Life
Not much to report here because my chronic illness is still flared up. I did see a friend for a walk on Tuesday, which was wonderful and long-overdue but was definitely too much for me. Otherwise, I spent the week and weekend "aggressively resting." That's my oxymoron term for what's needed in my disease when we "crash" like this. So, I spent lots of time flat on the couch, but we did have lovely fall weather last week. It's been cooler but sunny and beautiful, so I spent as much time as possible in my reclining chair out on the back deck. Being outdoors always lifts my spirits! Here are some of my various views from the deck last week.
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Enjoying the sunshine
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Early but beautiful sunset
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Lovely fall day on the deck!
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On the Blog
TV Tuesday: The Lincoln Lawyer - another excellent TV adaptation of Michael Connelly's novels
Middle-Grade Review: Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith and Boulet - fabulous graphic novel based on the classic - clever, smart, funny!
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On Video
Nonfiction November 2023 - a short video with my "pile of possibilities" for nonfiction reads this month.
Friday Reads 11-12-23 - my weekly recap of what I am currently reading.
__________ What We're Reading
I did it! I finally finished The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, a book I bought years ago and started in January. My slowness was no reflection of the book; I was trying to read it at the same time as novels, and that just doesn't work for me! I'm a huge fan of her podcast, Happier, and enjoyed the book very much. She spent a year focusing on improving her happiness, one small step at a time, with each month focused on a different aspect of her life. It's intriguing, entertaining, and inspirational, with lots of food for thought.
I am now reading The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman, a book I've been meaning to read since its release in 2007. I'd heard great things about this nonfiction book back then, so when I spotted it in a Little Free Library last year, I grabbed it (even though I was only supposed to be dropping off!). It's the true story of a husband and wife who ran a zoo in Warsaw, Poland, and saved hundreds of people from the Nazis during WWII. I've only just started it, but I'm already enjoying the descriptions of the zoo and its unique animals (the author used a lot of primary sources like diaries and letters).
I'm also reading another graphic memoir, Dreamer by Akim Alui, Greg Anderson Elysee, and Karen de la Vega (illustrator). Akim is one of very few Black professional hockey players, and this is his memoir of his childhood, which is fascinating. His mother is Ukrainian, his father is Nigerian, and they lived in both places but neither was very welcoming to a biracial family. They moved to Canada to provide better opportunities for Akim and his brother. It's excellent so far. You don't often see the phrase Nigerian-Ukrainian-Canadian, and I'm extra-interested since my family is Ukrainian, too.
I'm still listening to the memoir How to Forget by Kate Mulgrew, an actress famous for her roles as Captain Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager and as Red in Orange is the New Black.
This is her second memoir, this one focusing on being with and caring
for her parents, as her father died of cancer and her mother was lost in
dementia. This one has been tough for me at times, as my dad died of cancer
eight years ago, and we cared for my father-in-law with dementia until
he died last year. It's excellent so far--moving, warm, and funny--and she reads it herself in that familiar voice.
My husband, Ken, is also reading for Nonfiction November, starting with a book I gave him for Father's Day, A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. This is a big one (obviously), and he is enjoying it, reading interesting facts out loud to me.
Our son, 29, has been rereading Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series. He finished book 1, The Final Empire, and is now rereading book 2, For his birthday last year, I
signed him up for Sanderson's big Kickstarter, so he just
received the fourth book from that, The Sunlight Man, which is set in the Mistborn world. He is very much looking forward to diving into the new book.
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What are you and your family reading this week?
The Happiness Project does look interesting, and I always enjoy Bill Bryson's humor too. Happy Reading, and I hope you're feeling better!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed The Happiness Project - very thought-provoking. And Bryson is always amusing!
DeleteI've read a few books about happiness through the years and The Happiness Project is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteGood to know! I enjoyed it. Love her podcast, too.
DeleteI've read The Happiness Project twice and that's very unusual for me. I kept thinking I would actually DO a happiness project, myself, and although I never did, I still follow a lot of the advice from that book!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you've had to rest so much -- so frustrating! You still have gotten a phenomenal amount accomplished, despite the setback.
I think I put How to Forget on my TBL already, but need to make sure. I'm not reading any nonfiction right now, but I do have a short memoir by a local author that I plan to squeeze in before the end of the month.
I've thought that (from listening to her podcast), too, Laurie, but haven't yet! Thanks for the kind words. I probably shouldn't be doing so much! I have some serious thinking to do about cutting back next year (but I so enjoy this blog and my YouTube channel). I always enjoy memoirs.
DeleteIt seems more and more people are just wiped out from "life" (doing the things that they've been craving to do but due to various factors, they haven't been able to). We all need more "aggressive resting".
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support, Earl. This is an immune disorder, so a crash like this feels somewhat like the flu.
DeleteNovember when used for non fiction certainly gets some of those books read. It sounds like Gretchin Rubin has something more planned for her Happiness Project in 2024. The ZooKeeper's Wife sounds really interesting and I can see how How to Forget speaks to you own experience. Sorry you are still dealing with the flare up. Lovely pics from your deck, it looks like you live pretty much in the country. It always amazes me how in the US many properties are not fenced and all the wildlife comes in.
ReplyDeleteYes, November is great for my TBR shelves! I just heard that on the podcast today - should be interesting, especially now that I've read the book. Funny this is - no, we don't live in the country! We are in the suburbs, just outside of a medium-sized city. But the yards in our neighborhood are big (ours is about 1 acre), and much of ours is that wooded area you see from our deck - that was one reason we chose this house! Love having nature right at our door :) As for wildlife, we have lots of squirrels, foxes, and deer in the yard - and other critters who stay hidden.
DeleteI love that you tell us what your husband and son are reading! I hope you are starting to feel better.
ReplyDeleteWe share our love of reading :)
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