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What I Read: September & October 2024

October 29, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 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 0 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.

What I Read: June 2024

July 6, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

Vacations are funny.

The days are long. The week is short. It makes time slow down and speed up. As I look at my list of June reads, some of these books feel like I read them a lifetime ago. So much has happened since then. But at the same time, everything is the same. I’ll stop rambling now…

Overall, June proved to be a solid month of reading. I’m definitely on a thriller/mystery/suspense kick:
-Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
-Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena
-Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea
-The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
-One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
-The Coworker by Freida McFadden
-The Locked Door by Freida McFadden

Let’s get into the reviews!

What I Read: May 2024

June 6, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

I know it’s not technically summer, but it might as well be. It’s hot. It’s humid. And I find myself craving beach reads and summer camp thrillers.

While I got started on that trend later in the month, this month’s reads actually started rather heavy with fascinating (but disturbing and horrifying!) books on climate change and nuclear war.

This month’s reads included:
-You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen
-Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen
-The Heat Will Kill You First by Jeff Goodell
-Choosing Theo by Victoria Aveline
-The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
-Never Lie by Freida McFadden

Now for the reviews!

KOS Plant Protein Powder and protein shake in blender cup

REVIEW: KOS Organic Superfood Plant Protein Powder

May 30, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 0 Comment

I have finally found a plant-based protein powder that I like! (Two brands, actually, but that’s another post.)

I’ve talked about my goal of trying to increase my protein intake before, but I’ve had a hard time trying to balance taste, protein content, and cost when it comes to a vegan protein powder. I want it all, but my wallet says no. However, the KOS Organic Superfood Plant Protein Powder comes pretty close!

What I Read: April 2024

May 10, 2024 luxelifesmallbudget Comments 1 comment

This was an odd month of reading for me!

My picks were a bit all over the place: Thriller, fantasy, historical fantasy, magical realism, literary fiction and non-fiction:
– Red Island House by Andrea Lee
– The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest
– The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
– Nightmare Fuel by Nina Nesseth
– The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
– Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier
– To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang

I enjoy shaking things up from time to time, but I am definitely getting the urge to return to ‘romantasy’ (romantic fantasy) or picking up a beach read from Elin Hilderbrand now that temperatures are really heating up.

But first, let’s get into the reviews!