LUXE LIFE // SMALL BUDGET -

YEAR IN REVIEW: A Breakdown of My 2024 Reads

January 11, 2025 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

I always get so excited about this post!

I love getting the chance to reflect on my favorite reads for the year and the chance to dive into all of the data. Now that I’ve been tracking my reading for a couple of years, there’s even more to look at and compare.

In 2024, I read a total of 86 books!!! I really had no idea I was reading so much. Usually, I’m in the mid to upper 60s range. (For comparison, I read 79 books in 2023, 68 books in 2022, 72 books in 2021, and 65 books in 2020.)

Let’s get into the specifics!

What I Read: December 2024

January 4, 2025 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

Somehow, 2024 has already come to an end.

I don’t know if it’s getting older or what, but I swear each year passes faster and faster. And each year feels slightly crazier…

But the end of the year chaos didn’t slow down my reading. December’s reads included mostly fantasy:
-Caraval by Stephanie Garber
-A Court This Cruel and Lovely by Stacia Stark
-Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco
-The Chain by Adrian McKinty
-Fate Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
-We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

Let’s get into the reviews!

Review: Garmin Coach 5K Training Plan

December 27, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

Don’t have money for a personal running coach? Me either.

But as a Garmin user (I have the Forerunner 245), I realized I already have access to a number of free training plans in the Garmin Connect app. While I was initially skeptical of how well the plans would work for my goals, I was happy I stuck it out for a 17 week plan!

What I Read: November 2024

December 10, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

I can’t believe 2024 is already almost over. Yet, I find myself sitting here next to my Christmas tree and thinking about new year’s resolutions. I feel like this fall has been an absolute whirlwind and I’m not sure exactly why. Does anyone else feel this way or is this just a me thing? Regardless of this weird time warp that I’m in, I continued to pick up books and made it through some long ones! One was 608 pages…

What I Read: September & October 2024

October 29, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

Does anyone else feel like life is non-stop lately?

Both September and October have been an absolute whirlwind and with the holidays fast approaching, I’m not sure I’ll have time to catch my breath. But that’s clearly not stopping me from picking up a book…

I read 12 books over the course of September and October:
-The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
-The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
-Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
-The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadden
-The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen
-The Spite House by Johnny Compton
-The Butcher Game by Alaina Urquhart
-Bride by Ali Hazelwood
-Nobody Wants Your Sh*t by Messie Condo
-Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White
-The Unraveling by Vi Keeland
-The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

As you can see, fiction has my attention lately, and I’ve been continuing quite a few series.

Let’s get into the reviews!

Personal Ramblings: Reaching a Running Goal

September 29, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

Running is so strange.

I wouldn’t say I like it, but I like having done it and I like having goals to reach for.

But I’ve realized, I’m totally guilty of beating myself up when I don’t reach a goal, but barely pause when I do reach a goal. It’s just a sudden switch to ‘now what’?

I’m trying to work through this tendency, so I wanted to share how I’m celebrating and acknowledging a big goal I’ve been working toward for a few years in case it helps change your mindset too.

What I Read: August 2024

September 8, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

I’m resisting the urge to start this post off with lyrics from Taylor Swift’s ‘August’, but I do feel like this month really slipped away.

On one hand, I’m sad that the summer vibes are ending, but on the other, I can’t wait for fall. (Yes, I have already pulled out my Halloween decorations and have been burning the fall candles!)

Despite how fast the month seemed to go, I did get in quite a bit of reading:
-Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell
-The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner
-Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
-In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
-Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
-The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
-The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden
-Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
-The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

Let’s get into the reviews!

REVIEW: Caroline Girvan’s IRON Series

August 24, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

I did it!

After years of looking at Caroline Girvan’s different YouTube fitness series, I finally picked one and committed.

I chose the IRON Series as my focus was on building strength, rather than cardio, and it seemed like a good beginner program that would allow me to focus on good form rather than speed.

What I Read: July 2024

August 6, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

I’m not sure when it happened or exactly how it happened, but July proved to be a big month of reading for me! Maybe, it was all the time sitting in airports this month?

I read 10 books (somehow!) and it was quite a mix of titles:
-Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
-Red Rising by Pierce Brown
-The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
-The Twilight Wife by A.J. Banner
-Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand
-The One-Minute Workout by Martin Gibala
-Strega by Johanne Lykke Holm
-Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
-My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
-Tactical Barbell II: Conditioning by K. Black

Let’s get into the reviews!

Personal Ramblings: The One-Minute Workout

July 23, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

Summer running is the worst.

It’s hot. It’s humid. It’s sticky.

So….. when I came across a book at the library titled The One-Minute Workout, I was skeptical, but intrigued. I can tough it out for a minute in the heat, right?

I realize I’m about 7 years late on this one (it was published in 2017), but I found this book to be absolutely fascinating! As someone that’s more into easy running/zone 2 running, I’ve largely avoided intervals and high intensity work and have never done it in a consistent, strategic way. Now, I found myself completely questioning my usual training strategies.