Summer Reading

It's here!!!! Summertime and the living is easy..... time to lay by the pool and read a good book.

What I really miss were those seven beautiful years when I waited not so patiently for the next Harry Potter release. Every July I would rush to the bookstore but not crack the cover until I was at the lake, the pool or the beach- to savor every JK Rowling second in the perfect setting. Oh how I miss Harry....

They're not HP, but here are a few recommendations for your pool adventures. Nothing too deep, nothing too challenging, just enjoyment- aka, perfect summer reading.


1. The Informationist by Taylor Stevens. Growing up in the Children of God cult, Stevens relied on daydreaming to escape life. When she finally escaped, her daydreams became stories, which have translated into books. And they are fantastic.

Stevens's has created the ultimate female protagonist, Vanessa Munro. Munro is fearsome and complex; a killer with great remorse. 

The Informationist is her first in the series, and in my opinion, the best. The story focuses around a kidnapped American girl Munro is contracted to rescue from Africa. The story is exciting and surprising, the dialogue mature,a and the character development beautifully crafted. I would follow Munro through any jungle as long as she promises to teach me all the crazy African dialects and some badass kung fu skills she has. 

2. Discovery of Witches by Diana Harkness. Remember: summer reading. This is a story about witches and vampires, I know, I know. BUT! This is actually interesting. Harkness is a History professor at USC, with a specialty in the history of science and alchemy in Elizabethan England. She approaches the story from a fascinating and historical angle. Yes, it's still completely unbelievable and as a teacher she tends to be slightly verbose in her writing, but it's interesting, the characters are lovable, and the dialogue witty and fun.

Matthew, a vampire but also a scientist of gene theory and evolution, meets Diana, witch and professor of history and science at the Bodelian Library in Oxford, England. Their story is one of love, witchcraft, and adventure driven by their desire to understand the origin of their species. It's romantic, it's fun, it's perfect beach reading. 



3. The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson. I love Homeland, it's one of my favorite shows on TV. But I was a little disappointed in Season 2 (Brody really left? A car bomb could really get that close to the CIA?) and I sought out others who shared my views, this is how I "met" Alex Berenson. Berenson did a weekly review of Homeland in "Esquire" magazine that was smart, beautifully written and exactly my reaction nearly every week. Obv we should be friends, or at least he could be my Homeland guru. When I found out he also writes books.... well.... there may have been a rush to the bookstore.

The Faithful Spy is the first of his collection and one of the best. It introduces us to John Wells, a CIA operative undercover with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. In this novel we follow Wells across the globe as tries to unravel a plot to blow up Times Square. Basically, it's reading a season of Homeland. And it's addictingly good.

4. Divergent buy Veronica Roth. If you are in desperate need of a Harry Potter/Hunger Games summer escape, this is the book for you. If you've already read this, forgive me as it's not new, so go get the second book Insurgent. The third comes out in October of 2013.

The Divergent series takes place in the future, in what we now call Chicago. The population is grouped into five factions, each one designed to represent a certain virtue of humanity-Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). When the children turn 16 they are tested to decide which faction they should join, but Beatrice Trior is an anomaly: she is Divergent, a secret that could cost her, and her family, their lives. 

An addicting read, it may infringe on your summer social time as you won't want to put it down, but a very fun read.




5. Rarely do books make me laugh out loud, the lone exception being Bridget Jones's Diary. This is the other. It's a preposterous storyline, total "chick lit", but I love it, a go-to for me when I need a life escape. 

Twenties Girl by British author Sophie Kinsella follows young, over-imaginative Lara, who has never been successful in love or work. Who knew the ghost of her great-aunt Sadie would be the driving force behind her .

Sadie and Lara have a hilarious relationship, sparring often and with witty dialogue. Their quest for Sadie's missing necklace upends a family history long thought forgotten and forces Lara to face truths about herself that only her aunt can see.

I promise you will be laughing, a lot, out loud, and probably snorting whatever beverage you may be drinking at the time. It's all worth it.

Ok, I'm off to the pool to read!!! What summer books do you enjoy?

London!! Part Two

Day Two began... later than planned. I blame jet-lag.

After a day of work meetings I met up with one of my favorite people, Louise, and off we went for dinner at Byron Burger. Everyone had said to me 'You have to try Byron burger, it's so good', or some variation on the theme. So I did. And it was (dramatic music here) not so good. I live in America, and if there's one thing we do well, it's burgers. Though the UK often matches our skill, it was not the case here. But we got beer- wae hae! And I got to try a very tasty Wit brewed in London and not available in the States. And that's always fun.

