Hibernator (Rachel) the fifth

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. Gulag Archipelago: Part 1, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn

September books
116. The Skull, by Jon Klassen
117. Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm
118. Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
119. The Hall Monitors are Fired, Jack Chabert
120. The Bad Guys in Open Wide and Say Arrgh!, by Aaron Blabey
121. Battle of the Boss-Monster, by Troy Cummings
122. My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O'Hara
123. Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne
124. The Shepherd's Crown, by Terry Pratchett

October books

125. The Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak
126. Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000, by Dav Pilkey
127. The Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell
128. Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger
129. Bad Guys in The Others?!, by Aaron Blabey
130. Robo-Dodo Rumble, by Tom Angleberger
140. Double-O Dodo, by Tom Angleberger
141. Beast Mode Unleashed, by Andres Miedoso
142. Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-a-lot, by Dav Pilkey
143. When Fairies Go Bad, by Ursula Vernon
144. Bad Guys in Let the Games Begin, by Aaron Blabey
145. My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish: The SeaQuel, by Mo O'Hara
146. Dogman, by Dav Pilkey
147. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett
148. Sojourn, by R A Salvatore

Open from here on.

I am very surprised to be first having just woken up, Rachel! Happy new thread, dear lady.

Happy new thread!

Reminds me that i want to get my mitts on Ten Things Every Child with Autism wish you knew

A friend of mine raised an autistic (Ausbergers) boy and I was around him for most of his childhood and adolescent years. I'm sure I made mistakes around him and missed signals from him. I'd like to do better next time.

Monday, IL6 woke me at 5am, and I gave him a bath, then he watched TV. As soon as Aaron got up, I went grocery shopping - let me tell you, 7am is the time to get donuts. Then I had a video visit with a friend, followed by a telehealth appointment Aaron and I attended.

Dad and I went to work out - I managed 45 minutes on the treadmill. He was still feeling a little tired from the pneumonia the earlier week. Afterwards, I took dad to get his hearing aide fixed. Then, he had an at-home nurse visit.

M13 went to soccer after school and seemed to enjoy himself. D15 had an audition for a play in the community theater.

Media read from:

Shepherds's Crown, by Terry Pratchett 69 minutes
To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 32 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 31 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 132 minutes

Thanks for stopping by Paul and Anita!

Hi Jim! That book certainly has a lot of information on autistic kids.

Happy new thread!

Thanks Jim!

Tuesday was ok. D15 had an appointment in the morning, then I had a telehealth appointment in the afternoon. I was going to run errands in the afternoon, but I was too tired to drive, and I fell asleep.

In the evening, Aaron went to pick up my prescription, but apparently I called my prescription in wrong last Tuesday, and they didn't have the prescription done. They were way behind on prescriptions so I couldn't get it and am in withdrawal the next morning, which involves weird electrical shocks to my brain. That means I won't be able to run my errands until I pick up the prescription.

In the evening, my friend Liz came over, and we watched the third and fourth episode of the new Doctor Who, which were as messed up as the first two. I hope they get better. I also couldn't watch some of the dramatic events because IL6 kept demanding I look at his LEGO creations at the worst possible moment. And he will scream and grab my face if he doesn't get listened to.

Media read from:

The Age of Henry VIII by Dale Hoak 58 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 39 minutes
To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 38 minutes
New Scientist: Your Brain’s Balance 45 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 41 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 221 minutes

Wednesday dad took me to Perkins in the morning, then I stopped by the pharmacy. I took dad to an appointment, and then took IL6 to another. Aaron and D15 worked on a puzzle, and I read.

Media read from:

Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 30 minutes
To Ride the Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 30 minutes
Shepherds's Crown, by Terry Pratchett 44 minutes
New Scientist: Your Brain’s Balancing Act 30 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 29 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 163 minutes

Happy New Thread!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/373765

Thanks Silver!

Thursday dad had an in-home nurse appointment, then I played D&D. M13 had soccer practice, then played Minecraft with IL6.

Media read from:

To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 39 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 20 minutes
Shepherds's Crown, by Terry Pratchett 23 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 82 minutes

Friday dad took me to Perkins, then I took him to get flu and COVID shots. Aaron had taken a half day off because we had been planning on going camping because it was so cold last time, but now it's hot. He and I dropped dad off at the gym and went on a date to a brewery. Then we headed to three Goodwills to buy hoodies for IL6. He wants to be warm, and he only wears sweatshirts with hoods. In the evening, Aaron played his computer game with his friends and M13 watched a documentary about OJ Simpson.

Media read from:

Shepherd's Crown, by Terry Pratchett 23 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 10 minutes
The Bad Guys in Open Wide and Say Arrgh!, by Aaron Blabey 32 minutes
Battle of the Boss Monster, by Troy Cummings 61 minutes

Media finished:

The Bad Guys in Open Wide and Say Arrgh!, by Aaron Blabey
Battle of the Boss Monster, by Troy Cummings

Time reading: 121 minutes

Saturday I played Minecraft with IL6, then M13 played with him. I made some jambalaya for a potluck on Sunday. I took M13 to Michael's to buy fabric for his home economics project (pj pants), but they didn't have anything interesting. We did manage to get the rest of the cross-stitch floss I needed for my next project. I bought my Aida cloth and the fabric for pickup order instead.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 72 minutes
To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 29 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 65 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 42 minutes
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie Book 2, by Zack Zombie 52 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O'Hara 14 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 274 minutes

>27 The_Hibernator: I saw the Minecraft Movie recently (I was curious and it was in the theatre and the movei i wanted to see as sold out) and i enjoyed it

But I still have no clue how to play Minecraft as a game. My curiosity is aroused

>28 magicians_nephew: I found that movie hilarious, and IL6 and M13 loved it.

