Hibernator (Rachel) the fourth

Hi! I'm Rachel! 45 year old caregiver, mom of 3, furnom of 5, reader, D&D player, cross-sticher, and pen pal (of 30). My kids are IL6 (son), M13 (stepson), D15 (stepdaughter). I also live with and care for my dad, who is mostly independent, but needs some help due to health issues and dementia. I read just about every type of fiction, though about half of it is fantasy. I read nonfiction - generally with an academic leaning, though some other types, too.

Reading goal - 150 (that will be hard to reach)

In 2024 I read 109 books

January Books
1. Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett
2. Diary of a Roblox Pro: Monster Escape, by Ari Avatar
3. Never a Doll Moment, by Andres Miedoso
4. The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher, by E. M. Anderson
5. Hold on to Your Heads, by Andres Miedoso
6. The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth, by Thomas Morris
7. Penelope Rex and the Problem with Pets, by Rex T Higgins
8. Golem's Game, by Nick Eliopulos
9. Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett
10. Day of the Night Crawlers, by Troy Cummings
11. Frantastic Voyage, by Jim Benton
12. Dog vs. Strawberry, by Nelly Buchet
13. Wrath of the Dragon King, by Brandon Mull

February Books

14. Eggasaurus, by Jennifer Wagh
15. Children of Virtue and Vengeance, by Tomi Adeyemi
16. Hidden Gem, by Linda Liu
17. Mahabharata
18. Here Comes Teacher Cat, by Deborah Underwood
19. We Are Growing, by Laurie Keller
20. Beach Bummer, by Ryan T Higgins
21. The Leaf Thief, by Alice Hemming
22. The Kiss Box, by Bonnie Verburg
23. Jo Bright and the Seven Bots, by Deborah Underwood
24. The Fran With Four Brains, by Jim Benton
25. Attack of the Shadow Smashers, by Troy Cummings
26.Human Acts, by Han Kang
27. March Book One, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell
28. The Frandidate, by Jim Benton
29. Time to Clown Around, by Andres Miedoso
30. Pigs Make Me Sneeze, by Mo Willems
31. The Ravenswood Witch, by Jenni Keer
32. The Yellow Bus, by Loren Long
33. The Pirate's Eye, by Guy Bass
34. March Book 2, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
35. Bad Hair Day, by Jim Benton

March books
36. Chomp of the Meat-Eating Vegetables, by Troy Cummings
37. The Ghost of Grotteskew, by Guy Bass
38. A Hat Full of Sky, by Terry Pratchett
39. The Life of Elizabeth I, by Allison Weir
40. St Augustine's Confessions, by William R Cook and Ronald R Herzman
41. The Sign of Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle
42. Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger
43. Franny K Stein: Recipe For Disaster, by Jim Benton
44. Whack of the P Rex, by Troy Cummings
45. Say Something, by Peter H Reynolds
46. Diary of a young Girl, by Anne Frank
47. Franny K Stein: Mood Science, by Jim Benton
48. Witches of Eastwick, by John Updike
49. Pop of the Bumpy Mummy, by Troy Cummings
50. The Flurry of the Snombies, by Troy Cummings

April books

51. The Locker Ate Lucy, by Jack Chabert
52. Super Rabbit Boy vs The Gigabot, by Thomas Flintham
53. 12 Major World Religions, by Jason Boyett
52. Confessions, by Saint Augustine
53. Recess is a Jungle, by Jack Chabert
54. Bad Guys in the Big Bad Wolf, by Aaron Blabey
55. Saving the Sun Dragon, by Tracey West
56. Stitch Head: The Spider's Lair, by Guy Bass
57. How Dinosaurs Went Extinct, by Ame Dyckman
58. The Building That Wasn't, by Abigail Miles
59. Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, by Dav Pilkey
60. Night, Night, Sweet Screams, by Andres Miedoso
61. The Bad Guys in Superbad, by Aaron Blabey
62. The Adventures of Captain Underpants, by Dav Pilkey
63. Master of the Phantom Isle, by Brandon Mull
64. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, by Douglas Adams
65. Secret of the Water Dragon, by Tracy West
66. The Science Fair is Freaky, by Jack Chabert
67. Bad Guys in The Baddest Day Ever, by Aaron Blabey

May books

68. On Human Nature, by Edward O Wilson
69. Charge of the Lightning Bugs, by Troy Cummings
70. Great Workd Religions: Christianity, by Luke Timothy Johnson
71. Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space, by Dav Pilkey
72. Bad Guys in the Dawn of the Underlord, by Aaron Blabey
73.Rumble of the Coaster Ghost, by Troy Cummings
74. Children of Anguish and Anarchy, by Tomi Adeyemi
75. Power of the Fire Dragon, by Tracey West
76. Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, by Dav Pilkey
77. Stitch Head: The Monster Hunter, by Guy Bass
78. School Freezes Over, by Jack Chabert
79. Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman, by Dav Pilkey
80. Great World Religions: Islam, by John L Esposito
81. Dragonbreath, by Ursula Vernon
82. Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett

June books

83. Great World Religions: Judaism, by Isaiah M Gafni
84. Bad Guys in The One, by Aaron Blabey
85. Snap of the Super Goop, by Troy Cummings
86. Hollow Kingdom, by Kira Jane Buxton
87. Attack of the Ninja Frogs, by Ursula Vernon
88. Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People, by Dav Pilkey
89. Champion of the Titan Games, by Brandon Mull

July Books

90. Sam Battles the Machine, by Jack Chabert
91. Great World Religions: Hinduism, by Mark W Muesse
92. Curse of the Were-Wiener, by Ursula Vernon
93. Billie B Brown Soccer Star, by Sally Rippin
94. Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie
95.Bad Guys in Cut to the Chase, by Aaron Blabey
96. Sneeze of the Octo-Schnozz, by Troy Cummings
97. Flight of the Moon Dragon, by Tracy West
98. I Shall Wear Midnight, by Terry Pratchett
99. Double Creature Feature, by Andres Miedoso
100. King Arthur History and Legend by Dorsey Armstrong
101. Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, by Dav Pilkey
102. Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman
103. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
104. Lair of the Bat Monster, by Ursula Vernon
105. Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull

August Books

106. March of the Vanderpants, by Troy Cummings
107. Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis
108. They're Bee-Hind You, by Aaron Blabey
109. Classes are Canceled, by Jack Chabert
110. A Scare of a Dare, by Zack Zombie
111. Search for the Lightning Dragon, by Tracey West
112. Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne
113. Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-boxers, by Dav Pilkey
114. To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose
115. To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose
116. Gulag Archipelago: Part 1, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn

September Books

Open!

