Monday, January 10, 2022

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?

 

15 comments:

  1. I am so sorry to hear that you got Covid! My sister and nephews have it as well and my sister has a lot of healthy issues. My in-laws found out today there were exposed and they are both already sick(were sick before exposed) so not sure how that's going to pan out. The covers of your books are interesting. Hope you are feeling better soon. Happy reading! https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2022/01/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-2-22.html

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    1. Thanks, Cindy - so sorry to hear it's hit your family, too! Seems to be everywhere now. Hope your parents & other family members recover quickly.

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  2. Hope you are better soon. I find that any kind of respiratory tract infection triggers my asthma and then it takes forever to get that under control. One of my sons and his partner ended up with Covid last week. Like you they were fully vaccinated. Unlike you their symptoms were pretty mild. Take care of yourself.

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    1. Thanks, Cheriee. Similar with me and my chronic health issues - I am VERY prone to bacterial infections, so as soon as I got COVID, my doctor put me on Zithromax to prevent bronchitis - so at least I am not dealing with that, too! Glad your son and his partner had it mild.

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  3. Sorry to hear that Omicron got you! I had Delta (breakthrough case, I was wearing a mask, too.) in early August and couldn't read for 3-4 days. Audiobooks got me through.
    I wanted to tell you I'm reading your book and getting a lot out of it! I hope COVID doesn't exacerbate your illness. So wearying and worrying!

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    1. Thanks, Laurie. Not being able to read is the worst! A sick day should at least give you a lot of reading time as compensation :)

      So glad you are enjoying my book and finding is useful!

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  4. I'm definitely going to pick up the Louise Erdrich audiobook.It sounds great. I'm so sorry to hear that you and your son contracted COVID! I got it during the First Wave in March, 2020 and developed long COVID, too. I remember those burning eye days when I couldn't read! Best wishes to everyone in your family and hope you feel better soon.

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    1. Thanks, Linda! I haven't heard many others mentioning burning eyes, so thanks for that - seems weird since I haven't had a fever since the first day. Do you still have long COVID? Most cases of that are ME/CFS, the same immune disorder I have had for 20 years. It's usually triggered by some sort of infection, and COVID is turning out to be a huge trigger for it, unfortunately. Let me know if you are still suffering - there ARE some treatments that can help, though few doctors fully understand the illness.

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  5. Sue, I am so, so sorry you and your son have COVID—I'm glad you're feeling a little better, but I'm so sorry your symptoms have been so unpleasant! And I really appreciate you sharing this all with us—I can't imagine how stressful it's been, especially considering your ME/CFS, so I appreciate you letting us be there with you during all of this! I seriously hope you feel better as soon as possible!

    As for books, Happiness in particular sounds great—I agree, books where two dissimilar characters figure out what they have in common are always wonderful to read! Thanks so much for the wonderful post, Sue, and know that we're there for you during all of this!

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    1. Thank you, thank you, Max, for your kindness and concern. It really means a lot to me. It's been a lonely, scary time! I probably shouldn't have used the energy to write a post, but I missed my book buddies :)

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  6. Oh Sue, I am so sorry to know you have been struggling with Covid. I don't know how you are managing to blog and comment. Ignore us out in the world and really rest up. Omicron isn't in our community yet but lots at the border so they are saying a matter of days. I am just waiting a few days till my bronchial congestion fully or near fully clears and I'll go get a booster. Yes I have heard it is very infectious and no fun. Thinking of you. The book Happiness sounds really good.

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    1. Thanks, Kathryn - you are right - I probably shouldn't have used the energy to write a post, but I was lonely and missing interacting with my book friends!! Smart to let your bronchial thing clear up. I am super-prone to bronchitis from my immune disorder, so as soon as COVID hit, I went on antibiotics to prevent bronchitis. Definitely get the booster - my husband had his and he didn't catch this! This Omicron variant is crazy contagious - I hope NZ continues to be successful in keeping COVID out!

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  7. I am so sorry to hear about your COVID cases. I will hope and pray that it is mild and you recover fully.

    I am excited about The Sentence. Can't wait to read it.

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    1. Thanks, Anne. The Sentence is so great! I know you will love it.

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  8. Oh Sue, I was so hoping you would escape having COVID given your long-term illness. I am so sorry that you are feeling bad and that you are so exhausted. You know the drill: sleep, drink lots, take care of yourself. I am glad your husband has escaped it so far so that he can help you through this. It's so frustrating that everyone isn't taking this seriously.

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