NQAC: Biweekly Update #19: Edgar Allan Poe Swag and the Start of Knitting Season

In this Not Quite a Confession, I'll get straight to the books, since my life is a bit muddled right now (see 'In My Life' section if interested).

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

the-invisible-pile Additions:

Boy's Life by Robert McCammon

One reviewer compared it to Alice Hoffman's work. I'm a huge fan of Alice Hoffman, and I like the subtler shades of horror.

Not a Book, but Bookish:

I recently got some of my Christmas shopping done by ordering some of these lovely Edgar Allan Poe and Friends t-shirts from Tee Fury. One of them may have been ordered for yours truly, since they had it in one of my favorite colors (purple). I'm hoping that they fit properly, since I have trouble with t-shirts fitting right (there are downsides to having a larger chest).

Currently Reading:

Urban Shaman (Walker Papers #1) by C.E. Murphy
I'm halfway through and the pacing is still problematic. If things don't pick up/get less vaguely plotted soon, I may be putting this aside.

Kutath (The Faded Sun #3) by C.J. Cherryh
I learned the Regul (the villains) essentially breed like rabbits, to the misfortune of the mri. Lots of POV-changes in this book, so it's going a bit more slowly than the last two.

Finished These Books:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #1) by Douglas Adams

The first half I had issues with seeing flashbacks of me watching the movie as a kid. The second half was much better in that I couldn't recall much about it. I still can't quite decide its exact rating, but if you get the chance, read it before watching the movie.

The Duke and the Lady in Red (Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James #3) by Lorraine Heath

A devilish Duke (yep, actually pretty bad- his house was orgy-central) and a conwoman become entangled, but the conwoman actually has a decent reason for her conniving ways... I liked it because the plot was different, but it didn't really blow me away. I'm very picky about romance books.

The Third Son by Julie Wu 

I liked pretty much everything about it, but the ending was a little too 'happily ever after' for my taste. What can I say? I like it when characters have to struggle more.

In the Blogosphere:

I'm officially behind on everything, due to my recent preoccupations... as listed below.

Edit (because I'm so preoccupied I forgot): Check out Heather's bloghop/giveaway post Blog Friends Forever Tour – Adult Book Blogging @ Based on a True Story, featuring an interview with adult book bloggers (including yours truly). You even have a chance to win some adult books, like my favorite of the year (thus far), Billy by Albert French.

In My Life:

Patches the cat is currently in the witness protection program.

I got a little angry the other week when some kid threw an apple through our 112-year-old porch window. Luckily, the kid's second shot didn't manage to shatter our brand new kitchen window. I was rather unfortunately asleep when the event occurred, so I never got to throttle whoever did it- and, unfortunately, our neighbors don't really have windows looking out to their backyard (where the kid was when he threw it) so no one but the little [precious child of God] witnessed the crime (well, save Patches the stuffed cat). My neighbors have had issues with vandalism recently as well, so I assume we will eventually have our suspect.

But, to save the worst for last, then I got news about my brother being in our hometown's paper. As it turns out, it wasn't for a happy occasion (my poor mom thought it was). As mulish Montanans are wont to do, my brother got a DUI (driving the car while under the influence of alcohol). Needless to say, I'm knitting him a piece of coal for Christmas.

Speaking of knitting, I'm trying to finish off a loom scarf I started last year. I'm hoping to get it done in time to mail as a gift for a friend of mine.

And, as usual, George is up to something...

The back room is his designated 'time out' room for when he gets into trouble. Naturally, it has more amenities than his cell at the animal shelter provided, including a transom we hadn't really realized he was able to climb up to to protest his 'false' imprisonment. He has yet to use it when we don't lock him up, but it is his favored spot when he is locked up (despite having a squirrel-viewing window, a bed, and a scratching post back there). It's tough being a kitten who enjoys the simple pleasures in life, like attacking the Dorkie dog...

Has anyone else found any bookish swag recently?