Mini Book Reviews: Nonfiction November 2023

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of The Meth Lunches: Food and Longing in An American City from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my review. This post contains affiliate links.

After reading another 'highly-rated' fiction book that I struggled to get through, I decided to jump into non-fiction November again this year. I was inspired by fellow blogger Liz Dexter who cohosts a non-fiction November linkup. I'm so glad I did. To kick off the month, I dug into my library's new releases and was stunned to find Britney Spears' memoir available. Sorry, not sorry, I was curious and it was a surprisingly good read. The Meth Lunches and Hidden Valley Road were both interesting and eye-opening, but very socially relevant. If you didn't love Dolly Parton before, you will after you read Sarah Smarsh's portrayal in She Come By It Natural. For followers of Anthony Bourdain, World Travel makes an excellent supplement to his shows. And what to say about Birdie and Harlow except to warn you to have a box of tissues nearby. What a sweet sweet story!

Turkey Trotting

It was another fantastic weather week--sunshine every day! This is so unusual this time of year for us that I can't help but comment on it. I am loving it. The realist in me knows it's going to come to an end and in fact, as you read this, we are receiving snow. 'Tis the season, after all!

I had a very productive and busy fitness week, including a Turkey Trot under the Thanksgiving sun with my son! But by Saturday, I was feeling tired, achy, and just off. As much as I wanted to go to the gym for that 3rd day of strength this week, I did not. Sometimes you just have to listen to what your body tells you, am I right? I am hoping a day of rest will prevent this from turning into something. I've been seeing a lot of sick kiddos in my clinic.

Still Can't Beat It!

And by that title, I'm referring to this fantastic fall weather! The leaves are mostly off the trees but it's still relatively mild and that sun just keeps on shining! No complaints--I'll take this fall as long as it wants to stick around. It's been an uneventful week for me and I'm happy about that too!

Sometimes You Get Just What You Need

Reflecting back on the past week, overall, it was a good one. The weather was decent, especially for November which IMHO usually rivals February for the worst weather of the year. My workouts went well--I'm making gains in strength and on Friday, had the speediest run in a long time. That always feels good. I keep meeting and hearing about women in my age group or older who are doing amazing things! This week, the Chicago Marathon posted on its IG account about 2 older women who set new records on this year's course: the always awe-inspiring Jeannie Rice AG75-79 3:34:32 and Jenny Hitchings AG60-64 2:49:43. Both finish times would be remarkable in any age group, but these ladies are certainly proving that age is just a number. 

I find it serendipitous that these people and stories are coming my way when I'm contemplating running Chicago one more time. No worries, I'm not going to break any records or set a new PR. Plus I have get a bib first! But these are the kinds of stories that inspire me and quiet the voices in my head that tell me I'm too old to be doing this. You really do get what you need--you just have to open your mind to the possibilities!

A Wild Week

Wild seemed to be the theme for my week! The full moon was last Saturday, so I can't blame it on that, right?

The weather this week was definitely wild! The transition between fall and winter is always crazy, but this week, it was all over the place. We had 1.2" of snow on Halloween, which didn't set a record but was definitely unusual. Fortunately, the sun came out in the afternoon, but it was cold for the trick-or-treaters. By the end of the week, we were back in the 50s, which felt like summer. 

It was also a wild week at work. We're having a baby boom! I don't ever remember seeing so many newborns, but I am here for it. I seem to have at least one, maybe 2 newborns on my schedule every day. Our schedules continue to be full and there are more sick kids coming in, as you would expect in the fall. It's definitely keeping me on my toes.

It's never dull around here!