Hibernator (Rachel) the sixth

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

November books

149. The End of Orson Eerie, by Jack Chabert
150. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
151. Dogman Unleashed, by Dav Pilkey
152. Fins of Fury, by Mo O'Hara
153. A Tale of Two Kitties, by Dav Pilkey
154. The Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne
155. Nightmare of the Iguana, by Ursula Vernon
156. The Bad Guys in Look Who's Talking, by Aaron Blabey
157. One Piece Volumes 1-3, by Eiichiro Oda
158. Gulag Archipelago, Volume 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
159. Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman
160. Waking the Rainbow Dragon, by Tracy West
161. March Book Three, by John Lewis
162. The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle

December books

163. Dogman and Cat Kid, by Dav Pilkey
164. The Bad Guys in the Serpent and the Beast, by Aaron Blabey
165. Live and Let Swim, by Mo O'Hara
166. The Case of the Toxic Mutants, by Ursula Vernon
167. The Bad Guys in One Last Thing, by Aaron Blabey
168. The Frozen Menace, by Ursula Vernon
169. Knight-Napped, by Ursula Vernon
170. One Piece Volumes 4-6, by Eiichiro Oda
171. The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones
172. Shine of the Silver Dragon, by Tracey West
173. The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen
174. One Piece Volumes 7-9, by Eiichiro Oda
175. The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
176. Treasure of the Gold Dragon, by Tracey West
177. One Piece Volumes 10-12, by Eiichiro Oda

Thread open after this.

Lovely topper, Rachel.

Happy new thread. xx

>14 The_Hibernator: Thanks Paul! He doesn't always look at the camera, let alone smile at it.

>16 The_Hibernator: It is very real and joyful, Rachel. A nice spontaneous photo.

Happy New Thread!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/375180

Happy new thread, Rachel!

Thanks Paul, Silver, and Meg!

Thursday I kept busy. I spent a good chunk of time continuing to try to fix the problem on the Switch. It turns out ChatGPT says the Switch is corrupt and will have to be reformatted by Nintindo, using a computer. I needed to reserve a time to do that, so have set aside a day in a couple of weeks. In the evening, the kids played Mario kart and I played D&D.

Media read from:

Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 30 minutes
The Plantagenets by Dan Jones 73 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 30 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 41 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 28 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 22 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 224 minutes

Happy new thread!

>23 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita!

Friday was a good day. I took IL6 to an appointment, then went to the gym with my dad. I was on the treadmill for an hour. I got some cross-stitch done. And lots of reading. M13 watched lots of Anime, D15 went to her mom's, and IL6 watched YouTube and played LEGO.

Media read from:

Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 90 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 30 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 111 minutes
The Week: Mainstreaming Hate 46 minutes
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 106 minutes
Dogman Unleashed, by Dav Pilkey 46 minutes

Media finished:

Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Dogman Unleashed, by Dav Pilkey

Time reading: 429 minutes

Saturday IL6 had a stomach ache because he hadn't pooped in several days. I tried giving him a bath to relax him, but it didn't help. I spent a couple hours massaging his belly. M13 watched anime. I read and cross-stitched. I also made some white chili for Aaron's lunches. Aaron cooked some red chili for dinner.

Media read from:

Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 47 minutes
The Week: Mainstreaming Hate 64 minutes
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 124 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 32 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, John Gwynne 69 minutes
Fins of Fury, by Mo O'Hara 71 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 407 minutes

Happy new thread!

>27 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

Sunday, I took IL6 to swim lessons. D15 came home from her mom's and we all (minus Dad an IL6) played Pandemic Legacy. This time, we won the game. M13 built a Duplo tower all the way to the ceiling, and it managed to stay up all night.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 62 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 28 minutes
New Scientist: Runaway Aging 44 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 31 minutes
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 112 minutes
March Book 3, by John Lewis 39 minutes
Waking the Rainbow Dragon, by Tracey West 41 minutes
Fins of Fury, by Mo O'Hara 12 minutes

Media finished:

Waking the Rainbow Dragon, by Tracey West

Time reading: 369 minutes

Monday I took IL6 to an appointment, took dad to the gym, and took M13 to an appointment. I read to D15 at the end of the day. IL6 played his new computer game and M13 watched anime.

Media read from:

Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle 85 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 31 minutes
March Book Three, by John Lewis 12 minutes
Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger 47 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 15 minutes
Mr Ballen Podcast 37 minutes

Media finished:

March BookThree, by John Lewis

Time reading: 180 minutes

Tuesday I was feeling a little off from vivid dreams the night before. I took D15 to an appointment, followed by an appointment for IL6. Aaron had the day off for Veteran's Day. He and I went out for a couple beers. In the evening, I played Minecraft with IL6, and Aaron spent an hour in line at Culver's - there was a fundraiser for the middle school band.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago Part 2 33 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 33 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 66 minutes

Wednesday I made Aaron a new pinto bean recipe for his lunches and took dad to the gym. I had to pick D15 up from school because she hurt her kneecap again. I took IL6 to an appointment and then faith Formation while Aaron took D15 to orthopedic urgent care to check out her knee. After much thought, the doctor decided to refer her to a surgeon.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 58 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 42 minutes
Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle 59 minutes
New Scientist: Runaway Aging
40 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 57 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 256 minutes

The hall monitors face one final battle when the town tours Eerie Elementary.

