Music, Books, Miles, and Looks of July

And just like that, we are turning the calendar to a new page today.  I'm just shy of being 1/3 of the way through my year commitment to Charlotte.  Woo hip.  July went fast, August is going to go even faster.

See also:  I FLY HOME TODAY!!!!!  Yes, ALL CAPS.  

Music:


Safe and Sound by Capital Cities - I love this song.  It has a great beat and is just a feel good kind of song. I think it speaks, in fun/upbeat way, to something we all want - someone to keep us safe and sound.



Islands by Sara Bareilles - This song is too new to have a live performance version as the album came out last month, but this is my favorite song on the album.  It's kind of a sad song, but those are the kind of songs I like best sometimes. 

Books:

It was another strong reading month for me as I read 8 books this month.  Whoa.  Clearly I am still doing A LOT of reading these days!

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett - I learned so much about WWI by reading this book. While it is historical fiction, it is apparently am accurate depiction of the time leading up to the war and the war itself. I really liked all the different characters, even though it was tough to keep them straight initially. It's a lengthy book as the ebook was just shy of 800 pages, but it was worth it. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in this trilogy, which covers WWII.

Indiscretion by Charles Dubow - I really enjoyed this book - you can read my review here.

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen - This book was a light read, but the characters had enough depth to make it interesting and keep it out of what I would describe as the "chick lit" category.  It's about a 29-year old woman who makes a false move at work which sends her career to a crashing halt.  She moves back home where her fraternal twin sister (who is darn near perfect) lives, and tries to put her life back together.  She learns a lot about herself - and her sister - in the process.

My Foreign Cities by Elizabeth Scarboro - This is a NYT "modern love" column turned memoir about a young couple. The husband has cystic fibrosis and it tells the story of their relationship and the challenges they faced fighting CF. It is a major tear jerker but so well written.

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen - This was my first Sarah Dessen book and I loved it! I had shied away from her books as sometimes YA character lack depth, but this was not the case with this book.  The main character, McLean is a senior in high school, dealing with the divorce of her parents. She moves around a lot due to her dad's job and is constantly reinventing herself. There were several passages that I bookmarked that I could completely relate to. Definitely a great read!

Carry On Warrior:  Thoughts on Life Unarmed by Glennon Melton - I loved this book and the message of living a live without armor - which means speaking our truth and showing people how good or not so good our lives really are.  I loved her message about life being brutal and beautiful at the same time. She has a great outlook on life and she definitely has gumption. I will eventually do a post on this book as I have too many thoughts to share in this already lengthy post.

The Last letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes - This book is set during two time periods - the 1960s and around 2003.  I really liked the story of the couple from the 1960s, but the modern day story rubbed me the wrong way.  Both couples had elements of infidelity, but I could sympathize with the couple from the past more than the modern day woman and I just couldn't relate to her plight.  But in the end, I did really enjoy the book and had a hard time putting it down.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen  - I loved the other Dessen book I read this month so much, so I decided to read another one by this author.  I am definitely officially a fan.  I just love her characters and find them easy to relate to, even if they are significantly younger than me. The main character, Macy, is dealing with the aftermath of the sudden passing of her father.  In an attempt to deal with her emotions and the situation she is in, she strives for perfection and ultimately control of everything else in her life...  She finds comfort in routines and plans, which I can relate to as that is definitely a coping skill for me. 

Miles:

Well, I am still not running, obviously.  I am walking a little bit, the most I have done so far is 3 miles.  I am just being very careful as I am completely paranoid I will end up back in the boot.  I haven't felt any pain in my foot yet, but it definitely feels very weak, so I am taking it very easy.

Looks:

Another month, another pair of colored pants!  I bought these mint green ones at Gap at the end of May when they were having a 40% off sale. Hopefully this is the last 'look' I'll ever have to post that includes das boot!

My posting will be sporadic over the next couple of weeks due to my travel schedule. If I find out that I passed the CFA, I will for sure post that day, so if I am radio silent on August 6th, it's bad news...  I hope the month gets off to a great start for everyone!