August 2020

I love my library ... 12 of the books I read were digital checkouts. Some I'd had on hold, others were just available. I pulled one book from my Kindle cloud, and then requested three books from Audiobook Boom. I have to admit, I struggle sometimes with the reviews ... I didn't love two of the books, they were just okay. I feel guilty giving a bad or so/so review when I've been gifted the book. 

I'd really liked "The Girl of Fire and Thorns" trilogy. I read it a while ago, and saw that a 4th book "The Empire of Dreams" had come out. I hadn't really heard anything about it. Looking closer, I saw that it was a continuation, but more of spin-off. It featured Red, from "The Bitter Kingdom" ... and I must admit, I hadn't really remembered her that much. It wasn't essential to remember really, but I loved slipping back into this fantasy world. There were certain scenes that I thought had to be retold from the third book in the trilogy ... so as I finished up, I checked out "The Bitter Kingdom" (book 3) and re-read it. I'd listened to the audiobook the first go-round, and just read the Kindle copy this time. I really adore this series! I did go with audio for "Empire" and while it was a different narrator, that was expected and acceptable, as the POV was different. This narrator was great too, and I did appreciate that she matched the pronunciation of the various unique names.

... I continued on with the next two books in the Ranger's Apprentice series and liked them. I have the next couple books on hold. The Iron Flower was book 2, and I have the 3rd book in series on hold.  The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't was a prequel "bitty" book to "The Parasol Protectorate" series which I adored. This one ... not so much. It just didn't have the same feel. Born of Fire was the second book in the Elemental Origins series. It was fine, I didn't like it as much as I had the first book. I do plan on continuing on ... I have the 3rd book in my Kindle cloud. I think I got the first three books on some deal.

Savvy and The Adoration of Jenna Fox were re-reads - books I remember really liking. I'd read both of them the first time, and went with audio for this second shot. Well ... Savvy didn't work out. Now, the narrator was really good, she sounded sweet and young and I'm sure I'd like her ... on a different book. I'd read Savvy YEARS ago, and what had stuck in my head was the "voice" of the MC. She's a little 13-year old, not uneducated, but definitely had an "accent" at least in my head. Something Southern-ish. She just has the most unique way of talking, she HAS to have a unique voice. The narrator tried to characterize some of the others, and I didn't love those voices. I just ended up reverting to the kindle copy for my re-read. I haven't read the rest of the series, but it is on my list now. 

I reviewed all the books on GoodReads.

At home with the family ... we had a couple birthdays, several trips to the lake (Pineview x3 and Bear Lake), renovation (painting/carpet) in the basement, then room rearrange (#3 moved downstairs).  Tons of stuff given away (books, sb supplies, clothes, etc), trips to the thrift store and other stuff to family, friends and neighbors. There were PUPPIES! The dog next door had puppies and we have gone over to play quite a bit. Saw my side of the family a few times. Got a date with Hubs, and the whole family to Tepanyaki. #1 got a work truck. Games, and a bowling trip, haircuts at home. As far as Zumba ... my church building said no more gym use (stopping our Tues/Fri class), but the Monday building hasn't had any issue, and even let us add a Wednesday class. So ... still some exercise. I've been pretty regular on the treadmill still (watched season 3 of Dark, started Manifest), but the elliptical hasn't been happening. I did weights once. Haven't been tracking food. I didn't even calculate an average weight for the month ... it hasn't been good.

July 2020

I got a bit more reading (listening) in this month. There was some basketball (I listen while I watch, drive to games and go through video) and some work in the house (basement redo). I was doing more than my usual regular reading too. 

When I first discovered digital, and now have 1000s of books at my fingertips, I didn't plan on re-reading books. Not when there is SO much out there. But, there are many that I loved, that I've only read once. Ones I've read, and decided I wanted to experience again, this time in an audio edition. The top row is my re-reads (actually, the last one was an accidental re-read ... I hadn't remembered I had finished the book!). 

TrueL1F3 and Timeless were the final books in their series, ones I was so happy to get and loved! The Hate You Give was very good, and an interesting approach from the library ... always available, unlimited copies. Trying to spread a little awareness given the current racial unrest. Crenshaw was also uncomfortably contemporary, dealing with homelessness.

There were a couple of fantasy that I SHOULD have really liked, but they didn't click for me. Books are still a little hit and miss.

