All of my mood, sleep, and skin issues have improved tremendously! I’m feeling so much more like myself again. Even on the days that I felt a little low or didn’t sleep well, I was still able to function at close to my usual level without feeling like I was trying to survive.
One of the bonuses to my new medications is that I’m losing weight again. I’m now only 7 lbs. from my goal weight. I’m hoping this will continue as I continue to improve my nutrition to match up with the Galveston Diet guidelines.
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
Rumo by Walter Moers
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver, MD
Finished:
Fitness After 40 by Vonda Wright, M.D.
The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter
Total pages read this week: 747
Total books read: 41 of 80
TBR: -25 (Goal is -36)
I started my new medications on Sunday and felt better on Monday than I had felt in months. Not all of my symptoms are gone, but the remaining ones aren’t nearly as severe. Now that I have a lot more energy, I’ve been trying to finish as many of my current reads as possible so I can start reading books from my #SciFiSummer TBR.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
Summer is the best time of year to read science fiction. So, I’m reading as much Sci-Fi as possible from June 20th, the official first day of Summer, to the 21st of September (the day before the Autumnal Equinox). I’ve got a lot of it on my TBR shelves, and I’m inviting all of you to join me!
Here are the challenge levels:
Red Shirt – 1 to 3 books
Viper Pilot – 4 to 6 books
Browncoat – 7 to 9 books
Time Lord – 10 or more books
Once again, I’ll be trying for “Browncoat” (I aim to misbehave). I have a large variety of Sci-Fi books I’ve been wanting to read for a while so I think this will be the perfect goal for me.
Any book of at least 100 pages that is classified as Science Fiction, including any Sci-Fi subgenres, qualifies for this challenge. That means audiobooks, physical books, ebooks, library books, free books, other borrowed books, anthologies, and graphic novels are all acceptable options. You may also count any Sci-Fi book that counts towards another reading challenge.
Are you up to the #SciFiSummer challenge? Sign up by leaving a comment! (Links to reviews or TBR lists are welcome, too!)
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 shelf is holding steady at 1092 books. I finished a book but added a book to my wishlist.
This week’s books:
A Well-Read Woman by Kate Stewart – KEEP. This biography of a Librarian who survived Nazi Germany sounds more than worth my time to read despite not having a clue who Ruth Rappaport was.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – KEEP. I only bought this book (along with the next two) because it was a new “format” I hoped would become more common back when I lived in California and walked or took public transport everywhere. It’s unabridged but about the size of a cellphone. I could put it in my back pocket, or throw it in my backpack without it taking up much space or adding a lot of weight. However, more often than not, I listened to audiobooks or read ebooks in the Kindle app on my phone, so I didn’t need to carry around a “mini book”. Oh well, I still want to read this one at some point.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – KEEP. I don’t usually read suspense thrillers, but at one point in my life, I had never read cozy mysteries and now they’re my go-to “guilty” pleasure, and right now I feel like I need a form of escapism more than anything else. This book might be the next one I pick up.
Heidi by Johanna Spyri – KEEP. I read this classic children’s novel when I was around 11, and all I remember is the grandfather and Heidi eating a lot of bread and goat cheese. I want to reread this because there is a whole lot more to the story!
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson – KEEP. I don’t know if I’ll enjoy this book, but it might be fun, and I have always wanted to learn more about the universe and the field of Science that studies it.
My want-to-read shelf remains at 1092 books. At a glance, I’m not sure about any of the books in the next post.
Everything went to hell this past week. My mood swings and anxiety went through the roof. My face broke out again, and I started waking up in the middle of the night again and couldn’t get back to sleep. Things got so bad that I booked an appointment with a virtual clinic.
I had to run all over town to find a pharmacy that had my new medications in stock, so that was a stressful adventure! I start my medications tonight, and even though I was told that it could be a little bit of a bumpy ride for a couple of months as we figure out the dosage, I have hope that the end of my mood, sleep, and skin issues is in sight.
With all of that craziness going on, I’ve done nothing else but get through each day. I did discover that getting outdoors and doing something physical (walking, gardening, whatever) helps with my anxiety and feelings of overwhelm. That’s difficult to do at work, but much easier when I’m at home. I also learned that, for the first time in my life, meditation doesn’t help me. I guess it’s not enough to get me out of my head and grounded back into my body.
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rumo by Walter Moers
Fitness After 40 by Vonda Wright, M.D.