Sunday, I went to church with dad, then to a friend's house for a girls' day. We played Unstable Unicorns. D15 played D&D. In the evening, I had to call AAA to tow the car because it wouldn't start.

Media read from:

Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 45 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 10 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O'Hara 21 minutes
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie Book 2, by Zack Zombie 27 minutes

Media finished:

My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O'Hara

Time reading: 103 minutes

Hi Rachel, your schedule looks SO busy. I hope you get some downtime this week.

>31 banjo123: Hi Rhonda! Yeah, I have a pretty busy schedule. I have 7 appointments this week, and feel that's a break because it leaves a chunk of time each day where I can do other stuff. 😂🤣

Monday, IL6 had an appointment, then I ran several errands. M13 had soccer then Boy Scouts. IL6 played a computer game. I read to D15.

Media read from:

Shepherds's Crown, by Terry Pratchett 129 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 29 minutes
The Week: Wartime President 10 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 10 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 178 minutes

Tuesday I took D15 to a morning appointment. Then I spent the day doing more time-sensitive tasks, so I still haven't accomplished some of the tasks I wanted to complete. Maybe Wednesday. In the evening, we picked up the car again, this time with new tires.

M13 played Minecraft with IL6 after school. Then he did "something on the phone" with his friends. It was rather magnanimous of me to let him do that during dinner since he's actually grounded right now. In the evening, Aaron and I watched an episode of Andor. Then, because we didn't have time for another episode, we watched a (shorter) episode of the new Quantum Leap. It was amusing enough for one episode.

Media read from:

The Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak 88 minutes
Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne 49 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 25 minutes

Media finished:

Shadow of the Gods, by John Gwynne

Time reading: 162 Minutes

Wednesday I took IL6 to an appointment and was told he grew taller and gained zero weight over the past year (which explains the falling down pants). So I've got to figure that out.

That's on top of the stress that D15 and M13 will only eat out of specific 15-year-old bowls that seem to disappear. As we want M13 to eat the largest variety possible, this is stressful. ChatGPT told me which bowl it was based on pictures, but couldn't find an exact replacement on the internet. It suggested a different set of bowls which it claimed had similar size, shape, and translucency. It said that translucency often matters in cases like this. Interesting.

I was very, very stressed over IL6's blood draw, which included about 20 minutes of coaxing his tears away, then pinning him down kicking and screaming. I took a second dose of anxiety meds afterwards (the first was due to stress anticipating the blood draw), and became extremely chill. It was nice, but it wore off about the time IL6 got home. I got some reading done while I was chill.

Immediately after IL6 arrived home, we went to another appointment, which he did a good job at.

Media read from:

To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 80 minutes
Shepherds's Crown, by Terry Pratchett 95 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 34 minutes
The Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak 36 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 12 minutes

Media finished:

Shepherds's Crown, by Terry Pratchett

Time reading: 256 minutes

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/373973

Thanks Silver!

Thursday I had a parenting children with autism seminar by telehealth, which went well.

I woke lightheaded and tingly with cold symptoms. Then that progressed to cold symptoms and dissociation. The dissociation was gone by the time I drove to work.

M13 had soccer practice, then played Minecraft with IL6. IL6 then went to Cub Scouts.

Media read from:

Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak 23 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 23 minutes

Friday I went directly to urgent care after work in the morning. I watched a movie, spent an hour at the pharmacy waiting for my prescription, and took a nap. I was starting to feel less fatigued by the time I should read to IL6.

Media read from:

Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 39 minutes
Didi Dodo Future Spy: Recipe for Disaster, by Tom Angleberger 31 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 70 minutes

Saturday Aaron and I played D&D in the early afternoon. D15 and IL6 took turns playing Diablo on the switch. In the evening Aaron played a computer game with his friends.

Media read from:

Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger 50 minutes
To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 39 minutes
The Week: A Nation Torn 39 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 17 minutes
Didi Dodo Future Spy: Recipe for Disaster, by Tom Angleberger 25 minutes
Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000, by Dav Pilkey 35 minutes

Media finished:

Didi Dodo Future Spy: Recipe for Disaster, by Tom Angleberger

Time reading: 205 minutes

Sunday I accidentally slept in till 10:30 and missed Mass. I spent a good chunk of time writing a letter while IL6 programmed on Scratch. Then he had swim lessons.

Media read from:

Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 32 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 53 minutes
The Week: A Nation Torn 29 minutes
Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000, by Dav Pilkey 30 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 144 min

Monday I went to the gym with dad and walked on the treadmill while he worked with his personal trainer. I think he overdid it, because he really struggled later when he walked to the post office. Aaron and I had a telehealth appointment. M13 played on the computer with IL6, then went to Boy Scouts. I read to D15.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 31 minutes
The Age of Henry VIII, by Dale Hoak 43 minutes
God’s Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World, by Cullen Murphy 45 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 29 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 22 minutes
Loadstar, by Shannon Messenger 36 minutes

Media finished:

The Age of Henry VII, by Dale Hoak

Time reading: 206 minutes

Gave up on:

God’s Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World, by Cullen Murphy

God's Jury is apparently a well researched book on the Inquisition. And I believe it, because he actually got into the Vatican's archives to write the book - it's not all based on secondary sources.