... what I was watching down in the gym ... we got Disney+ and I watched Hamilton. The music by itself hadn't grabbed me (Hubs and #1 had got caught up in it) but combined with the stage production, AND subtitles, so I could catch everything - I really liked it. I don't think Disney had added anything new since I canceled last. Just got it for the month for Hamilton. I shared my login with my Mom and she loved catching The Mandelorian. I still have Starz for a bit, and went ahead and watched some movies. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Jumanji, Little Women, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Equalizer2. Hubs and I even got out to a show, "Mary Poppins" at Hale Theater.

July was a "new" month ... new washer/dryer, new basement fridge, Hubs bought a new truck. We got a new wall in the basement. A growing garden, blooming flowers and an anniversary (28 years, 28 rosebuds). Some family game nights and dinners. Trips to the lake, and quite a bit of basketball for #5.  The 4th of July holiday, and the 24th ... LOTS of fireworks! I was quite productive with my blogging, working on a blog for extended family (28 posts) and for our own family (didn't count them up, but did quite a few from the backlog). 

Weight started at 197.5, ended at 196.1. High was 201.9 and low was 195.6. Average was 198.36 which was up from June's average of 197.18... which I don't think I even bothered to calculate last month. I did go ahead and enter the most basic details of the days (weight, steps, exercise summary). Tried to start counting calories again at the end of the month. Hard to get back into that habit after dropping it. Got Zumba in three days a week. Debbie joined us and that brought new energy! Generally getting in some treadmill, but haven't been able to get back to a good elliptical schedule. I did do weights once!

Covid continues ... mask mandates are now in effect. The school situation is being "discussed" and everyone has very different opinions. #4 will be doing online again (he made the switch last year, but I have to say it's a relief to not really have to think about it with him). #5 insists on going to school physically (although I've told him that may not be his choice at some point, like in Spring). I did talk him into taking two classes online ... although it's more for basketball purposes than Covid concerns.

Starz Subscription - $20 Deal

 

Starz offered a deal ... six months for $20. I figured I needed closure on Power. I'd watched the first five seasons, and now season six was out. So I got Starz to finish Power (and did a Power Post and review already).  I figured I'd check out some series.

• Black Sails: This one grabbed me and I watched all four seasons. This is a bit of a prequel to the story of Treasure Island, with several of the characters that will appear there. Honestly, I'm not very familiar with Treasure Island. This was definitely cable and had it all (violence, language, sexuality).
• Gravity: With a little more time on my Starz subscription, I checked out a couple more series offerings and Gravity grabbed me. I didn't LOVE it, but I liked it. Suicide was the central theme.

... I also watched a few movies, which was a bit harder, as I'm not getting as much gym time as I have previously. Most movies would take me more than one day to finish.

I canceled my Starz subscription ... I'd watched everything I wanted. 

I got my $20 worth!

June 2020

So as mentioned in my last post ... I've gotten a bit lost on my journey. As far as food and fitness goes anyway. I haven't even crunched my numbers for June, and am not sure I will. Not very motivated there. I was still reading, so instead of being at the bottom of my monthly recap like in previous months, books are taking center stage ... 

I got through 12 books ... well, 11, because one was a DNF. Life is too short to stick to a book you aren't enjoying. I have placed my books approximately in order of enjoyment (the first three are 2-4 in a series, so they must be in chronological order ... I would have continued on with that series immediately, but the next book has a wait at my library).  

• FORMAT: 10 of the books were experienced in audio. I only read one (Menagerie ... my library didn't have an audio copy, my DNF The Princess Trials was also not-audio) and struggled to find enough time to READ, even though I liked it a lot. In fact, it got zapped back to the library after three weeks. Oops! Happily I was able to check it out again immediately and finish up. I just have so much more time to listen and multi-task. I listen whenever I can!
• ACCESS: I was finishing up my KindleUnlimited membership at the start of the month. I wasn't offered any wonderful deals to continue, so I canceled. I do enjoy KU ... but not enough to pay $10 a month for it. Four of the books were KU while I still had it. Then I turned to my library, seven of the reads were borrowed from there. I received one from AudiobookBoom in exchange for a review.

I'm really enjoying the Cail Carriger books. I loved her YA series, and I'd actually read the first two books in this series some years ago. I repeated those, this time in audio, and went on to books 3 and 4 and am waiting for the 5th book, currently on hold.  Menagerie is the first in a series and while I really liked it, I don't know if I'll continue on, at least not immediately. I looked at synopsis of the next book and it depressed me.  I had a back-to-back novels with suicide as a central theme (not purposely, but then I also happened to watch "Gravity" on Starz, which, again ...) 