In this book of Sherlock Holmes short stories, the brilliant detective solves mystery after mystery. He is much more likable in this book than the last ones. Enjoyable.

Petey the Cat hatches another plot. This time creating a cardboard version of himself which tries to take over the world. Very funny.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/375310

Thanks Silver

Thursday I had an appointment in the morning. I read a lot. Dad had an appointment in the afternoon. Then I played D&D.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Dan Jones 42 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 81 minutes
The Plantagenets 57 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 180 minutes

Hi Rachel, I'm catching up on threads after being gone for a couple weeks. IL's chicken nugget, cheese, and ketchup sandwich from last week sounded pretty good, TBH.

How are the issues with your Switch going? I hope you can manage to talk to someone from Nintendo about it because I'm not sure I would trust an LLM on something like that.

>39 norabelle414: Hi Nora! Yup, I was surprised about the taste of the sandwich, lol.

I don't have time to talk to Nintendo till Thursday because I wanted to set aside a lot of time for troubleshooting. Hopefully it can be fixed!

Friday, Aaron got up 30 minutes early to get D15 to school (as she usually walks). I took IL6 to an appointment, dropped dad off at the gym, picked D15 up from school, and picked up dad from the gym. Aaron made hamburgers for dinner.I got lots of reading done.

Media read from:

Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle 37 minutes
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 79 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Dan Jones 31 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 127 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 30 minutes
Nightmare of the Iguana, by Ursula Vernon 33 minutes
Fly Guy Compilation, by Ted Arnold 23 minutes
One Piece Volume 1-3 58 minutes

Media finished:

Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Fly Guy Compilation, by Ted Arnold

Time reading: 418 minutes

Saturday Aaron and I had D&D. It was the last session of the campaign. We killed the big baddies. I am ambivalent about it ending. It'll be nice to have my Saturdays free again, but it was a really fun campaign. It was almost 3 years long.

Afterwards, we all went to Perkins for D15's early birthday celebration. Then she unwrapped presents. She seemed genuinely thrilled by all of them.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 16 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 35 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 30 minutes
Nightmare of the Iguana, by Ursula Vernon 88 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 169 minutes

Sunday we ate the cake for D15's birthday. It had the picture of an alicorn. I made some sausage stew for Aaron's lunches, and salmon for dinner. IL6 fell asleep, so I decided to skip swim lessons, since sleep is more important.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 28 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 20 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 12 minutes
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 64 minutes
The Week: Hard to Swallow 63 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 49 minutes
Nightmare of the Iguana, by Ursula Vernon 34 minutes
Fins of Fury, by Mo O’Hara 24 minutes

Media finished:

Nightmare of the Iguana, by Ursula Vernon

Time reading: 294 minutes

Monday didn't go as planned. It started fine. I took IL6 to his morning appointment, then took dad to the gym.

Then I got stuck in an online conversation with a friend who was angry at me and claimed I was intentionally attacking her. She thinks that I am angry that we disagree about Russia, and have been attacking her ever since that conversation. (Previously, she had given her reasons for supporting Russia, and I said I disagree, but there's no point in arguing about it.) I honestly couldn't care less what her opinion on Russia is - she lives in Russia, so it makes sense she'd support them. I tried smoothing it over. But I didn't know what I was doing wrong, and she claimed I did and apologizing doesn't work unless you change the behavior. We had had a bit of an argument a while back when she called me "obtuse," and I'd been very cautious ever since then, but apparently what I call "cautious" she calls "passive aggressive." She kicked me out of the group. It was disappointing.

Then I had a virtual appointment and picked D15 up from school. When IL6 got home, he, D15, Dad, and I went to Color-Me-Mine. D15 painted a yak and IL6 painted a whale spoon holder.

On the way back, IL6 pointed out "boy Wendy's," which he'd mentioned before, but we couldn't figure out what he was talking about. "Boy Wendy's" is KFC, forevermore known as "Wendell's." IL6 promised that if I got him some KFC he would eat it. In the end, he tasted the chicken and ate a few potato wedges.

Media read from:

The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen 64 minutes
Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 33 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 16 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 113 minutes

Tuesday I took D15 to an appointment and had a virtual appointment for myself. In the evening, my friend Liz popped by and we watched Doctor Who with D15 and Aaron.

