tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82810886211818153252024-03-28T23:29:39.836-04:00With a Side of ChocolateLeslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.comBlogger413125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-42264502122287088512020-05-12T07:00:00.000-04:002020-05-12T09:24:57.128-04:00I'm Officially Out of the Reading Slump Oh, another month has already passed. What is time anymore? The good thing about April, is that I finally got back into a reading groove and read 12 books! I'm actually pretty shocked by that, but I am pretty far behind on my Goodreads goal for the year so I'm trying to make up time!<br />
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Also, I was partially furloughed which means I will have to take off two weeks every month until at least the end of July. While this truly sucks, it did give me a lot of time to read so that is a silver lining. I read 4 books last week!<br />
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Like last month, I decided to split this us into Definitely Read, Passed the Time, and Would Skip categories since it's a pretty big chunk of books!<br />
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Linking up with <a href="http://janasays.com/">Jana </a>and <a href="https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/">Steph </a>(and all links lead you to Goodreads!)<br />
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<b>Definitely Read </b><br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39963855-the-idea-of-you">The Idea of You</a></i><br />
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I have seen this book recommended all over the internet and on one of my favorite podcasts, Bad on Paper with Grace at The Stripe. I don't know why I put off reading it for so long but I regret that choice - what a steamy and fun romance novel. I say romance novel but it's got more of a plot that JUST the romance piece but it *is* steamy so get ready. <br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52867387-beach-read">Beach Read</a></i><br />
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Now, this is billed as a contemporary romance but there was a lot more than that in my opinion. It deals with grief and finding your footing after big, devastating life events while still having the light and fluffy moments you expect from romance. I also love that this book gets a little "meta" talking about "women's fiction" and I really enjoyed that.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTv59RQhaVDmXK_EJMocE-vMXwVP1fApyQiR82yPgIuwvYAgDV7BLhhsVpc15IMOS7ZvQRSIoj3-QNsgn5HFYgq4yhOIrUfhRfIy07PAqA7DXuyx6E3zkghv2308hrcjj_67AhO39o/w723-h903-no/?authuser=0" /><br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50093704-in-five-years">In Five Years</a></i><br />
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Recently, I've been let down by hyped books but thankfully, this one did not let me down! We read this for a virtual book club and we all really enjoyed it and quite a few of us cried. I thought it was a romance type book - it is not! It is a love story, though, that got me right in my heart. Cannot recommend this book enough!<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MFNkgY0PyWexY3ughvSzTrQkALUyRSeHMWEzSSJgXQfG_Knx5HJY-qcghoDvBQ8kaMn3iccCaxhTcevBhJ6XhwhTt_evNkQiOfRFHvoKDq84awjfDd-B9Ku0itVz8d8Ahw0zKfpv/w723-h903-no/?authuser=0" /><br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44019067-the-bromance-book-club">The Bromance Book Club</a></i><br />
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It's not that surprising to me that a lot of the books I've enjoyed during this pandemic have been fluffier reads - it's what we all need right now. But, this was another really fun, fluffy read! I loved reading about all these feminist men helping their friends become better husbands, boyfriends, lovers and people. I also loved that this story was about putting a marriage back together versus the standard romance book that just shows the couple struggling to get together and then the book ends with them together. This couple was fighting for their marriage and it warmed my heart!<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32148570-before-we-were-yours">Before We Were Yours</a></i><br />
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Here's where we take a slight detour away from the light and fluffy. This is NOT fluffy but it's so good. We chose this book for a book club I was in early last year and I never got around to reading it. It's been sitting on my shelf since then and I was finally convinced to read it because my best friend was reading it and loving it. It deals with heavy topics but I loved how hopeful it was!<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgLAaWGbC2NFE1Z187xdNR5lTqFOwefYwFAwJIkQbAEeju8ZfAJBXoxwnJvWxMBY9_zGWBnv4c_s57qHy06ae0puh6anQStt25EV9OE_DZozpKWrdcrj2fFjxi4uYZtI2malJ5W4C/w678-h903-no/?authuser=0" /><br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49538360-undercover-bromance">Undercover Bromance </a></i><br />
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Right after finishing the first one, I put this on the library hold list but the waitlist was 16 weeks and I really wanted to read it so I bought it for my own little birthday present and I'm glad I did. This story is more traditional than the first in that it is a brand new couple getting together, but there's a really great twist in this enemies to lovers tale where they unite to take down a powerful man together. Again, lots of great feminist men in this one (I mean, it's the same men so of course, but you get to know them more!)<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW23Izv3cgNvw7soFxTG-R-T-guz4-_fSefBmcsuV1KXzvAivYBVtJgKznDM4iJVPlGsTHzV6Y_ljIpSP_xdKcRuQkXuC_Fu7E4Xyroo8LIYXWj6TebzjtklyArhm7E6QFVCy2Qx3m/w723-h903-no/?authuser=0" /><br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49246460-a-good-marriage">A Good Marriage </a></i><br />
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This one was less psychological thriller and more twisty mystery but I still really enjoyed it! It's told from two different perspectives and timelines which I always love. There are a lot of characters and multiple intertwined stories so it made for a quick read!<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zb5jQVu-q1PLvewnvKNlzzT7KrXVFQG5h4Npx0dqwTQlaFHlxjDGp2pfuIT4jw9DaEhOq-yBC8-LWlUEDlEhzOoSiRwt78uRLXnI1xv8hydX5CWuR0NSFgYCpoqB7IAn_b37Njof/w723-h903-no/?authuser=0" /><br />
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<b>Passed the Time </b><br />
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<i><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499131009l/35068432._SX98_.jpg">I'll Be Gone in the Dark</a></i><br />
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I won't lie, it took awhile for me to get through this one. I started the audiobook in January when I had a lot of driving for work but then stopped listening to it for awhile. Once I was WFH full time, I added it back into the rotation. Because of that, I think I struggled to get into it when I came back to it. If I had listened to it all at once, I may have moved this into the above category!<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38819868-my-sister-the-serial-killer">My Sister the Serial Killer</a></i><br />
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I listened to this one as well and it was fine. It was short so I liked getting to listen to the full story in just a couple listens. I think it would have been easier to read because it was a lot of small chapters that jumped back and forth between timelines and locations.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49223060-darling-rose-gold">Darling Rose Gold</a></i><br />
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This one had been sitting on my Netgalley shelf for awhile and I finally got to it in April. I kept waiting for it to pick up a bit more but I found it pretty slow and I really disliked all the characters. Dislikable characters doesn't always stop me from enjoying a book but that coupled with it being slow, I didn't <i>love </i> it like I had hoped.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38362811-the-witches-are-coming">The Witches are Coming</a></i><br />
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Another book club book I never got around to finishing in time. I think we're learning that I'm not good at reading things I'm told to read on time LOL. I did finally finishing listening to this one during this WFH period, too. I agree with the author on a lot of the points she was making in this book, but it came off very "rant-y" and I was hoping for something backed up with more research.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52656911-the-guest-list">The Guest List </a></i><br />
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This was my Book of the Month (ref link) book for April and one of the first times I've read a book ALMOST in the month I got it - just a few days late! This was a great whodunnit mystery with no goriness. I saw a few of the smaller twists coming but not the biggest one so I chalk that up to a win because I almost always figure it out!<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhemB2BHdCjLcZOrTuBoyFe1otZafmO4D5o0SrcUIbpI6A_LUiBYwkh4bL06HL9s9zwom2Pzl9Weuyq1807JDjt89vtrKYBMK_E0brh14X6xwvh2_aqNMk4oidLcaFdfqOCx1MK9EU5/w678-h903-no/?authuser=0" /><br />
<b style="font-style: italic;"><br /></b>
<b>Would Skip </b><br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37561377-matchmaking-for-beginners">Matchmaking for Beginners </a></i><br />
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I've seen this book recommended so many times and I was let down by a hyped book again. I didn't know there would be all the magical realism AND I didn't really enjoy the main character at all. I think the idea was to have a quirky character but she wasn't really quirky and she was kind of a jerk. I also don't agree with the idea that you can only BE someone in NYC.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16DbS4SBQeUGkCy5jLDGtAXwHmUE_frinfZmZEavoJBw5xWtMqZLS3nSUedNo3njtePNjuS-yVLp4qZpqHZxL6XNXftDrPuTY-xqjusefvDue2JEe0khRwCqcIuog5qIUwrWtiYcY/w678-h903-no/?authuser=0" /><br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42785826-the-starter-wife">The Starter Wife</a></i><br />
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I really wanted to like this book and was so excited to start it. But, it just did not work for me. It was all over the place - things were talked about that were never wrapped up and it's just another crazy woman is crazy book and I'm so *over* those. If you want to see my full, pretty salty review, you can <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3034140301?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">here</a>.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28815474-the-couple-next-door">The Couple Next Door</a></i><br />
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I'm sad again that I didn't like this because it's been shared with me a lot but I found the dialogue very bland and basic and the plot very predictable. I figure it out very early in the book and kept reading hoping that I was wrong. I was not.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuaP_O3b0JacHZeoAtsVmPZZ7HTUFcFvKmMswA_tMRmLaQopQvLRsVGJ2Tfji23y2Wmd8w5eZT80-tjeU8CqE_hjQGLVeAytl98ONSZD78RxCWWHS0-s3JeSSH14cvoPXNXqw9VT1J/w723-h903-no/?authuser=0" /><br />
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Have you read any of these? What did you think?!Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-20139390335293431882020-04-22T10:31:00.001-04:002020-05-11T14:49:04.231-04:00My Self Isolation Routine We've all been in our houses for weeks now (unless you're an essential worker and in that case, THANK YOU SO MUCH for keeping us all moving and taking care of patients) and I know we've all read plenty of posts about different routines. I <i>love</i> these types of posts so I decided to write one myself!<br />
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A few things about my routine:<br />
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1) It's not rigid. If other things come up, or I need to sleep in one day because of *all this*, I do.<br />
2) Things I prioritize: barre, reading, Scandal reruns (LOL)<br />
3) I'm still working remotely full time.<br />
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So, without further ado, my most days of the week schedule.<br />
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6:15 AM: On days I'm teaching a morning barre class, this is when the alarm goes off. I snooze a minute, brush my teeth, throw my hair up, throw on my leggings and make the long commute up a flight of stairs to set up the Zoom stream. (<i>also, another shameless plug for my small business - ANYONE can join so feel free to shoot me an email and I can send you the link for your first online class free and two weeks of unlimited virtual classes for $19!</i>)<br />
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7:30 AM: If I'm not teaching or taking class, this is when the first alarm goes off. I do a little snuggling with whichever pet is in the bed before "getting dressed". You can see <a href="https://bit.ly/2VoDKCK">this </a>post for a little insight on what I'm wearing these days!<br />
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7:50ish - 8:30ish AM: I make my coffee and curl up on the couch in the living room or day bed on the fourth floor room to read my current book. (<i>currently reading Before We Were Yours and Darling Rose Gold</i>)<br />
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8:30 AM: Twice a week, I have a morning call that starts at 8:30 so I'm usually posted up in my office by this point.<br />
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9 AM - 12 PM: Work, work, work. I'll be honest, I don't have a full workload every single day due to a lot of my projects being postponed. I work for a physician's group within a health system so things are really busy these days. Everything has been halted that is deemed nonessential so we can put all our resources towards patient care. As a result, many of my projects have shifted to focus on our front line, patient care positions.<br />
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All that to say, I work during this time but I also check blogs, Marco Polo with my friends and listen to podcasts!<br />
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12 PM - 1 PM: Lots of things happen during my "lunch break". On Mondays, I teach a 30 minute Express barre class. Other days, I take a spin class (more on how I'm doing this very soon!), or just read while eating my lunch.<br />
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1 PM - 5ish PM: Back to work. During the afternoon, I've gotten into the habit of watching Beverly Hills 90210 reruns on Hulu on my tablet in my office. But again, with the workload, some days it's more personal and other days it's a lot of meetings.<br />
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5 - 6:30 PM: I like to call this my "lost hour" for most days. Some times I stare at the wall, sometimes I sit on the deck and read, sometimes I record a barre class, sometimes I pet the dog and something I write blog posts (as I'm doing right now!).<br />
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6:30 PM: I typically start dinner around this time. We started Home Chef about a week or so before everything shut down because I was tired of planning dinners LOL and it has come in so handy with all of this. All we have to do is narrow it down between four, already mostly prepped meals! I plan to share more about this soon, too.<br />
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7 PM: Dinner time! We are the worst about eating on the couch in front of the TV but this is the time we eat, typically watch something fluffy and hang out for a bit. One of our favorites is Nailed It on Netflix and just all of HGTV. We usually walk the dog after dinner, too!<br />
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8 - 10 PM: We spend this time in a myriad of ways, but mostly, I spend it watching Scandal reruns (I'm already on season 4) and Christian either plays video games or watches weird/gory shows that I don't want to.<br />
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10 PM: Take the vitamins, wash the face, read the book, do the meditation, go to sleep.<br />
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So there you have, my most of the time schedule that I'm trying to adhere to so life doesn't feel so out of control!Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-23990909739891892822020-04-14T08:00:00.000-04:002020-04-29T14:27:29.310-04:00Recent Reading UpdatesIt's been a MINUTE since I was here sharing book updates and I'm excited to share some new books. But first, a little about my recent reading...<br />
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I have been in a reading rut for almost 6 months... I shared about my health challenges on Instagram back in January and have written a super long blog post about it that I will share soon. But, long story short, I was diagnosed with adenomyosis and PCOS in November/December and I really spiraled into a big life rut. I was only going to work and to teach barre and basically nothing else. Typically, I read to get through stressful times but this was next level stress and I just couldn't focus. Since social distancing began, my reading motivation has come and gone but I've read a few books.<br />
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I don't want to just recap all the books I've read since last August. So instead, I'm going to share some of my most favorites, some that were pleasant enough and some you should skip - because I love being told what to skip, personally.<br />
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DEFINITELY READ</div>
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<i>One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid </i><br />
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This book is so heart wrenching and I cried a couple of times reading it. I wanted every possible ending (yes, that's vague for a reason) to happen and that's obviously not possible. Highly recommend if you want a good tearjerker!<br />
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<i>American Royals by Katharine McGee </i><br />
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I listened to this via audiobook and it was a very cute, quick listen. The sequel is set to come out this Fall and I already can't wait. It's definitely a weird twist to think of America as a monarchy!<br />
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<i>Get a life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert</i><br />
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I've already lent this book to two friends with another one on the waiting list! It's so nice to read a romance with a non traditional lead. I'm trying to read romances that aren't your typical perfect people that are straight, white, and binary.<br />
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<i>Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren </i><br />
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I've read a couple Christina Lauren books and didn't enjoy the others has much as this one. I really, really enjoyed this one and it sent me down a romance road of books for a little while!<br />
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<i>What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty </i><br />
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I just read this book a week or so ago, and I don't normally like Liane Moriarty's books, but this one I did enjoy! So, if you don't normally like her writing, give this one a try. I had a friend who loves Liane books who said this wasn't her favorite so keep that in mind!<br />
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<i>Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine </i><br />
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This is the only thriller on my "must read" list right now! I have been seriously let down by thrillers recently (as you'll see below....). But, I listened to this one as well and really enjoyed it! It's the first in a series and I own the rest but haven't started them quite yet.<br />
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PASSED THE TIME JUST FINE</div>
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<i>The Holdout by Graham Moore </i><br />
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I got this book from Book of the Month and was really excited about it! It was a great story but the "thrill" aspect wasn't there as much as I had hoped and you have to suspend reality a bit to believe the ending.<br />
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<i>Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid </i><br />
