and you want to believe him, even when it gets spooky.
It's also almost impossible to put down, which is why I finished it so quickly. But even with a fast-moving plot, the characters are still developed enough to make you care about them and all the characters in the book are there for a reason. It's a well-told story that is ghost story, thriller, buddy reunion and man-in-mid-life-crisis tale all rolled into one.
Best read when you have a few days to enjoy uninterrupted.
Friday, January 20, 2012
My first reward
With only 3.5 pounds to go to my first weight-loss goal (and a new book!), I figured it was high time I selected what that book would be. I've got a pretty lengthy list of books I want to read but this book has to be something good, something reward-worthy, not just another detective novel (which I will always love).
It's also tricky because Kobo keeps emailing me coupons to use on e-books, but the coupons are only good for a few days so I've got to act quickly. (They suck me in every time.) And I got another coupon today but it expires January 23, so before my next weigh-in and well before 3.5 pounds.
So the book I've chosen, the book that will not be tempted with Kobo coupons is:
It's about 19th century Europe and the conspiracies (real and imagined) that exist, the secret societies and murderous plots and general awfulness of the underbelly of society and asks: what if one man was behind all these conspiracies, with one document he created? Yes, I know it sounds a little Dan Brown (those who know me know I respect your right to like Dan Brown as long as you respect my right to hate him) but Umberto Eco is known for his literary criticism, work in semiotics and as a medievalist, so some intriguing credentials to say the least.
Regardless, I'm very excited about this book. Let's go 3.5 pounds!
It's also tricky because Kobo keeps emailing me coupons to use on e-books, but the coupons are only good for a few days so I've got to act quickly. (They suck me in every time.) And I got another coupon today but it expires January 23, so before my next weigh-in and well before 3.5 pounds.
So the book I've chosen, the book that will not be tempted with Kobo coupons is:
It's about 19th century Europe and the conspiracies (real and imagined) that exist, the secret societies and murderous plots and general awfulness of the underbelly of society and asks: what if one man was behind all these conspiracies, with one document he created? Yes, I know it sounds a little Dan Brown (those who know me know I respect your right to like Dan Brown as long as you respect my right to hate him) but Umberto Eco is known for his literary criticism, work in semiotics and as a medievalist, so some intriguing credentials to say the least.
Regardless, I'm very excited about this book. Let's go 3.5 pounds!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The year that will be
Sometimes the idea and effort and focus of losing weight can become all-encompassing for me and, while it's an important thing for me to accomplish this year, there are other things I want to do. Now, these are not resolutions because I don't do resolutions. Rather, these are things I want to add/add more of to my life to keep my life fun and interesting and not just about weight loss and points.
Here's what else I'd like to do this year:
1 - Read more
I used to think I had to read more literary books because that was something I should do but I've decided pish-posh to that; I'm just going to read more of what makes me happy. I should be able to knock off a book every two weeks and I've started a reading list that will more than get me started for the first six months or so. Right now I read mostly on the subway to and from work but I want to make more time at home for reading, whether finding an hour on the weekend or going to bed earlier so I can curl up with my kitty and good book. Some of the books I will be reading this year include Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan; We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver; The Passage by Justin Cronin; The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; The Guardians by Andrew Pyper; and Redeemer by Jo Nesbo (the second book in his Harry Hole series), among others. And I've got about 30 books in queue in my Kobo library, waiting for me to buy and read them. So much reading!
2 - Do 10 push-ups
For all the weights I lift I haven't yet become strong enough to do 10 consecutive, good form push-ups. I'd like to be able to get beyond 10, but it's a good place to start.
3 - Knit a sweater that fits
I knit three sweaters this past fall and none turned out just right. In fact, all three were too big throughout the body. This year, I will knit a sweater that FITS dammit!
4 - Be a storyteller
I've always had this pipe dream of writing a book. And of course in my dream it goes on to be an international bestseller and I'm able to quit my day job and work from home and write oodles of internationally bestselling - yet still critically acclaimed - books and live the life of a brilliant writer. Which I guess is why I've never actually written anything as I don't want to see this dream completely fall apart. But it's not just the writing I want to do; I want to be a good storyteller and I want to be able to translate that skill into writing. Really, though, I just want to be able to put out a good yarn. That would make me happy.
