Gone Girl

Hey, y'all! I apologize for my absence over the weekend - I was busy playing nurse, which was selfishly just what I needed to do in order to get in a relaxing weekend. I was able to lounge around and be lazy, and finish reading Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, which holy moly was insane. I will do a review (with spoilers) later on in this post, so stop reading once I get to that part if you have not yet read the book.

Though I had a somewhat lazy weekend, I did not neglect a good sweat session - lately spin classes have been leaving me a sweaty mess - and though I can't remember the structure of the spin classes I took, only that we did quite a bit of sprints on a hill, with which I certainly have a love/hate relationship, I do have a quick post-cardio workout for you, that works a little bit of both the upper and lower body. I used only my bodyweight, and completed four rounds of this mini-series, but that was surely enough for me!

I will probably be very spotty this week, as I am attending an Advanced Placement Summer Institute at UT that a supporter of the UTeach Program so graciously provided each one of us to attend. And while I am very grateful, and I have already been gifted so many handouts (and free books!) that I already plan on using in my classroom, it makes for a very long day. 8:00am to 4:45pm, and while I am a very focused person, I am also a very antsy person, so sitting in the same place for so many hours is very difficult for me. Let's just say I took quite a few bathroom breaks, just so I could get up and move around for a minute or two. 

And to finish with some exciting news on this dreary Monday - I woke up to an email saying I had been selected to participate in the 2015 Aramco Houston Half Marathon! If you guys recall, the last time I was supposed to run this race, I broke my toe just one week prior to the race. My mom, brother, and I were just reminiscing on this this past week when I was home, and determined that there must have been a good reason that I couldn't participate (and ultimately, my dad felt sorry enough for me that he agreed to send my mom and me to San Francisco). Needless to say, I am very excited to finally get the chance to compete in this race - I won't complain about a run through my very favorite city!

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Gone Girl (Warning: This Review Contains Spoilers!!!)

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I will admit, I started reading this book over a year ago, just before it got really hot. I am not good about being up on the up-and-coming music, but I am pretty good about discovering what books are going to be popular. What can I say - it must be my gift! Anyway, I started reading it late 2012, but my schedule got crazy, and I was forced to abandon it in favor of books for my English classes at UT. I was searching for a new book to read, and I happened upon this article that listed off some books to read before they hit the big screen. Gone Girl was one of them, and because I already had it on my Kindle, and my friend Amira recently recommended that I read it, so it seemed like a logical choice.

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I restarted the book from the beginning, and I was hooked from the get-go. Amy and Nick are, not necessarily happily married, but things go downhill quickly. Amy disappears on the morning of her fifth wedding anniversary, and we are made to believe that Nick did it.

At first, I didn't think he did it, but then I began doubting myself, until the book took a MAJOR twist, and I realized that though this couple is I-N-S-A-N-E, they are both incredibly bright, clever, and honestly, made for each other. Amy wrote a fake diary, created a scavenger hunt that would hopefully lead to Nick's arrest, and watched from afar as Nick's life absolutely unraveled. Nick realized the framing, and played the media so that Amy would come home to him (and save his butt).

The ending of the book absolutely shocked me, and I am not entirely sure how I feel about it. I was feeling a little unsettled that Amy was able to get away with murder (she is extremely manipulative), but I didn't quite feel sorry for Nick, either. Like I said though, they are both a little lot twisted, so they seem to be made for one another!

If you've read the book, please tell me your thoughts on it - I'm dying to discuss it with someone. If you haven't read it, and are looking for a book that will keep you reading as long as your eyes stay open, this is certainly the book for you!