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This book had been getting ALL the hype and I was so excited when I got a galley of it to read. But, I was let down a little bit because of the hype, I think. I believe I would have enjoyed the book more without that hype. I expected it to be a little more serious around the race issues but it wasn't. I don't want to say too much because it would ruin the book, in my opinion.<br />
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<i>You Are Note Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen </i><br />
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Again, with the expectations. Everyone kept talking about this being the *twistiest* thriller. And I thought it was a good book and very enjoyable but nowhere close to the the twistiest thriller. Maybe I should stop comparing everything to Final Girls by Riley Sager.<br />
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<i>Whisper Network by Chandler Baker </i><br />
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I really enjoyed this book!....until I went to book club. My book club didn't love it as much as I did for some reason. They felt that is was a little unrealistic - which I agree with! It was a heightened sense of what the real world feels like. But, I've worked in a male dominated field and a few of the plot points really hit home.<br />
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NOT FOR ME</div>
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<i>The Wives by Tarryn Fisher</i><br />
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I was so let down by this book. I LOVED the idea of it when I read the synopsis because I find polygamy so interesting. If you don't want any spoilers skip down now --------<br />
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this book ends up just being another "crazy lady is crazy" and I'm just really over that trope in thrillers.<br />
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<i>Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough </i><br />
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I definitely seem to be in the minority in the dislike of this book. I was really enjoying it riiiiiight up until the last chapter. You'll see all over Goodreads about the "crazy ending" and "crazy twist" but that was a hard no for me. I wanted a crazy thriller and I mean, I guess that's what a got... if you've read this, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!<br />
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<i>Three Women by Lisa Taddeo </i><br />
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Again, possibly in the minority here. This book was advertised as a feminist book celebrating women's sexuality and that is just <i>not </i> what is happening here and was really let down by this Book of the Month selection. It's currently sitting in my giveaway pile for when things open up again.<br />
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<i>When Live Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger</i><br />
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I had been really looking forward to this book for awhile before reading it. I loved the Devil Wears Prada books and was excited to visit with Emily again. But, this book was terrible. In almost every chapter, Emily is shaming women for their food choices or how fat they are or the clothes their wearing. It's told from three points of view and I was only rooting for one POV and even then, I would use "rooting for" lightly.<br />
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<i>Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie</i><br />
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Please don't hate me!!! I know this is unpopular. But, the story just doesn't make sense. There's no way that the detective would have figured that out from the information he had provided to him. So, just nope. I only finished this for a reading challenge I was doing.<br />
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<b>Currently Reading: </b><br />
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Beach Read by Emily Henry<br />
Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel<br />
The Starter Wife by Nina Lauren<br />
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<i>Audiobooks: </i><br />
The Witches are Coming by Lindy West<br />
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle Mcnara<br />
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<b>See, I have a focus problem. </b><br />
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<br />Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-19916744874077600502020-04-10T07:30:00.000-04:002020-04-14T15:47:11.314-04:00The Realistic Spring Trends PostLast week, while reading blogs, I was seeing a lot of posts about "spring trends" and I know bloggers plan out their posts in advance and also make money from links. I'm not hating on that at all. I also am so glad that everyone is still posting because it's definitely a welcome distraction. I also like reading about how others are coping and throughout this pandemic - I've found a lot of great ideas to keep myself busy or to share with friends.<br />
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I'm glad that bloggers are still blogging because it's nice to have an escape BUT I've seen a lot of "the hottest trends for spring" posts & they're legitimately like lace dresses...y'all spring trends are comfy joggers, new slippers and hair ties that don't give you a headache.</div>
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— Leslie Dice (@LDice1019) <a href="https://twitter.com/LDice1019/status/1242795907885621250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2020</a></div>
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But, with all that being said, let's be real about what "spring fashion" looks like in 2020. It is NOT cute floral dresses and sandals as much as we wish it was. Since we'll be spending all of Spring 2020 in our houses (at least here in Virginia we will - we are on stay at home orders until June 10!), we may as well be comfortable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiqXVW6lAJBZtquXwrVGA5q-a0zp68faPV4drHDtB4ZyGMZEOgBVkoAD5hwlnn4H_FXG4laZ-N9-6klKLkcGOHdxe_NdYiYQ9V_xQfdYPX-Pxeh5yVwAA0VDmfVm_OpUPsnqlE-sadxE/s1600/Spring+Trends.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiqXVW6lAJBZtquXwrVGA5q-a0zp68faPV4drHDtB4ZyGMZEOgBVkoAD5hwlnn4H_FXG4laZ-N9-6klKLkcGOHdxe_NdYiYQ9V_xQfdYPX-Pxeh5yVwAA0VDmfVm_OpUPsnqlE-sadxE/s1600/Spring+Trends.png" /></a></div>
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As a fitness instructor, I have A LOT of leggings, sports bras and tank tops. But, let's be real, my barre leggings aren't the same as the really comfy, soft joggers and sweats that we all want to live in. So, I went down the internet rabbit hole and asking my PE teacher friend who lives in joggers for her recommendations and landed on these three pairs and I LOVE them!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHNfBDREPwkbGE_YH_eGQC7JjMdapL9q9-PKhG6j8k0i7ddfoOcOqJktKTwOKDbE73YMKKAuNAAf19-0XIo2smLxwdotsjn2HDn2qEyUqq6oqbwQTX6psuY8GxpW8Wsz2DD42ylQb94g/s1600/Outfits.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHNfBDREPwkbGE_YH_eGQC7JjMdapL9q9-PKhG6j8k0i7ddfoOcOqJktKTwOKDbE73YMKKAuNAAf19-0XIo2smLxwdotsjn2HDn2qEyUqq6oqbwQTX6psuY8GxpW8Wsz2DD42ylQb94g/s1600/Outfits.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.target.com/p/women-s-perfectly-cozy-lounge-jogger-pants-stars-above/-/A-78650392?preselect=77775059#lnk=sametab">top right</a> // <a href="https://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=870422022&pcid=999&vid=1&searchText=luxe+sweatshirt#pdp-page-content">top left</a> // <a href="https://www.fabletics.com/products/DARIA-FLEECE-JOGGER-PT2040618-0001?psrc=search%5Fresults">bottom left</a> //<a href="https://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=531321082&cid=1025878&pcid=1025878&vid=1&grid=pds_2_252_1&cpos=2&cexp=1501&cid=CategoryIDs%3D1025878&cvar=11270&ctype=Listing&cpid=res20040910754192848575391#pdp-page-content"> bottom right</a> </td></tr>
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The joggers from Target on the top right are my current favorite thing to wear. They are SO SOFT. I can't explain how soft they are. AND they're only $19.99. A total steal. I have another, more structured pair, also from Target that I bought a few months ago. I couldn't find the exact pair that I have, but I did find a similar pair <a href="https://www.target.com/p/women-s-mid-rise-full-jogger-pants-universal-thread/-/A-78427962?preselect=78265187#lnk=sametab">here</a>.<br />
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On the top left is my favorite Athleta sweatshirt. I've been wearing it since the Fall and a couple instructors at the studio have it as well and we all live in it. It's got thumb holes which I always love when I'm wanting to be cozy.<br />
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The black joggers are from Fabletics (if you're not a member, you can become one and get two pants for $24 which is what I did!) I love that they're cozy but also have structure and pockets. I love pockets. It makes taking all my junk up and down the stairs so much easier.<br />
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I know I said I don't want to live in all the leggings I have for barre, but these are the exception. I LOVE Athleta leggings and these are my favorites. I love the pockets when I'm teaching but also for lounging around and having my phone with me around the house.<br />
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Some other things I've bought in the last few weeks that are really getting me through: this four pack of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Padded-Seamless-Bralette-Sleeping/dp/B07SLZ1Y2T/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=bralette&qid=1586453724&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzQVJDT0Y4M1ZITVk2JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTM0NzQ3MUYwRkozNjU5RU1IUSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzE1MTE1MjY3MVhYQ1cxMlFOViZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=">bralettes </a>(come on, no one wants to wear a real bra all day and a sports bra is too constricting), this <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blocking-Glasses-Computer-Reading-Eyestrain/dp/B07X2SKDK8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=20WSJ4VDJTP3X&dchild=1&keywords=blue+light+blocking+glasses&qid=1586453754&sprefix=blue+li%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-3">two pack</a> of blue light blocking glasses, and this SO COZY <a href="https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=4844480320002&cid=1153386&locale=en_US#pdp-page-content">pullover </a>from Old Navy (wait and snag it on sale, they're always having a new sale). I have two other <a href="https://chalkfulloflove.com/collections/apparel/products/stars-hollow-winter-festival-unisex-american-apparel-sweatshirt?variant=12774082117655">sweatshirts</a> that are in my rotation from Chalkfull of Love - a Stars Hollow Winter Festival and Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins. Y'all know I love fall/winter/Christmas and these make me so happy.<br />
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One last thing I'd like to say about all these comfy clothes - you should still change every day! I am still changing 3 times a day!<br />
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<b><u>My Outfit "Schedule" </u></b><br />
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I start out in my workout clothes to either teach or take a barre class at 7 AM (occasionally, I do spin at lunch in which case I still start out in my workout clothes so I don't lose motivation). Once I'm ready to start the workday, I switch into one of the comfy outfits I talked about above.<br />
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Once I'm ready to move from my workday to home life ( I plan to share more about more about my current schedule/how I'm staying sane soon!), I sometimes go ahead and put my PJs on unless we' re going to walk the dog. If we are, I walk her THEN change into pajamas.<br />
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So there you have it: workout clothes, "work" clothes and pajamas. We are living through the weirdest times and changing like this really helps me switch from work to home to barre throughout the day since we don't have the change of scenery like we're used to.<br />
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Tell me, what are your comfiest clothes and should I also buy them? Ha!<br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-35829256672645517602020-04-07T11:03:00.001-04:002020-04-07T11:03:34.432-04:00March FavoritesBack in January, I complained a lot about how long the month felt. If only past me knew what March would bring... I'm also not planning to make this post a total social distancing/COVID-19 post. I think my first post back should be some updates and things I enjoyed over the last, longest month of my life.<br />
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<b>Personal: </b><br />
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<li>My Papa turned 80 in Mid March *right* before the country started shutting down. I almost didn't go down to Charlotte because I was so worried about taking something to him. But, I tried everything in my power to keep a distance and keep them safe. At the time, they weren't taking it seriously and I spent the whole three days trying to explain how serious it really was. My grandmother continued to go to work for 3 more days after that but thankfully she is home now! </li>
<li>This is not important in the grand scheme and I KNOW THAT but I'm still a little sad about everything I cancelled: a hair appointment, my best friend coming from Chicago, my next tattoo appointment (it's tentatively rescheduled to mid-June as of right now), a trip to Boone to see Luke Combs on my birthday weekend and a trip to Denver partially for work, partially for play. But, this is for the best interest of the country and everyone's safety so it is okay. </li>
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<b>Barre: </b></div>
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<li>We moved all our classes online three weeks ago and it's been a wild ride. From some days when the internet doesn't want to connect to my computer or my headphones microphone don't pick up my voice, we've managed and our clients have been so understanding and supportive! We've even had people who don't live in Charlottesville join to barre from home! (Shameless plug, if you want to barre with me, let me know and I can send you a link!) </li>
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<b>Random Things: </b></div>
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<li>I've been enjoying wearing leggings/joggers on the bottom and "business" on the top. Some days, if I don't have any external calls, I also stay in cute sweatshirts. </li>
<li>Current favorite recipe I've made the last few weeks: <a href="https://fitfoodiefinds.com/video-whole-wheat-coconut-oil-roasted-banana-bread-exciting-news/">Fit Foodie Finds Healthy Banana Bread</a></li>
<li>Am I the only one feeling like you run the dishwasher every day?! We're only two people - how is this possible?! </li>
<li>I've been burning candles in my office that have helped set a little ambiance that I can't have when working in the office! (I've even burned fall candles because there are no rules now apparently)</li>
<li>At home manicures are hard. </li>
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So yeah, this was just a random assortment of nonsense but while we're at home at least, I plan to be showing back up in the dusted off blog. Shout out to <a href="http://www.theobservantturtle.com/">Whitney </a>for helping me pick a new design! </div>
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<b><br /></b>Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-47359124664318386942019-08-13T13:53:00.002-04:002020-03-19T16:39:12.452-04:00July and August Books <div style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman";">
I didn't read a lot at the end of June an into July so I skipped the last Show Us Your Books link up with <a href="https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/" target="_blank">Steph </a>and <a href="http://janasays.com/" target="_blank">Jana</a>, but I wanted to pop in (late) today to share the last couple of months of reads! You can also follow along on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chocolatewithasideofbooks/" target="_blank">Bookstagram </a> where I show how many unread books I have on my new shelf and what I'm actually reading in semi real time!<br />
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Since there's quite a few this month, I won't go into full details on every single one or you'd be here way too long when you should be reading ;)<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44424465-little-girls-sleeping" target="_blank">Little Girls Sleeping // Jennifer Chase </a><br />
<i>NetGalley eARC </i></div>
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: Fiction/Mystery<br />
<span style="text-align: center;">Challenge: N/A </span></div>
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<tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; line-height: 21px;">I enjoyed this book! It's definitely more of a police procedural than a thriller but it's well written and I can't wait to find out more about Katie in the coming books!</span><br />
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<br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43744294-the-swallows" target="_blank">The Swallows // Lisa Lutz </a><br /><i>NetGalley eARC </i>Rating: 4/5<br />Genre: Fiction<br />Challenge: N/A<br /><br /><table border="0" cellspacing="1" class="myActivity" style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; table-layout: fixed; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="line-height: 21px;"><span id="freeTextreview2873863520"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">It took me a little bit to get into this book during the story set up, but once I did, I was hooked! The story is a little far fetched in the premise because there are about 5 adults and hundreds of students in a boarding school, but I liked the story being told about the toxic culture that is still pervasive and needs to be stopped. I kept waiting to figure out what the big twist was going to be - I didn't guess it and I thought it was really well done and truly made sense for story being told. I will definitely recommend this book!</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39798932-once-a-liar" style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" target="_blank">Once a Liar // A.F. Brady</a><i style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Physical copy from publisher </i><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Rating: 4/5</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Genre: Mystery/Fictin </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Challenge: N/A </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">When I first started this book, I was nervous because holy, wow, what a terrible, unlikeable narrator! Typically, if the narrator is super unlikeable, I struggle to enjoy the book but that was NOT the case with this book!A.F. Brady created a great story around Peter Caine, a defense attorney in Manhattan who is just terrible to everyone in his life. Peter is not a great person, but does that mean he's a murderer?! That's the question laid out in Once a Liar. I loved playing "who dunnit" and trying to figure out if Peter was just terrible enough to have murdered his mistress who is also the daughter of his professional rival.</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.Harry_Potter_and_the_Sorcerer_s_Stone" target="_blank">Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone // JK Rowling </a><br />
<i>Duh, I own this. Illustrated version. </i><br />
Rating: 5/5<br />
Genre: Fantasy<br />
Challenge: Popsugar - a book that makes you nostalgic<br />
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I mean, what is there to say? Ha. I am rereading the series right now!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15881.Harry_Potter_and_the_Chamber_of_Secrets" target="_blank">Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets // JK Rowling </a><br />
<i>Duh, I own this. Illustrated version. </i><br />
Rating: 5/5<br />
Genre: Fantasy<br />
