After Days: Affliction or America Falls: Hell Week by Scott Medbury

I read Affliction (After Days Book 1) as my A in my new A-Z challenge; however, when coming to write this review, I have discovered this series has been rebranded.  What was one book, Affliction, has now been split into two books in the America Falls series: Hell Week and On The Run, as such you can not read Affliction anymore, so I won't link to that.

This book is very timely and apt, though with some differences! It follows Isaac, a teenager, as he learns to adapt to the new world.  After a sudden outbreak of a deadly virus in Korea, the virus was contained before being discovered on American soil.  Unfortunately, it wasn't too long before it was obvious that the virus was a biological weapon, and only people of Chinese heritage or who hadn't finished growing (ie children) we safe from death - though arguably they may have a worse fate having survived.  Isaac meets other children on his travels, and becomes the natural leader of the group as they struggle to get to a safe haven in the Drake Mountains.

The blurb of Hell Week says:

Infection. Invasion. Chaos. A weaponized virus ravages the U.S. somehow leaving children and young adults unscathed. As hundreds of millions die, for those left, surviving the virus is only the beginning…

Isaac Race thought he'd found a new family and home. A new Life. He had, but it's all about to be snatched away. When an ambitious enemy launches a sneak attack on the USA, his peaceful life is shattered and Isaac, by his very nature a loner, must band together with a ragtag group of survivors to make their way to a sanctuary, three states away in the depths of a vicious east coast winter.

It won’t be easy, the invaders aren't the only dangers unleashed in a world suddenly turned upside down, and if they're going to survive, they'll need to be resourceful and ruthless and rely on others in a world where trust has been shattered.

I loved this book.  It is really gripping; I just hope that splitting it into two hasn't diluted it too much.  It has been written in a very clever way, in that it alludes to some horrific and gruesome things, but doesn't elaborate, so it is up to you what you imagine (and such, could be suitable for younger readers).  When I was looking for this book on Amazon, and initially couldn't find it, I was disappointed, as I would like to finish the rest of the series; so I am glad that the series is still there under an alternative name (even though I think there should be some reference to the change on at least Hell Week's write-up).
A good book.

Endless Pawsibilities and Fetch Groom

I thought I would do a shout-out to two local businesses.

Endless Pawsibilities is a dog training service run by the amazing Mel.  She does (did before lockdown) group classes, which allow the socialisation of dogs as well as their humans being put through their paces as they learn how to get the best out of their pooches; and she does 1:1 lessons - and it is these that we have gone for.  We have had two hours of training so far, and it has been really useful.  The first session we looked at Sit and Come - I'd say Come is about 75% there, whereas Sit is a bit more hit and miss.  She will sit for us when at home or in the garden, provided there is nothing more exciting there!

Today I had both girls with me and we talked about how to react when our puppy nips us, and tries to explore our hands and feet with her mouth.  We also looked again at desensitising her to her harness and collar, and also the car.  This is much harder as she is fearful.  Though she is happy enough when out walking, she would rather not be anywhere near them at any other time.

I'm hoping in the next two weeks we can make progress with our pup before we see Mel again.

Fetch Groom is local dog grooming service run by Aggy and her team.  She offers a myriad of different services for your dogs, from a basic trim, to something more extravagant.  We went for the Puppy's First Groom and were not disappointed.  Our dog was very relaxed and comfortable, and came back looking cute and young again.  We'll be very happy to go back again in six weeks time.

Weekly Update Y2w44

Not a pretty graph this week.  I don't have any excuse.  I've been lazy and not cooked much in the eveningd.  It's been Halloween and I made Witches Slime and Pumpkin Pie. And I've shared a couple of bottles of red with my other half.

Witches Slime
aka Green Custard
with sweets and fruit

The fortnightly average does look better than the 5-day average, but that's only because it's fairly constant recently - ie I'm not losing weight.

A second lockdown kicks off again this Thursday, and though schools are staying open, dance studios are not, so we're back to dance lessons via zoom.  Looking at the positive, I'll be kicked out of the living room again in the evenings, so I might as well cook delicious and healthy dinners.  
That's the plan anyway.

And I have started taking our puppy out for walks.  She is still terrified of the car, which in turn means she dislikes her harness and collar, however, once she is on the walk she seems to love it, so hopefully I'll be able to get plenty of walks and exercise with her.

Weekly Update Y2w43 & BodyGroove Workshop

 My weight has come down since last week - yey!  It hasn't been smooth sailing though, and my weight got even higher before it started to lower again.  And, where I'm alternating sleeping on the sofa, I keep forgetting to weigh myself, so that's why there are gaps in the graph.

I'm not giving up though.  

