In this powerful collection of personal journal entries, a writer at the height of his powers responds to the fear and uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic in real time. In March of 2020, John Rember was scheduled to go on tour for his latest book. Covid-19 intervened. In the following years, 1.2 million people died of Covid in the United States. Global deaths exceeded 7 million. A world, one secure, predictable, and safe, had disappeared forever. Quarantining in Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley, Rember and his wife, Julie, went hiking and, during the snowy months, backcountry skiing. They cooked gourmet dinners for two. They had a well-stocked woodpile, an Internet connection, and enough unread books to last a non-pandemic-shortened lifetime. It was idyllic. Fearful. A touch claustrophobic. They had no idea if they would see another year. Still, the times needed a witness. End Notes records warmth in the face of cold pandemic statistics, dark humor in the face of death, and a penetrating honesty in the face of a consensus reality addicted to denial. Written at a time near the end of this country’s history, the three volumes of Journal of the Plague Years offer a primary source for historians of the future, should there be any. "In these thoughtful, prescient pieces there are no zombies or post-nuclear mutants or most of the other things we talk a lot about when we imagine the End of the World. Instead, John writes about what it really means. Sometimes it's worth asking what's ending, and what's beginning. Look at these books as a survival kit for your sanity for the next time the Apocalypse rolls around." — Christopher Farnsworth, bestselling author of Blood Oath , Killfile , and Robert B. Parker's Buried Secrets "A compelling blend of historical reportage and insightful social commentary. If you want to know about life during the Black Plague of London in 1665, read A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe. For insight into the Influenza Pandemic of 1918, read The Great Influenza by John M. Barry. For perspective on the Covid-19 Pandemic of this century, End Notes will be a go-to resource for years to come." — Mike O'Mary, author of Wise Men & Other Stories "Stands out from many other Covid stories of those years. Filled with contemplative moments, Journal of the Plague Years: End Notes is a powerful chronicle of the experience and effects of isolation and what happens to individuals who seek meaning and hope from their own solitary worlds." — D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review John Rember is the author of nine books and numerous magazine and newspaper articles. He was a professor of writing for many years at The College of Idaho in Caldwell and in the Pacific University MFA program in Forest Grove, Oregon. John lives in the Sawtooth Valley of central Idaho.