Favorite Books of 2015!

It looks as if this year will be a top five list (in no particular order).

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (read in January)

Yes, this was probably on most people's list last year and I read it last January.  But it still holds up.  It's just a wonderful, unique and complex story.  A must read if, you know, you haven't already.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (read in December)

On the flip side, I JUST finished this book, but I adored it.  It's just my kind of fantasy novel.  Like if Game of Thrones was slightly more palatable and cut to the chase.  

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen (read in June)

This book just resonated with me.  It was one of those novels that kept me up late reading, because I loved the characters so much.  

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (read in May)

Ng tells a quietly riveting, and deftly plotted, story of an immigrant family.  A must read for all Americans, in my opinion.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (read in March)

Love. Love. Love.  For many of the same reasons I loved Saint Anything.  Best characters of the year and best narrative of weaving past and present.  (Right up there with the Kate Morton level of narrative finesse.)

Favorite Books of 2014
Favorite Books of  2013 
Favorite Books of 2012

2016 Goals and December Recap

As some of you may have noticed, I went ahead and changed this blog over to Born and Read in Chicago, instead of maintaining two separate spaces.  It just seemed the logical thing  to do.  Rather than letting all the content here collect dust (I'm too sentimental about it!), I brought all the book posts here with the rename.  So, there will be slightly different content going forward.  As I said in my updated About Me page, more book focused, but I will still occasionally talk running and other stuff (just as I occasionally/monthly talked books since 2012).

In keeping with simplifying things, I'm going back to a yearly/to-do list for 2016.  I really had fun thinking big picture back in 2013/2014, and think it'll be simpler (and less boring) than talking monthly stuff.  But first, I've gotta check in on my last goals of 2015:  

December Goals

Finish gift shopping.
I felt ahead of the game on things this year and was done with all the gifts at least 2 weeks before Christmas.  Although, with the way shipping was backed up this year, that meant one or two things still squeaked in juuuuust under the wire. 

Purchase and assemble teacher gifts.  
Holiday bark  with the Target cards went over so well, that I got a recipe request from one of the teachers.  I make a note of the ingredients in case of allergies, but DUH.  Next year I will be including the recipe, maybe on nice card stock... 

Baking, so much baking.
Mmmmm.  Always a fun to-do item.  

Holiday Cards. 
Sigh.  The pictures and ordering were accomplished by the first week of December and, alas, I tried another coupon with a different company than last year and the same thing happened: not making good on promised timetables.  Thankfully, since I did order them so early, I was able to get them out the Sunday before Christmas.

Come up with some 2016 goals.  
Voila!  Those are below!

Put together a race recap on the Turkey Trot.
Done!

Stay well, and pray to the weather gods that I get a whole calendar year of streaking done in 2015.
I am knocking on wood as I type this, but we have been really healthy this year.  I haven't been sacked with a fever or cough since last winter!  By November of every year, I'm usually struck with some horrible virus the kids have picked up.  Maybe because they're getting older/less handsy in elementary school?  Nevertheless, I have that and the weather to thank for making the whole run streak thing possible.  Which brings me to my first goal for 2016, not exactly what you might be thinking...