Challenge: Popsugar - a <span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">book inspired by myth/legend/folklore</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43770666-one-little-secret" target="_blank">One Little Secret // Cate Holanan</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Physical ARC </i></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Rating: 4/5</span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Genre: Mystery </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">This was a page turner! I thought the premise was kind of weird -- because who goes on vacation with people you don't really know but it really set up a fun "who dunnit" that I couldn't put down and they ended up knowing each other more than you first realize. There were a few characters that I really hated and just kept hoping they would get what was coming to them and I wasn't disappointed. This is a fast paced, great summer thriller!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31434883-eleanor-oliphant-is-completely-fine" target="_blank">Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine // Gail Honeyman</a></span><br />
<i>Own - used book store find </i><br />
Rating: 3/5<br />
Genre: Fiction<br />
Challenge: July Book Club<br />
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I know this book is so adored and I liked the second half of the book but the first part was so hard for me to get into it. The plot felt so slow at times and I was dragging myself to finish in time for book club and barely finished it! I can see how others really enjoy it so don't let my lukewarm review dissuade you if its on your list!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42455873-the-wedding-party" target="_blank">The Wedding Party // Jasmine Guillory </a><br />
<i>Library </i><br />
Rating: 3.5/4<br />
Genre: Contemporary romance<br />
Challenge: N/A<br />
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This was my least favorite out of all of Jasmine's books but I still enjoyed it! There were some parts that seemed a little less believable than some of her other books (like, the couple orders more pizza that I've ever seen in my life.. all of which are "specialty" pizzas and definitely not the 7.99 take out deal at Pizza Hut). It was also fun to see events of the other books portrayed through the eyes of what are the main characters here but were side characters in the other books!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18692431-everything-everything" target="_blank">Everything, Everything // Nicola Yoon </a><br />
<i>Library </i><br />
Rating: 4/5<br />
Genre: Young Adult<br />
Challenge: August Book Club<br />
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Oh, gosh I loved this! I read The Sun is Also a Star earlier this year so when we were picking August's book club I quickly suggested this one! I really liked this one, too, and I kind of guessed the twist but was still shocked when I was right! I really want to watch both of these movies this weekend!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42201996-ask-again-yes" target="_blank">Ask Again, Yes // Mary Beth Keane </a><br />
<i>BOTM pick for June </i><br />
Rating: 3.5/5<br />
Genre: Fiction<br />
Challenge: Erin's - <span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">a book with a picture of a building</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I really did enjoy this book and it's a wonderful look at life and the challenges it brings as you grow up. I liked the way it flipped between perspectives and years but I found some years/perspectives to be a little slower. Maybe if it wasn't so hyped on Instagram, I would have had lower expectations and therefore given it a higher rating! </span><br />
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The Year I Left //Christine Brae</div>
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The Two Lila Bennetts // Liz Fenton </div>
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The Island of Sea Women // Lisa See (when will I throw in the towel on this audio book...) </div>
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<b>Currently Checked Out from the Library: </b></div>
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Dare to Lead// Brene Brown</div>
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Little Lovely Things / / Maureen Joyce Connolly</div>
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One True Loves // Taylor Jenkins Reid </div>
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<b>August's Book Club: </b></div>
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Everything, Everything</div>
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-53292087320366467612019-06-11T12:12:00.000-04:002020-03-19T16:40:40.434-04:00June Books: A Little Underwhelming<div style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman";">
I feel like I'm in a little bit of a reading slump because I have been busy with life and haven't been able to read as much. Then, this weekend, I had almost a whole day to read and I just wanted to veg in front of the TV which I <i>never </i>do. But, I caught up on a lot of shows, obsessed over the new Jonas Brothers documentary and watched some romcoms on Netflix and ended the weekend feeling refreshed so I'm cool with it!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44091295-the-women" target="_blank">The Women // S.E. Lynes</a></div>
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<i>NetGalley eARC </i></div>
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: Fiction</div>
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Challenge: N/A </div>
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Honestly, I can barely remember what this book was about and I read it less than a month ago. So, that tells you how I feel about it, I guess. I felt like the main character was too unbelievable that it was hard to root for her throughout the story. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25644437-find-her" target="_blank">Find Her // Lisa Gardner</a></div>
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<i>Physical Copy - Thrift Store</i></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Thriller</div>
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I picked this one up at the used book store and realized it was part of a larger series and I had bought the first and last one of the "mini series" within the larger series. So I read this and then checked out the middle one (review below) so I could read them all in order. This one introduces you to Flora Dane and delves into her back story. I really enjoyed this and devoured it so quickly. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39796904-my-lovely-wife" target="_blank">My Lovely Wife // Samantha Downing </a></div>
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<i>Audiobook - Scribd</i></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Thriller</div>
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Challenge: N/A </div>
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<a href="http://bit.ly/2VvBdZF" target="_blank">Bookstagram </a>has been loving this book so I decided to listen to it via Scribd. Sadly, that is the glitchy-est app ever and I've had to end my membership since I haven't even been able to listen to the books I download but I was able to finally make it through this one and it was good! </div>
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I had really figured out one of the book's twists, but the second one (and the last line!!) did really surprise me. When the last line was read I literally shouted "WHAT"to my Google home. Definitely recommend this one and I enjoyed the audiobook version if that's your thing! </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35106781-look-for-me" target="_blank">Look for Me // Lisa Gardner</a></div>
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<i>Library Book</i></div>
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: Fiction</div>
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Challenge: N/A </div>
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This was the second Flora Dane story from Lisa Gardner and I really enjoyed this one, too! I loved getting to read more about Flora and how she is
continuing to grow and heal from her past. I will say I liked Find Her a
little more, but that doesn't mean I disliked this one. Look for Me tells the story of Roxy and her family. Except her whole family has
been murdered and she's on the run. Did she do it? Or is she running from
someone? I literally never guessed who it was which means it's a good book. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36212848-the-other-woman" target="_blank">The Other Woman // Sandie Jones</a></div>
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<i>Library Book</i></div>
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: Suspense?</div>
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Challenge: N/A </div>
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Again, Bookstagram really wanted me to love this book and I did not. I thought the "twist" wasn't really a twist and
there were plentyyyy of clues that you told you the truth. But, it was a well
written story and I liked the author's style. So all in all, if you don't read many thrillers, you'll enjoy this one. But if
you're like me, you'll be rushing through it so you can get to the next
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46038280-the-woman-next-door" target="_blank">The Woman Next Door // Sue Watson</a></div>
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<i>NetGalley eARC </i></div>
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: Fiction</div>
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Challenge: N/A </div>
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It took me a few tries to get into this book, but once I
did, I really wanted to know where it was going to go. I liked that when it
switched perspectives, we got a look at what the other character was thinking
in key moments without having to fully rehash them from their perspective so
that was very refreshing! I had a lot of ideas around the "twist" but
I didn't really see it coming until the last two chapters so overall, it kept
me guessing which I really like! Overall, not my most favorite thriller ever,
but definitely glad I read it and I would recommend it for those who don't read a lot of thrillers!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41837243-lock-every-door" target="_blank">Lock Every Door // Riley Sager </a></div>
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<i>NetGalley eARC </i></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Fiction</div>
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Challenge: N/A </div>
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I was originally declined this ARC when I first requested it but was SO excited to get a follow up email with a copy a week ago! I dove right in. </div>
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I LOVED Riley Sager's other two books - with Final Girls being my favorite
thriller that I am constantly recommending - so I had really built this book up
in my head and was so excited to read it. It didn't necessarily let me down,
but it was my least favorite out of his three books. I definitely wanted to
know what was going on and did not at all guess the truth - but I think that's
because it felt a little out of left field when it was first introduced. I
really enjoyed the way the story was told alternating between "now"
with Jules in a hospital to the last 5 days leading up to her accident.
Overall, it's a good book and I will absolutely suggest people read it, but
don't except the same level of intensity as Final Girls. Rated a 3.5 so
rounding up to 4!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Currently Reading: </b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44424465-little-girls-sleeping" target="_blank">Little Girls Sleeping // Jennifer Chase</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41577600-sorry-i-m-late-i-didn-t-want-to-come" target="_blank">Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come // Jessica Pan </a></div>
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<b>Currently Checked Out from the Library: </b></div>
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<b><br /></b>Nothing! I've bought so many books recently from used book stores and I've got a couple of physical ARCs that just arrived!</div>
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<b>June's Book Club: </b><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40538657-the-island-of-sea-women?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Island of Sea Women // Lisa See </a></div>
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As always, linking up with <a href="http://janasays.com/" style="color: #caaf7a; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.175s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Jana </a>and <a href="https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/" style="color: #7acaaf; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.175s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">Steph</a>!</div>
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-42739561518752526742019-06-06T10:43:00.001-04:002020-03-19T16:30:45.968-04:00May Exhaustion Leads to June Napping <i style="font-weight: bold;">Whew. </i>I won't lie, I LOVE May but I am exhausted at the end of it. So much so that we're 6 days into June and I just now had the energy to recap May and plan out June goals!<br />
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There were so many good things in May:<br />
- Barre teacher training<br />
- I got to celebrate my birthday with friends in between trainings<br />
- Taught my first 5 barre classes!<br />
- Hosted our housewarming party and finally hung all our pictures<br />
- Spent 3 very full, fun days with my best friend in Chicago!<br />
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- Had a perfect, very relaxing Memorial Day weekend in Cville<br />
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I also did a pretty good job of reaching May's goals!<br />
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<b><i>Read 6 books. </i>I read 10! </b>You can see <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ByLo1m5gBZS/" target="_blank">this </a>post on Instagram for a list and see a few reviews on <a href="http://bit.ly/2JDgFYI" target="_blank">this </a>post with the rest to come next week!<br />
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<b><i>Read all current ARCs on NetGalley. </i>Nope. </b>I did try on this one, but also others books called to me. I got 3 read and my favorite was Red, White and Royal Blue which is now published and I sung praises for on Instagram and in my last book post. I have now received a couple <i>real </i>books as ARCs that will need to get read and reviewed soon!<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Host housewarming party. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Done! </span>And it was so well. It was so fun to have barre friends, BumbleBFF friends, internet friends and of course, my best friend there to hang out together. Thankfully everyone liked it each other and the rain didn't stop us from having a great time. So much so, I don't have a single picture from it.<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Gain 75 more #bookstagram followers. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Done! </span>I'm currently sitting 130 higher than I was on May 1 and have received some "real" ARCs as a result!<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b><b><i>Complete barre teacher training. </i>Done!! </b>I am officially on the schedule for 6 AM on Wednesday and 8 AM on Saturday through the summer (schedules change seasonally)!<br />
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Now onward to June. I'm looking forward to June because we don't have a lot scheduled as of right now and I want to just play in Cville, hang out with friends, teach barre, eat a lot of watermelon, kayak and lay by the pool.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Read 6 books.</i>You know, the standing goal that I always blow past. </div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Start Harry Potter Christmas Tree. </i>In our basement, I'm turning our "bonus room" area into our nerd room and that includes a Harry Potter Christmas tree. Just wait til you see it! </div>
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Finish current ARCs for NetGalley. </i>I've got 6 as of right now and I really need to finish and review them to get my score up so I can keep requesting! </div>
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<span style="-en-clipboard: true; font-size: 14px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">75 more Bookstagram followers. </i>Slowly but surely chugging along over there. I LOVE Bookstagram so much and I LOVE getting to read new books for free. </span></div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Go kayaking at least once. </i>We tried to go last weekend and shockingly, it rained. Like it has since the middle of September. So fingers crossed for us, please. </div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Set up office at home. </i>My work office is moving downtown in two weeks, so I am going to be utilizing my home office a little bit more. And, it's a total eyesore right now because its the only room still full of crap! </div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Plan a weekend to go to Charlotte. </i>We are looking to go back for a weekend in July to see our besties and our parents/grandparents since we haven't seen them in awhile. We also have some stuff in my grandparent's garage we need to get. </div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Hang pictures. </i>We need some new frames to hang the last 5 pictures! </div>
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-41358034144662188402019-05-14T07:30:00.000-04:002020-03-19T16:40:40.376-04:00May Reading: The Best Love Story Ever <div style="text-align: left;">
Wow, I have somehow read 12 books since the last linkup and that time has included my birthday, barre instructor training and a housewarming party. I am shocked. If you get nothing from these reviews today except read Red, White and Royal Blue immediately, I'll be happy.<br />
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Also, feel free to follow along on <a href="http://bit.ly/2VvBdZF" target="_blank">Bookstagram </a>where I post everything I'm reading in real-ish time with reviews :) All links are to Goodreads so you can read others' reviews and add to that ever growing TBR pile!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41957126-verity" target="_blank">Verity // Colleen Hoover</a><br />
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Thriller </div>
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Challenge: N/A<br />
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I kept hearing about how twisted this book was and I just really needed to read it. I had a free trial of Kindle Unlimited and since this book is self published, you can only get it through Amazon but it was totally worth the read! Definitely dark and twisted and I stayed up way too late reading it! Highly recommend if you like thrillers.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41715227-evidence-of-the-affair" target="_blank">The Evidence of the Affair // Taylor Jenkins Reid</a><br />
<i>Amazon Ebook</i><br />
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: Short Story </div>
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Challenge: Popsugar - a book with no chapters/ unusual chapter headings/ unconventionally numbered chapters<br />
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I also kept hearing about this one and I just wasn't blown away? It's told solely as letters between two individuals who find out their significant others are having an affair with each other. It just didn't end up going the way I thought and we spent a lot of time in the weeds. That's the best way to put it so as not to spoil it! It's a super quick read, though, since it's a short story and is also on Kindle Unlimited!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37584991-the-proposal" target="_blank">The Proposal // Jasmine Guillory</a><br />
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Romance</div>
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Challenge: Popsugar - <span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">book with a two-word title (I had another book here that I'm still planning to read but it fit, so why not check it off?) </span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I <i>loved </i>The Wedding Date so I had high hopes for this one, too! If you've read The Wedding Date, you'll definitely recognize Carlos in this book. I loved Carlos so I was happy to join him on his love journey, too. If you want to be totally surprised when reading The Wedding Date, read that one first, because this one isn't a sequel, but you do find out how the other ends. Her next book, The Wedding Party, comes out this summer and I'm sure it'll be great, too. These are such feel good books! </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40390756-before-she-knew-him" target="_blank">Before She Knew Him // Peter Swanson</a></div>
