Library Editions, Reading, and School

Some of you might have been dismayed by my recent post concerning Nancy Drew library editions.  After all, if you are now seeking them out, you hardly want people like me to advertise that they have become quite collectible.

Despite how collectible the Nancy Drew library binding has become, I continue to find examples of books that I need at reasonable prices.  I strongly suspect that my 20 years of ardently collecting them means that I know how to find and spot them easier than anyone else.  I'm not bragging.  I just know that this must be true since I can still locate them online for reasonable prices while others struggle.

Library editions are always upfront in my mind.  Here's an example.  A woman was selling her deceased sister's collection via the Facebook groups.  She posted spreadsheets with the books listed.  There were no pictures.  I went through the spreadsheets line by line and selected all of the library editions as well as anything else that caught my eye.  I was not the first person to purchase books, but I was apparently the first person to consider the library editions.  Collecting Nancy Drew library editions had become quite popular by early 2019 when I purchased those books, yet I was the first one to do so in that opportunity.  Read my post about the neat library editions I purchased in that transaction.

I think also that I search far more often than most people do.  Since I search more often than most people, I see more of the books than others do.  I saw a really neat Hardy Boys library binding the other day and purchased it.  This motivated me, so I went searching somewhere else online where I hadn't searched in some time and found a neat Nancy Drew library edition there.  The books are out there, and you have to take the time to look for them.  Searching online can be just as fun as in local stores.  I enjoy stumbling upon hidden treasures in my online searches.

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I did pretty well reading at the start of the month.  I then went back to work and completely lost interest.  I didn't read anything for 2 1/2 to 3 weeks.  This weekend I wanted to read again, but the two books I was trying to read are no longer of interest.  That has been my problem all year.  Nothing much interests me.

I found a young adult dystopian series to read yesterday.  The series is The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak.  In The Harvesting, a flu-like virus causes a pandemic.  Those who get the virus die, are reanimated, and then try to eat everyone else.  So basically, they become zombies.  I'm okay with that.  Covid-19 does not cause people to become zombies, so I don't mind reading about this sort of virus.  I just needed a thrill, you know?

The books aren't perfect, and there are parts that could definitely have been written better.  However, I find the story engaging.  In addition to zombies, the books also have vampires, forest spirits, and other creatures who can shapeshift into animals.  So there seem to be five different factions, including the regular humans who have not been infected.  It will be interesting to see what happens.

The Covid-19 pandemic is such a consuming event on multiple levels that in my present state of mind I want my media to be just as consuming.  That's why I am once again reading a dystopian series.

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This school year is just as consuming as the pandemic itself.  We have to convert all of our tests to fully digital versions.  All lessons must be digital.  I have to field many questions through email, and must help my students troubleshoot their problems with the various sites that we are using.  This is quite a different experience.

I do see each group of students twice per week, but that's really not enough.  It makes the entire experience quite challenging.  I do like being at school on Wednesday without students.  It gives me a chance to catch up a little.

My medical-grade air purifier finally arrived.  I purchased the Medify MA-40 Air Purifier.  Everyone is buying them these days because of the pandemic, so they are backordered and can take a few weeks to arrive.  I purchased it for my classroom.  It will be able to purify the air in my classroom every 30 minutes.

Will it keep me from getting the virus?  No.  My motto is the following line from The Hunger Games.  "May the odds be ever in your favor."

My goal is to reduce the possibility of acquiring the virus.  I do everything I can to reduce my chances while not worrying too much about what I cannot control.

I do know that I will be nervous if I catch any kind of virus this winter.  How will I know if a sore throat is just a common cold or Covid-19?  These are scary times.