Mt. Hood, Oregon
April 2020
Books Read (click on the title for my review):April 2020
I hope this post finds you all well as we move into another month of unusual times. Looking back on last month's summary, I see that we have gone from a worldwide count of over one million confirmed cases of COVID-19 to well over three million. The United States went from 200,000 cases to over one million (with over 65,000 deaths). Many states have begun to loosen their restrictions and it's only a matter of time until we see if there's a spike in the numbers of new cases. Personally, I plan to continue living my life as I have for these past 40-odd days and hope others will too.
I am happy to report that my reading slump is over thanks to Louise Penny and her wonderful mystery series. I still have a few more to read from her backlist before her next release in September, and it feels great to finally enjoy my reading time once again. All but one of this month's books were winners and so far, I'm off to a good start for May.
Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant (5/5)
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (4/5)
The Sight of You by Holly Miller (3/5)
The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny (4/5)
First Lines:
The last thing I ever said to him was, "I'm falling asleep." (Option B)
Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down. (Little Fires Everywhere)
Joel, I'm so sorry. To see you again like that... Why did I get on the train? (The Sight of You)
Running, running, stumbling, running. (The Nature of the Beast)
Movies & TV Series:
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - I didn't think I'd like this, as I'm not a big fan of Tarantino's films, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Deadwater Fell - I love David Tennant, but this four-episode series was disappointing. I felt it was too predictable and I didn't care for any of the characters.
Unforgotten (Season One) - I really enjoyed this British series from 2015. Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar are excellent. I'm anxious to watch the next season.
This Is Us (Season 3) - Yep. Still watching (and savoring) this one.
Puzzlemania:
We gave up on this one!
We've had more Zoom/FaceTime met-ups with friends and family, as well as one with my book club. I've gotten together with a few friends for walks or cocktails on the deck, and Rod has been able to practice his music with a couple of friends. Of course, we maintain a distance of at least 6 feet apart and stay outdoors in order to reduce any risk of spreading or catching COVID-19. As of this date, our county has only five confirmed cases, with only one needing hospitalization. We feel very fortunate to live in a rural part of the state, but it is a tourist community and once the state reopens, our little town will be filled with out-of-town guests. I hope we can continue to be safe...
Depoe Bay, Oregon
My heart goes out to those who have lost friends and family members to this awful virus. Stay safe, my friends.
Yay to ending a reading slump!!! And your jigsaws look amazing! We just got a new one. I am not sure when we are going to start it - maybe this week.
ReplyDeleteMarg, leave it to Louise Penny to pull me out of a reading slump. Her mysteries are so good! We've been doing puzzles for a few years now, but with the pandemic, it seems like we're zipping through a lot every month. I hope you share a picture of yours when you finish. I always enjoy seeing what others are working on.
DeleteOur state is one of those opening up but, like you, we plan to keep doing what we've been doing for the time being. Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteUgh. I wish there wasn't such a rush to re-open the country. It seems like the majority of citizens plan to stay home for a while though, so maybe common sense will help keep the numbers down. Maybe.
DeleteI enjoyed catching up on your month Les. We still have everything closed here and expect that it remains that way until at least the end of the month. We still have many new cases and are way up there (3/50 states) for most cases/deaths (that we know of).
ReplyDeleteStay Safe my friend.
I love the cool puzzles you've completed, the lovely pictures and catching up on you reads - glad the slump is over. I had that problem too for a while.
Thanks so much, Diane. I enjoy keeping these monthly summaries and have actually put a link in my sidebar so I can find them more easily. We enjoy working on puzzles and have quite a few to do a second time, should we run out. It's crazy how many people are doing them now. Kind of like the coloring craze a few years ago. Yes, Louise Penny is perfect to pull one out of a reading slump. However, I'm staying up far too late right now since I'm in the middle of another one of her mysteries. They're hard to put down! You stay safe, too. We'll get through this, as long as we stay vigilant.
DeleteI've really enjoyed Unforgotten, but I'm a fan of Nicola Walker in anything!
ReplyDeleteJenclair, we started watching Season Two last night. I'll have to look for more with Nicola Walker. I like her, too.
DeleteI'm with you on staying the course. I think there will be a lot of people who continue to do that same. While I certainly hope we're wrong that we will see another spike as people return to regular activities, I can't help but believe it will happen.
ReplyDeleteLisa, I think you're right. It only makes sense to me that we need to wait a few more months before it's safe to venture out in public again. There's no way I'd go to a mall, movie or even a sit-down restaurant right now!
DeleteAll those puzzles are awesome. Sounds like you guys have been making the most of our crazy situation. It is so disappointing to see the news and how they've had to close parks and stuff due to overcrowding. I get that people want to go out and do stuff again but I would rather wait and see if we can flatten this curve. Oh and how disappointing to hear about Deadwater Fell.
ReplyDeleteIliana, we had a lot of fun with the puzzles. I love working on the wooden ones, but the hot air balloon (which is a traditional cardboard puzzle) was a treat, too. I love the variety of colors in it. Yes, we are making the best of the situation, but we are very lucky to live in a beautiful area of Oregon and in a small community, which feels pretty safe right now. Yeah, Deadwater Fell was disappointing, but not so much that I didn't want to watch all four episodes. I'm just glad it didn't drag on for a few more weeks.
DeleteSounds like you are doing well under the circumstances. Stores and restaurants are starting to open up here, but we plan to keep our activity level the same... grocery store/pharmacy as infrequently as possible and daily walks on the beach. Within a few weeks, we should know whether there will be another spike. We're up to 10 cases on the island... too many with all the tourists gone.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, we really are doing well, but I'm eager to get out with the RV, if only for a few days. We'll wait until things settle down, though. We certainly don't want to be part of the "second wave" of this virus! Do you think the island will see a return of tourists once things open up more? Since it's not your season, you may luck out and not see a lot of people from out of town, right? Our season is just beginning and I have a feeling our little town will be pretty busy in another month. Sigh.
DeleteLes - Most of our winter/spring tourists are from Europe (lots of Germans) and colder US climates. Summer tourists, though not as many, come from other parts of Florida. We've been here several times in July and it's always busier than we expect. I'll be curious to see how many Americans remain cautious and forego their summer travel this year... maybe it won't get as busy as you think
DeleteI wish I were a puzzle person, but I'm just not. However, I do play games on my iPad when we watch TV in the evenings. Love the one with the balloons and love the photo of Mt. Hood. Glad that LP has made your reading work better. We've been watching the new season of Bosch and finished Picard last night. We liked it, but we've been fans of Star Trek stuff for eons.
ReplyDeleteWe finally made the decision about our July trip to Oregon. Cancelled it for this year, but we actually just moved it forward a year to 2021. Ended up getting a better room at Bandon Dunes, which was fun. We'll be keeping things the same, though I don't think he's talked to Salishan yet or they haven't gotten back with us. Hope they weather things OK as I know they have remodeled and maybe have new ownership? Anyway, have no idea when we might even get to go to New Mexico. It may be a long, hot summer here in Central Texas. LOL
Kay, I didn't used to have the patience to work on puzzles, but now I do. I only spend about 10-15 minutes at a time, though. It's definitely a slow process! Rod and I are interested in watching Bosch. Right now we're really enjoying Unforgotten. I'm so sorry you guys have had to cancel your trip out here, but it makes a lot of sense. Things could still be shutdown if we see a spike in numbers later this month. It's all so hard to predict. I feel for you guys spending the summer in Texas. Ugh.
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