However, the author is making me uncomfortable with his frequent stabs at the modern day Catholic Church. I understand that he doesn't like the Church, but how can I trust a book where the author beats me over the head with a gigantic club labeled "bias"?

Some of the comments are repeated snide comments about pedophiles (once is enough, if they're needed at all - I don't think it's relevant to the Inquisition.) and then-Cardinal Ratzinger's opinion on Harry Potter. (Who cares? He could be the Pope himself - oh wait, he was - and I still wouldn't care what he thought of Harry Potter. Again, where's the relevance to the Inquisition?). Then repeated jabs at how many awful people the Church are thinking of sainting (again. Relevance?)

46 minutes into an 8 hour book, and only passing references to the actual history.

Tuesday was busy. I had 3 back-to-back appointments. The first allowed only a 20 minute break after arriving home from work. I took D15 to her weekly appointment, then M13 to an appointment (he's gained half a pound - he was worried soccer would make him lose weight). Finally, I took him to the dentist. He, D15, and I played Ticket to Ride, and laughed at the placement of some of the cities, as usual. M13 won. Later, my friend Liz came over to watch Doctor Who with Aaron and D15. After that, I struggled to stay awake till it was time to leave for work.

Media read from:

Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 50 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 53 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 103 minutes

Wednesday M13 had his tooth extraction. He was bleeding for several hours, and we had to replace the gauze every half hour. I dropped dad off and picked him up from the gym. I took IL6 to an appointment.

Media read from:

Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 60 minutes
Upright Women Wanted, by Sarah Gailey 85 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 145 minutes

In this fantastic classic, a young man chose to murder an old lady for reasons that become clearer later in the book. I read this as a 13 year old, and I doubt I understood the adult content in some of it, and my memory was a bit foggy on some bits. This book is highly philosophical, I hear, but I am not an expert in Russian philosophy and history, so some of it went over my head. I did find it interesting how I reevaluated the “punishment” part of the book as an adult. I found what philosophy I understood quite well-shown. As it is shown and not told, I can’t explain it without spoilers.

The school manages to get the hall monitors fired, leaving the students vulnerable.

Our group of heroes searches for “The Others,” to help overthrow Overlord Splaarghon.

The SSMP battle the boss-monster in this final installment of Notebook of Doom. IL6 loved this series and was disappointed it ended. He wants to write the author to ask for a sequel series.

When Tom’s big brother does a science experiment on a unsuspecting goldfish, the goldfish needs resuscitation. When it comes back to life, it is a zombie that can hypnotize people. This book was very fun and funny. It had great pictures. IL6 loved it.

This fantastic epic fantasy covers the stories of three characters as they navigate their viking-like world. It was very well-developed world-building and great character development. It felt like it was well-researched as well.

Tiffany is drawn thin when ahe has to take care of two steadings. Funny, as usual.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/374175

Thanks Silver!

Thursday was a nice day. I woke up thinking I wouldn't have enough time to get through everything, but then the day cleared up.

First, I called the surgeon's office about M13's popped stitch, and they said it was fine - which meant I didn't have to take him back in for a new one. Then, the clinic called and cancelled my telehealth appointment in the middle of the day.

That left enough time for dad and myself to go to Perkins for breakfast. Then I went to urgent care for something that turned out to not be urgent. Good thing I didn't drop everything the day before and rush in. Aaron wouldn't have been able to deal with M13's bleeding mouth and work at the same time.

I did a few relaxing tasks and took a half hour nap. Dad had a visit from his in-home nurse practitioner. Then I played D&D. The game was fun. I finished IL6's cross-stitched Creeper and began sorting the floss for D15's gigantic unicorn. The unicorn will probably take me years, so I may work on smaller projects at the same time. I'll also have to find more time to cross-stitch.

M13 played Minecraft with IL6, and then IL6 spent some time hanging out in the room with me while I played D&D.

Media read from:

Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 41 minutes

Media finished:

None

Time reading: 41 minutes

Friday I took IL6 to speech therapy. Then M13, D15, and IL6 went to Perkins with me and dad. I dropped the older two off at home, then ran to the gym with Dad and IL6. IL6 played on my phone for about 45 minutes, then explored the gym. He could walk on the treadmill and almost use the arm curl machine.

In the evening, I cooked pork chops for IL6, M13, and Dad. Aaron cooked hamburgers for me and himself. Aaron played a computer game with his friend and IL6 and I read.

Media read from:

Upright Women Wanted, by Sarah Gailey 60 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 12 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 30 minutes
Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000, by Dav Pilkey 56 minutes

Media finished:

Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000, by Dav Pilkey

Time reading: 158 minutes

Saturday Aaron, M13, and I got COVID shots. My arm started hurting so bad later that day that I was having difficulty lifting it. I spent the day recovering from a headache and a bad mood (for the second day in a row).

