April 2020 Wrap Up

I feel like April has been a long month. I'm sure there are many people who share that feeling. At least I am still working normally (if not overtime). Social distancing takes a toll on everyone though. Luckily I have had weekly video gatherings with some of my good friends, which cheers me up. I've been in contact with some other people who I haven't seen since I moved to New Mexico and it's een really nice to catch up with them. Maybe when things start to return to normal, some of these things will continue.

I'm still keeping my bullet journal and trying new things to help track my moods and motivation levels. Or track when/why I am most tired. I hope this will help me eventually.

On the plus-side, I have read several books this month. Lets go to that portion.

Title: Ouran High School Host Club Volumes 3-12
Author: Bisco Hatori

Synopsis: Haruhi is a poor scholarship student at the very wealthy and prestigious Ouran Academy, where the students have too much money and too much free time. In a twist of fate, Haruhi ends up in debt to the school host club (a gang of six attractive boys). Originally mistaken for a boy herself, she keeps her gender a secret from the rest of the school to become a host to work off her debt. And hilarity ensues.

Thoughts: I needed something light, quick, and fun to read, still, during and after my reading of Made You Up. But these are fun and I want to finish the series.

Rating: Overall, 4 out of 5 stars

Title: The Starless Sea
Author: Erin Morgenstern

Synopsis: There are magical doors that lead from the ordinary world to a strange place underground where stories ebb and flow like the Starless Sea. If you are meant to find a door, you will. If you do not open it, your chance may be gone forever. Or not, in the case of Zachary Ezra Rawlins. He found his door as a kid, but was too afraid that the magic would let him down to open it. But he gets another chance after some strange encounters with other people who dwell in the harbor of the Starless Sea and other people who have traveled to these mysterious places. But the world of the Starless Sea is in trouble and it might be Zachary's job to fix it. Or change it. He's not sure, but he feels he must try.

Thoughts: I loved the Night Circus so I was excited when she finally wrote another book. And I have to say that I enjoyed it, but I just am not really sure what to think. What I mostly think is that I need to read it again. There were so many parts that changed and were tangled together that I think I spent more time thinking about that than what the actual story was supposed to be. But it was really interesting and kept me thinking. I liked all the different incarnations and tangles of the stories.

Rating: 3 1/2-4 out of 5

Title: Made You Up
Author: Francesca Zappia

Synopsis: Alex is a high school student just like any other. Except she has schizophrenia and can't always tell what is real and what isn't. She has lots of methods to help her keep the real world and the world in her head separate. After changing schools, she finally makes friends with some other kids and with Miles who might have been someone in her past, or not, or maybe possible past-Miles wasn't even real. But this Miles is real and as they become friends and start to fall in love, the real craziness of the world around them comes out. Alex doesn't think anyone will believe her.

Thoughts: Oh my goodness. This book was incredible. Alex is the ultimate unreliable narrator because even she doesn't always know what is real which means you can never know what is real. I was anxious while I read this book and I had so many feelings. After I finished the book, I closed it and then sat there crying for a while (even though, spoiler, the ending wasn't particularly sad. I was just so emotional). And I had a massive book hangover for WEEKS afterwards. That's why I read so much Ouran High School Host Club: it was easy and manageable. I still feel like I don't want to read another book because it could never live up to this one. It might be a new favorite. Even weeks later, I am trying not to cry about it. Generally, unreliable narrators aren't my thing, so I was a little hesitant to read this. But I am unimaginably glad that I did. I don't even have proper words for this book. But if you read it and love it, please come talk to me because I need someone to cry over this with me.

Rating: 4 1/2-5 out of 5 stars. And lots of hearts.

Title: The Lost Hero
Author: Rick Riordan
Narrator: Joshua Swanson

Synopsis: Jason shows up in the Wilderness School for Troubled Youth with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He meets (for the first time?) Leo and Piper and together, they end up at Camp Half-Blood. Piper and Leo have secrets of their own: Piper's father is missing and she is meant to betray her new friends to save him and Leo can summon fire and may have contributed to the death of his mother. But they end up on a quest together and discover friendship despite everything.

Thoughts: This was a re-read, mostly because I wanted something familiar and fun after Made You Up. So I decided to start re-reading this series because they are fun. And because I love Leo to pieces.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Title: The Son of Neptune
Author: Rick Riordan
Narrator: Joshua Swanson

Synopsis: Percy arrives at Camp Jupiter with no idea who he is and no memories of his past life beyond Annabeth's name. There he meets Hazel, who has been given a second chance at life after dying in the 1940s, and Frank, who is told that he has great powers but mostly feels like a clumsy dolt. Together they go on a dangerous quest to Alaska, the land beyond the Gods, to defeat a giant and free Death.

