January 23, 2022 COLD AS ICE

Was feeling a little down and out  last weekend. The weather was FRIGID and DARK clouds loomed overhead for DAYS. It was BITTER. Running is especially hard this time of year--So I did what any seasoned runner would do--bundled up and surrounded myself with other runners who are as crazy as I am and we GOT IT DONE.  Seriously--only the DIEHARDS were out last weekend. THEN I did the ONLY other thing that runners do this time of year to cheer themselves up--Yup--I bought some new gear. There's nothing like some new cold weather gear to turn my frown upside down.  I'm trying out this new brand I read about in Runner's World---BALEAF. Have never heard of this brand but was thrilled when my new fleeced lined pants and jacket arrived the other day-- I was psyched to go out for a run--even if it was only 24 degrees. See that's all it took. Something New. Just finished Sarah Winman's new book Still Life and thoroughly enjoyed it. This beautifully written novel begins in 1944 as Private Ulysses Temper meets Evelyn Skinner, a 60 year old art historian, on a road in Tuscany. She has come to Italy to help salvage art work from the ruins of war. Temper and his best friend Captain Darnley agree to accompany Evelyn to Florence, an event that changes their lives forever. After the war, Ulysses returns home to London and works at the Stoat &  Parot where the reader meets a host of unforgettable characters including Peg, Alys, Pete, Col, and Cress. After Ulysses gets an unexpected inheritance,  he returns to his beloved Florence to live and over the years,  several of his friends from London join him. The novel spans four decades where Evelyn and Ulysses look for each other only to miss at the last moment until Evelyn spies his picture in a newspaper after the Florentine Floods of 1966. This heartwarming novel of friendship, family, love, art, wine, great food and conversation set under the Tuscan sun will definitely help you forget the winter blues. Seriously,  It's a gem of a story that I'll never forget. It's about 450 pages or a 6 mile run that I was sad to finish and will surely read again. It's definitely earned a place on my book shelf. 

January 8, 2022 LET THE MUSIC PLAY

 

I finally gave in. I had NO choice. You see--my second generation NANO finally died. It had a good run--at least 15 years. I'm one of those people--I NEED music--especially if I'm racing. It really MATTERS. Otherwise I'm a self proclaimed LOLLYGAGGER. SO--I finally bit the bullet. Got an Apple Watch. I've never run with a watch before--I've never kept track of my mileage--splits--and all that JAZZ--until now.  I really like the watch  BUT at the same time it's causing me anxiety. It's a little like BIG BROTHER. It sends me notifications EVERY HOUR telling me to BREATHE--MEDITATE--STAND. It's also got this activity button that I refer to as the--RING OF TERROR. If the rings DON'T close by the end of the day then I haven't EXERCISED--MOVED--STOOD-- ENOUGH. I'm telling you--this is A LOT OF PRESSURE. See--I never wanted a gizmo that told me how many steps I took each day because then I would feel obligated to TAKE THE STEPS. NOW THAT I KNOW--it isn't pretty. Last night I was running up and down the steps at midnight to meet my goal of 10,000 steps and flights climbed.  This kind of thing can make a person like me KOOKY.  Pretty sure I was happier when I was IN THE DARK about the numbers. Yet another reason I have to escape into the world of books. I recently finished a wonderful novel by one of my favorite writers--This Must Be The Place by Maggie O'Farrell. First off, O'Farrell is an exquisite writer who has the ability to render characters flawlessly--Characters I miss long after finishing her novels. As this story unfolds, Daniel Sullivan, recently divorced father of two, is in Ireland collecting his grandfather's ashes. While there, he meets Claudette and her son Ari. After learning that Daniel is a linguist, Claudette convinces him to stick around and help her son who has a crippling stutter. Although the story is centered around the marriage of Daniel and Claudette that is just a microcosm of the story which then flashes back and forth between 1944-2016 where multiple narrators--from different time periods and places--help the reader understand why Claudette is a recluse, why Daniel hasn't seen his kids in 10 years and why guilt is crippling his life.  Again, this book is a treasure--and it was on my best books of 2021 list. It's about 400 pages or a 6 mile commitment worth every step. 

January 1, 2022 BOOK OF LOVE

 Happy New Year. 2021 was a tough year. Hoping 2022 will be a little kinder. Looking back at 2021--The Belle of the Book read 46 books--and reviewed 36 books. That's over 15,000 pages. Not bad.  My favorite books of 2021 include:

1) The Color of Water by James McBride--Blog post titled My Generation 11/6/21

2) The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles--Blog post titled Respect 11/21/21

3) Gilead Series including the books Home, Lila and Jack by Marilynne Robinson--Blog post titled Life is Hard   6/22/21

4) A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki--Blog post titled Chicken Fried 3/27/21

5) Miracle at St. Anna by James McBride--Blog post titled Back on the Chain Gang 9/16/21

6) The House at Riverton by Kate Morton--Blog post titled High Maintenance Woman 1/24/21

7) This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell--Sorry--haven't reviewed yet

8) Nobody's Fool and the sequel Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo--Sorry--haven't reviewed yet

Hope you find peace and stay healthy in the New Year. Happy Reading.