Archives for January 2017

January Favorites

January 31, 2017 filed under: monthly favorites

1. Bookbub.com I’ve been signed up to this website/app for a while and I have no idea why I haven’t mentioned it sooner because it is truly awesome. If you’re an avid reader, and I know some of you are, you want to check this out (if you don’t already know about it). Bookbub.com keeps track of free or discounted ebook deals on various sites (like Amazon and Barnes & Nobles) and alerts you every day with a list of available ebooks that you can then download for free (or a fraction of the normal price). I admit, I often don’t know of the books and go by reviews and cover design (hey, who doesn’t care about the cover at least a little bit?), but at least I have a stack of (free) books now to choose from on my nook, if I am in a pickle.

2. I go through phases, but I always come back to Wasa light rye crispbread. You can find it in the ‘cracker section’ at the supermarket, but it really is bread (in my opinion). I love it with cheese or meat spreads. It’s high in fiber and low in calories and the perfect breakfast or snack. Two slices only have 60 calories.

3. The Hemingway App. Have you heard of it? If you write a lot, you probably have heard of this awesome online app that will help “polish” your writing.

4. Shea Moisture Argan Oil & Raw Shea Body Wash I love this body wash. It smells heavenly and feels very luxurious. Also, it has natural ingredients.

5. Overdrive in combination with our (digital) local library. As I am trying to incorporate more reading into my life again, I’ve re-discovered the awesomeness of the digital library. It’s been so nice to have so many books on your digital fingertips for free. Only downside: why do all the books I have “on hold” always become available at the same time? It’s like Murphy’s Law, right?

6. If you know me you know that I’m a huge fan of tomato soup. I usually like to make it from scratch (because it’s pretty easy), but I also found a canned tomato soup that is really, really good (and I usually scoff at canned soup!). Try Amy’s Chunky Tomato Bisque. I promise, you won’t regret it.

My new planner

January 30, 2017 filed under: planner, real life, shopping

Are you a planner person? Do you still have a paper planner? I had one for as long as I can remember. I started using paper planners back in middle school and I’ve had one every single year since then. Back then, planners were not a ‘thing’. You could get cheap annual planners at the stationary store (but they were boring and blant) and you could often get one for free as a promotional gift from big companies. They were nothing nice to look at and I started early decorating the outside cover with pictures and the inside with colored pens and stickers, ticket stubs, and photos. My planner has always doubled as a planner/journal/to-do-list/notebook for me. It now serves in perfect unison with my Google calendar (because one thing it cannot yet do is “remind” me of things).
In the last decade or so, it seems like paper planners have gone through a huge popularity spurt. So many new companies sell planners + accessories now. It’s like a whole new market opened up. You can’t just buy planners, but all the accessories you can imagine. Stickers, pouches, stamps, you name it. And the planners themselves don’t come cheap.

$50 for a planner are nothing. I mean, realistically, if you spread the cost out over a whole year (which is a little over $4/month), it doesn’t sound so bad, especially if you REALLY get some use out of your planner (and if you, like me, keep it afterwards, because it functions as a journal and memory keeper for you). Still, the initial investment stings a little.

I first purchased an Erin Condren Life Planner (ECLP) 6 years ago. I liked the size (7 x 9”), the weekly layout, the colorful design. I was so happy with it that I ordered a new ECLP three years in row. I liked the fact that you could customize the cover (even get a photo and/or your name printed on it) and that it came with some accessories, like stickers, to help you get organized

Two years ago, I got a little tired of the ECLP’s bright colors and when I came across a different planner with a similar size and layout, but in more muted colors, I made the switch to the Inkwell Press liveWELL planner. It just seemed to fit my taste better. Besides, I really fell in love with the quality of that planner; the hardcover with a slightly textured surface and with a thin, matte laminate coating (for easy cleaning), the double-wire binding (which makes the planner lie completely flat), an attached elastic band closure, laminated monthly tabs, and thick paper.

There is a snap-in ruler/page marker and a hold-anything accordion pocket, double sided pocket folder, yearly & monthly goal tracking sheets, and extra pages to track books, gifts and travel information. The only thing the Inkwell Press planner doesn’t include is stickers, but I don’t really use them anyway.