<i>Book of the Month Club </i></div>
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: Thriller</div>
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Not really my cup of tea. I waffled between a 2 and a 3 and ended up with a 3 star because there were some twists right at the end but overall, the book was slow. It's told in alternating points of view - which I do really enjoy, especially in thrillers - but you find out the "truth" pretty early in the book and the twist didn't do enough to save that, in my opinion.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93995.Hitler_Youth" target="_blank">Hitler Youth // Susan Campbell Bartoletti</a></div>
<i>Scribd Ebook and Library Book </i></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Nonfiction</div>
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Challenge: Erin's - <span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">book that was a Newberry Award winner (medal winner or honor book)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I ended up listening to most of this book via audiobook because I was short on time so maybe that was the reason I got a little lost on the names, but overall the story was heartbreaking. I am fascinated by WWII and Nazi Germany (I also HIGHLY recommend the Holocaust museum in DC) so this was heartbreaking to read about children who were used to carry out awful things for Hitler. </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36117813-the-girl-he-used-to-know" target="_blank">The Girl He Used to Know // Tracey Garves Graves</a></div>
<i>Scribd Audiobook </i></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Literary Fiction</div>
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Challenge: N/A<br />
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All of the cry face emojis for this book. I just cannot explain how great this book was. It tells the story of Annika and Jonathon who meet in college and then again 10 years later. The story alternates between them now in Chicago and meeting in college. Annika is on the spectrum but doesn't know or understand that so it's a brilliant story of her learning to thrive in life and also have this beautiful relationship with Jonathon. I cried a couple of times. Read it!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20698530-p-s-i-still-love-you" target="_blank">PS I Still Love You // Jenny Han </a></div>
<i>Library Audiobook</i></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: YA</div>
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Challenge: N/A<br />
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I read To All the Boys I've Loved Before after watching the Netflix movie (twice...) and finally got to finish these because the hold was so long at the library! They're just so dang cute and I relate to Lara Jean a lot. I was very over the top romantic and day dreamy in high school. But, I didn't get the hot guy until college LOL.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35247769-always-and-forever-lara-jean" target="_blank">Always and Forever Lara Jean // Jenny Han </a></div>
<i>Library Ebook</i></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: YA</div>
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Challenge: N/A<br />
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Again, so cute and adorable. I read the last one in less than two days. They're easy to read! They're also set in Charlottesville. And though they talked a lot about a SoulCycle that we for sure do not have, they did talk about my favorite bagel spot, Bodos so all is forgiven.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40381942-the-winter-sister" target="_blank">The Winter Sister // Megan Collins </a></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Thriller(ish)</div>
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I put thriller(ish) because I thought it was a full blown thriller, but it also ended up being a story of growing up after trauma, rebuilding relationships and moving on. Yes, there's the whodunnit aspect of the murder but I was surprised by how much I liked this book even though it didn't focus on the twisty, gory aspects!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21717.Triptych" target="_blank">Triptych // Karin Slaughter</a></div>
<i>Library Ebook</i></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Thriller</div>
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I have read a few Karin Slaughter books (and I googled her and it seems like this really is her name?!) and enjoyed them. They are GORY though, so you've been warned. This one wasn't the worst of hers I've read but the serial killer's signature is rough. I really enjoyed this kick off to her Will Trent series and while reading it, I even went to a used book store and bought the next two in the series. I'm not sure if they <i>need</i> to be read in order, but I'm doing it. I'm also from Georgia and all her stories so far have been set there, so it's kind of cool.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863405-the-mother-in-law" target="_blank">The Mother in Law // Sally Hepworth </a></div>
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: Mystery?</div>
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People on the internet love this book. I am on the fence. While I, again, thought it was more of a thriller, it was not. It's a story about a family and how they grow and relate to each other told in alternating perspectives and times. It switches between the daughter in law and mother in law from the moment they met, until the mother in law was possibly murdered. So yes, there's a mystery, but it focuses much more on relationships. Which is totally fine but I feel like there were so many "things" in this book (highlight if you don't care about seeing what they were) <span style="color: white;">- ALS, infertility, refugees, money troubles, suicide, murder, infidelity and more.</span> It was just a lot of "hot topic" issues thrown at one family that just seemed too far fetched for this type of story. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41150487-red-white-royal-blue" target="_blank">Red, White and Royal Blue // Casey McQuiston</a></div>
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Rating: 5/5</div>
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Genre: Romance </div>
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Challenge: Booksparks SRC 2019</div>
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YAY FOR THIS BOOK! It's being published today and you absolutely must read it! I can't believe I'm rating a romance book 5 stars but here. we. are. This book has it all - politics, scandal, and most of all, a beautiful love story between the First Son of the United States (his mom is the president) and the Prince of England.</div>
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I have never read an LGBTQIA love story and I regret that choice immensely but I am trying hard to read more books and not just thrillers so this was high on my list and I'm so glad I was able to get it early! This book warmed my soul, made me laugh, cry and get chill bumps in the final chapters. I just... I want this to be the real America (it's set in the 2019/2020 election cycle) - so warm, welcoming, diverse and a freaking badass woman president who still has the same challenges of a mom! </div>
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Ugh, just read this. Please. </div>
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<b>Currently Reading: </b></div>
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Find Her // Lisa Gardner<br />
The Women // S.E. Lynes (eARC) </div>
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<b>Currently Checked Out from the Library: </b><br />
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Find Her // Lisa Gardner<br />
The Other Woman // Sandie Jones </div>
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<b>May's Book Club: </b><br />
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<i style="font-style: normal;">Educated // </i>Tara Westover</div>
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As always, linking up with <a href="http://janasays.com/" target="_blank">Jana </a>and <a href="https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/" target="_blank">Steph</a>!</div>
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-56325439112638227162019-05-01T10:38:00.002-04:002020-03-19T16:31:21.942-04:00April Showers Bring May Birthdays My fourth favorite month is here! I say fourth because I love October - December the most but May is my birthday month so I LOVE MAY! Maybe it's tied for favorite month?<br />
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Before I recap my April goals and share some for May, I wanted to share a few April highlights!<br />
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<b>My mom visited Cville for the first time! </b>Sadly the weather wasn't the best but she got to see a little bit of town and we took her to our favorite brewery.<br />
<b>Ellie turned 4! </b>How is this real life?<br />
<b>My SIL came to visit and we had a nice Easter brunch at a new spot downtown. </b><br />
<b>Christian's best friend visited from DC and we got to have lunch with his mom. </b><br />
<b>Lots of trips to the Farmer's Market! </b><br />
<b>I started a <a href="http://bit.ly/2VvBdZF" target="_blank">Bookstagram</a>! </b><br />
<b>Avengers: Endgame! </b>And then I was even on my friend Maggie's <a href="http://bit.ly/2IOIIF6" target="_blank">podcast </a>to talk about it. Check that out <a href="http://bit.ly/2IOIIF6" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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So how did I do with my goals with everything going on and having ALL the visitors?<br />
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<b><i>Read 6 books. </i>Yes! </b>I finished the tenth one last night before bed :)<br />
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<b><i>Book my trip to Chicago. </i>DONE! </b>I am headed back to the Windy City on May 18 to see Katherine and I cannot wait. It will be my first trip not in the winter.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Complete Erin's book challenge. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">DONE! </span>Wow, I really squeaked by on this one and finished the last book via audiobook while working yesterday.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">No boxes left in the house. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hahahahaha. </span>I crack me up. But we are hosting a housewarming in 11 days, so they have to be out/moved by then! Our basement is a disaster.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Pick (and hopefully buy) outside furniture. </i><b>Yes! </b>Well, we have our rooftop furniture purchased and it has arrived! We can't decide exactly what we want on the deck off the kitchen. Probably something picnic table sized? Anyways, pictures to come on the rooftop very soon!<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Go to the Farmer's Market! </i><b>Yes!</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>I went 2 official times but strolled through another time. The market is right beside my barre studio, so it's easy to wind through. Unforunately, there isn't a lot of produce yet since it's still chilly but hopefully soon!<br />
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<b style="font-style: italic;">3 new recipes. </b><b>Maybe? </b>I felt like I did, but I didn't keep track so I'm not sure. I know that I made a new banana bread recipe and a new gnocchi recipe but that's all I remember!<br />
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What's on the docket for May?<br />
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<b>My birthday!!! </b>I mean, of course I have to be excited about that - it's this Saturday :)<br />
<b>Barre teacher training. </b>Yes, I'm just sneakily sliding this in here but I'm training to be a barre instructor this weekend! Happy birthday to me!<br />
<b>Housewarming party. </b><br />
<b>Trip to Chicago! </b><br />
<b>And some sort of plans that are still being determined for Memorial Day!</b><br />
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My goals this month are little smaller because I will be spending A LOT of time traveling, making plans and at the studio so wish me luck!<br />
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<b><i>Read 6 books. </i></b><br />
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<b><i>Read all current ARCs on NetGalley. </i></b><br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Host housewarming party. </i>We are doing this the second weekend of May - I've already got a menu idea in my head, but we've got a few house things to do before then (boxes, hang pictures, lay rugs, set up my office, etc.) so this is probably the biggest one to knock out.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Gain 75 more #bookstagram followers. </i>There seems to be a certain number that gets you more ARCs and there's one book I'm really wanting early so I'd like to increase my followers in time for that!<br />
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<b><i>Complete barre teacher training. </i></b><br />
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What does your May look like? Lots of stuff or taking it easy?<br />
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-26365157592727354002019-04-09T07:00:00.000-04:002020-03-19T16:31:43.929-04:00April ReadsSomehow, even though we moved mid March, I still knocked out a slew of books. I didn't used to enjoy audiobooks, but the library here seems to have a longer waitlist on many of the books I want AND I drive a lot around central VA for work, so I have the time to mix in. I'm still really into my podcasts, but it's nice to have a good book, too. Since I'm doing audiobooks, I think that's why I've been able to keep my count up through the move!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29864343-rich-people-problems" target="_blank">Rich People Problems // Kevin Kwan </a></div>
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: Adult Fiction </div>
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Challenge: Erin's - Freebie and Popsugar - <span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">book author from Asia, Africa, or South America</span><br />
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This series was recommended so much over the last few years, that of course I caved last year and read the first two, but it took longer for the third to be available at the library and I ended up reading it as an ebook. Honestly, this was my least favorite of the three and I felt that there didn't need to be 3 books. They're meant to be "fluffy" but you just spend so much time dragging through designer labels that I skimmed a lot! </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22609317-luckiest-girl-alive" target="_blank">Luckiest Girl Alive // Jessica Knoll </a></div>
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Rating: 2.5/5</div>
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Genre: I thought it was a thriller but... nah. </div>
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Challenge: Popsugar - <span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">book </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">with a plant in the title or on the cover</span><br />
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I mean... what was this book, even? I thought it was some sort of thriller but it was really just a really terrible, snooty narrator whining and then you're supposed to feel bad for her at a certain point, but I just couldn't. And there wasn't a "secret" or "reveal" like the synopsis made it sound like.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35887567-on-the-come-up" target="_blank">On The Come Up // Angie Thomas</a><br />
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Rating: 5/5</div>
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Genre: YA</div>
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Challenge: Popsugar - book <span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">published in 2019</span><br />
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Angie Thomas can do no wrong in my eyes. She's working on her 3rd and 4th books and I already can't wait. I read this and THUG from the library, but am considering buying because they're that good and I want to support Angie Thomas. This is not a sequel to THUG, but it does also take place in Garden Heights (as will her next book) so there are references to the story but you wouldn't have needed to read that first.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40042531-beyond-the-pill" target="_blank">Beyond the Pill // Dr. Jolene Brighten</a><br />
Rating: 4/5<br />
Genre: Wellness<br />
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Surprise! I'm officially off birth control. I've been really open about this in real life so why not on the internet, too? And no, we are not trying for kids, either. We are still rocking that 3-5 year plan. But, there are some things I've been dealing with that I think could be tied to hormonal birth control and I've been on it for a decade which is a <i>really </i>long time to be pumping synthetic shit into your body.<br />
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I don't even like to take Advil when I can stand it, so why have I been taking BC for so long? I may find that this doesn't work for me, but I want to at least try going off it so wish me luck as my body tries to figure out WTF is going on.<br />
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I picked up this book for some guidance and I will say she is BIG on supplements and I know I won't be doing that much. But, she has some great information around what BC does to our bodies (she is not anti birth control, though, she does give advice on how to safely stay on it if that's what works for you!) and how to combat the side effects coming off and how to balance out the issues that so many people take it for (acne, cramps, irregularity, etc.).<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863515-an-anonymous-girl" target="_blank">An Anonymous Girl // Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen</a><br />
Rating: 3.5/5<br />
Genre: Psychological Thriller<br />
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You know, I had really high hopes for this book, but it didn't quite live up to them. Maybe it was because the book was so hyped and I should have managed expectations, but it just wasn't as "thriller-y" as I thought it was. Maybe I need to manage expectations about all thrillers? Worth the read, but it won't blow you away with twists.<br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://book%20by%20two%20female%20authors/" target="_blank">The Sun is Also a Star // Nicola Yoon</a></span><br />
Rating: 4/5<br />
Genre: YA<br />
Challenge: Popsugar - <span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in title</span><br />
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I listened to this on audiobook and it was SO GOOD. I mean, what a story. If you haven't heard of this book, it takes place all in one day. Daniel is headed to Yale for his admission interview and Natasha's family is being deported that night at 8 pm. They meet and have a very special day and it just gave me all the chills, cries, laughs, and just all the emotions.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36809135-where-the-crawdads-sing" target="_blank">Where the Crawdads Sing // Delia Owens </a><br />
Rating: 4/5<br />
Genre: Contemporary Fiction<br />
Challenge: Popsugar - <span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">book </span><span style="color: #181818;">recommended by a celebrity you admire; March Book Club </span><br />
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Okay, I did give this four stars upon finishing, but I keep waffling on maybe its 3 or 3.5? Maybe I let the opinions of my book club sway me a bit. I thought the story was so powerful and I definitely felt for the main character in this book so I understand why it is hyped so much. But, my one issue (and the book club's too) is that it gets really bogged down in descriptions of things that aren't fully relevant. It's a slow start but definitely worth the read, too!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40097951-the-silent-patient" target="_blank">The Silent Patient // Alex Michaelides</a><br />
Rating: 3/5<br />
Genre: Psychological Thriller<br />
Challenge: None<br />
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I learned about this book through <a href="https://www.mybotm.com/vs8w28uuu0p" target="_blank">Book of the Month Club</a> (aff) and though I'm glad I didn't buy it, I am glad I got it through the library but it was good! I saw some reviews saying the twist was obvious, but not for this girl. I reread it like 3 times and said "WHAT" out loud much to my sleeping husband's dismay. The only reason it didn't have a 4 star from me is that it was a little slow to get going in my opinion.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39719167-the-care-and-feeding-of-ravenously-hungry-girls?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls // Anissa Gray</a></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Contemporary Fiction</div>
