Music, Books, Miles, and Looks of December

Music:

 
Blessings by Laura Story - Ok I am not typically a huge fan of contemporary Christian music, but I really love this song.  Unfortunately, I was introduced to this song when I attended the memorial for the baby that my friend lost in the 24th week of her pregnancy, which was a horribly sad experience...  But I thought this was a beautiful song selection.


Little Moments by One Direction - Ok, I feel a bit lame including this in my favorite songs for the month, but I can't help it.  I love this song.  That is all.

Books:

If felt like it was another slower reading month for me, but I did manage to read 4 books, most in the 2nd half of the month.  I also started studying for the CFA (and put in 15 hours in the final days of December) so now I will have to balance that + reading for pleasure + seeing my boyfriend, so 2013 might be a slower reading year for me.  We'll see!  I ended up reading 58 books in 2012, which I am really happy about as it's the most books I have maybe ever read in a year!

We are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg - I enjoyed this book and would give it 3.5 stars if that was an option. It was a fast, engaging read, but the ending felt a little bit abrupt and far fetched which knocked my rating down to a 3 from a 4.

Off Balance:  A Memoir by Dominique Moceanu - Given my level of fascination with Olympic gymnasts, this was a fascinating read for me.  It definitely opened up my eyes to some of the politics that surround the selection of US Gymnasts, and I definitely have completely different view of the Karolyis (and not for the better).  It was an interesting book and is something I'd recommend to others who are obsessed with the sport of gymnastic, like I am.

Cascade by Maryanne O'Hara - I liked this book.  See my review here.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman - This was such a well written and engaging book.  It tells the story of a young couple that struggled to have children and one day finds a baby washed up to shore in a boat.  They decide to keep the baby and raise it as their own as they assume the mother had died.  I won't say any more as it will ruin it for the reader, but the story is so heart breaking and the author did such a great job of capturing the thoughts and emotions of the characters.  The characters were flawed and made mistakes, but they were so likeable at the same time.  Definitely one of the best books I read this year!

Miles:

Meh.  This was another so so month for running for me.  I am in maintenance mode now so I know I need to shift my mileage expectations but it's still kind of depressing to add up the miles and see how little I ran this month.  My total came to 56.  Not horrible, but nothing to write home about.  My total miles for 2012 came to 1,175, though, which I am really happy with!  I came somewhat close to averaging 100 miles/month!


Looks:

This is not the most flattering photo of this top (and I look so tired in the photo), but I really like this wrap top that I got for 50% off at Banana Republic in November.  I ended up also buying it a plum color during an after Christmas clearance sales as it was just too cheap to pass up!

And yellow strikes again!  I also got this sweater for 50% off at Banana Republic (I never pay full price for anything there, seriously).  I am still all about yellow these days!