Day 15 - Exercise

6519 steps
5423 moderate steps 41 minutes
258 calories
2.88 miles

I've got to get my shit together and hopefully this with be the start. I have a press junket to do tomorrow starting at 8:30 a.m. and will try to do at least two miles in the morning of walking. Must go to bed early enough to get a full nights sleep.

DEADLY LITTLE LIES by Laurie Faria Stolarz (A Touch Novel)

Sequel to Deadly Little Secret and just as easy of a read, but just as frustrating by way of the heroine not using her brain and telling someone other than her self involved friends that someone is terrorizing her with photos and strange calls. I just don't understand how she can go home alone knowing that someone has been following her and making her think she's crazy.

I do like the idea that her aunt has the same condition as evidenced in her journal entries from childhood, which are alternating chapters of what his happening to Camelia.

I want to like it because it is such and intriguing and quick read, I just can't because of how impossibly ridiculous Camelia and Ben act.

DEADLY LITTLE SECRET by Laurie Faria Stolarz (A Touch Novel)

Ben is the new boy in school. There are rumors that he killed his girlfriend in his hometown, but now wanting a fresh start, he's in a new school and in Camelia's world. She's fascinated by him, almost to the exclusion of everyone. He saved her life several months earlier and disappeared before she could thank him. Now here he is and claiming he doesn't know her. Ben is strange, he comes to class late and doesn't interact with any other kids. Actually everyone in school makes fun of him and writes letters on his locker, telling the killer to go home.

Ben and Camelia grow close despite his reservations and her growing concern over the gifts, notes and photos that are being left for her by some mysterious person. She keeps what's happening only between herself, her friends Kimmie and Wes until Ben tells her that she's in danger.

My biggest problem with this book is that when the things that are being left for Camelia start getting creepy and intrusive, she doesn't go to the police or tell her parents. She seems to believe she can figure this all out by herself and fix it. The threatening phone calls the red lipstick letters spelling BITCH on her mirror.

I also don't understand why Ben is so mysterious about what he knows may happen. I get that he's a little shell shocked by what happened to his girlfriend and the fact that no one is nice to him, more like all out mean. But when he tells Camelia that she's in danger, but holds back, it makes him look more guilty than helpful.

I like the idea of the book, but not so much the way it story plays out. I like THE BODY FINDER better. Similar theme, but better structure. You don't always feel like you want to yell at the leads to think smarter.

THE LAST THING I REMEMBER by Andrew Klavan

Think YA version of The Fugitive meets post 9/11 terrorism.

Charlie wakes up in a room he doesn't recognized, tied to a chair, hearing voices saying they are about to kill him and all he knows is he has to get out. It seems the last day he remembers is about a year ago when everything was normal and all he had to worry about was getting the most popular girl in school to notice him and doing a presentation of his Black Belt in Karate for assembly. But things aren't normal anymore.

At first, Charlie doesn't even realize that it's been a year, he thinks his last memory happened the day before. But he is more worried about getting away from the men who are about to kill him. When he finally finds someone to help him, they turn him into the police where he discovers it's been a year and he's been convicted of his best friends' murder. Charlie is also plagued my names and snippets of conversations he picked up from the men who's been holding him. He realizes that the Secretary of Homeland Security on his way to meet with the President, is the target of homegrown terrorists and Charlie is the only one who is privy to this information. He must get away from the police taking him back to prison and stop the attack. But when he does, he's mistaken for one of the terrorists and is back on the run.

Now he only has one name, whispered to him by someone he didn't see, telling him he was a better man than he knew and to find Waterman.

It was an interesting and fast read. There are definite moments when you are reading at breakneck speed trying to get to a part that well explain why this good, All-American kid seems to be in so much trouble and why he doesn't remember anything that's happened to him and how he went from an ordinary life to such crazy circumstances.

The chapters alternate between what's currently happening to Charlie and what happened on the last day he remembers. the moments of his last day of normalcy are so boring, I found them hard to read. But the juxtaposition between that day and what's happening now are so drastically different, they do help to propel the story forward. Although God and country aren't beaten over your head, it's clear that this is a Christian novel, which always puts me off a little. I like things like that to be a little more organic and subtle.

LORD LOSS by Darren Shan (The Demonata Series)

It wasn't as gory as I thought it would be. But it wasn't as good as I thought it would be also. Very quick read. And for anyone who has a hard time getting their pre-teen or teen boy to read, this is a good series to start with. It has action, gore, friendship and a little comedy all in one very short read. The story moves quickly and the characters are interesting. I just wasn't drawn in as I was with other books along the same genre.

They never explain Grubbs odd name, other than his mother chose it. And he has to deal with some very adult issues, depression, loss of family, anxiety, etc. He's even put into a psychiatric facility for a time when no one believes that demons killed his family, which shows how people automatically assume children are lying even with real issues.

Grubbs finds a new family and reason to move forward with his Uncle Dervish, who believes what Grubbs has been saying about the demons, and who he thinks is his cousin Bill-E.