Tuesday I took D15 to an appointment. Then I picked up IL6 at camp and took him to the pool. They measured him, and he was tall enough to go down the slide, which he really wanted to do. That scared me a little since he can't swim and you can't go down together, but I was told the water would be chin-height for him. So I quizzed him on "stand up and move out of the way" and the lifeguard noticed and said they could help him at the bottom. That made me feel better. We went down the slide over and over for at least an hour.

In the evening, my friend Liz came over and we watched Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Media read from:

Great World Religions: Hinduism by Mark W Muesse 62 minutes
King Arthur: History and Legend, by Dorsey Armstrong 64 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 36 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 162 minutes

Happy New Thread!

Here's Fourth of July readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/372020

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Rachel and gang. xx

Thanks all!

Wednesday, I got a crown put in on a fractured tooth. That was my first crown, so I didn't know what to expect. I now have a temporary crown. Afterwards, I ran some errands. In the evening, Aaron and I went out on a dinner date.

Media read from:

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm 29 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 32 minutes
Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie 35 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 96 minutes

Thursday started with a trip to Perkins with M13 and dad. It's nice to get dad out of the house. In the afternoon, dad and I went to cardiac rehab. I was hoping they'd discharge us in two weeks when our appointments ended, but the therapist wanted us to schedule 2 weeks more. I was supposed to play D&D, but the VTT was having technical difficulty, so I hung out with the family instead.

Media read from:

Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 26 minutes
Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 35 minutes
King Arthur: History and Legend by Dorsey Armstrong 91 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 152 minutes

On Independence Day, my friend Liz came over for grilling, and we all watched Doctor Who. Then D15, IL6, Aaron and I went to a fireworks display. This was the first professional display D15 had seen since she was 7, and IL6's first-ever. Afterwards, Aaron and D15 set off smaller fireworks in the driveway.

Media read from:

Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 16 minutes
Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie 21 minutes
Curse of the Were-Wiener, by Ursula Vernon 12 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 49 minutes

Happy new thread, Rachel!

Thanks Jim!

Saturday Aaron, D15, and IL6 and I went to the zoo. D15 really enjoyed the fish. IL6 walked around with his nose in his phone, so clearly there's no need to have a zoo membership if he has gotten bored of it. Then Aaron took D15 to her mom's and picked up M13.

Media read from:

Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 24 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 28 minutes
Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie 55 minutes
Curse of the Were-Wiener, by Ursula Vernon 52 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 159 minutes

Sunday was pretty laid back. Aaron did yardwork. I cooked some baked beans and jambalaya for his next week's food. Dad took us out to Red Lobster in the evening. At 10:30 at night, I heard that the court date for the subpoena had been moved, so now Monday and Tuesday had been freed up. However, that also means I'm going to have to clear another two days in the future. 😡

Media read from:

Mr Ballen podcast 24 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 25 minutes
Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 32 minutes
Curse of the Were-Wiener, by Ursula Vernon 10 minutes
Billie B Brown: The Soccer Star, by Sally Rippin 10 minutes
King Arthur History and Legend, by Dorsey Armstrong 33 minutes

Media finished:

Curse of the Were-Wiener, by Ursula Vernon
Billie B Brown: The Soccer Star, by Sally Rippin

Time reading: 134 minutes

Monday I used my unexpected time. I ran some errands and did the laundry (which is a massive undertaking when you tend to procrastinate, as I do). In the evening, we ate the cake IL6 and I had baked on Sunday.

Media read from:

Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 28 minutes
Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie 148 minutes
Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 28 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 204 minutes

The hall monitors have a bizarre substitute teacher who knows more than he lets on. Cute.

This series of lectures was informative and gave a basic idea that Hinduism is really a way of life rather than a religion in the strict sense of the word. However, I have also been reading Klaus K Klostermaier’s “Survey of Hinduism,” and a lot of the information in these was uncannily similar to the info in the first 10 chapters of Klostermaier’s book, which came out long before these lectures. My guess is that Muesse uses Klostermaier’s book as the textbook for his class.

Tuesday, I took D15 to an appointment, and then weeded. Last time I weeded, I only pulled the tall weeds, but this time I was thorough, pulling all the low-lying weeds, so my progress was not very impressive. In the evening, I watched a few episodes of Andor with Aaron.

Media read from:

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm 35 minutes
King Arthur History and Legend, by Dorsey Armstrong 185 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 30 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 250 minutes

Wednesday I did a little more weeding, then took dad to cardiac rehab.

Media read from:

Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie 92 minutes
Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 60 minutes
I Shall Wear Midnight, by Terry Pratchett 130 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 30 minutes

Media finished:

Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie

Time reading: 312 minutes

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/372192

Thanks Silver!

Thursday dad had an in-home nurse visit. Then he and I went to Perkins for breakfast. I took dad to cardiac rehab afterwards. In the evening, I had D&D while Aaron entertained IL6.

Media read from:

Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 42 minutes
King Arthur History and Legend, by Dorsey Armstrong 115 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 157 minutes

Friday I took IL6 to his speech therapy. I took dad to get a haircut. Then I drove 5 hours roundtrip to pick up M13 from Boy Scout camp. He had a great time, but was really happy to be home. It was time to get IL6 to bed by the time I got back.

Media read from:

Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 29 minutes
I Shall Wear Midnight, by Terry Pratchett 243 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 114 minutes
Bad Guys in Cut to the Chase, by Aaron Blabey 29 minutes
Sneeze of the Octo-Schnozz, by Troy Cummings 52 minutes

Media finished:

Bad Guys in Cut to the Chase, by Aaron Blabey
Sneeze of the Octo-Schnozz, by Troy Cummings

Time reading: 353 minutes

Saturday, Aaron and I played D&D. Then nothing much happened for the rest of the day.

Media read from:

Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger 37 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 34 minutes
Flight of the Moon Dragon, by Tracey West 39 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 26 minutes

Media finished:

Flight of the Moon Dragon, by Tracey West

Time reading: 136 minutes

Wendell is bitten by a were-wiener, and the reptiles must save the school from being overtaken.

Billy B Brown is told she can’t play soccer because she’s a girl. She can.

This is either a fantasy or a book by an unreliable narrator. I couldn’t decide which. In it, the protagonist tells the magical story of growing up as one of a few hundred children who were born at the stroke of midnight on the day India was born as a modern country. This book was well-written, and I can see why so many people find it amazing, but it didn’t do it for me. I was never excited to hear what happened next, or to start reading. It did keep me reasonably well-entertained once I began reading, though.

The Bad Guys are split into two groups. Wolf and Fox, aka “The One” battle snake. The other group travels across the universe at light speed.

The S.S.M.P. comes across a beast with 8 noses.

Sunday, D15 and I got haircuts. Then D15 played D&D. IL6 programmed a game and had swim lessons. Aaron mowed the lawn and cooked chili. That makes it sound like I did nothing, lol. I looked after IL6 all day.

