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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: Part 2

December 8, 2017 by Taylor Leave a Comment

Books I Couldn't Put Down Part 2 - Espresso and Ambition

It’s been a while since I wrote a book post! Actually, the last book-related post I wrote was the first in this series, which was almost six months ago. But it’s all good, because I’m back again today with yet another set of books that were so good I struggled to put them down and get real work done.

 

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

As I was reading this book, I found myself reflecting on how much my reading preferences have evolved over the years. When I was in high school, my favorite type of book was always some sort of action-packed fantasy book; nowadays, I get really into either mysteries or books about intense family drama (Why? No clue). This book falls into the latter category. It’s got such a convoluted cast of characters and it’s so interesting to see how all of the plot points fall together and impact everyone else’s lives.

 

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

Of the two previously mentioned categories of favorite book, this one checks off the first genre: mystery. A character is kidnapped, and the book alternates between various perspectives and various points in the timeline to really build up to the conclusion. Also, the plot twist at the end is legendary. Like, one of those “I’m just going to have to sit here, jaw agape, for a solid couple of minute to process this” moments. That’s about all I can say without spoiling it too much.

 

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub

I adore Emma Straub’s writing, and Modern Lovers was no exception. This was the book I had on me when I got pneumonia this summer, so it’s probably a little unfair to brag about how I finished this book in two days flat when most of the reason that I finished it so quickly is that I really couldn’t do much else. Although it probably says something about how much I was into it given that I successfully fought off the drowsiness side effects of my medication to read it.

 

The Spy by Paulo Coelho

This book actually wasn’t even on my reading list – I ended up going to the beach with friends one day and neglected to bring a book, so one of my friends let me borrow one of hers. It’s a pretty short book, and I read the entire thing that day. While my go-to era of historical fiction is always World War II for some reason, this book is actually from the WWI era instead – look at me breaking out of my comfort zone! Anyways, it’s an incredibly interesting read about a real person: the dancer and accused spy Mata Hari.

 

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

 

Mindy Kaling is the type of person that I’d love to have as my best friend. She’s just one of those really relatable and down-to-earth people, and her writing reflects that well. Reading this book feels more like a conversation than a serious piece of literature. It’s a fun, light-hearted read with some really great messages throughout.

 

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

Funny story: I actually just finished reading this book. You probably read that as, “oh, you finished that book within the last few days. No, no, no. I literally finished this book approximately 15 minutes ago – I couldn’t tear myself away from it long enough to write this blog post. As with some of the previous books, I adore convoluted timelines and major suspense-building. That, plus a multitude of intense plot twists, are what you can expect from this book. A+.

 

And that’s all for now! I’m currently at 45 books out of my 50 book goal for 2017, so send some good vibes my way that I’m able to get through 5 more books in the next few weeks!

xo, Taylor

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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
🎧 best of me - neffex
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
🎧 watch me - neffex
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