Sunday, July 30, 2017

Fortnightly Update #38: On an Upswing


I've had a couple trips lately, but I have luckily had a lot of energy to manage that as compared with earlier this month. Although the hot temps aren't exactly ideal for me, the storm systems seem to be keeping away (storm systems make my pain and fatigue jump- I no longer really like rain). I'm excited about a few new books I've acquired and I feel like I'm on an upswing in terms of reading.

Recent Acquisitions (or the Piling of the-Piles):

the-pile Additions:


You may recognize this book- these are the special 20th anniversary editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I kind of want to get all the House colors, but I decided to start with Gryffindor since it's my house. My copy of this book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) was originally my brother's, until he outgrew Harry Potter (I know, who could do that?) and let me have it. So this copy is my first new copy of it.

the-invisible-pile Additions:



Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations #1-2) by Michael J. Sullivan
I've only read Age of Myth and Age of Swords by this author, so I decided to branch out and buy this set for future reading.

Currently Reading:


Wildfire (Hidden Legacy #3) by Ilona Andrews
I actually have the paperback edition of this, but I'm a bit crunched for time so I won't take a photo (yet). This is the conclusion to the Hidden Legacy series, however the authors seem willing to do more books for it (which would make me a very happy reader).

Finished These Books:



Rating: 2 Stars
I was disappointed with this one, as I had bought it because I liked the second in the series. I guess something about the heroine continuing to reject her old sweetheart who jilted her prior struck me as kind of sad instead of romantic.


Rating: 3.5 Stars
I had a lot of nitpicks with this one, but it still came out on the plus side, as you may have gathered from my review.


Rating: 4 Stars
I've linked to my review (which has been written) but I have to wait until my computer's feeling up to accessing some of my old rating images to publish it. Basically, you can't judge an author by their popularity- I assumed Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb wouldn't be for me because she is such a popular author and book/author popularity doesn't always ring true for me. However, this futuristic romance sci-fi was a winner for me- I rated it four stars in a month when every other rating seems to be three stars or less.


The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser
Rating: 3 Stars
I billed this as a "Freaky Friday" type tale, but with time travel, and in some ways I was very right about that. However, instead of a semi-light read it ended up being a very dark one- and I usually enjoy that. It was also very dated- and I am loath to label older novels with that description. But there's no hiding the fact that this would have been much more enjoyable had I believed in the concept that women in the '70s were totally liberated and radically blessed- even then there were things that weren't working for women. The parents of Shay in this novel make me want to scream. Anyway, I found the first half (which is set in the early 1900s) much more palatable than the last parts of it.

In My Life:

Torbor listening to the voice of the forest (AKA squirrels)
We went camping for a few days and luckily we got a nice spot. I reserved one online based on the campsite map- it was the most isolated, which is nice for us and others since our pups don't take kindly to strangers (Leia is a barkhound, and Torrie follows suit with a howl). It was also the only one with creek access and plus it was near the amenities. They had an "accessible" camping spot that was a bit of a joke- it had a steep slope to it, and no ramp to the parking space. As far as I could tell, you would've been better off where we were because there was a slight slope that went up to the parking space, and the area was mostly level. I learned that unless the ground is level, I have a hard time walking places as I couldn't get to the end of the campground (which wasn't that large to begin with), even with the dogs "supporting" me.

It was really nice to just sit around and listen to the creek, which was right next to the campsite. There were no animal sightings save for a red squirrel that was taunting Torrie, and the far off moos of a herd of free range cattle. Apparently there were a few that kept straying from the rest of the herd, which was why we heard a lot of mooing. Even though it wasn't quite the adventurous camping that I'm used to (AKA hiking more than a few campsites over), it was a pleasant trip.

Have you had any summer adventures?

4 comments:

  1. Ahhhhh the Harry Potter book! I already have the complete collection in hardback so it's hard for me to justify buying another copy of the first book, but they are so beautiful. <3 I may buy the Ravenclaw one at some point, just gotta talk myself into it aha.

    I've picked up Theft of Swords as well since his Riyria series has been rated pretty highly and my husband loves high fantasy books, it's just not high on my TBR list at the moment. I think I've been more in the mood for thrillers and light contemporaries lately rather than fantasy and sci fi.

    Also sighing that I was struggling with Parable of the Sower. It's good but was too violent for me that I had to keep putting it down, it kept making my stomach turn. I've only ever had that issue once maybe with a book being too intense, and that was with 1984.

    Camping sounds so nice right now, I haven't gone in years. I'm glad you and the puppers were able to have a nice relaxing trip, even though the site wasn't as accessible as advertised. Hope you're doing well!

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    1. I think I have every book in the Harry Potter series but the 5th in hardcover, but I'm still greedy for all the pretty editions!

      I don't tend to read much bulky fantasy in summer, either- vacation and sunny days leaves my attention span lacking for them.

      I also had to keep putting it down due to that reason- I think the last section has less of the graphic content, but my brain could've skipped over it to spare me. I don't recall any of her books being this dark, except maybe Kindred.

      It was so nice to get away from the small city I live in. I hope you have a nice summer!

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Jamie!
      ~Litha Nelle

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  2. I am afraid to start collecting anything but the illustrated HP editions because the flood gates will open. That anniversary edition sure is lovely, though.

    I am happy to hear you had a relaxing time camping. I love being near any type of water. Some friends of mine went camping in California and they had free range cattle walk right through the site. Ha ha. :)

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    Replies
    1. I don't blame you one bit. I had a friend who went wild collecting Harry Potter ceramic figures growing up and they completely took over her room (to the point I don't think she liked them so much anymore). I'm sure she could make her money back on them now, though!

      We had evidence of cows (cow pies) on the edge of our campground, but luckily we just heard them and didn't see them. Although Torrie may've been able to take care of them! ;)
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting, La La!
      ~Litha Nelle

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