• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Espresso and Ambition

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

  • Food
  • Fitness
  • Organization
  • Productivity
  • Etc.

Recent Reads: January/February 2018

March 9, 2018 by Taylor 1 Comment

Recent Reads, January and February 2018 - Espresso and Ambition

Since I’ve ramped up the number of posts I write weekly this year, I also want to amp up the number of book-related posts I write as well. I love reading, and I want to share more than just my favorite books like I did last year. So instead, for 2018, I’m going to write a new book post every two months. These are going to highlight every single book I’ve read during that time – the good, the bad, and the ugly (although I rarely read books that I’d consider “bad,”  to be honest).

 

Hunger by Roxane Gay

I read Bad Feminist last year, so when this book came out, it was automatically on my reading list. This is an incredibly interesting read about the author’s relationship with her body, specifically, as an obese woman. She makes some really interesting points, and it’s a perspective I never would’ve gotten otherwise.

 

How to Be a Bawse by Lilly Singh

I feel like so many YouTubers are writing books nowadays, but let me tell you: this one is good. Lilly is hilarious but has some really, really solid advice about owning who you are and turning that into your own success. It’s inspiring and an all-around good read if you’re trying to make things happen.

 

Animal Farm by George Orwell

I don’t know how I made it through high school without reading this book, but I did. I figured now is as good a time as ever. I read the whole book in a day.

 

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty


Ooooooh, I love me some good drama. This was centered around three women, the secrets they keep, and how those secrets manifested into a huge dramatic event on the school’s trivia night. There’s not a ton of hints regarding what the event is until it happens either, so you’re left sitting on the edge of your seat wondering not only “who did it,” as you do in a normal mystery, but also “what was actually done to begin with?”

 

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

This book took me longer to get into that I expected. It took me until I was 60% through to really get pulled in – which was way longer than it took me to get into Paula Hawkins’ other book, The Girl on the Train. It’s a good book nonetheless, but it does drag a bit at the start.

 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

I’m actually in the middle of this book now, so I’m not sure if it really counts as a January/February read, but wow oh wow is this book good. It’s about a boy killed by the police, which is something that’s particularly relevant in today’s culture. You hear about the incidents on the news regularly and they break your heart/make you angry at injustice, but having the emotions behind such an incident written out so plainly in this fictional retelling is something else entirely.

 

So many good books these past two months! I’m a little behind on my reading goals from where I was last year, but hopefully I can catch up once life gets a little less hectic.

xo, Taylor

Related Posts

Filed Under: Books, Etc., Lifestyle

Comments

  1. Deborah says

    March 13, 2018 at 6:55 pm

    I recently finished “The Hate U Give” and it’s seriously one of my favorites! I’m glad you’re enjoying it too – very poignant and relevant.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow

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!

Instagram

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!!
.
you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
.
1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
.
2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
.
3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
.
4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
.
throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
.
👚 @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)
.
also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
.
1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
.
2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
.
3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
.
4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
.
5️⃣ 12 commandos
.
6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
.
repeat 4x total!!
.
👚 @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 😛
.
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!!)
.
#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?? 😅
.
do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
.
1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
.
2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
.
3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
.
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!}
.
5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
.
6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
.
repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
.
👚 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 🥵
.
circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
.
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
.
circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
.
👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
Load More... Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Search


Disclosure

Some of the links featured in my posts may be affiliate links. The links and the products they lead to come at no additional cost to you but help this gal continue to make Espresso and Ambition happen. Your support means the world to me! <3

Pages

  • About
  • Contact
  • Espresso and Ambition
  • Subscribe
  • Disclosures and Privacy Policy

Blog Design by TinselPop