... as for the month?

We had a wedding (#2 son) and despite the pandemic, had a couple family gatherings (it was two weeks ago, and everyone is still healthy, so whew!) Hubs had some outdoor activities going, #5 is back to basketball (although I haven't been to see a game myself, as spectators are limited, and they've been a little further than I want to travel). We watched the neighbor's dog while they had a weekend away ... much to the chagrin of our kitty. 

Weight stayed about the same - high 190s. Didn't track calories. Zumba three days a week ... Mon, Tues and Friday. Started the month outdoors, then got permission to move back into the building (we are a small group, and can easily stay six-feet apart). Tried one last outdoor session when the weather was cool enough, but we got rained on and had to move inside.  I've been walking on the treadmill fairly regularly, but haven't hit the elliptical much. 

While working out, I was still watching Starz ... finished "Black Sails" and then watched "Gravity". Got a month of Hulu, and started watching "Nashville" (had to find where I was, I'd seen through season four). Totally taking advantage of Xfinity not tracking data usage per the pandemic ... recorded a bunch of shows (which I can now watch without wifi) and I've been doing a ton of computer work/family history/blogging and got a bunch of photos and videos backed up. Lots of sitting doing that though. 

So that was June ...

May ... Maybe

I'm getting these little notifications here and there ..."so&so is now following you on Bloglovin" and I think "Really? Why?" It's been a while since I've been anything inspirational. My weight is at an all time high. I haven't been motivated much. While I did get back to some Zumba (three days a week) I've been struggling with other exercise (usually just a two mile walk, instead of the hour elliptical and weights I'd done in the past) and eating? Not even tracking ...

... and not really blogging either!

At least not here. Ironically, through the years - I was really good at keeping up with my "JenB'sJourney" blog, and not so much the family blog. Now? I've gone back to the family blog with a passion, and started up an extended family blog (Mother's Day present for my mom) ... so just a head's up. In addition to my lapse in food/fitness, my blogging focus has shifted too.There likely won't be many updates from here on out. Maybe just some TV/Movies posts, or book blogging, something I would like to get down, but not necessarily on the family blog. Posts I've had on my brain but never got around to. We'll see.

As far as exercise and eating ... I have to admit to giving up. And I can't even blame it on Covid-19. I hit my (weight) high in January, before Coronavirus was anything but a background thing. My food and fitness struggles started long before (beyond just the regular life struggles all the time, has it ever NOT been a struggle?) I think it was last Fall when it broke down. It's usually my best time. Back on a school schedule, I'm often motivated out of the summer slump. This year (Fall2019) though ...

• Depression and Anxiety: Not so much me, but my son (although it IS me too). We've struggled for years, but the transition to high school didn't happen. After two-days, we switched to online schooling. Lots of hard days, doctor appointments, etc.
• School and Sitting: With #4 learning from home, I was much more involved, almost a personal tutor, learning some assignments myself before helping him with them. LOTS of time parked in front of a computer ... where I tend to find myself reaching for things to snack on.
• Another Broken Foot: #2 broke his foot ... again. He'd had back to back breaks several years ago. Now, not only was #4 home, but #2 was too (for a few weeks, then back to work in a boot). Doctor appointments, and it was a very depressing time for him. Then, he repeated the back-to-back break theme and broke it again in January!
• Grandma Gone: Hub's mother passed away, completely unexpected! The emotion, the funeral, dealing with the trust (granted the other siblings handled most of it). Hubs has had a hard time.
• Totaled Truck: #3 was in a car accident on Thanksgiving. Not hurt, but ... dealing with the insurance and everything dragged on and on and on. Seriously, just wrapped things up with the replacement vehicle last month.
• Fitbit Phases: If you look back at my "Monthly Collage" images with each post, up until the Fall, there was an "intake vs burn" graph from Fitbit. For 10+ years, there was that goal to keep the "burn" above the "intake" ... to keep those lines from touching. July2019 was the last month that graph was there. When I went to make my collage the next month, the graph - was gone. Granted, I could input the numbers and make my own (I'd done it before, and I did it for a couple months before just bagging it) ... but instead, my motivation for tracking my food (as I have to do it manually in MFP, it's a lot of work!) was gone. My calorie counting slipped without that graph to motivate me. I'm a numbers, data gal. There seems to be a correlation between counting calories and weight gain ... hmmmmmm. 