5 - Buy clothes that fit me well, regardless of the size on the tag
It's high time I stopped being controlled by the sizes on clothing tags. I'll admit, a lot of that comes from having a boyfriend who is tall and slender and lighter than me. I know that's a really stupid reason to not want to buy clothes of a certain size but it makes me feel huge(r) next to him. The kicker? He couldn't care less. It's all my hang-up. And it's time to let it go.
I think this is a pretty good list. I'm going to keep all these things in mind and work at accomplishing them all. Bring on the year!
Here's what else I'd like to do this year:
1 - Read more
I used to think I had to read more literary books because that was something I should do but I've decided pish-posh to that; I'm just going to read more of what makes me happy. I should be able to knock off a book every two weeks and I've started a reading list that will more than get me started for the first six months or so. Right now I read mostly on the subway to and from work but I want to make more time at home for reading, whether finding an hour on the weekend or going to bed earlier so I can curl up with my kitty and good book. Some of the books I will be reading this year include Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan; We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver; The Passage by Justin Cronin; The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; The Guardians by Andrew Pyper; and Redeemer by Jo Nesbo (the second book in his Harry Hole series), among others. And I've got about 30 books in queue in my Kobo library, waiting for me to buy and read them. So much reading!
2 - Do 10 push-ups
For all the weights I lift I haven't yet become strong enough to do 10 consecutive, good form push-ups. I'd like to be able to get beyond 10, but it's a good place to start.
3 - Knit a sweater that fits
I knit three sweaters this past fall and none turned out just right. In fact, all three were too big throughout the body. This year, I will knit a sweater that FITS dammit!
4 - Be a storyteller
I've always had this pipe dream of writing a book. And of course in my dream it goes on to be an international bestseller and I'm able to quit my day job and work from home and write oodles of internationally bestselling - yet still critically acclaimed - books and live the life of a brilliant writer. Which I guess is why I've never actually written anything as I don't want to see this dream completely fall apart. But it's not just the writing I want to do; I want to be a good storyteller and I want to be able to translate that skill into writing. Really, though, I just want to be able to put out a good yarn. That would make me happy.
5 - Buy clothes that fit me well, regardless of the size on the tag
It's high time I stopped being controlled by the sizes on clothing tags. I'll admit, a lot of that comes from having a boyfriend who is tall and slender and lighter than me. I know that's a really stupid reason to not want to buy clothes of a certain size but it makes me feel huge(r) next to him. The kicker? He couldn't care less. It's all my hang-up. And it's time to let it go.
I think this is a pretty good list. I'm going to keep all these things in mind and work at accomplishing them all. Bring on the year!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Welcome to 2012!
This is going to be a good year and not just because I'm pretty sure the Mayans were wrong. It's only January 2 but there are already a few good things in the air for this year, including:
- the Beau and I hope to buy a house (!!!)
- my student loans should be finally paid off (!!!!)
- I'm hoping to run a 5K in the fall (!?!?!?!)
As for my 2011 goals, I didn't really end up where I wanted to with them. The closest I came was with my student debt. I wanted to be at $5,000 owing and I'm sitting at about $5,200, which is still damn good. I paid off about $11,000 this past year which I'm ridiculously proud of. My other goals, though, not so much...
With my running, I'm still doing well but only managed to hit 4k before the end of the year and that's still with walking breaks. But I'm going to keep working at that because I do enjoy running.
The rest of my goals were all dependent on my weight and fitting into clothes and that just didn't happen. When I started my weight loss plans, I weighed 200.2 lb. I weighed myself today to see where I was and I'm currently at 202.0 lb.
That's right: despite all my weight yo-yoing and missed targets and readjustments I managed to finish the year weighing more than when I started. To be honest, I'm fighting back tears right now but I know some of that weight gain is superficial; I haven't been drinking as much water as I usually do so I bet that within a couple of days I'll be down a couple of pounds as I rehydrate and get some of the salt out of my system. And I've also eaten rather well the past two weeks (read: delicious yet not healthy). Over the course of the Christmas season, I've had lobster; baked potatoes and mashed potatoes; turkey with gravy; stuffing with sausage; roast beef; roast ham (twice!); barbequed goose; pecan tarts; shortbread; bacon and eggs at least four times for breakfast; at least two bottles of wine to myself; cheese (delicious, delicious cheese); and myriad chocolates and other sweets. I've also worked out once since December 22 - though I did have a lovely walk with some of the Beau's family over the holidays.
