Happy New Year, Everyone!
I was hoping 2021 would be better than 2020, and with the appearance and distribution of the vaccine, it was a little better. And then the variants began.
We have gotten as vaccinated as possible and we risked getting together for Christmas with my son and his family and then with my dad and my sister.
And then my husband and I woke up on December 25 with a lot of congestion. After days of scrambling around to find a rapid test, my brother-in-law found a couple and generously shared his with us, and, happily, we are negative for Covid.
I feel a huge sense of relief as we are getting together on January 1st for a dinner to celebrate my dad's 95th birthday.
The Kindness Workbook
Kindness Tales
These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
Diary of a Provincial Lady
100 Things We've Lost to the Internet by Pamela Paul
Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan
Little Pieces of Hope: Happy-Making Things in a Difficult World
Midnight Chicken (& Other Recipes Worth Living For)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis
Inside Narnia: A Guide to Exploring the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Last week I posted here at Readerbuzz:
I was browsing blogs this morning, and I ran across a mention of a reading log that is excellent for compiling statistics at Book Riot. It's quite detailed, and I don't know if I can keep it up all year, but I will give it a try. The link to it is here.
I met all my challenges in 2021 here. I also made a lot of progress on my perpetual challenges here.
For 2022, I plan to do the Nonfiction Reader Challenge, Japanese Literature Challenge, Back to the Classics Challenge (self-created), and Classics by Women Authors Chapter-a-Day Challenge (self-created). My 2022 Yearly Challenges are here.
Good Thing #1
Santa brought two very-cool baking pans.
Of course I had to try some pumpkin bread in one of them.
Good Thing #2
Santa also brought a lot of books plus a fabulous mug for my morning afternoon coffee.
Good Thing #3
We were able to have Christmas
with family. 💗
I'm happy you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is a place to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. It's a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.
Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:
- What was your week like?
- Read any good books? Tell us about them.
- What other bookish things did you do?
- What else is going on in your life?
Other places where you may like to link up over the weekend are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.
My linkup for Sunday Salon is below.
I am so glad you've tested negative as it seems as if everyone is coming down with this new variant. So far our immediate household is good to go. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteAfter I read a list of the symptoms of omicron, I was sure I had it. Thank goodness I did not.
DeleteHappy Birthday to your dad! I am glad you tested negative for COVID. I had a nasty cold in December and tested just to be sure it wasn't COVID. Thankfully it wasn't. It seemed like this week many people at work were reporting having been exposed over Christmas or testing positive. I have to be in the office this next week and a part of me wishes I could work from home still.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on meeting all your challenge goals! Good luck with your challenges for this year.
I hope you have a Happy New Year!
I hope you will be safe when you return to the office this week.
DeleteI’m so glad it was negative! I hope your birthday celebration with your Dad is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a great reading week
It was fantastic. Beef bourguignon. Italian cream cake. Homemade bread. Lots of great conversations and laughter.
DeleteGlad you get to be with family! & Happy birthday to your Dad. I hope you like These Precious Days .... I want to read that soon! Happy 2022.
ReplyDeleteAnn Patchett's friendships always seem to bring me to tears. Hope you get a chance to read These Precious Days soon, Susan.
DeleteWe had our family here for Christmas. Then the day after Christmas our son-in-law learned he was positive for COVID. He's fully vaccinated and has had a light case. Today, his wife, our daughter has symptoms. So far the rest of us are clear. I got Binax at-home tests just in case. Meantime, I've set my reading goal for 2022 at 100 books and I'm anxious to get started. Let's all have a great year of reading!
ReplyDeleteI am keeping my fingers crossed for you, Dorothy.
DeleteOh, wow, Deb. But very, very glad that you and your husband both tested negative so you can celebrate your dad's birthday today. Hope you all have a blessed day.
ReplyDeleteIt came so close to not happening.
DeleteNice job on all your reading goals! I'm glad you were negative for Covid. I'm a teacher, and I'm seeing tons of kids coming down with it. More test positive everyday. I've been lucky so far though, so fingers crossed my luck holds out in 2022! Are you planning on reading the rest of the Narnia books after you finish The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe? I read the whole series years ago and thought that the ending was...intense.
ReplyDeleteI am planning to read all seven bookx for the first time in 2022.
DeleteGlad you were able to be with family for Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSomehow I have missed your tab for perpetual challenges, those are some great lists!
Also, I like the sound of your chapter-a-day challenge. I had also looked at the One Catholic Life books and wasn't interested.
Have a good week!
The perpetual challenges are always my favorites, and I always seem to read a few from the perpetual challenges each year.
DeleteGretchen, please feel free to copy and do any part of the chapter-a-day challenge you like.
DeleteGlad you tested negative for COVID!
ReplyDeleteHappy 95th Birthday to Dad!!!
That pumpkin bread in the new pan is a work of art!
Cutie-pie grandkids.
Happy New Year!
