The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend: Book Review

Last year I set a goal of reading 100 books in 2015. Unfortunately, I fell short of my goal. I ended up reading 73 books out of 100.

Even though I didn't reach my goal last year, I think that setting the goal benefited me because it encouraged me to set aside time to read more, and it helped to remind me that I had other things to do than constantly stream movies and tv shows.

This year I've set a goal of reading 90 books in 2016. It's a bit lower than last year's goal, but still more than I actually managed to read last year.

One of the books that I've enjoyed so far has been Katarina Bivald's The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. I was first attracted to the book by the beautiful cover and by the comparison of the book to The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.

 
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend lived up to my expectations. It's a satisfying story about both love and books. A woman from Sweden travels to a small town in the US to meet her penpal who has unfortunately died shortly before her arrival. Instead of leaving, she decides to stay, and the townspeople take care of her and put up with her idea to open a bookstore dedicated to her friend. The plot itself seems improbable, but that won't in any way stop the reader from enjoying the story.

If you're a fan of romantic comedies and of books, chances are you would enjoy this book! You can find out more about The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend on Goodreads or on 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.

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.

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!)

Almonds

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!)

Rosemary and olive oil Triscuits

Apple slices and cheddar cheese

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