June 2019 Reading Wrap Up! (feat. SimsAThon & 30 Book in 30 Days Reading Challenge)

In case you missed it (which I'm unsure how if you follow me here, on YouTube, or on Twitter), I took on a #30booksin30days challenge for the month of June. GUESS WHAT?! I COMPLETED IT! I'm a little bit behind on my update vlogs, but I wanted to put all of the books that I read in one place in a wrap up style blog post for y'all as I won't be able to finish up editing until I return from 4th of July festivities on Sunday. 

Overall, this challenge was a lot more manageable than I anticipated! I spent a good amount of time identifying books that I know I could get through quickly (a LOT of graphic novels, shorter books, and books with fast-paced plots), and June tends to be one of my slower months work and activity wise, so I really set myself up for success. I also was open to being flexible with my TBR selections throughout the month - I had to grab a stack of graphics from the library at the end of the month in order to reach my goal - so that really helped as well. I think it's all about being realistic with your schedule and planning ahead in order to achieve a goal like this. I think anyone who's a reader can totally accomplish this challenge!

All of the physical books I read this June! I also read 5 audiobooks, bringing my overall total to 30 for the month.

BOOKS COMPLETED IN JUNE

I Hate Fairyland, vol. 1 by Skottie Young
Physical copy, 4/5
128 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Create a Sim

Giant Days, vol. 4 by John Allison
Physical copy, 4/5
112 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Buy a House

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Physical copy, 4/5
254 pages
Challenge completed: A book that has been to a film or television series
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Meet the Grim Reaper

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
Library book (audio), 3/5
415 pages

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Physical copy, 5/5
336 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Fall in Love

Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West
Audiobook, 2/5
336 pages

Giant Days, vol. 5 by John Allison
Physical copy, 4/5
112 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Eat a Cookie

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Physical copy, 5/5
446 pages
Challenge completed: A book published in 2019
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Take a Bubble Bath

Saga, vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughn
Physical copy, 5/5
152 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Get a Job (Astronaut)

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Audiobook, 4/5
361 pages

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Physical copy, 5/5
192 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Have a Baby

Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 13-15 by Hiromu Arakawa
Physical copy, 5/5
576 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Get a Promotion

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
Physical copy, 2/5
370 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Have Your Birthday/Age Up

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Physical copy, 4/5
208 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Get Married

Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Audiobook, 4/5
304 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Woohoo!

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Physical copy, 4/5
344 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Cook French Toast

21 Proms edited by David Levithan
Physical copy, 3/5
306 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Make a Friend

Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 16-18 by Hiromu Arakawa
Physical copy, 4/5
576 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Pay Your Bills

Heartstopper, vol. 1 by Alice Oseman
Physical copy, 5/5
288 pages

Carrie by Stephen King
Physical copy, 4/5
290 pages
#SimsAThon challenge completed: Become a Ghost

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Physical copy, 3/5
232 pages

i love this part by Tillie Walden
Library book, 5/5
68 pages

Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen
Library book, 4/5
112 pages

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanen McGuire
Physical copy, 4/5
174 pages

Fireworks by Katie Cotugno
Audiobook, 3/5
336 pages

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks
Library book, 4/5
220 pages

Skim by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki
Library book, 3/5
142 pages

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Library book, 3/5
544 pages

Lost Soul, Be at Peace by Maggie Thrash
Library book, 4/5
192 pages

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Physical copy, 5/5
224 pages

TOTALS FOR JUNE

Books completed: 30

Pages read: 8,350*

2019 Challenges Completed: 2

10 Book TBR #3 Books Completed: 0

SimsAThon challenges completed: 16

SimsAThon points earned: 61

TOTALS FOR 2019

Books completed: 72/150

Pages read: 24,230

2019 challenges complete: 34/50

*This number is from my reading progress tracking sheet, which may be different from my final SimsAThon/30 Books in 30 Days update! My tracking sheet will track all the pages of the books that I FINISH within the current month, and not the actual number of pages read within that month. (So, say I start a book in May, but didn't finish it in June, all the pages of that book will only count for June and none will be counted in May). The YTD totals are accurate, though! 😊

Newport Marathon Training - Week 1 // June 24-30

June 24 - Day 1 
Workout: 3 miles @ 11:30 average pace (35:00)
Actual: 3.00mi @ 12:26 average pace (37:22)

I ran on a new route nearby Brett's work after dropping him off so I could get my run in early and shower before heading to the office. You never realize how hilly an area is until you run in that area and holy moly - it is HILLY! I managed to find a quiet residential road to run down (and then up) and was passed by a slew of cyclists going up the hill (they are rock stars). It was a nice, clear, cool morning (high 60s) and although my legs felt like 100,000 lbs, it was a great start to training! A bit off the target pace but I'll chalk that up to the hills and definitely not because I haven't been consistently training for nearly 3 months. 😉

June 25 - Day 2
Rest day!