I’ve been an Inkwell Press liveWell planner fan since day one and I was pretty set on getting another one for 2017. However, I wasn’t really thrilled with the new cover options (I’ve been so attached to my previous wood chevron design and the revised design is not my favorite) and I was looking around if there are other new planners out there (there have been so many!) that would appeal to me. What I realized in the process though is: I am super-picky.

I knew I didn’t want to go back to the ECLP, because I am not a big fan of the plastic-laminated cover anymore and the thinner paper (they feel cheap in comparison to the Inkwell Press hardcover + thick paper, but almost cost the same). I looked at the Happy Planner at Michaels, which also felt cheap in comparison and they were in fact cheaper (monetarily), but again, they have a plastic cover and I am also not a fan of the plastic ‘disc’-binding system.

My friend Sanna designed a really neat planner herself and I really liked what she came up with, but my issue was the size and the expenses involved in getting this thing put together.
A5 planners generally feel too small for me (I have large handwriting and need space), but the letter size planners are too big for my purse (because yes, I lug my planner around a lot). Sanna told me getting it bound, cut and printed at Kinko’s would have cost a fortune (not worth it) and printing it myself was not an option (because of the size issues).

I know, as I said: I’m picky.

I went to different stores, looked at different planners online, took weeks to make a final decision, but in the end, I caved and bought another Inkwell Press liveWELL planner last week. It really appeals to me the most in almost all aspects. The classic (vertical) layout option was available through Office Depot this year, which meant there wasn’t going to be a run on the Inkwell Press website on release day, everybody anxious that they might run out of stock and you wouldn’t be able to get one.

I hem and hawed over the price a little bit, especially since I bought it after the new year and I was hoping to use a coupon or sale, which they didn’t offer, but I made a little fuss over it with the Office Depot employee and she was nice and at least gave me a 10% ‘customer satisfaction’ discount. There you go, you just gotta ask ;) And ultimately, I think it was worth it.

Am I making this planner thing way too big of a deal? Maybe. But if you’re a fellow planner nerd, I know you understand. After all, I’ll be staring at this thing for the next ~~365~~ 335 days.

How do you plan? Which planner do you use?

5 runfessions

January 27, 2017 filed under: fitness, Friday Five, linkup, runfessions, running

GAH! This last week, this first week of the Trump-presidency, has been tough on me again (emotionally).
I am scared about the things he has already done, I am scared of what he might do, I am scared of the non-knowledge and pettiness that he displays on the daily. I mean, is he seriously going to investigate (with our tax dollars) the election that he won? I still can’t fathom why people have voted for this guy. I also can’t stop wondering how it is possible that people see the world so very differently. I mean, seriously, you guys, this stuff keeps me up at night. It has affected my motivation this week, too.

Since it’s time for the (free topic) Friday Five 2.0 Linkup with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness and also time for Marcia’s linkup for monthly runfessions, here are five running-related things I have to confess this week.

I runfess …

that I’ve been having a hard time sticking to the 4-day run schedule that my training plan suggests. The 3-day training plan I was using before worked just fine for me, but getting more than two runs in during the work week is a challenge. I know, I know, some of you guys run 5-6 times a week, but for me, it’s just hard.

I’ve been thinking about signing up for another half-marathon, and although my training has been consistent, it hasn’t been really ‘organized’ lately and I am afraid that I don’t know if I am ready. Runner friends, how do you decide if you’re ready? Do you do a whole training cycle or do you throw in races in between (I’ve done that with 10ks, but I am hesitant with a half)?

I runfess …

that I was horrible at cross-training. It was one of my goals for the new year to try and incorporate more cross-training into my workout routine. I am happy to report that I’ve managed to do 1-2 strength training sessions per week in January and that I have sore muscles to prove it.

I runfess …

that early morning workouts are much more pleasant than I ever thought possible. I never thought I would say that.

