Weekly Recap #147: Week of 3/15 – 3/21

 

It’s time for another weekly recap post of all things happening on and off the blog. This week I’ll be linking to the Sunday Post, which is hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

I don’t know about you guys but I’m feeling mentally exhausted right now.  My first thought with all of the social distancing going on because of COVID-19 was “No problem. I’ll just get ahead on my reading.” But the reality for me is that news of the virus has become all consuming and I can’t concentrate on anything that I sit down to read.  Schools are now closed here until at least April 14th and as of this past Friday, the firm I work for has shut its doors and set us all up to work remotely.  The work part is good news because I know many others will not have that luxury, but I am still proceeding on the assumption that I will probably be laid off at some point.  I hope I’m overreacting, but as someone old enough to remember 2008 and who got laid off then, the similarities are eerie so it’s on my mind a lot contributing to my distraction.

But we are definitely doing our part with the social distancing, only going out when absolutely necessary.  The stores are still mostly empty, but I was at least able to get some bread yesterday and some cat litter because in the initial panic, I forgot my cat has other needs besides eating, lol.  Still no Lysol, wipes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, frozen pizzas, and also no yeast, vegetable oil or eggs.  I’m still trying to figure out the rush on oil (baking bread maybe?), but pickings are definitely slim everywhere.  I have a few packs of yeast, so I made an Amish friendship bread starter so that if the bread continues to be an issue, I can at least bake my own.

But yeah, anyway, reading has definitely suffered because of this.  I managed to read one book this week and it was a backlist read, Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas.  I’m slowly working my way through Code Name Helaine right now and hope to finish that historical fiction today.  That will at least finish out my March ARCs anyway.

Oh well, I think that’s pretty much it for me.  Have a great week and stay safe, everyone!

WHAT I POSTED LAST WEEK

 

 

WHAT I’M READING THIS WEEK

 

 
  
    
 

 UPCOMING REVIEWS

 

 
  
 
 

 STACKING THE SHELVES

 

      
        
 

TOTALLY RANDOM

 

40 replies
  1. Sam@wlabb
    Sam@wlabb says:

    I am glad you don’t have to go out in this mess, but I do hope your job stays safe. That’s just another stressor to deal with, when our plates are already full. Be well and stay safe

  2. Tanya @ Girl Plus Books
    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books says:

    I feel the same way, Suzanne. I have no issue staying at home and keeping my distance, but all the dire news is emotionally draining. And I can’t concentrate on reading at all. It sounds like a wonderful escape… but it’s just not happening. I so hope that your job continues to be safe.

  3. Angela
    Angela says:

    I hope that as long as you’re able to work remotely, your job will be safe. It’s really stressful out there. Glad you’re staying safe and hopefully the stores will be restocked soon!

  4. Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy
    Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy says:

    The world is so strange right now! I’m one of those unfortunate people who was temporarily laid off, since my company just can’t function remotely. I’m trying to look on the bright side but it’s hard. At least I have a job to go back to when all this social distancing/lockdown is over. Our schools here are shut down for the rest of the school year! And I’ve found the key to concentrating on reading is choosing books I’m super excited to read. For me this means jumping ahead to April and May releases that I would normally wait a bit on. I got completely sucked into a book yesterday and read 300 pages, which I’ve never done before! Stay safe and good luck finding those elusive groceries and supplies😁

  5. sjhigbee
    sjhigbee says:

    Keeping my fingers crossed that your job stays safe – Himself is waiting to hear if train services are going to be cut back, but I’m just keeping my head down. It’s miserable that folks are waiting to hear if their livelihoods are threatened on top of all the other stuff crashing down around us. Thank goodness for books… I hope you have a peaceful week, Suzanne, and stay safe:)

  6. Sophie
    Sophie says:

    I know what you mean by not focusing easily on a read Suzanne! I have everything that I need right now grocery wise and I work from home. We are still allow to go outside to do some sport but not with other people and we have to keep our distance. Stay safe!

  7. Vi @Inkvotary
    Vi @Inkvotary says:

    Yesterday I saw in the news a completely empty New York Times Square. I had the pictures I took while there during my time in the US in my hands and it was totally surreal. Do you have grocerie stores in your area from other nationalities, like a mexican shop or spanish? Because I heard that they don´t have the problems with empty shelves etc. At least I heard that from some of my friends who live in California. Stay safe, healthy and hang in there!

  8. Anne - Books of My Heart
    Anne - Books of My Heart says:

    I’m also having the difficult to concentrate which means I’m reading more I want to read it books. My schedule will be a bit off but luckily I’m not on any blog tours right now. We did a lot of sleeping this week with spring break but now we will have to be more productive as my daughter goes back to school online.

    Have a healthy week and read some good books!