Media read from:

Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 8 minutes
King Arthur History and Legend, by Dorsey Armstrong 31 minutes
Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 39 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 33 minutes
Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, by Dav Pilkey 27 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 138 minutes

Monday, IL6 woke me early (between 5-6) and wanted to watch TV. So I slept on the couch while he watched. I ended up sleeping till 10:15. Oops. I had several errands I meant to start running at about 10, but I didn't start till 11:30. I got 3 of them done, and a few phone calls.

In the afternoon, I took dad to his cardiac rehab, where I got some reading done. After Aaron picked up D15 at rehearsal in the evening, the family went to Outback Steakhouse.

Media read from:

Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 35 minutes
I Shall Wear Midnight, by Terry Pratchett 115 minutes
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 19 minutes

Media finished: I Shall Wear Midnight, by Terry Pratchett

Time reading: 169 minutes

Tuesday I took D15 to an appointment, followed by an appointment for M13. Then I took M13 and IL6 to the pool. They both enjoyed themselves, but I burned my feet so bad I got blisters. (It was a heat advisory day, and I made it worse by carrying IL6 to protect his feet.) In the evening, Liz came over and we finished Obi Wan Kenobi.

Media read from:

King Arthur History and Legend, by Dorsey Armstrong 57 minutes
Double Creature Feature, by Andres Miedso 32 minutes
Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Dorsey Armstrong
Media finished:10 minutes

Double Creature Feature, by Andres Miedso

Time reading: 99 minutes

On Wednesday, I took a nap, read, and wrote a letter in the morning. Then I went to the dentist, picked up M12's trombone at the repair shop, and picked up dad at cardiac rehab. Then Aaron and I chatted for the evening.

Media read from:

King Arthur History and Legend, by Dorsey Armstrong 21 minutes
Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 67 minutes
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 102 minutes

Thursday I took dad to a couple of appointments then played D&D. D15 had rehearsal for Newsies.

Media read from:

Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 21 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Volume 1, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 116 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 137 minutes

Friday was a good day. I spent a lot of time reading. I took IL6 to his appointment. Went on a lunch date with Aaron. D15 went to rehearsal, then to her mom's.

Media read from:

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 68 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 141 minutes
Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, by Dav Pilkey 67 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 276 minutes

Saturday, IL6, Aaron, and I went to Olive Garden with my friend Liz. I got lots of reading done. Aaron weeded and dug up some stumps.

Media read from:

A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 31 minutes
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 36 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 29 minutes
Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, by Dav Pilkey 61 minutes
Lair of the Bat Monster, by Ursula Vernon 16 minutes

Media finished:

Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, by Dav Pilkey

Time reading: 173 minutes

The Dragon Masters run to the rescue of the dragon stone in the land of the pyramids.

Tiffany fights with her feelings for Roland and fights an eyeless menace. This is a funny book, and my favorite of the series because it develops Tiffany’s emotions so much.

Andres and Desmond discover a monster at the movies. Cute, as usual. This is IL6’s favorite series.

As described in the title, these lectures cover the history of King Arthur as well as the development of the legends through history. I really loved these lectures.

Sunday I did the school shopping (ok, so I ordered it all for pickup from Target, and let them do the school shopping). IL6 and I worked on an "update" for one of his Scratch games. Aaron did a Home Depot run - which required me having an argument with the furnace which came to physical blows. I took IL6 to swim lessons. Dad took us all to Red Lobster for dinner.

Media read from:

Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 36 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 13 minutes
Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 13 minutes
Lair of the Bat Monster, by Ursula Vernon 39 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 101 minutes

Just now spotted this thread, so happy new-ish one!

Monday I started out making Aaron some chickpea curry for his week's lunches. Then I took M13 to the orthodontist (he didn't eat for the rest of the day). I took dad to the gym and had a good workout myself. Then I took D15 to the library and dad to cardiac rehab. Aaron took D15 to rehearsal and I cooked dinner. Aaron and M13 went to M13's Court of Honor, where M13 was awarded some merit badges. I baked Aaron a strawberry shortcake. IL6 wanted to pretend it was his dad's 125th birthday, so we sang "Happy Birthday."

Media read from:

Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman 48 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 48 minutes
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 102 minutes
To Shape A Dragon’s Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 12 minutes

Media finished:

Thomas Cromwell The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, by Tracy Borman

Time reading: 210 minutes

Thanks for stopping by, foggi!

Happy 125th birthday to Aaron 😂

>56 norabelle414: I'll pass on the message. 😊

Tuesday was long. First, I took D15 to an appointment. Then I ran an errand, and took M13 to an appointment. Afterwards, I drove him to his mom's house - during rush hour traffic. She lives practically downtown. So it took an hour to get there and an hour to get back. It was harrowing.

In the evening, Aaron took D15 to rehearsal, mowed the lawn, and played Minecraft with IL6. I paced around and talked with dad.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 118 minutes
To Shape A Dragon’s Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 39 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 25 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 146 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 328 minutes

Wednesday dad had an in-home nurse visit. Then he and I ran errands. I got my new glasses and can finally see. Except my eyes still get tired really fast. I've had them checked out - nothing wrong - I put in artificial tears every 2 hours, I don't stare at a screen for hours at a time (generally). I took dad to cardiac rehab. Aaron took D15 to rehearsal.

Media read from:

To Shape A Dragon’s Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 41 minutes
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 112 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 153 minutes

It’s fun catching up with you and your busy life, Rachel. You are so busy, but still find time to read Midnight’s Children. Amazing.

I’m glad the new glasses helped with your vision. Also good to know that your father is doing okay. I remember when he used to post on LT. Is he still a reader?

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/372642

>60 Donna828: Hi Donna! I listened to Midnight's Children while commuting to work and appointments, so that one was easy! Lol

Dad doesn't read anymore, unfortunately. He can't see. I tried an e-reader with him, but he got frustrated with the technology and never used it. He refuses to try audiobooks. Even while commuting. And we spend at least 8 hours a week in the car. Ugh!

>61 SilverWolf28: Thanks silver!

Thursday I had a work training right after my shift, so I was at work for an extra 4 hours. It was an only-audio "video" meeting. I got lots of cross-stitch done.

Immediately upon returning home, I took dad to see a doctor, which took a lot longer than it should have. So after picking up Loki and some hot chicken, I only had a half hour before D&D. Then I had a half hour break before going to work.

D15 was at her Newsies rehearsal. IL6 took a nap. Aaron played Diablo.

Media read from:

Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 56 minutes
To Shape A Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 65 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 114 minutes
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 11 minutes

Media finished:

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle

Time reading: 246 minutes

>64 The_Hibernator: Ooh I hope you enjoy To Shape a Dragon's Breath. That's high up on my TBR.

