Outside…
It's a bit cloudy this morning but we are expecting a high of 60°. We will definitely be taking a nice walk later.
It's a bit cloudy this morning but we are expecting a high of 60°. We will definitely be taking a nice walk later.
Reading/Listening to…
This week I’m reading/listening to: The Red Lotus; Chris Bohjalian. (slow start but I'm really into it now).
This week I’m reading/listening to: The Red Lotus; Chris Bohjalian. (slow start but I'm really into it now).
Books Reviewed Last Week…
None (but I do have at least 5 to post about from March)
Watching…
We saw Contagion in 2011 at the movie theater but rented it again yesterday. It has a terrific cast and so very well explains the pandemic we are dealing with right now! Highly Recommended.
Exercise…
We managed to walk 4 times this week and I finally set up my yoga mat and accessories in my loft to begin an at home routine - definitely not as enjoyable but I'm doing it.
In The Kitchen…
We have our groceries delivered every 2 weeks, it's coming today so the freezer was pretty bare. We had things like: meatloaf, a shrimp, veggie and rice dish, pasta and meatballs, cheeseburgers, egg salad sandwiches and soup and cornbread - definitely too many carbs. Can't wait for salad stuff to arrive today.
New To Me Stuff:
I've been missing my retail therapy so, I treated myself to 2 new tops from J. Jill (40% off sale). Not sure when I'll actually wear these but oh...well.
Catch up on blogs, read, go for a walk and maybe catch up on reviews.
Looking forward to…
Seeing my children and grandchildren in person some day. My granddaughter (sisters) will be 8 and 6 this month and it's sad that they can't have friends or family to celebrate. My daughter mentioned trying to coordinate a Zoom party. The other granddaughter's birthday is in July so, maybe, maybe things will be a little more normal.
- Long Bright River; Liz Moore - 4/5 (audio/March)
- The Best Sound in the World; Cindy Wume - 4/5 (print/March)
- Juniper Jupiter; Lizzy Stewart - 4/5 (print/March)
- Dandelion's Dream; Yoko Tanaka - 4/5 (print/March)
- Madame Badobedah; Sophie Dahl - 5/5 (print/MArch)
- The Nickel Boys; Colson Whitehead - 5/5 (eGalley/audio/eBook combo/March)
- Nothing More Dangerous; Allen Eskens - 5/5 (library/print/audio/March)
- The Most Dangerous Place; James Grippando - 4/5 (audio/March)
- Animalkind; Ingrid Newkirk & Gene Stone - 4.5/5 (NF/print/library/March)
- A Perfect Alibi; Phillip Margolin - 2.5/5 (audio/March)
- The Library Book; Susan Orleans (NF) - 3.5/5 (audio/March)
- The Girls of Atomic City; Denise Kiernan (NF/Bookgroup) - 4/5 (print/March)
Most of my reading happened in the first 2 weeks in March before things turned crazy here. I read (12) books in March: (4) children's, (3) NF, (5) Fiction - 6 were print versions, 4 - audios and 2-eGalley/audio combo reads. I still have 5 reviews to write!
Favorite Books in March
Stay Safe All
It's been a strange time here too. Yes, Contagion is a good movie. I don't know if you have Netflix or not but Containment is also pretty good.
ReplyDeleteBrian, thank you for mentioning Containment. We haven't seen it and we do have Netflix.
ReplyDeleteI realized this morning that I'm really not going to the Y any time again soon, so I got my yoga mat out of the car. I think I will create my own routine, with my own music and my own poses. Maybe I will use my CD of happy music I made to lift my spirits when we had a crazy boss!
ReplyDeleteI saw Colson Whitehead last fall when he came to Houston for our reading series, and I got a copy of his book. I am glad to hear you liked it so much. I may give it a try this week, though I haven't had any luck with reading adult fiction lately.
Stay safe, Diane!
The audio is very good of The Nickel Boys as well. Yes, solo yoga just isn't quite the same for me.
