BR: The Brave Athlete, How to be Parisian Wherever You Are, and The Perfect Nanny Audiobook

You guys know that I love, love, love the library. I read a lot and I’d go broke if I purchased every book that I read. I get 90% of my books from the library, 5% as gifts, and I purchase the other 5%. Since the library is closed though, I’ve dug into books I’ve received as gifts, purchased, and one audiobook.

The Perfect Nanny Audiobook by Leila Slimani

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani is the one book in this post that was from the library and from my 2020 book list. I “read” it on my solo runs. It’s a psychological thriller originally written in French. I loved the references to Paris, bringing me back to our trip last summer.

The Brave Athlete by Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson

The Brave Athlete is one of those 5% of books that I’ve actually bought. It’s been on my nightstand for a long time. I started reading it via audiobook, but there were so many good points I wanted to highlight. There are also many pages of worksheets that are helpful to fill out and then reflect on. Anyone that’s trained for any endurance race would benefit from this. I still don’t know if my triathlon is going to take place. My gym is still closed, so I can’t do any swim training and I’m really starting to get worried. I’m technically in week 6 of training and that’s a lot to make up.

Spoiler: There is no chapter on how to deal with training during a global pandemic.

How to be Parisian Wherever You Are

Oddly enough, the third book I recently read was also based in Paris. How to be Parisian Wherever You Are by Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret, and Sophie Mas was given to me by my sister many moons ago. Like the Brave Athlete, it sat on my nightstand while I read library books with looming due dates. It’s a wonderfully light book that’s full of snippets about how French women dress, act, eat, behave, and carry themselves.

Next up from my stack of owned books includes Brining Home the Birkin, One Fifth Avenue, and Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl. Because, in times like these, a girl needs all the chick-flicky books she can get.