- This check-in is for August 10th – 23rd.
- I had a massage last Saturday afternoon, which helped me quite a bit with the crazy amount of stress I had. The rest of that weekend was busy and I’m not sure how I would have managed if I hadn’t had the massage to “reset.”
- My calendar was jam packed this week with social activities I had scheduled when I was doing really well in addition to appointments that had been scheduled for a while. One of those appointments was with my Health Coach. We discussed how busy I was going to be if I went to the social stuff and I was concerned about how I was going to fit in the self-care activities I’m trying to do every day and also get enough sleep. I was considering cancelling those plans, but she reminded me that doing fun things is just as important a part of self-care as all of the other stuff like meditation, journaling, exercise, etc. She’s right, of course, so I didn’t cancel my plans, and I’m glad I didn’t.
- I’ve joined two social clubs – the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and a local chapter of the Silent Book Club! I could go on for hours about how much I love the SCA (but I’ll spare y’all), and the Silent Book Club is the perfect no-pressure book club for me.
- Exercise Days: 1 and 1/7
- Steps: 31,408 and 46,875
- Miles: 12.69 and 18.97/16.31
- Total Miles: 509.35/850
- Zone Minutes: 48 and 20/150
Building the Book Fort
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
- Mind Your Body by Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW
- Firestarter by Stephen King
- Handbook for the Heartbroken by Sara Avant Stover
- A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris
- Adult Survivors of Toxic Family Members by Sherrie Campbell, PHD
- Embers of the Hands by Eleanor Barraclough
Finished:
- Constituent Service by John Scalzi
Total pages read this week: 400
Total books read: 72 of 75
TBR (goal is -24): -19
#ShelfLove Challenge: 39 of 51
I have never had a better massage than I did last Saturday! It helped a lot, and I booked my next massage for shortly after I move next month. Prior to that, I decided to take a friend’s advice and get out of the house to go do something that wasn’t work or running errands. I went out for brunch and then checked out a small but eclectic Indy bookstore, Birdie Books. I unfortunately forgot what happens to my stomach when I’ve been very stressed, and the somewhat rich food I had for brunch caused me to have to leave before I wanted. I will definitely be going back at some point.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
Building the Book Fort
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
- Mind Your Body by Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW
- Firestarter by Stephen King
- Handbook for the Heartbroken by Sara Avant Stover
- A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris
Finished:
- The Woman Who Died A Lot by Jasper Fforde
Total pages read this week: 288
Total books read: 71 of 75
TBR (goal is -24): -19
#ShelfLove Challenge: 38 of 51
This week was another bad week. Really bad. I am still not doing very well. Fortunately, last weekend I booked a massage that is scheduled for this afternoon. I’m sure that will help at least a little.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for August 3rd – 9th.
- I went out yesterday looking for ideas for my apartment and doing some price comparisons. I’m not all that into shopping, so deliberately going to stores and taking a look at the options was a bit eye-opening, mostly in a good way. It reminded me of how much I already have, but it also showed me that the possibilities for organizing and decorating my new home are just about endless. I saw some of that possibility online, but it was narrowed down to my search results and whatever the algorithms gave me.
- I’ve started journaling every day again. I stopped a while back, thinking it wasn’t really helping all that much. However, I definitely noticed a difference in my mood and stress levels after I picked it back up again.
- Tomorrow I’m starting a short daily challenge on the meditation app I use, Insight Timer. It’s a Morning Routine challenge, and I think it will help get me back into a regular morning routine that’s more focused on self-care instead of just getting dressed, gathering up my things for the day, and rushing out the door.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 38,009
- Miles: 15.41/16.31
- Total Miles: 477.69/850
- Zone Minutes: 49/150
Building the Book Fort
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
- Mind Your Body by Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW
- Firestarter by Stephen King
- Handbook for the Heartbroken by Sara Avant Stover
- How to Be the Love You Seek by Dr. Nicole LePera
- The Woman Who Died A Lot by Jasper Fforde
Total pages read this week: 291
Total books read: 70 of 75
TBR (goal is -24): -18
#ShelfLove Challenge: 38 of 51
This week went much better than last. I’m continuing to focus on self-care while getting as much stuff done as I can. I did some packing last weekend, and I worked on crocheting the baby blanket I’m making for a friend and his wife. I’m about halfway done with it, and since their due date is rapidly approaching, I’m going to try to finish it before the end of next week. Instead of listening to an audiobook while I crocheted, I finished watching the final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” I quickly fell in love with the show around episode two, binged half a season or more at a time, and was sad to see it end. I might rewatch it at some point, but for now I need another easy to watch series. Until I find that, I’m back to enjoying audiobooks while I’m crocheting (which is, of course, not a bad thing). I’m loving The Woman Who Died A Lot so much that I might finish it this weekend, and I also plan to finish How to Be the Love You Seek today.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
Down the TBR Hole #213
How it works:
- Go to your Goodreads want-to-read shelf.
- Order on ascending date added.
- Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
- Read the synopses of the books
- Decide: keep it or should it go?
My want-to-read shelf is holding steady at 1187 books. I haven’t been reading much this past week thanks to a lot of topsy-turvy emotions and the “Tales of the Shire” game being released.
This week’s books:
Enter the Janitor by Josh Vogt – KEEP. This Fantasy novel sounds like a lot of fun!
Chemical Burn by Quincy J. Allen – KEEP. This Sci-Fi Thriller will either be absolutely wonderful in all of it’s pulpiness, or absolute trash. I’m willing to find out which one it is.
