Girlboss (book review)

  On my journey to read 50 books for the year I want to pause and tell you how much I appreciated #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso!  She is the founder and CEO of NastyGal. Nasty Gal really meant nothing to me before (I hope I'm not the only one) I read the book but, while reading it and hearing the story of how it was born I had to check it out.

    I picked up this book due to the popularity around it (Instagram). After waiting a few weeks on the wait list at my library it was mine.  It is an easy read and I finished it in a day! Easy to finish in one day (if you didn't have my kids, have to cook, be responsible for long periods of time).

  The book is broken down into 11 chapters ranging from how she began, to how she survived to owning her individuality.  She provides her perspective!

Now that you mention it.  I bet money does look better on the bank but, to confirm that I'm going to have to try it first! Is it a certain amount or any amount?

Take care of your business. Don't worry about what someone else is doing.  Sophia says, "Fight for your idea.  Take the spirit with you to whatever job you're doing!" P.S. I like this quote she has from Abraham Lincoln (even though after research I couldn't confirm it).  The thought of the word hustle beginning back then makes me laugh.

I know we could look up motivational quotes online but, it's just better to find them randomly and appropriately placed in this book.  The make just as much as an impact as her encouraging words.

If I owned this book I would have highlighted many passages (there is a workbook though).  I have no desire to be an entrepreneur or run a company in any capacity but, I am walking away from this book feeling better having read it.  

I haven't gotten a chance to watch the series on Netflix yet (as suggested) but, I will.  It would be nice to see the lady behind the book.  I would actually go to stand in line for a meet and greet!

Do you believe in magic? 

Week 5 Goals

  I may not do a lot on Sundays but, I set time aside to set my goals for the week.  Last week I did pretty good in the fitness department having attended 6 different classes but missed the goal of 50 miles.  I will not be to hard on myself as I stayed active and discovered some great classes.

This week I would still like to shot for that 50 miles because with a little bit better planning on my part it can get done.

I can cycle 12 miles in 35 minutes so with a combination of other cardio or just 5 days of cycling I can do 50 miles! I can't get miles from swimming but enjoy that and rowing machine just requires me to calculate meters.  It is possible but I need to be focused.

I want to start focusing on setting that time aside to read.  I want to be done with book 3 that I'm still on and done with 4 this week.  So that I can at least start book 5 on week 5!

I did make fudge last week but would like to make a snack.  Something for everyone to munch on during the week.

  I wasn't planning meal prep this week but, I did pick up some spinach so I will plan on salads this week.

So we have:
1. Fitness
2. Book
3. Snack
4. Meal prep
5. I'll clean......the oven. Uggg!

Alright  I'm going to stop there. You know I like 5 things for 5 days!   Good luck with your new week.  I hope your goals are reasonable and you don't become overwhelmed with them and not enjoy life.

Have a good week!

Marlena book review

  My second finished book of the year was a random book selected from the shelf.  I state this because my yearly books will be made up of random books, books suggested to me and book club selections.

  I read 40 books last year based on challenging myself to read more.  This year I have challenged myself to read 50! 

  Marlena by Julie Buntin is a fiction novel.  The story revolves around 2 families of 2 teenage girls.  Both girls live on the same property and are friends based on proximity and income.  One is only slightly better off then the other.  Both girls missing a parent in their life but the similarities end there.

  One girl Catherine whom is enchanted with the older and more rugged Marlena form a unbreakable bond that gets them  feeding danger together.  School becomes unimportant.  Trips to vacant hotels, church tunnels and doghouses are just part of the day.  Eventually too much school skipping is found out all because of a spontaneous pizza lunch. 

  The teens indulge in drugs and alcohol.  Catherine is concerned with her friend but, still follows the bad behavior of her friend.  The setting in a rural  town with minimal entertainment other then finding trouble makes the drug abuse seem almost expected. 

  This book gives you a glimpse of teens and drugs.  Misguided teens, unsupervised teens.  It's kind of a sad story when you read about the drug abuse and how it's obtained, made and sold to other teens. 

  There is tragedy and more tragedy and as much as I would like to state comedy I can't think of one spot.  You don't know where the book is going to take you from start to finish; so you have to read it to the end.


  It was a good book.  The plot was easy to follow.  There was a point to the whole book.  All in want from my books is to not get me lost.  It ends not the way you expect.  The two girls do part ways and you don't expect that from bestfriends either. 

  Now I will end with that I have not spoiled the book if you choose to pick it up!  I'm off to read book number 3!
 

Week 3 Goals

  Let's just start with goals today and follow it up with motivation tomorrow. 

  This week:

        I want to be on book number 3!

                     Try a new recipe!

                      15 miles of cardio. 

 Prep and plan future blog posts

                          Paint my nails!

  I specifically picked 5 because maybe one per day will not be overwhelming.  I can choose to end my week with a little pampering and get my nails done.

  Don't forget when you plan your week to do something for yourself too! Working hard deserves a reward.

Big Little Lies (book review)

  I just finished my 5th book of the year.  It was Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.  This was the second book of hers that I have read.  She has a knack for storytelling.  She has a special way of giving you a little bit and pulls you through the majority of a book with just little bits until you get to the peak of the story.

  I find this tactic very challenging.  It makes reading a book very hard for me.  I desperately hold on trying to get to who, what, where and when.  In both books it was worth the wait but it was a challenge to get past nonetheless.

  The story circles around 3 women with different lifestyles, backgrounds and relationships.  There's Jane the single mom new to the posh area looking for new beginnings and future lazy beach days. Madeline someone can appreciate hard work and education.  A mom remarried and finding balance with your ex husband and his new family at your child's school.  Lastly Celeste whom is the lady everyone wants to be.  Wakes up perfect everyday, has the best house husband and a set of twins.

  The story is filled with a swarm of kindergarten moms who actually behave worse then their kids.  Who said their weren't clicks as an adult?  These ladies support each other, encourage each other and backstab and murder for each other.

  Overall I liked the book and would say it was a nice read but I hated the drawn out process.  I just wanted to get to the point.  The author has a fun dialogue with other characters in the book and once I caught on I could see how the book was going to continue so expectations were controlled but I would have like more information prior to the climax of the story.

  Have you read this book?  Did you enjoy it?

Book Club New Book Reveal

  So I stepped out of my box my introvert box, my warm and cozy anti-social box and joined a book club.  So far we have read 2 books for the end of last year and we are currently on our 2nd for this year.  My 1st book of the year with the club ended up in a cancelled meetup because of the weather so we are going to catch up on two books at the Feb meeting.

  This month we are reading The Goldfinch.

The Goldfinch is written by Donna Tartt.  A fiction, a #1 national bestseller, winner of Pulitzer Prize and from what I have been told a book that's been on a few people's must read lists!

  Lucky me, as I hadn't heard of the book before.  That's one perk of this book club.  I'm reading books I would have never selected, generes I have never read from and authors I didn't know.

This book when I picked it up intimidated me.  It's the biggest book I have ever had in my hands.  962 pages!!  I didn't think that I could even read say anything about understand and follow a plot of something so long.

I walked out of the library with the audio version to possibly help me along.  That has over 20 cd's so I have to pick my battles.  Bound and determined to finish this book I have broke it down into sections and hope to be done by the weekend.

So far I like the book and at page 350 I think I can say that with confidence.  I still know what happened in the beginning and look forward to completing this book.

After all my hard work at the completion of this reading I will be posting a review but until then.  

  What's the longest book you ever read?  Was it worth it in the end?  How did you find time to read all of it?