I'm pretty sure I spent almost the entire month of September sick with some various version of the new school plague. But it meant that I spent a lot of time in bed, sometimes able to read books, sometimes passing out on top of them. Here's what kept me company while I recovered. 

Five Stars

The Parisian Heist by Jo Piazza
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This might be my favorite of Jo Piazza's books yet. Dual-timeline, fast-paced, and a mix of historical fiction and suspense/thriller/mystery. In one timeline, Jo van Gogh works to advance the legacy of her brother-in-law -- Vincent. In the other, a young art student in Paris finds herself entangled with the powerful and wealthy Swanson family art dealers. So good, so fun, I finished it so quickly.

Four Stars

A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've always enjoyed Marie Benedict's historical fiction books that portray various woman from history and bring some hidden stories to light. I thought this was a really fun read about an unlikely pair -- the first Black female DA in New York and one of the most famous madams in the city. They form an unlikely partnership to bring down a powerful gangster network trying to run a prostitution racket in the city. I loved the texture to both characters and the way they kept pushing forward despite the forces they were up against.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wouldn't call this a mystery, but it was definitely a good book. Elsie is an 81-year-old woman living a quiet life on a quiet road with some quirky neighbors. Then one of the elderly neighbors on the street dies, and Elsie is the last one seen with him. She becomes a person of interest in his death because a neighbor discovers that Elsie is also know as Mad Mabel, one of the youngest convicted killers in Australia. We jump back and forth in time learning about Elsie's history and how she was convicted then compared to what's going on now. We also get to meet her spunky 7-year-old neighbor Persephone who is sweet and spunky and doesn't care that her Elsa may be a convicted killer.

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love a Sarah Pekkanen book! They’re so twisty and fun. This is one did not disappoint. Twins separated at birth. One accused of murder reaches out to the other to try to prove her innocence. But they uncover some dark and powerful people who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets hidden. A fast and fun read.

3.5 Stars

View from the East Wing: A Memoir by Jill Biden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is definitely a 3.5. I think Dr. Biden is a cool person and I've always been impressed that she kept her teaching job while also being First Lady. There were parts of this book I really loved -- like hearing her perspective on Joe dropping out of the race in 2024 -- especially after having read Kamala's memoir. It was interesting to hear the different perspectives on a very significant decision. There were other parts of Dr. Biden's book that I felt read a little too "listy" -- like the list of places she traveled on official business. But overall, I enjoyed this book and the behind-the-scenes look at the Bidens' time in the White House. It was a fast and easy read.

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August was a slower month of reading despite a week of vacation, and I think it's because I got stuck in the middle of a longer book that ended up feeling like a slog to me. Instead of just putting it down, I pushed through, but it made it really easy for me to get distracted by other things every time I picked it up. 

Here's where things ended up:

Four Stars

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this a lot, but I thought it was different than Finlay's previous books that I've read. This one felt like a slower burn for a thriller because you jump from year to year with the two main characters and the serial killer. I had suspicions about who the killer was and I totally figured out one of the last twists, but I still really enjoyed this.

Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a great book about sisters and how they support or don't support each other through their dreams to pursue professional soccer. This book was fast moving for the most part, but I did think that some bits of part two dragged on a bit.

Mrs. Nash's Ashes by Sarah Adler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was fun and completely delightful. I've like other books by Sarah Adler so it was fun to go back and read her first one!

Three Stars

Whistler by Ann Patchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm so confused why everyone loved this book so much. I thought it moved so slowly. It wasn't bad, but I'm completely mystified why everyone is raving about this book.

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 Well this blog post is about six months late. But back in March, I ran the my first postpartum half marathon -- the Rock N Roll DC Half. 

This is a race I've run several times before, but the course had changed since I had last run it, and it made the start and finish line logistics a little more challenging than in years past. 

My parents were in town because my mom was supposed to run the race with me, but she had gotten hurt and wasn't able to. Luckily, my dad was on board to come hang out with me at the start and catch me at a few points on the early part of the course before the rest of my family met us at the finish line. 

I did my usual pre-race peanut butter toast with a nervous stomach that I had to force the food into. My dad and I took the Metro downtown to the start line and I found my way into my corral. Lines for the bathrooms at the start were out of control and I wasn't able to get into one before the race started. Didn't love that, but I hoped I'd make it through the race without needing a stop. 

I pulled off my fleece and passed it to my dad before I got ready to start.  The early miles were decently flat and the crowd spread out pretty well on the wide streets so we weren't completely on top of each other. 

It had been a hard winter of training with the massive snowstorm, and I was nervous about my overall endurance for the race. I tried to keep a comfortable and steady pace through the early miles. I saw my dad near miles 2 and 4, which was a nice pick me up, and then I headed into Rock Creek Park dreading the massive hill that would come on Calvert St.

And boy did that hill do me in. I had been keeping a pretty comfortable pace the whole time until I get there. I walked a good chunk of the hill and even when I got to the top, I never really settled back into that previous sense of comfort. 

I kept going, slowing my jog a little bit and starting to do some finish line math in my head. There were a bunch of smaller hills after the huge Calvert Hill and I found myself needing to walk several of them. 

I knew once I got to mile 9 or 10 I'd hit a good stretch of downhill so I just kept trying to mentally motivate myself to get that point. I passed some of our friends near mile 9 and that was a fun little pick me up. 

The downhill on North Capitol Street was a really welcome relief. I tried to just let myself cruise and count down the streets until we'd turn off and start wiggling toward the finish line. 

I liked the new ending of the course since I was familiar with the streets, but boy, they all seemed so much longer than when I remember walking them when I lived in that neighborhood. I kept setting little mental milestones for myself -- run to that light pole, run to the next corner, when you turn that corner you'll get some more downhill. The mental games helped, but I still took more walk breaks than I would have liked. 

There was a bit of time where I thought I might be able to sneak in under 2:15, but I was gassed by the end and I finished in 2:15:56. 

I looked for my family on the final stretch and saw my parents waving to me. It was the best feeling to give everyone hugs and snuggle my little dude with my medal around my neck.