Media read from:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman 14 minutes
Mr Ballen 33 minutes
The Plantagenets by Dan Jones 55 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 16 minutes
Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 59 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 20 minutes

Media finished:

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, by Tracy Borman

Time reading: 197 minutes

Wednesday I finished a letter, read, and ran errands. I took dad to the gym and hung out on the treadmill for 45 minutes. There was an IEP meeting for IL6. That went pretty well, and I am confident the new IEP will be to my liking. D15 was at practice for Quiz Bowl. Then I took IL6 to an appointment followed by faith formation.

Media read from:

Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 25 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 36 minutes
The Week: Hard to Swallow 26 minutes
The Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne 53 minutes
The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen 56 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, Part 2 by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 12 minutes

Media finished:

Hunger of the Gods, by John Gwynne

Time reading: 208 minutes

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/375552

Thanks Silver!

Thursday I had set aside the whole day, 9:30 - 3:45 to fix the Switch with Nintendo customer service. I started the morning by writing a letter, instead, lol. But at 11, I spent 20 minutes, troubleshooting with ChatGPT), on how to get to a human. There was then a lot of troubleshooting with the human, and we fixed the problem at 1:30. So not so bad! We didn't even have to factory reset! I took dad to the gym. I got on the treadmill, but dad was ready to go 8 minutes into my workout. I read a little, and then went to D15's Quiz Bowl competition. I was surprised to find out that I was the only parent to go. Isn't it just as important as a sport? I was glad I was there because they need someone rooting them on.

Media read from:

Breathless, by David Quammen 34 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 62 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 18 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 114 minutes

Friday I took D15 to her surgery consult. We decided to get some more scans of her knees before deciding if we do surgery, since the doctor was on the fence.

Media read from:

The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 75 minutes
Breathless, by David Quammen 31 minutes
The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen 59 minutes
Mr Ballen Podcast 30 minutes
Dogman A Tale of Two Kitties, by Dav Pilkey 45 minutes
One Piece Volume 1-3, by Eiichiro Oda 41 minutes
Fins of Fury, by Mo O’Hara 39 minutes

Media finished:

Fins of Fury, by Mo O’Hara
Dogman A Tale of Two Kitties, by Dav Pilkey

Time reading: 320 minutes

Saturday was calm. Aaron and IL6 went to an overnight Cub Scout event, and apparently IL6 was social for a short while. I read to D15. I got to sleep in a bed - a rare occurrence.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 93 minutes
Breathless, by David Quammen 30 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 40 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 30 minutes
One Piece 1-3, by Eiichiro Oda 107 minutes
Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger 44 minutes
One Piece Volume 4-6, by Eiichiro Oda 24 minutes

Media finished:

One Piece 1-3, by Eiichiro Oda

Time reading: 368 minutes

Sunday, Aaron and IL6 returned from the overnight Cub Scout event. He had a lot of fun. He fell asleep before swim lessons, though, and we decided he needed sleep after sleeping on concrete (he rolled off his matt). Dad was sick, so we didn't go to Mass.

I made some chicken noodle soup for Aaron's lunches. I made a new D&D character for IL6. It's a half spider/half cat wizard named Hippopotamus. I made spaghetti for dinner. Aaron shopped and picked up M13 from his mom's house.

In the evening, we played D&D. I was DM. IL6 was Hippopotamus; Frank, a wizard cat; and Fark, a pet megalodon warlock. Aaron was a paladin named Sans. M13 was a barbarian named Pizza Sauce (only spelled more cleverly than that). D15 was 3 kobolds in a trenchcoat. They stood on top of each other and pretended to be a dragonborn.

They role played meeting on a road on a way to San Citlan. Then when they entered a village on the way to San Citlan, they ran into 7 bounty hunters that attacked them, and killed all but one, who ran away. When the group searched the bodies, they found a poster for a woman called Paloma, for a bounty of 500 gold pieces.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 32 min
Breathless, by David Quammen 19 minutes
The Bad Guys in Look Who’s Talking, by Aaron Blabey 43 min

Media finished:

The Bad Guys in Look Who’s Talking, by Aaron Blabey

Time reading: 88 minutes

Monday, IL6 woke with a fever, which hovered all day between 103-104F. I decided if it got up to 104.5, I'd take him into urgent care, but it didn't. IL6 wanted me to check his temperature every half hour to hour all day. He threw up twice. Dad was also sick with the same bug.

I read, did laundry, cross-stitched, wrote a letter, played Minecraft with IL6, and helped Aaron make dinner. D15 walked around school all day without crutches. She was concerned about her knee when she got home, but it didn't hurt. M13 and Aaron played Axis and Allies in the evening.

Media read from:

Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 22 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 38 minutes
The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen 82 minutes
Breathless, by David Quammen 45 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 52 minutes
Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger 35 minutes
One Piece Volumes 4-6 30 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 304 minutes

Here's the Thanksgiving readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/375632

Thanks Silver!

Tuesday IL6 was home again, because he'd had a fever within 24 hours of the school day. In the evening, Aaron and I watched an episode of Andor.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 89 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 65 minutes
Breathless, by David Quammen 30 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 184 minutes

You stay so busy, Rachel, it's just amazing to me. Great going , an hour on the treadmill. Muffin, our dog, will be 2 at the end of December. She's a great dog, just has separation anxiety , which is a little hard for us. We are working on it though.

