NQAC: Biweekly Update #21: Finally, Fall!

This is an odd confession to make, but having lived in Montana for twenty some years, I expect extreme and much colder weather this time of year. For instance, in Montana, my garden was dead by now, and yet my one here keeps holding on. I'm sure I'll miss all my pretty flowers (the French lavender especially) when the frost finally does arrive, which I'm told is bound to be soon, but for now I feel like I live in the Bahamas. It does finally feel a bit like the 'fall' I'm used to today, but I still think it's weird I still had flowers in my pots and it was Halloween yesterday.

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

the-pile Additions:

I won A Woman of Note from a giveaway on I'm Lost in Books: A huge thanks to the author and publisher!

(Keisha just is happy her bed hasn't yet been stolen by her villainous little feline brother...)
As A Woman of Note is a historical fiction set in Venice, it qualifies for the Travel the World in Books Challenge. It currently boasts mixed reviews, but I have learned I sometimes will be the weird person who ends up loving a generally unpopular book. It's hard to be that person.

the-invisible-pile Additions:

Shifting Dreams (Cambio Springs #1) by Elizabeth Hunter

This is paranormal romance, though somehow I missed the memo on that one. I'd always had the impression these were just contemporary romance... Anyhow, these were Kindle Daily Deals for $0.99 each. Since I'm such a fan of her other series, I'll try this one out.

Desert Bound (Cambio Springs #2) by Elizabeth Hunter
Because I'm a series devourer, I always buy follow up books just in case, especially when they're cheap.

Currently Reading:

Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre
I didn't make progress on this one, as I was busy bouncing off the walls from all the sugar/chocolate I inhaled during the Halloween festivities. Very interesting read when the author isn't trying to make you remember 50 million names (only a slight hyperbole).

Finished These Books:

Check out my Travel the World in Books Readathon Update/Wrap Up to see pretty much all that I've finished in the last two weeks. 

In the Blogosphere:

Tammy @ Books, Bones, & Buffy reviews Our Lady of the Ice By Cassandra Rose Clarke, which I'm looking forward to since I greatly enjoyed the author's other work.

Erin @ Paperback Stash reviews Pop Sonnets by Erik Didriksen, a Shakespearean phenomenon I first heard about on NPR.

Ceilidhann @ Bibliodaze writes my thoughts exactly with her post Joanne Harris and The Fallacy of “Reader Entitlement”.

Vicki @ Vicki's Popcorn Entertainment reviews Crimson Peak (a movie, in case you were wondering), something I've been wanting to see as a huge fan of Pan's Labyrinth (also a movie).

Edit: I always forget to check what I retweet on Twitter... here's Heather @ Based On a True Story's article, Dear Blogging Experts. It's a must read for those of us with smaller blogs.

In My Life:

I had vengeance on the neighborhood squirrels for last year's Halloween mischief (see the bottom of my The Historian review to see the damage) by painting my jack-o'-lanterns with a mix of chili powder and cayenne pepper powder. Not so tasty now.

The fall colors have also arrived in my neighborhood. The pairing of our hawthorn tree and the neighbor's (I have no idea what tree that is) is too pretty not to be posted:

Winter is coming... (someday).