I runfess …

that I haven’t really paid enough attention to my nutrition. Or, let’s say, I haven’t paid attention to my nutrition as it relates to running. I do try to eat a healthy, balanced diet. I know that I can’t have coffee before a long run (sorry if that’s TMI) and that I do have to eat something before I leave, but I usually go with a banana or steel cut oats. Sometimes a few energy chews have to do. It all has worked for me so far, I haven’t had any terrible stomach aches mid- or post-run, but I’d really like to know how I can optimize my fuel (esp. for the longer runs). Another area that I can work on, I guess.

I runfess …

that I sweat more in the gym than when I run in the heat outside. I have yet to figure out why, but my t-shirt (and sometimes shorts) are pretty much soaked after my runs on the treadmill and my hair is wet and dripping. Anyone else?

How was your week or month in running?

Currently | January

January 26, 2017 filed under: currently

reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

getting (a little bit) annoyed with my nook, because it’s a few years old now and transferring books via ADE (Adobe Digital Editions) is a hit and miss. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. That is particularly frustrating when I try to borrow a book from the library that I was on the waiting list for and it won’t accept the “loan token” and I basically have to return it without being able to read it. HMPF. Maybe it is time to upgrade sometime?

drinking coffee. As always.

eating German pancakes, because they’re so quick and easy to make (just mix flour, egg, and milk) and so delicious with fruit (apples or blueberries) or just with cinnamon-sugar.

watching the news. Mostly. Although I get this knot in my stomach every time I turn on the TV and I see that man. I am trying to stay informed, but also want to disconnect so badly. I am trying to find an acceptable balance, but staying engaged seems to be more important than ever. As Rachel Maddow likes to say “This is not a time to stop paying attention”. In fact, quite the opposite.

hoping that the momentum that was put in motion last Saturday with the Women’s March will keep going, so here are 10 actions in 100 Days that we should all consider.

listening to my first audiobook. I am still not convinced I like audiobooks, but I am trying to give them a fair chance.

looking forward to a bit of a break from the rain and storms. We had our fair share of storms in the last couple of weeks and while we have (mostly) weathered them without problems, I am ready for some time off from the rain so the ground to soak up the access water. We need the water badly after our long drought here in CA, but if we get too much in a short amount of time, that causes all kinds of other problems. Luckily, we haven’t had a power outage yet and only a minor leak.

feeling a bit overwhelmed at work. Either everyone wants everything at once or I am twiddling my thumbs (well, not literally, but you get the picture).

thinking about all the things I want to do this year. Trips I want to take; books I want to read; races I want to run; people I want to see; experiences I want to have. Man, a year is so short, if you think about it in terms of all the things you want to accomplish.

Daily Life | 2016 Spending Report

January 23, 2017 filed under: about me, finances

Let’s talk about finances again, yes? I think we should talk much more about our finances, without wanting to make anybody uncomfortable, but I personally like to get a glimpse into other people’s finances.

I know, in the end, everyone’s budget will look a little different (and that is MORE than ok), but it’s nice to compare a little bit and see where other people’s priorities are. Since there is no official education on finances (other than what you learn from your parents), this can give you some understanding and some tools (and also maybe reassurance) to come up with your own budget.

A few notes about our spending. This pie chart was created from my data in YNAB, the budgeting software I’ve been using since April 2015 (and which I reviewed here). I am still using YNAB and very happily so. If you ever want to try it out, they have 34-day trial version. It’s a web-based (paid) version now (I will have to do an updated review sometime!) which goes hand in hand with a very handy app on your smartphone, which makes tracking ‘on-the-go’ super-easy.

These percentages are based on our actually spent money, not income (although this would be also very interesting statistic to explore). Not included are contributions to retirement funds (around 10% of my paycheck, which I am planning to raise this year) and personal savings.

So here’s the breakdown:

Home: This category included mortgage, home maintenance, utilities, household items and some bigger one-time expenses like washer/dryer and HVAC replacement that came as part of the purchase of our house. It’s definitely a larger chunk than last year, but I guess that was to be expected.