2016 Goals

• End the run streak when the time is right/obvious.  Having completed a year in May, then a calendar year in 2015, I don't know how much more I need to do with the streak.  I will for sure keep going, as I said on Instagram, it's my daily meditation.  However, if I'm running a fever or feel like I'm dying?  DONE.  If we ever get a few inches of snow and a snow day? (Can I call one in?  I miss them.)  DONE.  So, my goal is to not be obsessive and give myself permission to stop.
• Read 55 books. My goal this year was to read at least one more book than I did the year before (47 books in 2014), and I HANDILY succeeded by reading 54.  So yeah, one more book than last year.
• Do the Book Riot read harder challenge.  I'm excited to do a separate challenge from the annual Goodreads and I'm going to outline the books to read soon.
• Run 5 races, including one trail race.  In 2015 I ran a LOT, but I cut my race schedule down by half.  Again, simplifying is a lovely thing.    
• Aim for one PR.  This is something that I've been able to accomplish every year since I really started running in 2011, so I'm hopeful I can continue the trend.  Speaking of trends, it seems that my PRs are always a surprise/not planned for, unlike ones I train for - so I'm going to kind of 'let it go' in the dogged mentality of getting that damn sub 25 5K or sub 2 half.
• Plan a girls trip with my high school buddies.   We haven't gotten together in so long and since I'm probably not doing Bird Camp this year, I have the time and funds to make something happen with these ladies.  It's just getting the stars our schedules to align.
• Plan another summer family road trip. This will be the first summer in two years that we don't have a weeks old puppy in the house, so we might be able to squeak in something fun like we did back in 2012 and 2013.
• More picture taking and maybe a small weekly or monthly roundup.  I really enjoyed doing a roundup in past years and now that I've signed up for Chatbooks, it has inspired me to take more pics.  It might be easier to do weekly (maybe along with menu day) than to make a roundup at the end of the month.
• Get at least 5 new meals into regular rotation.  I think this is a little more attainable than holding myself to trying a minimum number of new recipes a month.  
• Try new restaurants with the hubs. I dunno, we'll see!  We love our usual haunts SO MUCH, that it's hard to gamble with something new when you get a date night out.  So, maybe more date nights out then?  Birthdays will always be at Daniels.  That's non-negotiable.
• Have more fun with makeup and find the right routine, colors, etc. for me. For Christmas I got a subscription to Birchbox (from my list!), as well as some new brushes, so I'm on the right track.  But I still feel pretty clueless about stuff (I didn't realize, until recently, that I could apply my BB cream with a brush. Brushes are a BIG DEAL, apparently.), so I'm going to try to learn more.  Plus maybe find a new perfume!  Fun, right?  I've had the same two scents (Issey Miyake, L'Eau D'issey and Fresh, Memoirs of a Geisha) for nearly a decade.

December Birchbox!

Okay!  I'm excited!  Maybe I'll do a little quarterly check-in.  Maybe not.  Keepin' it easy breezy.

This Weeks Eats 1.3.16

First menu plan for the year!  And it's comin' to ya from the new blog.  One of my goals for this year is to simplify, and it's probably not a huge surprise that I'm starting to consolidate things onto this site.  One might argue that it would be simpler just to do away with weekly menu posts, but they are my favorite.  I love to read others, I like to look back at my own, and it's a handy thing to have all my recipes for the week in one space.  Can't stop, won't stop!  

This week, I'm glad to be getting back into the routine, even though we had a lovely holiday break.  

  
This cartoon that I keep seeing all over the internet, from Hurrah For Gin (who I am NOW FOLLOWING), pretty much sums everything up.  Although I'm not necessarily feeling fat, so that's a good thing.  Especially since we have Lou Malnatis pizzas and Portillos hot dogs to eat in the coming weeks!  The pizzas are gifted to us every year from my mom, and this year we got the hot dogs from my mother in law.  So, yeah, they're BOTH goin' on the menu this week.  

•  Monday - Pizza (Malnatis!)
• Tuesday - Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup with Chorizo (trying this recipe I found in Food Network Magazine)
• Wednesday - Chicken Hoisin Rice Bowls (from Cookin' Canuck)
• Thursday - Hot Dogs (Portillos!)
• Friday - Spicy Avocado Enchiladas (a favorite from The Novice Chef)
• Saturday - Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Asparagus (from Damn Delicious, and it is)
• Sunday - Greek Turkey Meatball Salad (another favorite recipe, from The Perfect Pantry)

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie, Mommy Run Fast and Jill Conyers - be sure to check out all the great weekly menus!

Hot Chocolate 15K/5K Seattle Coupon/Promo Code 2016 (UPDATE for 2019)

**UPDATE FOR 2019: I'm not sure what it will be, but you can start using SEAANDREA19 for next year's free item!**

I'll have a post up with more details soon.

Registrations are ramping up for Seattle Hot Chocolate 15K/5K, so I thought I'd re-share the deets here (and because I'm having some hiccups with redirects from Born And Raced......). 

Here's this season's Hot Chocolate 5K/15K Seattle freebie! 

Use code: SEABUFF2 for a free buff when you register for the Seattle 15K OR 5K.

