Music, Books, Miles, and Looks of July

Music:

Best Thing I Never Had by Beyonce:  This song goes out to all the guys I dated and *thought* were perfect for me...  One benefit of aging is that we see relationship for what they were - not for what we wanted them to be.  I wish the men I dated the best in their lives, but I have to say that they all fall into the "best thing I never had" category.  Well said, Beyonce, well said.  But by the way, Beyonce, I know you are proud of your body, but you didn't need to sing the first half of the song in your lingerie.  And I am pretty sure no one wears lingerie like that under their wedding gowns.  I'm just saying.

Been a Long Day by Rosi Golan:  Thanks to Pandora, I discovered this AH-mazing artist.  Her voice is amazing.  For those who watch Brothers & Sisters, you might recognize this song as one of the episodes ended with this song this season.  I'd love to see this artist live.

Knee Deep by Zac Brown Band:  I am not a big country person, but this song screams summer!  It has such a great perfect toe-tapping beat.  The chorus begs for some hand clapping in my opinion.  I bet this band would be fun to see live, too.

Miles:
This was a solid month for me.  I ran 76 miles and biked 46 miles.  I have started to bike twice a week in the hopes that the cross training will help my running!  The great thing about those 76 miles is that they were all purposeful work outs, meaning they were either hills, tempo, or long runs.  Before I joined this running club, I did a lot of what I call "junk miles" where I just went out and ran - which is fine, but not as effective as actually focusing on something during your workout.


Books:

In the Long Run by Jim Axelrod -  This is a running memoir about a CBS News correspondent who decides to try to beat his father's marathon time (of around 3:30) - even though he hasn't really ever been a runner.  While this is a running memoir, it's also full of life lessons that Axelrod learns.  I'd recommend it, especially to any novice runners who are looking for inspiration.  It was emotional to read about the challenges of training as well as his race recap as it brought back memories of my Portland marathon.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - Our blogger book club (which is hosted by The Many Thoughts of a Reader and is open to anyone who is interested) read this book for our July book club.  I thought it was so charming and entertaining.  It's about a retired British Major and the trials and tribulations of living in a small town amidst small-minded people.  Definitely a great read!

Wishing for Snow by Minrose Gwin - I reviewed this book last week (post can be found here).  It's a heavy read and not something I would recommend...

The Last Time I Saw Paris by Elizabeth Adler - This was a light, borderline smutty read but was pretty entertaining.  I did get annoyed with the main character, though.  I read books like this and am reminded why I don't read chick lit anymore.  I don't like how they tend to feature the cowardly woman who won't stand up for themselves...  But besides those annoyances, it was fun to read about her travels through the French countryside!

Style:

My favorite outfit that I wore this month was this one.  Please ignore my still-wet hair.  I like how the neckline sort of drapes and the pattern is soft and feminine.  And I heart white pants, even though they are not super flattering.

A look I am coveting is this one.

I actually bought the shirt and skirt( (I resisted the jacket since I own 17 already).  Unfortunately the skirt & shirt didn't fit (too big) so I am on a mission to return them.  The top is extremely tent-ish.  Like I fear people will think I am hiding a baby bump or something (yes, I am paranoid about people thinking I am pregnant, but that's a whole other post).