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Finished:
The Galveston Diet by May Claire Haver, MD
Total pages read this week: 168
Total books read: 39 of 80
TBR: -23 (Goal is -36)
Everything in my life sort of went to hell this week. It started with me having such severe mood swings along with several other distressing symptoms that by Wednesday I couldn’t take it any longer and booked an appointment for the next day with a new doctor at a virtual/Telehealth clinic. Otherwise, I don’t know how long I would have had to wait to get everything sorted out. I almost missed the appointment after getting stuck in the worst traffic I’ve ever seen where I live and had to pull into some church’s parking lot to get logged on just in time. My new doctor prescribed me a couple of different medications (Yay!) As I went to drive home, my fuel light came on (Argh!) Then, because my preferred pharmacy was out of stock, I spent a frustrating Friday afternoon running around town to different pharmacies after work (my pharmacy incorrectly told me it was available at another location). After all that, I came home to a power outage that lasted until around 1 am. I definitely won’t be doing anything but relaxing this weekend.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
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 shelf is holding steady at 1094 books. I finished a book but added a book to my wishlist.
This week’s books:
The Snow Gypsy by Lindsay Jayne Ashford – KEEP. This historical fiction book is set after WWII in Spain, and as with many of the previous WWII stories I’ve decided to keep on my TBR, I’m keeping this one because the setting is completely different from any of the others I’ve read.
Rock Needs River by Vanessa McGrady – GO. I have no interest in adoption memoirs.
The Fever King by Victoria Lee – GO. A YA post-apocalyptic fantasy romance?! That’s just too much for my brain.
Opal by Maggie Stiefvater – KEEP. The “Raven Cycle” series is probably my favorite in the YA genre and the series that made me fall in love with Stiefvater’s work.
Beyond the Shadow of Night by Ray Kingfisher – KEEP. Here is yet another WWII novel set in a country I’ve not read about before. I’m beginning to think I could do an around-the-world reading challenge with the WWII stories on my TBR alone.
My want-to-read shelf is down to 1092 books. I’m not sure I’ll be getting rid of any books in the next post, but we shall see.
Other than the mood and anxiety issues, things are getting better. My face has mostly cleared up, I’m sleeping a bit better, and I discovered that spicy foods are a common trigger for night sweats, so I’ve stopped eating anything spicy for dinner to see if that helps.
Since body composition is a much better indicator of overall health than weight or BMI, I splurged on a new scale that measures all that. The at-home scales aren’t as accurate as the professional ones found in some gyms and other places, but they’re much more reasonably priced (a one-time cost versus around $100 each time at the gym) and it doesn’t require me going anywhere or making an appointment.
My first time on the new scale showed me some things I already knew but also showed me a couple of measurements that made me happy (my muscle mass for example). The important thing is now I have solid numbers that I can track over time to see how the changes I’m making in my diet and exercise are affecting my body.
“Building the Book Fort” is a weekly post where I track my bookish life.
Currently Reading:
A Mindful Year by Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
The Galveston Diet by May Claire Haver, MD
The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rumo by Walter Moers
Fitness After 40 by Vonda Wright, M.D.
Finished:
The Book of Nordic Self-Care by Elisabeth Carlsson
Total pages read this week: 155
Total books read: 38 of 80
TBR: -23 (Goal is -36)
I’ve gotten back into my normal daily routines, but I’ve been listening to podcasts during my commute instead of audiobooks. My page count will probably continue to be low until I get back to audiobooks.
What are you reading? Let me know in the comments!
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 shelf is up several books to 1096. I finished a book but bought a few ebooks.
This week’s books:
Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb – KEEP. I think this might be a good Readers Imbibing Peril book.
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande – GO. I thought this book was about using checklists to improve productivity or better organize daily life, but I didn’t get that impression from the synopsis. It seems to be more of an ode to the checklist, which I am not interested in.
The River Widow by Ann Howard Creel – GO. I was interested in this historical fiction novel until the last couple of sentences of the synopsis when the main character develops feelings for a man who might lead to her losing her daughter. No, thank you.
The Road Beyond Ruin by Gemma Liviero – KEEP. This historical fiction novel is set just after WWII, and that’s just different enough from the hundreds of WWII stories to interest me.
The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint – KEEP. A Fantasy story all about cats?! Why have I not read this book yet?!
My want-to-read shelf is down to 1094 books. I’m sure I’ll let go of at least one book in the next post.