• The race is Sunday, March 6th 2016 - perfect time of year for some hot chocolate.
• The swag is always awesome, and this year is no exception:

  

  Full zip, fleece lined tech jackets!

• And again, there will be medals for the 15K - super cool, city-specific bling.

• The folks at RAM Racing put a lot of thought, time and effort into choosing the hot cocoa and fondue - trust me.  And it is goooooood.  
• They have an option this year to have your packet sent to your HOME!  This is really great, since it can be a bit of a bear to head to the Seattle Center twice in one weekend for most people.
• And they have added NUUN as the on course hydration!  This makes me super happy.

yesssss.

Hopefully I've tempted you to join in the fun and get yer free buff!  If not, here are my recaps from Seattle , Seattle AND Chicago.  I can attest to the fact that the race in each of these cities is so fun and really well organized.  If you want to run in any of these other cities:

• Atlanta
• Austin
• Chicago
• Columbus
• Dallas
• Denver
• Minneapolis
• Philadelphia
• Phoenix
• San Diego
• Seattle
• St. Louis
• Nashville
• Los Angeles 

Go here and check out this great race series!

Books I Read in December

I was about to put together my favorite books of the year post, but since one or two (maybe THREE?) I read this month stand a chance of going on the list, I thought I should do the monthly roundup first!  (For some yearly favorites, here's 2012, 2013 and 2014.)




An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

This was SO worth the hype!  I'm glad I got it in before the end of the year, because I'm pretty sure it's going on my best of 2015 list.  Much like Cinder (on my 2014 list), this book is reminiscent of so many great stories - yet wholly original.  If I had to pin it down, it's like Game of Thrones with Harry Potter, Romeo & Juliet and The Hunger Games thrown in.  That narrows it down, right?  The world building (complete with a map in the opening pages, which I love) is so vivid, as are the unforgettable (and bad-ass) characters.  Following the story of Elias (a graduating soldier from Blackcliff Academy) and Laia (a scholar who's family has been killed by said soldiers) is complex, intense, romantic, engrossing and exhilarating.  I CAN'T WAIT for the next book.



The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Oh man, I have a love/hate relationship with WWII novels, and try to read no more than one a year.  Or in some cases, like after reading Sarah's Key, I needed a few years to recover.  Having read All the Light We Cannot See back in January,  I was able to squeak this one in before the end of the year.  I'm having a hard time deciding if I like one better than the other (they were both outstanding) - and if one, or both, should be on my favorites for the year.  This story of French sisters Vianne and Isabelle is heartbreaking, obviously in terms of their struggles during the war, but also in terms of their struggles as sisters.  At the heart of the novel is a beautiful story about family, and what we do for love.  Another book worthy of the hype.

A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan

I received this book via NetGalley and you can read my review here!

Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand

I think I could just copy/paste my reviews for every Hilderbrand book, they are all very much the same to me - and still very enjoyable.  Her fallible characters are people you'd love to know and be friends with, the island of Nantucket is another prominent and fully realized character, and she tells her stories with great humor and heart.  This one ended on a BIG cliffhanger, and I'm looking forward to next Christmas' fluffy read about the Quinn family.

Euphoria by Lily King

This book was EXCELLENT!  It reminded me so much of one of my all time favorite books, State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.  I also LOVE The Poisonwood Bible, so maybe there's something about missionaries, scientists, anthropologists in far flung lands trying to communicate and interact with natives that intrigues me.  Probably because anything can happen, and usually does.  And, of course, the drama of the stories revolve not around those being studied, but those doing the studying.  As with the aforementioned novels, this book is equal parts disturbing and enlightening.  The tension wrought between this love triangle of anthropologists studying tribes in New Guinea just builds and builds until the inevitable gut-punch conclusion.      

A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan (NetGalley Review)

I got my first denied request on NetGalley (wah!), and realized that I should probably do some catching up on all the books I requested after I joined.  The ratio of reviews to requests is a factor in whether a publisher chooses to give a galley.  And, though I have EVERY intention of reading all the books I requested, I've only read about one a month!  Without further ado...

