SUNDAY POST – LIVING WITH LONG COVID #14

This is my update on how I’m doing while coping with Long Covid now it’s been over a year since I first got ill, which I’m adding to my Sunday Post blog, hosted by Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer.

A Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate – and if you don’t, then I hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend. The weather the last two days has been glorious – lots of sunshine and for once, there isn’t a wind blowing. I just hope it holds for the rest of the long weekend so everyone can appreciate it.

I am steadily increasing my activity level, though I have had to tweak it a bit, thanks to my lovely friend Mhairi, who suggested how I could make it more gradual. My biggest problem is my very sore shoulder where I had my last booster vaccination – at night it prevents me from getting back to sleep so I’m only getting 3 or 4 hours a night. I then fall asleep after breakfast, finally surfacing at around midday. But that is far from ideal and is really hampering my recovery. I am hoping to find ways around it before I contact the Dr as I’m conscious that the NHS is under huge pressure. Though that didn’t stop them swinging into action magnificently earlier this week when my brother-in-law was admitted to hospital with a blood clot on the lung. After two days on oxygen, thank goodness he’s now at home and recovering.

I have new glasses! And luckily, although it was something of a challenge to peer at blurry old me in the mirror while choosing the frames, I do like the look of them. What is a shock, is what a huge improvement I’ve noticed in my eyesight since putting them on. I was terribly overdue, but simply hadn’t had the energy to face the test and all the messing around with lenses and whatnot that fitting varifocals takes. Himself is not very well – he went down with an almighty cold last week. At least we hope it was a cold – the lateral tests said so. But I’m aware that they aren’t all that accurate with some of the new variants of covid. He had a couple of days off work with a terrible, hacking cough and feeling absolutely wiped out. He is now on annual leave, and although he is better, he still hasn’t fully recovered. Though I’m aware that he’s exhausted. Having to look after me for 14 months, on top of keeping the house clean, doing the chores including the washing and all the shopping and cooking, as well as keeping a demanding job going is a constant grind. I just hope that sometime soon I can begin to lighten his load.

This week I’ve read:-

Tainted – Book 4 of The Taellaneth series by Vanessa Nelson
Woken from sleep by intruders, Arrow is shocked to realise that humans have managed to break through her wards. This was no simple break-in. It quickly becomes clear this was just part of a series, and the Erith’s ancient enemies may be involved.

Worse than that, the peace treaty that holds shape-changers, humans and Erith from all-out war is on the brink of collapse. Arrow is once more in the middle of a deadly power struggle.
I am really loving this unusual fantasy crime series. Nelson is a talented capable author, whose ability to set the wrongdoings Arrow investigates within a world with a High Fantasy flavour really makes this one stand out from the crowd. Arrow is also a strong protagonist with lots of baggage after years of neglect and abuse – but is trying to come to terms with it. This adventure took her in a different direction, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I just wish it wasn’t the penultimate book in the series…:( 10/10

Murder at the Car Rally – Book 3 of the Lady Sleuth Murder Mystery series by Sonia Parin
When Evie Parker, Countess of Woodridge, decides to spend a day in London unaccompanied she has no idea she will encounter the one person she has hoped to spend the rest of her life avoiding. There’s no escaping Isabel Fitzpatrick’s exuberant energy and desire to show off her new husband. However, the encounter sets off a series of events and brings trouble right to Evie’s doorstep.

Even when Evie manages to return to her country house in Berkshire, she finds the only way to avoid her childhood friend is to flee by joining a car rally group, but trouble pursues her and now a man has died under suspicious circumstances…
I’ve cut short the rather chatty blurb on this entertaining 1920s murder mystery adventure. I’ve grown rather fond of Evie – and found this latest instalment particularly effective. I especially liked the depiction of the ‘bright young things’ who end up being at the heart of the story. There is also plenty of humour in amongst the whodunit, which I appreciated. 8/10

The Body in the Transept – Book 1 of the Dorothy Martin series by Jeanne M. Dam
Dorothy Martin, new widow moved to England, enjoys the Christmas service in Sherebury Cathedral until she trips over the body of Canon Billings. With handsome Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, neighbor Jane, cat Emmy, and amusing hats, she sorts through suspects: pompous dishonest verger Wallingford, fired student Nigel, philandering George – to the truth.