Media read from:

Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 70 minutes
Upright Women Wanted, by Sarah Gailey 70 minutes
Diary of a Minecraft Zombie: Book 2, by Zack Zombie 18 minutes
Roar of the Thunder Dragon, by Tracey West 31 minutes

Media finished:

Diary of a Minecraft Zombie: Book 2, by Zack Zombie

Time reading: 189 minutes

Sunday I woke with a headache and dad woke with chest pains, so we skipped Mass. I mostly read and worked on a few odd jobs around the house till it was time for IL6's swim lessons. When Aaron got home from picking up D15 at her mom's house, the family went to Outback Steakhouse. Then IL6 worked on his homework and we read longer as a reward.

Media read from:

To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 65 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 30 minutes
Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 58 minutes
Roar of the Thunder Dragon, by Tracey West 16 minutes
Revenge of the Horned Bunnies, by Ursula Vernon 64 minutes

Media finished:

Roar of the Thunder Dragon, by Tracey West

Time reading: 233 minutes

Monday was busy for me. IL6 had an appointment where he showed me he knew how to put on his socks and shoes, despite acting like he can't do it at home. The little rascal.

Luckily the elementary school is right next to the middle school, because I had to immediately run there and pick up M13. I took him to the orthodontist.

Pretty quickly after that I took dad to the gym and got a workout in myself. Then I got IL6 off the bus and took him to M13's soccer game. He even watched a while before going back to his phone. M13 did great (as far as I'm concerned, he didn't think so).

In the evening I read to D15.

Media read from:

Exile, by R A Salvatore 92 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 17 minutes
To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 65 minutes
The Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 30 minutes
Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger 41 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 245 minutes

Tuesday I took D15 to an appointment downtown, which is always a pain parking. Then I ran errands with dad. After school I watched IL6 play Pikuniku while writing letters. After dinner, Aaron and I watched two episodes of Andor.

Media read from:

Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 47 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 57 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 104 minutes

Wednesday, I took D15 to an appointment, then took dad to the gym for his personal trainer appointment. I got a good amount of exercising done, and stopped as soon as I became tired because I wanted to conserve energy.In between my stuff, I got some reading done.

After school, IL6 had an appointment, then faith formation. He remained quiet in the church, but he was very squirmy. He found the class more interesting.

M13 had a soccer game that his mom went to. D15 had Best Buddies (where she hung out with special ed students). Aaron worked till 8.

Media read from:

To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 90 minutes
Exile, by R A Salvatore 138 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 39 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 62

Media finished: none

Time reading: 329 minutes

In this excellent set of lectures Professor Hoak not only describes the reign of Henry VIII, but also some of the important people of the time. I found the lectures engaging and informative. It added to other information I’ve read on the subject.

George and Harold deal with life as doubles and eventually with the return of the Turbo Toilet 2000.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/374356

Thursday I woke feeling overwhelmed. I took a half hour nap at home then had a seminar for learning how to parent a child with autism. I still have not learned anything, but it was nice talking. After that, I took an hour nap and woke feeling better. Dad's nurse practitioner came to visit. Then in the evening, I played D&D. M13 had soccer practice.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 68 minutes
To Ride the Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 59 minutes
Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 66 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 51 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 244 minutes

Friday, I wrote a letter, took IL6 to an appointment, and then took Dad to the gym for his personal trainer appointment. I worked out on the treadmill for 45 minutes. I got lots of reading done. M13 went to soccer practice. Aaron worked till 8:30pm.

Media read from:

Exile, by R A Salvatore 80 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 29 minutes
To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 106 minutes
Revenge of the Horned Bunnies, by Ursula Vernon 59 minutes

Media finished:

Revenge of the Horned Bunnies, by Ursula Vernon

Time reading: 274 minutes

Happy Birthday, Rachel! Have a great weekend. I hope you and the family are doing well.

Thanks Mark! I wondered how you knew for a moment, then realized we're friends on Facebook! 🤣

Saturday was my birthday. I got some reading done and played Minecraft with IL6.

Media read from:

A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 35 minutes
Exile, by R A Salvatore 58 minutes
My Brain is Different, by Monzusu 30 minutes
The Week: Enemies List 55 minutes
Robo-Dodo Rumble, by Tom Angleberger 46 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish: The SeaQuel, by Mo O'Hara 44 minutes

Media finished:

Robo-Dodo Rumble, by Tom Angleberger

Time reading: 268 minutes

Sunday I rested again, preparing for another busy week. I got in some napping and some reading. D15 played D&D. The family went out to Red Lobster for my birthday.

Media read from:

To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 34 minutes
Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 66 minutes
My Brain is Different by Monzusu 30 minutes
The Week: Enemies List 41 minutes
Bad Guys in The Others?!, by Aaron Blabey 23 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish: The SeaQuel, by Mo O'Hara 43 minutes

Media finished:

The Bad Guys in The Others?!, by Aaron Blabey

Time reading: 237 minutes

Monday I took IL6 to an appointment, then I went to the gym with Dad. I managed an hour on the treadmill. Aaron and I had a telehealth appointment. Then I wrote a letter. In the afternoon, IL6 and I went to M13's soccer game. I read to D15. M13 went to Boy Scouts.

Media read from:

To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose 41 minutes
The Week: Enemies List 12 minutes
Exile, by R A Salvatore 122 minutes
Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger 60 minutes

Media finished:

To Ride a Rising Storm, by Moniquil Blackgoose
Lodestar, by Shannon Messenger

Time reading: 235 minutes

>69 The_Hibernator: Happy belated birthday, Rachel!!!

>72 norabelle414: Thanks Nora!