>56 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb! Time just passes so quickly!

Wednesday there was a "blizzard" which had maybe half an inch of snow blowing around. The wind actually blew me backwards when I first stepped out, and I had to lean into the wind to get to my car. I told dad to cancel his appointments because it was too windy for him to step out. So, instead I had a nice break. The older kids left with their mom.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 22 minutes

Media finished:

Gulag Archipelago Part 2, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn

Time reading: 22 minutes

On Thanksgiving, I got home from work to find the kitchen trashed. I knew I couldn't cook like that, so I cleaned it. I cooked turkey, stuffing, sausage and veggies, and au gratin potatoes. We also had a key lime pie. It was just Aaron, IL6, and me.

Media read from:

The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 55 minutes
Breathless, by David Quammen 63 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 54 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Volume 3 81 minutes
The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen 46 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 299 minutes

Friday was a relaxing day. We ate leftovers. Dad and I went to the gym. IL6 took two naps. I read. Aaron played board games with friends.

Media read from:

Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen 75 minutes
Breathless, by David Quammen 33 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 111 minutes
One Piece Volumes 4-6, by Eiichiro Oda 65 minutes
The Week: A Gift to Russia? 45 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 28 minutes
The Sleepwalking Snowman, by Andres Miedoso 30 minutes
Live and Let Swim, by Mo O’Hara 34 minutes

Media finished:

The Sleepwalking Snowman, by Andres Miedoso

Time reading: 393 minutes

Saturday we all mostly relaxed, besides getting some housework and the shoveling done. IL6 and I played Minecraft. IL6 played Spore. Aaron and I chatted.

Media read from:

Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 29 minutes
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 51 minutes
Breathless, by David Quammen 30 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Volume 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 34 minutes
Live and Let Swim, by Mo O'Hara 65 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 208 minutes

Sunday IL6 and Aaron played Diablo. IL6 and I went to the library. IL6 and M13 played Minecraft. D15 dyed her hair a darker pink, but it didn't show up this time, either. And the family went out to Olive Garden.

Media read from:

Dogman and Cat Kid, by Dav Pilkey 47 minutes
Live and Let Swim, by Mo O’Hara 48 minutes

Media finished:

Dogman and Cat Kid, by Dav Pilkey

Time reading: 95 minutes

Monday, I took IL6 to an appointment and then dad to the gym. After the gym, dad was more out of breath than usual, and I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to connect the nebulizer. The instructions were "connect the tubing and add the medicine." It was unclear how to do either at first.

While I was giving dad the nebulizer, the middle school called to tell me M13 had been sitting in the office for 45 minutes waiting for me. I had accidentally said I would pick him up Monday instead of Tuesday. Oops! I had a virtual appointment later.

D13 came home upset because she didn't mesh well with her personal finance teacher. M13 went to Boy Scouts and then played Kirby with IL6.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 66 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 9 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 27 minutes
Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 20 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 131 minutes

Tuesday I took D16 to an appointment. M13 was supposed to have an appointment, but they cancelled. Instead, I took Dad to get a pedicure and made some phone calls. I got some reading in since Aaron was playing a game with his friends. IL6 made a Super Mario Maker level for M13.

Media read from:

The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 27 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 62 minutes
Mr Ballen Podcast 39 minutes
Breathless, by David Quammen 78 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 206 minutes

Wednesday morning, I had a chat with a friend in the morning. Then I took Dad to the gym. I didn't work out because I was was tired, but I sat in the sauna for a while. I took M13 to an appointment then cross-stitched. In the late afternoon, I took IL6 to an appointment, then faith formation.

Media read from:

The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 30 minutes
The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 43 minutes
One Piece Volumes 4-6, by Eiichiro Oda 39 minutes
The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen 119 minutes
Gulag Archipelago Volume 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 16 minutes

Media finished:

One Piece Volumes 4-6

Time reading: 247 minutes

Tom and Pradeep have two more adventures: one, a camping trip where a monster is prowling; the second a plot to kidnap all the paranormal pets in the area.

Petey finds that being a dad is more than he’d bargained for.

The stories of Orka, Varg, and Elvar continues in this second book of the Bloodsworn Saga. Despite being long, the book holds attention throughout. It is exciting. It has good world-building and good character development.

Wendell is having nightmares, so Danny and Suki enter his dreams to save him from going insane.

Wolf and Short Fuse continue their journey.

A boy eats a gum-gum fruit and becomes a gummy man. He sails around randomly looking for a crew so he can be a pirate captain. Good start to the manga series.

This is a continuation of Solzhenitzyn’s recounting of the gulag prisons in Russia. Not exciting reading, but an important work.

This history describes not only the life of Henry VIII, but also the histories of powerful men he worked with through his reign. I found the book well-written, and it seemed well-researched.

