Luggage and Literature

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - St. Augustine

Archives for October 2018

Washington DC Reading List

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When I travel, I always find time to get a bit of reading time in. Car trips, flights, and relaxing by a pool or on a beach afford ample time to read fantastic books. Here is my Washington DC Travel Reading List. And because I’m participating in the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, this reading list includes which books fulfill particular categories of the reading challenge.

Books Finished:

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book with alliteration in the title

This is part of the Kingkiller Chronicles by Rothfuss, but works as a standalone novella, as it’s told from the perspective of a more minor character in the main series of novels. The book includes illustrations, and is just a very refreshing and unique tale. I loved it. I read the first two books in the series, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear, and am impatiently waiting the third and final book. This helped with the wait, but I’m still impatient.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Elite by Kiera Cass

The One by Kiera Cass

Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass

I heard about this series on the What Should I Read Next podcast, and it sounded like a fun, light read. I traveled to Washington DC for some meetings on child welfare issues, heavy stuff. And I was dealing with some serious family health issues. So I mentally needed something light and escapist. This series fit the bill. As you can probably tell from my powering through the whole series, they’re not particularly long or difficult to read. The book is set in a dystopian future, but is essentially a romance story. I enjoyed the series, but would have liked more world building and having a better understanding of how they got there, and less of the romance.

 

Books Abandoned:

None.

September 2018 Goal Update

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In 2017 posting on the blog with my progress toward meeting my goals helped to keep me on track and accountable, so I’m doing the same thing this year. Here is my September 2018 Goal Update.

Faith Goals:

Attend church at least one time per month. Met.

Read at least two chapters of the Bible per month. Met. I read Deuteronomy Chapters 17-24.

Read at least one devotional per month. Met.

Attend Bible Study weekly. Met as our group was available.

Reading Goals:

Read at least one fiction, one nonfiction, and one devotional per month. Met. Check out my September 2018 Reading List post for a list of the books that I read.

Track my reading on the blog. Met.

Utilize Overdrive, Kindle Owners Lending Library, Prime Reading, and books previously purchased to keep costs down. Met. And I’ve now started using Libby instead of Overdrive, as it’s much more user-friendly. 

Complete PopSugar 2018 Reading Challenge. In progress. My Reading List posts show which categories I’ve met in each month.

Apply to What Should I Read Next? podcast again. Met. 

Finances:

Pay off at least half of my Acadia. I paid off my Acadia in full in August.

Pay off law office line of credit. I paid off my law office line of credit in full in August.

Double personal, law office, and LLC reserve funds. In progress.

Continue charitable giving at present levels. In progress.

Keep meal costs in check by eating at home and packing lunches. Met. 

Fitness/Health:

Drink 8 servings of water per day. Met.

Drink no more than two pops per day. Met.

Eat at least one fruit or vegetable per day. Met.

Track food consumption with either MyFitnessPal or Weight Watchers. Not met.

Pack lunch or eat at home each weekday, unless eating out with friends/colleagues. Met.

Plan lunches for the week on the weekends. Met.

Cook and eat dinner at home five times per week. Met.

Use FitBit for sleep and step monitoring. Met.

Walk at least 8,000 steps per day, five days per week. Met probably 75% of the month.

Peloton three times per week for 30 minutes. Met. I rode 3-4 times per week for 30-45 minutes.

Law Practice:

Pay off law office line of credit. I paid off my law office line of credit in August.

Double reserve funds. In progress.

Research law office marketing. Met.

Revamp website. Not completed yet, but I’ve hired someone to do this, so I expect it’ll be done in October.

Develop and implement marketing and social media plan. I have a social media plan and have started utilizing some facebook ads for my law practice. I don’t have a definite plan of what I want to do long-term, but it’s in progress. 

Write blog post once per month. Met. I actually posted 3 times in September, and prepared blog posts for October as well.

Hire associate or advertise office share availability. Met! I hired my summer law clerk as an associate. She’ll start in about a year when she’s finished her last year of law school and has taken the bar exam.

Blogging:

Post at least once per week. Not met, as I posted 2 times. I expect to be back on track in October. 

Post travel post at least once per month. Not met.

Post goal update monthly. Met.

Post reading list monthly. Met.

Develop and implement marketing and social media plan. Met as to a social media plan. I’m not certain that I want to spend the money for a marketing plan at this stage, but haven’t decided for sure.

Take additional Travel Blog Success (or replacement) course. Not met yet.

Find/watch Lightroom tutorial series. Not met yet.

Utilize travel journal while travelling. Met so far. In progress.

Update old posts with pinnable images. Not met yet.

Increase photo size in old posts. Completed.

Travel:

Take at least one trip or local adventure per month.

  • January–Bahamas. Met! This was such a fun trip! 
  • February–Rapid City. I went to Rapid City for a weekend to see family.
  • March–Florida with my friend Tara. We went to Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg. It was so fun!
  • April–I went to Rapid City for Easter. And then went to Arkansas for a family funeral about a week later. And the weather in our area was horrible for much of the month. 
  • May–I didn’t travel in May.
  • June–Cour D’Alene, Idaho and Spokane, Washington for Mike’s family reunion
    Girls weekend with my college sorority sisters, Lincoln, NE Met.
  • July–I went to Washington DC for work, and also spent some time with a cousin who lives out there and did some sightseeing. In particular, I visited the National Cathedral and the Library of Congress on this trip.
  • August–I didn’t travel in August. 
  • September–Mike and I went to Pearl Lake, Illinois for a weekend scuba diving trip. We also went to O’Neill, Nebraska for a funeral and to Norfolk, Nebraska to visit friends for a weekend.
  • October– Philippines with my friend Paige
  • November–Florida Keys with Mike
  • December–Black Hills for Christmas with our families

Pearl Lake Reading List

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When I travel, I always find time to get a bit of reading time in. Car trips, flights, and relaxing by a pool or on a beach afford ample time to read fantastic books. Here is my Pearl Lake Reading List. And because I’m participating in the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, this reading list includes which books fulfill particular categories of the reading challenge.

Books Finished:

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

For some reason, I didn’t read this as a child, even though I remember other classmates reading it. I finally got around to reading it after a Kindle/Audible sale that allowed me to get both versions for something like $0.59. A total bargain. I listened to this while in the van travelling back from Pearl Lake, Illinois. The novel is told from the perspective of Buck, a dog who is taken to the north to work as a sled dog. Parts of it (maltreatment, malnutrition, and outright abuse of pets) are cringeworthy and hard to read. So just a heads up on that. But overall the book is fantastic. I now understand why Jack London is so heralded as a writer.

An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew by Annejet van der Zijl
2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book that’s published in 2018

Allene Tew was a woman who led a fascinating life, despite rather humble beginnings. She lived from the Victorian era through World War II, and was married five separate times. The writing and translation are solid, and the subject matter is interesting. So if you’re looking for a biography, this is a good one.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book mentioned in another book

I read this on the way to Pearl Lake, as it too had somehow escaped my childhood reading experience. I was obviously familiar with the story, but just hadn’t read the book before. The story was weirder than I expected, and evokes a really bad drug trip. I don’t understand the love of Alice in Wonderland. It wasn’t for me.

 

Books Abandoned:

None.

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