My reading pace continues to crawl. Since I won't reach 200 books by the end of the year, I have no reason to try to reach any particular goal. I recently set myself the task of choosing to read (or trying to read) books that I purchased one or more years ago that I have not managed to read. It isn't going well. The problem is that I don't want to read these books right now, but I am forcing myself to do so. I have abandoned at least three of them halfway through.
I read seven books in October. So far in November, I have read six books. I might make it to seven... if I don't abandon the book that I am currently reading.
Since my reading pace has slowed down by a lot, I will begin spacing my reviews further apart. That way I won't run out of reviews. Look for reviews every three or four days.
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I decided to follow up on what I mentioned about my autoimmune condition in my post about my reading pace slowdown. I went through a difficult couple of months because Acella changed its NP Thyroid pills. So much for the company's claim that the medication did not change at all... I now have proof that it did aside from the obvious change in appearance.
I had an appointment on Monday. The NP Thyroid pill contains two thyroid hormones, T3 and T4. My T3 level dropped somewhat, and my T4 level dropped significantly. My levels are back to where they were back in the spring before my medication increase of earlier this year. Whatever Acella did to the pill reduced the pill's efficacy by 50%. I can now see why I've struggled for two months. My levels were dropping precipitously during that time.
I also take a second thyroid medication, Tirosint, that gives me extra T4. My Tirosint has been doubled to make up for the reduction in efficacy of the NP Thyroid. This means that I have now begun yet another difficult medication adjustment period which will last for 2 to 2 1/2 months. This is the third medication adjustment I have had this year.
I am four days in and feel better than I did on Monday; however, I can tell that how I feel has just started to deteriorate. I always feel better for most of the first week, then the drop begins. I can feel the very beginning of the drop coming on.
This happens because the hypothalamus detects the sudden increase in thyroid hormone in the body due to the medication increase. The hypothalamus then secretes a hormone that tells the pituitary gland to shut down the thyroid, which then makes the patient feel sick for two to five weeks or possibly even longer. The lengthy adjustment period is caused by the long half-life of T4. It takes weeks for the hormone to stabilize, which is why many thyroid patients feel bad for a lengthy period of time after any medication change.
I will bottom out at around four to five weeks after the medication increase, which will fortunately be during my winter break. The third week is also usually a bit difficult, so semester tests will be a chore, but I will manage. I always do.
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I have reset many of my eBay listings to bulk lots in order to move some books. Check out the Bulk Lots category in my store.
Jennifer's Series Books on eBay
I want the bulk lots to disappear fast, so I price them so that the buyer gets a deal. Most of my bulk lots will go to sellers who are acquiring inventory. The bulk lots are designed to be desirable, so the price per book is lower than when the books were listed individually.
I also often seed the bulk lots with at least one desirable book in order to give the prospective buyer a better value proposition. Sometimes prospective buyers contact me wanting me to sell them that one book at what it would cost prorated according to the total cost of the bulk lot. It doesn't work that way. If I were to sell that one book individually, the price would be higher.
Any listings that contained books moved to bulk lots were converted to other books. This means that I have many new listings that do not show as new listings in my store or in eBay's search.
Check out these store categories to find them.
Chalet School
Cherry Ames
Hardy Boys: Other Books
Nancy Drew: Library Editions
Rick Brant
I will most likely list an additional 10 to 30 more books between now and Saturday.
I also have books for sale on Etsy.
Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy
3 comments:
Dear Jennifer,
I hope your meds begin to do their work soon. This situation is so screwed up.
I hope you are able to enjoy a little Thanksgiving.
Sending good thoughts your way,
Julie Ratclliffe AKA mousecliffe
I hope that you will feel better soon.
Apart from your condition, this passage engaged my attention:
"I recently set myself the task of choosing to read (or trying to read) books that I purchased one or more years ago that I have not managed to read. It isn't going well."
It sounds to me like a project foredoomed to failure. If you have not managed to read a book after one or more years, there may well be a reason for that. And the reason could well be that these are books that (for whatever reason) you won't enjoy. The idea seems confirmed by some of your recent reviews. Reading should be a pleasure, not an obligation.
I don't force myself to read the entire book. That's why I have recently abandoned three books. I was mostly okay with them until around halfway through, but then the slow pace got to me, causing me to quit.
I at least have to try each of these books, even if I don't make it through them. I actually have enjoyed a few of them a lot, so I don't want to miss out on a few really good ones.
I am excited about clearing the shelf space! Most of the books are going to be sold.
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