Then ... add in this Coronavirus situation! I'm already a homebody, so I'm affected less than many. But my Zumba ... it shut down.  My motivation with my tech and trackers went away ... Lifecycle didn't mean much, because I wasn't going anywhere. Whereas I'd use various apps to mark when I'd exercise and such, I started to let that slide too. Still inputting data on my records, but, we'll see if I keep that up. #4 is a homebody too, already doing online school but #5 (8th grade) had to transition (easy peasy for him though) and #3's college classes moved online. Hubs and all the boys were still able to continue to work, so we did not have the financial stress and strain impacting many. But the overall impact still hits, the worry, and the it's hard not to get down and give up with the state of the world and all the divisiveness about absolutely everything!

There are other things too (D) ... but isn't that enough? I know I should push though, that exercise and eating right should/would/could improve the situation, but it's hard to stay motivated.  So, not sure when the next post will be, or what topics might make it onto the blog from now on.

Meanwhile, keeping with consistency ... books from May

Been watching "Black Sails" while on the treadmill ...

April 2020

April ... an entire month of staying home. I mean, Hubs and the boys are still working. I went out grocery shopping a few times. The littles haven't left the house all month though. Masks are now a thing. As none are available for purchase, simple sewn ones are the next best thing. There were some home haircuts (by #3, himself and #5). More online schooling - it was made official that kids will NOT be going back to school this academic year. More games ... #3 brought chess out again. We had a simple Easter. Some bike rides, burgers and jet flyby. I hosted a backyard Zumba ... stayed socially distant, dancing six-feet apart (which is actually pretty standard unless it's a packed class). My motivation for exercise is down, and I haven't even been attempting to track my eating. And it shows.

NUMBERS: Starting weight 192.10. Ending weight 193.9. High 195.2. Low 190.3. Average 192.66.  Average burn was 2465. Average steps 14585. Cardio minutes 1747/2432. 122.3 logged miles.  EXERCISE: I didn't get in an hour of elliptical any day in April. I got 30min fourteen days this month. I did better on the treadmill, walking two miles 27 days, and 8 days I did double duty (another 1.5-2 miles). Only two Zumba classes ... but now that I've brought it back, it should be up a bit next month, although I don't know that I have the stamina/option/motivation for five days a week as I did previously. I did do weights this month! Four sessions, a total of 190 minutes. 

What I Watched While Working Out

I watched a Starz series ... getting in the first season of Black Sails. I liked it. Very cable. I plan on continuing, but I also wanted to get in some movies this month. Some were on Starz, others were Showtime (which I don't have, but it was being offered as a special access over cable) and then we got Disney+ for a month, as #4 wanted to watch Onward. So far, I've watched it, and he still hasn't! 

Parasite was one that Hubs and I watched together upstairs ... almost like a date.

I didn't get in quite as many books  ... lots of my listening was during drives, while watching basketball, shopping, etc. Those things aren't happening as much. It's been a little hard to keep concentration too. I finished up my Audible Escape trial, and then was a bit surprised when I was able to sign up for the 2-month free Kindle Unlimited offer (it wasn't only for new subscribers). I like that my library allows me to push back holds. They've also upped the number of holds a person can have (from five to ten). 

So that was April ... under quarantine!

TV Tuesday - Two Season Six, One Season Sixteen

TV Tuesday ... What have I been watching? Even before the whole pandemic started, I'd grabbed a Starz deal. Six months for $20. I'd watched the first five seasons of Power and figured I needed to see how it all ended. Then Hulu invited me back - a free month, so I said okay, and saw that Homeland was included (I hadn't noticed that it was also available through Showtime on Xfinity, even without a subscription). And of course ... I love my Grey's Anatomy. I recorded the episodes using PlayOn as I don't watch live.