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Challenge: None - it fits a few, but I've already read books for those categories!</div>
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I just finished this Sunday night and oh my gosh, it's so good. If you've read American Marriage, you may spot some similarities, but this one does have a little bit better ending. It's focused on a family and the challenges they go through when both parents are put in jail. I can't say much more because it will spoil it. But, please read this! Also another find from <a href="https://www.mybotm.com/vs8w28uuu0p" target="_blank">Book of the Month</a> (aff).<br />
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<b>Currently Reading: </b></div>
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<i>The Killer in Me // </i>Olivia Kiernan (ARC from FirsttoRead)</div>
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<i>My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding // </i>Wendy Wax (ARC from FirsttoRead)<br />
<i>Queenie // </i>Candice Carty-Williams</div>
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<b>Currently Checked Out from the Library: </b></div>
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<i>Queenie // </i>Candice Carty-Williams</div>
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<i>Hitler Youth // </i>Susan Campbell Bartolli</div>
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<b>April's Book Club: </b></div>
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<i>One Day in December // </i>Josie Silver</div>
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* Yes, I've already read this but I wanted them to read it so badly and my TBR list is long enough!</div>
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As always, linking up with <a href="http://janasays.com/" target="_blank">Jana </a>and <a href="https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/" target="_blank">Steph</a>!</div>
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-82703766046611952012019-04-03T10:24:00.003-04:002020-03-19T16:32:12.496-04:00Fun April Ahead Well, we are officially in the second quarter of the year! Very weirdly, my new company doesn't use traditional quarters and it's really messing with me. Another month has come and gone and it was a good one!<br />
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March Highlights:<br />
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<b>Quick trip to Charlotte to visit my SIL who lives in Honolulu!</b><br />
<b>We closed on our house! </b><br />
<b>We had our best friends in town and saw Mumford and Sons!</b><br />
<b>We moved into our house! </b><br />
<b>We had our first Spring hike of the season! </b><br />
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Now onward to the goals of March...<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Read 6 books. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">YEP. </span>It's weird, but somehow I knocked through 10 books! 3 of these were audiobooks and the rest were real books! Come back on Tuesday to see my full reviews :)<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Be completely moved out of the apartment. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">NOPE. </span>We are <i>super</i> close to this goal and will hopefully be done by Sunday! Moving weekend got a little dramatic so we didn't get as much done as we wanted. Originally, I had planned for April's goal to be completely get out of the storage unit, but that's already done!<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Try 5 new recipes this month. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">YES. </span>But, I forgot what the fifth one was... But I made Mediterranean Shrimp Couscous and Spinach Tortellini Soup from Skinnytaste's One and Done cookbook, Cauliflower Gnocchi and Sausage from <a href="https://fedandfit.com/cauliflower-gnocchi-and-sausage-skillet/" target="_blank">Fed+Fit</a> (I've already made this twice!) and <a href="https://fitfoodiefinds.com/meal-prep-carnitas-burrito-bowls/" target="_blank">Fit Foodie Find's</a> pork carnita bowls.<br />
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The clear winner was the carnitas! Christian had three tacos the night I made them and the next night, while enjoying the gnocchi, he was talking about the pork again and said it was "restaurant quality" so I suggest making that ASAP! It was an easy one, too.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Take 4 cardio classes. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">CLOSE. </span>I made it to 3! Two cardio barre classes and a megaformer class. I am signed up for spin on Friday morning, so let's see if I make it.<br />
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So what will April look like?<br />
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<b>Taking over social media for my studio. </b><br />
<b>Friends in town this weekend for a race. </b><br />
<b>My mom is coming to visit for the first time since we moved!</b><br />
<b>Christian's sister is coming down from DC. </b><br />
<b>Ellie's birthday. </b><br />
<b>I'm finally getting my hair done!!! </b><br />
<b>Seeing Avengers!</b><br />
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Needless to say, it's going to be a crazy month. I was also going to add a Chicago trip in but it looks like that will be a little later in the Spring!<br />
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April Goals:<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Read 6 books. </i>Already done with the first :)<br />
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<b><i>Book my trip to Chicago. </i></b><br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Complete Erin's book challenge. </i>I have the last book, I just don't want to read it yet. So I'm being lazy.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">No boxes left in the house. </i>I want all the boxes that need to be unpacked (i.e., not Christmas decor), empty and out of my house! Boxes make me anxious.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Pick (and hopefully buy) outside furniture. </i>We have two decks and I want to be on them ASAP! So the goal is to have furniture on at least one of them.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Go to the Farmer's Market! </i>Charlottesville has an amazing Farmer's Market that opens this weekend and I am pumped to spend some Saturday mornings there!<br />
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<b><i>3 new recipes. </i></b><br />
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So let's do this, April! I need a nap already...Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-91249661795976119762019-03-29T12:52:00.001-04:002019-03-29T12:52:07.391-04:00A Hodge Podge of Friday ThingsI have so many things I want to discuss on the blog, yet no time to do write them. I want to set aside some time Sunday evening to write up some of those lingering post ideas. You know, in between unpacking boxes. But, today, I just had a few random things to share and none really warrant their own posts (yet). <div>
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<b><i>one // </i>Happiness. </b>I honestly don't know if I've ever been happier or more content in where my life is <i>right now. </i>I love my job. I love our (very messy) house. I love our town. It's finally stopped raining every single day like it has for 7 months now. I have quite a few exciting changes coming at the studio. I've made wonderful friends already. I don't have to sit traffic for an hour to go 8 miles down the road anymore. </div>
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Even on cranky days - because, let's be real, we all have them - I'm still SO happy. This move was the best thing we could have done for ourselves and I'm glad we weren't <i>too </i>scared and made the leap. </div>
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<b><i>two // </i>Book club. </b>A few months ago, someone posted in our neighborhood asking if there was a book club in the neighborhood she could join. There wasn't and somehow I became the point person of setting one up? I'm not totally sure how this worked out... But we've had about 10 ladies show up each month and it's been fun getting to know some new neighbors. And in a silly turn of events, the person who originally asked hasn't come to any of them!</div>
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So far, we've read The Girl Who Lived, Before We Were Yours and Where the Crawdads Sing and chose our next 3 books last night: One Day in December, Educated and The Island of Sea Women. </div>
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<b><i>three // </i>Barre. </b>I think I've mentioned here before that I "work" at a local barre studio in exchange for free classes. Every Monday, you can find me behind the desk checking clients in, cleaning up after class and assisting as needed. It's been SO fun getting to know so many people this way and I just love how welcoming it is. </div>
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Starting Monday, I'll be helping out with their social media account for the next couple of months and I am SO excited and a little bit nervous. I plan to spend a little time this weekend plotting out the week! I can't wait to have some fun with stories! </div>
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Oh, and I also got to be a part of the most recent photo shoot :) </div>
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<b><i>four // </i>Jane the Virgin! </b>If you're not watching JTV, what are you doing with your life?! Seriously one of the best shows on television and it is sadly ending this season. Thursday was the season premiere and I haven't been able to watch it yet but tonight is the night! </div>
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I'm headed to hot yoga after work and then on to <a href="http://www.southernbelleintraining.com/2019/03/what-i-wore-to-work-march-2019.html" target="_blank">Annaliese's </a>to watch it with her! She's making some delicious sounding cupcakes and I can't wait! </div>
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<b><i>five // </i>Moving. </b>One of my March goals was to have the entire apartment emptied but we still have a few car loads left. The storage unit is completely empty, but unfortunately we didn't get as much done over the weekend as we had hoped. Over the weekend, our goal is to finally get the last odds and ends out of the apartment. It's mostly decorating stuff so we haven't needed it yet - hence, why we haven't been ultra motivated all week. </div>
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Also, our washer/dryer was supposed to be delivered the day after we closed, but if you saw my instastory, that didn't happen. Christian was at home waiting and they never showed. So he called, only to be told that they hadn't even arrived at the warehouse, let alone the store to be loaded into the truck for delivery and it will be AT LEAST two weeks. We still have the apartment so we can do laundry there, but it's annoying because we have all our stair railings off so they can maneuver up the stairs and there no sense putting them up until they are delivered... </div>
Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-2268334774814898092019-03-12T09:36:00.000-04:002020-03-19T16:40:40.295-04:00March Reads: Zombies, Cheshire Cats and Murders<div>
Whew. Another month has come and gone and it's time to link up and share my recent reads. It's another long list so I won't give full recaps for all of them - just ones that I think you should know about! </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7094569-feed" target="_blank">Feed // Mira Grant </a><br />
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Rating: 4/5 </div>
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Genre: Dystopian/Zombie/Mystery</div>
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Challenge: Popsugar - a book you think should be turned into a movie OR a book with the same name as another book (the other option being Feed by MT Anderson) </div>
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I can't even remember why I went after this book because it is NOT my type at all. I don't care for zombies one bit but I was really into this book. I think because it was less focused on zombie attacks and more focused on how the world recovered and changed from zombies becoming mainstream and how the rich and politicians have profited from the "rising". </div>
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The book follows a group of bloggers who are following the campaign of a Senator running for president. You get a lot of backstory on the uprising in 2014, the security measures on how they continue to prevent large outbreaks, the science that caused the outbreak and then how politics has changed. There is a mystery thrown in for good measure. There are two more books in the trilogy that I can't wait to read!</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35967101-the-seven-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle" target="_blank">The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle // Stuart Tarton </a></div>
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Rating: 4/5 </div>
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Genre: Mystery</div>
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Challenge: Popsugar - a book that takes place in a single day</div>
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Depending on the version of the book you have, it is also called the Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. It's confusing but it meant to make it easier to distinguish between The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. </div>
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This book is SO TWISTY and takes a lot of focus when reading. If you follow along on social media, you've probably seen that I go through books every few days if I don't have other stuff going on but this one took almost 2 weeks. Granted, we had friends and family in town which slowed me down considerably, but also it takes concentration. </div>
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Aiden Bishop wakes up with no memories. It also turns out, he's not in his own body at all. Everday day for 8 days, he wakes up in a different body and is tasked with solving Evelyn Hardcastle's murder (which just so happens to look like a suicide). He has helpers along the way as well as someone trying to murder him. Needless to say this is a confusing roller coaster that was so fun to read! </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15749186-to-all-the-boys-i-ve-loved-before" target="_blank">To All the Boys I've Loved Before // Jenny Han </a></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Young Adult</div>
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Challenge: Erin's - a book that was turned into a movie<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30821598-my-not-so-perfect-life" target="_blank">My Not So Perfect Life // Sophie Kinsella</a></div>
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: Chick lit </div>
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Challenge: Popsugar - <span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover</span><br />
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Sophie Kinsella is always good for a fluffy read and this was no exception! There was a little romance, but mostly a book about friendship and life not always being the "ideal" of what you picture. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36344555-all-we-ever-wanted" target="_blank">All We Ever Wanted // Emily Giffin </a></div>
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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Genre: </div>
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Challenge: Popsugar - a book told from multiple POVs<br />
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This book had SO much potential. I think the topic is great but the execution wasn't completely there. Nina's son is your typical "rich, white kid" who has no consequences for his actions who Snapchats a lower class, student in a compromising position while drunk. This topic is so relevant in this social media era, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. And everything was wrapped up in an epilogue too nicely in my opinion. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35522836-no-exit" target="_blank">No Exit // Taylor Adams </a></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Thriller</div>
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Challenge: Erin's - a book starting with the letter N<br />
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I read this in a day. It truly had my heart pounding and I even talked out loud to the book a couple times which made Christian laugh at me. There is some violence that I didn't love reading, but overall, a great thriller with some crazy twists. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24213.Alice_s_Adventures_in_Wonderland_Through_the_Looking_Glass" target="_blank">Alice's Adventures in Wonderland // Lewis Carroll </a></div>
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Rating: 2/5</div>
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Genre: Children's Lit </div>
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Challenge: Erin's - a book originally published over 100 years ago </div>
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Maybe I've just seen all the movies too many times but I just did not enjoy this. I listened to it so maybe that was why? Or maybe if I had read it as a kid? Not my cup of tea. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8429687-deadline" target="_blank">Deadline // Mira Grant</a></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Dystopian/Zombie/Mystery</div>
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Challenge: Popsugar - <span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature</span><br />
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So, yeah. I listened to all of these as quickly as I could. I thought this one was just as good as the first one while still being a pretty different type of story. I know that sounds weird and vague but I literally can't talk about this one or the final one without seriously spoiling the end to Feed and I just don't want to do that! </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11806716-blackout" target="_blank">Blackout// Mira Grant</a></div>
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Rating: 4/5</div>
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Genre: Dystopian/Zombie/Mystery</div>
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Challenge:<br />
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Again, can't say too much but I was listening to this one every second I had waiting for one big thing to happen and it was totally worth it! Another good one to finish out the trilogy. </div>
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<b>Currently Reading: </b></div>
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<i><i>On The Come Up</i> // Angie Thomas (physical book)</i></div>
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<i>The Luckiest Girl Alive // </i>Jessica Knoll (audio-book)</div>
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<i>Rich People Problems // </i>Kevin Kwan (e-book)</div>
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<b>Currently Checked Out from the Library: </b></div>
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<i>Hitler Youth // </i>Susan Campbell Bartolli</div>
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<i>The Au Pair// </i>Emma Rous</div>
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<i>An Anonymous Girl // </i>Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen</div>
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<b>March's Book Club: </b></div>
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<i>Where the Crawdad's Sing // </i>Delia Owens</div>
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As always, linking up with <a href="http://janasays.com/" target="_blank">Jana </a>and <a href="https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/" target="_blank">Steph</a>!</div>
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-38878163874371571232019-03-11T09:03:00.003-04:002019-03-11T09:03:42.825-04:00February Showers Bring March Flowers?<i>Y'all. </i>I swear it has not stopped raining since we moved to Charlottesville. But, it definitely rained most of February. I looked it up and we got 3.21 inches of rain last month and the average is .21 inches... needless to say we are wet mops over here!<br />