DeleteI'm delighted that you enjoyed Nothing More Dangerous as much as I did.
ReplyDeleteAllen Eskens is an excellent novelist; his latest is a gem.
DeleteI would really like to read The Red Lotus. I have all these Chris Bohjalian books and I have only read one. I am glad you are getting out and walking. Our forecast this week is for rain. Just when it felt like the temperatures were warming up . . .I don't mind so much tough. I do like rain, and we don't get enough of it in this area.
ReplyDeleteThe tops are very pretty! I splurged a little recently on Easter gifts for the family. I didn't want Mouse to go without a full basket this year (and I don't mean just candy), especially given the circumstances. I am not sure there will be as many eggs for her to hunt as there has been in the past, but we'll do what we can. I always do baskets for Marty and I too--and got some goodies for us as well.
I need to read The Girls of Atomic City. I am glad to see by your rating you enjoyed it.
I hope you have a good week, Diane. Stay safe and well.
Red Lotus is quite the departure for Bohjalian. It took me a bit to ge into it but, now at about chapter 22 I'm hooked - pandemic topic. I hope Mouse has a nice Easter. I'm going to miss not hosting terribly this year. Stay Safe.
DeleteI think Birthdays are one of the more difficult things kids are dealing with. Our neighbor turned 13 yesterday and all her friends drove by with signs, balloons, honking, etc. So great that they thought of her, but just not the same.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's sad for kids especially to understand. My husband's grandchildren live in Manhattan and the boy is a HS senior so we know nothing will be normal for him. He wasn't even able to have a campus interview at one of his top choices for college.
DeleteI think I'm going to figure out something about yoga this week too. Maybe from Youtube or something. I have been walking at least as much as before. I saw a giant sign in a neighbor's front yard the other day with 'Happy Birthday Sam!'. He's their high school son - don't know the kid, but they have also had signs regarding his sports team participation. I laughed and wondered if a high school boy would be happy about the sign or not. Maybe so these days. Hope your week goes well, Diane. Those tops are pretty!
ReplyDeleteWe were out for a walk this morning Kay, 60 out and it was so nice to see lots of houses, yards decorated for Easter, trying to create some sense of normalcy.
DeleteMy walks and bike rides are keeping me sane these days... so good to be outdoors and getting fresh air. Hope you have better luck with your grocery delivery than we did this week. They were out of SO many things. I may have to venture over the causeway to Publix this week. It's got to be so hard for your granddaughters not going to school and seeing their friends... so sorry they will miss birthday parties. Hope we can all get back to normal life soon, but I'm thinking that may not happen until June...
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, we didn't get any of our requested meat delivered 2 weeks ago, but this week we did. However, a lot of items were missing especially specific breads, baking items, frozen veggies and of course, my husband's favorite ice cream, along with TP (fortunately, we do have enough for a month).
DeleteToday we had a nice walk as we have had most every day. Thank goodness warmer weather is here it appears. Stay safe.
I don't think I've heard of either of your favorites this month - I'll have to check into them. I also haven't seen Contagion. We keep hearing about it - maybe I'll have to take a night off from Better Call Saul episodes and watch that movie. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBecki, I'm noe familiar with Better Call Saul - need to check that out. Hope you have a good week.
DeleteI'm having such a hard time reading any book. I start and then stop. I just can't. And this makes me so sad. BUT when I did read, I read the Nickel Boys and loved it. I am a huge Colson fan - I too grew up in and around Sag Harbor. :)
ReplyDeleteI think we readers are all struggling given what we've been dealing with. Stay Safe.
DeleteOh, I like the format of this post, Diane. Our weather has improved quite a bit today and I'm ready to head out for my second walk of the day. When the sun is shining and it's not too chilly, I like to get out at least twice a day. I'm not sure I can handle watching Contagion. Glad you enjoyed it. I was trying to do yoga (using Yoga With Adrienne on YouTube), but I haven't gotten into a good routine yet. I wish I had a room that I could dedicate to yoga/exercise. My office/guest room is a bit cramped. We're pretty set with groceries, although we'll need salad stuff and fresh fruit in a few more days. Lovely tops from J.Jill! I hope you get to wear them before too long. I'll move Nickel Boys to my nightstand. Glad you enjoyed it so well.