• POWER: I'll admit ... I was a little tired of all the back-stabbing and craziness going on. I was pretty much ready for any/all of the characters to be killed off. This final season did have an interesting turn. Episode 10, was "the end" ... I do NOT love the theme song for this show (I always fast forward through it, annoyed that Starz doesn't offer a "skip intro" button like other services) but it was very effective the way it was brought in and used during that episode. Slowed down, minor key. I was a bit confused in the next episode ... I'd already seen this, did I press a wrong button? Then I figured out we were going back and seeing things from a different perspective. From Dre. Then the next episode, it's from the perspective of Paz. Then the next episode from Tommy ... we are seeing some things for the second (or third, or now fourth) time, and some things for the first time. A couple more characters are featured, and all is revealed. I thought it was a really interesting end, although I still have to say "huh?" to a couple things. 
• HOMELAND: I must admit ... I couldn't quite remember where I'd left off, or when. It had been a while. I tried looking here on my blog to see if I'd documented it. I went through some of the season recaps and finally figured out it had been season five I'd finished last. So I started on season 6. It was a little hard to get into. I struggled with poor Quin.  I finished the season but didn't feel like moving on to season seven/eight. I did record them so I'll have access if/when I want to return. 
• GREY'S ANATOMY:  I'd kept up with things until January ... when I got my temporary subscriptions, I put my Grey's on hold, and had to hide following them on Facebook so I didn't see spoilers. When I finished my other two programs, and the (shortened) season finale (pandemic problems) was about to air ... I binged my Grey's Anatomy. I had several episodes to catch up on, but I liked watching them all back-to-back rather than waiting a week or more in-between episodes.  It was hard to have two beloved characters (Deluca and Webber) seeming to lose their minds. I liked the resolution for Richard anyway ...  On a side note, Dr. Avery Jackson (the actor anyway) was in the season six of Power, NOT a very Avery roll! Just a small part, one episode, but he was more of a gang-banger, grungy and tatted, not a doctor. 

I don't really have any certain series calling out to me at the moment ... so I might go back to movies for a bit. I only managed a few in March. We'll see how I do in April. I'm better off than many with this pandemic going on, as I am already a homebody, spoiled with a home gym ... elliptical, treadmill, bike, weights. I really have no excuses!

March 2020

What a month ... it started off pretty normal. The coronavirus was in the news, but not something affecting us immediately. But that changed! Hubs had a trip to California at the start of the month; by the end of the month, travel had been almost completely shut down. All the concern from February about when/how that ONE snow day would be made up is a moot point, as schools have been shut down and learning moved online. All non-essential stores have shut down, leading to panic purchases and massive unemployment. Everyone encouraged to "stay home, stay safe".  And if that wasn't enough ... then there was an earthquake! 5.7 with hundreds of aftershocks. 

We are better off than most. Hubs and the older boys are still employed (the construction industry is still moving forward for now). #3's job at the Nike store was one of the first to close its doors, but with his college classes moved online, he was able to step right back as an apprentice electrician with #2. We were already doing online school with #4, so no changes there, and #5 is adapting well. He's an easy kid, and I think with #4 and I already learning online (even though the public schools are scrambling and using different programs) helped us transition pretty easily.

There was Daylight Savings ... so we had a week of adjusting to losing an hour, right before everything shut down (online school = sleeping in!) The turning point in my mind was Wednesday, March 11. My boys were waiting for the NBA/Jazz game to start, and there was a delay. Then it was announced that the game would not be played. Rudy Golbert had tested positive for the virus. Then all of NBA was suspended. In the next few days, all other sports shut down too. Restrictions were put in place - no more than 100 people could gather. Then that dropped to 50. Then to 10. Then to immediate family. 

Hubs and I made it out to my nephew's wedding ... right under the wire! A wedding dinner Friday (March 13) and reception (March 14). They had a second reception scheduled for down in St. George which they had to cancel, but they were lucky ... churches closed, temples closed, people who were still going forward with weddings had to have them in a backyard with just a few people, using video conferencing to include others. 

I'm pretty lucky ... I'm a homebody (me and #4) and this whole thing isn't as impacting as for many. My larger Zumba group shut down pretty quickly, but my smaller (under 10 people) kept up for another week or so. Then Zumba moved online ... instructors are great at still teaching online, although it's a little harder to stay motivated at home. I'm spoiled with a home gym (as the gyms and rec centers were shut down) but have struggled to keep my steps up. While not overly stressed, eating has been an issue as well.  I had gone back to counting calories at the start of the month ... but gave up again pretty quickly, a little overwhelmed with everything going on. 

NUMBERS: Weight ... not good. Started at 189.5 and ended at 192.4. High was 194.4 with a low of 187.9. Average was 190.91.  Average burn was 2521. Step average 15,267 with 458,012 total steps. Cardio minutes 2364/2701 and 160.22 tracked miles.  

EXERCISE: I've struggled with elliptical motivation, especially once the "school schedule" (not having to get up early to get kids off) was shifted. Just five days where I achieved my hour, and 14 days where I got 30min or more. Better with the treadmill ... on it 23 days, with one day of double duty.  Zumba suffered ... just 15 classes, and couple of those were on my own at home.  No bike. No weights ... I thought about doing weights, but never quite got up the motivation to do so. 

