Monday, October 5, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Oct. 5, 2020)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.


It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Other Than Reading... 

This past week was an anniversary of sorts. My brother had a heart attack and a triple bypass on Sept. 19, 2019. As a result he had to go through a course of rehab and change his diet. Since I knew my diet wasn't the best, I decided that I should go along on his journey to health. We cleaned out the cupboards and pantry for unhealthy foods, stocked again with healthy food, and bought cookbooks featuring no-salt and heart healthy recipes.

I bake most of our bread these days. My brother still does most of the cooking but he is very conscious of the fat, salt and sugar contents of the recipes he chooses. He's getting really good at adapting recipes to make them healthier. He also does most of the grocery shopping and has developed an eagle eye for healthy choices. 

I first weighed in on Sept. 29 to get a baseline. On Sept. 29, 2020, I found that I had lost 45 pounds over the course of the year. My brother - who didn't have as much to lose as I did - has lost about 25 pounds. He is now in the healthy range on BMI charts whereas I'm still a pound or two away from that range.  I have also had a couple of medications reduced and a couple more stopped entirely. 

On the whole, I get a lot more exercise - weather and pandemic permitting - than I was getting a year ago. This week has been both cold and gloomy and has kept me indoors which was okay since I watched baseball continually for two days of the week and a substantial amount on a couple of other days. My Braves have advanced to the next round!

September Reading

I read 28 books in September with a total of 10,419 pages. Thirteen were audiobooks that were all rereads. I also read 12 review books in September.

I added 16 books to my collection including 5 new review books and 2 audiobooks. Eleven are still on the TBR pile. My TBR mountain now totals 2,221 including some that have been lingering there since 2008.

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)
  • Silent Bite by David Rosenfelt (Review; Oct. 13) - Engaging first person mystery that is 22nd in a series. Andy Carpenter reluctantly takes a case for a man accused of murder which opens up all sorts of past secrets. My review will be posted on October 10.
  • Lake Silence by Anne Bishop (Mine; Audiobook) - I wanted to listen again to an old favorite.
  • The Emperor's Wolves by Michelle Sagara (Review; Oct. 13) - This book begins a new series set in the world of Elantra and stars Severn Handred. Excellent fantasy. My review will be posted on October 13.
  • Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara (Mine; Kindle & Audiobook) - I decided to read and listen to the rest of the Chronicles in Elantra series after reading the previous book. I first read this one sometime before 2008 and have read all the rest of the series as they were published. My review will be posted on December 5.
Currently
Next Week
Reviews Posted
Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Print
Audiobooks
  • Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara (Chronicles of Elantra 1) - I already have the print and Kindle version.
  • Cast in Courtlight by Michelle Sagara (Chronicles of Elantra 2) - I already had the print version but added the Kindle too.
  • Cast in Secret by Michelle Sagara (Chronicles of Elantra 3)  - I already had the print version but added the Kindle too.
  • Cast in Fury by Michelle Sagara (Chronicles of Elantra 4) - I already had the print version but added the Kindle too.
  • Cast in Silence by Michelle Sagara (Chronicles of Elantra 5)  - I already had the print version but added the Kindle too.
Review
What was your week like?


14 comments:

  1. Your cozies look good, and so does the Jayne Ann Krentz book.

    Congrats on the healthy eating. I have been doing more of that since I got sick last year.

    Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  2. That weight loss is great, and you must feel the benefit in improved health too. We seem to have alternating days of very wet, autumnal weather and sunshine.
    Happy reading!

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  3. That’s an incredible weight loss, congrats on the healthy eating!

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  4. Congrats on the weight loss! That's wonderful. Your books all look great. Enjoy and have a great week!

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  5. You and your brother should feel extremely proud of your work toward becoming more healthy this year. If all of us did this, most doctors could go out of business.

    Very curious about Deadly Education. I'm seeing that book all over the place.

    Have a lovely week!

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  6. Congrats on the weight loss! That's amazing!

    Nice lineup too! Quite a few new to me ones. I hope you enjoy your reads for this week!


    Here's my Monday Wrap-up

    Have a GREAT day!

    Old Follower :)

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  7. Good for you and your brother ! That took a lot of work and resolve !

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  8. Congrats on the success that your healthy habits have brought you and your brother. I need to get back to better eating habits to go along with the exercise!

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  9. I did the same with a diet and exercise overhaul and lost almost 15 pounds. My husband, lost a lot of weight too. The average American diet is SO bad for us! I've got to check out The Bodies in the Library.
    My It's Monday post is here: http://baystatera.com/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-10-5-20/

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  10. It sounds like your brother is doing well, and that you both have benefited from the lifestyle changes. As someone who also went through that I'm glad things are going well for you guys.

    Be well this week!

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  11. Bodies in the Library looks fun. Check out what I read last week.

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  12. Congratulations on your weight loss! It's so hard to make those changes.

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  13. Well done for you and your brother! It sounds like you both have improved your health too.
    You have so many good books as usual. Lady of Ashes looks interesting to me.
    Happy Reading!

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  14. Yeah for that progress in your health journey! Best wishes! And sounds like a pretty good reading week! Yeah for Michelle Sagara's writing! I love the series, and I'm so glad that Severn is getting POV books! Thanks for stopping by! Happy reading!

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