While eating like this is to be expected this time of year, it doesn't make me feel any better. Right now, I feel lumpy and swollen and soft and doughy and I really hate that feeling. So I'm going to keep up with my weigh loss goals and weekly weigh-ins but there's a new twist. This afternoon, as a gift to myself, I joined Weight Watchers online.
I know other people who have used/are using Weight Watchers to great success and I just wasn't doing what I needed to do on my own. I put off joining Weight Watchers saying that I should spend my money on my debt repayment but the real reason was because I felt like a failure by seeking help. See, I have a real problem asking for and accepting help. I always feel like I should be able to do things on my own - and when I can't I just quit. But losing weight is something I really need to do to feel better about myself. Right now, I don't even want the Beau - the man who has committed to loving me for the rest of our lives - to see me naked. How awful is that?! Really awful is the correct answer.
So I'm accepting help and not feeling ashamed about it. Instead, I'm feeling proud and excited because now I'll have a real structure and schedule to work with (and, let's face it, that's what I love - it's what I do professionally, for the most part!) and clear goals. Here's the breakdown:
- I've set Wednesday as my weigh-in day so I'll be keeping up that part of the plan.
- my daily points are at 32.
- my weekly extra points are 49
- my weekly activity points are 14
Since I just signed up less than an hour ago, I'm going to start tracking all my meals tomorrow. (Today is also my last day of holidays, so I feel like I should be allowed one last day of sloth and gluttony.) My first goal is to lose 5% of my weight, which would bring me to 191.9 lb. I'm hoping to see that number sooner than later!
To go along with this, I've been thinking about what kind of rewards I'd like to give myself because, hey, I should be rewarded, right? There are two things I have in mind: clothes and books. I have a list of 10 books I'd like to read and I've been thinking a lot about my personal style and the fact that I don't really have one and what I'd like to cultivate as my style. So as I hit each goal I'm going to reward myself with either a book or an item of clothing. My first reward will be a book as I'm hoping to be lighter before I buy more clothes!
Phew, what a long entry! Losing weight won't be my only plan for 2012 but it's the main one. I'll post later about the other things I'd like to accomplish this year and I'll be back on Wednesday to track my weight.
Here's to a happy, healthy, lighter 2012!
- the Beau and I hope to buy a house (!!!)
- my student loans should be finally paid off (!!!!)
- I'm hoping to run a 5K in the fall (!?!?!?!)
As for my 2011 goals, I didn't really end up where I wanted to with them. The closest I came was with my student debt. I wanted to be at $5,000 owing and I'm sitting at about $5,200, which is still damn good. I paid off about $11,000 this past year which I'm ridiculously proud of. My other goals, though, not so much...
With my running, I'm still doing well but only managed to hit 4k before the end of the year and that's still with walking breaks. But I'm going to keep working at that because I do enjoy running.
The rest of my goals were all dependent on my weight and fitting into clothes and that just didn't happen. When I started my weight loss plans, I weighed 200.2 lb. I weighed myself today to see where I was and I'm currently at 202.0 lb.
That's right: despite all my weight yo-yoing and missed targets and readjustments I managed to finish the year weighing more than when I started. To be honest, I'm fighting back tears right now but I know some of that weight gain is superficial; I haven't been drinking as much water as I usually do so I bet that within a couple of days I'll be down a couple of pounds as I rehydrate and get some of the salt out of my system. And I've also eaten rather well the past two weeks (read: delicious yet not healthy). Over the course of the Christmas season, I've had lobster; baked potatoes and mashed potatoes; turkey with gravy; stuffing with sausage; roast beef; roast ham (twice!); barbequed goose; pecan tarts; shortbread; bacon and eggs at least four times for breakfast; at least two bottles of wine to myself; cheese (delicious, delicious cheese); and myriad chocolates and other sweets. I've also worked out once since December 22 - though I did have a lovely walk with some of the Beau's family over the holidays.