>65 norabelle414: I've already read it. It was really good. I'm reteading it because I got a galley copy of the second book.

Friday I took dad to the gym. I got a good workout in, as well. I took him to a blood draw. D15 had opening night of Newsies.

Media read from:

Dreadful, by Caitlyn Rozakis 148 minutes
Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 33 minutes
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 30 minutes
Lair of the Bat Monster, by Ursula Vernon 53 minutes

Media finished:none

Time reading: 264 minutes

>66 The_Hibernator: wow, exciting!!

>66 The_Hibernator: Oh, I'm excited to know book 2 is coming soon! I really enjoyed To Shape a Dragon's Breath.

Happy newish thread, Rachel! I hope the new glasses are helping more now.

>68 norabelle414: >69 bell7: Hi Nora and Mary! Yeah, I was pretty excited when they contacted me. It's available on Netgalley, if you use them.

>70 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg! The glasses work well. I think my eyes are definitely not getting tired as fast, anymore.

Saturday D15 walked in the Leprechaun Days parade with the theater company, but her face turned beet red and she was told to sit in the car for the second half of the parade. It was still horrific when she got home.

IL6 and I were supposed to walk in the parade with the Cub Scouts, but he said his ears hurt, so we went to Urgent Care. No ear infection, but he had strep.

I had been feeling nauseated all night the night before, and was dry-heaving in the morning. I was feeling malaise, too. And my throat hurt, which I associated with the dry-heaving. I assumed I had eaten something off, but then decided I should get checked for strep. So I went back to Urgent Care. There, they lavaged my ear, which was surprisingly painful, but I didn't have strep. The ear pain remained for several hours, when suddenly something shifted in my ear and it went away. That felt weird.

D15 went to 2 showings of Newsies. IL6, Aaron, and I relaxed.

Media read from:

Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull 25 minutes
Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis 32 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 11 minutes

Media finished:

Return of the Dragon Slayers, by Brandon Mull

Time reading: 68 minutes

Tippy Tinkletrousers escapes prison and causes chaos. Very fun

This was a well-written history of Cromwell. It balanced between a positive look at him and a negative look. I was a little put off by the subtitle. Does Borman think she’s the first person to tell Cromwell’s story? I would hope that her perspective was somewhat fresh, or at least the information was presented as a mixture of info from other books on the subject, but I can’t be sure, as it’s the only history of him that I have read.

This collection of short stories was fun, and had one of Holme’s famous lines about ruling out the improbable and accepting the improbable. Holmes was less of a conceited ass in this book than the first two novels I read.

Sunday was relaxing (for me). Aaron mowed the lawn. I took IL6 to swim lessons. Aaron went to D15's play.

Media read from:

Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne 63 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 60 minutes
Gulag Archipelago: Volume I, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 58 minutes
Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster, by Ursula Vernon 20 minutes
March of the Vanderpants, by Troy Cummings 16 minutes

Media finished:

Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster, by Ursula Vernon

Time reading: 217 minutes

Monday I was super productive all day. It was a good day. In the late afternoon, I took dad to cardiac rehab. In the evening everyone was home and available, which is the first time that's happened during summer. We decided to go to Olive Garden. IL6 ate 2 pieces of calamari and D15 found out she likes chicken alfredo.

Media read from:

Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis 60 minutes
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 37 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 97 minutes

Tuesday was busy. Almost immediately after returning home from work, I had a phone meeting. That ended at exactly the time I was supposed to take D15 to pick up IL6 for their concurrent appointments.

Upon the heels of that, I took D15 and IL6 to the park because IL6 had a playdate. He had a temper tantrum because he wanted to go to a different park. That lasted about 30 minutes (part of it was in the car). He enjoyed meeting his friends, but then he had another temper tantrum because he wanted a spider man ice cream from the ice cream truck. We finally convinced him (after 15-20 minutes) that the grocery store had it. It did. Then, after I played Minecraft with IL6 a bit, my friend Liz came over. D15, Aaron, Liz, and I watched Doctor Who.

Media read from:

Mr Ballen podcast 40 minutes
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 13 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Part 1, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 22 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 75 minutes

>78 The_Hibernator: Rachel, I’ve been wanting to ask you, where are you in your Doctor Who watching? I’ve been through them all (all that still exist) (it was a project of my late husband and myself to watch them all). Just curious, great to know there’s another fan in this group.

Happy Wednesday to you!

Karen O

>79 klobrien2: Hi Karen! We're still on the Capaldi seasons. I really like him. I suppose we'll eventually catch up. I'm glad you were able to keep up after your husband died. It's probably a good feeling to keep it up. 😊

Wednesday started with a phone call meeting right after returning from work. But it was a very helpful appointment, and I was given some good resources. Then dad wanted to go to Perkins. Afterwards, I took the car to get an oil change. I got lots of phone calls made and forms filled out while waiting. Dad had cardiac rehab, during which I got lots of reading done. D15 had a show. Aaron cooked some steak.

Media read from:

Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis 95 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Part 1, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 51 minutes
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by 53 minutes
Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne 34 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 233 minutes

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/372777

Thursday I had a pretty reaxing day. I dropped off dad at an appointment, but didn't need to stay. So I relaxed. Then I had D&D later in the day. She's not the most exciting DM in the world, so I'm struggling to make it through the entire 3 hours. But I did get a lot of cross-stitch done, though.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago Part 1, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 79 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 79 minutes

Friday I took IL6 to his speech therapy. I was dropping him back off at camp - sitting in the parking lot - when I played a voicemail that the people that were coming to pick up dad's oxygen would be there in 15 minutes. (Which would be before their pickup window.) So I rushed home without dropping off IL6. I just kept IL6 home the rest of the day.

After the oxygen was handed over, IL6 and I went to his favorite park. On Tuesday I had promised I would take him there soon when he was so angry his playdate was at the "wrong" park. He only stayed about 45 minutes, though.

In the evening, D15 went to her show. Aaron, dad, and I walked to another park. IL6 rode his bike. (He's still bad at listening to us when we tell him to stop at streets and look both ways.)

Media read from:

To Shape A Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 64 minutes
Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis 100 minutes
Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne 169 minutes
March of the Vanderpants, by Troy Cummings 21 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 354 minutes

Saturday D15 had two showings of Newsies. Aaron played board games with his friends.

Media read from:

To Shape A Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 35 minutes
Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne 30 minutes
Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis 59 minutes
March of the Vanderpants, by Troy Cummings 22 minutes
Eerie Elementary: Classes are Cancelled, by Jack Chabert 41minutes

Media finished:

March of the Vanderpants, by Troy Cummings
Eerie Elementary: Classes are Cancelled, by Jack Chabert

Time reading: 187 minutes

Sunday Aaron mowed the lawn and I did some cleaning. Then D15 had her last Newsies show. I went to that one. I was surprised at how much talent some of those actors had. How does a small community theater find talent like that.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 36 minutes
Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne 15 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 29 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 37 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 117 minutes

Danny and Wendell travel to Mexico, where Danny is kidnapped by a bat monster.

