A Second Year of Reading

For a second year in a row I set a goal of reading 50 books. I happy to report that I finished 52 inside of the 12 months of 2020. 

I thought it might be interesting to list first by month finished to see these crazy pandemic months play out through both numbers (wow, so few in March!) and genre/topic.

I did not add Amazon links this round because I thought it would make it too easy to purchase on-line rather than at your local bookseller. Buy local if you can! I was not able to buy local as often as I had hoped and will commit to more in 2021. I read a mix of paper books, kindle, and audiobooks. In 2020,  audio became a real treasure to me. I listened while running, folding laundry, putting together puzzles, prepping dinner, and driving.

Similar to my annual December running streak, reading this much has trade-offs, downsides, and wonderful gifts. I watch very little TV, listen to few podcasts, and don't consume as much news as I have at other times of my life. I also sometimes find myself turning down a very long book because I won't be able to move through it quickly enough (sigh!). But the list of wonderful gifts is far longer including the ability to now quickly still my mind enough to settle into a book. I love the worlds I find between the covers. Finally, I decided relatively early in the year that that 50% or more of my books would be by non-white authors. I was successful there also and am grateful for new perspectives.

January

1. The Camel Bookmobile by Marsha Hamilton
2. The Japanese Lover by Isabele Allende
3. Sold by Patricia McCormick
4. The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connections, and Courage by Brene Brown (Audiobook)
5. 300 Arguments by Sarah Manguso
6. Ongoingness: The End of a Diary by Sarah Manguso
7. Lifespan: Why We Age--and Why We Don't Have To by David A. Sinclair
8. We Are Still Tornados by Michael Kun
9. When Running Made History by Roger Bannister

February

1. Dare to Lead by Brene Brown 
2. How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton W. Christensen
3. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell
4. Normal People by Sally Rooney

March

1. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert 
2. Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott

April

1. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
2. In Pursuit of Disobedient Women: A Memoir of Love, Rebellion, and Family, Far Away by Dionne Searcey
3. Night by Elie Wiesel
4. Monster by Walter Dean Meyers
5. Sunny (#3 in Track series) by Jason Reynolds

May

1. Murambi, The Book of Bones by Boubacar Boris Diop
2. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
3. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore
4. Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly by Mori Taheripour

June

1. Lu (#4 in Track series) by Jason Reynolds
2. The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias by Dolly Chugh
3. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

July

1. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
2. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
3. The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

August

1. Edge: Turning Adversity Into Advantage by Laura Huang
2. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
3. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humnankind by Yuval Noah Harari
4. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
5. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
6. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

September

1. Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change by Marc Benioff and Monica Langley
2. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

October

1. Widows-in-Law by Michele W. Miller
2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
3. Front Desk by Kelly Yang
4. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

November

1. The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire by William Dalrymple
2. The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of ExtraordinaryAthletic Performance by David Epstein
3. Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
4. Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight fort a Fair America by Stacey Abrams
5. Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World by Michael Pollan
6. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
7. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel by Ocean Vuong
8. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Olua

December

1. The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

The full list broken down by genre is below. The descriptions are brief--couldn't seem to find the right words this year. Happy to provide more information and recommendations if anyone wants them.

FICTION

The Camel Bookmobile by Marsha Hamilton
Wonderful read by fellow Brooklyner and beautiful writer. I have read a handful of her books and am always game to read another.

The Japanese Lover by Isabele Allende 
I have been a big Isabele Allende fan. Lots to love about this newer book, but I also found the prose a bit choppy and the story too rushed at it's conclusion.

Normal People by Sally Rooney
Saw this on President Obama's booklist for 2019 and so added it to mine for 2020. Loved it.  

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert 
Fun read. Old NYC, theater scene. Entertaining, breezy, fun.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Delves into the themes of emigration and refugees. This inventive story received many award nominations when published in 2017. 

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
I listened to this on audiobook, which I highly recommend because of the reader, Robin Miles.  Not my usual genre and was a slow start for me, but then I really enjoyed it.

