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Monday, January 11, 2016

Book Review: The Hard Times



The book that I'm reviewing today is a little bit different from those that I would normally read and review. It's a book called The Hard Times by Russell Scott. This book has a lot going on in it - hunting in Africa, diamond smuggling, life and death situations, and very convoluted relationship issues among the characters.

It's not the kind of book I would usually pick up. However, the author is from Mississippi and portions of the book take place in two towns that I am very familiar with, Meridian and Oxford.

I feel like I need to make an effort to read outside of my book "comfort zone" more often. Being able to do that while also reading the work of a Southern author were what initially made in interested in reading this book (I received a copy from Netgalley to review).

I enjoyed that the book was set in partially in Mississippi, and I found that to be an interesting juxtaposition with the portions that took place in Africa. Writing and style-wise I have few complaints to make about this book.

Although I found it hard to feel attached to the main characters, I think that is probably simply because I felt that I had little in common with them. One is a man who is a doctor and having problems with his marriage and the other is a man living in Africa who is wanted because he has been involved in smuggling and gun running. Very interesting characters, but not the kind I can particularly identify with. Unsurprisingly, I don't think that I was the target audience for the book.

Overall, I can say that the book had a lot of both action and introspection. Even though it's not the type of book that I generally read, I was able to appreciate it.

If you're interested in reading The Hard Times, you can find out more about it on Goodreads or Amazon.

Disclosure: I received a e-copy of this book from Netgalley in order to review it. All opinions are my own, and I received no compensation other than the text itself.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Fit Tips: How to Prevent Hangry Episodes





Recently, I've become more health conscious and really want to take better care of and love my body. So as I think of things that are helpful to me in living healthier, I wanted to share them with you and also get your tips on how you maintain a healthy style!

Since I've been following the strength training workouts in the Women's Health: Lift to Get Lean book, when I get hungry I want food right then or I go into a hangry episode. To combat this, I've started getting serious about planning out easy snacks the night before that I can eat without prep. I try to pack a snack for mid morning and one for the afternoon/pre workout.

Some of my favorite snacks are

Greek yogurt (I'm addicted to key lime Fage split cups!)
String cheese
Easy to eat fruits like grapes
Kind chewy granola bars (I'm hooked on the caramel macchiato ones)
Hummus and pretzel chips (Try hummus with pretzel chips instead of pita, you will be hooked!)
Apple slices and cheddar cheese

What are your favorite healthy snacks and how do you ward off hangry episodes?