New Years Resolution, maybe

I have been on a foodie kick lately. I'm not sure if it's because of the holidays, or maybe the cold weather, but I have been reading a lot of food blogs and cookbook reviews. I've always been attracted to the idea of cooking--I like to flip through cookbooks and clip new recipes. My problem is that I lack the follow-through to actually cook.

The marathon I am running in is right around the corner, and maybe it's time to direct my attention to a new hobby. Poor Z is forced to eat whatever I throw together after work, and I can't remember the last time I tried something new. I think the key to this project is not only cooking more regularly, but trying a whole new variety of food. Now, I could eat casseroles every day of my life and be happy as a clam, but it may be time to venture out of my comfort zone and try making ethnic food, or meals that don't call for a can of cream of mushroom soup.

In the meantime, I'll be following all the new cooking blogs I discovered. Imagining my way into cooking has to be the first step, right?

Let's have a cheer for Christmas Break!

I posted my second, and final, research paper of the semester last night. I am not convinced that either of my final projects were my best work, but by the end of a long semester, I'm just thankful to turn something in.

Now that I'm footloose and fancy-free (in terms of school), I am psyched for all the holiday reading I have planned. This morning, I requested more books than I can possibly read over the break--I just couldn't help myself! I will be kicking off my reading bonanza with Lonesome Dove, which Z and I are reading together for what we're affectionately referring to as, "Lover Book Club." We watched the movie the other weekend and decided that reading the book together would be fun. If all goes well, we may tackle a David McCullough biography next.

Hindsight is 20/20

A few summers ago, I had to complete a school project for my degree. At the time, I referred to it as "my stupid reading list." Basically, I had to read a set of books for each of three different categories--author, time period, and genre. The reason for this trip down memory lane is that for the past two weeks, I've been working on term papers (think of "working" in the loosest of terms, it's really more like staring blankly at my computer and hoping that words magically appear.) The more I work on these term papers, the more I miss the reading list. Honestly, what was so bad about reading novels for a summer?

Today, I was browsing the Kindle store to load up my Kindle with some new stuff for working out, and I came across some of the authors I read for my reading list. Even better, because the books are early 20th century, they're free! Nothing makes a nerdy cheapskate like me happier than free books. Tonight, I will have to choose between Robert Graves, D. H. Lawrence, or E. M. Forster for my evening run. Then, it will be back to term papers. Boo!

Reading for the Chilly Weather

I just finished a book on my Kindle, Countess of Canada by Bessie Marchant, and I'm feeling a little bereft. Sometimes when I am finished with books I really enjoy, I feel like I've lost some close friends. This book saw me through many a hard workout on the treadmill, and it felt appropriate that the main character, Katherine, lives in chilly northern Canada. I felt like I could relate weather-wise.

Katherine and her family live in Canada where her father manages a general store. Katherine has recently returned home from college in Canada in order to teach, but there are not any young children in Roaring Portage for a school. Katherine spends most of her time helping her father deliver goods, but when he falls ill, the bulk of the work falls to her. Katherine spends her time delivering goods and managing the store along with her younger brothers and older sister. Along the way, she manages to rescue several people in the wilds of Canada, including Jervis Ferrars, an agent for a tradesman investing in a fishing operation.

Honestly, I am horrible at summaries and this one is not doing justice to the book AT ALL!

Bessie Marchant (1862-1841) was an English writer who focused on adventure novels featuring young women. This book reminded me a lot of Anne of Green Gables--both have spunky heroines and lots of what I would call episodes throughout. The novel feels like a variety of adventure stories strung together by the main character. Marchant is able to create characters that may not have a lot of depth, but feel genuine all the same. Katherine is brave, hard-working, generous, and intelligent, but Marchant balances all of that to make Katherine a believable character, and an inspirational one too. I never would have made it through some of those runs without reading about Katherine trudging ten miles cross country in snow shoes!