It's Monday 7/22! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

Life

This will be a very brief post because I am still very sick. It was COVID--I finally tested positive last Tuesday. COVID is very dangerous for my immune disorder (ME/CFS), often triggering a worsening that can last for months or years. The last time I caught it, in January 2022 from my father-in-law's nursing home, I was very sick for about a month and my ME/CFS was worse for about six months. This time, I was able to get Paxlovid (it wasn't available last time), which has been shown to reduce the chances of lingering effects, so I am hoping that will make a difference. At this point, though, 10 days in, my energy is still pretty much zero. Sitting up for any period of time does me in (hence, today's short post), so I've been spending my days lying flat on the couch--thank goodness for reading! My sore throat is much better (not fully gone yet but almost), though the sinus and chest congestion feel just a bit worse today. Because of my immune dysfunction, I am very prone to bronchitis, so I'm hoping to stave that off. The good news is that I tested negative today, so hopefully, my family is safe now! My view this past week:

My cozy nest on the couch!

I try to get out on our screened porch when I can

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 What We're Reading

 

 

 

I am reading the biggest of my books for #BigBookSummer, Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon. I'm so grateful for this enormous, epic story to lose myself in! This is book 4 in the Outlander series, and though last summer I said that book 3, Voyager, was my favorite so far, this one is giving it some stiff competition! Much of it is set in America, in western North Carolina in the Great Smoky Mountains, an area we have visited and love for its natural beauty. Jamie and Claire are basically homesteading there, in the wilderness, and I am loving the descriptions of that familiar natural world, as well as the historical details and plot twists inherent in this series. And there have been some big time travel-related surprises that made me squeal in delight! Thank you, Diana, for giving me this fabulous world to escape to!

 

On audio, I finished listening to Hereafter by Tara Hudson, another book for #BigBookSummer Challenge. This is a YA novel about Amelia, who is dead--well, technically, a ghost. She is in the river, where she has once again had what she thinks of as a nightmare (though, of course, she doesn't sleep) where she has relived her terrifying death by drowning. Still shaken, she notices a car with its headlights on, slowly sinking, and next to it a boy who is also sinking. Although she can not normally touch or affect living people, she somehow manages to save his life. When he is pulled from the water and is being wheeled into an ambulance, she goes to him to make sure he is OK ... and he sees her! This has never happened before, and it affects them both deeply. There is a bit of a love story here (YA, after all), but also some fascinating afterlife details and even a war between good and evil. I enjoy a good ghost story, and this one was good!

 

As soon as my husband got home from his trip last week, he said, "Are you done with Lonesome Dove?" He immediately dove into that amazing novel. I think he's enjoying it, though we haven't been able to read next to each other in bed this past week since I've been isolating. (my review at the link.)

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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?