ReplyDeleteLes, Isn't it nice getting out and enjoying the weather? I look forward to it every day. I can only take so much of the news. Stay Safe.
DeleteIt was 80 degrees here today - almost too warm for this time of year.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed The Red Lotus - it's a pretty timely book.
We've been having our groceries delivered, too, and running out of fresh produce before the next delivery is the worst part. I have our next delivery scheduled for Tuesday.
I've ordered clothes and shoes, too - I keep telling my husband it's to support the businesses so they can come back after the pandemic but he doesn't buy it.
Red Lotus is a change for Bohjalian, it's good though. Two weeks ago we didn't get any of the meat we order and they substituted cat food I picked which was out of stock, and, of course the cats don't like it. This time I selected "no substitutions" and while I got most of the meat I ordered, lots of other stuff wasn't delivered like tomatoes (as I picked a specific kind), specialty breads/rolls/bagels, frozen items and the coveted TP = LOL
DeleteI'll have to remember the support small businesses line when my next clothing order arrives by mail. LOL
I'm buying some new clothes because all of the stores are having such great deals right now; but since I'm now working from home, I'm like you and don't know when I'll wear them. If this keeps up for too long, I'll have a whole new wardrobe when I go back to the office!
ReplyDeleteLisa, yes, great deals on clothes now but, I bet they will be practically giving some away in a few more months. It will be fun to dress up soon I hope!
DeleteLooks like we are all pretty much settling into some kind of routine now as we move into the fourth week of this home isolation thing. Nothing fancy, but something that works best for us. It's a good thing that people are that adaptive, I think, because I fear that our isolation may still be in its early days.
ReplyDeleteStay well.
We started Containment, Season 1 yesterday - first 3 episode. A bit gory but, good.
ReplyDeleteI did a bit of retail therapy this past week too! It just felt needed and I'm really excited for my packages to come in. I transferred over to in home yoga practice about 2 years ago and while I didn't like it as much at first I've gotten to really enjoy it - probably even more then I did my classes. It's so flexible and the relaxing parts feel more relaxing. I hope it continues to work out for you. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteDiane, it's a difficult time. I'm glad that you can see your family via technology. I love J.Jill, and your choices are very pretty! I have to convince my husband that we should watch Contagion. Stay safe and healthy!
ReplyDeleteI am still not able to order food online. Too much of of a demand where I am, I guess. I went in last Friday for a few things, late at night. No one was there which was fine but the shelves were spotty. I wish I had gotten more veggies but they don't last long. Since this week and next are supposed to be the worst, I am going to try my hardest to stay in and just use what we have. Both kids are home now so that may be hard. I can make due with a piece of toast but the kids, not so much. Or the hub.
ReplyDeleteIt is now on two weeks for a complete curfew. There is no going out for walks or to the supermarket (all closed). Deliveries by the local council and some bodies allowed with permits continue but it is all basic stuff. Even bread is not considered a pure essential! Anyway we drift on. I am just glad that water and electricity work. Garbage is being cleared. Weather unbelievably hot and very humid and unpleasant but when you look at other countries, we are much better off. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteYou did well in March! Today I am catching up on blogs too. Love the pussy willows and your new tops! Take care.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid watching Contagion again would increase my anxiety even more :( I had already started my new outfit a day challenge and then lockdown happened so I put it on hold. We're all going to need some retail after this. For me, my most important order was for a wine delivery from out local wine store :)
ReplyDeleteWhen Contagion first came out, I remember so many experts saying that something that can both spread fast and kill easily is very unrealistic and mostly fiction. Welcome to 2020. Like you said, the movie really is a very good reflection of today's world. This virus is infecting easily and killing fast, if not killing everyone. Love those tops! Sounds like something I should try as well.
ReplyDelete