Books and More Books!

Christmas break this year has been a little crazy- I made a quick trip up North for an early Christmas, came back home to get ready for our trip, celebrated the holidays early with my inlaws, and then headed to sunny Hawaii. As far as reading, I've mostly been studying an Oahu travel guide (Fodor's is my favorite), although I've been trying to get in some Rushdie (Potter #4 was too big to lug on the plane).

After a long day of hiking, beaching (I made it up, deal with it), eating, and drinking, we're back to our room a little early and I've decided to brag about the awesome books my family and husband got me for Christmas. Some girls want purses, some ask for clothes, and there are definitely those that hint around for jewelery, but I'm one that asks for books. I hate asking for things, but am generally hounded for ideas starting in November, so I eventually give in. I don't feel quite so guilty asking for books, since they are relatively inexpensive, not too difficult to find, and easily wrapped. So here's what I've got to make room on the shelves for:

Cookbooks
Since I love cooking and try to make at least one new thing a week, I was super psyched to get How to Cook Like a Top Chef, 5 Ingredient Fix by Claire Robinson, Spike Medelsohn's The Good Stuff Cookbook.

Nonfiction
I've gotten the travel/adventure-within-reason bug the last year or two, so the written log of the documentary 180 Degrees South (men who climb a mountain in Patagonia) and the travel account The Lost Girls (three women who journey around the world) will probably multiply my wanderlust exponentially.

Periodicals
I also received a subscription to the literary/snarky commentary magazine The New Yorker. I feel that it's necessary to have a weekly reminder of how uncultured I am.

Fiction
Typically my genre of choice, I'm the proud new owner of:
- Salvation City by Sigrid Nunez
- The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langar
- Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
- Flesh and Blood by Michael Cunningham
- The Lords of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon

Please note, that these are all actual books- none of that ereader nonsense for me! Happy holidays.

The Bastards at Borders

While making a quick stop into Borders tonight I allowed myself to be suckered into upgrading my free Borders rewards card into the souped up "plus" version (please note, I did say that "I allowed" myself... taking responsibility is the first step in addiction). The stupid lady saw me hesitate before saying no and went in for the kill: "Ten dollar coupon... free shipping on all orders... ten percent off everything, always... forty percent off bestseller hardbacks... coupon for free coffee..." All I heard was, "More ways to justify buying books! Do it!" So, I did it. Damn.

A few hours later I have to admit to some buyer's remorse. First of all, I primarily buy my books through Amazon, which has cheaper prices than Borders both in stores and online, so the free shipping and ten percent off isn't very helpful. Secondly, I don't really buy "bestsellers," since they're mostly [insert nice word for crap that won't offend people that read those]. Oh, and I don't generally drink things with calories, unless it's full of booze, so the fancyshmancy coffee isn't exactly relevant. And, now that I look through their coupon book full of supposed savings, I'm even more regretful. It's has coupons for kid's books, Harlequin romance novels (augh), books for Dummies, and a free "Fancy Nancy Fan Club Kit" (who the fuck is Nancy?).

Damn those Borders bastards.

Holiday Gift Giving Guide

I love giving gifts for Christmas! For those like me that habitually give the gift of words, here's some suggestions, with a 10 words or less explanation (I've read them all):

For Moms: The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald (project house baby grows up, works at Disney, love trouble)

The Ungrateful Teenager: Miles from Nowhere by Nami Mun (life sucks when you run away from home)

The Classics Lover: The Illustrated Jane Eyre by Jane Austen and Dame Darcy (classic text with neat Gothic illustrations)

The Couch Potato: Spark by John Ratey and Eric Hagerman (move your ass to curb unhealthiness and brain cell loss)

The Fifth Grader (or adult): Where the Wild Things Are by Dave Eggers (awesome adaptation of the children's book)

The "Deport all 'dem illegals" person: Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle ("illegals" aren't all lazy and dumb like some people insinuate) *I'd like to go off a tangent here but will not. Sigh.