Groceries: Percentage-wise, our grocery spending is a smaller piece of the pie this year, in actual monetary value? Not so much. I know, for many people that percentage is “a lot”. Our average grocery bill is $698/month (which falls into the moderate-to-liberal spending plan for two adults, according to the most recent USDA flood plan from November 2016). I am trying to be ok with it. I keep thinking that I want to lower our grocery bill, but then again, I am not really willing to compromise much on quality and since we’re not spending wastefully (as in, we throw a lot of food away) or buy a lot of junk food, I just keep working on it here and there, if possible, but I won’t lose any sleep over it. I will accept that food is a priority budget item in our household.

Dining Out: We get (cheaper) take-out maybe once a week, we go out maybe 2-3x a month.

Personal Care: This category includes all toiletry items, makeup, haircuts.

Entertainment: This category includes the Internet, cable, and our Netflix and MLB TV subscription.

Cellphone: I am still paying for a family plan with four lines, but I have successfully lowered our bill for 2016, which brings down our cell phone spending to 5% (vs. 6% last year). I should mention that this includes upgrading our phones (which were 3 years old) at the end of last year, otherwise it would have been an even smaller percentage.

Shopping & Misc: This includes all expenses that didn’t really belong in any other category, e.g. impulse purchases, work lunches, annual membership fees, running-related expenses (except for the gym membership).

Transportation: Since I live close to my work, our transportation costs (mainly gas) are fairly small expenses. This category also includes every other car-related expense: insurance, AAA membership, car service, rental car, parking, and tolls.

Health and Fitness: This category includes my gym membership and our medical and dental co-payments. I also included our health care premium this year, because let’s face it, it’s a (chosen, but necessary!) monthly expense that affects our budget.

Gifts: This is a pretty straight-forward category and it includes birthday gifts, Christmas gifts and ‘just because’-gifts for family and friends. I like to give gifts.

Donations: We donate something every month, but it doesn’t account for a whole lot of our whole spending. I know we could do better.

Travel: I didn’t travel very much last year, so the category shrunk quite a bit from the previous year. I only made one trip to Germany and a couple of weekend trips throughout the rest of the year.

Life Insurance: I added this in as part of my spending report, as it is a voluntary expense.

I’ve been very diligent with tracking our spending last year and I have reorganized and refined the categories a bit from the previous year.

I think the biggest areas of opportunity for us to make some changes is still the grocery budget and donations (which I would like to be a bigger piece of the pie). I recognize though that we did have quite a few irregular, one-time expenses in 2016, for which we did have to dip into our savings a bit. This hopefully won’t be the case this year.

I hope this post was at least remotely interesting for you. I personally enjoy these kinds of honest posts about finances. One thing I contemplated when reading posts of some of my friends who do similar spending reports is that I want to talk more about how spending is affected when you manage your finances as a couple. I realize that if you’re not the sole decision-maker on where your money goes that it might be more difficult to change spending habits or prioritize your spending. While I will say that J and I are generally on the same page when it comes to money, I might want to explore these thoughts some more and maybe share in another blog post sometime.

What is the biggest piece of your spending pie? Do you have a budget and/or track your expenses? Do you manage just your own finances or do you have joint finances with a partner?

A sad day

January 20, 2017 filed under: real life

Last week Tuesday, President Obama gave his Farewell Address. Watching him approach the microphone in his confident, yet laid-back manner and listening to him for just under an hour talking about his presidency, his family and the state of our democracy made me feel warm, fuzzy and so appreciative of his leadership and subsequently, scared out of my mind for what’s to come.

I cannot believe this gentle, thoughtful, and classy (let alone, well-liked around the world, albeit imperfect) man will hand over the presidency to a loud, obnoxious, hormonal and childish billionaire who has served nobody but himself his whole life.

My heart aches to see the Obamas go.

I want to make one point very clear. I don’t simply dislike the president~~-elect~~ for his policies (although, which are what exactly?) or mere difference of opinion, but for his lack of decency, maturity and grace as a human being. The way he conducts himself is so off-putting. I’ve seen nothing but pettiness, fear-mongering, self-praise, lies and contradictions come out of his mouth. Let alone the fact that he can’t string a coherent, sensible sentence together.

My Dad actually asked me during one of our recent phone calls if Trump doesn’t have anything more important to do than tweet about the most random things, because he seems to take everything so GODDAMN PERSONAL.

