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Friday, January 27, 2017

My Friday Five

1.  Gym. One month down.  Yes, I have stuck it out and feel proud of myself.  I feel great after I work out and that's such a good feeling to have.  Plus, I've noticed that my anxiety has lessened somewhat. Talk about win-win.

2.  Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout.  I am still reading this book and falling more in love with it after each short story I read.  I only have two more left and already I am feeling sad about the book ending.  I just finished reading about Lucy and her two siblings - the story is titled, Sister.  She'll be in Chicago and lets her brother Pete know that she wants to visit him.  He's excited, but nervous.  He's let his house (their childhood home) fall to pieces.  It is filled with dust and dirt.  So, he cleans, cleans, cleans.  He even buys a new rug.  And on the day she is to visit, he sits waiting for her.  When she arrives, he is so happy to see her.  They sit and talk.  Pete can't believe how little his sister looks and how comfortable she seems to feel in his home.  He hates how dirty his house still looks even after he cleaned it.  You can feel his anxiety and excitement at the same time.  And then their sister, Vickie, shows up.  The dynamic quickly shifts and the scene grows tense.  Vickie is mad at Lucy for leaving and never coming back.  She thinks Lucy feels as if she's better than them.  The three start talking about their childhood and how horrible it was.  They share stories about their mother who made them eat food from the toilet and who cut their clothes up when she saw them crying.  Lucy freaks out.  She gets them to drive her back to Chicago.  Vickie realizes that Lucy can't handle the memories from their childhood.  She can't bear to be back home.  Its just too much for her.  Reading about Lucy, Pete, and Vickie was just heartbreaking.  The fact that Pete wants so badly to tell things to his sisters, but can't get the words out just kills me.  The fact that it has taken so many years for them to talk about their memories with each other is just so sad.  And the fact that they never realized how much their childhood affected them all, just wrecks me.  This story is why I love to read so much.

3.  Ladies of London.  I am addicted and I love it.  Such a great show! I love seeing London.  I love watching these ladies over-dramatize everything in their lives - it is simply the best!  This last episode, I was cracking up watching Juliet's daughter imitating her.  Georgie grabbed her mum's handbag and sunnies and walks around declaring, "I'm Juliet Angus and I'm going to see my friend Caroline Stanbury" in the cutest British accent.  She was the perfect mini-Juliet.  I'm not getting why everyone seems to be anti-Juliet this season.  She's one of my favorites.  Unlike Marissa, who seems to be getting worse and worse.  Actually, Julie is the worst.  All she ever does is complain that Caroline is jealous of her.  Ever since she took over Mapperton, she has grown a head as big as the estate.  Its crazy!  And I love it!

4.  #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks.  Why is it so hard to do?  I am really trying to stick to reading books that I already own.  And yet, I have already purchased 5 books this year.  I bought:
Oh, and I also received two books from Book Of The Month:
Plus, all of the ARCs I received in the post or through NetGalley and Edelweiss. Ack! Talk about book overload.  Of course, I'm loving all of these new-to-me books.  The only problem I'm finding is figuring out what to read first.

5.  Tracy Chapman.  Why did I stop listening to her music?  I swear, ever since I went through my old CDs last week (when I was looking for music to listen to at the gym), I have been listening to old favorites all week.  This time it was Tracy Chapman.  Talk about an incredible voice.  Love it!!

And now, I'm off to watch an episode of Grimm.  Juliet still can't remember Nick and its really getting on my nerves.  I'm just glad that Hank knows about grimms and wesen - finally!!

Happy reading!!

10 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I've you've stuck to the gym for a month, I'd say it's a habit now. Keep up the good work!

Nadia said...

Kathy, thank you! That's what I'm thinking - one month equals a habit :)

Ti said...

Most of the books I read are ones I own or library books I borrow. I rarely buy books but I am a sucker for certain covers. And yes, the one's I buy with beautiful covers end up not read. What is up with that?

Nadia said...

Ti, I know what you mean. Beautiful covers are just too good to resist :) I never go to the library, but probably should considering I want to buy all the books - LOL! I am trying to read the ones I already own, since I own so many unread ones. There are certain books I plan on buying this year, but other than those I am going to try and resist the temptation.

Lark said...

Congrats on making it to the gym for the entire month! I'm impressed. I keep making half-hearted attempts at working out more, then blaming it on the cold weather when I don't. :)
And it's hard to stop buying new books. There should be a 12-step program for book addicts. But I'd probably only go if they held it in a bookstore and I could browse after the meeting. :D

Nadia said...

Lark, thank you :) If we had cold weather here in South FL, I would definitely blame it, too - LOL! A 12-step program sounds like just what we need to stop us bookworms from going overboard when it comes to buying books :) Me, too - LOL!

Brandie said...

You should be proud - great job Nadia!!! I'm glad it's making you feel better and I know how motivating that is!

Nadia said...

Brandie, thank you!! I really appreciate your encouragement :)

Lisa said...

Yeah, I was planning on reading my own damn books this year, too. Then I added twelve books from Netgalley and those have to be read sooner rather than later. Maybe in March I'll get back to it. Good for you keeping up at the gym! So much of it is just getting yourself into the habit and getting yourself out of the mindset that you don't have time.

Nadia said...

Lisa, I know what you mean. New books are just too tempting to forgo. Thanks! The gym is rough, but I'm starting to enjoy the routine and working out. Exactly! Its all in my head - making too many excuses. A bad habit that needed breaking ASAP.