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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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Books I Couldn’t Put Down

June 27, 2017 by Taylor 3 Comments

Books I Couldn't Put Down - Espresso and Ambition

Without a doubt, I would be the worst book critic. It’s incredibly rare that I find a book that I genuinely don’t like, and as such, my Goodreads page is filled with 4- and 5-star rankings. My classification of a book as “good” doesn’t exactly come from a place of high standards. So in order to share some of the books that I’ve enjoyed the most recently, I’ve come up with a new criteria – books I’ve read in one sitting. This is a true testament to my fondness for a book, because when I get sucked into a book, nothing else matters until I finish it. So given that we’re about halfway through 2017 and I’m about halfway through my mission to read 50 books in a year, I figured I’d share some of the best books I’ve read this year with y’all.

 

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

 

This was the May/June book for Emma Watson’s Our Shared Shelf book club on Goodreads, so naturally it made its way onto my reading list. The book is so good, and at the same time, genuinely terrifying. It’s a dystopian-type novel that seems just realistic enough to scare you into believing that it genuinely could somehow happen. Despite that, it’s a riveting read and is written in the style in which you’re thrown straight into the story and gradually given more and more background information, which really enhances the movement of the plot line.

 

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

 

Between All The Light We Cannot See and this, it’s apparent that I’m a sucker for WWII fiction. This book just sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go – it’s a story of two sisters during a terrible time, both of whom deal with the stresses of the war in different ways and who commit their own forms of rebellion. Fair warning, this isn’t a good one to finish in public: you will cry.

 

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

This one’s a bit of a cheat since it’s a book of poetry and therefore a pretty quick read automatically, but I just love it so much that I couldn’t not include it. Something about her poetry is just so raw, and this book includes my all-time favorite poem:

 

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

 

This book, y’all. It was phenomenal. It deals with a great deal of racism, both the blatantly obvious type and the hidden type. And it’s set in the development of a court case, which, as someone with an interest in the law and how things like that work, was a major plus. It’s riveting and so well put-together. For some reason I’m struggling to come up with any more words that truly express how much I loved this book, but I love it.

 

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

 

I haven’t read a lot of young-adult fiction lately, but I saw the previews for this movie and immediately knew that I wanted to pick up the book. It’s a lighter read than what I’m used to, which is probably how I was able to go through it so fast. The story itself is really sweet – which was a wonderful break from the typical intense, not-so-happy-ending stories I usually find myself wrapped up in.

 

Now that I’ve written this, I really think I ought to make this a bit of a series. I love being able to share this nerdy side on here, so let me know what you think and if you have anything else you think I won’t be able to put down!

 

xo, Taylor

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Filed Under: Books, Etc., Lifestyle

Comments

  1. Erin says

    June 27, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    So do you have a specific genre you like the most to read? Or are you all over the place? I hated reading for a while after my masters… (so much reading), but recently have been enjoying reading more and have been wanting some suggestions, so these are great!

    Reply
    • Taylor says

      June 27, 2017 at 4:21 pm

      I actually don’t have a specific genre that’s my favorite – I love variety! I like alternating between fiction and nonfiction to mix it up.

      Reply
  2. Indya | TheSmallAdventurer says

    June 27, 2017 at 10:24 pm

    I’m currently reading The Handmaid’s Tale and am loving it! Everything Everything is on my wish list, I’ve heard great things about it.

    http://www.thesmalladventurer.blogspot.com.au/

    Reply

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
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giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
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