OTHER ACTIVITIES: Before everything shut down, #5 had a championship game and a couple practices. Tons of tournaments planned ... all canceled. The family time was the wedding. Got #5 in for a haircut (now all salons are closed) and I made it in to the doctor for my annual exam, to refill prescriptions. Hubs ran out of his blood pressure medication and first the doctor's office said he had to come in ... then with all the craziness, they went ahead and authorized a refill. Just for 30-days ... but I'm thinking this isn't going to be "over" in 30-days either.  My Lifecycle app will probably look even more different next home. HOME ... almost all the time. 

What I Watched While Working Out ...

I grabbed a couple DVDs from the library (now they are closed, not even accepting returns). Vertical Limit was an old mountain climbing movie (after I watched "Everest last month it "peak"ed my interest ... so punny!). The Way Back is based on a book "The Long Walk" I read back in college. I then signed up for a 6-months for $20 Starz deal. Mainly, to catch the 6th and final season of Power (and I watched all 15 episodes). I also used Starz to catch "Spiderman Far From Home".  Hulu offered me 30-free days, so I did that, catching the 6th season of Homeland there. Hubs and I rented and watched "Contagion" ....

What I Was Reading ...

Watching TV/Movies and Books are the new norm, as many are in isolation, stuck at home. I was already an expert at e-reading and audiobooks. Now, that's the main option for almost everyone!

I was finishing up my KindleUnlimited plan ... I didn't renew it (wasn't offered any awesome deal and just couldn't justify $10 a month when I have so many other options).  I've also been on an "AudibleEscape" plan, free for two months (I've come to the conclusion that 90% of AudibleEscape is literary porn). I got in a couple AudioBookBoom reviews (ehh, not great). I enjoyed a couple P&P re-tellings (those were nice and clean).

Much Ado About Nothing was required reading for #4's English class ... I read it too to help him with homework. Two "bitty books" and Dragonsong was a re-read (a listen actually). 

What will April be like?

February 2020

Well ... I ended the month higher than I started. End weight and average was up.  Exercise has been been pretty standard. I tried to go back to tracking the eating ...  I'd have a few days where I'd really try to keep calories in check, then days I'd go uber over, and days I didn't even bother to add them up. 

Like February of last year, there was a big snow, enough that they cancelled school. So #3 and #5 had the day off, but #4 in online school was still able to do his work per usual. We had Valentine's Day this month, as well President's Day (no school) and a birthday for #2. 

#1 and his wife (and #4) had gone to a lot of movies the past year, so they watched The Oscars and made predictions.  I was gifted a "free box" from HelloFresh and tried making those meals, but schedules are so crazy here it was actually hard to even fit in a time when #3 could partake (and he wanted to help with the making of it, testing his cooking skills). 

There were some game nights. "The Great Dalmudi" made a comeback (and I did quite well), Monopoly and SET. Hubs took #4 shooting BB Guns in the backyard and stepped up the shooting with #1 at TNT.  We moved the basketball hoop set we got for Christmas from the garage to the basement, so it is getting a little more use (had to fold up the ping pong table, but it had been a while since anyone used it. It could be brought out with minimal rearranging if anyone wanted to play).  #5 has had a bit of basketball, wrapping up the season with his Jags, and then his "wolfpack" will get back together for Spring&Summer. Hubs had a weekend getaway with the guys in St. George riding Rzrs.

Zumba ... it's more than just exercise for me. It gets me out of the house and keeps me from being a complete homebody. 18 official classes. I've been doing a little better with the treadmill than the elliptical. The treadmill takes a little less effort. Just walking. I was on it 23 days this month, and did double duty four days.  I was on the elliptical 19 days, but only achieved my hour eight of those days. I got on the bike once. No Pickleball or Ping Pong ... #4 has not been interested. Three weight workouts. I always mean to do more ...

Several basketball games with #5. Family time, helping #1 move into his house. A doctor visit for #4 and a dinner date with Hubs. For Valentines.

What I was Watching ...

