Music, Books, Miles, and Looks of August

Music:



Felt Good on My Lips by Tim McGraw - Yep, I am still on a summer country kick!  I love this song!  I bet it's awesome to see him perform this live.  I adore Tim McGraw and have such a crush on him.

Books:

I read a lot of books in August!!  

The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares -  I actually did not like this book when I first started it, but ended up loving it.  It tells the story of a sort-of love triangle between 2 sisters and their childhood friend, Paul.  I think Brashares is such a great writer.  One of my favorite lines from the book was, "You could spend the rest of your life longing for a single idealized moment that may not have even happened."  That quote resonates with me as I have definitely romanticized certain times from my past.

Looking for Alaska by John Green - Another great book by John Green. Having loved the book, "The Fault in Our Stars," I thought there was a good chance this book might fall short of my expectations. It did not. Green is a brilliant writer! It's classified as young adult, but I think it transcends that genre and deserves a league of its own, honestly.  

All Over the Map by Laura Fraser - This is the sequel to the book, "An Italian Affair," which I read and loved in the my 20s.  I enjoyed this book, but didn't LOVE it and it's not something I'd really recommend to others.  In this sequel, Fraser is trying to reconcile the fact that she is 40, single, and childless.  I can relate to the fact that her life is turning out differently than she imagined, and some of her thoughts mirror mine, like when she says, "... I am losing the threads of my story that have to do with disappointment, with regret, with difficulties with men.  I am happy for the wonderful men I have in my life, would be happy for a new love, and am happy either way."  But there were also many passages where I just couldn't relate to her, like when she stays in relationships where she seems to be settling.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed - I had a hard time writing my goodreads review for this book.  On one hand, I love reading about Strayed's experiences hiking over 1,100 miles of the Pacific Coast Trail.  On the other hand, it was painful to read about some of the decision she had made, such a using drugs and (repeatedly) cheating on her husband.  I sypathize with the fact that her rough childhood and the experience of losing her mom at a young age were the catalyst for some of those decisions, but it was still difficult to read...  That said, I would still recommend this book!

Bloom by Kelle Hampton - I requested this book from the library after seeing it mentioned on several blogs that I read.  It was such a great book. In this book Hampton shares the experience of unexpectedly finding out her daughter has Down Syndrome when she is born.  It's heart breaking and uplifting at the same time and is beautifully written.  It also includes many adorable pictures of Hampton's family.

Paris in Love by Eloisa James - This is memoir about an American family that moves to Paris for a year.  It's not something I would widely recommend but it was a good book that provided a 'Paris fix' for me (which is something I seem to need on a monthly basis!).  Each chapter included snippets that she has shared on twitter and FB, which initially gave the book a bit of a disjointed feel, but  grew on me by the end.

Miles:

It was another strong running month, which included my first (of 3) 20 mile runs!  Eeks, hitting that point makes the marathon seem so much more real.  I ran a total of 163.25 - I am not sure, but that might be my highest mileage month ever!!  I continue to feel really strong on my runs, which I think is due to the fact that I came in with a really strong base.

Looks:

This is my favorite casualish look of the month.  Of course it involves stripes.  Just call me the ambassador of stripes!! I got this dress half off at Gap.  When I bought this dress, the (gay) sales associate told me I will meet my husband wearing this dress (he saw me try it on).  Ha.  I think it will be a great fall dress as I can pair it with tights and boots.  I am pretty sure this will be my Julia Child night outfit!

This is my favorite "professional" look for the month.  I had a 50% coupon for Banana Republic so decided to buy some staple items for my fall wardrobe.  I will be traveling so much, I know I will need more of these type of outfits, so I am glad I got some on sale.