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At least one round of precipitation was snow and we got a snow day at least, but I am <i>so </i>ready for some sunny days and it looks like most of this week will be dry!<br />
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I had rough month in terms of goals, but it's not because I was being lazy - just the opposite, really. So, let's recap March:<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Read 6 books. YES. </i>I read 7 books actually. Some were recapped here and the rest will come next week!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXkA0blqcSgMiU-XB6D6io_nV7Df4ONlUei3MFaOMfLUqC5641PsSKUk9VgWOpqqra_yoe3sgChSpTsc7j59CuFmy0ZO_wBJGpAztxtvj31Cndy2PRp6N1HQ0R-wuc5oa-QHfL1aMBWQ/s1600/Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="499" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXkA0blqcSgMiU-XB6D6io_nV7Df4ONlUei3MFaOMfLUqC5641PsSKUk9VgWOpqqra_yoe3sgChSpTsc7j59CuFmy0ZO_wBJGpAztxtvj31Cndy2PRp6N1HQ0R-wuc5oa-QHfL1aMBWQ/s1600/Books.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Eat something green everyday. NOPE. </i> I won't even pretend I tried hard on this one. There were many days that I had spinach in my smoothie so this worked, but some days where I didn't even attempt. It's terrible, I know!<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Go to spin class at least 4 times this month. NOPE. </i>I did go twice, though! I found the class I like, so I plan to get some more in this month.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Go for a hike. NOPE. </i>Not without trying though! We did get some long walks in, but as I said, it hasn't stopped raining in a month so all the trails were disgusting and most weekends it was raining. We also had Christian's best friend in town for two weekends and my brother for one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoLxo6ktCAbARsBPxThmlZoc6RI2WFQ9AQPQ134N5-GYU_V3JnI2PCaFdVOntkqDTZRuznfwHlkYzaw-mZCHe2xV-u3NxmLat83myi6TL_MwOsO-LHvUcJ-LG-TMy7xzMU-3RAqex37E/s1600/dogwalking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="667" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoLxo6ktCAbARsBPxThmlZoc6RI2WFQ9AQPQ134N5-GYU_V3JnI2PCaFdVOntkqDTZRuznfwHlkYzaw-mZCHe2xV-u3NxmLat83myi6TL_MwOsO-LHvUcJ-LG-TMy7xzMU-3RAqex37E/s1600/dogwalking.jpg" /></a></div>
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Let's see if March goes any better...<br />
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I will go ahead and say that we close on our house this month and the second half of the month will be heavily focused on moving so I haven't set any really big goals since I know we will be busy. We also have a best friend's weekend planned next weekend!<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Read 6 books. </i>I had originally planned on my goal being 4 this month, but I've already finished 3 so... 6 is the goal and I feel like I should up it.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Be completely moved out of the apartment. </i>We have the bare essentials in the apartment and I'm so ready for a normal kitchen with counter space so this is first on the list the week we close! I even joked last night that even if we aren't in the house the first week, I'll be cooking dinner there because I can't take it anymore!<br />
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I want to have the apartment empty by the end of the month but the storage unit may not be quite empty.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Try 5 new recipes this month. </i>My original goal was 3 but I've already made two last week, so I decided to really challenge myself and increase it a bit. I'll be sure to share what I make!<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Take 4 cardio classes. </i>Our barre studio has two types of cardio classes that I've slacked on taking the last month so I need to get back to it. The yoga studio I go to also has the spin class I like so I plan on doing a few more of those!<br />
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11 days into the month is a good time to share goals, right? Oops! It's been a crazy March already and I know it's just going to get more crazy and I can't wait!Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-83752427793109451102019-02-12T07:00:00.000-05:002020-03-19T16:40:40.543-04:00February BooksWow I've read so much since the last check in! I'm actually kind of impressed with this because since the second week of January, I've basically only had one free night a week. This is great because it means I've been making friends but I also need to carve more time out for reading because it's my self care!<br />
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I mentioned in my last round up that I'm doing two different reading challenges and now I'm in a book club so I will be sharing which challenge its for or if it was for the book club!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37905907-the-lies-we-told" target="_blank"><i>The Lies We Told </i>// Camilla Way</a><br />
<b>Rating: 4/5</b><br />
<b>Genre: </b>Thriller<br />
<b>Challenge: </b>Erin's - Book that is set in Europe; Popsugar - Book featuring an amateur detective<br />
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Clara wakes up to find that Luke hasn't come home or showed up for a big presentation at work. She's certain that something is wrong but everyone else thinks he's just left her. As she learns more about Luke's stalker and the past of his sister's disappearance, things get twisty. I really enjoyed the book and then the last few reveals just really shocked me and bumped my rating up to a 4!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21936809-the-kind-worth-killing" target="_blank"><i>The Kind Worth Killing</i> // Peter Swanson</a><br />
<b>Rating: 3.5/5</b><br />
<b>Genre: </b>Thriller<br />
<b>Challenge: </b>None!<br />
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I honestly don't remember how I came across this book but I ended up listening to the audiobook version and I thought it was a good book to listen to thanks to the back and forth narrators. The two voices kept my attention more than a single narrator! The book had a lot of twists that were occasionally hard to find believable, but overall, it was a good thriller!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36373481-the-death-of-mrs-westaway" target="_blank"><i>The Death of Mrs. Westaway </i>// Ruth Ware</a><br />
<b>Rating: 3.5/5</b><br />
<b>Challenge: </b>Erin's - Book with a compass or cardinal direction in the title<br />
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I think I'm really on the fence about Ruth Ware. I've given the 3 books of hers that I've read in a 3/5 range so I guess I like them enough, but not one has blown me away yet. This particular one was good, but the ending seemed to come out of left field a bit and wrapped up pretty quickly in chapter or two.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36412584-the-girl-who-lived" target="_blank"><i>The Girl Who Lived</i> // Christopher Greyson</a><br />
<b>Rating: 4/5</b><br />
<b>Genre: </b>Thriller<br />
<b>Challenge: </b>January book club for my neighborhood; Popsugar - prompt from a past challenge (published in 2017)<br />
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This was surprisingly good! It appears he's written a lot of book that are tied together but this is a completely new story. The book opens with Faith being released from a psychiatric hospital. The night before her birthday when she is a child, Faith's father, sister, best friend and best friend's mom are brutally murdered but she lives. She spends a decade fighting survivor's guilt and self medicating. As the anniversary approaches, Faith is sure she sees the killer in town. Faith is an unreliable narrator which I do enjoy but there are also SO MANY suspects that I never figured it out and found the ending shocking. The book was great and everyone in my book club enjoyed!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36348525-severance" target="_blank"><i>Severance </i>// Ling Ma</a><br />
<b>Rating: 3/5</b><br />
<b>Genre: </b>Dystopian / Satire<br />
<b>Challenge: </b>Popsugar - Book about a hobby (blogging)<br />
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Ugh. I had really high hopes for this one when I read the synopsis on Book of the Month a few months ago. But, it just didn't live up to it. Candace is your "typical" NYC millennial as Shen Fever begins to take over NYC and eventually the world. She meets up with a group of survivors and they're travelling to a safe place to restart life. There was no real story or ending to this novel. It was just a story being told of Candace working while the city dies and then travelling with a group. And then it just... ends.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38255337-one-day-in-december" target="_blank"><i>One Day in December</i> // Josie Silver</a><br />
<b>Rating: 4/5</b><br />
<b>Genre: </b>Love Story<br />
<b>Challenge: </b>Popsugar - Book that includes a wedding<br />
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I really loved this book. This was another one I found via Book of the Month club that you've probably seen all over the place over the last two months! Laurie is on the bus on a busy December day and makes eye contact with Luke. They are immediately attracted to each other but, due to the crowds, are unable to meet each other. Laurie spends the next year looking for Luke and finally finds him again in December at her annual Christmas party that she throws with her best friend and roommate. Luke is her best friend's new boyfriend. The story is told over the next decade and you only see a few days out of each year. It's a book about love, friendship, growing up, family and all the pieces in between. Please read it!<br />
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<img alt="38255337" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1543961496l/38255337.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32895291-the-lying-game" target="_blank"><i>The Lying Game</i> // Ruth Ware</a><br />
<b>Rating: 3.5/5</b><br />
<b>Genre: </b>Mystery<br />
<b>Challenge: </b>Erin's - Book that is a friend's favorite or another participant in this challenge<br />
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Again, Ruth Ware not blowing me out of the water but being a good enough read. This is the story of four friends from boarding school with a big secret. The story moves back and forth between present day and the year they all spent together at boarding school. I definitely wanted to find out the secret but it wasn't as "aha" as I expected.<br />
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<img alt="32895291" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1497632504l/32895291.jpg" /></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1098095.The_Rhythm_Section?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><i>The Rhythm Section</i> // Mark Burnell</a><br />
<b>Rating: DNF</b><br />
<b>Challenge: </b>Popsugar - becoming a movie in 2019; Erin's - book made into a movie<br />
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I kept trying to start this, but couldn't get into it. So, I changed my book for this category to <i>All the Boys I Loved Before</i> because it's the cutest Netflix movie ever and I found out the book is set in Charlottesville!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18130.A_Wind_in_the_Door" target="_blank"><i>A Wind in the Door</i> // Madeleine L'engle</a><br />
<b>Rating: 3/5</b><br />
<b>Genre: </b>Young Adult<br />
<b>Challenge: </b>Popsugar - Book set in space<br />
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Is there something wrong with me that I don't like these books? I know so many people that do and they have high ratings on Goodreads, but they just don't seem to be my cup of tea. I loved Harry Potter so it's not the fantasy aspect, I don't think. But, the books just seem to over-complicate things that could be simple.<br />
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<img alt="452409" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1340297669l/452409.jpg" /></div>
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Once I get through these listed below, I have a few books that I own, like <i>Becoming </i>by Michelle Obama that I will be digging into as I wait for some long wait library books!<br />
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<b>Currently Reading: </b><br />
<b><br /></b><i>The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle</i> // Stuart Turton (physical book)<br />
<i>Feed // </i>Mira Grant (audio-book)<br />
<i>The Girls // </i>Emma Cline (e-book)<br />
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<b>Currently Checked Out from the Library: </b><br />
<i>The Sun is Also a Star // </i>Nicola Yoon<br />
<i>The President is Missing // </i>Billy Clinton and James Patterson<br />
<i>To All the Boys I've Loved Before // </i>Jenny Han<br />
<i>All We Ever Wanted // </i>Emily Giffin<br />
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<b>February's Book Club: </b><br />
<i>Before We Were Yours // </i>Lisa Wingate<br />
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As always, linking up with <a href="http://janasays.com/" target="_blank">Jana </a>and <a href="https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/" target="_blank">Steph</a>!<br />
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<br />Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-13109695272564758902019-02-08T09:28:00.001-05:002019-02-08T12:53:55.705-05:00January + This Week's FavoritesI started this post last week to be a January favorites post but since I'm a slacker, I added the first week of February in, too ;)<br />
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I know a lot people keep saying January felt long, which I can sort of relate to, but I had so much going on that I feel like it zoomed on by. I'm hoping February zooms by, too, because we close on our house in March!<br />
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Some things I did:<br />
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I joined a new hot yoga/spin/HIIT studio. </b>I visiting a few times through Classpass and they offered a great deal I couldn't turn down. I'm still doing barre 3-4 times per week and have been doing hot yoga 2-3 times per week. I haven't tried their other classes yet to be perfectly honest.<br />
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<b>Started a Bachelor Tuesdays tradition. </b>Two new friends in Cville are also into the Bachelor but we all like to be in bed early and skip commercials. So, since the second week, we've been watching them at my apartment on Tuesday with wine and cheese and plenty of Ellie trying to steal the cheese off our tray.<br />
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<b>Had our first walk through of the townhouse! </b>The company we're building with does a pre-construction meeting, pre-drywall meeting and then a "new home orientation" meeting 2 days before we close. Midway through January, we had our pre-drywall meeting and we've been walking over every few days to sneak peaks at it. We plan to schedule an additional walk through next weekend to show my brother!<br />
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<b>Lots of "family dinners" and dog walking. </b>As you probably know, some of our best friends live here,too. And we do an almost weekly dinner with them where we alternate cooking at each other's apartments. We then spend most of the weekends together walking the dogs and playing games. Yes, we're super cool, we know.<br />
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Some of my favorite things: </div>
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<b>Favorite book</b>: <i>One Day in December </i>by Josie Silver (full review on Tuesday!)<br />
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<b>Favorite meal</b>: Superbowl Sunday!<br />
We had a buffalo chicken dip recipe I made up by combining two recipes that ended up being SO good, grilled wings, potato wedges, pretzel bites, and peanut butter pie. I was SO stuffed and plan to make the dip again next week :)<br />
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<b>Favorite new show</b>: The Masked Singer.<br />
I won't lie, I thought this show looked <i>dumb</i> but then after the first episode, so many people were talking about it that we decided to watch one episode and now we are HOOKED. We've also successfully guessed a few of the masks!</div>
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<img alt="Image result for the masked singer" src="https://assets.foxdcg.com/dpp-uploaded/images/the-masked-singer/keyart_s1.jpg" /></div>
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<b>Favorite clothing item: </b>My new jean jacket that I got at <a href="http://www.southernbelleintraining.com/" target="_blank">Annaliese's </a>swap party! I can't stop wearing it!<br />
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<b>Favorite makeup</b>: <b><a href="https://colourpop.com/products/ambush" target="_blank">This </a>lipstick. </b>Every time I wore it in my outfit pics, I got tons of comments about it. Fair warning, you need lipliner with it - I picked up a clear liner from Target. This picture was taken after work the first day I wore it after putting it on at 8:30 AM.<br />
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-19412912960609016932019-02-01T09:35:00.001-05:002019-02-01T14:45:54.511-05:00January Achievements + February GoalsIt is February! I genuinely have no thoughts on the month of February except that I'm ready for it to be over so it can be March and we can move out of our tiny ass apartment. Also, I can't get pictures to load on the blog today so we're going old school and just reading words not broken up by picture ;)<br />
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<u>JANUARY GOALS: </u><br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Read six books. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://bit.ly/2FeVASP" target="_blank">YES</a>. </span>I finished my 6th book on January 21 and went on to read 2 more before the end of the month! I am currently reading two (one e-book and one hardback).<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Purge the Instagram feed. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">MOSTLY. </span>At the start of the month, I was really purging as I saw accounts I wasn't as interested in but dropped off mid month. But, towards the end of the month, I was back to aggressively clicking the unfollow button. As soon as I would unfollow a few, new ones would start showing in my newsfeed that I had forgotten about but really liked. I did notice that I would unfollow people, yet they still showed up in my feed and I'd have to unfollow again? Not sure what that was about, Instagram.<br />
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I did also follow a few new accounts but I really dug through their pages first to make sure I was truly relating to the content before just clicking follow after looking at the first 3 pictures.<br />
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<i><b>No fast food or Starbucks</b>. </i><b>MOSTLY. </b>As a couple, we only got take out twice this month but they ended up being planned that way. But, I did get fast food a few times for lunch because I would have meetings across town and not be able to eat what I brought. (Eating soup is pretty difficult in the car). I did not have Starbucks until yesterday (which technically made it over 30 days without it) except when a friend bought it for me when we went to the dog park!<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">No repeated outfits / stop wearing workout clothes if not working out. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://bit.ly/2FisAKf" target="_blank">YES</a>. </span>I think this was the best thing I did all month. After a few days of this, I started getting so many messages, texts and even people telling me in person how much they were loving it. I gave me the warm fuzzies because I was SUPER self conscious posting them because I don't have a cute picture taking mirror and the lighting has mostly been terrible but people really seem to relate to my Target/Old Navy outfits based off $100 sweaters that most people aren't actually buying!<br />
