Hi friends! Happy two! how was your weekend? We spent a lot of time in the pool (the girls purposely fell into their pajamas every morning and spent almost the rest of the day in the water) and caught up on big weights workouts at the gym.
I also spent some time packing and getting everything together for a small family trip before school started. I look forward to spending time together and enjoying the happiest place on earth. 😉 I will definitely inform you about the adventures!
In the meantime, I thought I’d share the mu book anthology for July. My goal of three books a month – hard work behind the scenes on content, releases, and Fit Team updates – is still hard to meet, but I’ve managed to make it happen. I didn’t end up reading a book related to fitness or wellness this month because there wasn’t anything that interested me, but game changers Kind of hitting the box for wellness and personal development at the same time.
This is what I read in July:
I read a few Kate Quinn novels (Huntress, Alice’s NetworkThis was my favorite of the three. The book follows the story of three friends who are recruited to work as encoders to crack German military codes during World War II. They are sworn to strict secrecy regarding their work and what it entails, and a friend, Beth, discovers a traitor in their department. I knew nothing about Bletchey Park before reading this novel, and I was intrigued by the different roles women played during World War II. The basis of the story and the main characters are based on real people, and if you like historical fiction, I highly recommend it. 9/10 would recommend.
From Amazon:
1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to the mysterious Bletchley Park Country Estate, where Britain’s best minds train to crack German military codes. A lively upstart Osla is the girl who has it all – beauty, wealth, and Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses – but she burns to prove herself as more than just a society girl, putting her fluent German to translating Enemy Secrets. A product of East London poverty, a self-made Mab works on legendary codebreakers as she hides her old wounds and searches for a socially useful husband. Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness hides a wonderful attachment to puzzles, and Beth quickly spreads her wings as one of Park’s few cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the pressures of impossible secrecy would tear all three apart.
In 1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip sends Britain into post-war fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited with a mysterious coded message – the key buried in a long-destroyed betrayal. Friendship left one of them confined to a sanatorium. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their past in Bletchley Park, and now Osla, Mab and Beth must revive their old alliance and crack one last code together. But every petal they remove from the rose symbol brings danger – and their true enemy – …
I read this book in a couple of days, which never happens anymore. I got sucked in and it’s been a long time since I’ve been preoccupied with this story. It explores the idea of second chances and how the small actions and decisions we make can completely change the course of our lives.
here it is Amazon Summary:
Somewhere outside the edge of the universe is a library containing an infinite number of books, each with another true story. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book about the other life you would have lived if you had made a different decision at any point in your life. While we’re all wondering what our lives were like, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other spirits really be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s charming novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, pursuing a different career, getting rid of old divisions, and fulfilling her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; She must search within herself as she travels through the midnight library to decide what is truly satisfying in life, and what makes her worth living in the first place.
This is easily my favorite book that I’ve read all year, so if you’re looking for something new that you can totally enjoy, I highly recommend it. 10/10
I was really looking forward to hearing this clip on Audible, especially because I love Dave Asprey and enjoy hearing his voice. 🙂 He is easy to listen to and I usually appreciate his point of view on things. (Some of his philosophies can be considered a bit *there* but I’m a believer in taking what you need and omitting the rest. For example, he uses a small dose of nicotine to extend life and that’s something I would never choose to do.) I was very disoriented to discover that he only reads the introduction to each chapter and the rest narrates …a man narrator. I don’t know why but it is very difficult to listen to and pay attention to professional narrators. Sooooo I listened to this on double speed lol.
The book includes tips from interviews with more than 450 experts in various fields, along with the “laws” for becoming smarter, faster, and happier. I got some great advice from this book, but I loved it super human even more. I give it 7/10.
From Amazon:
The bestselling author of Head Strong and The Bulletproof Diet answers the question: “How can I kick more in life?” By harnessing the wisdom of global thought leaders, dissident scientists, and disruptive entrepreneurs to deliver proven technologies to become happier, healthier, and smarter.
When Dave Asprey started the Bulletproof Radio podcast more than five years ago, he sought influencers in a range of disciplines, from biochemists toiling in unknown labs to business leaders changing the world to masters of mediation discovering inner peace. His guests were some of the best performing human beings in the world, people who changed their fields of study or even created entirely new ones. Dave wanted to know: What do they have in common? What mattered most to them? What made them so successful – and what made them move? At the end of each interview, Dave asked the same question: “What are your top three recommendations for people who want to do better at being human?”
After conducting a statistical analysis of the answers, he found that the wisdom gleaned from these highly successful people can be broken down into three main goals: Finding ways to become smarter, faster, and happier. Game Changers is the culmination of Dave’s years of immersion in these conversations, offering 46 high-performance “laws” backed by science, a hypothetical guide to how to get better in life.
Through the tales of game-changers such as Dr. Daniel Amen, Gabe Bernstein, Dr. Instant rewards. From taming fear and anxiety to making better decisions, establishing high-performance habits, and practicing gratitude and mindfulness, Dave gathers the wisdom of today’s game-changers to help everyone unleash more in life.
Tell me friends: What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year? Any books on health or wellness that you love that I can add to my list for August?
xo
Jenna
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