Do you know what would have happened if Obama had reacted to every insult or speculation about him the way Trump (who, by the way, was on the forefront of degrading and insulting Obama back in the days) does? Oh, let me enlighten you. Somebody wrote a (hilarious, if it wasn’t so serious) article about that.

In all honesty, Obama wouldn’t have had time to govern, he wouldn’t even have had time to wrangle with the representatives in Congress. He would have been busy lashing out at anybody who said anything critical about him (and there were many!), instead of dealing with real issues. Because hey, can’t let anybody say anything bad about you in this business.

Did Trump realize that this is basically what happens when you sign up to be president? You have to have a thick skin because there will always be an opposition.

But hey, let’s just pretend Trump is a superhuman who can do it all (and, naturally, in reverse order of importance); twitter inappropriate responses to things that should really just roll of his back as president (if he took his newly acquired position seriously AT ALL), continue to run his businesses (nooo, there won’t be any conflicts of interest ever) AND – on the side – run the United States of America. No big deal. [\sarcasm off]

The way he scoffs at everything relating to the government, while not having a clue how to govern. That he thinks he can run a country like a business. That he won’t sell his assessts and release his tax returns. The way he thinks he doesn’t need to be held accountable for what comes out of his mouth. I am stunned that there are no mechanisms in place to stop this, that we have relied on nothing but common decency of elected presidents to ‘do the right thing’.

I am not watching the inauguration today. I don’t think I can handle another blow like the one I felt on November, 9th and which cost me several days to recover from. I feel helpless, but I don’t want to give up hope.

Ugh. Today feels heavy. This can’t be happening, right? Who’s marching tomorrow?

Another chapter of the never-ending story of the U.S. Postal Service and me

January 19, 2017 filed under: f*ck that, I can't make this shit up, nuisance, postalservice

Yeah, it was about time that I wrote another chapter of my upcoming book “The Never-Ending Story of the U.S. Postal Service and me”, wasn’t it? (← Just kidding about the book deal, but I seriously have enough material to write a book. But then again, who wants to read about the failings of the Postal Service.)

You know, I love the postal service, I love the idea of the postal service, I really do. I mean, how awesome is it that you hand them a piece of paper in an envelope and they transport it half way around the world? Pretty amazing, am I right? I’ve been a good customer. I’ve been sending tons of letters for years. I make sure they stay in business (well, not single-handedly, but you know what I mean) and I appreciate their profession. However, repeatedly, they’ve been treating me as a (both sending and receiving) customer and my mail like shit and I am really – slowly-but-surely – getting so tired of it.

I’m almost ( nah, NOT REALLY!) getting used to the fact that I receive a small percentage of my Christmas cards returned every year, a sticker on it claiming that the card couldn’t be delivered because of a wrong address (which, in all honesty, is NEVER actually the case, because I check back with my peeps). I get it, sometimes a letter gets lost, sometimes it gets missorted or simply overlooked. I know how it goes, I worked for the postal service in college.

But, I really had more than my fair share of BAD experiences with the Postal Service (and have blogged about it before) and I am really, really getting pissed off by their audacity lately.

I had been (more or less) patiently waiting for my Mom’s Christmas package. She had sent it of on December, 1st, but I understand that Christmas is a busy time and that it can take a bit longer for things to be delivered when there is such a huge volume of mail. I am not complaining about that.

What I am complaining about is the nerve of the Postal Service to return a package WRAPPING (not even the actual package!) with a note on it that says a) that the package couldn’t be delivered because there is “no such street” (when my address on it is, in fact, CORRECT!) and b) a note that apologizes for the package being damaged (when the actual package + contents were not even returned).

I mean, WHAT THE HELL??? Who returns just an empty wrapping? It’s like a big slap in the face and I don’t appreciate it.

If they determined that there is “no such street” in Sacramento, does that mean it made it to the Sacramento post office and they were incapable of figuring out that there is indeed a street with that name in Sacramento? Are there no people with a little bit of common sense working for USPS?

To be completely honest, I discovered that my Mom used my “old” zip code, but with our new (correct) street address. You’d think, since we didn’t move out of town (in fact, only a mile away from our old apartment), they would be able to figure this little mystery out and simply verify the zip code, instead of trashing the package (or stealing the goodies) and sending the wrapping paper all the way back to Germany!