June 26 - Day 3
Workout: 4 miles @ 11:00 average pace (44:00)
Actual: 4 miles in 43:52, 5 minute cool down walk (4.21 total miles)

Treadmill workout! I think for a lot of these work outs with target paces I'm going to need to utilize a combination of outdoor runs and treadmills runs. I've found that I've forgotten what a 11:00/mi pace feels like. Getting my but on a treadmill forces me to run as fast as the treadmill is going. It's way to easy for me to ease up on a road run when I should really be pushing myself through these training runs!

June 27 - Day 4
Rest day!

June 28 - Day 5
Workout: 8 miles easy @ 11:30 average pace (1:30:00)
Actual: 8.02mi @ 1:28:06 (10:59 average pace)

Apparently I felt really good for the majority of this run! I got up early to beat the heat, but the sun popped out on my way back and slowed me down a bit on my last 4 miles. I pushed the pace (which I probably shouldn't really do...) and felt great for the most part and was just happy to be running a longer distance again.

1. 11:01

2. 10:31

3. 10:26

4. 10:42

5. 10:59

6. 11:32

7. 11:17

8. 11:20

June 29 - Day 6
Workout: 3 miles of incline
Actual: 3 miles of incline on the treadmill @ 50:00 minutes

This is a workout that I'm not used to and will need to figure out throughout the training cycle. I walked at a 2.5 pace on an 8.0 incline for a few minutes while I chatted with my friend Kristen who was in town and came to the gym with me, and then when she left to go do weights, I dropped the incline to 6.0 and brought the speed up to 4.5. This proved to be waaaay too difficult so I played around with the speed and incline throughout the entire run. It was really inconsistent and something that will need to be practiced!

June 30 - Day 7
Rest day!

Week 1 Thoughts

I'm really proud of myself for sticking to all of the workouts this week! I had to adjust my schedule a bit because we had friends in town over the weekend. I'll typically do my long run on Sunday but I wanted to make sure I spent time with them while they were visiting so I pushed it up by a couple days! Overall I felt good for how out of shape I am. Don't get me wrong, I definitely felt the exhaustion in my legs through most of these workouts, but it's good to be back and I'm hoping that I can keep myself disciplined throughout this cycle and see some results as we progress through the training program!

7 Month Book Haul! 😱 (December 2018 - June 2019)

It's been such a long time since I did a book haul and shared with you all what books I've added to my personal library! Life got in the way, and then the pile got so big that the thought of sitting down and filming was super daunting. I decided that enough was enough and just buckled down and got it done so now I have a GIANT book haul for you guys! I've divided the haul into where I acquired each book from, so hopefully that keeps things organized. Hopefully I won't wait this long before my hauls in the future! 😂

Book of the Month

January

Maid by Stephanie Land

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Golden State by Ben H. Winters

April

Lot by Bryan Washington

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Early Riser by Jasper Fforde

May

How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoant

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

June

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura

Amazon

Freshmen by Tom Ellen

Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

Carrie by Stephen King

Esio Trot by Roald Dahl*

Rabbit & Robot by Andrew Smith

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas*

Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 13-15 by Hiromu Arakawa*

Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 16-18 by Hiromu Arakawa

Saga, vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughn*

Giant Days, vol. 4 by John Allison*

Giant Days, vol. 5 by John Allison*

I Hate Fairyland, vol. 1 by Skottie Young*

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl*

The One Hundred Nights of Heroby Isabel Greenberg*

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant*

Heartstopper, vol. 1 by Alice Oseman

Audible

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin*

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling*

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling*

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling*

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling*

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling*

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling*

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling*

Local Book Shops

The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor

Paradise by Toni Morrison

The Mad Cub by Michael McClure

Thinner by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)

Ticktock by Dean Koontz

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Gifts

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall (Christmas gift from my parents)

Us Against Them by Fredrik Backman (Birthday gift from Michael)

In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (Birthday gift from Michael)

Bloom by Kevin Panetta (Birthday gift from Lindsey via Amazon Gift Card)

Meet Cute edited by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Birthday gift from Lindsey via Amazon Gift Card)

My Brother's Husband by Gengorah Tagame (Birthday gift from Lindsey via Amazon Gift Card)

Alice's Advetures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Birthday gift from Lindsey via Amazon Gift Card)

Professional Development Book Club

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Educated by Tara Westover