Karli’s Comments (group member since Feb 23, 2010)

Karli’s comments from the Busy as a Bee Books group.

Hello Bees -

I've again been absentee. 2019 has been incredibly difficult. My father-in-law's struggle with cancer (he is winning!!!) and my Mom's death due to COPD and my mother-in-law's fight with Alzheimer's Disease, which she was released from on June 25 has caused me to go into survival mode and isolate to a large degree. My co-moderators are fantastic women, and have been so good while I struggled. I'll be honest - I don't see a time in my future where I am not still fighting through these losses, but I'm to the point where I have the energy and ambition to get back here - to do what I love, and reconnect with my Bees.

I have not stopped reading. One of my comforts has been my subscription boxes - I'm still a huge fan of Book of the Month, and have a stack of books I still need to tackle, which does NOT deter me from just ordering more. I've also subscribed to the Once Upon a Bookclub - so far, I've loved each of the books, but found the "presents" to be pretty much un-usable. Somehow, I'd hoped for a Causebox/Books combo, but it's not. I also do the Unplugged Book Box, and those items are far more useful, if only as items to put in my "regift" box. The other subscription service I'm loving is my Scribe Delivery, which is a pen/paper subscription, which just makes this office supply junky happy.

So, I'm here, I'll be checking in, posting and replying, so don't fall out of your chairs in shock. I've missed this part of my life a lot.

Karli

Hello old friends and new members! I've been on hiatus...my mom died on February 27, and I have been having a hard time wrapping my head around my loss, and managing for my kids, my work, and still helping my husband with his parents and their illnesses.

But - I am currently on an 8 week leave of absence to learn how to move forward and become the next version of me. I know this version still loves books! In this time where thinking is sometimes hard, I've fallen back to some old favorites and "candy" type books that entertain without making me have to think too hard.

I'm looking forward to reconnecting with all of you!

I love my bookshelves...and I totally need more. So...I would like to find a way to really figure out my real bookshelves and make a plan to tackle them. I love organizing and lists...

A lot will happen. Buy some tissue.

I think part of the cover issue is that it’s unappealing. I know I thought so before I read the book and understood the imagery. It is now one of my favorite books I’ve ever read.

The ongoing saga...

December everything fell apart in my little family. My mother-in-law needed to be moved to a memory care facility prior to my father-in-law's cancer surgery and the move did NOT go well. She became very aggressive and violent, and after 911 was called she was brought to the hospital where she stayed for 10 days while they worked to figure out how to meet her needs with medications and therapy. She is now living at the memory care facility. She's not happy about it, but it's clear to us now that she is there that she is far more advanced in the Alzheimer's disease process than we had initially understood. There are good days and bad days and we are just doing our best.

My father-in-law had surgery to remove a very large tumor on the 19t of December. He stayed in the hospital a few days, and then returned home. My husband stayed with him for close to a month.

On December 20th my mother nearly died of hypoxia. Miraculously, she survived insane levels of CO2 in her blood. She did lose a chunk of her memory and short term memory. They found she has congestive heart failure, a-fib and lung cancer during the hospital stay, and she was discharged on Hospice cares. Nearly a month later she is feeling 'just fine!" and doesn't think she needs the Hospice services. Day by day we go.

All of this made December the worst on record. So far things are looking better in 2019. I appreciate all of you being here, being Bees and giving me minutes and sometimes hours of escape. :)

Hello -

I've been largely absent again. I'll relate the saga in my personal thread for any who care for the details, but the upshot of it is that I'm really spending a great deal of my days navigating the needs of our parents and our children, along with a career that is anything BUT stress free...and then there is my reading life.

My happy place is where my books are. I love getting new books. I love reading on my Kindle. I love buying books for other people. I really use books as a type of therapy. But then too - if I start really plotting and planning the books I'm going to read to fulfill this or that challenge - I freeze. I procrastinate. I find a show to binge watch...I have to find this perfect balance of keeping my reading life fun and exciting, because if I turn it into an assignment with lofty goals I will fail.

So, I think that there are probably several different versions of this story in our group. All aspects of our lives are supposed to be neat, tidy and well cared for. How do you find balances? Do you choose your books based on your mood, to fulfill a goal or something else?

I have a BEAUTIFUL book planner this year that I'm semi afraid to write in. I might mess it up. Hello neurosis. It's me, Karli.

Echoing Amy's sentiments - let us know what makes you love the Bees and what activities/ideas would you like to share? Happy 2019!

I have to add this to my TBR. I LOVED Swans of 5th Avenue.

@Sharon - I think Melanie Benjamin has a knack for finding fascinating women who history has glossed over and helps a generation of readers understand that the progressive thinking we have seen in our lives isn't new. Until I read I had no idea that Anne Lindberg has an accomplished pilot herself - she was utterly overshadowed by her husband, and by the story of her son's kidnapping and murder.

The 20th century was full of amazing women, I love that there have been so many books written about their stories.

You all know I'm not a big non-fiction reader, but this sounds good...and horribly depressing! So many books destroyed is just tragic.

I read this book at the end of the year. I thought the narration was a little hard to follow - I found myself flipping back and forth to figure out who was who. My son's best friend is trans, and I know what a struggle Connor has in facing the world in 2019 - the bravery of the young queens in this story is impossible to overstate.

I had to giggle at my GR Challenge tracker...21 days to go. You can do it! (59/80 books read) clearly Goodreads is sponsoring my 21 day vacation. I COULD do 21 books in 21 days with no other responsibilities.

My 5 star books this year:

Tricia wrote: "Only a few 5 star books for me this year!

[book..."

But you loved The Sparrow...<3

For any of you who Facebook, Mary Doria Russell has a page that she's really responsive on. Currently it's mostly updates on Trump's total insanity and the ways America should deal, but she's also releasing a new book in August of 2019 and has given some insight to that.

This is true! I have Saints for all Occasions in a box and then it got stuck! I will push it out soon, Tanya!

Woot-woot!!!! Love it!

Elizabeth - Thank you for the link! I just read it - I too believe 1000 is a low number to qualify as a hoarder!

I chose two this month - Severance and No Exit

I love end of the world books, and Severance sounds like a fun read. And No Exit was chosen by Liberty Hardy, who is one of my favorite bookish celebrities. I usually love her picks.

How about you?

The choices this month are....

- Thriller

- Literary Fiction

- Romance

- Suspense

- Satire

I hope you love it too. Teaching has really changed over the years...this shift seemed to be starting back when I was in college but it’s attained new levels of insanity.