The New Normal vs The New Reality

It's been a while since I written on the blog so figured now's as good a time as any to restart posting. I will first start with my latest pet peeve which is the phrase "the new normal." I really dislike the phrase "the new normal" because we are not living in normal times. Currently, most of the California is on fire or suffering with effects of fire while the rest of the country is dealing with it's own unpredictable weather. The country is also still dealing with the Corona virus killing hundreds of thousands not to mention racial unrest due to the constant killing of black people.Having said all this, I am referring to this current times as "the new reality" versus "the new normal."  

On the work front, I now start my work day by taking my temperature and then checking it off a list. If anyone's temperature is 100.4, then they have to go home. In addition to this, according to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy website, our county may be able to open at 25% maximum capacity. Although my library system is still closed to the public (and has been since the last week of March,)  I can tell that changes are on the horizon since my director introduced system-wide protocols for reopening book drops as well as a curbside/pick-up service.

Although my director hasn't given staff an official date for these new processes to begin, I think she's erring on the side of caution so we won't be surprised when the county tells us to resume library services. The biggest changes with reopening the book drops and pick up service is that staff will be wearing gloves and face shield and the length of quarantining returned library items. While we'll be happy to get our items back, I already know there will be a learning curve with sanitation process but this is something that is part of our new reality. 

On the personal front, I'm slowly finishing my two reading challenges and updating the books I've read on my two reading challenge posts as well as on Instagram and Facebook.

On the workout front, I'm keeping up with my fitness by exercising on a daily basis through doing a couple of this such as a twelve week resistance band workout program from Achv Peak as well as a 28 day body shaping program from Pahla B Fitness on YouTube. Lastly, I am doing virtual run through the Rock N Roll Virtual Run Club.  

Books Read COVID-19 During the Quarantine

     I had the recently epiphany that all of my blog posts as of late have been only about work. In order to create better work/life balance, this post will show books I've read since my job closed to the public on March 21st.

 If you want the full list of books I'm reading for my two 2020 reading challenges, check out my previous blog posts on the 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge and the 2020 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading challenge.

2020 Mommy Mannegren 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading Challenge

Each year, I take on different reading challenges as a way to get outside of my reading comfort zone. This year in addition to doing the 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge, I also added the Mommy  Mannegren 2020 52 Books in 52 Weeks which contains a total of 52 books. 

Below is a list of all the books I have read for the 2020 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading Challenge along with their reading prompt. After I finish each reading prompt, I will update this list. If you want to see more of the books I've read this year, you can check out my Goodreads profile at: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/15431036.

Completed 12/4/20

2020 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading Challenge:

1. A book with the letter "W" in the title: Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy
2. A hardcover: Where the Light Enters by Jill Biden 
3. By an indigenous writer: An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
4. Set in winter: Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
5. A character who is a senior: Out of Warranty by Haywood Smith
6. Written in the 1970's: Cruel Shoes (1979) by Steve Martin
7. An author local to you: Hands of Fire by Richard Thomas Banegas
8. Orange on the cover: The Reason Why by Vickie M. Stringer
9. Set in Space: Redshirts by John Scalzi
10. A bestseller: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
11. A book that leaves you thinking: The Memo by Minda Harts
12. A "guilty pleasure": Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer
13. Written by a female author: More Myself by Alicia Keys
14. Boo in a series: Miles to Go by Richard Paul Evans
15. Book with romance: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
16. Borrowed from a friend: Beauty and the Beast by May Sage
17. Written by more than one author: What We Keep by Bill Shapiro and Naomi Wax
18. Published in 2020: Fate by Helen Hardt 
19. A Stephen King novel: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
20. An author whose last name starts with the same initial as yours: Jim the Boy by Tony Earley 
21. Written by a blogger or journalist: I'm So Proud of You by Tim Madigan
22. A character that frustrates you: Love Dungeon by Criss Carr
23. Title beginning with A: All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
24. Title beginning with B: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
25. Title beginning with C: Church Boy by Kirk Franklin
26. A strong "friendship" theme: Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
27. A comic book: Sleepless Volume 1 by Sarah Vaughn
28. Literary Fiction: Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi 
29. An award-winning novel: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger (winner of Edgar Award 2014)
30. A book with recipes inside: Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw
31. A book featuring royalty: Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud
32. A spy novel: The Quiet American by Graham Greene
33. A book containing poetry: Green Grapes Black Hands by Jackie Joice
34. A book with illustrations: Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm
35. An author's debut book: H20 by Virginia Bergin
36. Written in first person: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
37. A book featuring the medical profession: This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries from a Medical Resident by Adam Kay
38. Set in the future: Unwind by Neal Shusterman
39. A book used in a celebrity book club: Chop Wood Carry Water (Andrew Luck Book Club)
40. A book on the Mensa reading list for grades 9-12: The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
41. Published when you were 20: The Reptile Room (A Series of Unfortunate Events) by Lemony Snicket
42. Reuse a prompt from a past year: (2018 - first book in a trilogy) Though I Stumble by Kim Cash Tate
43. Set in a country you've never visited before: The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
44. "Recommended" to you by Amazon: Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton
45. A book that cost you less than $5: His To Claim by Brenda Jackson
46. By an author used in an earlier category: The Storm by Virginia Bergin (used in author's debut book category)  
47. Story takes place on a form of transportation: The 6:41 to Paris by Jean-Philippe Blondel
48. Character who wears glasses: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
49. About a world leader: This Child Will Be Great by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 
50. An author you previously disliked: Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
51. A genre you don't normally care for: Shadow Touch by Majorie Liu (paranormal romance)
52. A book with a Foreword: Push the button by Feminista Jones