Widows-in-Law by Michele W. Miller
Written by a friend and colleague. Fun, suspenseful and really enjoyable. Her second book is coming out this summer!

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
One of my favorite books this year. I started it in the spring and couldn't follow it as the characters switched every chapter. Began it again later in the summer and am so glad I did. Epic. Harrowing. Amazing.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Another very difficult book to read because of the subject matter (a "reform school" for boys). Beautifully written and wrenching.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
I read this many years ago and jumped into it again when my daughter was reading it for school.  Beautiful and heart-wrenching as it was the first time.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Every time I read a book by Jacqueline Woodson I want to read every book by Jacqueline Woodson. She is a masterful story teller and beautiful writer (and she lives in Brooklyn and our kids went to the same elementary school). Red at the Bone was wonderful.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous: A Novel by Ocean Vuong
Recommended by my running buddy Pam. Beautifully written first novel by Ocean Vuong exploring the immigrant experience, sexuality, addition, death, and more.

The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
Set in North Vietnam and beautifully chronicling four generations of a family ravaged by war and poverty.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

How have I not read this before?! I loved this book of turn-of-the-century Brooklyn and a young girl/woman living with her family. Such great detail about life for a poor family at that time. I never wanted it to end.

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

Like Homegoing, the voices in Girl, Woman, Other changed every chapter so by the end you get to know mothers and daughters and friends from their own perspective. Set in the present in England and the U.S. Interesting and engaging. I listened to the audiobook and a friend who read the book said the prose was challenging at times.

YA Fiction

We Are Still Tornados by Michael Kun
Read quickly on a plane ride before a friend's NYC theatrical reading of his stage adaptation. Two characters. 

Sunny (#3 in Track series) by Jason Reynolds
Lu (#4 in Track series) by Jason Reynolds
Read #1 and #2 in 2019 and finished the series in 2020. Recommended by my running buddy Pam who is also a NYC public school teacher. Subject matter too intense for young kids, but great for middle school and up. Uplifting and so good.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
I had read this years ago along with other books by fellow Brooklyn mom and author. Read again out loud with my daughter. Subject was tough for my daughter, but the story and characters are so compelling.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
The ending is a little predictable, but the story and characters are so good that I almost didn't care. Fun read.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Another recommendation from friend and teacher Pam. She recommends this one to her 4th graders. Age-appropriately tough subject matter (immigration, poverty, right and wrong, etc.) and a good read. I hope 4th graders all over are reading this.

Monster by Walter Dean Meyers (in screenplay format)
One of my teens read for school and I found it on my kindle. Intense subject matter. Written in a mix of screenplay and diary formats.

Sold by Patricia McCormick
My son read this for school so I picked it up. Not an easy read because of tough subject matter. 

NON-FICTION

Lifespan: Why We Age--and Why We Don't Have To by David A. Sinclair
Read this book. I learned and thought about so much that I had never thought about around the subject of aging. So interesting.

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell
Gave me new perspective about human perception.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
Bryan Stevenson is an incredible human being. His work with prisoners on death row and people sentenced while children to life sentences is heart-wrenching and compelling. Read this.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humnankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Incredibly interesting book that I want to read again. So much to think about.

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
A review I read about Sapiens (see above) compared it to A Brief History of Time. Thinking that meant it was equally accessible, I dove in. My biggest take-away was that Stephen Hawking was way smarter than I am. Incredible book and I understood a fraction of it. Will need to read this one again (and again).

The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire by William Dalrymple
Also on President Obama's 2019 book list. Interesting history of the EIC. Before reading this I had not fully understood the company's reign, power, and brutality.

Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
One of my favorites for the year. Thought-provoking, beautifully written, and made me want to dust off the copies of all of the James Baldwin books I read in my 20s and read them again.

Our Time is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight fort a Fair America by Stacey Abrams
I read this right after the 2020 presidential election. I am a huge Stacey Abrams fan. I consider this book a must-read for anyone who wants to make real change in the world.

Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World by Michael Pollan
Fun and interesting. Quick read about the world's favorite drug.

So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Olua
Another must-read. I have read a lot of books on race this year, and this was one of the. most eye-opening and gives me a lens through which to consider the world and my own part in it.

Edge: Turning Adversity Into Advantage by Laura Huang
Good read for career and life. 

Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly by Mori Taheripour

I heard the author on a Women in Sports and Events meeting over the summer and quickly bought and read her book. Lots of great perspective and the tools to use in your own life.

Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott

Useful read for challenging times in my own career.

The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connections, and Courage by Brene Brown 

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown 

Highly recommend anything by Brene Brown. I was late to the Brene Brown table, hearing her on NPR in late 2019, but am a big fan now.

The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias by Dolly Chugh

Another good read that prompted thought and gave me tools I needed to handle difficult challenges.

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Thought-provoking, powerful, important.

How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton W. Christensen
Wonderfully affirming read. Didn't walk away with as much as I did from many of the other books I read this year in the same genre.

Running/Sports-Related

When Running Made History by Roger Bannister
Recommended by a NYRR colleague. Interesting history of distance running, albeit from a very male and american/european perspective.

The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of ExtraordinaryAthletic Performance by David Epstein
The second of Epstein's books that I have read. I highly recommend them both. Lots of amazing research and ideas to ponder.

Biography, Autobiography & Memoir

300 Arguments by Sarah Manguso
Ongoingness: The End of a Diary by Sarah Manguso
Beautifully written snippets in diary format. 

Night by Elie Wiesel

I read this aloud with my then 15-year old son. Beautiful. Heart-breaking first person story of the author's experience in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe and in a concentration camp.

In Pursuit of Disobedient Women: A Memoir of Love,  Rebellion, and Family, Far Away by Dionne Searcey
Written by a dear friend of her time as the NYT Bureau Chief in West Africa. Approachable window into the countries she reported on, the people and especially women who lived there, and her own life and relationships as a wife and mother. 

Murambi, The Book of Bones by Boubacar Boris Diop
Recommended by my friend Dionne. Written by a Rwandian author about the genocide in Rwanda. Intense and powerful. Obviously very difficult subject.

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
Started this book because of my interest in the Robin Hood Foundation where Wes Moore is CEO. Mr. Moore tells his story alongside another man with the same name from the same city (Baltimore) whose life goes in a very different direction. Thought-provoking.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
Fun read about the inner workings of the restaurant world. Harder to read lightly knowing about Anthony Bourdain's death. My husband said it made him never want to eat in a restaurant again. All I wanted to do--especially in this pandemic year--was eat out in one of NYC's best and busiest restaurants!

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Beautiful letter to his young black son. Important read for all of us.

Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change by Marc Benioff and Monica Langley
Marc Benioff sets a bar for other corporate leaders in mission and corporate responsibility. While not perfect, there is a lot to learn here. Well-written.

A Year of Reading

This year, in addition to my annual December running streak, I resolved to read 50 books over the course of 2019.

The first bit of news is that I reached my goal:  I finished 52 books. The second is that, like with my month-long running streak, I had some really lovely take-aways.

Reading nearly a book a week took some serious focus. I couldn't waffle and had to commit to each book from the start or drop it quickly. Other pastimes recede--I watched almost no television and spent very little time on social media. I also didn't catch up on emails during my commute (although I did scan it and reply to important ones at the start of each commute). I also took time during weekend days to read, which has been rare recently with kids. That felt like a luxury! Reading this much got me into a pattern. My brain quickly slowed down and settled in to the book. When I started to feel behind, after a particularly hefty long read, I grabbed some young adult fiction or a graphic novel to catch up. I've loved books all of my life, but the pace these days often makes it more challenging to be still enough for reading. My year of reading slowed me down in all of the right ways.

Note: I tracked my books on Goodreads and read on both kindle and paper formats, although the majority were kindle.

