Offbeat Offline: November 2021

Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!

What happened last month to yours truly? More medical drama (can you see a theme to this year? 😒), and, um, that's it? Plus a car emergence (really, what's new again?), lots of post scheduling (see the previous item) and post-surgery blog-hopping failure. I read some books that I plan on reviewing later and started working on my end-of-the-year wrap-up. It was a boring month (except for the medical drama of course).

📚 PIKE(')S (AND) PEAKS. In November I read the Christopher Pike's Tales of Terror anthology and...ugh. I love the man when he's at his best, but this one was full of sexist garbage (mind you, not intentional for sure - Pike can write amazing heroines when he wants - and of course it's an OLD book, but...yikes. Review to come one day...). I also read one of my (currently) last two NetGalley/Edelweiss books (End of the World House by Adrienne Celt) and I really enjoyed it - but it only comes out in April, so no review for the time being (I mean, I'm writing one, but I'll post it closer to pub date). 

This is what I have in store for December: I'm going to review the latest installment in the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire - Across the Green Grass Fields - just in time for the next one to come out (which will happen in January, as usual). Originally, I was supposed to post two reviews this month, but I decided to cut myself some slack... 

Reviews aside, I'll participate in a Tell Me Something Tuesday round on the 14th - question: What's the Hardest Part About Blogging for You? And of course I'll post my 2021 wrap-up a few days before Christmas. Then...small hiatus until the new year! I want to read without review obligations - I have a handful of vintage mysteries lined up that I MIGHT review one day, but I don't plan on doing it anytime soon...

💉 GREY'S ANATOMY, SEASON 55. So...as I said, brace up for a ton of medical drama.

• I went to see an ENT for my lingering hoarseness. He said my throat is OK and my problems are more than likely stomach-related, so he suggested a gastroscopy. I've never had one so far, but I know the deal...so...UGH. I keep procrastinating, because I need a break from all things medical...just a tiny one, you know? but I need to get my butt in gear, because my problems aren't going anywhere...
• My hematologist contacted me about my latest bloodwork, since it took a turn for the worse. As some of you know, I've been suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukemia since 2005 (or, that was the year when I was diagnosed). All this time the number of my white cells and lymphocytes has been increasing, if slowly, but there were no grounds to start a therapy yet. This year, though (BECAUSE OF COURSE), the numbers have been flowing and ebbing in a crazy pattern, so I'm afraid I'm getting there. My hematologist ordered a series of special blood tests, and while we're waiting for the results (which won't be ready for a few weeks) she wants me to get a complete blood count (like the ones I regularly have) in a couple of months. Depending on the outcomes, I might have to start therapy next year. Now, I've been told it's nothing like the ones you get when you have a malignant tumor, and it shouldn't have any (if little) collateral effects, but still...it felt like the last blow (or just the worse one, because is there any hiatus from medical problems for me to be had?).
• I got my trigger finger surgery on the 23rd. Luckily, I was the first patient of the day...and the surgery in itself was like, 5 minutes long - but it took me more than an hour to get there. Paperwork, changing into my pajamas, waiting for the operation room to be ready, local anaesthesia (spoiler: IT HURTS)...After the intervention, they bandaged my finger down to my wrist, gave me antibiotics, and told me not to stress it or wet it...which is the tricky part. It's not like my husband can help much when HE is the one who needs help. Anyhow, we're managing (though washing your hair with a single hand - or a plastic bag scotch-taped to your wrist - is no fun 🙄) - plus now I'm down to a single plaster, which makes things easier. I have stitch removal on the 10th. My finger still hurts a bit when I bend it past a certain point, but I'm told it takes time for the site to heal properly...
• Oh, and...my tailbone hurts when I stay seated for too long. This is a recent development, and I'll have to book an X-ray for that too (and buy a proper pillow, I guess). Talk about a pain in the ass (*tries to laugh*)...I mean, I'm SO tired of everything...I feel like the universe has been playing a perverse game with me for the whole year 😥. 

🚗 CLUTCH THIS. Also, talk about great timing - I was out of surgery and ready to go home, so I called my husband to tell him he could pick me up, and...HIS CAR WAS BROKEN (AGAIN). And (again), the problem was automatic-clutch related (see my August-September wrap-up), though a different one from last time...so he had to call his usual repair shop, the "nearest" one that takes care of vehicles for persons with reduced mobility but is, in fact, 44 miles away. They came, retrieved the car, fixed it and brought it back the next day...for the modest sum of 450 euros 😭. (For the record, I had to call my dad in order to go home after surgery).

😳SORRY WE MISSED YOU. An after-effect of my surgery has been my lingering sleepiness/crankiness...that very afternoon I had to nap (also an after-effect of having been up at dawn two days in a row, but anyhow), and since then I've been feeling tired and out of sorts. I think it's the whole mess I've been into for a year that's finally caught up with me. Consequently, I've missed a few of your posts/not been able to comment on them. Please forgive me...

PUBLISHING NEWS/TIPS

• Tor Nightfire compiled a list of horror books to come in 2022 (who's excited? apparently, they are - and yours truly too! Also because The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning - that I had the privilege to beta-read - made the cut 😊).
• Marie talks about what she learned from not getting into pitch wars (this one is for all the aspiring writers out there).

THINK-PIECES, DISCUSSIONS, ORIGINAL FICTION

• Sam reminisces about the bookish events she and her cobloggers attended through the years (spoiler: they had some fun encounters, and of course the sloth was there...).
• Lissa asks if you can blog without obligations (OUCH! I guess, not really? At least if you're a book blogger working with authors/publishers...or...even if you aren't? The guilt complex is real...).

REVIEWS/RECOMMENDATIONS

• Greg shares his thoughts about Dead Space by Kali Wallace (awesome review for an awesome book!).
• Kit has a new series of Christmas-themed sci-fi/fantasy book recommendations (yep, there are more than you would think! Christmas isn't just about food, family, romance or cozy/not-so-cozy mysteries...).
• Sabrina suggests 13 books with unexpected story structures (what a neat post idea!).
• Amber has a list of series to binge during winter break (from fantasy to murder mystery and contemporary romance).
• Tammy rounds up the 21 best science fiction books of 2021 (even if you aren't exactly a sci-fi fan, I swear there's something for everyone in there!).

That's it for now! My next post will be up on Wed. 8th - I'm reviewing Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire (see above).

So, what were your highs/lows in the past month?