While eating like this is to be expected this time of year, it doesn't make me feel any better. Right now, I feel lumpy and swollen and soft and doughy and I really hate that feeling. So I'm going to keep up with my weigh loss goals and weekly weigh-ins but there's a new twist. This afternoon, as a gift to myself, I joined Weight Watchers online.
I know other people who have used/are using Weight Watchers to great success and I just wasn't doing what I needed to do on my own. I put off joining Weight Watchers saying that I should spend my money on my debt repayment but the real reason was because I felt like a failure by seeking help. See, I have a real problem asking for and accepting help. I always feel like I should be able to do things on my own - and when I can't I just quit. But losing weight is something I really need to do to feel better about myself. Right now, I don't even want the Beau - the man who has committed to loving me for the rest of our lives - to see me naked. How awful is that?! Really awful is the correct answer.
So I'm accepting help and not feeling ashamed about it. Instead, I'm feeling proud and excited because now I'll have a real structure and schedule to work with (and, let's face it, that's what I love - it's what I do professionally, for the most part!) and clear goals. Here's the breakdown:
- I've set Wednesday as my weigh-in day so I'll be keeping up that part of the plan.
- my daily points are at 32.
- my weekly extra points are 49
- my weekly activity points are 14
Since I just signed up less than an hour ago, I'm going to start tracking all my meals tomorrow. (Today is also my last day of holidays, so I feel like I should be allowed one last day of sloth and gluttony.) My first goal is to lose 5% of my weight, which would bring me to 191.9 lb. I'm hoping to see that number sooner than later!
To go along with this, I've been thinking about what kind of rewards I'd like to give myself because, hey, I should be rewarded, right? There are two things I have in mind: clothes and books. I have a list of 10 books I'd like to read and I've been thinking a lot about my personal style and the fact that I don't really have one and what I'd like to cultivate as my style. So as I hit each goal I'm going to reward myself with either a book or an item of clothing. My first reward will be a book as I'm hoping to be lighter before I buy more clothes!
Phew, what a long entry! Losing weight won't be my only plan for 2012 but it's the main one. I'll post later about the other things I'd like to accomplish this year and I'll be back on Wednesday to track my weight.
Here's to a happy, healthy, lighter 2012!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Book Review: River City
How wrong I was.
The reason I have not yet posted another review is because I chose River City by John Farrow as my next read. It sounded intriguing: set in Montreal in the 1950s and starting with the Rocket Richard riots, it's about the mysterious Cartier Dagger (Jacques Cartier, that is) and its involvement in a murder during the riots. Now, I like hockey and I like murder mysteries and I've not read many books set in la belle province so this piqued my interest. However, I made one huge mistake: I bought the e-book for my Kobo.
Now, I love reading on my Kobo and I've bought many books for it. The problem is that I don't look at the page count of the books I buy, mostly because it's not listed in the Kobo store but also because it doesn't much matter; one book page does not equal one Kobo page. This has never tripped me up before but then I've never bought an e-book that is over 700 pages in hard copy.
That's a lotta pages, yo.
I'm not afraid of long books (I have, after all, read The Stand) but if I'm going to read a long book I would like it to be a good book. And that is where River City falls down - it's not that good.
This is a book that would have benefited greatly from a braver editor, someone who was willing to slash and trash. My Kobo pages aren't big, but I don't need 100+ page chapters. There is a great story to tell here, but there's too much meandering. It reminded me of all the things I dislike about Victorian literature.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the book also switches back and forth between 1950s Montreal and the original settlement of Quebec and Montreal by French explorers, starting with Cartier and going through Champlain, Montmagny and I'm sure others that I just haven't got to. I think this is part of the
"hook" of the book but I just find it annoying. I read Susannah Moodie's Roughing It in the Bush in university and never wanted to revisit it again; this book brought me right back there. Also, I didn't feel like the two story lines from "then" and "now" worked together fluidly; it was like reading two different novels spliced together.
One last irritant in the book: Farrow jumps from one scene/situation to the next too suddenly. I'm reading along and hit a scene where two people are chatting in a cafe and in the next paragraph, one of those people is down by the docks roughing someone up. Maybe it's bad digital formatting and not bad writing, but it's still irritating.
