Fortnightly Update #22: More Book Shipments and the Weird Twists of 2016

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

the-pile Additions:

I placed an order with my favorite online bookstore, Better World Books during their used book sale, but then I had to place another order with them when I finished Star of the Morning, because I liked it so well I needed to find out how the characters would fare. I paid approximately $2 or less for each of these, and Better World Books has free international shipping.

Chalice by Robin McKinley
The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley
I need some happy books in my life, and Robin McKinley tends to write them, so I chose Chalice and The Door in the Hedge as they had the highest ratings of her available/on sale books.

The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman
Rather self-explanatory, as Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors- I'm amassing a horde of her books so I'll never run out. The cover for this one is gorgeous.

The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin
I read this one as it's fairly short- see my impression under 'Finished These Books'.

Windhaven by George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle
This appears to a science fiction about an accidental space colony that somehow made wings out of their old spaceship that allows humans to fly. Though it's different from Tuf Voyaging, I'm hoping I'll like it just as much.

The Mage's Daughter (Nine Kingdoms #2) by Lynn Kurland (pictured below in Currently Reading)
Princess of the Sword (Nine Kingdoms #3) by Lynn Kurland
A Tapestry of Spells (Nine Kingdoms #4) by Lynn Kurland
I bought the rest of the first Nine Kingdoms trilogy and the first book of the next, just to keep my shelves full. I'm enjoying Lynn Kurland's take on fantasy that has just enough romance to tempt those who like it into reading more.

Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
Fortune's Daughter by Alice Hoffman
Again, my Alice Hoffman collection is slowly growing. I tend to read her books whenever I have a reading slump because they rarely disappoint me.

The Blood Mirror (Lightbringer #4) by Brent Weeks
This is a new release I preordered at Barnes and Noble so I could get a signed editon.

the-invisible-pile Additions:

None!

Currently Reading:

The Blood Mirror (Lightbringer #4) by Brent Weeks

As a treat to myself this year, I preordered this book, so I also got it signed! I'm reading this slowly, because there are a lot of revelations in this book and my brain is slow to process anything right now.

The Mage's Daughter (Nine Kingdoms #2) by Lynn Kurland

Yay for a normally proportioned female on the cover of a fantasy book! I'm about halfway through this and I hope to finish it before the end of October. I want to get my Goodreads reading challenge done early this year so I can concentrate on more celebratory things.

Finished These Books:

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

As I mentioned two weeks ago, this is an unusual paranormal romance in terms of the depth of the worldbuilding. It didn't quite make it to four stars for me, but it was very close, and I recommend it to those who like paranormal romance and science fiction.

Out by Natsuo Kirino

I wasn't sure if I'd actually finish this when I started it, but I did (and in a timely fashion). This was the perfect thriller to suit my mood... and normally, I do not like thrillers (as evidenced by the pile of them I've read one chapter of and tossed aside).

The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin (Links to my Goodreads mini review)

Though this looks by all appearances to be a children's book, it really isn't. It's more suited to the young adult or middle grade age range, though it's really more for George R.R. Martin fans who must read everything he's written (like me). If you're interested in his books but don't want to read A Game of Thrones, I'd start with Tuf Voyaging or Fevre Dream rather than this one.

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M.R. James

There are some gems in this collection, though it starts a bit weak. I read this as Mini Macabre Review Monday fodder, but it does do nicely as a seasonal read as well.

Dracula (Dracula of Stoker Family #1) by Bram Stoker

I expected to rate this five stars, especially given how much I loved Frankenstein despite my low expectations of it, but though Dracula started strong, it didn't stay that way for me. It's a bit disappointing, as I am a huge fan of vampires and Dracula-inspired books, but the style in which it was written (diary entries, letters, and the like) made it difficult to trudge through at points. Not to mention all the women in the book are pretty darn incompetent. 

In the Blogosphere:

La La @ La La in the Library shares her and other bloggers' inexplicable experiences in her Saturday Evening Conversations: Ghost Stories post.

Vee @ IFoundMyselfReading posts How to Review a Trans Book as a Cis Person. I found this very helpful.

I think I forgot some posts, but I'll get to them next time.

In My Life (Weird Twists):

George isn't as sainted/innocent as he looks

If you had asked me in April what I'd be getting in the mail from the DMV at the end of October, I would've thought immediately it would be my driver's license, as that was what I was studying for. Instead, I went to the doctor last week and asked her to fill out a form for a temporary disability placard to put in my mom's car. We had been using my mom's temporary placard she got from her hip surgery because of my severe difficulties walking, but it was due to expire. My doctor noted that I'd filled it out for another temporary placard, and said I'd probably need a permanent one instead, because she didn't think they'd be able to resolve my gait difficulties in six months (the lifespan of a temporary disability placard).

I finally have an appointment with the University of Utah Neurology Department, which is currently set for January 30th, 2017. If we're lucky and someone cancels, I might be able to snag an earlier appointment, if I'm quick enough to answer my phone.

Even weirder twists:

Yes, these are the two best pictures I was able to take of poor Keisha

The Dorkie doesn't appreciate when I take photos of her in her new sweater, which I loom knitted in my free time. I used Homespun Cherry Blossom yarn (if I remember the color name right), along with some glittery fun fur yarn I picked out last year for her collar.

Since I don't like using metal canes (because click-click-click-click-click with every step you take) which come in all sorts of wild colors, I decided to knit my cane a sweater with fall colors. I had some leftover Homespun yarn in some sort of ombre color that fit the bill. Basically, this entire loom knitting section is all Homespun yarn- I used to not like it, but lately the colors of it have won me over.

After I finished that, I thought I'd make a hat or a bag with the remaining yarn. I think this will end up a hat, if I don't mess it up.

Is anyone else crafting this time of year? Which books have you been reading lately?