These past two weeks have tested my ability to not watch the news. Generally I'm all for keeping on top of the latest news (as long as it doesn't involve Donald
Recent Acquisitions (or the Piling of the-Piles):
the-pile Additions:From Better World Books:
I bought a bunch of books during one of their Bargain Bin sales because I'm clearly an addict. Mostly I bought books by authors I love, but a few are specific buys.
The Grass Dancer by Susan Power
I wanted to read a historical fiction about the Sioux, so after some furious Googling I found this one. It's one of my current reads.
The Soldier Son Trilogy by Robin Hobb
Since I'm steadily devouring all things Robin Hobb, decided to get another of her trilogies. I actually didn't realize two of the books were hardcovers when I ordered them.
The Chanur Saga (Chanur #1-3) by C.J. Cherryh
As I mentioned before, I bought this book because SPACE CATS. And also, C.J. Cherryh's books have impressed me so far.
The Silvered, Blood Trail (Vicki Nelson #2), and Blood Price (Vicki Nelson #1) by Tanya Huff
Because The Silvered was originally on the Want to Read list for me, I finally got it, in addition to some of Tanya Huff's urban fantasy books.
Carry On, Jeeves and Very Good, Jeeves! by P.G. Wodehouse
Since I loved My Man Jeeves and I could really use a laugh these days, I bought some of the Jeeves series so I can continue it (though not in exact order- I'm missing one).
The Servants of Twilight, Darkfall, and Phantoms by Dean R. Koontz
I loved the Odd Thomas series, and I've been considering getting more Dean Koontz books since I read its finale. I thought I'd give these three a try and see if they appealed to me.
From Book Depository:
The Blandings by P.G. Wodehouse, and George's Foot (not included in all packages)
Proving I can never gather too much P.G. Wodehouse for my liking, I bought this from the Book Depository. This is different from the Jeeves series, but I think I'll like it just as much.
From My Birthday:
The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin and A Dog of Flanders by Louise de La Reme
This is basically a collection of short stories with illustrations. I collect many older books, so this was a welcome addition.
the-invisible-pile Additions:
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Since I love a good fairytale retelling, and this was a Kindle Daily Deal, I snatched it up.From NetGalley:
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
Thanks to Rita @ My View From Books's review, I learned this was a Read Now title on NetGalley. Generally I don't request books this time of year (summer is read whatever time), but given it's by one of my favorite authors and its publication date is the 1st of November, I decided to add it to my pile. FYI: this is in the Women's Fiction section of NetGalley. I loathe the term Women's Fiction- I think all fiction should be in one big category for people to sort through what they want to read.
Currently Reading:
(Covers are above)
The Grass Dancer by Susan Power
I'm impressed with it so far- I enjoy the characters. I noticed this has an endorsement from Alice Hoffman, which makes sense to me, as the author has a similar storytelling ability.
The Pride of Chanur (Chanur #1) by C.J. Cherryh
I haven't gotten far on this one because the worldbuilding is difficult to follow (and my left arm has been not so nice lately). The author throws you in the deep end and expects you to pick up everything from there- it isn't a bad thing, but when I'm in a lot of pain it's difficult to concentrate on anything other than fluffy books, as seen below.
Finished These Books:
The Earl Next Door (The Bachelor Lords of London #1) by Charis Michaels
Rating: 3ish Stars
I bought these two historical romances with some free money I picked up from a coupon from a fellow blogger. This one was the longest, but I read it in maybe two days despite its length. The fun part of this one is the heroine is fixing up an old house, which leads to some interesting situations. The bad part is, the plot is pretty far fetched and scattered- I think it's one of the most random historical romances I've read. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it.
A Gentleman Never Tells (Essex Sisters #4.5) by Eloisa James
Rating: 3ish Stars
This is a shorter length novella (approximately 140 pages) and covers all the basic historical romance plot twists. What I enjoyed most about this one was the characters.
