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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.

The Sunday Post #330

On The Blog Recently

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In My Reading Life

Last week, I finished two books and disliked both of them, so brace yourself for some negativity!

My book club read Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind And Defy The Odds by David Goggins. The author is a very intense human. He grew up in poverty with abusive parents and transformed himself from an overweight, unmotivated young person to a tough military dude and one of the world's top ultramarathon athletes.

This book would have been a fabulous memoir. The author is fascinating. He has an amazing ability to stay so focused on his goals that he's able to push through physical pain and mental exhaustion. He's proof that you can achieve anything if you are willing to make huge sacrifices and work yourself to death. I appreciated learning about his childhood and his military experience and how he stayed mentally strong during stressful situations. He's an impressive guy. I agree with him that humans are stronger than we realize.

The memoir parts of this book are great. The self-help parts . . . not so much. The author enters 100+ mile endurance races without doing much research or training. He runs until his legs break, his kidneys fail, and his heartrate goes wonky. He nearly dies at the end of the book because he hasn't been taking care of his body properly! He keeps making the same mistakes over and over and doesn't seem to learn from them. I don't see his behavior as inspirational or aspirational.

This book is proof that stubbornness and arrogance can push you through challenging short-term goals. It left me wondering how you're supposed to achieve long-term goals if your body stops functioning.

Then I read Daisy Miller by Henry James. I've been reading a lot of Henry James recently, and I'm just not smart enough for his work. His books leave me bored and confused.

This one is about a young American man named Winterbourne who is traveling around Europe. On his travels, he meets Daisy Miller, another young American. They hang out a few times, but Daisy's behavior causes nonstop scandals. She loves to flirt and has several close male friends. A few of those friends may be trying to get her family's money, but she doesn't care. She just wants to have fun in Europe. She ignores all the warnings about her reputation. Winterbourne stops hanging out with her because it's social suicide. Then tragedy strikes.

I'm not smart enough to know what I was supposed to get out of this story. I wasn't entertained by it. Is it a warning to Americans who are traveling abroad for the first time? The book was published in the late 1800s, when it was fashionable for wealthy Americans to take extended European vacations. Daisy Miller is too American. She ignores local customs and doesn't think about her safety. She pays the price for it.

Or, maybe this book isn't about Daisy at all. Maybe it's about Winterbourne. At the end, it seems like he regrets ending his friendship with Daisy because she got herself into trouble after he left. Is it a story about regret? I have no idea.

I don't understand this book.

In The Rest Of My Life

Five things that made me happy last week:

1. Cinnamon rolls!
2. I've been playing The Sims 4 a lot because they had a sale, and I bought the vampire pack. I want to live forever in a simulated vampire world.
3. Qdoba burrito! That was my birthday gift to myself. I got myself a burrito, a video game, and an ugly sports bra. I'm clearly living my best life.
4. I stayed up all night to watch Shadow & Bone. I am obsessed. I love all the characters. I love the Game Of Thrones style wedding. I want the next season right now.
5. Last week's boxing lesson wasn't a complete disaster. I have the same athletic skills as an average potato, so lessons don't go smoothly. I usually just flail around while the coaches stare in horror. That didn't happen last week. I actually accomplished what I was told to do.

Let's Dislike Books Together!

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!