Month: November 2022

October and November 2022 Books in Review

Since it is November 27 when I am sitting down to put together my October books in review it seems logical to combine October and November into one post. October was a super busy “life” month which translated to a super slow reading month. Granted I ran a marathon and had a major event at work, but I only read three books. I got really close to finishing a fourth but I just didn’t make it. I should note one of the three books that I read was 688 pages, so that should really count for at least two to two and a half books. In November I more than made up for my “slow” reading October. I love finding some extra time to read!

Eight Hundred Grapes, by Laura Dave (September 27-October 2)

Dave became one of those authors that I wanted to read her “backlist” of books. While this was a good book, it fell short of great and wasn’t my favorite by Dave. I gave it a solid 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. This book did inspire me to want to visit wine country.

The Winners, by Fredrik Backman (October 2-October 23)

I have been waiting and waiting for the final book in the Beartown series from Backman. His books are nothing short of amazing and The Winners did not disappoint. While it was 688 pages long and it took me the better part of the month to read…life got in the way. Backman has this amazing way to pull at your emotions in ways you didn’t think possible by a book. I finished this one when the boys were out, so they missed my full on ugly crying. Another 5 stars for Backman!

It Starts with Us, by Colleen Hoover (October 23-October 24)

Colleen Hoover has the amazing ability to write a book that must be read in basically a day. It Ends with Us, the prequel to It Starts with Us, was an emotional tear jerker for sure and I couldn’t wait to read the next chapter in Atlas and Lily’s lives. The much anticipated sequel was again full of raw emotion, but some unanticipated twists and turns along the way. Another 5 star Colleen Hoover rating!

The Ex Hex, by Erin Sterling (October 24-November 1)

Not once in a 1000 years did I think I would be reading a book about witches. Witches?? Erin Sterling is really Rachel Hawkins. She writes under a pen name?! Who knew. I love her other books and I was intrigued by the synopsis of a Halloween themed, romance books. I’m so glad that I gave it a try!! This was a fun, light read especially for Halloween week. I highly recommend giving this one a read!

The Kiss Curse, by Erin Sterling (November 10-November 11)

Two witch- romance books in one month? But of course. The reason I learned about The Ex Hex was because this new book The Kiss Curse was coming out and I picked them both up from Book of the Month. This is the beauty of Book of the Month, getting introduced to new books, new authors and thinking outside the box with the books that I select. I devoured The Kiss Curse in just about a day, so it’s fair to say that it was a quick and fun read. Thank you Erin Sterling for giving me two fall favorites!!

The Family Game, by Catherine Steadman (November 11-November 18)

After two witch themed romance books I thought I would go back to my wheelhouse of thriller/mystery genre books. This was my 24th Book of the Month book on the year. It was intense. It was interesting. But, I would say that it was just good, not great. I’m not disappointed that I read it, but I won’t necessarily seek out other books by Steadman when I already have so many on my TBR list.

Desert Star, by Michael Connelly (November 20-November 23)

Michael Connelly is one of my must read authors. I’ve read all of his books. Bosch and Ballard are two of my favorite characters and I had my calendar marked for when this book was released. I made the mistake of starting it the week of Thanksgiving. I got completely sucked into the book and found myself preparing Thanksgiving dinner and unable to put the book down. Another gem by Connelly. A who done it, with political spins and a tug on heartstrings. 5 stars, must read!

In a New York Minute, by Kate Spencer (November 25-November 25)

After an intense and emotional read with Desert Star, I needed a feel good romance book and In a New York Minute did not disappoint. The Friday after Thanksgiving was basically my recovery from the crazy week day and I plowed through this book. It left me smiling. This sat for my TBR shelf for way too long. I wish I had read it sooner, but so glad I finally read it.

Something Wilder, by Christina Lauren (November 26-November 30)

I’ve been working to get through some of my “older” TBR books. Something Wilder is one of those books. The dynamic duo of Christina and Lauren combined a little mystery with a romantic book. It’s a winning combination. I promptly went and ordered some additional Christina Lauren books for winter break. Stay tuned because you’ll hear more from me about their books in the coming weeks.