Tuesday I took D15 to an appointment then had lunch with Aaron. I made some baked beans for Aaron's lunches for the rest of the week. In the evening, IL6 had "curriculum night" at the school, where he showed us around to look at what he's been doing in school. Aaron played Minecraft with IL6. M13 had soccer practice.

Media read from:

My Brain is Different, by Monzusu 60 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 31 minutes
New Scientist: Do Black Holes Really Exist? 29 minutes
Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 97 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 217 minutes

>69 The_Hibernator: Happy belated birthday!

A belated Happy Birthday, from me too, Rachel. Sometimes I think I'm busy but then I read your thread and it does feel like I do so much.

>75 figsfromthistle: thanks Anita!

>76 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg! I am busy and do catch-up on threads, too.

Wednesday I went to the gym with dad then ran errands. In the afternoon, M13 had a soccer game that his mom attended. I took IL6 to an appointment, then faith formation. He learned about Noah.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 30 minutes
Exile, by R A Salvatore 33 minutes
Sojourn, by R A Salvatore 81 minutes
New Scientist: Do Black Holes Really Exist? 21 minutes
My Brain is Different, by Monzusu 59 minutes

Media finished:

Exile, by R A Salvatore
My Brain is Different, by Monzusu

Time reading: 224 minutes

M13 is number 30

In this Western-style dystopia Esther runs away from her dad for fear of marrying a man. She thinks being lesbian is despicable, as the laws say. But the group she joins just happens to be LGBTQ as well. This book has good world-building and character development and is fun as a concept. It is light on plot, but was pretty good anyway.

The dragon masters defend their dragons against a mean dragon master who wants to steal their dragons. Reasonably good with nice pictures. IL6 seems more interested in humor books, but he seems cool with this series.

Zack Zombie deals with bullies. It is full of typos and isn’t particularly interesting. The pictures are few and unoriginal.

Danny and Wendell go to summer camp, only to find out that someone was kidnapping jackalopes. Very awesome book.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/374573

Thanks Silver!

Thursday, I had a parenting seminar for kids with autism, then went on a lunch date with Aaron. Dad's nurse practitioner came for an appointment. In the evening Aaron and I went to parent-teacher conferences at the high school. D15 is doing really well. All the teachers love her.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 89 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 21 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 23 minutes
Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 38 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 171 minutes

Hi Rachel! Sounds like things are busy, but you still get reading in. I have enjoyed other books by Sarah Gailey.

Friday I went to Perkins with Dad then took IL6 to his appointment. I took dad to the gym then read till early evening. Aaron and I took IL6 to Gabby's Dollhouse movie, and he was almost as excited as he was about the Minecraft movie. Then he and IL6 watched K-Pop Demon Hunters, I read, and Aaron played his computer game with his friends.

Media read from:

Sojourn, by R A Salvatore 58 minutes
Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 25 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 41 minutes
The Week: Under Siege 45 minutes
Pandemic 107 minutes
The Art Show Attacks, by Jack Chabert 41 minutes
Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir-Stinks-A-Lot, by Dav Pilkey 31 minutes

Media finished:

The Art Show Attacks by Jack Chabert

Time reading: 348 minutes

Saturday I woke up late. I took dad on a bunch of errands. Helped IL6 play Pikuniku while I wrote a letter. Aaron mowed the lawn and made chili for dinner. IL6 and I finished the Captain Underpants series, which was bittersweet.

Media read from:

Sojourn, by R A Salvatore 45 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 31 minutes
Pandemic, by Tracy Borman 31 minutes
Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir-Stinks-A-Lot, by Dav Pilkey 68 minutes

Media finished:

Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir-Stinks-A-Lot, by Dav Pilkey

Time reading: 175 minutes

Sunday I slept in again accidentally and missed Mass. I made some chickpea curry for Aaron's lunches this week and played Minecraft with IL6. Then he had swim lessons, and I made shrimp for dinner. After dinner, the family (minus dad), played Pandemic Legacy and lost pretty quickly. This is a form of Pandemic where you play it 12-13 times, and the each game affects the following games. Then I read to IL6.

Media read from:

Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 28 minutes
Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 14 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 36 minutes
The Week: Under Siege 9 minutes
Chill of the Ice Dragon, by Tracey West 41 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish, by Mo O'Hara 46 minutes

Media finished:

Chill of the Ice Dragon, by Tracey West

Time reading: 174 minutes

Monday, I took IL6 to occupational therapy and we discussed eating. We are going to start feeding therapy again to see if we can get him to gain weight. Then I took dad to the gym, where I got 45 minutes of treadmill time. I ran some errands after the gym. After school, I took IL6 to watch M13's soccer game. In the evening, IL6 and I played Minecraft.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 35 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 15 minutes
Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 84 minutes
Sojourn, by R A Salvatore 59 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 193 minutes

Tuesday I took D15 to an appointment and then went to a car mechanic appointment. They are going to replace the part for free (which is wonderful!), but the part won't get here till Monday. It must be coming from Japan.

In the afternoon, IL6 made a game in Scratch - we even had to ask ChatGPT about a bit of code, so he was doing new ideas that were complicated enough that I couldn't figure it out myself (though it was clear when it was pointed out.

