books I’ve read this year, my beloved gym routine, and exciting news…
weekly recap .08
Hey, stranger.
I’ve read 33 books this year, which is probably the most I’ve read since I was probably 14 or 15. Go me! I have to admit that this is also probably the most diverse spread of books I’ve read in a year. Not that reading one genre is in any way bad, but I made it a point this year to read a wide range of topics, genres, and authors so that my brain got some variety. I track everything I read on Goodreads if you want to do a deep dive, but here are the books I’ve read so far, and what I’m currently reading:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
God Bless you, Dr. Kevorkian by Kurt Vonnegut
A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
Childhood / Youth / Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen
Franny and Zooey by J. D Salinger
Alone With You in the Ether by Olive Blake
Essays by Wallace Shawn
The Complete Poems by Emily Dickinson
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion
The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo
The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson
Still Writing by Dani Shapiro
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Last Summer In the City by Gianfranco Calligarich
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Curtain by Agatha Christie
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
The Peculiarities by David Liss
Murder at the Castle by M. B Shaw
Love, Loss and What I Wore by Nora Ephron
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalo
Good Omens by Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Currently I’m reading The Boys in the Boat by Daniel Brown, Pity the Reader by Kurt Vonnegut, and Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I’ve realized that reading a myriad of books at once is easier for me, especially if I have non fiction in the rotation. That does mean sometimes it takes me over 5 months from when I’ve started a book to when I finish, but there’s no shame in that. Overall, my philosophy when it comes to reading is to read what’s interesting and put it on the back burner when it’s not. Same as ever.
I’m throwing a holiday party (or, will have thrown one at the time this comes out) this weekend and I have not chosen an outfit yet, which is of dire importance. I’ve been receiving texts from my friends that they also don’t know what to wear so I guess I’m not alone. This is the fun part, though, and honestly I’m looking forward to seeing my friends all in one place. Also I love holiday cocktail fits, sue me. Crossover episodes like this, aka having friends from different circles interact, has always been so fun for me. I love when my friends know each other, and I love when they become friends on their own. My case of the winter blues has not been shaken, unfortunately, and I cannot muster the energy to be social or do much of anything other than go to work, gym, and read. I am sad, guys. And I really want to not be sad anymore. That being said, I’m really looking forward to hosting and am just hoping that it all goes smoothly.
edit: it is 01:24am on Sunday (the day this goes out!) and I am happy to report that the party was a blast and I am feeling all sorts of love towards my friends. Eternally grateful for the people in my life.
In happy news, I’ve really been enjoying the gym lately. Over the summer I was very much doing the bare minimum and viewing my gym sessions as items on my to-do list because I know it keeps me sane. But now I’m into it again, and have been adding some diversity to my routine. I’ve been running, not much but at least once a week, and still doing my 12-3-30 every day, jump roping, lifting a bit more, and sometimes I’ll even bike. 12-3-30 is kind of a funny one for me, but I swear by it. It’s so good for my cardiovascular fitness, and it’s mindless, which is why I’m able to do it 6 days a week. Sometimes a 30 minute workout is all I have time for, and that’s fine. I’m a true believer in getting into the gym however works for you, it doesn’t really matter what it is unless you have specific goals. And my goals for the last year have been to improve on and maintain my heart health. That’s it. Anyway, I don’t want to preach gym culture, but working out has been a part of my life for about 8 years and I enjoy watching the evolution of it over time. Also, gym fits are so fun.
Almost forgot the best news of all… I have a new job! I start in a week and a half at the cutest bakery in Montlake, which is amazing for a few reasons. The first being that I hate my current job, so naturally I’m excited to leave. Second, the bakery itself is so cute and the food is amazing. I’ll be working in the kitchen which is going to satisfy all of my dreams of being Anthony Bourdain. Lastly, it will provide some much needed change for me. I can attribute a lot of my angst to not being able to find a career job, and even though the bakery will (hopefully) be short term, I’m excited to meet new coworkers and have a new routine. Unfortunately, however, I have come down will a stress-induced cold today (Friday) and am feeling apprehensive about my training schedule for the bakery, which is every day from next Tuesday to the following Tuesday. I know this is part of getting a new job so I expected it, but new routines always include an adjustment period, and I’m just kind of dreading it. So it goes.
Anyway. I hope you’re having a good week wherever you are. Thank you for reading as always.
xoxo,
ev