Readers’ Workouts – 4/25

by Carol4 Comments
I ran a 10K on Saturday. My time was 1 hr 11 mins, which I was happy with. I was aiming for 12 min miles and just beat that. I do wish I had run a bit more in the last month or so, because I was a little sore on Sunday. It's a fun race, well-organized, lots of runner, lots and lots of food afterward. With your registration you get a free Pirates ticket, so we're going to the game tonight. https://www.instagram.com/p/BTNAbp7AGpI/?taken-by=carolsnotebook I made my goal for the week, mostly because of that run. This week: Tuesday - Walk with the dog Wednesday - Walk with the dog Thursday - Elliptical, Walk with the dog Saturday - Pirates Home Run 10K Sunday - Walk with the dog, Pilates Monday - Walk with the dog Meal plan: Chicken fajitas Pesto Grilled Cheese Chicken with tomatoes and green beans Philly cheese steak stuffed peppers, but with chicken Year Fitness Goals: - Lose weight. Goal - Lose 26 lbs. I haven't weighed myself. We're working on the bathroom, so our...
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Thursday’s Tale: The Rabbit Herd

by Carol1 Comment
Okay, today's tale does not star a rabbit, but there is a herd of them that figure prominently and the story made me laugh. Variations of The Rabbit Herd are found throughout Europe and the Americas, although I have never heard it. This version is retold by D. L. Ashliman on his site, Folklore and Mythology. Once upon a time there was a king who had a daughter that would not laugh. His jugglers, clowns, and jesters performed for her, but she could not, or would not, even break a smile. Finally the king proclaimed that whatever man -- rich or poor, young or old, strong or frail -- could break his daughter's spell should take her as his wife, and receive half the kingdom as well. Men and boys came from every direction to try their luck but no one was successful. Finally, the news reached a remote corner of the kingdom where a poor peasant lived with his three sons....
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Wooing the Wedding Planner by Amber Leigh Williams

by Carol1 Comment
Wooing the Wedding Planner is the type of romance I enjoy. Both Roxie and Byron are good, solid characters on their own and their relationship gradually grows. Yes, they know they're attracted to each other way before they do anything about it, but they both have pasts that are standing in their way. The problems aren't too big though, they never seem insurmountable, which I like. I could be friends with Roxie. She's trying to be happy after her divorce, to make the right choices for herself, and she's good at her job. For the record, her family is terrible. Byron is sexy and smart. Due to a mix-up, they are both at the Victorian, although he's living in a separate apartment. He's a widower and has always believed that Strong men have one true love and that love lasts a lifetime. His family is fabulous, funny, accepting, supportive. I never doubted that they would get their happy ending, but I enjoyed...
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Spotlight on Beethoven in Love; Opus 139 by Howard Jay Smith

by CarolNo Comments
Book Excerpt: Prologue: The Death of Beethoven Vienna, 5:00 pm, March 26, 1827 Outside Beethoven’s rooms at the Schwarzspanierhaus, a fresh measure of snow from a late season thunderstorm muffles the chimes of St. Stephens Cathedral as they ring out the hours for the old city. Ein, Zwei, Drei, Vier… Funf Uhr. Five O’clock. Beethoven, three months past his fifty-sixth birthday, lies in a coma, as he has now for two nights, his body bound by the betrayal of an illness whose only virtue was that it proved incurable and would, thankfully, be his last. Though his chest muscles and his lungs wrestle like giants against the approaching blackness, his breathing is so labored that the death rattle can be heard over the grumblings of the heavens throughout his apartment. Muss es sein? Must it be? Ja, es muss sein. Beethoven is dying. From on high, the Gods vent their grief at his imminent passing and hurl a spear of lightening at Vienna. Their jagged bolt of electricity...
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The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders

by Carol1 Comment
The Secrets of Wishtide is fine. I really just don't have much to say about it. Letty is a competent investigator, but I wanted her to have more of a personality I guess. She's a little bland, which does allow her to fit in unobtrusively, but I wished she had more of a spark to her. Ido have some hope for her and Inspector Blackbeard though. I liked the Victorian Britain setting, both London and the countryside. We see the seedy side of the city and the drawing rooms of the rich. We see inside of Newgate and the country manor. I do think it did a good job of portraying how women were treated and the (lack of) options in that era. As far as the mystery goes, what started as a short trip to look into an unacceptable love interest turns more complicate and dead bodies start to pile up. The story got a little complicated and I'm never much...
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Readers’ Workouts – 4/18

by Carol2 Comments
Look at all the green! This week: Tuesday - Walk with the dog, Elliptical Wednesday - Walk with the dog, Pilates Thursday - Elliptical Sunday - Walk with the dog Monday - Elliptical Meal plan: Mac and cheese with a side of zucchini and tomatoes Baked sausage farfalle Chili garlic shrimp Chicken fajitas Taco salad Year Fitness Goals: - Lose weight. Goal - Lose 26 lbs. I haven't weighed myself. We're working on the bathroom, so our scale is hanging out somewhere in the living room underneath the boxes, etc. And I am getting very tired of the mess.(starting 141.6) - Run 2 5ks, 1 10K and 1 half. Completed - none. I'm doing one this weekend. I'm debating whether to do the 5K option or the 10K. - Hit my weekly step goal (56,000 steps) for 48 weeks. Weeks completed: 13 How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy at Joy’s Book Blog ....
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