Wait a second, you ran a half marathon?

That was the response I got from more than one person after running the Rocky Run in Philadelphia, November 12. Oh, just a little half marathon?! I literally hadn’t said much about it and quite honestly wasn’t even sure I was going to run. Following the Chicago Marathon I was exhausted. While my body felt well enough to run, I was super busy at work and filled in my mornings with extra work rather than running. Not to mention, I just really didn’t feel like running…at all. So from October 9, the Chicago Marathon and November 12 the Rocky Run I ran a total of 19 miles. 19. Eek. While I was seriously wondering how I was going to run 13.1 miles after basically not training, I wasn’t alone. In the car on our way up to Philly my nine year old who doesn’t miss a thing, asked me how exactly I thought I was going to run a half marathon after not running so much for the last month. Very good question, son- very good question!!

Truth be told if our friends weren’t also heading to Philly I would have totally bailed on the race. However, I’m glad that we kept our plans as scheduled. I should note it wasn’t a typical half marathon. It was, what I’m convinced my dad would have called a half marathon the hard way. A 5k followed by a short break and then 10 miles. My plan was to take it easy on the 5k so as to not use up too much energy before the 10 miles. But, it was too hard not to race the 5k. I haven’t run a 5k in years. I still kept it somewhat under control, but certainly went out harder than I had intended. I ran the 5k in 26:00. Not a PR, but certainly not “slow.” After a fifteen minute or so break it was time to start the 10 miler. I should note that it was unseasonably warm in Philadelphia for November. It was practically 70 degrees with 80% humidity. Who would have thought?? Far from ideal race conditions as far as my body is concerned.

Over the years I’ve learned to pay more attention to my heart rate. I have breathing tricks to help regulate it when I know it’s higher than I would like. Nothing was doing the trick during the 10 miler. My heart rate was high and even my tricks weren’t really bringing it down. It would be at a time when you are worried about not feeling 100% that you realize the medical personnel were few and far between along the course. The course itself was relatively flat and enjoyable. But there was little to no crowd support so it was a touch boring. So glad I brought my headphones and I enjoyed music along the way.

I literally had no expectations going into the race. The plan was to finish and have an enjoyable day exploring Philly with our friends. And alas that’s exactly what I did. I still managed a sub two hour half- 1:57:12. My 5k clearly being the faster portion of my race, but the 10 miles still at a respectable pace. We all know I’m all about the stats. How did things shake out??

In the 5K there were 5823 runners. I placed 643rd. Not too shabby. There were 2874 female runners. I placed 122nd. In my age group of 40-44 there were 389 runners and I placed 15th. Well that was better than expected. In the 10 mile there were 3217 and I placed 751st. There were 1427 women runners and I placed 215. In my age group there were 188 and I was 26th. So overall a nice showing. How about for the combined effort?? There were a total of 2008 who thought it would be a good idea to run a half marathon in two races. Of those 2008 I came in 421st. There were 806 women and I was 85th. Finally, in my age category there were 128 and I came in 12th. Considering I have only been running for less than 4 years and I ran a marathon just last month. I’ll take those numbers. More importantly I finished strong and felt well enough to enjoy exploring the city following the race.

So what’s next…well for the first time in several years I have no races scheduled. None. Zero. I’m not sure what my running plan is going to be. Running and I might need a break…just for a bit…in the back of my mind is the idea of running Boston for the Alzheimer’s Association in April of 2024. There is something about the feeling of crossing the finish line in a race that I will certainly miss. So I don’t think I’m totally done with racing. I think I’ve just hit the pause button. I welcomed a Peloton bike into my fitness life this month and I think I’ll be spinning and lifting…lifting and spinning. I haven’t lifted consistently since April…eek! Remember when I said was going to be better about that, well apparently I was not. I’m doubling down on lifting and spinning for the foreseeable future and then I’ll see where running and I shake out in the Spring. I want to wake up excited to run and I haven’t felt that way for a while. I look forward to finding that spark again. Until then you can find me @runreadridemom over on Peloton spinning until my heart is content.