Fortnightly Update #16: Let's Go Back to the Numb Arm Days

I'm not very happy these days. Book-wise, I'm stumbling- I can read some, but not as much as I'd like, mentally I'm unhappy due to my the present circumstances of my health and also an annoying relative who has been attempting to stalk my blog (unacceptably to me, as I've cut all ties), and physically, I cannot walk without a cane. Normally, I can walk- even at a fast pace (if I must), but sometime in the past few weeks I've become so disoriented that if I'm not holding onto something I walk like my knees can't hold me. I'll spare you the details in this introductory paragraph, but honestly I haven't felt this mentally, physically, and spiritually lousy in years. And to be this way at the height of the summer? It's a major disappointment, to put it lightly.

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

the-pile Additions:

None!

the-invisible-pile Additions:

Prudence (The Custard Protocol #1) by Gail Carriger
I was feeling so upset a few nights ago I sprung to buy this off Amazon to cheer me up. Who cares about those mounds of other books I have laying around? I need more happy books (always).

NetGalley:

Magic Binds (Kate Daniels #9) by Ilona Andrews
Expected publication: September 20th 2016
As I mentioned in my month in review, I was very excited to get this one early. I've started reading it and it has perceptibly lightened my mood. So if you need cheering up and like snarky heroines, the Kate Daniels series is definitely one I'd recommend.

Currently Reading:

Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam #1) by Margaret Atwood
It's interesting, but it's also depressing. Therefore, I alternate between reading this and Magic Binds.

I'm reading Magic Binds and Oryx and Crake, but I've had to put aside a few of my physical copies. They don't seem to hold my attention as much as the (shiny) ebooks do. Perhaps I need a Smell the Paper Love September after all.

Finished These This Books:

The Countess Conspiracy (Brothers Sinister #3) by Courtney Milan

Because Courtney Milan's writing is the historical romance equivalent of Lays potato chips (you can't just eat read one), I finished this one in about a night. It was good, but not my favorite of hers- I'm pretty picky when it comes to romance.

In the Blogosphere:

Two Takes on Dark Matter by Blake Crouch:
Kritika @ Snowflakes & Spider Silk (3 Stars)
Tammy @ Books, Bones, and Buffy (5 Stars)
I liked both of their reviews equally, though I don't think I'd go out and buy it this minute from either of their accounts (I rarely buy a new-to-me-author's book unless it's really cheap).

Stephanie Jane @ Literary Flits reviews The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Because I'm a fan of The Shadow of the Wind, I'm definitely interested in reading more from this author.

Laura @ Blue Eye Books has a post on To Read Or Not To Read: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling. Although I was pumped to hear a new Harry Potter story was coming out, I think I'll be waiting until it's an affordable price for me to add it to my collection, or skipping it altogether. I want to read it, but I like the place I was left at in the Deathly Hallows, as Laura mentions in her discussion.

Heather @ Based on a True Story reviews the entire Song Of The Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce. My childhood best friend was obsessed with the books, but I was too busy trying to puzzle through Robin McKinley's stuff at the time- I guess I'm glad I skipped it.

Book Depository News (for Art-Inclined Folk): #BDDesign Bookmark Competition- you can create a coloring bookmark and upload it to see if you can win a MacBook Air. Personally, I'm going to try and do it just for fun.

Things I'm Watching (Since My Mind Has Turned to Mush):

I'm not really a fan of many tv series, but the ones I find consistently above par are the ones on PBS (Masterpiece Classic, Masterpiece Mystery!, Finding Your Roots, Secrets of the Dead, Nova, Nature, Twice Born... I could go on forever). Because of that, I've been rewatching a series I skipped several episodes of in the past- Inspector Lewis. Though I've never had the pleasure of watching Inspector Morse (a tv series in his own right), I began watching Inspector Lewis during the sixth season and managed to be entertained despite my newbie status to the series- it's based mainly around the mysteries Inspector Lewis and now-Inspector Hathaway solve, but it also tells a lot about the characters. I rewatched every episode on my mom's streaming service, so I'm now ready for Season 8 which begins tonight. I love everything about the series- there's even a middle-aged love affair going on between Dr. Hobson (a coroner) and Lewis that has me cheering. If you like mysteries that aren't all blood and guts and sad things, Inspector Lewis is definitely a good series to watch.

Since I finished with the Inspector Lewis rewatchathon, I also started Poldark (which is a remake of an earlier series). I've only watched one episode but it definitely appeals to me. As long as you have good characters, a good soundtrack, and good scenery with an unpredictable plot in your tv show, I might watch it. I also have a thing against too much drama which has ruined some of my favorite American tv shows (Perception, Elementary, The Blacklist, and the like). There's a balance to drama I can appreciate, but cheap cliffhangers where you know the characters survive, but they appear to die on tv are just not my kind of program. However, I read books like that all the time. Go figure.

In My Life (Episode #5061 of Mystery Diagnosis, Litha Edition):

As I mentioned, walking is a bit of a chore. I get sympathetic looks from people in the grocery store now, which I could really do without. For the first time in recent memory, I'm having symptoms that look incredibly painful but that aren't. True, at night my spine and head ache a lot from the jostling they've received due to my ataxic-looking gait, but otherwise it's not physically painful. It's a hell of a lot more painful mentally, as I can't do the things I like (walk around the yard with the dogs at a reasonable speed, walk around the neighborhood if I want) and I'm only recently a 24 year old geriatric mimic. It seems like my knees are either bouncy, jerky, or not there at all when I need them. It's gotten to the point where I'm thinking of dragging my mom's walker out of the garage just so I can walk straight and not almost hit the ground every time I foolishly try to turn around. I think at this point only pride is preventing me- I much prefer my bamboo cane because at least it looks like my legs could possibly improve that way.

I revisited with my doctor's nurse, who told me my vitamin B12 levels are fine (she initially thought they weren't), and that on Monday a neurologist's office in my little city would call me to see if I can get an appointment. It's difficult for me to fathom what the future might hold because I don't yet know my diagnosis/treatment/everything else. The only thing I can control at this point is to resolve to keep on walking even though it's difficult, and ride my stationary exercise bike instead of doing the other chores I'm used to. I've had so many inexplicable medical conundrums happen to me at this point that I've learned it's useless to worry about something you can't do anything about. Whatever happens, happens for better or worse. And since I err on the side of worse, I'm teaching Torrie to fetch my cane for me. One can never have a dog with too many helpful pet tricks.

The Best Schipperke-Australian Kelpie in the Universe, Paws Down

Which tv shows/movies have you enjoyed recently?