Coffee Talk and January's Book Reviews

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Let's catch up over coffee! I've got Allegro Organic Hardwired brewing; this bag of coffee benefits the National MS Society through the Team Left Hand's Bike MS Team. Bike MS is the largest fundraising bike series in the world. I do love me a cup of socially conscious coffee! Mine has a splash of half and half and a scoop of GLG Collagen. 

If we were having coffee... I'd share my excitement that this post is coming to you from my new laptop! After struggling with a stuttering keyboard on my old device, I used my leftover continuing education money from 2020 and bought a new MacBook. I've always been an Apple user--my very first computer was a MacPlus. Remember those boxy little things? The finish on my new device is rose gold and it looks as good as it works. I'm still trying to prep my old laptop for the trade-in; sadly, it's requiring intervention from Apple's engineers...

If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that fixed my blog! You probably didn't even notice that it was broken. After a year of having limited ability to change my blog layout and then recently being unable to access it at all, and getting no help from the Blogger community, I once again dug into the HTML code and finally found the broken link. Talk about looking for a needle in a haystack. I anxiously deleted the offending piece of code hoping I wouldn't delete my whole blog but voila! problem solved. Wow, I felt like I won the lottery! Don't worry, I'm not quitting my day job. See my paragraph above...lol

If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that my pup Cocoa is most likely going to need surgery this spring. She has had ear infections since we got her--cocker spaniels are prone to this--and it's become a chronic problem that has lead to her ear canals forming scar tissue. The surgery is a big deal because the procedure involves 'ablating' her ear canals, which means she will be deaf after the procedure. I have been told that dogs do very well after this surgery, but it just breaks my heart at the thought of it. 

After last week's big snow. Nothing fazes her!

If we were having coffee, I'd talk about my struggles to stay positive, especially since the holidays. I am grateful for the change in government. But the pandemic rages on and we are in the midst of a bitter cold spell. With all the snow we've gotten over the past couple of weeks, I haven't been able to run on the trails, which has been my happy place all year. No pity party here--I continually remind myself of all my blessings. I know I am fortunate to have gotten the vaccine, I'm running and training, and that I still have a job. But every day feels like Groundhog Day and I am so ready for things to get better. 

If we were having coffee, I'd share my list of books from January! I have read a lot of books since our last coffee date. Even though my house is crying for attention, that TBR pile isn't going to read itself! Do you follow me on Goodreads?

• Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson was on my 'backlist'; it was a fun read about a young woman trying to figure out her life. She meets a 'crazy' aunt at a family wedding who leaves her house to her and continues to connect to her after she dies. It's a fun read and was a great book to kick off the new year. This is available on the Kindle Store for 1.99!
• The Push by Ashley Audrain was a much heavier read. This is the story of a mother who has difficulty connecting with her infant; the story continues through the girl's childhood. There were flashbacks to her own difficulty connecting with her mother. The reader has to ask: is it the child? Or the mother? The husband is no help, refusing to see the issues. This one was a hard read--motherhood is not easy--but I could not put it down. 
• The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare was another backlist read, highly recommended by my sister. It's a great book about a Nigerian girl who is sold into marriage but knows there is more for her in the world. A tragedy pushes her out of her marriage and closer to her goal of achieving an education. The story is told in the girl's voice and her accent made it seem even more authentic. A really good book!
• White Ivy by Susie Yang was on my hold list for 3 months! It was definitely worth the wait. I do love a good coming-of-age story, and this one about a Chinese-American girl trying to assimilate into a typical American life but having to deal with her very traditional parents was somewhat predictable but an excellent read. 
• Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes is not a new book, but seeing my Peloton loving friends doing the "Year of Yes" workout made me go back and find the book. A million times YES for this one. Shonda Rhimes is the producer/writer of Grey's Anatomy and other TV shows, yet she was insecure about her success and herself. When her sister says to her: You never say yes, Shonda vows that she was going to have a year of yes. This is the story of that transformative year. Saying yes doesn't mean she was a doormat; in fact, she stood up to people who were taking advantage of her. I absolutely loved this book and think everyone should read it. It's only 2.99 at the Kindle Store right now.
• Yoga Pant Nation by Laurie Gelman will be released on July 13; I received a prerelease copy. Prior to picking this one up, I didn't know that this is book 3 of a series about a mom/grandma/spin class instructor who lives a crazy, chaotic life. Not necessarily my cup of tea, but a fun read nonetheless.

I also read 3! running books this month. Reviews for What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and Bravey can be found on the blog. I Hate Running and You Can Too by Brendan Leonard will be released on March 16 and I'll have a mini-review on the blog coming up soon!

What would you tell me over coffee? Any technological victories? Are you feeling like every day is Groundhog Day? Have you read any good books lately?

I'm linking up with Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date and with the ladies of Fit Five Friday:  Darlene, Michelle, Renee, Jenn, and Zenaida !