Another week gone by, thus here is my documentation of a life well lived with good media consumed.
Books
*The pictures of these books contain a quick link to purchase a copy from Bookshop.org through my online Book Store portal. I receive an affiliate commission from these purchases.
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiq
A current buddy read that has been dragged out a few weeks, but has nonetheless been enjoyable. The Centre is a super secretive language school that promises full fluency (like native speaker fluency) in just 10 days. This immersive program costs $20,000, is invitation only, and you are only allowed to tell one other person about it. I'm at about page 100 and so far it's kind of moving at a snails pace. Im not sure if the author's intention was to make the main character a bit insufferable, but if it was, then she is doing a great job. I've heard mixed reviews on this one, but as an aspiring polyglot, I'm sticking it out. If there were brain chips that I could implant into my brain to gain fluency in any language, I would 100% sign up.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno Garcia
I am about a quarter of the way through Silver Nitrate, and I am absolutely loving it. Moreno Garcia does a fantastic job of imbedding cultural elements into the story to where they feel natural, and can be understood by non native Spanish speakers.
Never Finished by David Goggins
I always have to pair all of my fiction reading with a nonfiction book, and since I am currently training for an Ironman (and completing a 75 hard) I figured that I needed some Goggins motivation in my life. His no bs approach to his goals and daily habits is always a mindset I am striving to achieve. He is candid about his loses and struggles, but he takes no pity. He assess the situation and keeps going, unrelenting in the pursuit of his dreams.
TV Shows & Movies
Dead to Me
Over the course of two weeks I watched ALL of Dead To Me, a show I had never heard of but that I ended up loving. I personally think the storyline was executed very well, never truly knowing where it was headed. My favorite part was watching a female friendship blossom (albeit under questionable reasons) and getting to see two women in their late forties have a personality beyond just "aging, being a mother, or being a wife."
Las chicas del cable
My first full watch of Las chicas del cable was as each new season premiered, so rewatching it for the first time was very nostalgic for me. This show first premiered on Netflix in 2017, around the time I graduated high school, so rewatching the first season is bringing me back down memory lane. I absolutely adore this show, and have a newfound appreciation for the female friendship & independent woman themes now that I am closer in age to the characters. Each of the four main characters (Lidia, Angeles, Carlota, and Marga) have something magnetic about them that compels you to listen to their story and root for them at every twist and turn. Paired with political unrest, and late 20s glamour, this series is one to watch if you're looking for a good drama.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Team Jeremiah or Team Conrad? Honestly neither. I read both The Summer I Turned Pretty and To All the Boys I've Loved Before series during high school and I preferred the latter. But when comparing the tv show to the movies, I definitely think that Amazon Prime Video knocked it out of the park. I've been enjoying spotting all of the places at Cousins Beach that are actually just located here in beautiful Wilmington, NC, pointing at the screen and saying "omg that's xyz" to no one in particular. As far as the storyline goes, I want to pull out my hair half the time but it's okay.
Music
I haven't been listening to music lately, mostly because I've been challenging myself not to listen to anything while I run or am in the gym, and instead focus on the feeling of being in the moment. But on the days that I do, I mainly listen to the same rotation I have had for years.
Starboy by The Weeknd
A classic on my running playlist, the first couple of songs on this album, help me pace myself when running 1-1.5 miles. I have a lot of fun with Reminder and Sidewalks. I think my least favorite track is False Alarm.
Reputation by Taylor Swift
Ive been in my reputation era for quite some time now, and I've come to really appreciate the production on this album SO MUCH. Songs like ...Ready For It?, Look What You Made Me Do, and I Did Something Bad get me SO pumped for a good run on the tread mill. This album was a cultural reset and I am definitely excited to see what's in store for Taylor's Version.