Then we pub crawled our way through Fulham, fancy pub crawled. We did have a destination... we just never made it there.

I woke the next morning and decided I need to drag my lazy bum out of bed and for a run. It was overcast, it was threatening sheets of rain, it was perfect. Along the Thames I went!

what a pretty house boat!

Then it was off to another meeting... and finally meeting Louise at Borough Market, one of my ultimate favorite places in London. If you've never been and you like food or wine or beer, you need to run there. Quickly.

Borough Market is the country's most renowned food market and has been synonymous with food since 1014, possibly earlier. It is settled in the shadow of London Bridge and is home to over 100 food and beverage vendors- all locally grown and made foods. The high standards of produce is controlled by a food quality panel that governs Borough Market. Farmers, cheese mongers, bakers... they come right from their farms to the market to your mouth to your belly. It's a delicious, and healthy, process.

We wandered through.... and salivated....

The entrance

chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate

See? You want to go now don't you?

We tubed it back to Soho to meet some friends for dinner (even though our bellies were quite full) and I said a very sad goodbye to Louise. I miss her so! But the rest of my time would be 100% wedding focused. 

I moved to a hotel closer to the wedding festivities, the Tune Hotel at Kings Cross. It's a new super cheap hotel with three locations in London: Kings Cross, Liverpool Street and Westminster and is fantastic value for your money. You can get a room for as little as $60/night in Central London! The chain is Asian and have hotels all over Asia, they've recently expanded into London and Edinburgh. 

The style is minimalist and clean, the rooms are smaller, but the bathrooms are large and pristine and it feels like a proper hotel, not some cheap crappy budget hotel. Let's face it, I'm a bit of a snob and I just can't do budget hotels. My friend made me stay with her in one in Earls Court 8 years ago... bunk beds... I still have nightmares.

All settled, I power napped then jumped on the tube and headed for Camden. Let the wedding festivities begin!

The Journey of a Shirt

People say I am simply a shirt. I am not. I have feelings, needs, desires. My job is to represent a Pilates studio in Atlanta, GA called Core Pilates and Gyrotonic and I love it. I spend everyday there, encouraging people to work out, sweat, stretch, learn to enjoy themselves! But like everyone else, sometimes I need a vacation. So I begged and pleaded and finally was allowed to tag along with a Core devotee on my first trip to London.

I'm so glad I fit in her suitcase because after much internet searching, I learned that tickets are really expensive.

We stopped by the first-class lounge on the way to our plane, as you do. I had a cocktail as I watched the planes.

The journey was long, especially in the cargo hold, but we made it. I passed customs successfully and boarded the Heathrow Express for our journey to Paddington station.

It felt nice to stretch out.

Got to the hotel, unpacked, then decided to go for a run through Hyde Park. It was a gorgeous day, people complain about rain, but I say- what rain? It's London baby!

We saw horses, school children playing soccer (excuse me, football) beautiful flowers as it was the week of the Chelsea flower show, but whew, after that adventure, I had to take a nap. In fact, I slept all the way through until the next day. Jet-lag is no joke.

Day 2, the sun is out, absolutely gorgeous day. We decided to jump on a Boris bike and go for a ride through town.

In our sightseeing we rode past Big Ben-

Westminster Abbey-

and the London Eye-

It is a remarkably beautiful city. 

After our trek my travel mate had meetings she needed to attend to, so I did what every British citizen does at half past 5- I went to the pub.

It was quite the adventure. I discovered my preference for ales over lagers; that I love to say 'bugger' before most any word; and that snooker and pool are not the same game! Fun.

The next day we jumped on the tube-

Popped in to the local Yoga/Pilates studio to say hello-

Then made our way to Camden to meet up with friends. Another gorgeous day. Chilly, but beautiful.

Camden Lock

mmmm.... love oranges

It warmed up quickly so we headed to Regent's Park to tan ourselves. I tried to teach them about narrowing, but they told me to ssshh and enjoy the sunshine.

Alas, no tan for me, the English sun is not my friend.

Clouds started to descend on our luxurious day and by the next day it was overcast- overcast, but rain-free. We took the opportunity to go for one more run, this time along the Thames in Chelsea.

And then afterward a quick trip to the National Gallery of Art-

they were setting up for a concert, shame I missed it, I love to sing

 I love to pose for photos too. Obv.

Back on the tube and off to Heathrow. 

I had such a lovely trip abroad, the people are so nice and the scenery so fantastic. I wonder what country I'll visit next????