Here are my goals for round two!

I've got two physical goals, two mental health goals (yoga counts for both physical AND mental!), one food goal, and -- of course! -- my book goal. (Finishing the tagged novella will be my first goal met.)

Looking forward to doing this with my team, as well as all the other Littens making books and health a priority. 💪

#BFCR2 #bookfitnesschallenge #TeamFitLit

While I was cooking my weekly home made meal for #BookFitnessChallenge, I didn‘t listen to an audiobook, but I DID listen to the GET BOOKED podcast, which put the tagged book on my TBR. Has anyone read it? 😄

This recipe is Cold Pork Noodles with Cucumber and Peanuts from the NYT. I tried to copy the link, but it kept opening in my NYT Cooking app, lol. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#BFC

I finished my third (of six) audiobook for #BookFitnessChallenge this weekend while driving home from a family reunion in DC! I got some steps in (even with the six hour drive) by walking around each rest area I came across. These photos are from the WV Welcome Center on I-64W. 😍 #BFC
I love Alyssa Mastromonaco, although this one didn‘t connect with me as well as her first one did. It just felt a bit disjointed, although I love her stories!

This book was absurd in the best possible way. I tried to read it twice before getting the audiobook from Libby - that was DEFINITELY the way to go for me. I didn‘t get as caught up in the words and was able to appreciate the feel of the book - a weird, crazy romp from London to the edge of the galaxy, with descriptions of alien biology, home worlds, and artistic proclivities spelled out in funktastic descriptions. My 2nd audiobook for #BFC.🤘🏻

My plans for the long holiday weekend — books, tea, sleep, and enjoying my back patio! Oh, and getting my steps in for the #bookfitnesschallenge, of course! 😄
My hands are still a little sore from all the brickwork we did on the patio, so I chose small paperbacks and my Kindle. On the Kindle, I have the tagged book, MIDDLEGAME by Seanan McGuire, and DREAD NATION by Justina Ireland. 😍

After the crazy work on my patio over the past two days, I claimed today as a #BFC rest day. 😊
I hit my upped goal of 6,500 steps/day 5 out of 7 days this week — I missed it today and a day when I spent 7 hours in the car. 🚙
I‘ve read 6/6 books since the #BookFitnessChallenge started, but I was really aiming for 6 audiobooks, of which I‘ve finished 1. 📚

Yesterday was a big project y‘all. 🥵 Fortunately it was in the 70‘s and not the 90‘s like it was today!
It was all worth it though — the “after” is my new morning reading spot! ☕️📚😌 (And evening, honestly, once the sun goes down and if the bugs aren‘t bad. 🍺📚😂)
#BookFitnessChallenge #BFC

I met my (simple) goals every day this week, so I‘m kicking it up a notch! Next week, I‘m aiming for 6,500 steps/day and one home-cooked meal/week. (The photo behind my check in is a caprese salad made with basil from my little herb garden!) 🙌🏻
I can‘t believe I only finished one book this week, lol, but it‘s because I‘m reading three things concurrently at the moment. 🤷🏻‍♀️

More audio-weeding with this delightful audiobook for #BookFitnessChallenge. I still had to walk a lap around the neighborhood to get the steps in at the end of the day — working from home just doesn‘t get me there! 🤷🏻‍♀️
#BFC

Rewarding myself for another day of reaching my step goals for #BookFitnessChallenge with a bubble bath, hot tea, chocolate dipped date, and this book, one of my last #2019HugoFinalists novellas I need to read. 😄🙌🏻☕️
#BFC

Finished my first book of the #BookFitnessChallenge!
I‘m loving this series. It‘s been on my bookshelf for years (😬); I don‘t know why it took me so long to read them.

Still listening to Veronica Speedwell work herself into a pickle when actually walking, but finished CRESS right before hitting play on tonight‘s GoT. 😄

(Had to walk a lap and a half today to make my steps because assisting with a yoga class doesn‘t get me enough. #BFC)

For the second day of my #BookFitnessChallenge, I started the latest book in the Veronica Speedwell series (FANTASTIC on audiobook) while weeding my flowerbeds. I haven‘t had to walk around my neighborhood to meet my step goals on either of the first two days! 🙌🏻
#BFC

I've seen a lot of people sign up for this so I'm going to give it a try too!
My goals are 6 books and 6,000 steps/day over the next 6 weeks. 😄
(I work from home, so even 6,000 steps a day is a challenge if I don't make myself intentionally walk!) I'm hoping this will also help me clear a backlog of Audible books since I haven't been traveling as much for work in the off-election year. I never thought I would say that I miss being in the car! 😆

#2019HugoFinalists: Only the 1st book was nominated, but I had to go right into the 2nd one; now I‘m looking forward to books #3 (coming in 2020) and #4 (2022).
These books mix a post apocalyptic world (meteorite) with an alternate history timeline (opens in the 1950s with President Dewey) and how that era‘s racial issues would have translated into a world where the space program was “international” but people were still terrible.
🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀/5

