Friday Reads: COVID, deer fighting and looking ahead to 2025

Hey Booktube! It was not the week we expected, but both Jason and I are handling our first experience with COVID. Thank you to all the folks who encouraged me to rest and then rest some more! Still, I still have my bookish life going on and I missed talking to all of you during the week. Plus, I had to share the footage of the deer fight! There's no sound because apparently I was swearing and shrieking, but we could hear their antlers clashing! I have never seen anything like it.

I have started thinking about what I want to do on Booktube in 2025. Is this madness? I still have plenty of reading to do in 2024! I reorganized my high-priority TBR for this year and ... again, possibly mad, started a Goodreads shelf for my 2025 TBR! Am I the only one doing this? Have others started to think about events or books you plan on reading in 2025? I'd love to hear your thoughts about this in the Comments section! As always, if you don't feel comfortable leaving a comment, you can leave an emoji or give this video a thumbs up! I appreciate it!

Books mentioned:
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

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#booktube #books #tbr #fridayreads #deerfight

[Ursulas_Odds_and_Sods]

I hope you and Jason feel better very soon!

I loved the deer video. Animals are such amazing creatures. Have you seen the video of a bear mother and her quintuplets coming into a backyard and playing in the pool? Animals seem to have a sixth sense about where they're safe when they wander out of their habitat.

[readwritecollage]

I loved the deer footage, especially how they were just lounging in the yard. 😂 I guess they were taking their daily rest. I also get excited over planning ahead, although the planning ends up being the fun part and I don’t follow through. I think this is because of Booktube, because there is always an exciting event on the horizon before we’ve even finished the one we’re doing. I used to really get mad at myself for being a mood reader, but now I’m trying to look at all my future planning as just a way to put books on my radar to read sooner than if I hadn’t made a TBR. Hope you guys are feeling better and get to enjoy a restful weekend.

[charmainesaliba]

Hi Kelly, thanks for sharing the wonderful footage it was amazing to watch the deer. Please take care of yourself and rest as much as possible my friend 💛

[janepetrie]

Hi Kelly, hope both you and Jason are feeling better. Loved seeing the deer. I too plan my TBR a little bit ahead - it's a mixture of fixed books plus also space for whatever the mood is. Have a great weekend.

[WhatsPastisPrologue]

Hey Kelly, I hope both you and Jason make a full and quick recovery from COVID. Take care.

[AlbertTheConjugator]

I love the deer footage!
The other day, I saw two deer chase a fox. The fox hid behind a tree. One deer went left and the other went right. They actually out-flanked the fox!!! 😮
✌️🙂

[elizabethaliteraryprincess]

You're not the only one already planning for 2025! I have my list of 50 books all figured out. 😆 Hope you and Jason are feeling better soon.

[genteelblackhole]

I wish you and Jason both a speedy recovery from covid!

I haven’t started thinking about my 2025 TBR yet — I imagine there will be plenty carried over from my 2024 list! 😅

[LaurieInTexas]

The deer video was awesome. I have seen deer grazing and resting in the yard when we had a vacation home in New Mexico, but I never saw them fighting.

I am glad you feel better and have gotten rest. I've had covid twice and both times were like a minor case of the flu for me. Not fun but could be worse. I also noticed being short winded for a few weeks afterward so be prepared that you could have shortness of breath and be tired for a while.

I don't have too many plans for next year yet except for ones that are carrying over from this year. I will continue reading a Shakespeare play each month until I'm done hopefully in June. I am also rereading all of Jane Austen's novels and I'll read the last 3 novels next year. I don't think it's weird to plan this early for 2025, but I am a planner by nature for some things.

[faithbooks]

I am sorry you were down with covid. I have big plans for 2025 but I am not ready to say yet because I keep fearing it won’t come to fruition. I do at least think about the next year a bit when I realize I overplanned for this year. I have to catch up on your Hamlet video. Then on to the Dench video!

[marciajohansson]

I am glad you and Jason are recovering nicely. Let your body tell you when to rest! It will stop you if you do not listen ( that is from either Mother Marcia OR Nurse Marcia LOL pick one! ) Thanks for sharing the Deer footage. Some of us do not see such animal entanglements, although my daughter and I saw a black bear run across the highway last year! I am continuing with the September events, right now The Lady In Gold for #framedinseptember which I can hardly put down. So fascinating. I have the DVD too, starring Helen Mirren. I put a hold on Hamlet with Maxine Peake at my library and will watch the William Branagh. And then I will rewatch your Epic Argument about the 4 Hamlet Adaptations for the fun of it. Have a good weekend.

[deborahwager]

Thanks for checking in! Loved seeing the deer. Planning ahead is not a bad thing. My plan for 2025 is to relax and figure out what my life will be once my dissertation is done, which should happen before 2025. So I'm definitely not planning big reading lists. But I like the idea of looking ahead to what you want to do, and if it's where your head is going that can be good! But rest, yes rest and heal. It will all be fine if you don't get to it today or this weekend. 💤🤟

[ArtBookshelfOdyssey]

I’m glad to see you’re doing better!

You’ll be proud of me, I ordered a No Fear Shakespeare edition of Macbeth. I haven’t read or watched a lot of Shakespeare but Macbeth is one I saw a few versions of and really enjoyed it.

[josmith]

Glad to see you’re up at and at ‘em but taking it easy too Kelly. Loved seeing the bucks, they were like a couple of drunk males who butt heads and then sober up and chill out. I have a few buddy read books planned for 2025 but thats it, I’m hoping to mood read more myself 🤞

[davidnovakreadspoetry]

Thanks for sharing that wonderful footage. Books, did someone say something about books? I’m glad you appear to be on the mend. I hope Jason is too.

[Paromita_M]

I hope you feel better soon. This week I also am managing some health issues (nothing too onerous, just need to rest which is tougher than it seems like you said. I don't have a problem physically resting but getting my brain to pause...bit of a challenge hehe).

I read some of the books on the Booker longlist. I liked most of them which is unusual, usually I'm a bit more full of hate. 🤣 Anyway, out of the books I've read so far, top two are My Friends by Hisham Matar and James by Percival Everett. Rooting for both to make the shortlist and My Friends to win!

I also read There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak and what a lovely book. I'm now trying to slowly work through her backlist.

Happy reading!

[stuartgriffin]

Sorry you and Jason have COVID. I hope you both do recover soon so you can get back to your normal lives.

Cool on seeing the bucks. We see a lot of deer. But I don't recall ever seeing bucks. Interesting they fought. Then just laid on the lawn.

I am not thinking about what I am going to read in 2025. TBRs don't work well for me.

You should definitely be kind to yourself

[AaronReadABook]

Wow those deer were amazing! Sorry that you guys have COVID, that sucks. My only vague plans for 2025 are read big books, because this year I'm making an effort to hit 100 books read, so I'm avoiding chunksters slightly.I do want to start the Pallister books next year. I am going to be running a lot so I need more audiobooks too.

[nathanfoung]

Hey Kelly, you maniac! 2025 TBR 😂. The most I do at this stage is review my current 2024 TBR and think if anything needs to roll-over into 2025. What series I need to pay attention to any anticipated books due out in 2025, so okay I do start planning a little for 2025 😂. Not sure if you're aware Louise Erdrich has a new book coming out in October, "The Mighty Red". Those deer were amazing. Rest up and be well friend.

[GinaStanyerBooks]

Good morning sunshine. I''m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Judi Dench. I picked it up at the bookstore, but put it back down when I saw that it was in interview format. That just didn't appeal to me, so I didn't buy it - maybe I'll request it from the library. I am such a huge Judi Dench fan I should maybe buy it just to support her.