In the evening, my friend Liz came over and she, Aaron, D15, and I watched Doctor Who. D15 is more pleased at the episodes now that they aren't campy anymore. Then I played Minecraft with IL6.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 30 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 38 minutes
Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 68 minutes
The Week: Under Siege 39 minutes
Pandemic, by Sonia Shah 15 minutes

Media finished:

Pandemic, by Sonia Shah

Time reading: 190 minutes

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/374695

Thanks Silver!

Thursday, immediately after work, I had a telehealth appointment, then another teleheath appointment. My mother-in-law arrived, and she, Dad, D15, and I went to lunch with her. In the late afternoon, Dad had an at-home appointment. Then IL6 went to Cub Scouts, and apparently did a great job participating.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 180 minutes
Hero With a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell 21 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 32 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 51 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 19 minutes

Media finished:

Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell

Time reading: 303 minutes

Friday IL6, D15, my mother-in-law, and I went to a farm to pick apples. We rode the hay ride and walked along the orchard. IL6 and I ran in the "hamster wheel," buried him in the corn pit, and ran around the hay bales. The hamster wheel was exhausting. I cooked shrimp for dinner, then we relaxed for the evening.

Media read from:

Sojourn, by R A Salvatore 70 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 35 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 39 minutes
Double-O Dodo, by Tom Angleberger 60 minutes
The SeaQuel, by Mo O'Hara 15 minutes

Media finished:

Double-O Dodo, by Tom Angleberger

Time reading: 219 minutes

Saturday we relaxed. I cooked some jambalaya for Aaron and did several things on my to-do list. Dad took us all out to Red Lobster.

Media read from:

Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 39 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 13 minutes
When Fairies Go Bad, by Ursula Vernon 59 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 111 minutes

Sunday we relaxed for the morning. I played Minecraft with IL6 and took him to swim lessons. Then he, my mother-in-law, Aaron, and I went to the library. He picked out some music. I got some books.

Media read from:

A Survey of Hinduism by Klaus K Klostermaier 18 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 18 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 36 minutes
Sojourn, by R A Salvatore 82 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 60 minutes
When Fairies Go Bad, by Ursula Vernon 36 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 250 minutes

>97 The_Hibernator: Remember going to "Pick your own apples" places when i was a kid. Apple Cider in big plastic jugs and getting to dive in the haystacks and even work the old mechanical Apple Coring machine.

Apple Cider doughnuts. (happy sigh)

Yeah, apple orchards are fun, and I didn't realize we had such a nice one so close!

Monday I drove my mother-in-law to the airport, then went to Perkins with Dad. I took Dad to the gym, and stayed on the treadmill for 45 minutes. Aaron and I had a telehealth appointment, but the provider no-showed. I thus had more time to do other stuff. I was supposed to go to M13's soccer game, but it was raining, and I didn't want to sit out in the rain with IL6. I played Minecraft with IL6. I read to D15 in the evening while Aaron went to M13's Court of Honor for Boy Scouts. He got a merit badge.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 36 minutes
The Week: Home at Last 20 minutes
Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger 54 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 42 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 152 minutes

Tuesday I was feeling more worn out than usual. I decided to stop "forgetting" to use my happy lamp. I had not been trying to remember.

I took D15 to an appointment almost immediately upon getting home from work, then took dad to an urgent appointment immediately after that. Then I sat there and felt overwhelmed.

Aaron and I watched a couple episodes of Andor in the evening. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Which is a change from nights.

Media read from:

Sojourn, by R A Salvatore 35 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 99 minutes

Media finished:

Sojourn, by R A Salvatore

Time reading: 134 minutes

Wednesday I got some letter-writing, chores, and reading done. I took dad to the gym and then worked out on the treadmill. In the evening, I took IL6 to an appointment, then to faith formation. He really likes faith formation and was excited about the creation story. He talked about how God created the dinosaurs before us and asked how long that took. I told him millions of years in Earth years but 6 days in God days.

Media read from:

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett 89 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 61 minutes
Radiant Citadel 28 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 77 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 255 minutes

In this second book of the Nampesheisit series, Anequs continues pursuing her romantic interests and studying how to be a dragoneer. At the same time she has to deal with politics of two angry parties, neither of which is perfect.

This was a great follow-up of “To Shape a Dragon’s breath.” All characters developed quite a bit from their beginnings in the first book. The world-building continued to be great. The cultural clashes were interesting. I did feel that the book started out slowly, as it focused quite a long time on angsty teen romance, and that’s not what I read books for. Overall, though, it was a fantastic followup.

The hall monitors save the students, staff, and faculty from an angry art show.

D15 wanted me to read this manga. It is very important that she strongly relate to characters in books, so this was a powerful book to her. It is a series of short manga essays about ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities. I found it boring at first. Then I was interested in the Japanese point of view on these things. Then I started to feel a little heartsick due to all the toxic teachers and parents. Is this what it’s like? Or was the artist choosing a certain type of essay?

After living alone in the underdark for 10 years, Drizzt looks for company. His mother still hunts him. This was exciting, with good battle scenes and kept to the world-building that a Dungeons and Dragons book should have. The characters were reasonably well-developed. Overall a good second book.

This book started out really good. It mostly covered cholera as an example of pandemics, but mentioned several others. The benefit of mostly focusing on cholera meant that the history could be covered in more detail. The book was a bit alarmist, but on the other hand, she was right that a pandemic was on its way (COVID-19 happened after original publication). I didn’t like the penultimate chapter, as it covered a bunch of iffy science and was poorly edited. Some of what Shah said made no sense no matter how many times I read it. But overall it was an informative book.