    Anne – Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post   

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Yeah, I hadn’t signed up for any blog tours either and I’m really glad since I’m struggling so much with my reading right now. I’m trying to figure out how to keep my son occupied now since as of yesterday, our schools are closed for the rest of the school year.

  9. Michelle @ Fitkittymama Reads
    Michelle @ Fitkittymama Reads says:

    I’m working from home as well. I work in a service call center for a retail company and think at some point, depending on how long this continues, that they are not going to be able to support all of us. There has been a surge in calls this past week, but I anticipate that tapering off as people will have much more on their mind than buying furniture and home decor. Or no money from not working.
    I’m trying to focus on reading, but definitely not able to put the time in that I normally do. I have taken to watching the Great British Baking Show before bed every night so I can relax enough to sleep without anxiety taking control.
    We have frozen pizzas available in our area, but there are other things… like bologna and frozen waffles that are sold out.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I need to find something light and fluffy to watch at night. That’s when my brain just goes into overdrive and I start worrying about everything.

  10. Amber Elise @ Du Livre
    Amber Elise @ Du Livre says:

    I think we all need a day of selfcare, I want to read so badly but I just get sidetracked with all the news from all around the world. We just got out of quarantine because there was a case at Matt’s school earlier this month, and now the whole state is on quarantine, haha!

    I’ve never made bread, sounds like you guys are well repared!

  11. ShootingStarsMag
    ShootingStarsMag says:

    It really does take over everything – it’s hard to think or talk about much else these days. I am trying to read as much as I can, but it’s a slow process. I didn’t read too much last week but I’m hoping I’ll get into the swing of it again soon. Just trying to find other things to occupy my mind too!! I’m glad you’re able to work from home, but I hope you aren’t eventually laid off!!

    -Lauren

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I hope not either. So far we are staying pretty busy so hopefully that will continue long enough that we can ride this out.

  12. Greg
    Greg says:

    Same here on cat litter. In the initial planning to get some things we totally forgot about that! Haha. It is crazy and so stressful right now, especially wih all the uncertainty about how long this thing will last. Rough times.

    Good luck with the work thing- hopefully it doesn’t come to layoffs. Everything is so up in the air right now…

    My reading has been almost nonexistent. There’s just so much happening it’s hard to concentrate. Be safe and well this week!

  13. Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction says:

    I can totally relate to the inability to focus on much besides the virus!! I did end up reading two books last week, but one of them one was a middle grade epistolary book that I had for a blog tour—it was a good thing, since that type of super quick reading was all I could really manage. I read that in the middle of last week, and haven’t gotten more than 20 pages into anything else! But we are keeping ourselves distracted with games and movies and home improvement, so it hasn’t been so bad. I just have to keep myself from compulsively checking the news every five minutes.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      That’s great you are finding some fun things to do while stuck at home. Yes, I really need to make myself tune out the news more. All it does is stress me out even more.

  14. Ali @ Our Book Boyfriends
    Ali @ Our Book Boyfriends says:

    It’s certainly a stressful time for everyone right now. So many unknowns. So glad you still have a job right now. I hope that continues to be the case for you. And I hope you can find some good things to focus on!!

  15. Becki
    Becki says:

    A big bag of books is the best weight to lift 😉 This is a crazy time. Michigan just shut down (effective tomorrow) on all non-essential services, but it doesn’t look like a lot of people are taking it seriously. I wish they’d stay home now so we could look forward to enjoying the summer. Take care of you and yours!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Yeah, we seem to have a mixed reaction here. Some are taking it very seriously, while others are still out and about and not staying 6 feet away from others. Makes me want to scream, lol.

  16. Lindy@ A Bookish Escape
    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape says:

    I’m struggling with focusing on my reading too and it’s so difficult to find the necessities in stores right now. I think it’s neat that you know how to make your own bread. I got a bread maker for Christmas, so it looks like I need to figure out how to use it. Stay safe Suzanne 🙂

  17. Olivia-Savannah Roach
    Olivia-Savannah Roach says:

    I feel like a lot of bookworms have realised the same thing. At first we all thought we would get more reading time but then we realised we couldn’t actually focus on anything much 🙁 I hope your reading mojo returns soon. My recently just did. Yay for the new Lu book, as I am curious about that one. Take care of yourself x

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Glad to hear you got your reading mojo back. I’ve finished a couple of books this week so I’m starting to get there.

  18. Nicci @ Sunny Buzzy Books
    Nicci @ Sunny Buzzy Books says:

    I’m glad you can WFH at the moment and I really hope you won’t be laid off! As if the current situation isn’t bad enough… I can’t imagine having that hanging over my head too!
    I’ve also been struggling with reading. I just can’t settle to do much of anything. I keep flipping from one thing to another like a restless butterfly. 🙁

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