Thoughts: Another re-read because I love these books and decided I would try to re-read the whole series. And also because I love Leo (though he isn't really in this book).

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Title: Explosive Eighteen
Author: Janet Evanovich

Synopsis: After a vacation gone horribly wrong, Stephanie returns to New Jersey alone. Next thing she knows, the man next to her on the plane was found dead and many people are after her because they think that he planted an important photograph in her bag. Which he did. And which she threw away. On top of dealing with the FBI, fake FBI, and other assorted crazies on her tail, Joyce (her nemesis) is holed up in her apartment, she's having horrible man trouble, and she still has to pick up her skips with Lula.

Thoughts: These are some of my guilty pleasure books. I call them my "beach trash" novels. They are so easy to read and funny. And as I was still in severe book-hangover-mode from Made You Up, this sounded like something I could handle. This series of books has gotten me out of many a reading slump in the past, this one did not disappoint.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


Favorite book read this month: Made You Up (obviously)
Least favorite book read this month: None, I enjoyed all of them for different reasons

Reading challenge: I actually increased my reading goal for this year from 75 to 80 since I have been reading manga and they are much shorter and quicker to read. I might increase it to 85 later. But as of right now, I have read 37 of 80 books.

Alphabet reading challenge: L (The Lost Hero), M (Made You Up),  S (The Starless Sea), and X (Explosive Eighteen).

Disease Post: COVID-19/SARS-2

As we are in the midst of a pandemic, I thought I would do a little post about this disease. I am not an expert on this topic, but I want to try to convey some information to people who are interested.

Background:

Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses. Their genome is RNA, which makes them more prone to mutations, much like the influenza virus. The surface of the envelope is covered with club-shaped spikes or projections which give it a "corona" or crown when looked at under a microscope.

Giant COVID-19 virus from Giant Microbes. Super cute. I want all of their plushy diseases!

Coronaviruses are broken down into four groups: alpha, beta, gamma, and delta. Mostly this helps differentiate the animals the virus originated in: rodents and bats for alpha and beta, birds for gamma and delta. Based on this you can probably gather that coronaviruses are present in several animal species. And you would be correct. Animals all over the world have coronaviruses which usually cause respiratory and/or gastrointestinal diseases. Humans have coronaviruses, too. Some do cause gastrointestinal infections, but many cause upper respiratory infections that are pretty mild. They are usually what we would call a chest cold or viral upper respiratory infection (ie: viral bronchitis). Most people don't have trouble clearing these infections.

But coronaviruses are good at mutating. That means that they have the potential to jump to humans from animal hosts, which is likely how we ended up with SARS, MERS, and SARS-2 (aka COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, nCoV-19). For the record, SARS stands for "severe acute respiratory syndrome" and MERS stands for "Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome." And real quick before we move on because I have seen bad information spread on social media: COVID stands for "coronavirus disease" and CoV is short for "coronavirus." The number 19 refers to the year 2019 when the first case emerged. SARS could also have been called COVID-02 (2002) and MERS could be called COVID-12 (2012).

The severe coronavirus infections that we hear about cause atypical pneumonia (generally less severe than typical pneumonia). Most coronaviruses do not establish infections deep in the lungs for various reasons (including cell receptors that they need to enter cells and temperature of the upper versus the lower respiratory system). But SARS, SARS-2, and MERS were able to establish infections in the lower respiratory tract which makes them much more dangerous.

According to the WHO, "SARS was more deadly but much less infectious than COVID-19. There have been no outbreaks of SARS anywhere in the world since 2003." But SARS-2 is genetically related to SARS so we might be able to learn more about SARS-2 by studying SARS.

How is it spread?

Respiratory coronaviruses are spread by droplets in the air, gastrointestinal coronaviruses are spread via the fecal-oral route (I know, gross). SARS, SARS-2, and MERS are respiratory and caused by inhaling the virus.

Image from the CDC

These infectious droplets of saliva  or nasal discharges (fluid) are in the air because people cough and sneeze. Even laughing and singing release droplets. This is why the CDC is now recommending that everyone in public wear a mask of some sort (preferably one that is thick enough to stop droplets). It isn't to protect the wearer, it is to protect the people around you. Also, cover your coughs and sneezes. The droplets are heavy, however, and usually settle pretty quickly, which can contaminate surfaces.

It has been thought that the virus can live for a time on surfaces. Here is what the WHO has to say:

It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces  for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment).

