Quaran-READING

While we are in this quarantine lockdown and schools are closed for the year due to the coronavirus, we definitely have more time to read.  I've bought a variety of books and have been reading a lot lately.  I'm going to share a few here: my favorites, currently in progress, and one book I had to quit.

1. Evvie Drake Starts Over

First, Evvie Drake Starts Over. This was the most delightful of the books I have read so far.  Evvie's husband died in a car crash not long before the book starts.  Her friend's famous baseball player pal needs a place to stay and Evvie has an extra room.  This book was the perfect lighthearted escape from heavy news in our current world. 

Bonus: I just discovered the author did an interview on NPR.  

  

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2. Becoming

Second on the list: Becoming. I've had this book sitting on my shelf but was so busy that I never got past the second chapter.  Now in quarantine with a little more time to read, I'm making my way through the rest of the book.  It's worth the hype.  Michelle Obama, whether you voted for her husband or not, is a solid writer and weaves a great look into her life thus far. 


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3. The Stand

Oh, Steven King. An airborne virus that kills people and is highly contagious?  Yes, that's the type of book we should all be reading right now.  I bought this gargantuan book with high hopes.  King is a household name for a reason, he's a master storyteller.  But.  You knew there was a 'but' coming, right?  

This would be a chonk of a book for me to get through under normal circumstances.  Given the Coronavirus pandemic right now, I find my mind a little to tired to read something this dense.  I never know what day of the week it is, my dreams are weird, and I went into a panic when it took a month to be able to buy a can of black beans. Oh and our toilet paper supply is low. I ordered towels to cut up just in case because SWEET MOTHER OF HECK.  So a 1,400 pg book is too much to take on right now.  I'm putting "The Stand" on a shelf to come back to at a less-stressful time


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4. Lending a Paw

Am I the only one who just discovered that "cozy mystery" is a genre?  Well "Lending a Paw" is definitely cozy.  I'm halfway through this one right now and it's a lovely, feel-good distraction from the pandemic world.  Laurie Cass creates a murder mystery that relies on the librarian/bookmobile driver to solve.  Minnie, the librarian has a cat named Eddie that goes along for the adventure. As a dog person, I'd have rather had a bookmobile with a dog but I can settle for a cat. :)  

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5. Ghosts

Technically this is a juvenile fiction graphic novel by popular kids' author Raina Telgemeier.  Students are always reading her books and I bought and read Guts a couple months ago. It was fantastic!  When the Libby app (free app that lets you check out digital materials from your library) had Ghosts up for grab, I quickly checked it out and read it in one afternoon.  

The story does deal with heavier topics such as death (obviously. The title gives that away) and the cystic fibrosis (the main character is a child with CF).  Even so, it was a quick read with a cute story that affirms family connections.

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6. Other People's Houses

Last but not least: Abbi Waxman's Other People's Houses.  I am actually waiting on this one to arrive in the mail!  I've seen this book talked about several different places (I think magazines and probably Modern Mrs. Darcy because she's the ultimate book blogger).

I previously read Waxman's The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and loved it.  Generally if I like one book from an author, I will like others. It centers on a carpool mom, a neighborhood, and an affair.  Reader reviews describe it as "funny" which is always my cup of tea!

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Have you been reading more during the quarantine?  If you have any great suggestions (we've established that it has to be under a THOUSAND pages for me to handle), please leave a comment!  


P.S. You may enjoy my bookish Pinterest board: 

Stuff I Bought While Self-Quarantined

2019 was rough on our family---we had something like 8 emergency room visits and 2 surgeries.  

When 2020 rung in on New Year's Eve we celebrated. YAY new year!  No more crud!

And then 2020 was like "Not so fast."

Worldwide, we've had threat of war, wildfires, and now a literal pandemic of a deadly virus.

Enter online shopping.

I decided to try to write a note each day and mail it to my grandparents in another state. But I had run out of cute notecards and envelopes.  So I bought this cute set of bright cards from Amazon.

And of course needed wanted some new pens.  My boss has these Retractable Paper Mate InkJoy Gel pens and they are fabulous so I pulled a "Treat yo self" and got a set. 

My youngest has worn out most of his pants.  2 pairs of Russell brand sweats from Walmart found their way to our house.  Then he used some of his money for a new Angry Birds Lego Set.

We paid $3.99 to rent Contagion on Amazon Prime Video.  A movie about a surprise virus that attacks your respiratory system? How did we miss this back in 2011?  It is relevant now and not too horribly scary (unless you are presently sick and then DO. NOT. WATCH.)

Before we decided to self-quarantine in an effort to help stop the spread of illness, I hit the Dollar General (yep, we are in a small midwest town, why do you ask?) and loaded up on cough / cold medicines, Lysol spray, some snacks and cherry coke. The essentials. 

Has anyone else done some online shopping while stuck at home?  Any must-see deals out there?  Good things to keep yourself busy and away from crowds? 

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