This is the conclusion of the series beginning with Fablehaven. I enjoyed the series, and this book did not disappoint. I did wonder if the baptism allegory was necessary at the end of the book.

I think I missed your third thread entirely, Rachel, so I am checking in on this one before I lose you again!

>88 The_Hibernator: You remind me that I started the Fablehaven series but never finished it. One of these days. . .

>89 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I loved Fablehaven. You should definitely finish.

Monday I had an impending sense of doom - I thought I was going to have to make another appointment. I already had 12 appointments this week. And it sort of came true. I made one more appointment (though for next week), and was told to call every week to find an opening for another kind of weekly appointments.

In the morning, I took M12 to an appointment. After that, dad had a personal trainer appointment at the gym, where I worked out on the treadmill. I only got 50 minutes, though I was aiming for 60.

I took dad to a blood draw, then to his last appointment of the day.

When I got home, IL6 wanted a pizza. I said "That can be arranged," and popped a frozen pizza in the oven (he only eats frozen). Then dad wanted to order pizza. Aaron and I would eat frozen, but I ordered some for dad and the older kids, forgetting M12 couldn't eat due to his teeth hurting. So I ordered too much. Then IL6 fell asleep, so he didn't get pizza.

The rest of the night, I made a half-assed attempt at being productive, and eventually gave up and chatted the rest of the night.

Media read from:

A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 10 minutes
To Shape A Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 47 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 25 minutes
Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne 48 minutes
Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis 27 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 157 minutes

Tuesday D15 had an appointment in the morning, M12 had an appointment in the early afternoon. Dad had an appointment in the late afternoon. Then I picked up IL6 and we went to the library. In the evening, IL6 rode his bike to the park, and Aaron, dad, and I walked. We played a kind of hide-and-seek while dad watched.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 22 minutes
To Shape A Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 31 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 66 minutes

Wednesday I was feeling pretty burned out. (I should do my best to relax for the next couple of weeks, the burnout was very bad.) I tried taking a nap, but dad was so excited by the trees being brought down in the back yard that he woke me twice. I finally gave up and made calls.

In the afternoon, I took dad to cardiac rehab, then afterwards I took IL6 to an appointment. I got my daily reading done at both. In the evening, I was dealing with the worst of my burnout for the day, so I just talked.

Media read from:

Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis 52 minutes
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 27 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 47 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 72 minutes
Sociopath, by Patric Gagne 61 minutes

Media finished:

Dreadful, by Caitlin Rozakis

Time reading: 306 minutes

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/372924

Thanks Silver!

Thursday I made Taco soup for Aaron's lunches. Then I made some calls, took a half hour nap, and took dad to cardiac rehab. In the evening, I played D&D in the evening, and got a bunch of cross-stitch done.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 82 minutes
To Shape A Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 40 minutes
Sociopath, by Patric Gagne 16 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 138 minutes

Friday I packed for Cub Scout camp, had a nurse appointment for dad, and got the spark plugs switched. Then Aaron, IL6, and I headed to Cub Scout camp.

Media read from:

The Bad Guys in They're Bee-Hind You, by Aaron Blabey 30 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 52 minutes
Mr Ballen Podcast 34 minutes

Media finished:

The Bad Guys in They're Bee-Hind You, by Aaron Blabey

Time reading: 116 minutes

Saturday at Cub Scout camp was fun. IL6 did crafts, swam, and shot b b guns. IL6 had a hard time concentrating after a couple of hours, so we relaxed at the tent during the "open program."

Media read from:

Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne 28 minutes
Search for the Lightning Dragon, by Tracey West 15 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 43 minutes

Sunday IL6 was ready to go home, and we had to keep convincing him to hang on till the closing ceremony. There was archery, a nature rotation, and a fitness rotation. He made it, and at the end of the day, he told me that he had a really good day. 8⁠-⁠)

We were very tired and soggy when we came home, so it was nice to get dry and clean, if not immediately rested. He was thrilled to see M13. They even played Kirby for a while. (After I spent a couple hours playing Minecraft then LEGO with IL6.) IL6 ate a whole bunch of frozen pizza for dinner, so he had made himself hungry.

Media read from:

Search for the Lightning Dragon, by Tracey West 18 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 18 minutes

Monday morning was a rush to catch up on stuff I should have done over the weekend. Then, Aaron and I had a telehealth consultation to see what sort of seminars IL6's clinic had to help us deal with his behaviors and autism. They suggested 2 seminars and 3 consultations (all one time things). Afterwards, Aaron and I met with IL6's therapist to discuss routines and behaviors. I took dad to his graduation from cardiac rehab, then played Minecraft with IL6.

Media read from:

To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 43 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 91 minutes
Mr Ballen Podcast 94 minutes
Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne 70 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 298 minutes

The SSMP battle Ms Vanderpants.

Gav wakes up with no eyebrows and no memory, only to discover that he’s an evil wizard. He must figure out what his evil plan was before he messes it up. This book was hilarious. Loved it.

Team A runs into a sticky situation and Team B faces an underlord.

Eerie Elementary is about to be demolished, but that’s not good.

Tuesday was fairly calm. I took D15 to an appointment. Made some jambalaya for Aaron's lunches. Had an at-home nurse practitioner appointment for dad. Then my friend Liz came over, and we watched Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with Aaron. IL6 was scared by it, so he sat outside with dad.

Media read from:

To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 30 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 89 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 103 minutes
Sociopath, by Patric Gagne 23 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 245 minutes

I'm doing great at my at-least-one-book-(for me)-a-month-goal!

Wednesday I walked to the library and then the gym with dad. I read. I took IL6 to an appointment. Dad took us all out to eat. Aaron and IL6 were up all night with ear pain.

Media read from:

To Shape A Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 71 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 109 minutes
Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne 59 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 27 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 266 minutes

Here's the next readathon https://www.librarything.com/topic/373094

>108 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver!

Thursday morning, Aaron took IL6 to urgent care. He had double ear infections, both in his inner and outer ears. He was given ear drops and antibiotics. We had to bribe him with an ice cream cone to put the ear drops in, and with another ice cream cone in the evening to drink the antibiotic (because apparently it tastes different in coke - evening vehicle - than it does in Doctor Pepper - morning vehicle.)

I spent most of the day resting and taking care of IL6, which is good because I've been very burned out. In the late afternoon, Aaron and I had a telehealth appointment about using visual cues to help him with transitions and think about pooping.

Afterwards, I had D&D, and I finished another chunk of my cross-stitch.