Dandelion Iron by Aaron Michael Ritchey – KEEP. I have some serious doubts about this one. I’m concerned that it’s going to turn into some kind of weird male fantasy, but I’ve been wanting to read more Sci-Fi Western type stories, so I’ll give this one the 50-page test.
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam – KEEP. I wanted to read this before watching the movie, and I even checked it out from the library last year. However, I never got around to reading it before I had to return it. I nearly removed it from my wish list, but a friend said it was really good. It will stay for now, and maybe at some point I’ll check it out again.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst – KEEP. I have the hardcover of this with the purple page edging, which is beautiful (and my fave color). The synopsis sounds like this is a cozy cuppa in a book, so there’s no way I’m removing it from my TBR.
My want-to-read shelf is staying at 1187 books. Unless my reading picks back up, it will likely stay that way for a bit. Now that my want-to-read shelf is back into the physical books I already own, I won’t be writing anymore “Down the TBR Hole” posts for at least a couple of months. I will continue to write my other weekly posts, though, and I might even write some other posts when and if I have some extra time.
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for July 27th – August 2nd.
- My mental and physical health hasn’t been great this week, but I’m getting better. Maybe it would be better to say that I’m recovering.
- Yesterday, I went outside for a walk. The weather was perfect, and getting out of the house for something that didn’t involve work or running errands felt really good. It gave me the energy to continue packing, and I got quite a bit of my stuff and many more of my books boxed up.
- Exercise Days: 2/7
- Steps: 34,613
- Miles: 14.04/16.31
- Total Miles: 462.28/850
- Zone Minutes: 45/150
Building the Book Fort
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
- Mind Your Body by Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW
- Firestarter by Stephen King
- Handbook for the Heartbroken by Sara Avant Stover
- How to Be the Love You Seek by Dr. Nicole LePera
Total pages read this week: 171
Total books read: 70 of 75
TBR (goal is -24): -18
#ShelfLove Challenge: 38 of 51
This week has been rough. I haven’t felt like reading much, my emotions and thoughts keep going from angry, to happy, to sad, and everything in between, and I’m pretty sure that means the full weight of my breakup has finally hit me. My shoulder and arm pain has returned, and I know that’s because of all the stress. I won’t be moving for nearly two months, and I’m really wishing it was sooner.
Some good from this week is that the “Tales of the Shire” game was released, and I treated myself (it’s considerably less expensive than I was expecting it to be). I absolutely love it, so I’ve had to set some rules for myself, otherwise I won’t get anything done. I’m allowed to play it during the week after work only, and then I have to focus on packing during the weekend.
Some more good that is happening is that Ohio is sales-tax free for two weeks, and since online sales are included, I decided to go ahead and buy some stuff for my apartment (including bath towels with dinosaurs embroidered on them). I’m going to leave everything in the packaging when it arrives so I don’t have to repack it all for the move. I might go shopping today as well to see if there’s anything else I can find, but I’m keeping fragile items on my wish list since I don’t want to risk stuff getting broken before I even have the chance to use it).
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
Down the TBR Hole #212
How it works:
- Go to your Goodreads want-to-read shelf.
- Order on ascending date added.
- Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
- Read the synopses of the books
- Decide: keep it or should it go?
My want-to-read shelf is down to 1189 books. I finished a book and ditched a couple of audiobooks that had been on my wishlist. They were available for free through Audible, but I discovered they weren’t even good enough to warrant a DNF. I’m glad I didn’t buy them.
This week’s books:
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves – GO. I’m really not interested in YA Paranormal Romance. I don’t even know when or why I got this ebook.
Beyond the Count ed. by Margo Bond Collins – KEEP. This ebook is a collection of 18th and 19th century vampire stories. Like many people around my age, I’ve been into vampires ever since teenage me saw “Interview with the Vampire” in the theater.
Restricted Fantasies by Kevin Kneupper – KEEP. This one is a collection of the author’s Sci-Fi short stories, all centered around virtual reality. It sounds a lot like “Black Mirror,” and I’m willing to give it a chance.
The Patchwork House by Richard Salter – KEEP. The synopsis sounds like there’s way too much shoved into one story, but the book has nearly all 4 and 5 star reviews. I’ll give it the 50-page test.
Disconnected by Nick M. Lloyd – GO. This one just sounds dumb. No, thanks.
My want-to-read shelf is down to 1187 books. My plans are beginning to solidify for moving near the end of September. Before that, I’ll write one more “Down the TBR Hole” post, and then take a break for a couple of months, possibly longer. Since I’ll be fairly busy with packing and then unpacking, I may not get many books read, but I definitely won’t be buying anymore books, either. I’m also not borrowing anymore physical books from the library, since I want to have the ones I’ve already checked out read or at least returned prior to moving. So, unless I end up adding more books to my wishlist, my want-to-read shelf just might be a little smaller once I start writing these posts again.
#FitReaders Check-In
- This check-in is for July 20th – 26th.
- I’ve been approved for the two-bedroom townhouse apartment and will be moving in September. As I mentioned yesterday, my perspective about this whole move shifted a bit when I discovered the amount of modern-style home decor that also is covered in dinosaurs! I also re-realized the freedom that comes with living alone. It’s been over a decade since I’ve been on my own, and I’m having to relearn how to do a few things, but I know I’ll be alright.
- Exercise Days: 1/7
- Steps: 40,007
- Miles: 16.21/16.31
- Total Miles: 448.24/850
- Zone Minutes: 42/150