Music, Books, Miles and Looks of June

Whoa - the year is half over!!

Music:

 

Springsteen by Eric Church - A former co-worker (Hi Pat!) suggested that I check out this song as he thought I'd like it - and he was spot on.  I love this song!  I'm not usually a big country person, but as we shift into the season of summer, I tend to listen to more country.  I think this song is great because so many of my memories are linked to music, so I agree with Eric Church that "sometimes a melody sounds like a memory."




100 by Brandi Carlile - I was thrilled that Brandi Carlile released another album last month.  This album has a bit more of a country/bluegrass feel to it, but I love it.  This is one of my favorite songs.  Brandi is so so talented - I really hope I can see her sometime this year!  Seriously, if you get a chance to see her - take advantage of it.  Her and the twins in her band are AMAZING.  Especially in a small venue when they can perform a capella. 

Books:

This was my first study free month!  Woo hoo!  I studied about 4 hours on June 1st, but that was the extent as I took my exam on June 2nd.  Words can not express how happy I am to not have any study hours to add up this month!  With the increase in free time, I read 6 books!!!

The Voluntourist by Ken Budd - You can read my review here.

One Summer by David Baldacchi - This is the first book I have read by this author. It's a fast, mindless read, so makes for a good vacation or beach read. It's a bit predictable, and a little bit unrealistic, but that seems to be the trend for books in this genre.

Saving Ruth by Zoe Fishman - You can read my reviewe here.

The Vow by Kim Carpenter - I wanted to read this before seeing the movies as I prefer to read the book first.  It's a very fast read and can be read in one sitting most likely.  I am sure you've all seen the trailer for the movie, so understand the premise of the book.  It does have a strong Christian message, which makes sense given what this couple went through, but if those sort of books make you uncomfortable/aren't enjoyable, this is not the book for you.

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio - I was excited to read this as I read and loved her first book, Violets of March.  This book did not disappoint.  It's set on the island of Bora Bora during WWII where the main character is serving as a nurse.  If you are looking for a good, fast read, check this out.  She has another book coming out this fall and I've already requested it from my library!

The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay - This was an extremely disappointing book.  Despite the fac that it was set in Paris, I did NOT like it at all and actually gave it 1 star on goodreads.  I can't believe this was written by the same author that wrote the captivating book, Sarah's Key.  The book is set in the 1860s during a time when Baron Haussman and Napoleon III were making huge changes to Paris to make it more accomodating to its growing population.  So, for example, they were widening the street, which required some houses to be torn down.  This book is about a widow whose house is being torn down.  I understand one's attachment to their home, but feel she took it to the extreme.  And besides that, she came off as an incredibly selfish, self-absorbed person.

Miles:

Another strong month for me!  Marathon training kicked off, but my run club was on a 2 week hiatus as they take a break between the spring and summer sessions, but I still got a decent number of miles in.  I ran 96.75 - I was so close to 100!!  Had I known that, I would have fit another run in.  Oh well, I know I will break 100 next month now that I am training hard!

Looks:

This is by far my favorite outfit of the month.  I finally joined the 'bright colored pants' trend, and got some magenta pants!  I got them on sale at Ann Taylor. I have worn bright pants to work in the past and got a lot of snide comments from male co-workers, but no one made fun of them this time - and one random quiet guy even told me he liked the color!