May Books

Here we go again! It is time to see what I've been reading in the month of May. Apparently reading was not high on my priority list! Wow. Just five books. I'm a little surprised. But, I'll be honest, I've been reading a book by the bed for the past few months and I think that has distracted me from other books.

So without further ado, here are my five books from May:

1. Coralina by Anica Valle

2. Just Evil by Vickie McKeehan

3. Get Off Your Ass And Run by Ruth Field

4. Zombie, Inc. by Christine Dougherty

5. Married By Midnight by Julianne MacLean

Alright, here's a first. I've already reviewed one of the books on this list. Yea. I was so disappointed in one of these books that I've already done a review. So, rather than giving you another discussion of Get Off Your Ass And Run you can just check it out here. It's much more in depth than these posts. Let's just say I have some fundamental disagreements with the author. 

So, if we take that book out of the equation, the rest of them weren't half bad. I really liked Just Evil and Zombie, Inc. Those two I would highly recommend. And honestly, there isn't anything wrong per se with Coralina and Married By Midnight.

Just Evil
When I was younger, I used to read these suspense/horror books all the time. I can't do movies at all. But, horror books? Bring it! The premise of the book is someone is killing people who are close to Kit Griffin, a woman whose mother was a famous movie actress living in Beverly Hills. Their relationship is almost non-existent, so when her mother is killed on Mother's Day, the police immediately question the daughter after speaking to Alana Griffin's lawyer and best friend. What happens next is a killing spree involving those close to Kit, bringing her more and more under the eyes of the police as she tries desperately to clear her name.

Helping Kit to clear her name are her aunt Gloria, her best friend Baylee, and the man she'd been in love with since she was a teen Jake. These three people will be the ones working to assist Kit convince a pair of detectives that Kit couldn't have been the murderer, but can they convince the police of this before the killer reaches Kit?

A fun read, with lots of twists and turns. Multiple characters who are fairly well drawn out. The only downside to this one is I didn't realize it was part of a series (three all together) and there are some loose ends that aren't completely tied up at the end. Other than that, the book does a good job of tying up the important story lines by the end.

Zombie, Inc.
What would life be like years after the zombie apocalypse? How do the survivors keep going? Apparently, by starting a company that assists survivors with keeping the zombies at bay. But, is the company keeping zombies at bay because they are truly a menace to society or are they marketing zombies to a public that knows no different? This is the premise of Zombie, Inc.

Carl works for Zombie, Inc. and has for years. He is currently on his third trainee Dillalia, as last two died through various issues. Dillalia is all alone after her mother was killed early on in the zombie apocalypse and her father being killed when she was in her teens. For years, she worked for Zombie, Inc. in maintenance, but always dreamed of moving up. Working in Assessment was exactly what she hoped for...or was it?

Dillalia brings up questions that Carl doesn't want to answer, such as where are all the zombies coming from? How are there are always zombies available for R&D to find new methods of keeping the public safe? In working these problems out, Carl and Dillalia find out the answers they weren't sure they really wanted to know.

Another fun read, especially if you like zombie books. What I liked about this book so much is it is set in the future of the zombie apocalypse rather than the immediate aftermath. There aren't many books that look into what the future could be like if people survived. An interesting read, that makes you wonder whether zombies should have rights or treated like criminals in the post-zombie world.

Coralina
Coralina is the prettiest of the king's nine adopted daughters. She is spoiled and knows it. And when a local townsman bops her love interest in the head knocking him out and slinging her over his shoulder to be dragged back into the house after slipping out for a little adventure, she vows revenge against him. And she uses the only thing she knows, her looks.

Coralina plans to use her upcoming theater production, with the whole town in attendance, to show him up. But, in the process Coralina may have just lost her interest in revenge. Unfortunately, this change of heart may not have come quickly enough.

The storyline was interesting and there is a nice twist I wasn't expecting. Again, (and this is my fault) this book is part of a series that tells the story of each of the king's daughters. Coralina's story is told in its entirety, but there are hints of her sister's stories to prompt you to read the rest of the series. If you can also get them for free, it's a quick, but entertaining read.

Married by Midnight
A typical romance story - girl shames herself by running off with her tutor to be married, but is caught before doing so. Fiance takes the money offered by girl's father not to marry her, but her reputation is in ruins and is sent off to care for an ailing grandmother. A Lord threatens to donate all his money to charity if his sons do not marry by midnight on Christmas and while three of the four do so, finding their loves along the way, the fourth wayward son drags his feet. Eventually he agrees, but only after telling his brothers to find him a suitable bride - one who would not anticipate a traditional wedding and will be happy to allow him to leave her to continue his life abroad.

Unfortunately, these two who agree to abide by the contract are drawn to one another. As the weeks go by while preparing for the wedding, they start questioning the contract they signed wondering if they might be right for one another. Will they marry before Midnight, saving everyone's inheritance from going to charity or will they find they don't fit together?

I enjoyed this one and it was the perfect mindless read. The characters were entertaining and a nice little plot twist in the end made it interesting. It is a great beach read, even if the story is set at Christmas.

So, there ya go! This month's books with a bit more detail than usual. I think there may be more books in June for some reason. Who knows, but hope you enjoyed the review this month.

What have you been reading? Anything you'd recommend? Anything you were surprised with?

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Book Review: Get Off Your Ass and Run

As you know, I'm working on a weight goal. I'm also working on a running goal for the upcoming Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon. I picked up Bob Harper's The Skinny Rules and then decided to hit up Amazon for Jillian Michael's Slim for Life.

Then I started seeing a book called Get Off Your Ass And Run advertised on Facebook and it showed up in Amazon after picking out Jillian Michael's book. I had a gift card for Amazon, so I figured why not? Add it to the cart and let's get this party started!

