A week after being diagnosed with the flu, I’m finally starting to see the light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. I still have a good deal of pain while breathing and still have a slight wheeze, but I’m up and mobile again. Even more importantly, the mental fog that hovered over me while recovering has gone and I can finally get back to reading again!

It was pure torture not being able to read and once the fog started lifting, I noticed a particular sort of book was needed to keep my attention. What is the perfect prescription for that flu/cold read?

1. Short! Nothing over 250 pages and if it does, it must have a storyline that is intense enough that it keeps my attention. No light and fluffy chick-lit for this girl, I needed something heavy!
2. Limited characters.  There is no way my flu-brain could keep track of more than 3-4 characters. Jotting down notes with the characters names, etc., had no value because most of the time my handwriting was so bad I couldn’t read it hours later.
3. Memorable main character. This individual had to stand out from the rest and characteristics that kept my interest.
4. Portability. Somewhat linked to Number 1. My body was weak, so weak that I would have to take a nap after doing any sort of physical activity, including walking to/from the kitchen to refill my orange juice. If the book was heavy, no way I could hold it for any considerable amount of time.

So there you have it, my perfect prescription for flu reading. Add a dose of high-interest television (in my case, Downton Abbey and Homeland) and you are on the path to recovery!

What is your prescription for flu/cold reading?

So you may have noticed (or not) that the blog has been quiet this week. On Wednesday I was diagnosed with bronchitis, yet I still hopped on a plane for a business trip that afternoon. As you know, airplanes are pretty much airborne cattle cars, overflowing with germs and illness. I was sent home by my supervisor after spending two days in Milwaukee and began a twenty-four hour insane attempt to get home. I left Friday afternoon, finally arrived home yesterday afternoon. My connection in Charlotte was cancelled, forcing me to stay the night there before catching a flight the next morning. This is the point I should mention that I was feverish, coughing, and felt like I’d been run over by a truck. After finally arriving home yesterday afternoon, after my husband’s insistence, I returned to the doctor. I knew my bronchitis had advanced to something much more; after taking antibiotics for four days I wasn’t feeling a bit of relief, I was actually feeling worse.

So, I have the flu. It’s not pretty. I don’t remember ever feeling as bad as I do right now. They can’t treat the flu, just hopefully lessen the symptoms a bit. The doctor says I’m on the cusp of the “worst days.” If what I’m experiencing now is supposed to be light, I have a problem. While I’m getting quite a bit of reading done since I don’t have the energy to do much else, please be patient while I catch up with my posts.

With that, I’m retiring to my reading chair, a mug of coffee, and a good book.

Next weekend I’m participating in the 24 Hour readathon, the bookish event I look forward most to in the fall. Fall brings cool and crisp weather, perfect for spending indoors, curled up with a stack of great books. I have my snacks lined up, including my emergency middle of the night cookies. I have yet to pick my reading line-up but that’s usually the easiest part of the process!

My boys are planning on joining me, mainly because they want to take part in the food but I’m sure they’ll do a little bit of reading as well.

I’ll be spending the rest of this four day weekend preparing for Week 2 of Murder, Monsters & Mayhem. If you haven’t signed up, there’s still time!  Also, if you have a horror/ thriller post, remember to link it up!

Are you joining in the readathon next weekend? What are you planning on reading?

Tentative reading pile:

 
Print books:
Flesh & Bone by Jonathan Maberry
The Diviners by Libba Bray
Others by James Herbert
The Other by Thomas Tryon
Breeding Ground by Sarah Pinborough

eBooks:
The Wrong Goodbye by Chris F. Holm
Survivors by Sophie Littlefield

A week ago Friday, the DC area was hit with a horrid thunderstorm with winds of 80+ MPH. Millions were left without power, we were one of them.  Luckily, we found a hotel early and didn’t have to suffer in the heat like many others did. Our power was finally restored on Monday afternoon, but there are still thousands without. All of this happened during a record heat wave, temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.

When we finally returned to our home, we had the unpleasant task of cleaning out a fridge full of spoiled food (this equals four giant garbage bags). A week later, we are slowly getting back to normal. I couldn’t face a giant trip to the grocery store (neither could the stores as they were forced to do the same as we were, on a much larger scale.  Instead, we’ve been making small trips to the store to restock.

Needless to say, I didn’t have a chance to get a great deal of reading accomplished this week. While my boys enjoyed the mini, unplanned vacation spending their afternoons in the hotel pool, sharing one hotel room with two boys, my husband and our dog did not permit me much reading time.

Thankfully, I’m getting back into my reading grove. Our internet was down for days after our power was restored, so I’m spending this weekend catching up on posts that went unwritten and books left unread.

Lesson learned: if the zombie apocalypse or the end of days as predicted by the Mayans hits the DC area, we are doomed.

To end on a happy note, I do have a pretty awesome giveaway going on now. You really should enter!