A Window Opens, by Elisabeth Egan, is the story of Alice: a middle aged mom of three, who is forced to begin working full time after her husband quits his job as an attorney.  This was a very familiar feeling story, with nuances of Where'd You Go Bernadette and a little bit of every Liane Moriarty book I've read.  Maybe it was also familiar because of the myriad similarities to my own life.  This quote cracked me up, when her company 'Scroll' was talking about their target customer as a female who is 25-45, has pets, shops at Anthro, splurges on face cream, averages 3 books a month, etc:

"I felt like I was watching a nature program about myself.  'She dwells in that gray area between family obligation and a desire to satisfy her own sense of adventure.  Here she is now, coming in for the kill.  Watch as the mom sinks her unmanicured claws into the dad's neck.  He has failed in his mission to gather food for their young, so she must feed them tacos instead...'"

Not only does Alice have kids the same ages as mine, but she's a total bibliophile.  Novels that include books as another main character are always compelling to me (see also: The Storied Life of AJ Fikry and Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore).  The job she takes at a big box retail conglomerate aiming to put small bookstores out of business gives Alice a great deal of angst, and the corporate culture satire was HILARIOUS.  I'm not a working mom, but I certainly remember those corporate days and the ridiculousness of such phrases as: deep dive, shift gears, and (new to me) pivot.  In addition to her crazy stressful job, she's also worrying about her husband's downward spiral, a beloved nanny who is moving on with her career, and a parent going through cancer (another life similarity).  

This book is very fast paced, and I blew through it in just over a day.  With all of the heartrending chaos in Alice's life, I wanted desperately to see her get back on track.  Most of the narrative was predictable, but nonetheless enjoyable.  I'd categorize it in the 'grown up chick-lit, with some heft' category, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to my mommy contemporaries.  Outside of that audience, I'm not entirely sure how it would go over, but I'd say the commentary on corporate culture, books and media would make it worth checking out.

Year in Running 2015

This has been a fun tradition over the last couple of years linking up with Amanda at Miss Zippy (here's my 2013 in running and 2014 in running), and I'm so glad that my Oiselle buddy Courtney has taken over the linkup, now that Amanda is doing a podcast.  Without further ado:

Best race experience?
Hands down it was the Lake Sammamish Half.  Admittedly, it was my only PR of the year.  However, I would have said the same even if I didn't finally improve my time in the half after three darn years!  The race is such a great course, the weather was beautiful: chilly turning to sun by the end, and a lovely post race brunch with friends - which is always the best way to celebrate a race.

Best Run?
I'd have to say the 7 miles we put in while at Birdcamp in Leavenworth.  I was not doing a lot of longer runs at the time and was wary of anything more than 5 miles.  It just goes to show that running with good friends can make the miles FLY, even after 7 miles and over 1500 feet in elevation gain!

Best new piece of running gear?
I got a pair of Stance socks at Birdcamp this year and I LOOOOVE them!  The mid-calf length, the support and feel is just great.  Plus they have so many super stylin' options, including Star Wars themed socks!

Best running advice you've received this year?
I did a gait analysis in January and I'm sure that it's contributed to being injury free all year!  I try my best to remember to 'run tall' - great advice.

Most inspirational runner?
Such a hard question, as there are so many and for so many different reasons.  I learned to find inspiration from within a bit more this year, and I'm inspired by all the other mother runners out there: from those with Olympic level aspirations (HUGE shout out to Sarah who just ran an Olympic Trials Qualifier in the marathon as a full time working mom with a ONE YEAR OLD), to those that are taking the leap to trying a 5K.  
Favorite picture from a run or race this year?

I love the composition of this shot that Lauren captured, with the shadow and a nice stride I had goin' at the end of the Brooks Trailhead 15K.  Despite the fact that I felt like poo by the end of that race!

Race experience you would repeat in a heartbeat?
The Lake Sammamish Half seems like the obvious answer here, and it's SUCH a great event.  But I feel like I want to take another break from the half and go for 5Ks.  So, I'll say Hot Chocolate because of course I run that every year as a Chambassador (and because it's awesome), and I miiiight just get up earlier this year and try to race the 5K instead of 'funning' the 15K.  

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?
Injury free and CONSISTENT (still streaking since Memorial Day 2014!).  Which is really the main goal, right?  To just be able to run!