Well, if you haven't already, I suggest you take time to stop by my giveaway (that has approximately 4 hours left before it implodes) because it's usually the only one I have all year. There's good news this week- my left hand doesn't hurt nearly as bad as it did before, which enabled me to type up my sole review for April. I call it the Victorian Soul Critique.
Recent Acquisitions (or the Piling of the-Piles):
the-pile Additions:Nothing!
the-invisible-pile Additions:
Nothing!
I am cured of my book hoarding bug... not. But, for the past two weeks, I haven't found any "must buy" books... likely because I'm preparing to dish out gift cards.
Currently Reading:
Sing the Four Quarters (Quarters #1) by Tanya Huff
Generally, I only read one epic-style fantasy at a time (due to possible mixing up of names, cultures, etc.) but I was so intrigued by the prospect of a pregnant heroine that I didn't abide by that unwritten rule. I like it so far.
The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders #2) by Robin Hobb
I'm about 100 pages into this, and it is interesting, but I'm again plagued by the fact that you're following a large amount of characters, and I don't necessarily find myself enthralled with all of them. However, I do like that there seems to be more royalty involvement in this book, as in the last one, I was a little worried no "higher power" would become involved, despite things getting a bit sticky.
Finished These Books:
The Sword Dancer (Tang Dynasty #4) by Jeannie Lin
This one read slower than the two other historical romances I've read by this author, but I did enjoy the ending, so that redeemed it. You'd think because this one had more action and such that it would make for a quick read, but that wasn't the case for me.
Sunbolt (The Sunbolt Chronicles #1) by Intisar Khanani
I wasn't sure about this one at first, but the ending definitely clinched its place as a 4-4.5 star book. You can see more influence from Robin McKinley in this one, but it remains an original and decidedly unique YA fantasy... that also happens to be diverse. And the Kindle edition is on sale for $0.99! Hopefully, I will get around to writing a full review for it!
Because I've had my head in the dirt the past two weeks (I've been gardening), I only have two posts to share (and one of them I just forgot to share last time).
Shannon @ River City Reading wrote a post on Should Goodreads be Dominated by Five Star Ratings?. Spoiler Alert: personally, I think it should be more 4 Star-dominated. This from a woman whose 5 Star ratings only make up 5% of her total ratings.
Jessica @ Fly Away on the Wings of a Book posts a review of Shelter Dogs in a Photo Booth along with her reasons to Adopt a Shelter Dog!. Obviously, given my trio of pets who had a never-ending parade of homes before coming to mine, I endorse the practice.
In My Life:
Mostly, I've been up to a combination of spring cleaning (as our house desperately needs it) and gardening, cleaning up the outside of the house, and making sure all of the flowers are properly fertilized. I'm loving all the new flowers, though we are expected to get a freeze overnight.
And the minion army is getting ready to go out soon (though I will be waiting for a time toward the end of May to plant them outside).
I am happy you liked Sunbolt. I just got the Memories Of Ash ARC a couple of days ago, but I have two others to read before I get to it. The Tanya Huff book sounds interesting. I will have to look into it. My average star rating on GR is always around 3.5, so I feel pretty good about it. If they had half star ratings, and I colud give 4.5 stars, I would probably almost never give five stars. My son has started talking about wanting to get a new cat/kitten to replace his Lucy who died last year. We have so many cat rescues to choose from around here it boggles the mind. I get so angry when posts come up on our local lost and found Facebook pages and most of the cats say not yet spayed/neutered. Especially when it is noted they are indoor/outdoor cats. He will certainly have a huge selection to choose from. I have been hinting that we need a black cat. Your plants look great and I am happy your hand is doing better! Have a wonderful next two weeks.
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of Sunbolt had me a bit confused (which happens with many a fantasy novel due to preconceptions) but the end made it well worth the read.
DeleteI forget which Tanya Huff I was *supposed* to get first (it was recommended to me) but I started with this one instead due to its cheap price tag. I think my Goodreads average is 3.3 or so, but if half stars were a thing there, it'd go up a lot!
There are so many dang cats around! It's a shame that most won't know humans due to some humans irresponsibly breeding them. George was going to be an indoor outdoor kitty, but unfortunately my neighbor's mostly outdoor kitty turned up missing- and we think something bad happened. For some reason, at the shelter where I worked, black cats never stayed long- they all got adopted within a year. Longhaired cats were more likely to stay longer.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, La La! Hope you have a great fortnight as well!
~Litha Nelle