Recent reads (Twitterature link-up)

I'm not going to list all the books I've read since the last book post, but just the ones I want to comment. So I'm skipping the travel guidebooks, writing guides and books in Finnish...

Again, linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Twitterature link-up.

Alister McGrath: C.S. Lewis: A Life

An interesting biography. There were many aspects of Lewis's life that I had not known about before. I've read Surprised by Joy, as well as a lot of other books by him, and I've seen Shadowlands ages ago - and I actually liked getting the not-so-romantic aspects of that story in this biography. More balanced, like.

Richard Askwith: Feet in the Clouds. A Tale of Fell-Running and Obsession

I like to read books about running, even though I'm not much of a runner myself. Askwith is obsessed and enthusiastic, and this book lauds all the amazing and fantastic qualities he sees in fell-running and especially fell-runners. Sometimes it feels like he's trying to make fell-running larger than life. Maybe it's how he really sees/feels it.

I'd recommend this book to people who already have an interest in running and extreme endurance sports - and who are not looking for an easy-reader intro to the subject.

Malcolm Gladwell: David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

The main point of this book is that things perceived as strengths might actually be weaknesses when seen from a different angle, and perceived weaknesses can also be strengths. Many of the examples in this book are fascinating. Who knew that it might not be a good idea to go to the most prestigious school you can get into?

My interest in this book was sparked by knowing that Gladwell re-discovered Christian faith while working on this book (or that's how he wrote about it in this article). Not surprisingly, the interview he mentions in the article was one of the most touching and memorable parts of the book.

Marlena de Blasi: A Thousand Days in Venice: An Unexpected Romance

All the ingredients of a great story: romantic love between an American chef and a Venetian banker. Venice and food. Wedding arrangements in Italy. Intriguing local characters, an outsider discovering the charms of Venice also off the tourist-trodden paths. Dramatic incidents galore.

For some reason, though, I wasn't totally drawn into the story. Perhaps this would have been better as relaxing holiday reading, not when I have lots on my mind and only short intervals of reading time.

Anne Bogel: How She Does It

A concise, practical book on how different women in different circumstances combine flexible work schedules with family time. I loved the examples, and I really like the premise of finding the solutions that work best for your family - and being open to review your systems as circumstances change.

Anna Elliott: Georgiana Darcy's Diary

My monthly dose of fiction accomplished. :)

This was a good read. I liked the characterizations, and if/when there were anachronisms, they didn't disturb my enjoyment of the story.

This was one of the best continuations I've read.  As an Austen fan, I understand both the boom of fan fiction and the industry of publishing Austen-related stories. I used to read quite a lot of Austen-related fiction, but these days there are so many that I don't even want to keep up any more.... Some continuations of Austen's novels really exasperate me - usually because characters and plotlines are so far from what I would have considered plausible for Austen's characters. (As in, I  read it and say out loud "He/she would NEVER do that!") I didn't get that exasperation with this book, and it's also well written - so I might even consider buying the rest of the series for holiday reading at some point.

Married to an ultra runner...

I call my husband "The Ultra Runner"* on the blog. Because that's one aspect of who he is. I did not marry an ultra runner - he got into running when we were already married. It has become an important part of his life, and just to make it clear: I don't resent it. Not at all.

Running an ultra race is no joke. Still, having some sense of humour helps. That goes for the support crew, too. An ultra race takes a long time - long enough to think about all kinds of things.

I've read several lists that start "You know you're an ultra runner if...." but I haven't seen any from the spouse's perspective. So here's my humble effort...

(Any contributions to the list? Please comment.)

You know you're married to an ultra runner if/when....

1. Your husband has a lot more shoes than you have. (And at least 95% of them are running shoes.)
2. Your spouse also has a lot of race t-shirts. So many that he may wear a race t-shirt even when not running.
3. At least 60% of his share of the laundry pile consists of running clothes.
4. You know your husband will be gone most of the day when he goes for 'a long run'.
5. When he runs errands, he literally runs.
6. A marathon is not a big deal. (Unless he's seriously trying for Personal Best. Some ultra runners like to run marathons for a change, too. It's speed work...)
7. You may find your spouse's toe nail when making the bed.
8. Your family holidays/vacations are planned around your spouse's racing schedule.
9. Because of the above: even if you don't run yourself, you check out if there are any good ultra races in the travel destinations that you'd love to visit. ("Honey, have you ever thought of participating in Madeira Island Ultra Trail?")
10. When you go somewhere without children, just the two of you, it usually means you're his support crew at a race.
11. Then again, at some races you'll have your children in the support crew as well. (It doesn't work so well if you have babies and toddlers, but at some point, it can become great family time...)
12. When not needed as crew, you volunteer at racing events when your spouse runs. And, as above, you take the children along when they're old enough to volunteer, too.
13. You know not to plan any big stuff for the post-race days. (If you've been crewing for him or volunteering at the event, you both need your recovery time.)
14. Actually, you don't plan big stuff for pre-race days either. You don't even think of having an important, serious conversation right before the race. Why try that when most of his mind is on the race, anyway?
15. You're often amazed by your spouse's grit, endurance, determination and focus.

Disclaimer: please don't get the idea that our family life revolves around the Ultra Runner's training and race schedule. He's really good about that, he takes care to plan and carry out his training and races so that his running does not take much away from our family life. It's flexibility and 'treat others the same way you want them to treat you' all around.

And I actually like going to the races with him. We've been to places we might not have visited otherwise. I've met lovely, interesting people. I might even have acquired a little bit of grit and endurance myself, too.

*) For those who don't know, ultra running means running distances longer than the marathon, i.e. longer than 42.195 km (26 miles). Ultra races range from 50K to 1000M, 6 hours to 6 days, so there's great variation.