It's Monday 1/10! What Are You Reading?

I can sum up our week in one word: COVID. That overshadowed everything and took over our lives.

I explained last Monday that my 96-year-old father-in-law caught COVID in the nursing home where he is staying to rehab after breaking his hip before Christmas. We were all visiting him every day (he has dementia), and they had a sizable outbreak there. My son started getting symptoms Monday and tested positive Tuesday. I thought I might escape, but my symptoms began Wednesday, and I finally tested positive Friday. By some miracle, my husband has managed to stay healthy in the house with the two of us and visiting his dad every day! Lots of hand-washing, sanitizer, and antiseptic wipes being used, plus masking.

We are all fully vaccinated (though I didn't make many antibodies due to my chronic immune disorder), but my son and I got pretty sick. He went back to work today (masked, of course) and was so excited to leave the house! We knew he was starting to feel better this weekend when he began getting restless and cleaning his room. My cough and chest congestion are improving, but I am still really wiped out. I literally could not stay awake yesterday and slept through most of the day. I am awake today but still exhausted. My biggest concern at this point is the potential long-term effects. I'm sure by now you've heard of "long COVID." Well, most cases of long COVID are ME/CFS, the immune disorder I've had for 20 years (which is usually triggered to start by some sort of infection), so there is a high chance getting COVID will trigger a severe worsening of my underlying condition, perhaps long-term. Nothing to do now but wait and see (and rest).

I hope you'll excuse the detail, but consider it something of a PSA. I know the news is saying Omicron causes milder illness, but it is HIGHLY contagious and we have been quite sick with it. Multiple tests may be needed to get a positive result (they are now saying five days after exposure is ideal testing time) and, of course, tests are in short supply. The most effective treatments (monoclonal antibodies and the new COVID antiviral) are mostly unavailable. Thank goodness for the vaccines, which are probably keeping us out of the hospitals (which are over-full). My father-in-law and I are both still struggling, after a week, so be as careful as you can be!

Given all that, I was unable to record any videos last week. In fact, I lost my voice for a couple of days! Even my reading has been curtailed because I've been so sick that I could only read for 10-15 minutes; then my eyes would start to burn and get sore and I'd need another nap. But at least I could still read a little bit, which is better than a friend of mine in the UK who's had COVID at the same time.

So, here's what we've all been reading this past week:

I finished reading Janesville: An American Story by Amy Goldstein, a nonfiction book about a town in WI after a devastating GM plant closure. We had a great discussion on Zoom with my book group. It's a fascinating and sobering book.

 

Now, I am reading a novel I got for my birthday last summer, Happiness by Aminatta Forma. I like this sort of story, where two very different people's lives intersect unexpectedly. In this case, it's Jean, an American wildlife biologist studying urban foxes in London, and Attila, a Ghanian psychiatrist who specializes in PTSD. It's excellent so far.

 

On audio, I am still loving The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (not much listening time with the whole family home together!). I love her novels, especially on audio since she reads them herself. In this one, a Native American woman named Tookie spent years in prison and is now working in a bookstore (the real-life bookstore owned by the author) where she sees the ghost of a former customer.

 

My husband, Ken, is still reading Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, book one of The Malazan Book of the Fallen series, a fantasy novel recommended by our son. Once again, he didn't have much reading time this week, between sanitizing, hand-washing, and doing the cooking!

 

Our son, 27, is still reading Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak, a follow-up to Uprooted, which he loved. He explained that his reading took a hit when he became a bit obsessed with the new Pokemon game for the Switch his brother gave him for Christmas!

Blog posts from last week:

Favorite Movies Watched in 2021 - my annual round-up!

Teen/YA Review: Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan - excellent YA novel I enjoyed on audio

Favorite TV Shows Watched in 2021 - so many great shows!

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.   

What are you and your family reading this week?