I mean, isn’t it their duty to at least cross-check the address + zip code (a simple Google maps search will do!) before they just declare a street “nonexistent”? In fact, I googled that and it says that this is what should happen anyway. I acknowledge that this might take some time and delay a package further, but clearly, nobody has even tried here. “Unable to forward” is simply INCORRECT.

To be frank, I am beyond FURIOUS. And I am going to the post office this weekend. I already feel sorry for the person who has to deal with me.

January Link Love

January 18, 2017 filed under: link love

A picture of language: the fading art of diagramming sentences. I had to do this in college (for my English degree) and loved it! Nerd-alert!

Should we all just stop calling 2016 ‘The Worst’? It’s all a matter of perspective, right?

What else do you have when you don’t have hope?

This article is actually really interesting from a science perspective: Running as the Thinking Person’s Sport.

As previously mentioned, my glass is almost always ‘half-full’, but I know some people who need to read this: How to stop automatic negative thoughts.

The need to read. Yep, yep, yep.

I hate to admit it, but I’ve never been more happy to be in the possession of another passport: When Trump’s America Doesn’t Feel Like Home Anymore.

This is too good not to share: Imagine if Obama tweeted like Donald Trump.

Were you born before 1985? Have you ever thought about this? What it feels like to be the last generation to remember life before the Internet.

Salt & vinegar roasted potatoes with smoky garlic mayo. Ahm, yes please.

Creamy (vegan) tomato bisque with a kick. Tomato soup is my favorite!

This looks and sounds delicious!! Fettuccine with kale, caramelized onions, and goat cheese.

Who I am (at the moment)

January 17, 2017 filed under: about me, Who I am

I am …

… sad to finally take our Christmas tree and decorations down. I know, I kept it up even over a week longer than what’s customary in Germany! What can I say? The holiday season was too short.

… hiding in books. I am already on my 6th book and it’s only the middle of January. (What’s happening?)

… devastated to see Barack and Michelle Obama leave the White House. Did you watch Obama’s Farewell Address? I really can’t fathom that in a few short days, he’ll not be our president anymore. I have so many feelings attached to the fact that his time as president is up.

… heart-warmed by (and crying through this tribute to) the candid relationship between Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

… relieved that my dentist appointment last week went well. I had to have a crown replaced (which I had had for 15+ years, mind you) and wasn’t really thrilled about it. My dentist was joking if I was worried about it being Friday, the 13th, but to be honest, I am not superstitious and if anything, Friday the 13th was a good omen for me. All went well.

… a little stressed out by a work project that I have to finish, but which is giving me one headache after another. Sometimes it’s a real bummer if you have to rely on computers for your work so much that if the computer acts up, there is nothing you can do about it (besides call IT and hope they can make the problem go away, so you can meet the deadline).

… hoping to make some more time for knitting again. I have to finish my shawl that I started in the fall (or shawl-time will be over soon).

… enjoying my long runs on the weekends. It’s been raining a lot and since it’s still dark in the morning before and in the evening after work, my weekly workouts have been moved to the gym until spring comes, but I’ve been trying to do my long weekend runs around the park (and neighborhood) when the weather permits and when it doesn’t rain, it’s perfect running weather. Cool, but sunny – courtesy of the Californian winter.

… getting so annoyed with Facebook lately. I really try to stay away, check in less regularly and only participate in some of my groups. There is a lot of content/posts on FB these days that just freak me the hell out. Just me?

2016 Book Report

January 9, 2017 filed under: books

I read 13 books in 2016. Only thirteen. Almost thirteen (there were two I didn’t quite finish). In my defense, I also read two monthly magazines and quite a few articles (online) and blogs :) While I wish I had read more books, I am pretty happy I am in a regular reading habit. Like I said before, I have a lot of competing interests and there is only so much available leisure time.

As you might have see in my previous post, I’ve set a reading goal that doubles the number from last year. I am on my third book and it’s only January, 9. Woot! There is hope!

