Eligible

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I just loved this book - makes me want to read the other books in The Austen Project now.
I'm not a person who has read all the Jane Austen books but I've seen a few of the movies & more of the adaptions of the stories... so I had a lot of visuals in my head reading this - but loved the Bennet sisters in this & loved they tied in a show similar to The Bachelor to play along with it as well. Always love a Darcy character (though this one, I visualized the Darcy from Pride & Prejudice Zombies - which is surprisingly good actually)
I was actually sad to see this one end & will miss each of the sisters & Mr. & Mrs. Bennet & their own personalities.
A light & fun read with romance & family dynamics. Just a really delightful read to me.

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This version of the Bennet family and Mr. Darcy is one that you have and haven't met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray. 

Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master's degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won't discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane's fortieth birthday fast approaches. 

Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip's friend, neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy, reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . . And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.

Running- Getting Started

Running - Getting Started by Jeff Galloway
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've always been intrigued by the Galloway method & getting back into running, I wanted to check out how his method worked for the beginner.
This is a perfect book for a real beginner in running. With tips on how to do safe runs & things such a diet & equipment. & it starts you out really slow - not like the plans that have you running 3 miles on day 1.
I got this from the library but glad to look through it -it reminded me of a few things that I forgot & I am really going to try & implement his method when I lace back up.

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Running - Getting started will take anyone, at any level of fitness, into the running lifestyle. Jeff Galloway, a US Olympian in 1972, has helped over 150,000 people into running while reducing or eliminating aches, pains, and injuries suffered during most training programs. Jeff offers a step-by-step program that is easy to use and easy to understand. Included will be lots of tips on nutrition, staying motivated, building endurance, shoes, stretching and strengthening, and much more. 

In Bloom

In Bloom: Trading Restless Insecurity for Abiding Confidence by Kayla Aimee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just want to add Kayla Aimee to my list of people that I think I'd be best friends with... which includes Angie Smith, Kelly Ripa & Neil Patrick Harris. What a combo.
I loved Kayla's first book & this one to me was even better. Full of humor & insight into real life & always a point that directs you back to scripture & how God's words can apply to our lives.
I love this even has small group questions included with chapter break up & thinking about using this for my own small group. Totally a book for any lady to pick up just making it through life, dealing with comparisons, struggling on friendships, dealing with day to day issues.


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Every woman is intimately acquainted with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. Whether fueled by a culture of makeover shows, by the lingering memories of mean girls, or by events much more wounding to the soul, we can become so conditioned by self-doubt that it becomes our inner monologue.
What we want is to be free of shame and comparison, to turn our uncertainty into a bold confidence. But to flourish in our own skin, we first have to rewrite the narrative.
In this fearless, funny, and refreshingly relatable chronicle of her own metamorphosis from the insecurity that once held her captive, author Kayla Aimee unfolds the blueprint for women to:
 
• Identify the deep-seated sources of our assumed inadequacy and replace them with steadfast truths of scriptural affirmation
• Replace our need for approval with the enduring promise of acceptance
• Uncover our purpose, unlock our potential, and celebrate the God-given gifts in our unique personality
 
To every woman who longs for belonging, this journey through Kayla’s inviting prose, biblical promises, and journaling prompts will help guide her from restless insecurity to a beautiful becoming.

The Breakdown

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really did enjoy Behind Closed Doors so was anxious to see how I'd like another of B.A. Paris's books. I ended up enjoying this one more than the first one.

I felt like at points, I was loosing MY mind & was so anxious to see how this was going to turn out. & when I did find out, I was surprised. I thought for sure I had it figured out, but nope. It had a little twist I wasn't expecting. That's all the signs of a good book to me.

I am enjoying the suspense & mystery of this author & ready to check out more from them now!

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Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside—the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her… 

When You Reach Me

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one kept me intrigued to find out how it was going to end.
A story on time travel, which I totally dont get into sci-fi books, but this one was just cute & light & mysterious all wrapped up in one.
I think this was written for a younger crowd, but I enjoyed it just as much as any other book.
I really was excited to find out the answer to the 'mystery' & find out if time travel really is possible, & if so, who is this person that is leaving letters about Miranda's future?
Totally a good fast read & would be fun for a family to read together.

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Four mysterious letters change Miranda's world forever. 

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner. 

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper: 

I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. 
I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter. 

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.