My movies were mainly on Disney+ still, while we have it. I had planned on canceling after one month (that was really all I needed to watch what I wanted) but then Hubs and I started The Mandalorian and hadn't quite wrapped it up. So, a second month of Disney+, and a few more movies. ToyStory4 was a new addition. I hadn't seen it in theaters. All the others were older films ... I mean "Willow" released in 1988! I was still in high school! It was interesting how much of it I remembered though. I still enjoyed it, even today. Some sentimentality may have played into that. "Dan in Real Life" was also a rewatch. I think I'd seen Secretariat before, but I'm not sure. Funny ... I kept waiting for Toby McGuire to show up (wrong horse movie that starts with "S" ... Seabiscuit).  Quite the coincidence, "Queen of Katwe" and "Red Tails" had the same leading man. I didn't recognize him right off though, as a number of years passed between the productions, and his characters were very different. "The Greatest Game Ever Played" ... I liked it. They made a movie about golf interesting. "A Ring Of Endless Light" was a pretty typical made-for-Disney movie. 

Two series ... one up with Hubs, catching an episode before bed some nights. The Mandelorian ... I didn't love it, although "Baby Yoda" was cute. After my little Marvel Marathon last month, I decided to give "The Runaways" a try. I liked it initially, but then it got pretty silly. I finished the first season just to have a sense of closure (even though there was no closure. Cliffhanger ending). There are a couple more seasons on Disney+ but ... eh.

I grabbed a couple DVDs from the library too. Helping my son with his English, we'd had some excerpts from "Into Thin Air" written by Jon Krakauer, as well as Hillary and Norgay's account from their climb of Everest. It got me interested in seeing the movie accounting "Everest" (Krakauer's trip). I also reread a book (see below, "Peak") that was fiction but also covered the climb. Then I checked out "Child44" ... I'd read that book a while back and just wasn't at all sure how they would make it into a movie. Even having read the book, I thought the movie was confusing. Not good. And they totally left out the main twist of the book! I had to get the book out of the library again to review it after watching the movie. 

February Reads - #JenBsBooks

As mentioned above, Peak and Child44 were rereads for me.  I'd "read" Peak before, and went with audio this second go-round, and the opposite with Child44 ... I'd listened to it the first time, and checked out the Kindle copy (and I admit, it was more of a skim than a complete read). Call it Courage is one I've read multiple times. It came back on my radar after a unit on the Polynesian people in #4's World Civ class. I discovered my library had the audiobook, I'd always just read it before.  Not as many books for the month as usual, but The Way Of Kings was long, the longest single book I've ever read. Over 1000+ pages. The Children of Blood and Bone has had a lot of buzz, and I liked it a lot too. Marking Time was also quite good ... I started a 2-month Audible Escape trial for free, and it was available on that. 

So that was February ... even had an extra day (leap year) and palindrome day 02022020.

Kindle Unlimited ... Again (& Again!)

I did a post back in Spring of 2016 about my 30-day Trial of Kindle Unlimited. I really liked the program, but couldn't justify the $10 a month, not when I had so many books available at my local library and in my Kindle cloud.

As 2019 started up ... I noticed a deal: three months of Kindle Unlimited for just $1. So I signed up. I wrapped up some of my library loans, and then suspended any remaining holds, and started on a Kindle Unlimited journey again. During my first trial three years ago, I discovered the KU books with audio options. As audio books are so expensive, I planned to partake of as many audio editions as I could (at this same time I added an earbud to replace my big, bulky headphones, which added many hours of audio opportunity while cleaning, gardening, laundry and driving kids around).  If you glance at my monthly book lists from last year, Kindle Unlimited Audio dominated those three months. When my time was up, I canceled, and went back to borrowing books from my local library. 

I must admit... Kindle Unlimited had spoiled me. Unlike the library, I never had to wait for the next book. I could always download it immediately. I also adored the option of having the Kindle copy along with the audible. Often I'd use the "whispersync" function to switch between the audio and actual reading when I had some down time. Sometimes I'd stop the audio to quickly highlight or make a note in the Kindle copy.  But, I'm cheap ... the library is fine.

Then, there was another Amazon Kindle deal. Two months for $1. I did it again. Another two months. A bunch of KU books. Then canceled before being charged the full price and back to the library.  Then ... a two months FREE for Prime members as part of Prime Day. I got the deal, and KU again. Then went back to my library. Then ... there was ANOTHER deal and I got KU for the rest of the year. So ... almost a full year of Kindle Unlimited, for about $5 (if I'm remembering correctly).

 

Now with Kindle Unlimited, you are not BUYING the books, you are borrowing them. It's more like a library loan, except unlike the library, any KU book is available at any time. As in my original post, it isn't really "unlimited" ... You can only have 10 books out at a time.  Not all the books Amazon carries are included and not all KU books have audio.  But if you are an avid reader - it might be worth the regular price of $10 a month, especially for audiobooks. 