The Dragon Masters bring rain back to a foreign land by saving a rainbow dragon.

In the final installment of Lewis’ graphic memoir, more people die, more marches happen, and a federal law is finally made. This series was educational and heartbreaking.

When people think a cursed hound attacks a man, Holmes and Watson explore the mystery. This is my favorite of the series so far.

Three weeks' worth of reviews. I'm all caught up!

>83 The_Hibernator: Maybe not my favourite (I have a soft spot for The Sign of Four) but I do like that episode of Sherlock.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/375863

>72 The_Hibernator: Great photos! Thanks for posting them

>83 The_Hibernator: "The Hound" is a funny one. Holmes is off stage for so much of the story and we get to see Watson on his own which i kind of liked.

The ending is hell for leather exciting and the denouement quite satisfactory.

The glory of the Holmes stories is that you can read and read them for pleasure, and not just for the solution to the mystery.

>86 SilverWolf28: thanks Silver

>86 SilverWolf28: >87 magicians_nephew: Hi Jim! Yes, this was my favorite of the books so far, for the reasons you see. It's also nice because Watson's personality it very different than Holmes'. Though Holmes has developed since the first book

Thursday, D16 had an appointment right after work, and dad had an appointment in the middle of the day. I got some reading and writing done. I played D&D in the evening while Aaron went to a DFL happy hour and M13 played Mario Kart with IL6.

Media read from:

The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones 54 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 31 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 35 minutes
History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer 22 minutes
Breathless, by David Quammen 37 minutes
The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 17 minutes

Media finished:

The Plantagenets, by Dan Jones

Time reading: 196 minutes

M13 is looking like a real teenager. How did that happen???

>91 norabelle414: I know. It was quite sudden.

Friday I took dad to the gym, but he threw up and we had to go home. M13 played Minecraft with IL6. Aaron played computer games with his friends.

Media read from:

The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen 102 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 32 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 30 minutes
Breathless, by David Quammen
Shine of the Silver Dragon, by Tracey West 60 minutes
The Case of the Toxic Mutants, by Ursula Vernon 12 minutes

Media finished:

Shine of the Silver Dragon, by Tracey West

Time reading: 246 minutes

Saturday Aaron went to the DFL coffee meeting before talking to his mom. I made chickpea curry. M13, Dad and I went Christmas shopping. Aaron and IL6 also went Christmas shopping.

Media read from:

Survey of Hinduism by Klaus K Klostermaier 28 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 29 minutes
Determined, by Robert Sapolsky 27 minutes
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 64 minutes
The Case of the Toxic Mutants, by Ursula Vernon 101 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 249 minutes

Sunday we celebrated IL7's birthday. We had a cake with cake pop eyeballs and presents and played D&D, where the group battled mirror world Shrek and Fiona. (Which is what IL7 wanted to do.) IL7 and I also built a snowman. The snow was very dry and powdery, so it ended up being a very small snowman that we squashed together using body heat. The head exploded as soon as we stuck the carrot in, so we had to get creative. We dyed IL7's hair purple, too. It turned out really nice. He had a high fever by the end of the night, though.

Media read from:

A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 9 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 21 minutes
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 54 minutes
Determined: Life Without Free Will, by Robert Sapolsky 105 minutes
One Piece Volumes 7-9, by Eiichiro Oda 54 minutes
The Case of the Toxic Mutants, by Ursula Vernon 24 minutes
Live and Let Swim, by Mo O'Hara 14 minutes

Media finished:

The Case of the Toxic Mutants, by Ursula Vernon

Time reading: 281 minutes

Monday IL7 was sick. He had a high fever and was lethargic. I took him to urgent care. He has "A viral infection" and a mild ear infection. We played his new Mario game on the Switch.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago Volume 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 73 minutes
The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen 53 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 32 minutes
Determined by Robert Sapolsky 33 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 191 minutes

Tuesday IL7 was home sick again. He still had a fever, but was feeling much better. I cooked some Southwestern chicken and rice for Aaron's lunches, pork chops for IL7 and M13, and meatloaf for dinner. Right about the time I was finally going to settle down and read, dad asked me to call an ambulance because he was having chest pain. I told him to take a nitroglycerin, and it went away. Then he couldn't catch his breath, so we gave him the nebulizer at the suggestion of the on-call nurse. He also had a fever. I stayed home from work because there was a snowstorm. Getting IL7 to take his antibiotic was like pulling his teeth.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago Volume 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 34 minutes
The History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer 24 minutes
Live and Let Swim, by Mo O’Hara 57 minutes

Media finished:

Live and Let Swim, by Mo O’Hara

Time reading: 115 minutes

Wednesday M13 had a virtual appointment, then I got him McDonald's and took him to school. IL7 was home sick again, so I played Super Mario 3D World with him, which was fun. We were trying really hard to get all the stars, and we finished levels 1-1 and 1-2 (multiple times each because some stars are hard to get).