So I put the book down and picked up Agatha Christie, who I have decided is like literary amuse bouche. Once my palate is properly cleansed I'll get back on the Canadian Book Challenge horse, though I'm not sure what I'll read next - any recommendations?
(I'm also not counting this as a full review, so I'm still at 2/13. Perhaps I'll feel sorry for this book and pick it up again, finish it and properly review it - though that doesn't feel likely.)
Monday, August 1, 2011
Back at it
Today is August 1, meaning I'm back on the scale. I made sure I hopped on before eating, just because I wanted to, you know, be as light as possible. I'll admit, there was a part of me hoping to see the number come in below 190, as a kind of reward for staying away from the scale for a week and just focusing on exercise and trying to make good eating choices.
Alas, 'twas not to be: I weighed in at 195.2 lb.
Yes, I'm not thrilled with this number but I can tell I'm getting slimmer: my clothes fit better; I'm liking my reflection more; and I've recently purchased a few items of clothing (two pairs of shorts and a pair of pants) in beautiful size 12. I'm wondering if part of the weight gain is due to me increasing my muscle mass, but since I haven't weighed myself for a month I can't be sure.
I'm going to restart my Up-Down Challenge with my next official weigh-in on Wednesday August 10 and I'm still going to reward myself with a book; increasing my book ownership is going to be the "up" part of the challenge. But since I'm doing the Canadian Book Challenge, I'll be getting books for that as well, so every time I lose 5 lb, I'm buying a book for myself.
Once again, I find myself aiming for 190.2 lb so that's my short-term goal. Here's a list of where I want to be and when:
By September 30, I would like to weigh 180 lb.
By November 30, I would like to weigh 170 lb.
By December 31, I would like to still weigh 170 lb.
I'll be really happy if I can hit 170 lb and maintain that weight, especially during the delicious Christmas season. And 170 lb feels like it's a good weight for me to aim for, because I should be able to achieve it and because I think it's a good weight for my body type.
I've also got some other goals, which I'll outline this coming week. It's been nice being off the scale for a month, but it does help motivate me so I can't stay away. But to help alleviate the disappointment I feel when the scale doesn't go down as much as I'd like (or when it goes up) I'm going to have other things to use as a way to measure my progress. Because sometimes progress can't be gauged by a simple number on a simple scale.
Even with all this planned in my mind, I still wanted to take advantage of the holiday Monday so I made the Beau and I a delicious brunch:
Homemade crepes topped with fresh blueberry sauce, Phoenician yogurt with cinnamon, peameal bacon and orange slices. YUM!
(Oh, and I'll get back on the loan updates starting August 10 as well!)
Alas, 'twas not to be: I weighed in at 195.2 lb.
Yes, I'm not thrilled with this number but I can tell I'm getting slimmer: my clothes fit better; I'm liking my reflection more; and I've recently purchased a few items of clothing (two pairs of shorts and a pair of pants) in beautiful size 12. I'm wondering if part of the weight gain is due to me increasing my muscle mass, but since I haven't weighed myself for a month I can't be sure.
I'm going to restart my Up-Down Challenge with my next official weigh-in on Wednesday August 10 and I'm still going to reward myself with a book; increasing my book ownership is going to be the "up" part of the challenge. But since I'm doing the Canadian Book Challenge, I'll be getting books for that as well, so every time I lose 5 lb, I'm buying a book for myself.
Once again, I find myself aiming for 190.2 lb so that's my short-term goal. Here's a list of where I want to be and when:
By September 30, I would like to weigh 180 lb.
By November 30, I would like to weigh 170 lb.
By December 31, I would like to still weigh 170 lb.
I'll be really happy if I can hit 170 lb and maintain that weight, especially during the delicious Christmas season. And 170 lb feels like it's a good weight for me to aim for, because I should be able to achieve it and because I think it's a good weight for my body type.
I've also got some other goals, which I'll outline this coming week. It's been nice being off the scale for a month, but it does help motivate me so I can't stay away. But to help alleviate the disappointment I feel when the scale doesn't go down as much as I'd like (or when it goes up) I'm going to have other things to use as a way to measure my progress. Because sometimes progress can't be gauged by a simple number on a simple scale.
