Fortnightly Update #5: The Seedling Horde Awakens

These past two weeks have been relatively uneventful blogging and book-wise: I am continuing to read paper books so far for March (that may change, as I really need to start reading more, which ebooks help me do). As for real life, my mom recently purchased a foldable, semi-recumbent exercise bike that I've been hogging, and yesterday I started my seedling army (more on that 'In My Life').

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

the-pile Additions:

The Incarnations by Susan Barker
As I wrote of on my month in review, I won this beautiful copy on a Goodreads giveaway. It did take forever and a day getting to my house, but given it was free (and it is beautiful), I have no complaints.

the-invisible-pile Additions:

Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington/Nugi Garimara
I watched some of the movie version of this, so I couldn't resist adding it to my pile (especially considering I've yet to read a book set solely in Australia). It's really an amazing (and horrifying) story of what lengths people went to 'whitewash' (for lack of a better term) the Aboriginal culture. Sadly, this sort of cultural demonization/obliteration went on many places, including America.

A Crown for Cold Silver (The Crimson Empire #1) by Alex Marshall
I read Rachelle (@Fortified by Books)'s review of this a while ago and added it to my Amazon wishlist. I had seen this on NetGalley, but due to the blandish cover, I was unsure if it was historical fiction/mystery or fantasy, and therefore passed it over. Once I verified it was fantasy and had a female heroine, on to the wishlist it went. Recently the price took a dive into "Litha Must Buy" territory, so naturally it is waiting for me on my Kindle's carousel.

Currently Reading:

The Incarnations by Susan Barker (as seen above)
The way this is told makes it a very interesting read, but sometimes makes it easy to put down. I like that it's set in Beijing, and even from the little I've read it's clear this is an 'adult' adult book (with lots of unusual adult content, like castrations).

Finished These Books:

The Edge Series by Ilona Andrews, including:

On the Edge (The Edge #1) by Ilona Andrews
Bayou Moon (The Edge #2) by Ilona Andrews
Fate's Edge (The Edge #3) by Ilona Andrews

Steel's Edge (The Edge #4) by Ilona Andrews

I loved Fate's Edge the best (due to some conning and scheming), but the others were pretty excellent too. What I liked about the series was there are recurring characters and the heroines are just as 'strong' as their male counterparts (if not a little stronger). Also, pet raccoons (although, having met many raccoons, I would never trust one to be my pet).

In the Blogosphere:

Not as many links this week, as I've been mostly blogging and reading books, but not as many blogs (*gasp*).

Val @ The Innocent Smiley has an excellent discussion post: Is It OK to Love a Problematic Book?

Charlotte @ Bookmarks and Blogging shares her take on Colouring Books... For Grown Ups?! I, as you may have noticed, heartily endorse the practice.

Not really a blog or bookish, but I found this article so nice: You're Not Imagining Your Chronic Illness — Don't Believe Anyone Who Tells You Otherwise. I can't tell you how many times I've had people judge me by my looks (I look like a normal, healthy person) and then grow wide-eyed when I described my insomnia, pain, and other maladies that coincide with my invisible illnesses. When I say I can't work or go to college, I can see the wheels turning in their heads: "She doesn't try. She's just another woe-is-me Millennial." Luckily, I realized long ago that their opinion doesn't matter, because though they may have some of the invisible problems I have, they have never experienced it full time for nine and a half years. I may not have any of the big scary name diagnoses, but my pain and symptoms are just as real.

In My Life:

I've started some of my seedling minions, including two types of tomatoes (a big and early, and my standby heirloom rainbow mix), Thai basil (a gorgeous green with purple basil that smells like licorice), zucchini (if you leave your car unlocked in North Dakota during summer, you will find one in the back seat), royal carpet alyssum (tiny purple flowers in clusters), a trailing variety of lobelia (which will be a lovely royal blue), and a rainbow variety pack of coleus (those leafy colorful shade plants). Last year I started them a little too early and they didn't do as well, so this year I started them in March again. My mom just came back with more seeds, so I guess my army isn't quite fully assembled yet. I started a hashtag on Twitter for my 'minion army' to chart their growth progress: #LithasMinionArmy.

And, in other good news, with help from my mom's aforementioned exercise bike, I am able to work out more regularly. It's nice to have something so convenient to use.

Which books have you been reading? Are you gardening this year?