The Bookshelf discussion

As someone that works in education and is a student, my week has been crazy due to rising alarm over the coronavirus. My college has just announced that they are switching to online for the rest of the semester. I have noticed that people are under a great deal of stress right now. I personally believe that right now it is very important to maintain good physical and mental health to the best of our abilities. I wanted to reach out just to see how you were doing as well as create a space for anyone to talk freely about anything really. And if anyone is feeling stress, anxiety, depression, etc. over current events or in general you are by no means obligated to comment, just know that this group will be here for you if you need emotional support.

Sam wrote: "I’m okay. The coronavirus doesn’t feel real to me so I don’t think I processed that it could really affect me. I guess I’m just going to try to be vigilant and hope. Also I kind of made progress wi..."

That's awesome! That's amazing that you overcame some of your anxiety; that seems like a pretty big deal. I hope you can have your sister there with you. When you can pick out at least one familiar face in a crowd it offers some comfort. I really wish you all the luck. Do you know what you would like to major in?
The coronavirus didn't feel very real to me, but now that they are switching us to online classes and the school I work at may also switch to online, it all feels very real to me now. I'm in my mid-twenties and fairly healthy so I'm not concerned about my health and I'm not worried about my family members. However, the way some of the people around me are panicking is making me feel a lot of anxiety. I'm trying to remain calm, but that is really hard to do when my whole town is freaking out. My biggest worry is that someone will get hurt due to mass panic. I don't bring this up to make others worry; hopefully, I haven't worried anyone else. I'm just in this moment right now where the world feels like it's closing in. I think if we talk to each other about these things the world will open back up. Even as introverts it's important that we get external support and I really appreciate you being here.

Thanks! I am majoring in English right now because I hope to be a Language Arts teacher. I love it!

No worries! I've actually been incredibly lazy this week and am finishing up the chapters this morning. Please don't feel pressure or stress to finish chapters on time; your mental health is more important. Thank you for letting me know. I wish you well and if you want to slow down or discuss chapters up to a different point, let me know.

Hello. I hope everyone is doing well these days. I'm on either chapter 7 or 8 now, but have taken a break because the light from my screen is hard on my eyes. I'm going to try to stick to audiobooks after this one. I absorb more from reading hard copies though. I hope libraries get to open soon. Anyway, I hope everyone had a nice weekend and talk with you soon.

The libraries being closed really sucks. The audiobook on YouTube isn't awful, but I agree: hard copies are superior. I'm going to continue to stick to the schedule, which I'm behind on because it is finals week for me so *sarcastic* yay. But even when I continue to post things about the book, I'm posting them so they're available and not to make anyone feel rushed or anxious. I want them to be there for you when you get there.
One of the biggest downsides of the libraries being closed is that ebooks will be more of our constant companions than solid books. I'm looking for books right now that are easily available for next month. I'm thinking of doing novellas. For example the first half of May we can read HG Wells' The Invisible Man, especially with the movie being out. And then maybe throw in another novella or a short story just to keep the word count up without feeling overwhelming.

That sounds good :)

Do you know how Sam is doing? I read the thread and hope she's alright.

I have no idea. I haven't heard anything from her since; I hope she's okay, too.