Thank you for posting the link to the Book Riot Reading Log! I knew there was one out there that had ALL THE THINGS to track but couldn't remember who makes it. It has all categories on it that I discovered that I wish I had included for my 2021 stats. Plus a lot of categories that had never even occurred to me. Awesome!!!
I am impressed with the Book Riot log so far.
DeleteI"m so relieved you are OK. That had to be a scary time.
ReplyDeleteDays and days of it!
DeleteIt's wonderful that you will be able to get together with your father. It's been quite a season.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly has.
DeleteThank you for the kind comment on my blog this morning. I switched over to Disqus comments later in the day because I've been having trouble with comments on my blog and I'm hoping this eliminates those problems. Anyway, oddly your kind comment went AWOL when I made the switch. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking about Disqus.
DeleteSo happy to hear you tested negative. I hope you have a great week. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Yvonne.
DeleteHi Debbie! So glad your test was negative. I had to go and stand in line at the clinic for my test last week for hospital clearance. Was dreadful! Thankfully also negative.
ReplyDeleteI love your pans!! You are going to have lots of fun with them. And so happy that you could spend Christmas with loved ones. My sister was here and my whole in-law family. So glad I did all my preparations before Christmas, everything was lovely. Everybody was a bit down, but we still managed to have a memorable Christmas.
Have a wonderful new year dearest Debbie! Sure we will chat up a storm as the year progress.
Lots of Love,
Elza Reads
We seem to have a test shortage, too.
DeleteThank goodness your test was negative! Tests are impossible to find here. Step-daughter and family all came down with it for Christmas, thankfully on the mend. Another friend also did.
ReplyDeleteWe are avoiding going anywhere. I get my booster on Tuesday.
It's so worrisome to hear that others are coming down with it.
DeleteLove love that coffee mug! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteSo glad your tests were negative. We came down with something two weeks back before family visits over the holidays and tested negative thankfully. It's always a risk. We try to hang out only with people we know are vaccinated - even though this is not foolproof, we have not contracted Covid when couple of them had tested positive. We are still figuring out how to live in these times and where our lines are. I just want my youngest (4yo) to be vaccinated and then I'll breathe a huge sigh of relief.
We feel much the same way, Athira.
DeleteYay on the negative test! It takes very little to make us happy these days. Congrats on your challenges. I finished my ONE challenge, with extra books listed. Not hard to accomplish, though, with only one.
ReplyDeleteI love mugs and have a collection of them, with witty sayings, usually about book addiction, and my tribute to RBG.
Happy New Year!
I would love to have more bookish mugs.
DeleteI am so glad you don't have COVID. My youngest daughter was congested after Christmas and had to be tested to return to work. Negative COVID, just an old fashioned cold we all used to get, LOL.
ReplyDeleteI think that's what I have.
DeletePhew, so glad you tested negative!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the book riot log. I have my own, also with stats and pies, but I might try that one as well.
Happy New Year!
https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/01/02/sunday-post-47-1-2-2022/
The Book Riot log is pretty fancy.
DeleteIt's so hard to get just a normal cold now. I hope you have a happy new year!
ReplyDeleteThat is scary, isn't it? Glad you were negative! It's like a weight lifted when you get that negative result... anyway happy b- day to your dad!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy NY!!!
glad you tested negative and a happy birthday to your dad. happy new year
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post even more than usual. You did have a decent 2021, altogether, and I hope your 2022 is even better.
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear you tested negative for Covid, a friend and a colleague tested positive just before Christmas, I got a bit anxious as well.
ReplyDeleteI hope your dad had a wonderful birthday, yesterday!
Happy New Year! May it be better than the previous one!
All the books you are currently reading look good. I especially like the look of Little Pieces of Hope: Happy-Making Things in a Difficult World. Happy New Year! Glad you all don't have Covid and hope you are feeling better soon. https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2022/01/stacking-shelves-4sunday-post-1.html
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're COVID negative! I'm using that same reading spreadsheet. My old laptop died a few months ago and took my Excel reading spreadsheets with it. I decided to try something new this year.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! I'm glad you were able to spend time with family. You are reading such a nice assortment of titles. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that you all tested negative for Covid. I know of four family members who had it over the Christmas weekend... I'm thankful that we didn't have anyone visiting us and hope we continue to stay healthy.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually buy myself very many books since my mom passes hers on to me when she's finished, but I decided I had to order a copy of Ann Patchett's latest book and I'm eager to begin reading it. Everyone I know who has read it has raved about each essay. And now I'm curious about Stewart O'Nan's latest release. I have enjoyed several of his books.
Thanks for the link to the reading log. It looks quite extensive, but I may give it a try. And as always, I love your three good things, especially the family photo. :)
Glad to hear the COVID test was negative. That first cold after a year of quarantine can be a doozy!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! - Melinda @ A Web of Stories
having taken both my daughter and my husband for their covid tests over this break (thankfully negative for both), i can easily imagine the stress you all went through ...
ReplyDeletelove your currently reading list and am going to look for Little Pieces of Hope: Happy-Making Things in a Difficult World...
And that pumpkin cake looks awesome...