Here is the quick list without any commentary:

FICTION

1. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (kindle)
2. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (kindle)
3. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (kindle)
4. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (kindle)
5. Asymmetry by Lisa Haliday (kindle)
6. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (kindle)
7. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (kindle)
8. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (kindle)
9. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson (kindle)
10. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
11. The Pearl by John Steinbeck (paperback)
12. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac (kindle)
13. The Swans of Fifth Avenue vy Melanie Benjamin (kindle)
14. A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
15. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
16. The Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins (kindle)
17. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (paperback)
18. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
19. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (kindle)
20. Circe by Madeline Miller (kindle)
21. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (audiobook)
22. The Martian by Andy Weir (kindle)
23. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Anthony Doerr (paperback)
24. Ghost by Jason Reynolds (kindle)
25. Patina by Jason Reynolds (kindle)

GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal (paperback)
2. Persepolis #1: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (paperback)
3. Persepolis #2: The Story of a Return (paperback)
4. Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob (kindle)
5. Frankenstein: A Pop-Up Book by Sam Ita (hardcover)

NON-FICTION

1. Range: Why Generalist Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein (kindle)
2. How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness by Russell D. Roberts (kindle)
3. The Second Mountain by David Brooks (kindle)
4. The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World by Jordan Shapiro
5. Make Today Matter: 10 Habits for a Better Life by Chris Lowney (hardcover)
6. Cooking Solves Everything: How Time in the Kitchen Can Save Your Health, Your Budget, and Even the Planet by Mark Bittman (kindle) 
7. The Library Book by Susan Orlean (kindle)
8. Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow (kindle)
9. Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen by Rita McGrath & Clayton Christianson
10. A Warning by Anonymous
11. Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power by Rachel Maddow
12. 26 Marathons: What I've Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from Each Marathon I've Run by Meb Keflezighi & Scott Douglas (kindle)
13. Meb for Mortals: Harness the Training Methods of a Champion Marathoner to Achieve Peak Running Performance by Meg Keflezighi & Scott Douglas (kindle)
14. The Passion Paraodox: A Guide to Going All In, Finding Success and Discovering the Benefits of an Unbalanced Life by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness
15. Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
16. Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory by Deena Kastor (hardcover)
17. WIRED: Steve Jobs, Revolutionary by Steven Levy (kindle)
18. Educated by Tara Westover (kindle)
19. Becoming by Michelle Obama (kindle)
20. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (kindle)
21. Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist (kindle)
22. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance (klindle)

Here is the list with commentary, broken down roughly by genre (I added links to Amazon for reference not as an Amazon endorsement):

FICTION

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (kindle)
I have long loved Ann Patchett and her latest didn't disappoint,

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (kindle)
Slow at first but picked up as the two stories began to intertwine. Not sure who recommended it to me. Loved a lot of the images, particularly in one of the two stories, and it continues to resonate.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (kindle)
One of my favorites of the year. Highly recommend.

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (kindle)
Recommended by my friend Tim who teaches literature at a University in Kentucky and specializes in Appalachian literature. He has never steered me wrong. Salvage the Bones was not an easy read but was incredible and worth it.

Asymmetry by Lisa Haliday (kindle)
Recommended by my friend Leslie. Enjoyed reading it. Had to read summary again to fully remember the story. Good but not as memorable a read as some of the others this year.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (kindle)
Powerful and highly recommend. Tough subject beautifully done.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (kindle)
I kept hoping for a different ending than I knew was coming. Loved reading this and recommend.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (kindle)
My daughter saw the movie in her humanities class. I read the book and then saw the movie on a plane. Some really critical differences between book and movie. Good to have this opening to talk to my daughter about an important subject. Highly recommend.

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson (kindle)
Pure poetry. I had read Brown Girl Dreaming a few years back and now want to read every word she has written. Brooklyn-proud!

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
My last read of the year. Mostly loved this book despite, at moments finding the "love" focus too predictable and disappointing. But the characters and story are far too compelling to not love it in the end. Anyone else feel strong thematic similarities with To Kill a Mockingbird, beyond just the trial?