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I don't plan to keep doing this daily, but I'll probably do it a couple times a week plus share my own outfits because I've recently gotten a few cute things from a swap party <a href="http://www.southernbelleintraining.com/" target="_blank">Annaliese</a> hosted and a local thrift shop that I can't help but stop in constantly. And I've already started looking for a cute mirror for the new house so I don't have to take bathroom selfies...<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Back in the early morning routine. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">YES. </span>Now, not every single morning was I up at 5:30 AM off to workout, but overall, I was Tuesday - Thursday with Friday as a rest or afternoon class day. Mondays aren't a 5:30 AM wake up since I work at the studio and take barre Monday nights, but I do try to wake up earlier to ease into the week or read before work.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Complete 20 barre classes in 30 days. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">YES. </span>Well technically, I'm finishing Sunday but that's the last day of the challenge. This actually ended up being somewhat challenging and I was rushing to cram in classes the last week of the month. Since I don't pay for classes, I don't usually sign up to reserve a spot. I just show up to class if its open. Since we're running the challenge and had so many deals for the new year, classes have been FULL and it's been hard to sneak in!<br />
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Now onward to FEBRUARY GOALS!<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Read 6 books. </i>Honestly, this is going to be a goal almost every month in order to hit my end of year goal. Some months my goal will be higher or lower based on travel, visitors and when we move into the house (aka, March!)<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Eat something green everyday. </i>I'm a child and I hate green veggies. So in order to be healthier, maybe lose a couple pounds before bikini season and eat my veggies, I've made this goal for the month and Christian is on board. We both like green beans and broccoli so I foresee a lot of that in my future. Plus, I do put spinach in my smoothies so I'm kind of cheating with this goal.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Go to spin class at least 4 times this month. </i>The hot yoga studio I joined also has a spin studio and a group fitness class component but I've only done yoga. I need to do a little more cardio (ahem, bikini season) so I'm committed to trying spin a few times. I already have plans to go with a friend next Friday! So just three more classes to schedule!<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Go for a hike. </i>We have hiked all of like two times since we moved and we really enjoy it. So this month, we're getting our booties out on some trail and hiking!<br />
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What goals do you have this month? Are you excited it's February or just pretty meh about it like I am?<br />
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-21041649994807730922019-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:002019-01-14T09:47:02.428-05:00Blooming { Vol. 1 } I used to do "Five on Friday" posts but I thought maybe I would switch it up a little to keep my in check with my <a href="http://bit.ly/2RbtazC" target="_blank">word </a>of the year. I probably won't post these weekly - most likely I'll alternate with a Friday Favorites type post. But, let's start this first Friday post off with "how I bloomed this week".<br />
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Over the weekend I finished my second book of the year, <a href="http://bit.ly/2FeVASP" target="_blank">The Perfect Nanny</a> and got to work on the third: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38530939-the-clockmaker-s-daughter" target="_blank">The Clockmaker's Daughter. </a> I feel like I'm in a little reading rut because I've had a lot going on (and I decided to binge watch the last season and a half of Jane the Virgin thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/observantturtle?lang=en" target="_blank">Whitney </a>finally watching it!). But, I've got a huge stack from the library that I've got to get through before I rack up any more late fees! </div>
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On Monday, I joined a hot yoga/spin/weight lifting studio to supplement the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BpkFxQbgJLc/" target="_blank">barre</a> classes I take. I like to mix things up and get cardio in different places and I just freaking love a good yoga class. They offered me a great new client special so I jumped right on it and I've already taken a hot yoga class this week and have two scheduled for the weekend! In addition, I'm 4/20 for my barre class <a href="http://bit.ly/2FfTAJo" target="_blank">challenge</a>!<br />
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I set a goal to get back to waking up early and working out because I truly do love that schedule the most. I started slow on Monday by just waking up about 30 minutes early but not working out ( Monday nights I'm at the studio so I take class then!). I jumped in hard with a hot yoga class at 6:15 Tuesday morning which was aggressive since Monday was Bachelor night. I made it to barre Wednesday morning but Thursday, my body said no. I went to bed at 9:15 Wednesday and woke up at 7:15 Thursday... So I swapped my sleep in day from today to yesterday :) </div>
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So part of my <b>bloom</b> challenge, is investing in friendships here in Charlottesville. Well, this week I did a lot of that. Saturday I dragged a friend to barre and then we ate brunch. And by that I mean we sat in the restaurant for 3 hours catching up! On Sunday, a couple friends and I took our dogs to the <i>very </i>muddy dog park and spent almost 3 hours letting the dogs play while we talked about life.</div>
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Monday night I hung out with a friend who I hadn't seen since the first week of December and watched The Bachelor and talked about life. And on Wednesday, I met a new friend for drinks after work and we had a lovely time. You would also think Christian would be used to me meeting up with people "from the internet" but he still finds it weird...<br />
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And on Thursday we had our weekly "family dinner" with our best friends and finally showed our friend the last Harry Potter movie! He had truly never seen them until we started them a few months ago. Now he finally knows how they end! I'd definitely say this week was very successful in the friend department and that my introvert really wants to spend some time alone this weekend.<br />
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It was a very successful, tiring week and we've got plans to celebrate a friend's birthday and play in the 4-6 inches of snow headed our way!!<br />
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-66954561097504984632019-01-10T07:00:00.000-05:002019-01-14T09:46:28.260-05:00Shopping My Closet {Week 1} One of my <a href="http://bit.ly/2FfTAJo" target="_blank">goals </a>this month is to not a repeat an outfit or wear workout clothes if I'm outside the apartment and not working out. I had gotten in a really bad rut of only wearing "athleisure" on the weekends when I have a FULL closet I should be taking advantage of.<br />
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Today I'm sharing last week's outfits starting on New Year's Day and skipping Sunday thanks to staying in my leggings all day going from barre, to the muddy dog park, to washing Ellie and the cooking dinner. I say that all counts as a workout.<br />
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I didn't think about sharing these as a blog post until a few days in so the first few pictures are the worst. I'll also say that our apartment is super tiny and dark and it's dark outside when I get home from work so many of these are going to be taken in the bathroom at work so if you hate looking at bathroom stall doors, maybe skip these? Christian has been a trooper and has snapped a few for me when he's around.<br />
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And finally, I'm sharing them all on Instagram, too with the posts linked so you can shop the blogger's I'm "copying" if you want. I'll also tell you where my clothes are from in this post!<br />
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Well, without further ado, the outfits from the first week of this challenge!<br />
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<b><u>Day 1</u></b><br />
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<i>My Look: </i><br />
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I got dressed super late in the day so the lighting was terrible. I tried it in our apartment and out on a walk. I swear in person these tops are the same color, but I haven't edited/brightened my photo at all.<br />
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Leggings: Zella from Nordstrom // Thermal: Thrifted // Striped Tee: Old Navy // Necklace: Anthropologie // Boots: Literally no clue</div>
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<i>Inspiration</i>: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-SRvOxnGOaPRCxc2XfzN9fKiyUh0AFtbRDhkLnDGzZSVR139sn3J4jlJ-uQKLP5y__f5Lqhv2NJoTeUpJ5pQnwd69cGp3gkBEAxMi00L4V6-OCnpI4eVTyPV-CDAf5hObdz8UoDD3tg/s1600/Jan1inspo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="645" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-SRvOxnGOaPRCxc2XfzN9fKiyUh0AFtbRDhkLnDGzZSVR139sn3J4jlJ-uQKLP5y__f5Lqhv2NJoTeUpJ5pQnwd69cGp3gkBEAxMi00L4V6-OCnpI4eVTyPV-CDAf5hObdz8UoDD3tg/s1600/Jan1inspo.png" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Day 2 </u></b><br />
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<i>My Look: </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIKjaUafDo7M9FPhfEGAm38JrTEkgrqzu3Ra99cuXNOQmSUFu0QLT-8Yho6CSNSO79zp4dSxV1MPUPTxChs8hnZ5vHa6HYO7lGvXhqHJh3eMs18lYgc8qitkNU20Kl7I86EE3ClhqfJM/s1600/Jan2outfit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="667" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIKjaUafDo7M9FPhfEGAm38JrTEkgrqzu3Ra99cuXNOQmSUFu0QLT-8Yho6CSNSO79zp4dSxV1MPUPTxChs8hnZ5vHa6HYO7lGvXhqHJh3eMs18lYgc8qitkNU20Kl7I86EE3ClhqfJM/s1600/Jan2outfit.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Jeggings: Old Navy (<a href="https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?vid=1&pid=394714002&searchText=white+jeggings" target="_blank">similar</a>) // Sweater:<a href="https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?vid=1&pid=345959042&searchText=black+sweater" target="_blank"> Old Navy </a>// Boots: Steve Madden, super old </i></div>
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<i>Inspiration: </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj111K1iFKaNz9xIVGG3OP8-NbSkDnV_hVf0yQ7jiHDrvHbUiaQSLCoJZontPg_CAHXIQIfFoI-0LFVy0nf9BvTF9NVqKZ51CF-Opqv7v2KtCvq3nzySCGMdTHclLDQiezJW0NHQaHoTcc/s1600/janinspo4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="644" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj111K1iFKaNz9xIVGG3OP8-NbSkDnV_hVf0yQ7jiHDrvHbUiaQSLCoJZontPg_CAHXIQIfFoI-0LFVy0nf9BvTF9NVqKZ51CF-Opqv7v2KtCvq3nzySCGMdTHclLDQiezJW0NHQaHoTcc/s1600/janinspo4.png" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Day 3 </u></b><br />
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<i>My Look: </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aqTeXtDQs4UOAQc0IsEaQPJzbKWSKMmHP0PQsrW5ak8c11W7aUHspExNbu50rp2Uc2GhTals3hZHPlgCgJBz2w5vA0WOFOKZ6SBEG3plroeahglQNuG-viWXBw7pAj32IVuwDFIWixg/s1600/jan3outfit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="667" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aqTeXtDQs4UOAQc0IsEaQPJzbKWSKMmHP0PQsrW5ak8c11W7aUHspExNbu50rp2Uc2GhTals3hZHPlgCgJBz2w5vA0WOFOKZ6SBEG3plroeahglQNuG-viWXBw7pAj32IVuwDFIWixg/s1600/jan3outfit.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Sweater: No idea // Jeggings: <a href="https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=339399002&cid=57563&pcid=5475" target="_blank">Old Navy</a> ( I love these pants so much) // Flats: <a href="https://www.target.com/p/women-s-rebecca-pointed-two-piece-ballet-flats-a-new-day-153/-/A-53402445?preselect=53289066#lnk=sametab" target="_blank">Target </a></i></div>
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<i>Inspiration: </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihN4XRLGn7TD6oVn6_YSs_f0duXa4MuTv72lPt1gFT9eHhDESLtkFszWR-QjUYKyrswau9TPJ5D4jCV2yzyzgpN9wmakchwKP49yTFUQeChHbjbnFTkAgCz-TpWw0HgziiNpgRI5jzpg0/s1600/Screenshot_20181227-153158.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="744" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihN4XRLGn7TD6oVn6_YSs_f0duXa4MuTv72lPt1gFT9eHhDESLtkFszWR-QjUYKyrswau9TPJ5D4jCV2yzyzgpN9wmakchwKP49yTFUQeChHbjbnFTkAgCz-TpWw0HgziiNpgRI5jzpg0/s1600/Screenshot_20181227-153158.png" /></a></div>
<b><u>Day 4 </u></b><br />
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<i>My Look: </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDJh1S-AgZliPcV9Cr-q49yItoaMO0mLc3OYsXU5YTJYSAF6oq4IR97Gk21zhlKwazx8y6vG2nsAUrWq2PE2bKV2xl1GqDivhPRcw5IicsXGrwqXW4SODTSx5W9WSlMupm9gqy49lV1U/s1600/jan4outfit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDJh1S-AgZliPcV9Cr-q49yItoaMO0mLc3OYsXU5YTJYSAF6oq4IR97Gk21zhlKwazx8y6vG2nsAUrWq2PE2bKV2xl1GqDivhPRcw5IicsXGrwqXW4SODTSx5W9WSlMupm9gqy49lV1U/s1600/jan4outfit.jpg" /></a></div>
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Sweater: Target // T-shirt: <a href="https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=605657082&cid=1057050&pcid=1035712" target="_blank">Old Navy</a> // Pants: <a href="https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=8296700020602&cid=1124832&locale=en_US" target="_blank">Old Navy</a> // Booties: Old Target // Necklace: Anthropologie // Dog: Australian Shepard Lab </div>
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<i>Inspiration: </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAlo6eXO38vcKVarB_fIEUlB5J6_qZ65hPZbdis9kpUaxgk8iQir-h95xcBHkm-XwzjmIeFpNsfbcWbaxbcobCalvvPG5oLqtBi_-X8Q8_oPlCW9yPYFPfp2PNhobUFC68ED-XT80_Hg/s1600/Jan+inspo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAlo6eXO38vcKVarB_fIEUlB5J6_qZ65hPZbdis9kpUaxgk8iQir-h95xcBHkm-XwzjmIeFpNsfbcWbaxbcobCalvvPG5oLqtBi_-X8Q8_oPlCW9yPYFPfp2PNhobUFC68ED-XT80_Hg/s1600/Jan+inspo.png" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Day 5 </u></b><br />
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<i>My Look: </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XngILjym6AzzmPB3WYstrBnFMYCxKWyAppog1y3p8Cx4SQVaXGnIVrReDJAYwcnm7eu0XKC0l4qVR0vF_BUZPS95QUOzzd0-U1Ezb2VrXHTqVt63q3tCeKJ0Z3goUX8aFVl30U2Yh20/s1600/jan5outfit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="667" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XngILjym6AzzmPB3WYstrBnFMYCxKWyAppog1y3p8Cx4SQVaXGnIVrReDJAYwcnm7eu0XKC0l4qVR0vF_BUZPS95QUOzzd0-U1Ezb2VrXHTqVt63q3tCeKJ0Z3goUX8aFVl30U2Yh20/s1600/jan5outfit.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Long Sleeve: Old Target // Scarf: Old // Jeans: Old Navy // Booties: Old Target</i></div>
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<i>Inspiration: </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuk9mhKUTLISQTLDsNBol9RglvTeDcnc4wn2mRdtr5iBnZmmDeN9JEWiqyUKj5yON_f7OBo-yClRh7H_lUrT9lfMiKVW2oZQciRfHMKtcOdfAVhkAXDU043jTIiEmAE_O4QxiaJs1o-CE/s1600/Janinspo2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="643" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuk9mhKUTLISQTLDsNBol9RglvTeDcnc4wn2mRdtr5iBnZmmDeN9JEWiqyUKj5yON_f7OBo-yClRh7H_lUrT9lfMiKVW2oZQciRfHMKtcOdfAVhkAXDU043jTIiEmAE_O4QxiaJs1o-CE/s1600/Janinspo2.png" /></a></div>
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Week one, complete. Do you have any cute bloggers I should follow for inspo?<br />
<b><br /></b>Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-6779675735116834102019-01-08T10:43:00.003-05:002020-03-19T16:40:40.489-04:00A January of Books <div>
It's already time for the first link up of 2019! Four of these were read last year with just the first two being read this year. </div>
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I'm trying something different this year by completing the <a href="https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Reading-Challenge-2019-45450968" target="_blank">Popsugar</a> reading challenge for the entire year as well as participating in Erin's Book Challenge that's running January 1 - March 31. I picked my books based on what was already on my "to read" shelf on Goodreads but I did of course have to add some for a few categories. So, for the books I read in 2019, I'll be adding the challenge category that it checks off (if it does, of course. </div>
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<u>Books read in 2019</u></div>
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<i>The Perfect Nanny</i> // Lila Slimani</div>
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<b>Rating</b>: 2/5 </div>
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<b>Challenge</b>: Erin's - book that was originally published in a language other than your own</div>
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Nope. Apparently it was based on a true story but has no real conclusion. This is not spoiled because its the first line of the book - the nanny kills the children and then it goes back and forth from her perspective and the parents of how she came to be their nanny and the time between that and the kids dying. But, there is NO resolution and its a very choppy book. I read it in a day, though, because it was short. </div>
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<i>The Third Wife</i> // Lisa Jewell</div>
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<b>Rating</b>: 4/5</div>
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<b>Challenge</b>: Popsugar - book you meant to read in 2018</div>
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Yes, read two Lisa Jewell books back to back. This one was not the thriller I was expecting but had some good character growth while still maintaining some mystery throughout. </div>
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<b>2019 books read to date: </b>2 </div>
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<b>Currently on the nightstand: </b>The Clockmaker's Daughter, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, The Rhythm Section, The Lies We Told, One Day in December, The President is Missing, Severence, Rich People Problems and The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle</div>
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<u>Books read in 2018:</u></div>
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<i>I Found You</i> // Lisa Jewell </div>
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Rating: 4/5 </div>
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This book was so GREAT. A great thriller with pretty good characters that didn't come off as too unbelievable like some thrillers do. </div>
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<i>Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</i> // JK Rowling</div>
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Rating: 5/5 </div>
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Just doing that reread on audiobook with Christian :) </div>
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<i>China Rich Girlfriend</i> // Kevin Kwan<br />
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Rating: 3/5</div>
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I think these books are great, fluffy reads. Although occasionally, I can get a little bogged down by all the over the top descriptions instead of actual actions taking place. </div>
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<i>The Last Day of Emily Lindsey</i> // Nic Joseph </div>
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Rating: 4/5 </div>
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This book was interesting! I thought the twist of somewhat obvious, but then there was an additional twist on top of that which I thought was less obvious. </div>
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Linking up with <a href="https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/" target="_blank">Steph </a>and <a href="http://janasays.com/" target="_blank">Jana</a>!</div>
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-88152201766361280242019-01-07T09:04:00.001-05:002019-01-07T09:04:58.825-05:00January GoalsHey look at this - 3 new posts in 2019 and it's only the 7th! Let's see if we can keep this up.<br />
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Last week I recapped my year of <b><a href="http://bit.ly/2VmbH69" target="_blank">thrive </a></b>in 2017 and looked forward to 2019: the year of <b><a href="http://bit.ly/2RbtazC" target="_blank">bloom</a>. </b><br />
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As I mentioned in that post, I didn't come into January with a bunch of health and fitness resolutions. Over the last two years, I tried a lot of new fitness and "diets" and I've finally found something that works for me. I didn't want to come into the new year trying to drastically change anything, but just get back on track with a lifestyle I enjoy after a crazy few holiday weeks.<br />