Media read from:

Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne 51 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 40 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 20 minutes
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 44 minutes

Media finished:

Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne

Time reading: 155 minutes

Friday I played appointment Tetris about 4 times (scheduling appointments on days where there are other appointments to leave some days as free as possible). I took dad for a haircut and dropped him off at his personal trainer. But while walking home he had chest pain, so I picked him up. I read to D15 in the evening, then read several books to IL6 at night.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 25 minutes
Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger 49 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 26 minutes
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 22 minutes
Super Rabbit Boy vs the Gigabot, by Thomas Flintham 19 minutes
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie, by Zack Zombie 42 minutes
Search for the Lightning Dragon, by Tracy West 18 minutes

Media finished:

Super Rabbit Boy vs the Gigabot, by Thomas Flintham
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie, by Zack Zombie
Search for the Lightning Dragon, by Tracy West

Time reading: 201 minutes

Saturday, I made some Gumbo for Aaron's lunch this week. Then D15, IL6, Aaron, and I went to Minnesota's Largest Candy Store. IL6 wasn't interested in candy, so bought stuffies. D15 bought herself a puzzle as well as candy. Aaron got himself some Pocky, and I got fudge.

I cooked meatloaf for dinner, and we ate some corn our neighbor gave us from a relative's farm. It was delicious. Then Aaron put together a puzzle with D15 and IL6 and I played Minecraft.

Media read from:

Mr Ballen podcast 156 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 53 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 33 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 24 minutes
Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-boxers, by Dav Pilkey 81 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 347 minutes

Sunday was a calm day. Aaron mowed the lawn and picked up M13 from his mom's. I tried taking IL6 to the park on his bike, but he stopped half way there and wouldn't go forward or backwards until we agreed to take him to his favorite park, to which we had to drive. He won the power struggle, but he agreed to read to me when we got home. Aaron came to the park, as well.

Media read from:

A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 12 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 57 minutes
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 12 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 82 minutes
Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-boxers, by Dav Pilkey 42 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O’Hara 26 minutes

Media finished:

Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-boxers, by Dav Pilkey

Time reading: 231 minutes

Monday was busy. I had a telehealth appointment in the morning, followed by a video visit with a friend. I wrote a letter until dad's at-home nurse practitioner came to check him out. Then I took dad to a pedicure and ran some errands.

No reading

Tuesday, I had to rush to IL6's camp to bring him the proper field trip shirt, which smelled like pee in the morning and had to be washed. Then I took D15 to an appointment, read, and took a nap. I picked up IL6. Aaron cooked dinner because I was pinned by a cat.

Aaron and I tried to watch Andor, but IL6 wanted me to watch him play Spore, and I was loading 3 pill boxes. On top of that, IL6 was having a continuous stomach ache since the day before, and it was swollen and hard. So I tried to give him Exlax; he refused. I tried to give him Dulcolax. He refused. After a bit of tears, he agreed to eat the Exlax, which he realized was yummy. Then it was bedtime.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 69 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 70 minutes
Mr Ballen Podcast 38 minutes
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 32 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 209 minutes

In this memoir written by a diagnosed sociopath, Gagne makes the point that people view sociopaths as “bad,” but sociopathy is a mental illness and people with sociopathy need compassion and treatment. She admits there is probably a spectrum, and that she was on the more mild side.

The point of the book was well-made, and the narrative was engaging. However, there are some bits that felt like lies to me. These lies were generally helpful to make a point. Gagne admitted to be a liar, so it’s not surprising.

Zack Zombie describes his life a a middle school-aged Minecraft zombie. This was about 2nd grade reading level. It didn’t really have much of a story, and there weren’t a lot of pictures for IL6 to look at. But he seemed to like it well enough. Though he was disappointed I didn’t get him a “real” zombie book (which he had requested).

The dragon masters try to save the lightning dragon from itself. They also meet its new dragon master.

Wednesday I had 3 appointments. The 4th was cancelled. Thank god. M13 was the first appointment and IL6 was the 3rd appointment. The 2nd was a telehealth one for Aaron and me.

In the evening, IL6 threw a temper tantrum because he wanted to download a game that cost $14. Finally, I pointed out that he could pay for it with his own money, which he happily did. (He got some money as a present over Christmas, and he's only spent it on two things - the other was a second controller for the Switch.)

Media read from:

Mr Ballen podcast 40 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 24 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 64 minutes

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/373266

Thanks Silver!

Thursday I had no appointments, but I had several things I needed to do. I had errands, and I had to sort the school supplies. M13 took his school supplies to school and walked his schedule. D&D was cancelled, so I got to spend the evening reading. It was nice to have an evening off.

Media read from:

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 50 minutes
To Shape A Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 70 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 57 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 32 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 209 minutes

Friday I took a well-needed break and read all day. I'd been feeling lightheaded all Thursday and Friday morning, so resting was necessary. M13 walked to the gym with dad. In the evening, I read to D15.

Media read from:

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 78 minutes
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose 61 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 129 minutes
Dragonbreath: No Such Thing as Ghosts, by Ursula Vernon 30 minutes
Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger 48 minutes

Media finished:

To Shape a Dragon's Breath, by Moniquil Blackgoose

Time reading: 346 minutes

Saturday was another relaxing day. Aaron and I played D&D, I played Minecraft with IL6, dad took us out to eat, and Aaron played Minecraft with IL6.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 41 minutes
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm 29 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 32 minutes
Dragonbreath: No Such Thing as Ghosts, by Ursula Vernon 76 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 178 minutes

Sunday, IL6 and I went to Olive Garden with my friend Liz. Then I played Minecraft with him and read. Aaron mowed the lawn and played Minecraft with IL6, as well.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 126 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 42 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 30 minutes
The Economist: All-American Silicon 96 minutes
The Week: Mission Impossible 11 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O'Hara 57 minutes
Dragonbreath No Such Thing as Ghosts, by Ursula Vernon 36 minutes

Media finished:

Dragonbreath No Such Thing as Ghosts, by Ursula Vernon

Time reading: 398 minutes

Monday was a bit slow. I was feeling achy, nauseated, and headachy, so I avoided getting up and around. Aaron and I had an appointment by Zoom then I played Minecraft with IL6. I also read. Dad complained of the same symptoms I had. Then D15 and Aaron went to her orientation at the high school to walk her schedule and meet her teachers. She came back feeling the same symptoms as dad and me.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 46 minutes
Mr Ballen Podcast 100 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 32 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 12 minutes
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm 18 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 66 minutes
The Economist: All-American Silicon 83 minutes
The Week: Mission Impossible 20 minutes

Media finished:

Gulag Archipelago Volume 1, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn

Time reading: 377 minutes

George and Harold continue to battle Tippy Tinkletrousers and his time machine. Some ancient events are explained.