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
I believe this was recommended by the wife of an NYRR colleague--she and I often exchange good reads through him.  A lovely albeit painful glimpse into lives and a culture. Recommend.

Classics
The Pearl by John Steinbeck (paperback)
One of my daughter's summer reading choices that we read aloud together. It read it years ago and Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors (East of Eden!). Great to read again all of these years later. Wrenching.

Historical Fiction
Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac (kindle)
My son read this and I found it on my kindle so I read it. Loved learning about the subject. The writing was a little simpler than I generally read.

The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin (kindle)
This has been sitting unread on my kindle for years and I finally read it. Interesting view into the time of NYC Society, Truman Capote, and the ladies who lunch.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
I started this book a log time ago and put it down because it was so emotionally difficult to read. Picked it up again and got through it. Not easy but important. Highly recommend.

Mystery/Suspense
The Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins (kindle)
Enjoyable read, quick and entertaining (albeit dark).

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (paperback)
Our friend Beth left this behind after her stay at our cottage. Lots to love about it.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Read early in the year. Quick, suspenseful, and fun read.

Mythology
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (kindle)
Circe by Madeline Miller (kindle)
Enjoyed both of the Madeline Miller books! Recommend.

Science Fiction
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (audiobook)
This was a family book listening over numerous car trips. We all really liked it, although not my normal genre). Just downloaded the second in the series and will listen to that in 2020.

The Martian by Andy Weir (kindle)
I was skeptical because I generally don't read sci-fi. But I was drawn in almost immediately Loved it and highly recommend! (I hear the movie is good too.)

CHILDREN & YA FICTION
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Anthony Doerr (paperback)
I read this one aloud to the kids during drives and in summer evenings. A gift from my niece Meg. Sweet and fun. My 13 year old daughter especially enjoyed it.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds (kindle)
Patina by Jason Reynolds (kindle)
Recommend by my running buddy (and elementary school teacher) Pam. Love these stories and will read the other two in his Track Series in 2020,. About a middle school track team. These kids have complicated lives yet running shows them what they are capable of.

GRAPHIC NOVELS
Woman World by Aminder Dhaliwal (paperback)
Picked up in Manitoba while traveling for work. Fun and timely subject.

Persepolis #1: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (paperback)
Persepolis #2: The Story of a Return (paperback)
Recommended by my friend Gene who teaches American Studies Set in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Highly recommend.

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob (kindle)
Recommended by my running buddy Pam. Beautiful and thought-provoking.

Frankenstein: A Pop-Up Book by Sam Ita (hardcover)
Picked it up used near our summer place in PA. Amazing pop-ups; writing falls way short. But it was fun.

NON-FICTION

Range: Why Generalist Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein (kindle)
One of the books that I talk about most. Loved it and took so much away from it. Highly recommend for parents, runners, and humans in general. Will read Epstein's Sports Gene in 2020.

How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness by Russell D. Roberts (kindle)
Recommended by Jenny Simpson over lunch in the spring. So many unexpected takeaways.

The Second Mountain by David Brooks (kindle)
I heard the author speak at a small gathering for Aspen Institute's Project Play and downloaded a couple of his books the next day. Lots to think about and apply to life.

The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World by Jordan Shapiro
Another book I have been talking about non-stop (along with Range). Highly recommend, especially for parents, but for everyone. Gave me a lot of new perspective and eternal gratitude to the dad of my son's friend who rolls up his sleeves and helps the kids navigate virtual worlds with grace and civility.

Make Today Matter: 10 Habits for a Better Life by Chris Lowney (hardcover)
A gift for Christmas 2018 by my executive coach and friend. By a former Jesuit turned investment banker turned life coach. Good perspective for life at a time when i needed some perspective.

Cooking Solves Everything: How Time in the Kitchen Can Save Your Health, Your Budget, and Even the Planet by Mark Bittman (kindle)
Mark Bittman is our family go-to in the kitchen and I love reading his books.
One review says it best: an engaging manifesto that inspires non-cooks to reach for a pan and encourages all of us to take a closer look at how we feed ourselves and our loved ones.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean (kindle)
Amazing that I could love a book about the history of libraries and the LA public library fire so much! Highly recommend.