If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with simple disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.

For those worried about catching SARS-2 from animals, the WHO also says, "While there has been one instance of a dog being infected in Hong Kong, to date, there is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19. COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently and thoroughly." So don't go dropping your pets off at shelters or (heaven forbid) outside somewhere to fend for themselves. Take care of your animals, they are not going to give you SARS-2. It might be possible for you to give your pet the disease, some animals have lungs much like humans--cats and ferrets for instance. There doesn't seem to be much official information about this and we might not know for a while. Just be cautious. Wash your hands.

It also seems that re-infection with SARS-2 after getting it once is rare if it is happening at all. A couple of papers (Omer et al. and  Bao et al.) indicate that individuals are protected for at least a few months from re-infection with SARS-2. More data needs to be gathered on the subject and we do not know how long the protection might last. But so far, this seems like good news.

Additionally, it appears that the virus does not transmit across the placenta according to an article by Fan et al. Obviously, pregnant and breast-feeding women who are exposed or experiencing symptoms should consult their doctor. More research on this topic is needed, but right now it seems hopeful.

Image from Harvard Coronavirus Resource Center

Symptoms: 

Keep in mind with SARS-2 that some people experience very mild symptoms while others do not. That's part of why this is so dangerous. What doesn't hurt you much could kill someone else. And there is some evidence that there are people who are asymptomatic carriers (they don't feel or appear sick even though they have the disease). However, since they are not showing symptoms (namely coughing) it is more difficult for them to actually spread the disease. Also more difficult to know who is infected. It is a good idea to act as though anyone and everyone might be infected, including yourself.

Within about 7-14 days of infection, people generally show fever, dry cough, tiredness, aches, sore throat and/or shortness of breath. Very few people have reported diarrhea, nausea, and runny nose.

If symptoms get more severe, you should seek medical attention. According to the CDC, if you experience the following: "trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, bluish lips or face" then you should seek emergency medical attention.

I know this is all scary and its still so new that we don't have all of the details, but this is part of why it is important to take care of yourself and keep yourself (and others) healthy. And do keep in mind that many people have more mild infections and recover fine on their own. An article written by Cascella, et. al. reported that about 81% of the cases in China were mild.

Prevention and Treatment:

The WHO recommends the following for prevention:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, or clean them with alcohol-based hand rub.
• Maintain at least 1 metre distance between you and people coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
• Stay home if you feel unwell.
• Refrain from smoking and other activities that weaken the lungs.
• Practice physical distancing by avoiding unnecessary travel and staying away from large groups of people. 

As of right now, there is not a vaccine or a proven treatment. And I do not want to get political, but Americans: do NOT follow the directions of our president. He is not a medical doctor or a medical professional of any kind. Just because he thinks or "feels" that something might be so, does not mean it is. Please listen to doctors and legitimate medical professionals. It has not been solidly proven that hydroxychloroquine will treat the disease and may cause more harm than good in some cases. There have been lab trials using cell cultures (in vitro) that show decreased levels of disease by SARS-2, but there have been very few good clinical trials. Most have had too small a sampling group to give accurate representation (see Gautret et al.).

I'm not sure what sort of mechanism azithromycin is supposed to use to treat a viral infection. But azithromycin is an antibiotic, meaning it is meant to treat bacterial infections. It could help treat secondary infections people may see with SARS-2 infections, but to my knowledge, will not treat the virus. Please only use antibiotics at the direction of your doctor.

Also, please be aware that development of vaccines and treatments are a long process, usually at least a year if rushed. So scientists are trying to find these things, but please know that it will be a while before these things exist.

As of right now, treatment consists of supportive care.

Extras:

Here is an informational video that has some good information and breakdowns of COVID-19 that might interest you: Ninja Nerd Science: COVID-19 | Coronavirus: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Ninja Nerd Science: COVID-19 | Coronavirus: Treatment, Prognosis, Precautions.

I also highly recommend checking out This Podcast Will Kill You. About two months ago they did a general coronavirus episode and more recently they have done a series all about COVID-19. They are knowledgeable and work with other professionals to get good information out there.

Here is a page that is very important: WHO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: Myth busters. Take a look at the information and graphics. I would also like to add a rumor I heard a couple of times: that darker skinned people are less prone (they aren't and also tend to be at a lower socioeconomic status and therefore have less access to treatment and can be more prone to severe disease) and that wearing sunscreen will help protect you from COVID. The virus does not and will not absorb through your skin. Even if there is a break in the skin, I am not sure that coronavirus could properly establish an infection. Covering your skin or having darker skin will not prevent coronoavirus infection.