Anequs is a native of an island ruled over by the domineering Anglish. When she unexpectedly bonds with a dragon, she must live with the Anglish to learn to care for her dragon. This is a fantastic look for teens into the interactions of white people with indigenous people. It is also a creative fantasy with a new concept of dragons. It is well-written, and very engaging.

Tuesday felt busy. D15 had an appointment in the morning. Then dad had an at-home appointment. M13 weeded. Afterwards, I took dad to Target to buy a few things for school that I somehow lost. But Target had already taken down their school area! Before school started! So we went to Walmart. Which had a better display than Target does, when it has a display! I got almost everything I needed (composition notebooks didn't come in red). Then dad and I went to the bank and the pharmacy.

Upon reaching home, I prepared several things for mailing out, ran to the post office and picked up IL6. We are working on listening to the music we got from the library. Then I filled three pillboxes. My friend Liz came over, and we started the new Doctor Who on Disney (with Aaron, dad, M13, and D15), since HBO took down Doctor Who! Before we finished! I'm not sure about the new reboot, it seems aimed at a younger audience.

Media read from:

The Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak 70 minutes
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm 30 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 18 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 118 minutes

>136 The_Hibernator: Stores take seasonal products down so quickly now!! Last year I tried to get some Halloween candy and decorations 3 days before Halloween and everything had already transitioned to Christmas.

“HBO took down Doctor Who! Before we finished!”

Oh, rats! But DVDs from a public library are a real alternative, Rachel. Art and I watched all of the show on DVDs, mostly from Hennepin Public (you’re in the Twin Cities, right?)

We used an excellent list on Wikipedia to keep track. I can’t locate it right now, but there are lots of lists out there. Here’s one: https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Doctor_Who_television_stories.

Hope you can get back into your Doctor Who groove!

Also, public libraries rock!

Karen O

>137 norabelle414: Hi Nora! Wow! You couldn't buy Halloween candy? That's crazy! You'd think they'd want the procrastinating shoppers.

>138 klobrien2: Hi Karen. I suse the Dakota Count system, but I think I can borrow drom Hennippin with my Dakota card. Hennippen also has an amazing graphic novel collection, I've heard.

I agree about public libraries. I keep telling D to reaerve books. She'll go to our tiny one and say "they don't carry it." New stuff is so hard to some people.

Wednesday was a busy and sad day. After work in the morning, I rushed to pick up IL6 for his meet-and-greet with his new teacher. They got along pretty well. While there, I heard about the shooting at the school in Minneapolis. That was incredibly scary and sad. It ruined my mood for the rest of the day.

Afterwards, I took dad to get a new recliner, popped by Toyota to get a new battery in my key, and dropped off a form at my pediatrician. I made 3 phone calls and made dad's bed.

I had an hour off in which I doom scrolled. Dad's at-home NP came because he'd coughed up blood. She decided it wasn't a pulmonary embolism.

Then I took IL6 to an appointment, followed by an open house at the school. He really enjoyed the open house.

It was M12 and D15's first day of school. Neither of them enjoyed it very much.

Media read from:

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 73 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 73 minutes

Here's the Labor Day readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/373396

>141 SilverWolf28: Thanks!

Thursday was more relaxing than Wednesday. Aaron and I had a telehealth appointment which advised us on how to deal with IL6's difficulties. She suggested completely ignoring a temper tantrum and let him beat me up. She said it would get worse before it got better. It got pretty bad.

Then I spent the rest of the day getting stuff done around the house. I got a little bit of reading done. In the evening, I had D&D. I'm getting pretty far in my cross-stitch!

Media read from:

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm 44 minutes
The Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak 51 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 13 minutes

Friday was good. I took IL6 to speech and M13 to the orthodontist. (Nobody had work or school.) Then Aaron, M13, IL6 and I went camping. We had a fire and played "monster hunt" with Loki. I got a couple hours of reading done.

Media read from:

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 50 minutes
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm 30 minutes
The Economist: What Brazil Can Teach America 33 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 54 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 126 minutes
The Week: Occupy Chicago 44 minutes
Inspector Flytrap, by Tom Angleberger 24 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 361
minutes

Saturday, we had sausage for breakfast and sat in the cold waiting for it to be warm enough to go to the playground. Then when we got there, it was too hot, so we spent a couple hours at the beach. We dug in the sand and waded (except IL6, who was chest-deep.

In the evening, we had pork chops. M13 & IL6 played on their phones, and I read. Aaron sat and watched the fire. Then we played flashlight tag again that night.

Media read from:

The Economist: What Brazil Can Teach America 47 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 27 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 91 minutes
The Week: Occupy Chicago 27 minutes
Inspector Flytrap, by Tom Angleberger 19 minutes

Media finished:
Inspector Flytrap, by Tom Angleberger

Time reading: 211 minutes

Sunday my phone was at half charge in the morning. It was needed to contact dad for med reminders and in case of emergency with D15 or dad. The charge wouldn't last all day, even if I avoided using it, so we decided to go home. We had been going to go canoeing, and IL6 said "I guess so," when asked if he wanted to go canoeing. M13 said he wanted to go home, so we went home.

IL6 freaked out when he realized we weren't going canoeing, so Aaron and I took him to a local park to canoe. We were out for about 15 minutes before he wanted to quit, but said he'd had fun.

Aaron grilled some burgers for dinner. It was nice to sleep at home.

Media read from:

Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 79 minutes
The Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak 39 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 82 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 31 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 90 minutes
The Economist: What Brazil Can Teach America 66 minutes
The Week: Occupy Chicago 14 minutes
Inspector Flytrap in The President’s Mane is Missing, by Tom Angleberger 62 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O'Hara 20 minutes

Media finished:

Inspector Flytrap in The President’s Mane is Missing, by Tom Angleberger

Time reading: 483 minutes

Danny, Wendell, and a skeptic end up in a haunted house.

Danny, Wendell, and a skeptic end up in a haunted house.

In this slightly fictional narrative history, Solzhenitzyn describes the history and first steps of getting to a Soviet gulag. He covers laws, arrests, interrogations, pre-gulag jails, and transfer of prisoners. He includes a “me” which is only loosely his own story. I find the history and descriptions interesting, but was lost in some of the history, so there were long boring parts to me. The writing was also dense.

Monday was a sleepy day as I was really struggling with my sleeping disorder. I had to sleep on and off despite my meds, and was miserably tired the rest of it.

I made Aaron some white chili for his lunches and some pork chops for M13 over the week. M13 played Minecraft with IL6 a couple of hours. Aaron was feeling sick, but did get the shopping done. I only got a little reading done.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 47 minutes
The Economist: What Brazil Can Teach America 12 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 37 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 21 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 29 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 146 minutes

Tuesday I had a hectic morning. Immediately after work, before driving home, I called a clinic to see if I could get in with a certain type of hard-to-get appointment. There's no waitlist, and I'd been calling twice a week for about 6 weeks. They actually had an opening! Not a perfect time, since I'd have to work around another regular meeting at the same time, but I still counted that as a success.