This week I received both books in the mail on Monday (along with my Stride Box and Today's Mile t-shirt. It was a good mail day!). I was very excited to get going and started reading this one right away, as I had already finished Bob's book and that half marathon is getting closer and closer.

Now, I knew it wasn't a book for people who have been running for a while. I knew it was more of a beginner book, but I was ok with that. I'm having motivational issues and thought this might be perfect. I'll be honest, I kinda liked the irreverent title. I'm not afraid of language, so I thought this might be a bit of fun book to read.

And then I realized it's awful. The author is a trial lawyer who wrote the book while pregnant with twins, with no more authority to write a book about the best way to run than I. Now I'm not saying that people who run cannot be authorities on running, but after reading through her book I don't see anything other than her and her husband's running experience to speak for her.

I know I'm a weird person in terms of what keeps me moving when I want to stop. I have a tendency to negative talk myself to keep going. On a run, I'm ok with this. I curse myself out to finish off a tough run, to stop myself from giving up just because I'm hot, tired, sore, what have you. I try not to do the same thing in other areas of my life though. But, one of the methods the author wants you to use to motivate yourself is to look in the mirror and say "You Fat Bitch." Yes, in a world of anarexia, low self-esteem (which is a huge contributing factor to weight issues), and negative world views the author wants you to look in the mirror and call yourself a fat bitch in order to fix your weight issues. I'm sorry, but if I'm trying to find motivation to pick up a diet plan or get my feet out running, I don't think calling myself a fat bitch is going to do that. I think it's going to do the exact opposite.

The biggest issue I have with her book is twofold, but they go together. In Chapter 1, she writes:

Forget all that Pilates, yoga, Zumba, even gym sessions. Forget all of it. You will never have the body you want, nor the mental strength and stamina required to maintain it, until you understand and practice that running is the answer. It is the only answer. No exceptions.

Ummmm...what?  I understand the idea of being dedicated to your running plan, especially when you are a new runner. My issue is that other forms of exercise (including those Pilates, yoga, Zumba, and gym sessions) work different muscles, strengthen those used in running, and can in the case of yoga help with stress and flexibility. To tell someone that running is the only answer and to not do anything else until you have completed her training plan is absurd. Should a new runner do all of the above at the same time? No. Will you burn out? Maybe cause an injury? Yup. Should a new runner take it easy, see what works into their schedule, attempt to bolster their new routine? Again, yup. Insane to think and advocate otherwise.

The second issue I have with her assumptions can be summed up on page 18: "Exercise is the real key to weight loss, not food" (bold is how the line is in the book). Ummm...again, what? How can anyone make the bold statement that food is not a key component of weight loss? Google the phrase "you can't outrun your diet" and you will get 41, 900 pages in less than .25 of a second. Diet is key to weight loss. To ignore it or to trivialize it makes me wonder how much you really know about your topic.

She goes on to say "your current eating habits are not important - they are entirely secondary and much less critical than getting you outside and running." Her theory is you cannot concentrate on starting a running routine while changing and improving your eating. Start with her running program and ignore what you eat for now. How can you ignore what you are putting in your body when you are endeavering to start a running program that has it's own needs in terms of nutrition? And how can you ignore your diet when you are asking your body to burn many more calories than you have been without education, you will not know the best way to fuel pre- and post-run. There is no mention of this as she describes the first chapters on running.

The last big issue I have with her is her recommendation of not picking up running shoes immediately upon starting her program. She states on page 50: "wearing comfortable clothing and a pair of sneakers (don't buy new ones for the occasion - anything that's reasonably supportive will do at this stage), leave your front door and head out on foot for your nearest green space." For the first time runner, I can see how asking for an investment of $80-$120 may make someone balk, but in the long run having shoes that will cushion your ankles, knees, and body from the pounding running does to the body will stave off injuries. The author's training program is eight weeks and it isn't until you reach this stage where you either enter a 5k race or continue on does she recommend going to a running store (here I agree with her) and being fitted with shoes. It comes across as almost a reward. A reward for what? Making it that far without injuries?

I'll be upfront with you now, I have never had children. I have never had to bring my body back from having a child in either diet or exercise. So, when the author goes into Chapter 12 with "How to Recover Your Running Mojo Post-Baby/Injury/Illness - And Why Running Is Better than Therapy" it was no surprise that this chapter focused heavily on how to return to running and gaining back your motivation after having a child. The injury/illness portion of this chapter honestly felt like a add-on so to appeal to more people. In this chapter, she has several sub-headings: "Post-Childbirth Running," "First Timers" ("For the first-time runner who is also a first-time mom..."), "Old-timers" (If you ran before your pregnancy..."), and "Postpartum Depression." She then gives a list of how to get back into running after a long-term absence, but by focusing so much on post-baby running, I felt like this was more a book devoted to mom runners than to the general running population. While there is nothing wrong with talking directly to that group of people, your book is not marketed that way.

As I got further and further into the book, I didn't want to finish reading it. I was so frustrated with her push on the negative self talk, the running will fix everything, her small sample size in terms of her plan being effective (her, her husband, and her sister), and basically going against all the running and healthy eating advice I had ever heard. It shocked me that a publisher actually wanted to put this out there.

Would I recommend this book? No. Would I return it if I could? Yes. There are very few books I feel that way about (I'm looking at you Democracy In America), but this one is among the short list. I felt as if I could write a better book in terms of a beginning runner program for people who are overweight. Which is not a good thing when you are reading a book for helpful advice in motivating you in your running and weight loss efforts.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? Is there a good running book you would recommend?


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