Current Events
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow (kindle)
Read this book.

Business
Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen by Rita McGrath & Clayton Christianson
I took a certificate course at Columbia University a couple of years back led by the author. Loved the insights and case examples in her stories. Good read for anyone wanting to remain relevant in business. She even devotes a chapter applying her thinking to personal careers.

Politics/Government
A Warning by Anonymous
Written by a Trump administration insider. The writing is high-quality and the words sobering. Some important take-aways for people of all political parties.

Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power by Rachel Maddow
Not her latest (which I will read in 2020), but still relevant and interesting. Eye-opening window into historical perspectives on military intervention in the US. Highly recommend.

Running/Running-Related
26 Marathons: What I've Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from Each Marathon I've Run by Meb Keflezighi & Scott Douglas (kindle)
Really wonderful window int the  26 chapters of Meb's career.

Meb for Mortals: Harness the Training Methods of a Champion Marathoner to Achieve Peak Running Performance by Meg Keflezighi & Scott Douglas (kindle)
Quick read and gave me great conversation starters when I ran the 5th Avenue Mile with Meb! Lots of great takeaways that I will continue to use in my own running and life.

The Passion Paraodox: A Guide to Going All In, Finding Success and Discovering the Benefits of an Unbalanced Life by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness
Sort of running; sort of life. Lots of touchpoints in this book for anyone with a passion at the core of their lives.

Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
Loved this book. Great read for anyone thinking about sport or human capacity.

Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory by Deena Kastor (hardcover)
A work colleague loaned me her copy. Loved this book and highly recommend it not just for runners.

Biography & Autobiography
WIRED: Steve Jobs, Revolutionary by Steven Levy (kindle)
A little thin. Wished I had chosen the longer biography and may read that in 2020.

Educated by Tara Westover (kindle)
I didn't know a lot about this before I read it and kept thinking it couldn't be true. Highly recommend for the insights it gave me.

Becoming by Michelle Obama (kindle)
Beautiful book by the incredible Michelle Obama.

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (kindle)
Loved and highly recommend. An amazing life beautifully told.

Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist (kindle)
Recommended by my colleague Trudy. Highly recommend.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance (klindle)
I had not thought a lot about this American sub-culture. Eye-opening and shed light on this country's current political schisms.

Running Boston Five Years Later

I found a note yesterday that I had written, in the days following my first running of the Boston Marathon five years ago, to an athlete friend from college. The note went like this:

Yeah, I ran the first 5k at my 5k pace. Knew it, but couldn't stop myself. Until I stopped myself. Came in with a respectable time and learned a lot. Lost a lot of time in self-doubt, but I guess that's all part of it. The Portland Marathon was such a breeze compared to Boston. I was happy the entire way. This was a tough course, very hilly. And it was BOSTON and so many fast runners--anyone not so experienced in racing was liable to go through similar. Wanted to beat my Portland time, but just missed it. I could do the "if onlys..." for hours, but need to use this to learn. I did qualify for Boston next year. Also am in NYC marathon in November, if I want to be. Thinking to sit both of them out and work on speed training and having fun. Thanks again for all off your support and wise words. - r

Running THE BOSTON MARATHON while such a new and naive runner made my journey forward a little more challenging than it might otherwise have been. But who really knows. I had no idea that PRs were not a given in every race. Or that 26.2 miles contained many many smaller moments with which to contend. Or that I should wait a month before starting my first speed training class so that Boston training wouldn't include recovering from an overuse injury. For months and months following what felt like a badly run race, I  struggled mightily with my lazy, sabotaging, monkey mind. Lying in the grass mid-run seemed far superior to finishing the race at hand.

But I wouldn't change a thing over these past six years. Not my first running of Boston. Nor my journey to tame my negative thoughts. Nor my decision NOT to run Boston again until I was older and a more seasoned racer. And on and on. 

As I prepare now for my second running of the Boston Marathon, I remind myself that: 1) I am ready; and 2) it is just another race.