Books I loved:

A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca (My rating: ★★★★★)

This was a hard to digest, but very well written memoir. To think that Baca was illiterate at the age of 22 and then taught himself how to read and write despite the adversities that he faced early in his life and being put in prison, it’s simply amazing.

I was so captivated by his story and kept wondering how many other lost souls ended up in prison after enduring hardship after hardship early in their lives. Baca gives us a glimpse into the multi-faceted circumstances that can lead to derailed life paths of young people. The story also paints a very grim picture of the institutions that are “supposed” to offer more than just mere punishment for past crimes.

Running: A love story: 10 years, 5 marathons, and 1 life-changing sport by Jen A. Miller (My rating: ★★★★★)

I finished this book within 24 hours which for me is a sign that I really enjoyed it. I couldn’t really relate to the many relationship issues Jen went through, but I could definitely relate to her running story and I recommend this book to every runner.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown (re-read) (My rating: ★★★★★)

I gave this book to two of my friends as gifts and they both loved it as much as I did. Brené just has a way of putting things into perspective and a little introspection has never hurt anyone.She talks about how making a major change in your life isn’t something you wake up and do one day, it’s something you practice every single day and often you’ll have to overcome obstacles along the way, but that’s part of living.

Coming of age in Mississippi by Anne Moody (My rating: ★★★★★)

This is a powerful book. It’s one we had on the shelf and I just randomly picked up (again – because I am pretty sure I’ve read it before. A long time ago.).

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (My rating: ★★★★★)

This is the last book I read this year for the Postal Bookclub. I finished just in time on December, 31. While I am not at all a gamer or into sci-fi, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were likeable, the storyline was compelling, albeit a bit too “futuristic” for me personally (if you think this book is set in the 2040’s, which doesn’t seem that far away anymore), but it folded a lot of societal issues, power structures, and technological advances into one neat story.

Books I liked a lot:

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (My rating: ★★★★☆)

This was a cute story, a fast and light read. Something for the in-between when you just want something to entertain you.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (My rating: ★★★★☆)

The topic was heavy. In the first part of the book, Frankl describes his experience in concentration camps during WWII. It was at times extremely hard to read, but also very enlightening how resilient the human mind can be.

Joyland by Stephen King (My rating: ★★★★☆)

I never thought I would read a Stephen King book and like it so much. Stephen King is forever in my brain associated with horror stories and since I am not fond of them, I never really read or wanted to read Stephen King. I am so glad I gave this book a chance though, because Stephen King is an excellent storyteller and this book was really good.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (My rating: ★★★★☆)

Oh, I loved and hated this book. I loved it, because it kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put it down, but I hated it because I thought the story itself was so f***ed up. Usually not the kind of story I like reading, but I had to finish it. Did you see the movie? I haven’t yet and don’t know if I want to.

Das verborgene Wort (The Hidden Word) by Ulla Hahn (My rating: ★★★★☆)

This is a German book I had on my bookshelf. It’s written by a local from the area that I am from and it’s a coming of age story of a girl in post-war Germany, who grew up in a poor, lower-working-class family and aspired to be a writer. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is available in English.

The Dragon Slayer with a Heavy Heart: A Powerful Story about Finding Happiness and Serenity…Even When You Really, Really Wish Some Things Were Different by Marcia Powers (My rating: ★★★★☆)

This is an oldie, but goody. I’ve read this one before. It’s a little cheesy and all, but it’s also hopeful and got me out of the funk after the disaster ( ← ha) that was the US election.

Books I (would have but) didn’t quite finish.

Overwhelmed: Work, Love & Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte (My rating: ★★★☆☆)

I thought the concept of this book was really interesting and I could relate to a lot of the information in the beginning, but it irked me a bit that the whole book was slanted mostly towards mothers, although I think a lot of it is true for women in general. I ran out of time and had to send the book on, that’s why I didn’t finish it. Maybe I’ll pick it up again at a later time.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson (My rating (so far): ★★★☆☆)

I regret not having finished it, because I did like the characters, but I received this book through the Postal Bookclub at a very busy time and it was kind of slow in the beginning, so it didn’t keep me “invested” enough to push through before I had to send it on. Also a book I might pick up again later.

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What was your favorite book of 2016?