At the weekend, I did a 2-day Body Groove Workshop.  Back in June (I think), I was meant to be going to Birmingham for a face-to-face workshop with Misty Tripoli, but Coronavirus put paid to that. 
On each day over the weekend were 4 hours of Body Groove dancing, philosophy, meditation and life coaching, with women from all over the world. (Shout out to Bettina and Krista: I wish you both success and happiness in all you do.)

We were taught about the Seven Dimensions of Wellbeing: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, Occupational and Environmental.  We were taught that in order to have joy in your life, you need to be authentically you in each of these areas, and we can work towards that in small steps to increase the joy in our lives. 

There was also a key quote that bears repeating:

"You need structures in place that are sufficient to your resistance to succeed."

This is a key thing for me.  You have seen in my attempts of losing weight the past couple of years that my resistance to succeed is strong! I am hoping that now I have a dog, I will be forced to take a daily walk, but this still hasn't happened so far - our puppy hates wearing a collar and a harness, and we've been advised by both the breeder and a dog trainer to go back a stage and generate positive associations with them first, before taking her out.  But, it's taking a long time.  She is now more than happy to sniff and eat treats off them (which she wasn't before), but still panics if we try and lay them on her (not even doing them up).  Unfortunately, there are times when I have to take her out of the house, so am forced to put them on her despite her distress. Back to the point, I haven't yet been going out for daily walks.  But, I have tried to minimise my resistance to going - I've bought myself new boots and a set of waterproofs (incl trousers) so I cannot use the rain as an excuse for not getting outside.

We also looked at ways to bring more playfulness into our lives, and what it is that we truly desire without attaching judgements to those thoughts.  We need to increase connections, both with other people, but also internally.  We need to analyse the judgements we make of ourselves and ask ourselves four key questions, based on The Work by Byron Katie (which I've not read yet, but have added to my wishlist):

1. Is it true?
2. Is it absolutely true?
3. Who do I become because of that thought?
4. In that same moment, who would I be if I couldn't think those thoughts?

I found this challenging because a lot of my judgements about myself are about my need and desire to lose weight.  I am fat - that is absolutely true.  I do need to lose weight - if I want to have DIEP reconstruction after a mastectomy, but if I didn't think I needed to lose weight, I could have reconstruction using implants.  If I didn't align my self worth to losing weight, would I be happier?  What if I didn't keep thinking back to when I was 28 and managed to lose 5 stone (thinking "I did it once, I should be able to do it again"), rather simply accepted this is me now? [For context, I'm back at the same weight I was before I started losing it last time.  'They' say you can't keep the weight off for 5 years, but that's exactly what I did do, before it all piling back on.]  
This is an area that I still need to work on.

It has, also, reignited ideas about becoming a facilitator of Body Groove.  One of my fears is that nobody would want to take part because I'm overweight myself, but others assured me that that shouldn't be an issue, because although Body Groove enables a healthy lifestyle, the purpose isn't to lose weight (though it may be a side effect).  Other fears are around being the centre of attention, and being willing to allow others to see me getting my groove on.  I get embarrassed and self conscious easily, so am I willing to put myself out there and show other people there's nothing to fear?  What if nobody turned up and I was just in a room in a dance studio by myself - I'd find that really embarrassing too!  And of course there are the costs involved, and the added difficulty of covid meaning no more than 15 people at a time, socially distanced apart - can you even groove on the spot?  I don't know.  Much to think about, that's for sure.

A-Z of Fiction Titles

After my success of reading a fair few books by choosing them according to author's name, I am now going to go through my fiction books and read them based on the book's title. 

This time, however, I will not be buying additional books to fill in the gaps.  I still have a few hundred books on my kindle and in my amazon account that I haven't read, so I am going endeavour to get through these without buying more.  (Usual caveat, about if I read the first book in a series and it's absolutely amazing, I probably will finish the rest of the series, but I am getting better of adding books to my wishlist instead.)

So here is my list.  Again, once I have read the books, I will update with a link to my review.