Even with all this planned in my mind, I still wanted to take advantage of the holiday Monday so I made the Beau and I a delicious brunch:
(Oh, and I'll get back on the loan updates starting August 10 as well!)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Book review: Alone in the Classroom
Alone in the Classroom is really about the narrator, Anne, finding out about her family; the story centres on Anne relating stories about her aunt, Connie Flood. Much like a tree, Connie's story is only one branch but it seems to be the sturdiest and most twisting branch of the tree, at least for Anne.
Most of the book focuses on Connie, from her schoolteacher beginnings in rural Saskatchewan to her time at a newspaper in Ottawa back to schoolteaching in Maine. Also intertwined with the branch that is Connie's life are the two men that influence Connie's life the most: her principal, Ian "Parley" Burns and one of her students, Michael Graves. Both Parley and Michael play important roles in who Connie becomes and how she lives her life.
Also integral to the book are two tragic deaths of young school girls, one of which opens the book, and the reasons for these deaths that are only hinted at and alluded to, but never fully explained.
It is the non-resolution behind the deaths that left me feeling unfulfilled, but there is enough information presented that the reader can draw her own conclusions and feel satisfied in their accuracy. My problem is that I had an idea about one of them that I thought was pretty great - turns out I was either way off base or Hay didn't feel the need to clarify things for me. But this is not a bad thing, merely something I will continue to think about as I dwell on the characters that I feel I know so much about.
And that is also the beauty of Hay's writing, her ability to make me think and care about her characters. She also has a wonderful way with words when describing the outdoors and the wilds of Canada, which is evident both in Alone in the Classroom and Late Nights on Air. I still think about the canoe trip in Late Nights, three years after reading the book.
This book feels like Canadian Literature with a capital "L", something I haven't indulged in for far too long. After reading this book, I found my Toronto-dwelling self yearning for a cabin in the woods, a small lake and trees as far as the eye can see; thankful for the stability of my own relationship and that I'm spared the agonies of the heart experienced by Connie and Anne (and all the women in the book); and curious about my own family, wondering what stories might be hidden in my genealogy, what happiness and tragedy has shaped my own family.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
CanLit fun
Thanks to an article in the Globe and Mail, I've stumbled across the Canadian Book Challenge and I'm going to give it a shot!
I've wanted to read more CanLit and it's only 13 books, which I can easily do in a year. It's the reviewing that will be more of a challenge, but I'm going to give it a go. My first book is Alone in the Classroom by Elizabeth Hay - just recently purchased on my Kobo with a 20% off coupon in honour of Canada Day.
The reviews need to be posted online, so I'll be posting them here; they will also be linked to the Canadian Book Challenge blog bookmineset.blogspot.com.
I can't think of a better book to start with. Go here if you want to try, too!
I've wanted to read more CanLit and it's only 13 books, which I can easily do in a year. It's the reviewing that will be more of a challenge, but I'm going to give it a go. My first book is Alone in the Classroom by Elizabeth Hay - just recently purchased on my Kobo with a 20% off coupon in honour of Canada Day.
The reviews need to be posted online, so I'll be posting them here; they will also be linked to the Canadian Book Challenge blog bookmineset.blogspot.com.
I can't think of a better book to start with. Go here if you want to try, too!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The Hunger Games
Reading is one of my greatest pleasures in life. It always makes me happy, even when the book is heart-breakingly sad. No matter my mood, I know I can find a book that will suit it and will take me into another world.
Every so often, I stumble upon a book that is so incredibly good, I don't want to keep reading it because I don't want it to end - but I have to keep reading it because I need to know what happens. Has that ever happened to you? One such book for me was The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which I still think about. Another was Her Fearful Symmetry, the second novel by Audrey Niffinegger (of The Time Traveler's Wife brilliance).
I've now found another such book, one that I can barely put down and one that will surely make me miss my subway stop at some point: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
(I'm very excited that these three books are all authored by women.)
One thing to note about The Hunger Games is that it's a young adult novel, with teenaged characters and adults existing mostly on the periphery. So what makes it work at an "old" adult level? This book isn't about emo teens, sitting in a dark corner listening to Linkin Park. Rather, it touches on issues that are important to teenagers - family, friends, success, love, acceptance - but are also issues for adults. These things don't end once we exit our teen years; what 20-/30-/40-something doesn't worry and wonder about their family, maintaining friendships, finding success in life, falling in love and finding that place in life where they are accepted not just by those around them but into what is around them? We may not be angsty as adults (or maybe we still are, we just hide it better) but the book dwells on issues that translate across both a younger and older audience. By doing this, the book stops being for young adults and starts being for everyone.