The Dragon Masters help a new friend battle a giant. Cute.

In this final book in the Captain Underpants series, George and Harold battle a stinky, mind controlling gym teacher with the adults they could trust the most. Again, excellent. I’m sad the series is over.

In this brand new Desmond Cole book, he and Andres deal with a three-headed dog named Bubbles. Always IL6’s favorite series.

Didi and Koko Dodo must find the kidnapped Queen. This is now IL6’s favorite Didi Dodo book.

Didi Dodo and Koko Dodo deal with a robot dodo who is trying to put Koko out of business. IL6 loved it.

The team tries to reunite with The Others in tow. Very funny.

In this fifth book of Keepers of the Lost Cities, Sophie and her friends continue to battle the Neverseen. I’m not really enjoying these books much. There’s lots of moments where the characters just don’t do things that would be in character. There are plot holes. Too much effort to use big words. But I’m enjoying reading it to D15.

In this classic about the (Jungian) psychology of myth, Campbell covers a large variety of myth, including the rarely-studied African myth. He did focus on Christian “myths” a lot. It wasn’t very exciting to me because I kind of pooh-pooh Jungian psychology. Campbell also spoke rudely about the myths, calling the absurd, or the like.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/374911

Thanks silver!

Thursday I had two telehealth appointments, then took the car into the shop. In the evening, IL6 went with Aaron to the elementary school's trunk or treat event. He had a lot of fun. I took M13 to a meeting at the school about his upcoming DC trip.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 154 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 30 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 28 minutes
Radiant Citadel 28 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 61 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 301 minutes

Double post

Can someone dm me now We have some things to discuss.

Wow, lots of books!!

>123 The_Hibernator: I hope the government opens back up before M's DC trip. Approximately when might he be visiting?

>126 norabelle414: I imagine it'll be opened back up. The trip will be at the end of March.

Several of those books are about 150 pages long.

Friday I worked on a pen pal letter, took IL6 to an appointment, and took dad to the gym. I worked out on the treadmill. After IL6 got home, he insisted I play 2-player Piku Niku with him. I tried to prove it was impossible, but he just plugged the Switch remote into the computer and proved me wrong. We finished a level, much to my surprise. It was very difficult to me.

Media read from:

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett 70 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 31 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 31 minutes
Radiant Citadel 29 minutes
The Week: Gunboat Diplomacy 64 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 23 minutes
When Fairies Go Bad, by Ursula Vernon 49 minutes
Dogman, by Dav Pilkey 12 minutes

Media finished:

When Fairies Go Bad, by Ursula Vernon

Time reading: 309 minutes

Saturday, I made Aaron gumbo for this week's lunches. Then I downloaded a bunch of free software so IL6 could eventually program Minecraft mods. Or at least figure out that he can't program in java. I also played Minecraft with him. We had chicken for dinner, then I relaxed while Aaron played Minecraft with IL6.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 93 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 35 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 22 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 36 minutes
The Week: Gunboat Diplomacy 33 minutes
Dogman, by Dav Pilkey 34 minutes
My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish The SeaQuel, by Mo O’Hara 14 minutes

Media finished:

Dogman, by Dav Pilkey

Time reading: 267 minutes

>104 The_Hibernator: Interesting challenge to bring kids to both the Creation Story and to dinosaurs. Sounds like you handled it very well

>130 magicians_nephew: Yeah, I'm not quite sure what they said, but it's a liberal church, so it probably said God created dinosaurs.

Sunday IL6, M13, Liz, her nephew, and I went to Olive Garden. Liz and I discussed our book and picked a new one. Afterwards, IL6 and I chatted with ChatGPT to figure out where we went wrong in our java coding. It told me I downloaded the wrong Forge, so I downloaded the other one. That was all we had time for that day.

IL6 and I went to swim lessons, then we played Minecraft. Aaron went to buy pumpkins for carving, then he, Dad, and I went to Outback. Then Aaron, the kids, and I carved pumpkins.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 97 minutes
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 49 minutes
The SeaQuel, by Mo O'Hara 34 minutes
Fins of Fury, by Mo O'Hara 37 minutes

Media finished:

The SeaQuel, by Mo O'Hara

Time reading: 217 minutes

Monday all three kids had a telehealth appointment, then I drove IL6 to an appointment a half hour away. When we got back to school, I realized we'd forgotten his jacket. I took dad to the gym, and I stayed on the treadmill for an hour. Then I drove an hour round-trip to get IL6's jacket. After spaghetti dinner, I tried to program a mod in Minecraft and ran into a problem I don't know how to solve. IL6 was not pleased.

Media read from:

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett 138 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 38 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 16 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 19 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 211 minutes

Tuesday, I took D15 and then M13 to appointments. I did some chores. In the evening, my friend Liz came over and we watched Doctor Who.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 42 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 70 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 43 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 45 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 200 minutes

Wednesday, I took dad to the gym then exhausted myself running a bunch of errands. After school, I took IL6 to an appointment. Then Aaron, M13, and I went to parent-teacher conferences. He's mostly doing pretty well. IL6 and I tried to play Minecraft, but ran into a frustrating glitch that I will have to figure out.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 36 minutes
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett 28 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 31 minutes
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 50 minutes
New Scientist: The Body’s Secret Network 24 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 75 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 244 minutes

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/375051

Thanks Silver!