Haven‘t done one of these in a hot minute, but love reading everyone else‘s so — here‘s to being a participant vs. a creeper! 😂
1. Tagged; it‘s the first book for a new book club I just started with some female friends from the state Capitol.
2. Yoga Teacher Training info session (sharing my experience) and Experiential Anatomy homework (for my current YTT program).
3. Yup!
4. Depends on the genre. 🤔
5. Will do! ❤️
#friyayintro

This was a tough one for me. Not because of the subject matter necessarily, but because I realized early on that these events were going on when I was old enough to have been paying attention but I didn‘t. 😔 This realization was made worse by the fact that I read this book the evening after the Notre Dame Fire, when its destruction was everywhere on social media, yet the cultural devastation of the Syrian War has made barely a blip. 😭 cont.👇🏻

Reading my way through the Hugo Award shortlist, starting with the Novelettes. This cover is awesome (even cooler in color) and the story itself was such a great, twisted alternate history. 🐘💚
http://www.thehugoawards.org/2019/04/2019-hugo-award-1944-retro-hugo-award-final...

So happy to be back out on my porch on a gorgeous, sunny day reading this vibrant book — a story inspired by events in the life of Margaret Mead. The writing is just as beautiful as the cover! (Note: I found the receipt in the book from when I originally bought it — it‘s only been sitting on my shelves for 4 years...🤪)

None of the books I‘ve picked up this week have caught my attention, but it‘s okay because this came in the mail today! Thank you, @Liberty , for the bookstagram giveaway and for sending it so quickly! ❤️

Y‘all, #BOTM has a YA subscription now!! 😱
#yasofthemonth

I just finished this book and — dang y‘all, I don‘t have the words for it right now. This is an important book and I hope the “YA” categorization doesn‘t keep people from picking it up. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸/5

Hubz and I went to Columbus yesterday for a one day getaway and we hit two Half Price Books and The Book Loft in German Village. I read “Shadow and Bone” last week, but didn‘t have the rest of the series...until now!! And the Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom set has the colored page edges that I‘ve been wanting...😍

Audio meal prepping for the week ahead. I think Mrs. Obama would approve of my lunch choice. 😄
#readblackwomen #audiocooking #womenmakehistory

This was my Sunday morning vibe. 🥰
#readblackwomen #womenwritescifi #womenwritefantasy #nytimescrossword

Any WV Littens planning to see this author speak in Charleston at Taylor Books on Friday evening? I‘m only about a third of the way through the book, but I‘m sure it would be fascinating/infuriating to hear Chris McGreal talk about his research and meetings with the families in the book.

I‘m mad at the MC of my #monthofboyne read, so I put it down to read about murdered cheerleaders. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Unfortunately, the book was pretty formulaic and, while there were surprises, there wasn‘t anything that made me put the book down to say “what just happened??”
I‘m still not ready to pick “The Heart‘s Invisible Furies” back up quite yet, so I think I‘ll check another library loan off the list...

A few Littens have posted about this book recently and then one of the sequels was on sale during the Black Friday Kindle-palooza, so I put this reread at the top of my “first read of 2019” list. There‘s something to be said about knowing you‘ll enjoy the first book of a new year. 😄

I love these books for not glossing over social, medical, & political issues of the time/place (mid 1600s Bavaria), while also giving you a strong mystery to solve.

When I took this photo, I was picturing a relaxing day with a good book. I was not expecting this book to absolutely gut me over and over. 😭
This book is beautiful, but it is HARD. Much like the Alaskan frontier that Hannah describes so vividly, there were moments of pleasure and moments of terror for the characters she brought to life.
I‘m sending this to a friend, along with a box of tissues and the trigger warnings that I‘ll hide below.

I am officially on break until Jan 2 and I *FINALLY* had a day where I didn‘t have to do anything or go anywhere yesterday. So I stayed in bed, ate some banana bread, drank some coffee, and devoured this book. 🥰

My husband once again knocked it out of the park in the book giving dept. This book sucked me in immediately and was perfectly paced for short breaks to refuel. I loved the complicated characters and the fullness of their relationships.

This was a perfect book to read on a lazy Thanksgiving morning. (We‘re going to my fiancé‘s grandma‘s for dinner, so no cooking for me!) There are sad moments, for sure, but the overall feel of the book is one of being thankful for the animals in our lives, no matter how long we might have with them.