There are some dark elements to the book, but nothing a teen can't handle.

THE BLUE GIRL by Charles De Lint

I read over half of this book and may finish it later. Again, I've said this before, I hate not finishing a book. But as busy as I am I don't have time to fully read something I feel won't make a good film or television show or isn't fun, interesting or fast reading enough for me to finish it quickly. When I find myself lagging and I can't finish a short book in a day or two, then it's not for me.

But, all that to say, it wasn't bad. I just wasn't interested enough in the story. Seventeen year-old, Imogene Yeck has moved to a new town when her hippy mother decides to find herself and go back to college. Imogene was part of a gang in her old town and is determined to be different here, where she befriends Maxine, a shy student picked on for being smart. Maxine influences Imogene by getting her to study and do better in school and Imogene influences Maxine, by getting her to break out of her shell a little, dress with more flare and talk to boys. Although Imogene is pushed around, literally, by the popular kids in school, she stands up to them and that strength attracts the attention of the schools resident Ghost, Adrian, who died under suspicious circumstances.

Imogene notices him watching her, as she says she's always been sensitive to these things, so seeing Adrian isn't a surprise to her. But when he tells her about the fairies who tricked him into jumping off the building, Imogene doesn't believe they exist. In their pursuit to get her to see the, they pull a prank turning her blue, but that also attracts the dangerous Animithims putting everyone in danger that Imogene loves.

As I didn't finish the book, I don't know what ensues from there. But I can say that I don't really care. Took forever in alternating point of view chapters between Imogene, Adrian and Maxine to get that far. I do know that somehow Imogene prevails over the fairies and the Animithims and gets Adrian to go to his angel to cross over. But it's not as interesting as The Mortal Instruments series, which I didn't like or Tithe, which I did read and kind of liked. All the bullying by students as well as the time it took for Imogene to get Adrian to talk to her was drawn out way too long.

This just didn't work for me. But maybe if I have more open time in the future I may finish it.

Day 14 - Exercise

1.70 miles
4332 steps
2980 moderate steps 25 minutes
147 calories

I woke up with a migraine at 2:30-ish a.m. and it continued through the morning. I didn't feel like working out, but wanted to do a little something so I walked to the store and home.

Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow morning.

Day 13 - Exercise

3.22 Miles
8095 steps
4769 moderate steps 39 minutes
279 calories

I actually didn't exercise like normal. I had to do a press junket at The Avalon Hotel on Olympic and Canon, so I walked from my house in the morning, back to my house at lunch, back to The Avalon, then back home. Then all the walking during the junket. So I ended up doing a lot of steps for the day. I like that kind of exercise. Getting most of it done for work, saving the environment in my way by not driving the 1/2 mile to work and back.

Let's see if I can keep it up for the week.

THE WAY OF SHADOWS by Brent Weeks (Night Angel Series)

Azoth is a homeless child living on the streets a guild rat who pays money from stealing to Rat to stay alive. But Rat is brutal, forcing other boys to have sex with him and beating others. Azoth wants to be a wetboy (an assassin) and presents himself to the most famous wetboy in their kingdom, Durzo Blint. Blint is hard and lives by a code. Having never taken on an apprentice before, Durzo forces Azoth to kill Rat, then changes his name to Kylar Drake, teaching him to fight, about poison and about the Talent, which seems to be ever dormant in Kylar. Kylar also lives with a family who teaches him how to act among royalty. He grows into a skilled young man, but with many lies from others and those he's told himself, bonds are broken, trusts are lost, and it's up to Kylar to make it all right.

there's lots of action, and fighting and friendships and loves in this book. But for me it's not quite enough. The book does become exciting when Kylar is bonded with the black ka'kari, the seventh stone of power which is of the night, making him The Night Angel. Once Kylar is aware of his powers and in learning how to use them, it's a fun ride of fighting and magic.

It's just missing a little excitement for me.

Day 12 - Exercise

3.05 miles
6287 steps
5426 moderate steps 38 minutes
275 calories

I got up and just went for it. It was interesting because I wanted to see Laura Ling and Una Lee return from their incarceration in North Korea. Then I remembered that I could record the news on my DVR, so I did. I have been feeling a little rubbing from either my sport underwear or my work out pants. I'm sure it's because my legs are so fat they are rubbing on the stitching of something. I have to remember to use my sport stick to help with the friction from the rubbing. But, I'm very proud of myself that I've done two days this week so far, which I haven't done for several months. I've always come up with some excuse as to why I can't or don't want to work out. I'm going to try to keep the miles short so that I don't overwork myself and then talk myself into being too exhausted the next day to work out again.

Let's see what happens. LOL!

Day 11 - Exercise

3.63 Miles
8156 steps
5264 moderate steps 38 minutes
328 calories

I didn't sleep well on Sunday evening. Took until after midnight to fall asleep, but I got up at 6:00 am and went for a run anyway. Felt good to be doing what I should be doing. Let's see if I can keep it up.