During this morning's four-mile run, I felt as if I was carrying a bag of bricks along with me. So I stopped, walked up the hill in warm spring sunshine, lay down on the grass under a budding tree, looked up at the blue blue sky, and laughed out loud. Got that part out of the way. And now on to Boston.

So THIS is Why People Run Races!

In the final weeks of training for Boston, I scheduled two long races:  a ten-miler on home turf (Brooklyn's Prospect Park) last Sunday and the NYC Half today. Here is how they both went down:

1. Some whining and race reluctance the day and hours leading up.
2. Steady, even early miles with very little going on in my brain (which is a good thing, because often my brain would be urging me to stop).
3. Negative splits, with the miles in the second half of the race picking up speed.
4. Strong clear focus toward the end of the race with zero negative thoughts.
5. Last two (ten-miler) and four (half marathon) miles really racing, passing other runners and gaining speed for the final strong kick over the finish line.
6. Ending both races with an enormous smile on my face and so proud that, after six years of running, I'm finally genuinely finding joy in racing.

In the ten-miler, a woman was running with me around mile eight for a few minutes and then she moved ahead of me. As the distance between us began to open up, my reaction in past races would have been to feel defeated and slow my pace and then to end feeling like I didn't give it my all. Instead last Sunday I decided to chase her down. I doubted at first that I would catch her, but played out the scene in my head where I thanked her anyway for giving me a reason to race. And then I passed her while flying around the last quarter mile and kicking it over the finish line. 

Today, at mile ten a woman approached me on my right side and told me she had been riding in my wake for the last three miles. We ran the next 3.1 together, checking in when one lagged behind, encouraging, passing runner after runner. She told me near the end that it was okay for me to go; I told her she was going with me, that there was nothing she couldn't endure from that point until our foot hit the mat. She stayed. I stayed. We soared across the finish together.

In both races, I knew I had raced well. I didn't need outside validation from other runners or my official time. But in both races, several runners approached me after the race to tell me they had been following me and watched me take off and congratulated me on a race well run, a lovely affirmation. For the ten-miler, my time was faster by a minute than the ten-miler I ran several years ago and I finished first in my AG. Today my tracking info was somehow lost in the system. I trust they will find it. Or they won't. But right now I don't care at all.

That Life Altering Moment in Italy

One summer I traveled to Italy with a dear friend. We stayed for two weeks in a house in Tuscany with some of her friends, two European couples both with young children. On our last full day there before heading back to Rome, after a morning out and about, she and I found ourselves alone in the big, beautiful, usually noisy house. 

Being both a little compulsive, we of course started packing and readying for our departure. Then all of a sudden we stopped. What were we doing?! We took a deep breath, smiled at each other, opened a bottle of wine, and made our way to the porch overlooking the Tuscan hills. There we sat and talked and breathed and  took in the day. 

I think of that moment often. I thought of it today as I ran through the snow. It's been a long winter. And believe me, I'm as tired as everyone of jumping slush puddles and shoveling icy sidewalks.  It is so easy to hate the snow, to feel overwhelmed by shovels and boots and coats and lost mittens and on and on. I often forget that the choice is mine and so I should make a good one. Instead I choose to curse the endless winter or whatever it is that I feel is getting in my way that day. 

But if I stop hating it for a second, the snow is so beautiful clinging to the branches and, in NYC, temporarily hiding the grey garbage-covered mounds of ice. 

This morning, instead of being beaten down by yet another snowstorm, I chose to breathe and sit on the porch with a glass of wine and a friend. Well, actually, I chose a snowy, breathtakingly beautiful, five mile run through the serenely quiet Brooklyn park.

Every Magnificent Mile

On Sunday, mid-Chicago Marathon, I learned something unexpected about myself. 

I love to run fast and to place well in races. I know people who are much faster and others who are stronger competitors than I am, and I do sometimes struggle to dig deeply enough in the final miles to feel in the end like I gave it all I had. But I have some natural talent and work hard enough to generally make a good showing. I train, I plan, I prepare, and I can tough it out through a lot of discomfort.

