Thursday, September 1, 2016

Podcast, Books and Looks of August

Oh August. All I have to say to you is - syonara, sucker.  But hello, September! I am SO happy to see you, even if you are starting off with a visit to a pulmonologist (please, God, let him have a solution to this never-ending cough).

Here's how August shaped up for me on the podcast, reading and look fronts!

Podcasts:

The Third Trimester by Starr Struck Radio - The hosts of this show, Mary Catherine and Ben, have been on a break this summer as they were busy preparing for the arrival of their first child. But they posted a surprise bonus episode in August! In May, Ben announced that he won't be continuing on with the podcast which is a huge bummer for me as I absolutely love their banter. Ben reminds me a lot of Phil so it's extra fun for me to listen to these two as their conversations feel really real and authentic and I often think, "that's totally something Phil would say!" If you haven't listened to this show before, I recommend going back to old episodes because they delve into really interesting topics like imposter syndrome, how do you know when you are ready to have kids, and the importance of seeking out therapy/counseling.

Books:

August was a strong reading month for me as I read 7 books. Turns out you have a lot of time to read when you aren't able to exercise/be active on account of feeling like death warmed over. 1 of the books I read (Lonesome Dove) was over 800 pages long, so really it's like I read 8-10 books as that book was about the equivalent of 2-3 books. It was a great reading month for me as I really enjoyed all of these books. My favorite was Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which is about a family's quest to spend a year eating only locally-grown foods. I really need to do a separate blog post on that at some point as that book really made me think.

As usual, I will star the ones that count towards the read harder challenge and bold the ones I own.


Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry* - 4 stars (shout-out to Linda for encouraging me to read this book! It was fantastic!)
It's Okay to Laugh by Nora McIneray Purmort - 4 stars
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner - 4 stars
George by Alex Gino* - 4 stars
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver - 5 stars
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson - 4 stars
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho - 4 stars


Looks:

As usual, the quality of my "looks" photos is pretty craptastic, but it's the best I can do! And surprise, surprise, both photos feature striped outfits!


My first outfit is a dress I bought last summer at Banana Republic. I got the maintenance people in my office to turn the air conditioning vents off around me so now it is not as uncomfortably cold. I actually made it through the whole day without having to put a cardigan on when I wore this short-sleeved dress!  Woo hoo!


Outfit #2 is an outfit that I bought on clearance at J. Crew. The red linen pants are so so comfortable and as a lover of stripes, I had to get the tank top to go with them. It's a pretty nautical look but I love the combo of red, white and blue! I've already gotten a lot of use out of both the top and bottom.

16 comments:

Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap) said...

I really hope that September is a better month for you. Specifically that this cough goes away so you can live a normal life again, ah!

I don't think I knew you were a Starr Struck Radio fan- I absolutely love Mary Catherine and Ben. I go to her yoga class when I'm at the Cape and one time Ben came to class and I was seriously texting Caroline as though an A List celebrity had showed up to class. I'm like... THEY ARE BOTH HERE!!! (actually probably more excited since I don't really care much about actual celebrities ha ha just my podcast ones).

Need to go check out all the books you read this month. Were any of them what you would call light reading? That seems to be all I can handle lately!

Marlys said...

I so love that dress you pictured! Hope you get to wear it for awhile before the bitter cold sets in. I am not ready for winter but do love fall.
With all of your down time, I can see why you had a good reading month!
I hope you get cleared soon to return to running and fall weather is great for that.
Kick that cough for good!

Jeanie said...

If I looked like you I would wear stripes every day! You look fabulous in them and those two looks are both very good!

Linda said...

Hope September is kinda to you. <3

Charbelle said...

you look super adorable!!!! glad they were able to turn off the vents for you!!! I hope you were able to get some answers today!!!

Nora said...

I am all about stripes + solids. Very Cape Cod of you and very much something I would wear (says the girls wearing a striped blazer and Sperry boat shoes today.Ha.)

Nice job on the reading month! I read HP #7 last month and it took up more of my time than usual given the length of the pages. Still so glad I read it, though.

Stephany said...

I am sooooo bummed Ben is leaving the podcast. He's the main reason I listen to it! I love getting his take on things because he's SO not politically correct and he makes me laugh. Oh well. I can understand why he's quitting!

Our office is so cold, too, and it makes wearing a dress annoying because I have to use a blanket for my legs and a jacket for my arms. Woe. :) Glad they turned off your vents!

Carolina John said...

yeeeeeeessssssssss hello September. It's going to be a solid month.

Red solids with black and white stripes? I see a pattern there. But it looks great on you!

Amber said...

I will miss Ben on SSR so much. That was definitely my favourite podcast last year. And I found it late so got to binge listen to the whole first season which was so awesome!

I really want to read Lonesome Dove. I actually LOVE epic novels like that if I can get into them because I feel like you connect with the characters so much in super long books like that and I'm always sad to say goodbye to them by the end of the book which is exactly how I'm feeling about the characters as I near the end of A Little Life right now.

Raquelita said...

I really hope the pulmonologist has an answer for you! Geez! I'm sorry you are still dealing with that cough!

I haven't read Lonesome Dove, but have enjoyed the other McMurtry that I've read.

Such a fan of the red, white, and black combo! You look tres chic!

Gracie said...

You look great in your red, white, and blue - one of my favorite combinations, as well.

katielookingforward said...

stripes are my favorite as well, we play a lot of office games on what the temperature should be adjusted to...personally I'd rather be cold than warm, but I like sweaters and scarves.

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Hmmm, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" - just judging by the title and cover, it seems like something I'd like to read (especially since you gave it 5 stars).

Erin said...

I love how cute you look in your stripes! Both great outfit choices!!!! Please keep me posted on the cough situation (I know you will.) I feel like you have had it forever--and if I feel that way, I can only imagine how YOU feel about it!

I am currently reading Liane Moriarty's newest book- Truly, Madly, Guilty. It is taking me awhile because I'm also stuck doing a lot of school reading and I haven't had the down time like I had during summer. I'm also not as "in" to it as other books I've read of hers where I didn't want to point them down!

I have not listed to Starr Struck Radio but I'm adding it to my list. I like to listen to podcasts when I'm working the kitchen!

Lauren @ Sassy Molassy said...

That striped dress is really cute on you. Oh I do not miss the AC blasting office days. Brrrr... During the summer it felt like you were switching seasons going from inside to outside and vice versa. I just started Still Alice and am enjoying it so far!

Abby said...

Your August outfits are amazing! Love you in that dress!

I miss podcasts!! I loved star struck radio! So much. Neat to hear they are having a baby. I loved their episode about whether or not to have children. I made Ryan listen to it lol.