The Casual Reader You'd Like to Slightly Challenge: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (there's more to Frank Lloyd Wright than architecture)

The Person You Secretly Hate: Tell All by Chuck Palahniuk (oh dear God it's pulling teeth without Novocaine)

The Grey's Anatomy Lover: Another Day in the Frontal Lobe by Katrina Firlik (being a doctor is more than hanging out with McDreamy)

The Republican: Companero: The Life and Death of Che Guevera (let's get some facts about communism and socialism, shall we?)

Fans of Smart, Witty Contemporary Lit: The Beautiful Miscellaneous by Dominic Smith (teenager awakes from coma with insane memory; bildungsroman)

Happy shopping! No sizes needed!

This Book Might/Will/Should Make Me Faster

Disclaimer: For those of you who find it incredibly annoying to listen to runners, you might want to stop here, although I promise this post does connect to a book.

It's been almost a year since I ran my first "race" (I find it odd to say I'm racing when I never have any hope whatsoever of winning), a 5k (3.1 miles) at a local park. Since then I have done two 10 ks and now 3 half marathons (13.1 miles), and have come to what I think is a pivotal point in this hobby I love to hate so much- I either need to get faster and start "training for a purpose," or I need to move on before I go crazy. At first I was running to stay fit and burn more calories. I entered races so I had something to motivate me, and you can't beat a free shirt, the medal, and all those bananas at the finish line! It has worked extremely well this year- since I started using the Nike+ Sensor five months ago I have logged over 400 miles and I average 4-5 runs a week. Unfortunately, I've gotten very accepting of an unsatisfactory pace that has plateaued, as demonstrated by coming in about 4 minutes under my half marathon PR yesterday at Rock and Roll Las Vegas. Not okay.

A day later I'm opting to be proactive rather than pissed, as my next half is in early February (Surf City in Huntington). I pulled Run Less, Run Faster, by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr, and Ray Moss, off the shelf and read through it today while recuperating from muscles that are very unimpressed by Vegas' cold and my inability to pace myself adequately (first 4 miles at 1.5 minutes faster than what they should have been... oops). I bought this book a few months ago on a book buying binge since it had very positive reviews and was affiliated with the sport's monthly bible, Runner's World. Basically, what this book promotes is three structured runs a week, combined with two or three cross training workouts. This is a hard pill for me to swallow; anything less than four runs a week makes me feel like a lazy oompaloompa. But, while reading, the old Christine who used to work in research came out and started salivating at the data the authors dangled- the people that followed this plan improved anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes on their marathon times (granted their scientific plan hasn't you know, gone through an IRB or been replicated by an outside researcher). It all makes a lot of sense on a biological level- I'm just struggling with the idea of changing what I normally do!

I doubt I'll follow their prescribed plan exactly, but I after reading I've taken away some really helpful strategies. I do need a plan- I need to run fartleks, I need to tempo, and I need to stretch (I've got the long runs down already). I also must start pushing myself more, cross training, and at least consider doing more strength training that just my abs. No more running "junk miles" (okay, maybe once a week).

So, we'll see what ends up happening at Surf City (then Big Sur in May, and then possibly Seattle June). I do think it's entirely fitting that when I need help with something I of course rely on a book.

Me after the Disneyland Half in September- I was happy that I finished. That's not working for me anymore!

Potter Update

I love chocolate. Sometimes I like a lot of chocolate. Eventually, though, I step away from the peanut better cups (or ice cream, cookies, or Cocoa Puffs) and find something somewhat nutritious to snack on instead.

This is what's happening the Harry Potter books. I've had a lot of a good thing and I'm ready to take a break. In fact, I've reached a bit of a plateau- I haven't read since Sunday (gasp).

The natural step would be to finish the book I'm on (still the fourth) and take a break. A Potter Hiatus. Unfortunately, for those that don't know me, I generally finish what I start.

Potter it is.