At that point, dad said he thought he had pneumonia and that he couldn't get out of the chair. I gave him a nebulizer and called 911. After 5 hours in the ER, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and checked in to the hospital.

Aaron went to a tour of a magnet school D16 is interested in attending. It is a science-based one, located at the zoo.

>98 The_Hibernator: A school at the zoo? Can I go??

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/376093

>99 norabelle414: I know, right? I would have loved it. I'm surprised D wants to go, though, because she is not interested in science and hates group work.

Thursday IL7 was still home sick. Aaron sat with him for the day. I took D16 to an appointment, then went to visit dad in the hospital. The social worker called and said dad was cleared by physical therapy to be released - with in-home physical therapy for a while. She said the doctor said he could maybe be released Friday. Dad's at-home nurse came to visit, as well.

>97 The_Hibernator: Sympathies for you and your Dad. Chest pains in a person with heart history -- always hard to know what to do and when to panic and when to get a good ngihts sleep.

>103 magicians_nephew: Hi Jim! Yes, it was stressful. But he got a much better night's sleep at home, and I he would have been hospitalized either way, I think.

Friday, Dad was still in the hospital and IL7 was still home sick (though it was the first day all week that he didn't have a fever). I played Minecraft with IL7 and did a bunch of laundry. IL7 also wrote a Scratch program. M13 played on the computer. When Aaron was off work at 5, I went to visit Dad.

Media read from:

Gulag Archipelago Part 3, by Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn 77 minutes
Determined, by Robert Sapolsky 46 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 60 minutes
The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen 68 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 32 minutes
Night of the Zombie Zookeeper, by Andres Miedoso 34 minutes
The Bad Guys in the Serpent and the Beast, by Aaron Blabey 22 minutes
Jurassic Carp, by 35 minutes

Media finished:

Night of the Zombie, by Andres Miedoso
The Bad Guys in the Serpent and the Beast, by Aaron Blabey
The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Time reading: 374 minutes

Saturday dad got out of the hospital. D16 was starting to get sick. IL7, Aaron and I played Minecraft. M13 watched TV. In the end, the family finally got to go out to Red Lobster for IL7's birthday.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 55 minutes
The History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer 72 minutes
Determined, by Robert Sapolsky 57 minutes
The Frail Snail on the Trail, by Brian P Cleary 30 minutes
Knight-Napped!, by Ursula Vernon 61 minutes

Media finished:

Time reading: 275 minutes

Sunday was busy as usual. I made some taco soup, caught up on housework, and played Minecraft with IL7. Aaron, IL7, and I went to swim lessons, and he dunked his head under the water. M13 and IL7 played with the magnetic tiles. D16 played D&D.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 23 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 36 minutes
One Piece Volumes 7-9, by Eiichiro Oda 26 minutes
The Frail Snail on the Trail, by Brian P Cleary 8 minutes
Double Creature Feature, by Andres Miedoso 38 minutes

Media finished:

Double Creature Feature, by Andres Miedoso

Time reading: 131 minutes

Monday was a busy day. IL7 had an appointment, followed by an appointment for me. I had lots of tasks to do since Dad just got out of the hospital and we're about to go on vacation. Then I took IL7 Christmas shopping. I spent a couple hours wrapping presents, and finished about half of it. Glad I started early.

Media read from:

Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger 44 minutes
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 113 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 158 minutes

Tuesday the high schools were closed because someone on the internet was threatening to shoot up more than one of the district's schools. D16 stayed home, but they kept the middle school and elementary schools open.

I was supposed to take D16 to an appointment, but it was cancelled by the provider, so I was able to finish wrapping presents. That took forever!

Aaron and I had a video appointment and then we were supposed to have an IEP meeting for D16. She, Aaron, and I sat on the bed waiting for the Zoom link to work, then it was rescheduled for Friday. Such a waste of a half hour.

My dad's at home nurse came to do an after-hospital visit. That went smoothly. Then IL6 played his new computer game while I wrote a letter.

In the evening, my friend Liz came and we watched Doctor Who with Aaron, Dad, and D16.

Media read from:

History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer 78 minutes
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 34 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 112 minutes

Wednesday I got the rest of the Christmas cards mailed and ran errands. There seems to be a multi-step process to make sure everyone has enough meds to make it through the vacation.

In the evening, I took IL7 to an appointment, followed by faith formation. I actually got an hour of reading done! Dad's SpO2 was in the low 80's all day.

Media read from:

One Piece Volumes 7-9, by Eiichiro Oda 45 minutes
Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 100 minutes
Survey of Hinduism , by Klaus K Klostermaier 19 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 8 minutes

Media finished:

One Piece Volume 7-9, by Eiichiro Oda

Time reading: 153 minutes

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/376375

Thanks Silver!

Thursday, I took Dad to his primary care provider to follow-up after his hospital visit. His PCP seemed pretty dire about Dad's oxygen levels, which was worrisome. Dad wanted to stop by the gym to talk to his physical trainer, but she wasn't around. I popped by the library with IL7. Then I played D&D in the evening.