In 2019 ... I was able to listen to around 135 audiobooks from Kindle Unlimited. I also grabbed a few books that only had a Kindle copy available and read them (the entire "Gateway" series by E.E. Holmes is available on Unlimited. No audio included for free, but this was one worth it to me to read. I'd been looking forward to the final two books which came out in 2019).  This past year, I also started to request audiobooks through AudioBookBoom (where authors/narrators/publishers will offer free audiobooks in exchange for a review). A majority of these audiobooks had the Kindle copy available on KU, and I'd always borrow them while I listened, often referring to the text copy to make notes or reread sections. 

When you go to the Kindle Unlimited page, there are several targeted lists ... New and Noteable, Literature and Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy, etc. One of the options is E-books with Audible. These include both the kindle copy and the audio. The audio can be accessed through the Kindle copy (you can actually follow along, the highlighted text following the narration visually), or through the Audible app.

As you are browsing books in the main menu - you can easily see if a book is included in Kindle Unlimited, and if the audio is included or not. Books are marked with the "kindleunlimited" logo and the headphones image. The "buy" button will say "Read for Free" or "Read and Listen for Free"...

There are the books where just the Kindle copy is included in KU, those where both the Kindle and the audio are included ... and then there's one other thing that's good to know. Many KU books say "Read for Free" indicating they are part of Kindle Unlimited, but then underneath you see a reduced price purchase option (as above, "add Audible" for just $1.99). Borrowing the Kindle copy counts as a "purchase" and you can buy audiobook for the reduced price while you have the Kindle copy borrowed. The purchased audiobook is yours to keep, accessible in Audible after you return the Kindle copy and/or cancel your KU subscription. I picked up several discounted audiobooks this way.

I ran into one small snafuu with Kindle Unlimited audio. I've been snagging free Kindle downloads for years. Following Pixal of Ink and Book Bub, so I have a huge collection of digital books in my Kindle Cloud. When I wanted to borrow the audiobook from KU, and I had purchased the Kindle copy, I had a lot of trouble accessing the audio. My Kindle app would bring up my cloud copy, which apparently was different than the KU copy with audio attached. I couldn't seem to "borrow" the KU copy, because records showed I already owned the book. I finally figured out that I had to use my Kindle Device ... go into the KindleUnlimited menu, which would bring up the KindleUnlimited copy, and I could borrow it from there. I never figured a work around from the Kindle app or Amazon website. 

So - I think there is a target audience for Kindle Unlimited. For some people, it IS absolutely worth the $10 a month subscription price. For others, not so much. It really depends on what you read and how much you read.  If you are looking for specific books, KU may not make you happy. If you just want to read and are happy just trying out things that look interesting ... you may find a ton of wonderful books you may not have encountered otherwise. 

Just like Netflix - the content of KU is constantly changing. 

Things that are available at one point, may be phased out. 

New books are always being added. 

Some of the KindleUnlimited I really liked?

Kindle and Audio Included

•  In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn
• The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia
  
• West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
  
• James Maxwell - two quartets/epic fantasy
• Jeff Wheeler Fantasy book series 
• Servants of Fate by Sarah Fine 
• The Hundredth Queen series by Emily R King 
• Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days Book 1) Kindle Edition by Susan Ee  
• The Butterfly Garden (The Collector #1) by Dot Hutchison
• The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (The Road to Nowhere #1) by Meg Elison
• Deviants (Dust Chronicles, #1) by  Maureen McGowan
• The Rule of One (The Rule of One, #1)  by Ashley Saunders
• CyberStorm by Matthew Mather 
• Smoke & Summons (Numina #1) by Charlie N.Holmberg
• The Upside of Falling Down by  Rebekah Crane
• Dead Spots (Scarlett Bernard #1) by Melissa F. Olsen
• The Music of the Deep by  Elizabeth Hall 
• Obscura by Joe Hart
• What the Wind Knows  by Amy Harmon   
• The First Girl Child  by Amy Harmon
• The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
• The Wake Up  by Catherine Ryan Hyde  (several other books also) 
  
• Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah
  

  
  

   
  

Kindle Copy Only

• Gateway series by E.E. Holmes (Audible available for $7.49 each) 
• The City series by Sarah Lyons Flemming (Audible available for $1.99 each)
• The Legacy series by Melissa Delport (Audible available for $7.49 each)