I'm twice as old as Katniss, the main protagonist, but I can still relate to her. She also makes me feel incredibly wimpy and weak, but you'll have to read the book to understand why. For me, that is great storytelling. The book also almost made me cry on the subway this morning and not many books make me cry.
There is one giveaway that it was written for a younger audience and that is the book is clearly plot-driven; it's always moving ahead and, though we learn about the characters and back stories are woven in to the narrative quite well, it's always getting us from point A to B to C, and on and on. (Although that is something else I enjoy in books; I'm not a fan of books where people have feelings at each other for 400 pages.)
One note of caution: The Hunger Games is book one of a trilogy. If you plan to read it, don't read the jacket copy of either the second or third book, lest you have the story spoiled. I made that mistake.
Every so often, I stumble upon a book that is so incredibly good, I don't want to keep reading it because I don't want it to end - but I have to keep reading it because I need to know what happens. Has that ever happened to you? One such book for me was The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, which I still think about. Another was Her Fearful Symmetry, the second novel by Audrey Niffinegger (of The Time Traveler's Wife brilliance).
(I'm very excited that these three books are all authored by women.)
One thing to note about The Hunger Games is that it's a young adult novel, with teenaged characters and adults existing mostly on the periphery. So what makes it work at an "old" adult level? This book isn't about emo teens, sitting in a dark corner listening to Linkin Park. Rather, it touches on issues that are important to teenagers - family, friends, success, love, acceptance - but are also issues for adults. These things don't end once we exit our teen years; what 20-/30-/40-something doesn't worry and wonder about their family, maintaining friendships, finding success in life, falling in love and finding that place in life where they are accepted not just by those around them but into what is around them? We may not be angsty as adults (or maybe we still are, we just hide it better) but the book dwells on issues that translate across both a younger and older audience. By doing this, the book stops being for young adults and starts being for everyone.
I'm twice as old as Katniss, the main protagonist, but I can still relate to her. She also makes me feel incredibly wimpy and weak, but you'll have to read the book to understand why. For me, that is great storytelling. The book also almost made me cry on the subway this morning and not many books make me cry.
There is one giveaway that it was written for a younger audience and that is the book is clearly plot-driven; it's always moving ahead and, though we learn about the characters and back stories are woven in to the narrative quite well, it's always getting us from point A to B to C, and on and on. (Although that is something else I enjoy in books; I'm not a fan of books where people have feelings at each other for 400 pages.)
One note of caution: The Hunger Games is book one of a trilogy. If you plan to read it, don't read the jacket copy of either the second or third book, lest you have the story spoiled. I made that mistake.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Up-Down Challenge Weigh-in #16
As promised I weighed myself today and...
192.2 lb - that's a loss of 1.8 lb!
Sure I've been gaining and losing the same couple of pounds for about a month now, but this still feels good.
And I've come to the realization that saving money for every pound lost is not really working, mostly because I want to pay down my student loans and I'm putting all my extra money there. But the other thing is that I feel I need a more immediate reward for losing. So...here's my new thing:
For every two pounds lost, I get a new book.
This is a big deal, as I'm a huge reader and I've got a massive list in my Kobo library of books to buy. The unfortunate thing is that, this week, no book; I've only lost 1.8 lb. But to keep this working for me, I'm going to let my losses be accumulative.
So if I start this amendment of my challenge at 192.2 lb, then once I reach 190.2 lb, I get a book. If it takes me eight weeks to do so, well then it takes me eight weeks. If I gain? Then I have to get back to 192.2 (or less) before I can start counting any loss towards the 2lb requirement.
I'm thinking this will work for me because, man, I love me a book! In the meantime, I'm going to sleep well tonight knowing I'm that much lighter.
Yay!
192.2 lb - that's a loss of 1.8 lb!
Sure I've been gaining and losing the same couple of pounds for about a month now, but this still feels good.