Media read from:

The History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer 76 minutes
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 47 minutes

Media finished:

None

Time reading: 123 minutes

Friday I made the hard decision to stay home for Christmas because of Dad's unstable health. (The family is going to visit my in-laws for a week.) I had thought Dad was going to be angry, since he'd gotten angry when I suggested it a week earlier, but he actually seemed relieved. However, it was a sad decision, since I didn't really want to separate from the family for Christmas. But I'll read to IL7 by video call instead of in person before he goes to bed at night, and I'll celebrate Christmas with my friend, who is also alone on Christmas this year.

I took IL7 to an appointment and attempted l yet another IEP meeting for D16. Again, the Zoom link failed. I picked up M13, who was sick, and ran to get a COVID/flu test (negative). Aaron decided if M13 had a fever in the morning, they wouldn't go, either.

To finish the day off, we opened presents to each other (Santa hadn't come yet), then packed. Except M13. Apparently he missed the packing memo.

Media read from:

The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 60 minutes
Determined: Life Without Free Will, by Robert Sapolsky 71 minutes
Lord of the Fleas, by Dav Pilkey 40 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 171 minutes

Saturday M13 didn't have a fever, so I drove the family to the airport and they flew off to see Popo. By the time they made it to her house, M13 had a fever again.

I had a good day quietly hanging out with my dad. I did all the laundry. I read. I wrote 2 letters. (I have 9 more to complete this week, then I'm caught up.) I stayed up late so I could read to IL7 by video call.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 80 minutes
Determined, by Robert Sapolsky 58 minutes
Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 15 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 77 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 29 minutes
One Piece Volumes 10-12, by Eiichiro Oda 89 minutes
Captain America: This is Captain America, by Brooke Dworkin 9 minutes
Knight-Napped!, by Ursula Vernon 30 min

Media finished: none

Time reading: 387 minutes

Sunday, I wrote two letters, read a lot, and spent a long time cleaning the living room (which will stay clean for another 6 days, at which point it will transition to instantly trashed without an in-between state). Dad and I went out to Olive Garden. I read to IL7 over video call.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 69 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 58 minutes
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 12 minutes
Determined: Life Without Free Will, by Robert Sapolsky 97 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 31 minutes
One Piece Volumes 10-12, by Eiichiro Oda 39 minutes
Knight-Napped!, by Ursula Vernon 38 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 344 minutes

Sorry you're missing out Christmas with the rest of your family, Rachel, but I hope you and your dad and your friend have a relaxing one.

>117 norabelle414: Thanks Nora!

Monday I made some baked beans for Aaron's lunches next week. I did a lot of reading and writing, and spent a little more time cleaning the living room. I read to IL7 over video call.

Media read from:

The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 60 minutes
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 60 minutes
Determined: Life without Free Will, by Robert Sapolsky 75 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 30 minutes
One Piece Volumes 10-12, by Eiichiro Oda 86 minutes
Knight-Napped!, by Ursula Vernon 37 minutes
Jurassic Carp, by Mo O’Hara 54 minutes

Media finished:

Knight- Napped, by Ursula Vernon
One Piece Volume 9-12, by Eiichiro Oda

Time reading: 402 minutes

Here's the Christmas readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/376543

Thanks Silver!

Tuesday I wrote two letters, scrubbed the floors, and watched "Death on the Nile" with dad. I didn't get much reading done. I read to IL7 at night. The electricity in my room and to the router went out, interrupting the story, then IL7 fell asleep before I finished the book.

Media read from:

The History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer 57 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 34 minutes
Determined: Life without Free Will, by Robert Sapolsky 28 minutes
Treasure of the Golden Dragon, by Tracey West 46 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 165 minutes

Merry Christmas! 🎄

Thanks Silver!

Christmas eve, Dad and I watched "Crazy Rich Asians." I read to IL7 till 2am.

Media read from:

Treasure of the Gold Dragon, by Tracey West 10 minutes
The Frozen Menace, by Ursula Vernon 73 minutes

Media finished:

Treasure of the Gold Dragon, by Tracey West

Time reading: 83 minutes

Merry Christmas, Rachel. I hope you had a relaxing time in your clean home with your Dad and friend!

>134 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg! You too!

Christmas was calm. My friend Liz came over and we played board games. Then I cooked steaks for dinner. I read to IL7 till 2am.

Media read from:

One Piece Volume 13-15, by Eiichiro Oda 32 minutes
Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 60 minutes
Determined: Life Without Free Will, by Robert Sapolsky 25 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 70 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 33 minutes
The Frozen Menace, by Ursula Vernon 77 minutes

Media finished:

The Frozen Menace, by Ursula Vernon

Time reading: 297 minutes

By the way, there's a new place to hang out! Come join me... https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/25017/75-Books-Challenge-for-2026

>137 drneutron: Cool! I'll make a thread in a bit.

