Hope everyone is having a good weekend!  Let's talk about...

Winter.
Here in Rochester, we continue to endure this winter.  There is no enjoying at this point, not when it's -26 degrees outside and when you walk to the mailbox the inner walls of your nostrils freeze together so that you are forced to breathe through your mouth (true thing that happened).  Just enduring.

However, we are having a bit of a heat wave (highs in the 20s yesterday and today!), so I celebrated by going for my first outdoor run in about 2 weeks.  The roads were completely unplowed, and I was trudging through snow drifts with every step, BUT GODDAMN IT I WAS OUTSIDE.  It was glorious.

Hair.
Anyway, in order to spice up this winter, I did an exciting thing on Friday (at least, for me).  I've never colored my hair before--nope, this redhead was au naturel.  However, The Grays started to invade a few years ago (kids will do that), and I finally took drastic measures to do away with them.  Thus, we now have the new-and-improved Well-Read Redhead:

Awkward closeup selfie because it's the only one I did that didn't seem completely awful.  I take horrific selfies.  This one makes me look like I have a huge nose, but we're going to roll with it.  This picture actually makes the color look a little lighter than it is in real life. This is a long caption.

(Did you think I'd go blonde or brunette or something?  Heck no.  Then I need a new blog name.  PRIORITIES!)

I am loving my new darker shade.  Something fun to keep things interesting during this loooong winter.

Reading.
As for what's new on the reading front: I have a tiny lull between tour books, so I'm smooshing in some library reads right now.  Just started Burial Rites by Hannah Kent this week, and I am intrigued.  I've also go Summer House With Swimming Pool by Herman Koch on my nightstand.  And yes, I plan to finish Moby Dick sometime...soon-ish.

Confession: the way I have been choosing my library reads lately is to pull up the "Best/Favorites of 2014" lists from some of my favorite bloggers (like Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall, Words for Worms, The Relentless Reader, Book Hooked, River City Reading, and Books Speak Volumes, to name just a few) and check out the ones they recommend the most from last year.  This method rarely fails me.  Rock on, bloggers!

What are you up to this week, reading pals?

Happy weekend, friends!  Instead of the Sunday Post meme, I'm switching over to Sunday Salon, which from what I can tell is a bit more fluid and widely-known.  Not that many of you care.  This is more an explanation for my non-blogger readers who may be unfamiliar with both (but also may not care).  :)

ANYWAY, this particular Sunday I am hangin' out in my jammies with my menfolk.  I was supposed to be taking a day trip to visit a friend, but icy road conditions have left me stranded.  So pancake breakfast and PJ snuggles it is!

Speaking of icy, it occurred to me that I never posted here about my latest running adventures--and while not book-related, I do like to mention them from time to time, as my half marathon post got such a positive response last September.  On January 10, I participated in the Winter Warrior half marathon relay with my friend Amanda and her husband.  The race started at 4pm and it was a balmy -5 degrees with the wind chill.  I only had to run two 2.6 mile legs of the race, but do you know what it feels like to run 5.2 miles in a -5 degree wind?  Please enjoy this really attractive picture of me trying to get feeling back into my toes in between my two legs of the race:

That said, we actually had a really great time, and I have plans to run the entire 13.1 miles on my own in the same race next year.  Woohoo!

I also just signed up for my second half marathon--yes, redemption after my less-than-ideal first half will be mine!  I'll be doing the first inaugural Mystic Half Marathon near my hometown turf in Mystic, CT on May 31.  Training starts in early March, and I can't wait.  It is going to be awesome to do this race in the area where I grew up!

Okay then, enough about running.  Let's talk books!  After a week of overabundant reading options, I managed to finish The Girl on the Train and The Last Breath.  Still working on Moby Dick here and there.  Just starting Dead Wake, I did pick up The Book of Unknown Americans from the library, and I also have One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis that I need to start for a February book tour.  So, still lots of reading happening over here these days!  These snowy conditions sure do help by making me want to stay inside and read.

Alrighty, back to my family time.  Enjoy your Sunday, readers!  What are you up to today?