And I'm sure you know this, but many people have been negatively infected by this pandemic. People have lost friends and family, people have been laid off of work and struggle to make ends meet, our health care professionals and other necessary personnel are worked to the bone. Please keep these people in mind. If it is within your power and means to donate to organizations dedicated to helping these people, please do. Here are a couple of suggestions: your local food banks (like Food Bank of the Rockies), Give Directly, No Kid Hungry, local COVID relief funds, United Way, and many others.

There are local people everywhere doing things to try to help their communities, doing things like delivering food/supplies, giving gift cards to families, and so forth. Also, please keep in mind the homeless populations who also need extra help during these times. Most shelters take food and monetary donations and may need supplies or volunteers. There are people doing good deeds for our health care workers and essential personnel. Remember that many of these people are not being treated well or paid well despite the fact that we actually need them to keep going as a society.

If you can't donate or volunteer, there are still things that you can do: stay home, stay away from people as much as possible, don't travel, and be kind. Kindness doesn't cost anything and empathy is going to help people much more than anger and bitterness. This is difficult for everyone, but please do your part.

Disclaimer: This information is bound to change. We won't know all of the information including complete statistics of infection rates, death rates, and more until this is all over. Scientists and doctors are working all of the time to add to our knowledge of this disease. If any of this changed/changes, feel free to let me know.

Sources: 
Centers for Disease Control: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
World Health Organization: Coronavirus disease 2019
Cascella et al. Features, evaluation and treatment coronavirus.
Gautret et al. Hydroxycholoroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of COVID-19: results of an open-label non-randomized clinical trial.
Omer et al. The COVID-19 Pandemic in the US: A Clinical Update.
Bao et al. Reinfection could notoccur in SARS-CoV-2 infected rhesus macaques. (Please forgive this link, this is the article but the site it was posted on was having problems opening  by the time I was writing this post.) 
Fan et al. Perinatal Transmission of COVID-19 Associated SARS-CoV-2: Should We Worry? 
Emerging Infectious Diseases by Lisa A. Beltz
Medical Microbiology 6th edition by Patrick R. Murray, Ken S. Rosenthal, and Michael A Pfaller

March 2020 Wrap Up

Alright! Book reviews!

Title: Get Well Soon
Author: Jennifer Wright
Narrator: Gabra Zackman

Synopsis: This book discusses some of the worst plagues in history, starting with the Antonine Plague all the way to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The author gives details about the diseases and how humans responded: what worked and what didn't? How good leadership can help in the face of horrible epidemics and pandemics.

Thoughts: This was a re-read for me. I needed a break from the next book listed because it felt a bit intense. I'm not sure what it says about me that reading a book about diseases made me happy. But this is a good book. It is humorous and informative. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Title: Children of Virtue and Vengence
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Narrator: Bahni Turpin

Synopsis: Zélie with the help of Amari and others managed to bring magic back to Orïsha. But this also awoke the magical heritage in the nobles and they have learned to use it. And some of them are much more powerful than they should be. Zélie and Amari try to unite the maji in order to bring down the monarchy, but both are warring with themselves: Zélie is trying to figure out how much more pain and suffering she can take and Amari is trying to find her place in this group of maji that want nothing to do with her. And civil war is coming.

Thoughts: There are things I enjoyed about this book and things that I did not. First of all, I cannot stand Zélie's inability to communicate with people (even those she cares for) and she wavered so often between leaving and staying that I started to get frustrated. I'm not entirely sure that is justified. But I like the types of magic and how the maji can use their gifts. There were parts that were sad or intense, but some parts seemed to drag a little. Honestly, I will probably continue reading the series eventually. I really like the narrator, she does a great job.

Rating: 3-31/2 stars out of 5

Title: Daughter of the Pirate King
Author: Tricia Levenseller

Synopsis: Alosa, daughter of the pirate king and captain of the Ava-lee has been sent on a dangerous mission: to intentionally be caught by a rival pirate lord in order to steal a map. She has endless tricks up her sleeves, but the rival first mate, Riden, is making her life and mission much more difficult.

Thoughts: I picked this up for the Owlcrate-A-Thon this month. It is one of the oldest Owlcrate books I own (probably not the oldest, but definitely close). So I read it in one weekend and I was hooked!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Title: Daughter of the Siren Queen
Author: Tricia Levenseller

Synopsis: Alosa has completed her mission to complete the map to an island rumored to be full of treasure. Some of the pirates who had held her captive are now her prisoners or part of her crew. But one of them plants doubts in her mind about her father's intentions. After breaking into the pirate king's office and discovering some of his secrets, Alosa and her crew make a run for it, trying to beat the pirate king and his fleet to the island the map leads to.