And I've come to the realization that saving money for every pound lost is not really working, mostly because I want to pay down my student loans and I'm putting all my extra money there. But the other thing is that I feel I need a more immediate reward for losing. So...here's my new thing:
For every two pounds lost, I get a new book.
This is a big deal, as I'm a huge reader and I've got a massive list in my Kobo library of books to buy. The unfortunate thing is that, this week, no book; I've only lost 1.8 lb. But to keep this working for me, I'm going to let my losses be accumulative.
So if I start this amendment of my challenge at 192.2 lb, then once I reach 190.2 lb, I get a book. If it takes me eight weeks to do so, well then it takes me eight weeks. If I gain? Then I have to get back to 192.2 (or less) before I can start counting any loss towards the 2lb requirement.
I'm thinking this will work for me because, man, I love me a book! In the meantime, I'm going to sleep well tonight knowing I'm that much lighter.
Yay!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Have a happy Monday with...a good book
When I was a waitress, I used to love Mondays. Monday meant the restaurant was closed and I had one full, glorious day off; I could catch up on sleep, tidy up my apartment, go shopping, read a book, do whatever I wanted. But since my career goals took me away from restaurants and into the 9-to-5 grind, I've come to dislike Mondays as much as anyone.
But this blog isn't about what sucks, it's about being healthy and part of being emotionally healthy (happy healthy) is to find the things in life that make me happy. So to counteract the Monday blues, each week I'm going to post about something that makes me happy. Whether big or small, there are so many wonderful things in my life that make me happy but sometimes I need to slow down and actually focus on those things, which is what I'm going to do here.
For the inaugural Happy Monday, I'm going to start with books. (Surprise, surprise.)
I love reading and I love books. I've read a lot of books, across many genres, my many authors. I have my favourites (Reginald Hill, Terry Pratchett) and I have my must-read lists (Never Let Me Go, V for Vendetta) and I have no problem indulging in a guilty pleasure read every now and then (whatever is offered for free for my Kobo), but every so often I come across a book that stays with me; a book that I didn't want to end, because the story was just so good I wanted it to keep going, forever and ever; a book that I want to read again and again, but don't want to read again because I'm still enjoying it two years later.
The book in question? The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
It's been about two years since I finished it and I think about it constantly. It is a beautifully written story spanning three generations and takes you across Eastern Europe on a hunt for Dracula. Oh, and there's a love story in there too. It's everything Twilight wants to be but is not.* This book is the perfect mash-up of literary and genre fiction and if you haven't yet read it, GO READ IT NOW. RIGHT NOW! GO!
Realizing now how much I still think about this book makes me aware of how happy it made me when I read it and I think it's time to pick it up again, because it makes me so very happy.
*I will respect your right to love Twilight, as long as you respect my right to mock it relentlessly.
But this blog isn't about what sucks, it's about being healthy and part of being emotionally healthy (happy healthy) is to find the things in life that make me happy. So to counteract the Monday blues, each week I'm going to post about something that makes me happy. Whether big or small, there are so many wonderful things in my life that make me happy but sometimes I need to slow down and actually focus on those things, which is what I'm going to do here.
For the inaugural Happy Monday, I'm going to start with books. (Surprise, surprise.)
I love reading and I love books. I've read a lot of books, across many genres, my many authors. I have my favourites (Reginald Hill, Terry Pratchett) and I have my must-read lists (Never Let Me Go, V for Vendetta) and I have no problem indulging in a guilty pleasure read every now and then (whatever is offered for free for my Kobo), but every so often I come across a book that stays with me; a book that I didn't want to end, because the story was just so good I wanted it to keep going, forever and ever; a book that I want to read again and again, but don't want to read again because I'm still enjoying it two years later.
It's been about two years since I finished it and I think about it constantly. It is a beautifully written story spanning three generations and takes you across Eastern Europe on a hunt for Dracula. Oh, and there's a love story in there too. It's everything Twilight wants to be but is not.* This book is the perfect mash-up of literary and genre fiction and if you haven't yet read it, GO READ IT NOW. RIGHT NOW! GO!
Realizing now how much I still think about this book makes me aware of how happy it made me when I read it and I think it's time to pick it up again, because it makes me so very happy.
*I will respect your right to love Twilight, as long as you respect my right to mock it relentlessly.
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