However, while I want to to do well in races—both to feel great and to finish strong—I figured out over the weekend that it is only a small piece of the puzzle I call my life.

Saturday afternoon I was presented with the opportunity to either take the shuttle bus to the Chicago Marathon expo or to, on a glorious blue-skied autumn afternoon, bike ride the seven miles there. While I grappled with the wisdom of riding a bike seven miles the day before running a marathon, I settled on a halfway compromise. But then the day happened. Biking was easy, the path smooth and flat, the weather perfect, and before I knew it I had opted for the full seven mile ride.

My friend and fellow rider asked me several times over the next 24 hours whether I regretted biking and if I had wished I had taken the shuttle to preserve my legs. I didn't have to even think about it. How could I ever regret that ride even, and we will never know, if it cost me precious race minutes?

After the bike ride, I stayed up a little too late talking and eating with wonderful new friends, drank a glass of wine with dinner, and stared out from the 28th floor at the bright moon over the Chicago River. None of which I could ever regret.

While a fast race and well run race is an adventure in and of itself, more adventure may await. Life is big. I can embrace adventure and it is okay—for me—to potentially trade adventure for the planned finish. I do not believe, truly, that my Saturday bike ride altered my Sunday race outcome. But had it, it would be a lesson and an adventure.

Now I need to focus on the flip side of the equation—letting myself off the hook when I run a race more slowly or less well than my goal because I let life step in and sweep away my best focused intentions. The inevitable disappointment that creeps in because I didn't run this marathon better or faster than the last one. Yeah, but I went on a beautiful bike ride and made new friends.

Of course, there is a slippery slope between this and deliberately giving myself excuses for not running well but that's another blog entry... (see this also)

Running is a Lot Like Life: A Lesson in Disregarding Worry

Last night was my daughter's first lesson with a new piano teacher. I reminded her gently throughout the day. Then fifteen minutes before he arrived I reminded her again and brought her into the bathroom to clean her fingernails and brush her hair. I could feel the resistance in her body. She sobbed that she was not ready. I spoke calmly to her, reassuring her that I would be near and that she had talent and knew enough for today. We were trying this new teacher and I wanted her opinion afterwards. I also told her it was my responsibility now to give her the tools to use her wonderful talent. Clinging to me, we met Joe. Genevieve sat on the bench with Joe beside her asking questions and listening to her play familiar songs, gauging what she knew. I stepped out of the room. Thirty minutes later Genevieve was happy.

This morning, Genevieve had a similar outbreak of anxiety over a school field trip. She did not want to go, despite having talked about it and prepared. She clung to me and complained loudly, near tears as we headed out the door. As post-piano, I expect she will be smiling at the end of the day, full of stories of Plumb Beach clean-up, as she climbs down the school bus stairs.

My husband and I listen to our children and do not make light of their concerns. But we continue forward. My belief is that if we allowed mild fear to dictate activities, they would never know the joys of struggling and overcoming. Of learning and mastery. Of unexpected experiences and amazing days.

Running is a lot like life.

I am six days out from my next marathon. Chicago 2014, my seventh. A couple of days ago I began to feel a strong apprehensiveness in the pit of my stomach. The worry is taking a very general form. I'm worried about all of the details of life, not specifically about running 26.2 miles. Although the thought of NOT racing on Sunday has certainly crossed my mind. 

This worry. A ploy. A distraction, much like the mid-race games my head likes to play, inviting me to a more comfortable place. My brain's manufactured worry right now draws me away from my clear-headed focus on next Sunday morning and the one strong and pure thought I need now:  To run an excellent race.

I believe that Genevieve is learning valuable lessons about overriding fear and engaging in life. And I believe that my mother and father and experience itself similarly prepared me well for these moments of apprehension. I haven't figured out how to eliminate the struggle. But, through running, I have learned to breath, disregard and redirect the voice in my head, to show up, and to finish strong.

T minus 6. Chicago here I come.