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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
On The Blog Recently
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- Best Books Of 2024
- Best January - June 2025 Book Releases
- 2024 Reading Statistics
- I Read 200+ "Best Books Of 2024" Lists
In My Reading Life
Last week, I read Ghost by Jason Reynolds. It a sweet middle grade book with a strong voice. It's about a kid who calls himself "Ghost." He's very smart, but he's also a directionless troublemaker. Then he discovers track and learns that he has a talent for running. Joining the track team slowly transforms his entire life.
I'm not a fan of sports stories because I don't care about sports, but I like the messages in this book. It shows that one small change can have a ripple effect on your entire life. The track team teaches Ghost to be more motivated, responsible, and goal oriented. He brings those new skills to other areas of his life.
The adult characters are pretty awesome too. When Ghost joins the team, he suddenly has a huge support system of coaches and parents. They sacrifice a lot to help him succeed.
If you have a sports-loving teen or tween in your life, give them this book. I think they'll enjoy it.
In The Rest Of My Life
Five things that made me happy last week:
- The Traitors US is back! That's my current favorite reality TV show.
- Do you know Nicole from Feed Your Fiction Addiction? She wrote a book! It came out last week. I can't wait to read it. (You should read it too. That sounds like a good idea.)
- I donated so much stuff. I think I'm slowly getting rid of everything I own. I gave some of the stuff to a local high school. Dropping it off was an experience. How do teenagers have so much energy? Why are they so loud? I spent 5 minutes with them and was exhausted. How do teachers deal with them for hours?
- I started the 75 Hard Challenge on January 20. It's a fitness challenge that people at my gym love. For 75 days, I'm giving up junk food, exercising 90 minutes a day, and drinking a gallon of water a day. The healthy food and exercise haven't been difficult. The water sucks. I have to pee every 10 minutes! Also, I haven't found any scientific studies that say I need a gallon of water a day. Allegedly, my body will adapt to drinking that much. We'll see.
- I went for a walk and saw this excellent bird. I'm bad at birds, but I think it's a red-tailed hawk.
So far, I have loved everything Jason Reynolds has written. When I met him at BookExpo a tired mother was carrying a bunch of books and a small baby. He asked her if he could hold the baby for her while she sorted her stuff! I've never forgotten that.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the 75 Hard Challenge. I feel like I am doing well when I manage to exercise a couple of times a week!
When I read your first “thing” I thought you meant the reality show in our nation’s capital, but I looked it up and found out that it’s also fiction.
ReplyDeletebest… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I'm intrigued by the 75 Hard Challenge! I just finished doing a 10-day detox with my work, and I feel really good! I like short-term challenges like this because they allow you to set aside a dedicated time to focus on your health, and I've found that some of those changes tend to trickle down into your life after the challenge too. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAwesome work for your 75 day hard challenge! The gallon of water a day does sound excessive. I wonder if humans can drink too much water?
ReplyDeleteTeenagers are ridiculous! I don't understand how they can be so... teenagery. 😅 And surely I never was?!
ReplyDeleteApparently US gallons aren't the same as British gallons, but either way, that sounds like a bit much! It really depends on bodyweight and activity level, but drinking too much water can flush out too many electrolytes and leave you in trouble. I guess if it's making you feel bad at all (other than needing to pee), make sure you stop and maybe sip something with rehydration salts in it!
I commend you for taking on the the 75 Hard Challenge. Good luck! I am sure the hard work and dedication will be worth it.
ReplyDeleteYes... teenagers are LOUD. I think that the boys in particular don't appreciate how much power their newly broken voices hold. And yes... they're exhausting. Best of luck with the challenge, though that does sound like a huge amount of water. Have a great week, AJ.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your challenge. I'm sure I was exhausting. I wanted to learn everything.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
A gallon is a lot of water! Becareful AJ because drinking too much water is in fact not healthy as it dilutes some nutrients in your blood (magnesium, salt etc) and your kidneys must work overtime. I think the Mayo Clinic wrote something about it somewhere if you are interested...
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big sports fan either, but I agree that Ghost was still a great read! Thanks for helping spread the word about TSoOG!!
ReplyDeleteThe water would be the hardest part for me.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
75 Hard Challenge- definitely truth in advertising there! 90 minutes a day of exercise- that's a lot! I work at a school, I don't drink but like 12 oz at work during the day. No time to pee! Congrats on getting rid of a bunch of stuff. Teenagers are loud, but I submit grown-ups in bars are louder. LOL I hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteDrinking a lot of water is so hard for me too. Does that really help fitness-wise? The rest of the challenge sounds good. 75 days is long! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteOoh wha a beautiful bird. We had a hawk like that in our yard recently and he was hunting (I think) all the birds that congregate around our bird feeders. Nedless to say they vanished when he came around, except for one who was hiding in a bush and barely escaped. Ah, nature.
ReplyDeleteGhost is such a good book and is part of an excellent series.
ReplyDeleteTeaching high school was always a combination of feeling invigorated and exhausted, but I loved it for the 21 years I did it.
Ghost sounds wonderful. Good luck with your 75 Hard Challenge. You can do it for me if you want. No way do I have that energy or level of commitment. High schoolers, no thanks. Enjoy your week, Aj.
ReplyDeletehttps://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2025/01/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-jan-27.html
I really need to drink more water but a gallon seems excessive!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a happy reading week
LOL that 75 Hard Challenge sounds like it would be impossible for me!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are keeping busy. A gallon of water a day is an awful lot of water. I'm happy if I drink a quart. Of course I'm also drinking another quart of Diet Pepsi. Ghost does sound excellent. I do like sports fiction. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI have heard really good things about Jason Reynolds' books and am glad you liked Ghost. I admit the sports theme of most of his books has kept me away (says the reader who is presently reading a historical fiction novel about baseball). I picked up my copy of Nicole's book this weekend. I look forward to reading it! I hope you have a great week, AJ.
ReplyDeleteI’m not really into sports stories either, but if they have a great overall message, they can be captivating.The 75 Hard Challenge sounds, well, hard. I always read that the water intake should be half your body weight in ounces.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is in middle school and they are also exhausting. I've loved many of Reynolds' books, but have not read Ghost or the others in that series yet. He's a fantastic author.
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