Thoughts: After completing the first book, I almost immediately turned around and ordered this one from Amazon. I enjoyed this duology quite a bit. They were fun and well-written and generally kept me on the edge of my seat.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Title: Tweet Cute
Author: Emma Lord

Synopsis: Pepper works hard to try to have it all and to be the best. She gets great grades, is the captain of the swim team, and is a general perfectionist. On the side she helps her family's (or mom's) business by handling their Twitter account. But behind these masks is a girl who feels like a complete outsider and whose only friend is an anonymous guy she texts on an app. Enter Jack who feels completely overshadowed by his golden twin brother and feels destined and doomed to inherit his family's deli, a fate he loves and hates all at once. Behind the scenes, he develops apps (like the one the school uses to text anonymously). And he manages the Twitter account for his family's deli. And then the Twitter battle happens.

Thoughts: I had seen this book being advertised long before it came out and it seemed like just the kind of YA contemporary book that I would like. And I did. Parts of it dragged a little bit and I feel like it took a little bit to get into, but in the end, I enjoyed it. It was very cute and a nice, easy read.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Title: Crime and Punishment
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Narrator: Anthony Heald

Synopsis: Rodion Roskolnikov is an impoverished and rather desperate student and those conditions drive him to murder a local pawnbroker and her sister. The novel follows his deranged mental state before, during, and after the murder as well as how her perceives the people around him (including those who are trying to catch the murderer).

Thoughts: This was a book club book for March. I had never read it so I thought I should give it a try since it is a classic. While the story telling was OK (if repetitive), I kind of hated the main character, Rodion. He was kind of an entitled baby. He was desperate for money but refused to get a job or do much to actually improve his situation. I did like his friend, Razumikhin, who he definitely did not deserve. The stories of the other characters and how they entwine with Rodion's was more interesting to me than Rodion going in circles with his guilt, horror, and justification of his crime.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Title: You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
Author: Felicia Day
Narrator: Felicia Day

Synopsis: This is an entertaining and interesting memoir from Felicia Day, of web show fame. She has funny, quirky stories from across her life and she is unflinchingly honest about her experiences and her thoughts and feelings through it all.

Thoughts: This has been on my audible wish list for a long time. And I wanted something different after listening to Crime and Punishment. Plus, this book starts with a "Y" which I still needed for my alphabet reading challenge. So the stars aligned and I listened to this one. I enjoyed it. I only really know of her in passing, I remember watching a little of the Guild, but that's about it. This was a fun, interesting book about her life; growing up weird, and dealing with anxiety, depression, and bullying. And it was great to listen to her tell her story.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Title: Ouran High School Host Club
Author: Bisco Hatori

Synopsis: Haruhi is a poor scholarship student at the very wealthy and prestigious Ouran Academy, where the students have too much money and too much free time. In a twist of fate, Haruhi ends up in debt to the school host club (a gang of six attractive boys). Originally mistaken for a boy herself, she keeps her gender a secret from the rest of the school to become a host to work off her debt. And hilarity ensues.

Thoughts: I needed something light, quick, and fun to read. Someone on one of the online reading groups I am a part of was looking for fun manga to read and this one was suggested. So I decided to read it. I watched the anime years ago and always wanted there to be more. Plus I love Kyoya (I cosplayed as him once many years ago. I still have the costume). But these are fun and I plan to read more in the next couple of months as I feel I can afford them on Kindle.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Least favorite book read this month: Probably Crime and Punishment
Favorite book read this month: Oh, that's a hard one this month. I enjoyed most of my reads, but none of them really knocked my socks off.

Reading challenge: 22 out of 75 books read.
Alphabet challenge: completed C (Children of Virtue and Vengence), O (Ouran High School Host Club), and Y (You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)). I am working on getting some more books lined up for this challenge. I have 12 out of 26 done!

Another reading-related challenge: a lady who belongs to a reading group I am in on Facebook and who I now follow on Instagram created this Quarantine Readers' Challenge. You can find her on Instagram: @stephani_writes. But here are the prompts. I know a couple of these have passed, but this is fun so I want to share it!

If you are interested in seeing the results, check out my Instagram and follow the hashtags!

I know things have been a little crazy lately with the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing. I hope everyone is being safe and smart out there. I will try to put together a little disease post about it (though I am by no means an expert on the virus). Maybe I can pass on some helpful information.

Thanks for reading! Here's to a better April!