It’s Monday, and April was a good but a busy month! I’m wrapping up my one night class this semester, and I have to admit I’ve been kind of a slacker. Final presentation tomorrow and final paper due in a week. I have some work to do!
Other than that, we’re busily planning our trip to France in 3 weeks. Normandy, Bordeaux, Provence in two weeks. Even better, two weeks away from work and home, from the usual routines, from chores. Two weeks in a car with the husband exploring another country. It sounds glorious and I can’t wait to see it all.
And, thankfully, it’s finally getting nice out – still cold for my taste, but everything’s gorgeous and blooming. This has to be the longest winter in recent history… every time it got warm, we had to pull out the coats, gloves, and tights again. It actually snowed last week, right after I spent the weekend re-planting my garden (tomatoes, peppers, and herbs).
So, what did I read in April?
- Outcast — Kim Vandervort
- The Dovekeepers — Alice Hoffman
- Insurgent — Veronica Roth
- Whisper of Jasmine (novella) — Deanna Raybourn
- The Trumpeter of Krakow — Eric P. Kelly
- Veronica Mars: The Ten Thousand Dollar Tan Line — Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
With the exception of The Dovekeepers, it was a pretty “light” reading month. The Dovekeepers was fantastic. It’s a book I’ll remember for a long time, and a book I’ve already recommended to my friends and family.
I also posted reviews of This is Paradise and Paris, Rue des Martyrs, which were March reads.
What am I reading now?
Here’s the book I’ve spent the most time with lately: The Hungry Girl Diet by Lisa Lillien. I’m a long-time fan of Hungry Girl, but I was skeptical of her diet plan, because it involves actually cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, and sticking to a pretty specific menu. I started off thinking, I’ll just try a few days. Surprise – I LOVE it! Instead of my usual Lean Cuisines, I feel like I’m eating so much better and healthier. And her philosophy is this: by teaching you how to make big meals with really healthy ingredients, you’re never hungry. It’s really true.
I can’t say yet about losing weight, although I think I’ve lost a few pounds. But it’s amazing being on a diet where you love what you’re eating. It’s time consuming; even when the meals are salads they have lots of ingredients. I’m even making my own salad dressings. And because of the effort, I feel like I appreciate my food so much more, and I’m taking more time to sit down and enjoy it.
I went to the grocery store this weekend, and nearly everything I bought was from the produce section. Normally I buy a bag of salad and some veggies, and most of it spoils before I get around to eating it. I bought enough salad and veggies for 20 people, but I’m eating it and I feel great.
Well, I should save all this for a real review, but I wanted to share.
My three most recent acquisitions are The Golem and the Jinni, Burial Rites, The Knife of Never Letting Go, and Tell the Wolves I’m Home. Where should I start?
So that’s my April, how was yours?