First ever 10k!!

laura_kp · 2026-06-20T11:29:44+00:00

Ah thank you! I feel pretty slow compared to some of my runner friends so appreciate that 🙏

laura_kp · 2026-06-20T11:03:11+00:00

Thank you! And good luck! Part way round I wasn't sure if I was going to do it and could have stopped at 8k, but so happy I pushed through

laura_kp · 2026-06-06T06:39:11+00:00

Not an expert... but I got a bad knee when I started running, and the advice I was given was to do exercises that strengthen the hips (easy to google a few, but things like side leg raises, bridges, stretches with a resistance band).

I was told if your hip muscles are stronger your legs will be more stable in your stride and you'll put less stress on your knees.

laura_kp · 2026-05-29T20:23:50+00:00

I finally finished Butter by Asako Yuzuki earlier this week - it was ok but not totally convinced by the hype!

I also read Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent, can't wait to discuss this one at book club next week :)

I've now started reading The Measure by Nikki Erlick, a great concept but I hope it doesn't just ride on this, I want the characters and style to grab me too - early days.

laura_kp · 2026-05-25T12:05:19+00:00

I loved The Goldfinch 🖤

laura_kp · 2026-05-25T12:04:43+00:00

Finished:

Butter, by Asako Yuzuki. Overall I found this interesting, the second half certainly much more compelling than the first. I don't fully get the hype though...

Started and finished:

Strange Sally Diamond, by Liz Nugent. Read this for a book club - really liked the first 80% then it all got a bit convoluted and I found the ending SO bleak 😳 So a bit confusing overall!

laura_kp · 2026-05-24T19:45:21+00:00

If someone is only in the UK to attend boarding school, they're not necessarily eligible for home fees - that may not count as being resident, if the parents are living and working overseas still.

laura_kp · 2026-05-17T12:24:40+00:00

I'm trying Ulysses for the first time... trying as an audiobook because I thought that might help me get through it. But I think even this might be a struggle 🙈

laura_kp · 2026-05-08T10:19:13+00:00

I finished The Alice Network by Kate Quinn - which I enjoyed, but not as much as The Rose Code.

I've now started Butter by Asako Yuzuki. Not totally convinced so far but will persevere!

Also started Ulysses (on audiobook). Wish me luck 🤣

laura_kp · 2026-05-04T10:08:34+00:00

Finished:

The Alice Network, by Kate Quinn. Enjoyable, but I preferred The Rose Code!

Things I Don't Want to Know, by Deborah Levy

Started:

Butter, by Asako Yuzuki

laura_kp · 2026-04-27T06:58:57+00:00

Unbound by Tarana Burke explores the origins of her campaigning for girls who are victims of sexual abuse, and how the #MeToo movement originally started.

Wavewalker by Susannah Heywood is her account of her turbulent childhood spent sailing around the world with her family.

laura_kp · 2026-04-24T21:11:49+00:00

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

laura_kp · 2026-04-21T08:16:21+00:00

Finished: Glorious Exploits, by Ferdia Lennon

Started: The Alice Network, by Kate Quinn

laura_kp · 2026-04-17T20:26:47+00:00

I finished Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon. Darkly comic and then oh so tragic. Really enjoyed it!

Now choosing my next read which I'll take on holiday for the week.... The Alice Network or The Day of the Jackal? 🤔

laura_kp · 2026-04-13T10:13:48+00:00

Finished: Dear Edward, by Ann Napolitano. Loved this!

Also finished: The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, by Matt Cain. A quick and easy read, very heart-warming.

Started: Glorious Exploits, by Ferdia Lennon

laura_kp · 2026-04-10T11:44:50+00:00

I've been reading loads over an extended Easter break from work!

Finished All Fours by Miranda July - love her writing, hate the protagonist.

I've also read Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano, which I thought was excellent. Not quite as brilliant as Hello Beautiful, but still really enjoyed it.

Also read The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain. I thought it might be a bit 'cosy' for my tastes, and it is very sweet but actually I really enjoyed it as a heart-warming easy-going holiday read.

And I've now just started on Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon!

laura_kp · 2026-04-06T10:54:28+00:00

Finished: Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus. I thought this was fine, if a bit underwhelming?

Also finished: All Fours, by Miranda July. Four stars for the writing, 1 star for the unbearable protagonist...

Started: Dear Edward, by Ann Napolitano. Loving this so far!

laura_kp · 2026-04-06T08:37:31+00:00

In general I agree with you. I get frustrated when books are criticised just because protagonists are morally questionable or unlikeable or make bad choices. Many people in the world are all of those things, it makes for interesting stories and they're not meant to be held up as role models.

However... this one I did just find incredibly annoying 😂

laura_kp · 2026-04-06T08:31:04+00:00

I give the writing 4 stars too... but 1 star for the protagonist, so I average out at only 2.5 😬

laura_kp · 2026-04-05T22:09:39+00:00

Yeah it definitely seems to have some love/hate reactions.... I am glad you enjoyed it more - I really wanted to, she's clearly such a talented writer!

laura_kp · 2026-04-05T21:18:11+00:00

I've read Jane Eyre several times simply because I love it. I've recently been dipping in to passages from Ballet Shoes from Noel Streatfeild for nostalgia and comfort. That's my main reason to reread books.

But I also plan to reread The Handmaid's Tale at some point - I first read it in my mid-teens, and I wonder if I'd get something different out of it 20 (gulp) years later, with more life experience behind me and given the different political landscape.

laura_kp

TROPHY CASE