I haven't been saving things as diligently the past few weeks, but I did enjoy Keertana @ Ivy Book Bindings's review of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab.
In My Life:
Last Wednesday was my 24th birthday, and I faced a dilemma. I have two cake recipes I really like, but I didn't want to choose between them. That's how my cake was born:
I simply halved both recipes (chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting and yellow cake with chocolate whipped frosting) and put them together. It was plenty tasty for me.
Ha, love your cake idea! Better than having two cakes to (have) to eat :) Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you were able to get Faithful. I just hope you enjoy it now, but if not, it didn't cost any effort or money to get.
I read and enjoyed The Snow Child a year or so ago. I used to read many of Dean Koontz's books, but strangely never read the Odd Thomas series. I never heard of the Grass Dancer, but if it has a blurb from Alice Hoffman, that's a good thing!
Thanks for the shout-out and enjoy your week...
Yeah, that's what I thought. There's no way I could eat two cakes in a week (my mom is on a diet program, so I get no help from that quarter). Thanks, Rita!
DeleteI thought that sort of thing would've expired by the time I read your review, but it was still a Read Now title. If I like it enough, I may end up getting a physical copy- you may have noticed my penchant for book hoarding. ;)
Oh, I'm glad you like that one! I wasn't sure about buying it (it was more than I usually pay for a new to me author), but there were a lot of Goodreads users recommending it so I took a chance.
You're welcome- I hope your week goes well, too!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Rita!
~Litha Nelle
Again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, a little late. I didn't realize you were exactly the same age as my son. You are so much more mature you fooled me. Ha ha. Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is my favorite! Thanks for the heads up about the Hoffman book on Netgalley. In fact I was here reading this post the day you posted it, and when I went to Netgalley to see if I could still get the book, which I did, my train of thought went off the rail and I never got back here. Sorry. *hangs head* Anyway... here"s to bargain books, and birthday books, and cake! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks! Boys don't mature until they reach about 30, or so it seems in the case of my eldest brother. My middle brother still has some teenage boy traits that don't seem to be leaving quite yet.
DeleteI couldn't decide on one cake this year. In the past, I usually go for yellow cake with chocolate frosting or white cake with vanilla frosting, but I wanted it to be unique this year.
Usually I miss out on the popular Read Nows, so I was surprised when it was still available, and I don't blame you for clicking off to fetch it. It seems like most publishers only will have their Read Now titles on for two days, but with Faithful it's been on the Read Now shelf for a long time.
Thanks for coming back and commenting, La La!
~Litha Nelle
Happy belated birthday! I love your cake--that was a good idea, putting your two choices together. :-)
ReplyDeleteLook at all those great books! I have yet to read Tanya Huff's Blood books, although I own them all and have for years. You'll probably get to the series before I do. :-S The Show Child is another one on my TBR pile I need to get to. I actually think I have two copies. An e-copy and a print copy. One was a gift.
I don't blame you for wanting to shut out the news. It's so terrible as of late. I've caught snippets of the Republican National Convention that's taking place in the States, but have been trying to avoid it for the most part.
Thanks! I just didn't want to eat two entire cakes. One must compromise on their birthday sometimes. ;)
DeleteI did notice I've been going through my pile at an expedited rate recently- I think holding off on the newer titles makes me more conscious of what I already have. I kind of enjoy having an ebook and physical copy of books- then if I lend the physical copy, I always have a backup copy.
I didn't watch much of the Republican National Convention- I think I am so disappointed with the party in general that they are on my blacklist. As an 88 year old I recently became acquainted with told me, "Donald Trump acts like he wants to be a dictator. Whoever wins this race, I'm worried about the future of our country." Somehow there has to be a balance of laws to keep us safe as well as the freedom and liberty we've come to expect from living here in the U.S.
Sorry about the belated comment- I think Blogger must have ate my last reply to you.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Wendy!
~Litha Nelle