I read a previous offering of this author and was sufficiently impressed to give this established series a whirl. I very much enjoyed seeing a small cathedral city (which seems to have an uncanny resemblance to Salisbury) through the eyes of an American woman of a certain age. Dorothy is a slightly spiky, amusing protagonist and while the whodunit itself isn’t particularly complicated, the detailed descriptions of the city and the characters kept me turning the pages during a particularly wretched night. 8/10

NOVELLA Barbary by Vonda N. McIntyre
Even before the space transport Outrigger docked on research station Einstein, Barbary had heard about an alien ship that was moving into the solar system.

Some believed the vessel was drifting aimlessly; others were sure it was under conscious control. Either way, the team of scientists aboard Outrigger were prepared to investigate.

Their mission did not involve a passenger named Barbary. Yet she —and more importantly, the pet cat she smuggled on board—were about to play key roles in mans first contact with aliens…
This space opera children’s adventure story, first published in 1986, absolutely charmed me. Many thanks to … the person who featured this on their blog recently, where it caught my eye and encouraged me to get hold of it. And sorry for not remembering who you are! But it’s a delight. Barbary is a sympathetic protagonist and I was thoroughly rooting for her to succeed in her determination to take the only thing that really matters into space with her. I just wish it was longer! 8/10

AUDIOBOOK Dark Currents – Book 2 of the Emperor’s Edge Collection Books 1-3 by Lindsay Buroker
It’s been three months since former enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon and the notorious assassin Sicarius thwarted kidnappers and saved the emperor’s life. The problem? Nobody knows they were responsible for this good deed. Worse, they’re being blamed for the entire scheme. With enforcers and bounty hunters stalking them, and the emperor nursing a personal hatred for Sicarius, it’s going to be hard to earn exoneration.

When Amaranthe’s team discovers mutilated bodies in the city aqueducts and a mysterious illness incapacitates thousands of citizens, she and Sicarius see an opportunity to solve the mystery and prove their loyalty. But they’ll have to defeat vengeful shamans, man-eating predators, and deadly mechanical constructs, all while dodging imperial soldiers who would rather kill them than accept their help. Nobody said exoneration would be easy.
Buroker’s rollicking writing style, full of energy and humour – along with a hatful of unexpected plot twists now makes her one of my favourite authors. It has taken me a while to fully bond with this latest crew of misfits and troublemakers – but I found this adventure engrossing. And while I don’t like Sicarius at all, I was delighted to spend more time with Booksy and of course, our feisty heroine, Amaranthe. 8/10

Vengeance in Death – Book 6 of the In Death series by J.D. Robb
He is an expert with the latest technology…a madman with the mind of a genius and the heart of a killer. He quietly stalks his prey. Then he haunts the police with cryptic riddles about the crimes he is about to commit–always solved moments too late to save his victims’ lives. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas found the first victim butchered in his own home. The second lost his life in a vacant luxury apartment. The two men had little in common. Both suffered unspeakable torture before their deaths. And both had ties to an ugly secret of ten years past–a secret shared by none other than Eve’s new husband, Roarke.

I’m generally not a huge fan of murder mysteries featuring mad-but-brilliant serial killers. However I have a soft spot for Eve Dallas, and as Himself has bought alllll the books in this very long-running series, I thought I’d continue to work my way through it while I’m on a Crime reading spree. As ever with these books, the pages flew by as I found it hard to put down. I do enjoy the fact that Eve and Roarke have such a very passionate relationship as a married couple. 8/10

This week I have posted:

*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of Stringers of Chris Panatier

Review of The Long Covid Self-Help Guide: Practical Ways to Manage Symptoms by the Oxford Long Covid Clinic

Thank you so much for visiting and commenting. I’m aware that right now, it’s a very one-sided relationship and I don’t know when I’ll be able to fully reciprocate. In the meantime, do take care and try to keep well.