Thursday I was very tired. I had a telehealth appointment, then took a nap. Dad had an in-home nurse appointment. We went to IL6's parent-teacher conference. He's pretty solid in math. Then we went to IL6's Cub Scout award ceremony.

Media read from:

Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 48 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 75 minutes
Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 18 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 42 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 183 minutes

Friday IL6 had a telehealth appointment that I let him sleep through. Then he had an in-clinic appointment. The rest of the day was relaxing. Aaron went in to the office for a team-building exercise and they built LEGOs. He got to keep his R2D2. In the evening, IL6 dressed up like a cobra and D16 dressed up like a witch and they went trick-or-treating. They got quite the haul. Along with candy, D16 scored a Jesus, a potato, and a banana. She gave the Jesus to IL6, because he was disappointed that he didn't get one. He has placed it with his toy dinosaurs.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 20 minutes
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 51 minutes
Bad Guys in Let the Games Begin!, by Aaron Blabey 32 minutes
Fins of Fury, by Mo O'Hara 8 minutes

Media finished:

Bad Guys in Let the Games Begin, by Aaron Blabey

Time reading: 111 minutes

Saturday, I made some beef stew for Aaron's lunches for the next week, watched IL6 play Pikuniku, then played D&D with Aaron and my friend Liz. This was our first time playing in a while, and it looks like we're expecting only another 1 or 2 sessions left. I will be sad to see our Saturday sessions disappear, but I enjoyed the extra time in October while our DM was on a trip.

IL6 wanted to play Spore after that, and I wrote a letter while he did that. I cooked shrimp dinner, and read for the rest of the evening.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 11 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 67 minutes
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 10 minutes
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 38 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 28 minutes
Fins of Fury, by Mo O'Hara 31 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 185 minutes

Sunday I was very productive and got a lot of reading done. The kids relaxed and Aaron shopped. IL6 had swim lessons.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 139 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 35 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 23 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 12 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 69 minutes
The Week: Ballroom Blitz 51 minutes
The End of Orson Eerie?, by Jack Chabert 49 minutes
Fins of Fury, by Mo O'Hara 16 minutes

Media finished:

The End of Orson Eerie, by Jack Chabert

Time reading: 394 minutes

Monday, I took IL6 to an appointment, then I went to the gym with Dad. I finally started stitches on my gigantic unicorn cross-stitch project. Aaron and I had a telehealth appointment. We relaxed for the rest of the day.

Media read from:

Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 103 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 35 minutes
The Week: Ballroom Blitz 34 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 34 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 13 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 185 minutes

Tuesday was a good day. I took D15 to an appointment then ran some errands, including voting. I took M13 to an appointment. I got reading and cross-stitch done. Dad took us out to Olive Garden. IL6 made his invented "toast sandwich" - toast, catsup, chicken nugget, cheese - and took a huge bite. Aaron and I also each took a bite.

Media read from:

Mr Ballen podcast 27 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 86 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 31 minutes
New Scientist: No Space No Time No Particles 45 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 22 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 28 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 239 minutes

>132 The_Hibernator: You might also have a look at Life and Fate a much suppressed and brilliant and moving book about Russia in in World War II and the siege of Stalingrad.

Stalin banned the book after the war because he didn't want America to know rally how many people Russia had lost during the war

>144 magicians_nephew: Thank you for the suggestion, Jim. I will look in to it

Wednesday, I started the morning using CharGPT to determine what was wrong with IL6's Minecraft game on Switch. After an hour, ChatGPT decided it was corrupt data, and had me do a factory reset. But I haven't seen the results of the factory reset, because at that time, I had to go to the gym for Dad's personal trainer appointment. Despite being extremely frustrated and worried that nothing was ever going to fix this problem (a worry I still have the next morning), I was on the treadmill for 45 minutes.

After the gym, I went to a doctor appointment for myself, and then ran errands. I even did my shopping errand at Walmart instead of Cub because it's so much less expensive. (I hate Walmart. Like...bread is in Aisle A 35. But A stops at 29, and A35 is back in the opposite direction. Apparently the numbers act like a U? I had to ask, because the numbers no longer are displayed after 29. I was so frustrated, I was mumbling hateful things under my breath. Which happens a lot when I go to Walmart.) After school, I took IL6 to an appointment, then to faith formation.

Media read from:

Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 133 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 30 minutes
New Scientist: No Space No Time No Particles 26 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 22 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 67 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 16 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 294 minutes

Danny, Wendell, and Christiana have to travel to Faerie to save Danny’s mom. Like all other Dragonbreath books, it was a delight.

Team A begins a huge competition while team B rushes to catch up.

In this second book of “My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish” Tom and Sandeep take Frankie on a vacation. This book is just as good as the first book. It is humorous and has great pictures.

When a cop and his dog get partly blown up, they decide to save the cop’s body by putting the dog’s head on its shoulders. Then Dogman battles an evil mayor’s plot.

Maurice has learned to talk. Why? So have a bunch of rats. They team up with a piper boy. But when they enter one town, they have to deal with the unexpected. This was very cute, though I felt the beginning was a bit slow.

In this third book of The Dark Elf Trilogy, Drizzt learns to navigate the world above the underdark. It had a good mixture of character development and action. I enjoyed it.

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