Tomorrow (Monday) is my birthday so I opted to celebrate my birthday…with books. Treating myself to a three-day weekend, I plan on catching up on a great deal of reading.

This weekend is surrounded by several author events. Thursday, I celebrated the release of Alma Katsu’s The Reckoning, the stunning second book in the Taker trilogy. Yesterday, I attended an a signing for Bryan Gruley’s The Skeleton Box, the third book in the Starvation Lake series. Finally, this week, Nichole Bernier, author of The Unfinished Work of Elizbeth D is visiting One More Page Books this Thursday, an event I’ve been looking forward to for months!

Despite the start of summer a few weeks ago, my schedule hasn’t slowed down a bit. My freelance work has been keeping me busy.

Following are my articles that have appeared on the SheKnows Book Lounge:

Femme Fatale: June edition
Hot in Hardcover: June edition
Summer Reading for Kids

It’s been a busy week here on the blog as well. Here is a quick wrap up:
Frightful Friday: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Orphanmaster by Jean Zimmerman
The Reckoning by Alma Katsu
Author Event: Daniel Kalla Visits One More Page
The Far Side of the Sky by Daniel Kalla

That about wraps things up! I’m off to decide what to read today!

Today’s the day! I’m on my way to New York for Book Expo America, one of the biggest events in the publishing industry.

The blog will be quiet…I will not be posting much, if at all, until the end of the week. I will have a sticky-post “welcoming” those I meet at BEA but that will probably be it. So enjoy the little break, I know I will!.  I’ll have plenty to share upon my return!

Memorial Day is the official kick off to summer! That, and the dreadfully warm temps we’ve been having here. If this is any indication of what our summer is going to be like, we’re in trouble! My boys already have summer fever; they only have two weeks left at school. With all the end of school year events we’ve been going to, I’m looking forward to the end of school as well.

I’m spending this fine Memorial Day weekend reading and curling up with my early birthday present from my husband, an Asus Slider Tablet PC. My laptop met it’s unfortunate demise and I really can’t afford to go without a computer due to all the freelance work I do at home. I have to say I sort of love it

I plan on spending the rest of the weekend curled up with a few books; what do you have planned for the rest of the Memorial Day Weekend?

Following is a quick wrap of my week:

Frightful Friday Audiobook Review: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Review: The Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri
Review: Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray
Review: Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
Zombie Mondays: The Zombie Tarot: An Oracle of the Undead by Stacey Graham

What were your favorite reads this week?

Last week I noticed a trend in the books I read; each and every one of them  included a main character who rebelled against what was expected of her by society and instead sought out their own wants & desires. These books included In My Father’s Country by Saima Wahab, I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits and The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers.  My decision reading material made me think: do we seek out books that resemble our own lives or seek books that give us access to a world we don’t have? That’s not to say I feel I’m stuck in a life life imposed on me by society, but I do appreciate reading uplifting/life-altering books especially when my life seems to be a little crazy!

And crazy it is! We’ve had a whirl-wind of a weekend. I went on a field trip to the National Zoo with my youngest son’s first grade class on Friday. Yesterday, my oldest son’s Boy Scout troop constructed a pond and did some landscaping for a local elementary school, my youngest son had soccer, then a closing campfire for his cub scout troop.  Needless to say I’m a bit exhausted.

Also, I’m continuing to plan for my trip to NYC for BEA. If you are a Book Blogger and want to be added to the Book Blogger Contact list, check out this post & sign up. Also, while at BEA I will be on a BEA Blogger Con panel on demystifying the book blogger/publisher relationship. I’d love to hear if you have any questions you ‘d like answered!

So that wraps up my crazy week for me! I’m heading to my indie bookstore today for some serious relaxation time and then will hopefully get in some patio reading time.

How was your week? Get a lot of reading time in?

Happy Mother’s Day to all you Moms out there! Happy Sunday to everyone else!  I’m enjoying a nice breakfast in bed as we speak, thanks to my lovely husband & children.  Not sure how the rest of the day will play out but this is a good way to start!

I spent this week planning for BEA (Book Expo America), including planning my schedule, etc. Are you going to be in BEA? I’d love to meet up with you, whether it be over coffee, lunch, etc.  If you are going to BEA Blogger Con I’ll be on a panel on “Demystifying the Blogger/Publisher Relationship” so feel free to come up and introduce yourself! If you have any questions about this topic I’d love to hear them as well!

I had yet another fantastic reading week. Here’s just a quick recap:

• Review: Overseas by Beatriz Williams
• Frightful Friday: The Haunted by Bentley Little
• Going to BEA/BEA Blogger Convention? Let’s Meet Up!
• Review: The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel
• Review: So Far Away by Meg Mitchell Moore
• Reliving Morrison: My Path Down Memory Lane
• Zombie Mondays: Audiobook Review-Zombiestan by Mainak Dhar

Hoping everyone has a great Sunday!!