A - Affliction by Scott Medbury

B - Begin Again by Kathryn Shay

C - Chosen by D G Swank

D - The Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett

E - Ember by Jessica Sorensen

F - Forgotten by Don & Stephanie Prichard

G - Genesis Code by Eliza Green

H - Happiness is a Smoking Gun by Alaine Allister

I - I Spy, I saw her Die by Ian C P Irvine

J - Juliette and the Monday Man Dates by Becky Doughty

K - Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

L - The Legacy of the Key by S L Morgan

M - Mouse Tails by Sonny Collins

N - The Nocturne by Kat Ross

O - Out of a Dream by Rosemary Hines

P - Pancakes and Corpses by Agatha Frost

Q - Quantum by Patricia Cornwell

R - Rift by Andreas Christensen

S - Season of Hope by Dayo Benson

T - Taste by Mary E Twomey

U - Ugly Girl by Mary E Twomey

V - The Vine Witch by Luanne G Smith

W - The Wave at Hanging Rock by Gregg Dunnett

Y - Yesterday by Amanda Tru

God's Will for our Daily Lives by William J Luke

 

The Blurb says:

Chapter one is the Christian's seven phases of spiritual development from insemination to maturity. Chapter two is the Christian's ongoing sacred duty, following maturity. Chapter three to five is the Christian's nourishment [knowledge and understanding] that is required at phase four of spiritual development, in order to progress to maturity. Chapter six is the Christian's supreme authority. Chapter seven is the Christian's defence against failing their sacred duty.

Other books about God's will for daily life consistently say either that we should, keep the ten commandments, live by the new testament letters, or follow divine inspiration. These are the three main schools of thought today, and they are all flawed.

The bible clearly says that we are to do what Christ says, and this book clearly explains it. From the basic phases of spiritual growth, to the controversial issue of sin in a believer’s life, this book clarifies all of God's will for daily life.

In this groundbreaking explanation of Christ's teaching [sermon on mount], you will find God's will clearly defined and explained. You will learn what God requires of every one of us, including: 

• Spiritual development - from acceptance of Christ's gospel through to maturity.
• Sacred duty - from enduring persecution to producing a testament.
• Rightness in life - concerning the Mosaic Law, works of faith, and Christ's Law.
• Goodness at heart - in relation to God, possessions, and people.
• Rightness in God's sight - concerning the teaching of man, of Christ, and of the devil.

This book summarises and collates the words of Jesus, specifically the Sermon on the Mount, and relating it all to the Parable of the Sower. I particularly liked this books version of the Lord's Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Lord Jesus Christ.  May your kingdom come and your will be done absolutely upon earth.  Give us all this day our daily requirement of knowledge concerning your will. And forgive us all this day our latest offences, as we forgive all those who repent of having offended us.  And do not let us give in to temptation to live in accordance to what we think or feel is right.  But rather, deliver us all this day from our self-centredness.  For the kingdom of God, the power to forgive sin, and all the glory from our good works, are yours, forever, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Two other sections of this book that I highlighted are:

Christians who have ignorance or misunderstanding in their hearts concerning God's will erroneously believe that salvation is a gift from God, that salvation is received upon conversion, and that continued unrighteousness (sin) following professed conversion means that either, (1) that salvation has not actually been received, or (2) that salvation will ultimately be lost.  They do not understand that God's spirit of graciousness within a person's heart, and that continued sin following conversion does not necessarily have any bearing on a person's salvation.

And:

Therefore, when praying to God, ensure that your requests are for every member of Christ's army - as per the Lord's prayer - rather than just for yourself and those members that you know of.

As this book is focussed on Jesus's words, it is heavily based in the Bible.  It is not too deep or theological, but neither is it a light read.  I found this book a good book to remind me of the sermon on the mount, alongside my usual Bible reading.

Red, Green, Blue and Wolfen by Hans Erdman

 This is a short story, primarily introducing Tessa Chart the mapmaker.

This is set in the same world as The Gewellyn Chronicles, and so some of the types of beings and interactions are familiar.  However, having only read the first two of the series, some of the givens in this book have almost been spoilers, as in my frame of reference, some things haven't happened yet.

The blurb says:

Tessa Chart, the Mapmaker, has long, beautiful red hair. So does Abilynn, High Princess of the Elves.
When Wolfen, super-werewolves attack the Fairy Circles, the Blue Fairies turn to the Princess for help. But when they mistake the mapmaker for the princess who was raised by the Wolf King, Cormac Mac Art, it could spell doom for the Blue Fae.
They risk ire of the Leprechaun Queen Fillian who rules over the green and blue wee folk alike. It will take a headlong dash across Ireland in Abilynn’s Stutz Bearcat and a Rolling Royce (or something like that), with help from a Drow elf, an assassin-turned-spy, and the Wolf King himself, if they hope to turn the tide and send the Wolfen back where they belong.
Then there is the ever-watchful eye of Fiona, the High Queen of the Magical Folk of Ireland and the Aerielands, the most powerful elf in the entire Nine Worlds, and Princess Abilynn’s mother.
What’s a Princess to do?

This is a very short book (only 39 pages according to Amazon) so it does move at a fast pace.  My preference would be for it to be slightly longer, so we can delve in the world more fully.

For anyone contemplating reading this book, I would recommend that you read the others in the series/world first.