As I was driving home, the nurse from the elementary school called me to say she had no milk for IL6. Shoot! I had forgotten. So I rushed to the store and bought some. But I didn't have time to bring it, as I needed to pick up D15 for an appointment. I ran the milk home, and brought it immediately after the appointment - 20 minutes before it was supposed to be there.

Dad's new chair was delivered, and the broken one was taken away. Everyone likes dad's new chair.

I scheduled 4 new appointments and rescheduled 2 appointments, which was a long time on the phone. I got my brake light fixed and went to the library.

After dinner, Aaron and I watched an episode of Andor. Then we had to stop because dad had a 102.9F fever. He was also so weak; he slipped to the floor while trying to stand, and I had to drag him back on the bed by his armpits.

The on-call nurse came and suggested that it was a COPD flare-up, possibly causing a bit of pneumonia (for the fever). She prescribed an anti-biotic, and I told her to send it to a pharmacy that was open till midnight. But apparently they changed their hours, which I determined when I drove out there. They now run from 9am-6pm. The closest late-night pharmacy is now 45 minutes away.

Of course, I had to call in to work, as all this lasted too late into the evening.

Media read from:

A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 8 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 34 minutes
The Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak 67 minutes
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm 36 minutes
Inspector Flytrap in The Goat Who Chewed Too Much, by Tom Angleberger 24 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 169 minutes

>150 The_Hibernator: Impressed, Rachel. I am truly surprised at just how many of my friends have struggled and suffered through this one!

>153 PaulCranswick: It's just the first of three, so far.

I spent all of Wednesday day rushing around, due to dad being sick. I got to Walgreens after giving them two hours to fill the antibiotic, and they hadn't filled it yet! (Antibiotics and pain meds are supposed to be rushed.) I had to wait another half hour. Then I needed to get his laundry done, including remaking both his and M13's beds, because he stresses when it's not done quickly. He is sick and can't deal with the stress. Then the dishes, and he usually does them, because buildup really stresses him. I didn't want to stress him. Then a few other things simply needed to be done.

Media read from:

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 104 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 104 minutes

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/373613

Thanks Silver!

Thursday I rushed directly from work to take dad to 2 back-to-back appointments. When I got home, I was feeling a bit burned out, so I took a nap. Then dad's at-home nurse practitioner came to visit. M13 played Minecraft with IL6, then helped IL6 clean his room. I read. D15 was at crew for the high school play. In the evening, Aaron took IL6 to Cub Scouts, and I played D&D.

Media read from:

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm 59 minutes
The Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak 83 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 30 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 172 minutes

The Age of Henry VIII is a pretty good course. I listened to it last year.

Sent me back to reading about Henry Seven his Father who was very uneasy on the throne and ruthless about doing away with any dissent.

Henry VIII's frantic desire to have somebody produce a legitimate male heir is firmly rooted on his father's usurpation and his fear of another endless civil war. .

Happy Saturday, Rachel. Just checking in. I hope all is well and the books are treating you fine. Getting any camping in? It has been a quiet camping year for us. Only 3 times so far and we have one trip planned for later this month in Michigan. Hopefully we can do better next year. 🤞🤞

>159 magicians_nephew: Hi Jim! Yes, I'm really enjoying the course. It's very well-put-together.

>160 msf59: Hi Mark! We got 3 camping trips as a family. Plus we did a Cub Scout summer camp and will have a Cub Scout fall camp. The summer camp didn't really need both me and Aaron, but IL really wanted both of us along. We were the only family with two adults. Likely the same thing will happen for fall camp over the Oct 3 weekend. It'll be pretty cold!

Friday was spent getting the physical form signed for M13 to join soccer. He decided in the evening, 3 business days from the first day of soccer that he wanted to join. I spent 2 hours on Thursday filling out the form, and an hour on Friday morning getting the form to the doctor. A couple hours later, they called to say the form didn't print right, so I had to figure out what went wrong, and spend another hour dropping that off. Then, the doctor kindly signed it right away, so I spent another hour fetching the form. But M13 should be set to play soccer on Monday.

M13 and IL6 played Mario Kart and Aaron played Minecraft with IL6. D15 went to stay at her mom's for the weekend. I got a little reading done - finishing my one book this week at the last minute.

Media read from:

Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm 7 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 132 minutes
Shadow of Gods, by John Gwynne 63 minutes
Inspector Flytrap in The Goat Who Chewed Too Much, by Tom Angleberger 30 minutes
The Skull, by Jon Klassen 17 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O'Hara 16 minutes

Media finished:

The Skull, by Jon Klassen
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm
The Goat who Chewed too Much, by Tom Angleberger

Time reading: 265 minutes

Saturday, I played Minecraft with IL6, Aaron and I played D&D, and then Aaron made chili.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 47 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 37 minutes
To Ride the Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 53 minutes
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky 47 minutes
The Hall Monitors are Fired!, by Jack Chabert 43 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O'Hara 26 minutes

Media finished:

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Hall Monitors are Fired, by Jack Chabert

Time reading: 253 minutes

Most of Sunday morning was spent (me) sitting next to IL6 as he programmed a game on Scratch and (Aaron) buying jeans at Goodwill and taking M13 to get supplies for soccer. In the afternoon, I took IL6 to swim lessons and Aaron picked up D15 from her mom's. In the evening, the family went to Red Lobster with dad.

Media read from:

A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 39 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 39 minutes
The Week: Occupy Chicago 23 minutes
Double Creature Feature, by Andres Miedoso 29 minutes
Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak 58 minutes

Media finished:

Double Creature Feature, by Andres Miedoso
The Week: Occupy Chicago

Time reading: 188 minutes

Otilla runs away and finds a big house with a skull. They become friends. The pictures of this book are wonderful and although the narrative is simple, it’s very cute.

In this book, Notbohm expands on what she claims was a highly successful essay about autistic kids. It had some good info for someone who knows almost nothing about autism, but informed me of nothing new. I hated the self-congratulatory tone of the book, where she avoided pointing out her mistakes and praised herself on how her son “Bryce” turned out, considering his original limitations. Not once does she acknowledge the work “Bryce” went through to succeed. Also, way at the end of the book, she mentions having two boys with autism, despite only talking about “Bryce” the whole book. Either she is more proud of her accomplishments with “Bryce,” or she merged her two kids into one fake child with all their limitations combined at the beginning and all of their successes combined at the end. Note I say their successes. Because they worked a lot harder than Notbohm did, regardless of what she may think.