Nirupama P.R.V.'s Blog: Catty Opinions of a Book Loving Couch Potato, page 18

Reading Challenge- October Updates

This post is my monthly update on my Reading Challenge. To reiterate, I had pledged to read 35 books in the year of 2019.

Here’s how I fared in the month of October.

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I had read 30 books when September ended; which equates to 4 books in October.

Based on the challenge, I needed to read 3 books. I exceeded that number because:

There were 31 days in the month
I finished reading 2 books I’d previously started
One book was a comic digest
The biggest reason is of course, the fact that I was well past the required reading targets for the year. In a classic case of success begets success; I simply felt like reading more in my spare time because I could afford to slack if I wanted to. Definitely a lesson for me keep in mind when I next make any resolutions.

The books that I read this past month are:

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Interestingly, 2 of these books are related to parenting while the other two impart success strategies for women. This month has thus, been very feminist centric and I love it. 3 of those 4 also qualify for #ReadWomen; so that is a bigger win.

I am already thinking about the year ahead and what my Reading Challenge will be. Have you ? Are you still deciding? Already got down the number? Any strategies that have worked well for you?

Let me know in the comments below.

Monday Motivation

Don’t raise your voice

Improve your Argument.

Block!

This week T once again was busy with a new block set. Magnetic ones.

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I love blocks of all sorts as does the Hubby. Naturally our house is filled with a variety of of building sets. A few pictures of what the First Grader created.

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She made it using the instructions booklet and a little help from Dad.

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And of course, the best part was that Hubs and T spent so much time giggling and creating (and I did not have to crib about screen time)

What are your favorite toys for family time activities?

Fall – Windy Walking Adventures

Fall is in full swing and Halloween is almost upon us .

Hence, today’s post is a photo post on Fall colors all around in Illinois and our walking adventures.

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The weather is getting cold and we expect some snow in the coming days- but hey, make hay while the sun shines right?

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In fact the clear skies , even if occasionally made for excellent walking weather. I confess, I did sport a thick hoodie- this is Windy City after all!

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I even made it a nature walk for the kiddo with a reward of playtime at the tiny play area thrown in. So, we got a fair bit of walking, studying and playing all done. Hurrah.

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And of course, what’s Fall without a leaf strewn photo?

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(After the landscaping guys were done!)

How are you enjoying Fall? Share how you are enjoying the great outdoors in this season in the comments below.

Monday Motivation

I never dreamed of success.

I worked for it.

-Estee Lauder

Monday Motivation

Beauty lies in the eye of the Beholder!

Seen here are Fall colors- Glory of nature or dismal end of summer- our choice!

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First Dinner Out

This week Hubs and I stepped out to a restaurant for a dinner- our first time at an eatery after the newborn.

We went to our favorite IndoChinese restaurant Bombay Chopsticks to enjoy the food, ambience and service and sure enough, had a lovely evening.

And I also got to click some photos to share on the blog here of the delightful (all vegetarian) items we consumed.

We began with soup- I went with the Wonton soup: the dumplings were great and the broth itself was very filling.

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Hubs had the Udon soup: the noodles and veggies made it very satisfying. ( though I liked my broth a lot more than his clear one)

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The house special Mango Lassi is always yummy so I went with that while the OtherHalf sipped on his Virgin Pina Colada.

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We gorged on the mushroom black pepper and the Veggie Lollipops. The latter was new and very delicious. So much that I forgot to snap pictures until they were almost gone .

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Our main course was the Hakka style vegetable rice and the Thai green curry with yellow lentils. ( one can choose from red or yellow lentils) We also has a Hakka style Paneer and pepper dish.

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Our evening went off great- a sumptuous meal , relaxed conversation, and excellent talking points for later. (including this blog)

Reading Challenge- September Updates

This post is a recap of all the reading I caught up on in the month of September.

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Interestingly, I read six books in the past month. With a newborn, I wondered if I would slip up on the reading front. Thankfully, I was able to use time management expert Laura Vanderkam’s tips to make the most of my time. I used my pumping times to get caught on my reading. Consequently, I got loads of reading done*. Also, I re-read Partners in Crime- twice. End result- six books completed in September- double of what I needed to get done.

And what did I read?

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Another previously read book, but I felt I needed to read again for my benefit. It’s awesome especially the exercises that accompany the book.

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This was an interesting read on marketing in the new digital world.

Another moving work I finished is :

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Like I mentioned I also read Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime twice.

The last book of six is one on parenting.

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So far I finished 30 of 35 books and am well on track to attaining my reading goals and hoping to continue in this vein. Yahoo! And that’s all for this post. Adieu!

*Word of Note:

I already have a six year old- and have pumped for her and have my mom helping me. So, I was able to make the most of those times!

Monday Motivation

Life is Beautiful!

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Reading Challenge – August Updates and #ReadWomen

This is a quick overview of my reading in August.

I am in track having completed 24 books out of 35. Hooray!

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These are the books I read in the past month:

To love, Honor and Vaccuum : Sheila Gregoire
Parenting with Presence: Susan Stiffelman
How to be Successful without hurting Men’s Feelings: Sarah Cooper

All three were of completely different genres and styles of writing and each one was delightful! Loved the vulnerability of the first, the insights of the second and the ironical wit of the third!

I also realized that this month has been only women authors. I had jumped on the #ReadWomen initiative in 2014 and it’s helped increase the number of women authors am reading ever since in the non fiction category.

Another reason I am reading more is because you my increasing use of ebooks to get though more books. With personalization everywhere including Goodreads and my local library’s digital section, the recommendations for similar titles and authors lands more women authors in my inbox / screen. This directly translates to me browsing and eventually reading more serious works by women.

This is precisely what the whole concept of #ReadWomen is all about. So, am glad that I am helping in my one tiny way!

What have you been reading?

Are any of you trying to consciously read more women authors especially in the realm of fiction, and more importantly self-help, management, leadership , etc.? If yes, what’s a title (or more) you loved?

Leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below!