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I've broken my goals for the year down into monthly goals and plan to share them monthly and how they align with my word.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Read six books. </i>My goal for the year is 70, so I've broken it up in doable chunks based on what's going on each month. I've already read 2 and started the 3rd over the weekend so I think I'll be good here...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGJ4VfFjib65dwFy_IqMziRn486kar4kZBzK47KV_2ZB3Oglz7S0t7dhJ_AdHyfGToVRWTsDTOQpcMajgigcWSzEodbg5RBSgtAVvWo9wXzXZvc-h-MaDDxVpmzQCTA0s4g7CpfzZtbo/s1600/Read22.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="619" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGJ4VfFjib65dwFy_IqMziRn486kar4kZBzK47KV_2ZB3Oglz7S0t7dhJ_AdHyfGToVRWTsDTOQpcMajgigcWSzEodbg5RBSgtAVvWo9wXzXZvc-h-MaDDxVpmzQCTA0s4g7CpfzZtbo/s1600/Read22.PNG" /></a></div>
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Purge the Instagram feed. </i>I know a lot of people that purged their feed from accounts that don't spark joy. I've started doing the same. I follow so many accounts that with the new algorithm, I just don't see them all. I've started trimming them down as they pop up and I realize it either makes me sad/mad/annoyed or I just don't relate. For example: some accounts that started as blogger follows are now only posting pictures of their kids. Their kids are cute, but I don't have any or want any right now so it's just not relatable. Not to say I'm unfollowing people the second they have a baby, just if that's literally every single post because I no longer relate :)<br />
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<i><b>No fast food or Starbucks</b>. </i>This is partially a health goal and partially a budget goal. I am the only cook in our household. Don't worry, Christian does like literally every other chore. I'm a horrific housewife - not in my nature. But, in December, I was <i>worn out </i>so we did a lot of passes through the Zaxby's drive thru... But that's just not good for us and we're trying to finish saving for our down payment which is now most likely due a month early. I mean, YAY for getting out of this tiny apartment but YIKES because we would have preferred that extra pay period to make us feel a little more comfortable jumping into the projects we need to complete the second we move in.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSivSqj4zTL-AVYGY6FnXwwnrSlHbXYDVY95CvnK_TtDgzb_OgRPxM1o8LV0z5IvTSv5-6JIlkaEsOcYlQtUCiH3Vzyx2xguOghvJSju83fmh-ErUBT4t99IYzVwytTSPq8pT276RMoqk/s1600/IMG_20180209_114847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSivSqj4zTL-AVYGY6FnXwwnrSlHbXYDVY95CvnK_TtDgzb_OgRPxM1o8LV0z5IvTSv5-6JIlkaEsOcYlQtUCiH3Vzyx2xguOghvJSju83fmh-ErUBT4t99IYzVwytTSPq8pT276RMoqk/s1600/IMG_20180209_114847.jpg" /></a></div>
<i style="font-weight: bold;">No repeated outfits / stop wearing workout clothes if not working out. </i>Since we moved, I've been lazyyyyy in my closet. A few weeks ago, <a href="https://nadinerebecca.com/liftedherlook-challenge/" target="_blank">Nadine</a> did a "lifted her look" challenge and I loved it! So I bought a few basics I was missing with Christmas money and I'm taking on the challenge. Check out her posts about it for more details, but basically I'm taking inspiration from my favorite fashion bloggers and recreating them in my closet - no repeats!<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Back in the early morning routine. </i>I won't lie, our tiny apartment makes this hard because neither of us can get up without waking the other one. But, I'm much happier when I wake up earlier and squeeze in a workout or some reading time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcUKtgaOJcgeSWmjp5xZlzF1efgvRAHqa1cevljnyJMRxgls3vysv4_5l045HKX3VphFe4BJ-CQHRA0ZSOfc0jmBRueBDZjLGDbVMOJpfIEdee-WntOwCljb2elDrIEUEiA54eSLaG38/s1600/IMG_20180226_070613+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcUKtgaOJcgeSWmjp5xZlzF1efgvRAHqa1cevljnyJMRxgls3vysv4_5l045HKX3VphFe4BJ-CQHRA0ZSOfc0jmBRueBDZjLGDbVMOJpfIEdee-WntOwCljb2elDrIEUEiA54eSLaG38/s1600/IMG_20180226_070613+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Complete 20 barre classes in 30 days. </i>My studio is hosting a challenge that started on Saturday to complete 20 classes in 30 days. I am ready to get my butt kicked!<br />
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Do you have any January goals or are you more of a resolution for the year kind of person?Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-69043826773876418122019-01-04T10:00:00.000-05:002019-01-04T10:02:56.296-05:00From Thrive to... {My 2019 Word of the Year}<div>
Ah, a new year. A time to set a bunch of resolutions about getting skinny and completely changing everything about your life... If you're listening to the media. But that's not how it works. You can't just wake up on January 1st and be a new person.<br />
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Over the last two years, I've worked on bettering myself slowly and have really built some solid habits and grown as a person. I've made fitness a solid part of my life since 2015 and I LOVE to workout - except for cardio LOL but I will find creative ways to do it that I enjoy because I know its good for me (hiking, long walks, megaformer). I know how to eat healthy and have things I enjoy to eat that are good for me. I've embraced who I am and if people don't like it, cool.<br />
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So, yes, it's a new year, a new "book", a fresh start, etc. But, you're also still you so just be you and give yourself grace to embrace that. And then make small changes throughout the year to keep bettering yourself or reaching new goals.<br />
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This is why I like the idea of a word of the year and keep doing it. I'm able to make smaller goals fit into a larger vision for the year without feeling the pressure to lose 20 pounds, get 7 promotions, and have a perfect Pinterest house. </div>
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I struggled to decide on my word this year because I had so many great words that would fit my current stage of life. To finally make a decision, I did a little exercise that I decided to put into this post.<br />
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<b>What I'm leaving in 2018: </b></div>
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<i>Guilt. </i>I touched briefly in my last two <a href="http://bit.ly/2VmbH69" target="_blank">yearly </a>recaps that my parents are divorcing (who knew it took this long...). Unfortunately, it hasn't been amicable and my brother and I have really been put through the ringer from our dad. 2017, I let it completely control me and wreck my year. In 2018, I started setting boundaries but then would try to open the door back up, only to be upset again. I kept opening the door because I feel guilty that he is "alone" (he's not) but it's not my job to fix anyone else. I have to prioritize healthy relationships so GUILT is staying in 2018.<br />
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<i>Fad dieting. </i>I mentioned <a href="http://bit.ly/2VmbH69" target="_blank">yesterday </a>that I tried a few diets this year: 21 Day Fix and keto being the big ones. Did I lose weight on keto? 10 pounds. Guess what 10 pound came right back over the holidays? But, as a result of trying them, I did learn how my body reacts to certain foods AND what I can mentally do. Keto was so mentally hard that I could never live that way but I did learn that my body responds to less carbs. </div>
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<b>What I'm taking with me into 2019:</b><br />
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<i>Confidence to be me. </i>This year, I really embraced who I am. I am pretty basic in my love of Fall and all things pumpkin decor. I'm over the top crazy about Christmas. I'm way too obsessed with Harry Potter. I love to read thrillers but won't watch scary movies. I genuinely love Zaxby's and won't turn down a McDonald's Coke and french fries. My beer taste is embarrassing and I'm drunk after 2 drinks. I love cold weather but also love complaining about being cold. I am an introvert who likes to be the center of attention and talks way too much. I like to watch all The Bachelor shows even though I usually read spoilers and think they're all crazy.<br />
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<i>Taking care of my mental health. </i>For me, this is setting boundaries and spending time alone or at least in silence in the same room as my husband. This is also reading a lot of books that help me disconnect. And working out.<br />
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<i>Great friends. </i>I feel like I really honed in on who my great friends were last year and I've started building some great foundations here in Charlottesville as well. Distance doesn't matter when you've got great friends. I haven't lived in the same city as two of my most favorite friends since I was 18 but here we are still being friends and going on vacations together because those two just get me and I couldn't be without them!<br />
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<b>Big goals for 2019: </b><br />
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<i>Read 70 books. </i><br />
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<i>Buy our second house. </i><br />
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<i>Volunteer. </i><br />
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<i>Explore Charlottesville. </i><br />
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<i>Build my Harry Potter Christmas tree ( just WAIT until you see it!!!) </i><br />
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<i>Prioritize friendships.</i><br />
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<i>Secret fitness goal. </i><br />
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<i>Secret goal in case Christian reads this post ;) </i><br />
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I promise I'll update when those two secret goals are completed.<br />
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But there are my big few goals - if you can even call some of them "goals". Nothing earth shattering - just some things that make my heart happy. I also have a few smaller goals that I'm working on each month (January's will go live Monday!) but all in all, they all get me to the same place.<br />
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And that is to my word for 2018:<br />
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<b>Bloom. </b><br />
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You've heard the saying "bloom where you're planted". Well, last year we planted ourselves somewhere really great and now I'm ready to <b>bloom</b> here.<br />
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-63215974527366736282019-01-03T09:00:00.000-05:002019-01-03T09:36:01.722-05:00A Year to ThriveWell, 2018 has come and gone and we're all sitting here looking back at what we accomplished and getting ramped up for another year. This is the first year I almost felt that "shift" between the years because I actually had some time off between Christmas and New Years and the days I was at work were very chill and not full days. <br />
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Even though I didn't really feel the shift in years past, I still started coming up with a word or phrase of the year in 2017 and I'm still mulling on my word for 2019 so now seems like a great time to reflect on 2017 and my year to <b><a href="http://bit.ly/2DqwJap" target="_blank">thrive</a>. </b></div>
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I posted an update in <a href="http://bit.ly/2HdSfB7" target="_blank">April </a>about how I was doing so far and then I fell off the blogging wagon again as our life starting to change completely in June. </div>
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I started the year really read to see 2017 move the eff on and start to set some boundaries with family members in my life and really focus on "<a href="http://bit.ly/2FGggzH" target="_blank">self care</a>" (wow has that word really gotten blown out of proportion) and making myself the best me. </div>
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I started with new workout challenges - <a href="http://bit.ly/2GutYcP" target="_blank">BBG</a>, PWR, Lauren Gleisberg with some of my old favorites thrown in (aerial, megaformer, hot yoga) and recommitting to my first fitness love, barre, at the end of the year. I tried some new eating styles (<a href="http://bit.ly/2DH5hVH" target="_blank">21 Day Fix</a>, intermittent fasting, keto) and I think I've found what's maintainable for me. </div>
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Along with those, I spent most of the year sticking to my nighttime routine and <a href="http://bit.ly/2BTf3Gb" target="_blank">morning workouts</a> thanks to <a href="http://bit.ly/2DAKY0s" target="_blank">meal prep</a>, putting away the screens and recharging at night. </div>
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I read 52 books after spending quite a few years barely reading more than a handful even though I've been reading since I was a <i>tiny</i> toddler and LOVE it so much. </div>
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I started getting out of my comfort zone and doing things on weeknights and trying to coax my introvert out of her shell which in turn led to some great friendships being forged. </div>
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But, the biggest thing I did this year to <b>thrive</b> was to have the courage to apply for a new job. Four and a half hours away from the home we had been building since 2013. Christian and I used to talk about leaving Charlotte all the time when we first moved there but he had a great job and he was doing so well. I had a horrific first job out of college but then landed what I hoped was my dream job in May 2015. I truly loved the years I spent there and I was so <i>comfortable. </i></div>
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But, comfortable was also turning into higher stress levels and frustration. I also didn't believe in the direction everything was going anymore. So, on a whim, while working on July 4th, I submitted an application for a job in Charlottesville. Which, if you've been around here a bit, you know we travel to a lot and really love the town and our best friends who also live here. Within a week, I had a phone interview and an in person interview scheduled. And by the end of July, I had a <a href="http://bit.ly/2BsMYqN" target="_blank">job</a>. </div>
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I <i>freaked out. </i>I was so scared we would somehow fall on our faces during this time. That we wouldn't' be able to sell our house. That we wouldn't find somewhere to live. That I would bomb at this job. That Christian wouldn't find a job. That I'd never make friends like the amazing ones I have in Charlotte. That I had built this town up in my head and I wouldn't love it like I did as a visitor. </div>
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But from the second we spent the first night in our tiny cramped apartment on an air mattress with all the animals piled on top of us, it just felt right. </div>
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Since then, I really took <b>thrive</b> to heart. I went out of my comfort zone again and asked for a position at the local barre studio and now I "work" there on Mondays in exchange for free classes. Know what else happens? I meet awesome people who love barre as much as I do. I jumped on BumbleBFF and started swiping right to meet new friends. I kept making plans for weeknights (it's also easier when there's so much less traffic and we live 2 miles from downtown...). I became a culture committee member for my new team at work and helped plan all our holiday fun. </div>
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So, did I reach my goals for 2018? Hell yes. </div>
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It feels weird to write about all the great things that happened in 2018 when of course there were some tough days, too. But, after such a horrible 2017, I chose to focus on the positives and let that be what I take with me into 2019. There will always be stressful days at work. My dad is clearly always going to be crazy. I will definitely get my self stuck in the snow again (hopefully not this year since I already did that this winter but you never know...). But, those aren't the moments that define me or my year. </div>
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So here's to 2019 (and eventually narrowing down my word...)</div>
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Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8281088621181815325.post-75305849733157593882018-12-27T10:19:00.002-05:002018-12-27T10:19:50.953-05:002018 in the BooksYes, the last post I published was also about books. But, I read a lot so here we are again. Although the last week before Christmas I really stalled in the reading department and I'm STILL working my way through China Rich Girlfriend that I started almost 2 weeks ago. It's also like 4 days overdue at the library but I'm not returning it until it's finished! I should be finishing it tonight or tomorrow morning while sitting at the tire shop... and because Goodreads and I got into a fight, it's already listed as completed. <div>
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As of right now, I have read 51 books in 2018. My goal was 36 so I'm pretty darn proud of this. I LOVE to read and I read pretty fast compared to people in my life (though the internet assures me there are many people reading a lot faster!) But, I had really gotten into the habit of watching TV or movies or scrolling through my phone instead of reading. </div>
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In January, I set a goal to start reading again and low balled my goal in order to nudge myself back into it. I hit that goal right before we moved in September! The move definitely slowed me down but now that the holidays are over, I'm back in the groove and plan to set a higher goal for 2019. I haven't decided exactly what yet, but I'm thinking at least 60. </div>
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Here's a screenshot of everything I've read from Goodreads: </div>
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I tried to narrow down my top recommendation to 1 but...HAHAHAHA no way. So here' s a few. </div>
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<b>Best "if you haven't read this yet you are insane" book</b>: <i>All the Harry Potter books</i>. This will always be my recommendation for this type of category. </div>
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<b>Best thriller: </b><i>Final Girls - Riley Stanger.</i><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>I'm actually surprised I'm putting this because it was kind of gory but I realize it truly had me on the edge of my seat and SHOCKED the absolutely heck out of me at the end. I would even read it again knowing the twist because I want to look for clues. </div>
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<b>Best lovey dovey story: </b><i>The Wedding Date - Jasmine Guillory. </i>I'm not even a romance/love story kind of book gal but this one was super cute! I am looking forward to reading her second book. </div>
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<b>Book that stopped me in my tracks: </b><i>An American Marriage - Tayari Jones.</i> I mentioned in my last post that this book hits really close to home for me so I was pretty emotional during it but I think everyone should read this book. </div>
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<b>Book that made me cry the most: </b><i>The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas</i>. Not only did I cry, I yelled, I moaned, I got angry and a plethora of other emotions were evoked. Read it. </div>
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<b>Worst book of the year: </b><i>Nookietown - VC Chickering</i>. I honestly don't even know why I picked this book up. I think I was trying to us up the last of a gift card last year after Christmas. </div>
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<b>Definitely worth a read: </b><i>Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng. </i>I read this after Little Fires Everywhere and liked this one a lot more! </div>
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Still to be finish before 2019 if I can: China Rich Girlfriend, I Found You and The Third Wife. Wish me luck! </div>
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Linking up (a day late) with <a href="https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/" target="_blank">Steph </a>and <a href="http://janasays.com/" target="_blank">Jana</a>!</div>
Leslie @ A Side of Chocolatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09955101742298568606noreply@blogger.com5