Thanks for all you do, Jim!

Friday I ran a bunch of errands, cooked dinner, watched Elevation with Dad, and read to IL7 to 2am.

Media read from:

Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle 43 minutes
We Shall Be Monsters, by Alyssa Wees 20 minutes
History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer 59 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 29 minutes
Determined: Life Without Free Will, by Robert Sapolsky 65 minutes
The Bad Guys in One Last Thing, by Aaron Blabey 20 minutes
Jurassic Carp, by Mo O’Hara 68 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 30 minutes

Media finished:

Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Bad Guys in One Last Thing, by Aaron Blabey

Time reading: 334 minutes

Saturday I wrote a letter and got out the size up in clothes for IL7. Only there were no size 7 shirts and only 4 size 6 pants. I got out size 8 shirts and will buy size 6 pants. Then dad and I watched Fahrenheit 451. I didn't read to myself because I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I read to IL7 for a bit.

Media read from:

Jurassic Carp, by Mo O’Hara 30 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 30 minutes

Sunday morning, I was pondering what to do about an email saying Aaron and the kids' flight had been cancelled when dad called out. He had been in intense pain all night and wanted to go to the ER. So I called for an ambulance. At the ER, they X-rayed dad's hip, and found nothing. He was sent home.

I wrote a letter, read, and watched Electric State with dad. I read to IL7 at night. Aaron rescheduled his flight for 6:30am Monday, which meant he needed to get up at 1am.

Media read from:

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy 118 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 27 minutes
A Survey of Hinduism, by Klaus K Klostermaier 12 minutes
Castle Hangnail, by Ursula Vernon 64 minutes
Jurassic Carp, by Mo O’Hara 17 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 234 minutes

Monday, started with picking up my family at the airport. It was nice to see them. We opened Santa's presents. M13 loved his rave gloves. IL7 got lots of knock off LEGO, I got nonfiction books and a Groot figurine. D16 got books and a shower speaker. Aaron got a new Swiss Army knife, as he had to throw his out at the airport.

Later, the family, including dad, went to Perkins. It was the first time dad had been outside for pretty much a week, except the ER. The snow hadn't been cleared yet, but he managed.

I mostly read, IL7 watched Wall-E, Aaron unpacked, D16 put together IL7's frog LEGO for his birthday, M13 played on his phone.

I ended the night going to work. My supervisor had gifted me soda! It made me so happy!

Media read from:

The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 74 minutes
Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem 20 minutes
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel 30 minutes
We Shall Be Monsters, by Alyssa Wees 47 minutes
History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer 19 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 190 minutes

Here's the New Year's readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/377057

Thanks Silver!

Tuesday I took D16 to an appointment and had to take IL7 along because he was at home. Dad had an appointment with his at home nurse later in the day. I played Minecraft with IL7. Read. Worked on my to-do list. D16 put together some of IL7's LEGO.

Media read from:

We Shall Be Monsters, by Alyssa Wees 15 minutes
History of the Ancient World, by Susan Wise Bauer 31 minutes
Mr Ballen podcast 47 minutes
Hangnail Castle, by Ursula Vernon 54 minutes
The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan 49 minutes

Media finished: none

Time reading: 196 minutes

Dogman and Lil’ Petey stop Petey’s evil plan to make Lil’ Petey evil and to take over the city with a giant taco.

Snake and Wolf battle it out.

Tom and Pradeep take Frankie to an aquarium, where he is almost eaten by an octopus. Then they try to audition for My Pet’s Got Talent

Danny, Wendell, and Christiana use mad detective skills to investigate Danny’s grandfather’s missing dentures.

Wolf is Shortfuse’s new apprentice.

When Danny’s fire goes out, he, Wendell, and Christiana go to the Farthest North to find a phoenix egg.

Danny, Wendell, and Christiana are kidnapped by knights while trying to save Danny’s cousin.

Monkey D Luffy and his crew save a town from cat pirates. Then they seek out a cook, but the cook’s ship is attacked by pirates. Zoro fights the world’s greatest swordsman.

Dan Jones describes the Plantagenets from the first to the last king. This is surprisingly engaging (I was expecting a little dry). I would definitely suggest to people interested in monarchs.

The Dragon Masters race to save an important key from Mordred.

The narrator of this story is a spy for the communists during the Vietnam war. It describes a lot of complaints about how the US handled the war. It was much more character/situation-based than plot based. Very well written, and thought-provoking.

The crew wants to save Nami from some fishman pirates.

Another set of short stories involving Sherlock Holmes and his great friend Watson. Obviously intended on being the last book in the series. Obviously wasn’t the last. I like how much Holmes’ personality has developed through the last several books.

The Dragon Masters race to stop Maldrid from getting the golden key that will release the Naga.

Our group battles Arlong, a beautiful pirate, and enters the Grand Line.

Hi Rachel!

Line in the sand, and I'll try to visit you this coming year.

Happy New Year!

Thanks Karen and Silver!