Fortnightly Update #21: Extra Rainy With a Chance of Reading

This weekend it has been extra rainy in my neck of the woods, which causes my pain to flare while I hide in bed and read books, because anything else I try to do when it's rainy doesn't work so well. I managed to polish off six books in the past two weeks, so I guess it's a sort of blessing in disguise. Reading-wise, I tend to do better when I'm feeling sick, because television irritates me (too noisy), video games require too much attention, but the common book doesn't shout at you with the latest ad or kill your virtual character because your skills have declined. Of course, there's always the risk that your favorite character will be killed off, but because I read fantasy there is always a good chance at them rising from the dead.

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

the-pile Additions:

None!

the-invisible-pile Additions:

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (Dirk Gently #2) by Douglas Adams
I made myself wait until I finished the first book in this series to buy this one, even though it's a monthly Kindle Deal. Something has to keep me from buying all the books.

Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
This has been on my want to read list because it's a very popular historical romance. I'm not sure I'll like it, as it is on the older end of the spectrum, but I'm hoping that I will.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
This was a Kindle Daily Deal a while back, and given my 2016 obsession is anything and everything Octavia E. Butler wrote, I picked it up.

Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh
Another book that's been on my Want to Read list forever is this one- it's paranormal romance, but with a high dose of sci-fi. The Psy are able to communicate psychically, and have been taught to have no emotions. Changelings, on the other hand are more emotional animal shifters. Sascha Duncan is a Cardinal Psy (high up on the chain of command) who is attempting to do business with Lucas Hunter. Lucas wants to find out who is discretely killing off Changelings, a person who he strongly suspects to be Psy.

NetGalley:

Lotus: A Novel by Lijia Zhang
Expected Publication: January 10th, 2017 (Not all that far away)
Normally, I ignore NetGalley emails telling me about the latest and greatest, but this one- well, the cover intrigued me. What's even more intriguing is this part of the blurb: "Written with compassion and vivid prose, Lotus was inspired by the deathbed revelation that the author’s grandmother had been sold to a brothel in her youth." So yes, that and the fact that it was a read now title (I'm not sure if it is anymore) swept me off my feet.

Currently Reading:

Out by Natsuo Kirino, Stephen Snyder (Translator)

I began reading this after I was trapped in the bookish "meh" zone- I picked up several books, and within a few pages I was passing on them. This one managed to be the exception- it's a crime thriller/mystery originally written/set in Japan, which isn't my usual book choice, but so far it has me hooked. 

Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1) by Nalini Singh

As I mentioned above, this one is proving itself an interesting read, due to it's high worldbuilding content. I must be in a crime/murder mood because this one's plot also hinges on murder.

The Killing Moon (Dreamblood #1) by N.K. Jemisin

I'm not very far in on this book, but I'm considering putting it aside for later. As much as everything in the book is interesting, it's difficult for me to follow, especially with the multiple perspectives and worldbuilding that's unique to say the least.

Finished These Books:

Athena's Ordeal (The Haberdashers #2) by Sue London

Rating: 3ish Stars

I always pick up Sue London's books whenever they're free on Kindle, and after this one lurked accusingly on my Kindle's carousel for a few days too long, I started to read it. I like her books a lot because she's willing to deviate from more classic romance plots and put more action in and less melodrama. Also, she uses words featured in my Wealth of Words posts- and I never find typos in her books. Articulate historical romance writers can sometimes be difficult to find. I love that this series of hers focuses on three ladies who are friends, as sometimes female friendship in historical romance is slim to none.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Dirk Gently #1) by Douglas Adams

Rating: 3.5 Stars

As I mentioned in my review, I think I would've liked this one better had I not read his previous, more popular works first. There is a hole in my heart and only Marvin the Paranoid Android can fill it.

Star of the Morning (Nine Kingdoms #1) by Lynn Kurland

Rating: 4 Stars

I didn't think I'd like this one as much as I did. In fact, I almost quit reading it because I have a lingering case of the reading "mehs". However, I liked it's traditional take on fantasy with just a tiny bit of romance.

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Rating: 3ish Stars

I'm a bit ambivalent about this one. I liked it well enough, but some of the character's thoughts were incredibly cringe-worthy. I've liked books with problematic characters well enough before, but something about Robert Neville makes me want to vomit (especially given the headlines these days).

Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs by Anatole France

Rating: 3.5 Stars

To cleanse my palate after reading I Am Legend (which is a sad book, in case you didn't know), I began reading one of my Kindle freebies- a fairytale by Anatole France. It's charming and distracting, and I would likely read it to a kid if I had one. I've read Anatole France's The Gods Will Have Blood before this, which is a very different book (it's history/political fiction, if I recall right), so it was nice to see him writing a happy book for once.

Forbidden (Old West #1) by Beverly Jenkins

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Since I was still in need of cheering up, I continued the happy book parade with Forbidden. I've never read a Western-style historical romance before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, and I was almost ready to quit this one too, but I'm glad I didn't. It takes some time to set up, but I found both Rhine and Eddy to be great characters, though Eddy was my favorite. I liked that the author revealed at the end of the book her inspiration for this one had been an archaeological dig, revealing a different side of the Old West.

In the Blogosphere:

Tammy @ Books, Bones, and Buffy discusses What’s The Worst, Weirdest Or Wildest Thing That Ever Happened On Your Blog? Mine was a recent "bribe" from an author on Twitter- if I reviewed their book, they'd retweet one of my tweets to their *many* followers. Yes, they did have a lot of followers (not sure if those were bought), but honestly that's a no. I blocked them. O_o

Charlotte @ Bookmarks and Blogging posts On Turning Twenty with twenty things she's learned so far, and the importance of taking care of yourself, among other things.

La La @ La La in the Library reviews Omnia by Laura Gallego, along with Heather @ Random Redheaded Ramblings, and Greg @ Book Haven. A trifecta of a mind meld if I ever did witness such an event.

I've noticed that I need to start following some new blogs, because a lot of the ones I follow are either on extended blog-cations or up and quit (not that I blame them). It's hard to find blogs that aren't stuck on solely the newest books, or only young adult books, or only books that are super popular. I try to read a meld of new and old books, because I have a feeling I'd burn out in a quick second if I stuck with only 2010-2017 titles. For me, the newest books can be incredible, but not always.

In My Life:

Torrie making use of her bushy tail

The neurosurgeon I saw approximately two weeks ago did pretty much what I thought he would- he recommended I see the specialists at the University of Utah, put me on some prednisone, and ordered a new MRI, this time of the lumbar region of my spine just in case. My walking hasn't improved, so I'm continuing to make good use of the exercise bike my mother bought for our at home gym. Poor Torrie is sad that I don't take her on walks anymore, but if I were to do that, I'd need a walker that can navigate cracks in the sidewalk. My mom's hospital walker gets stuck on every minor stone in my path.

What have you been reading?