Bo was himself a good creature in posing for this picture. ? #dogsofLitsy

Wow. I haven‘t read an adult literary novel in quite a few months — my attention span has only been long enough for YA or romance — so I wasn‘t sure if I was ready for this. It took me a few chapters, but the atmospheric writing found its way under my skin and I found myself unable to put it down. It‘s dark and moody, even when the sun is shining. A great re-entry into the land of adult fiction. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Over the past two weeks, I‘ve wrapped up an election cycle (with good results for me!) and graduated from my Yoga Teacher Training program (I‘m now an RYT 200!). Now I‘ve got my wedding to pull off in 12 days, but FIRST...I‘m going to take an evening to relax and dive into this beautiful book. (Enjoy the bonus Bo in the background. 😄)

Hey @ItsAngel I got the next book for #readersgonnaread! Just checking — you sent this early, right? It‘s your May read? I have three books right now and just want to make sure I didn‘t forget to send my April reads to @PandaPanda ! 😅

Took a long weekend as a short vacation and only read one book (tagged) because we spent the rest of the weekend talking about wedding plans!! 😄💍💜

My boyfriend and I have been together for four years and we‘d always said we weren‘t sure about marriage so I was totally taken by surprise! In fact, my first words were “what are you doing?!?” 😂 My next word was “Yes!” 😉

So, the election year has wrecked my reading life, but any day I find some time and some mental energy, I take advantage! Today is a beautiful day, so I‘ve been on my porch for most of it, first catching up on my yoga teacher training reading and now cracking this one open. Short stories, fantasy, and YA have been my best bets this year (as well as audio since I‘m in the car a lot), so if you have any recommendations, let me know!

Friday night‘s #bookandbrew. 😍

The legislative session ends tomorrow and I am SO EXCITED. My reading time has been significantly less since we started in January. I‘ll be transitioning into campaign mode soon, but I‘m hoping I‘ll have a few weeks of down(ish) time first! 😂 Guess I‘m #wishfuldrinking!!

Coming your way, @PandaPanda ! I sent it two day shipping since I‘m late, so should be with you on Friday! #readersgonnaread

I saw this at my local Books-A-Million (I like my indie better, but I needed a quick fix man!) and thought “oh, I didn‘t know this was out yet...yay!” Then I looked it up on GoodReads and noticed it‘s NOT supposed to be out yet! I‘ve had this on my “to buy” list from the time I first saw the cover and heard the description and I‘m SO SQUEE to get it a few days early. 😄💃🏻❤️ #todaslasvoces #weneeddiversebooks

This had solid elements of both mystery & family drama, but I feel like the time period plus the setting plus the heavy legalese all mixed together took me out of the story because I was trying to figure out what was going on. There was even a little politics thrown in for good measure! If there‘s a second in the series, I will probably pick it up because I enjoyed what I learned, but it was tough going until I got wrapped up in the whodunnit!

I almost brought my computer with me to the car dealership for my maintenance, but then I decided to give myself a pass and just bring my current physical read. 😍

Sunday morning plans (between loads of laundry and other chores so I can feel like my life has a semblance of order going into March... 😳😭😂).

Bonus appearance from my little monster #Moonshine. 😸

The WV Legislature being in session has severely limited my reading, but I‘m still here... 😄
34
1 younger sister
3 fur babies: Moonshine 🐱, Kali 🐱, & Bo 🐶
Stayed up until 1 am finishing the tagged book!
The Night Circus or Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
😂
Shennanigans
I‘m 34, but apparently I look 24. 🤷🏻‍♀️
All animals!
Coffee or tea lattes
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius 😉😂
I feel like everyone‘s done this 🤔
#hallowhoareyou

Your next book is on its way, @PandaPanda ! It‘s a great one. #readersgonnaread

Grabbed this one on my way out the door for a doctor‘s appointment. My boyfriend picked it out for me as a Christmas gift and he‘s amazingly good at knowing what I‘ll like, so 🤞🏼!

Update: finished! This was a one day read for me. It probably could have been one sitting, except I had to do laundry throughout the day. 😂
I loved the mechanics of the novel, with each chapter being told from a different character‘s POV. I loved the characters. And I loved the little touches of magic and love woven throughout. Thank you for writing this book, @ruthemmielang !

Welp, I told myself I needed to read more of the books I have on my shelves this year, which resulted in me not being interested in a single one I picked up. 🤦🏻‍♀️ So yesterday, I went to the library and the bookstore. 🤣

I was so excited to see @ruthemmielang on the New Books shelf, and the story grabbed me immediately. Thinking I‘ll finish it today...

Since today is the first day of both the #letsgetgraphicweeklongmarathon and #litsypartyofone, I finished my current read and am going to knock out this graphic novel! Moxie has a great cast of diverse characters and it looks like The Backstagers does too!

💜Some of the shelved in my home office.
💜Historical fiction or dystopian futures are my JAM.
💜Yes please. 😂
💜Blue.💙
💜The tagged book — but I need some time to sit down with it! I‘m hoping Saturday has some downtime...
#humpdaypost

I had two #Audible credits to use, so I chose one pre-order (I need to listen to some that I already have!) and one from my wish list. Then I realized I just bought two more books by white men.... 🤦🏻‍♀️
Here‘s hoping for some diverse characters...