Fortnightly Update #34: A City Moose

Well, it's been an eventful two weeks for me. Last Sunday, I spent most of the day on the porch doing "Moosewatch" because we had a young moose in the neighborhood. In case you didn't know, I live in a smaller city that is in the mountains, but in a neighborhood in the more protected inner area of the city. I've never seen a deer in my neighborhood, but for whatever reason there was a moose that decided it was the place to be. The moose left a souvenir of its visit about a foot from my fence, in the neighbor's yard, luckily enough. The moose was being chased by a Fish and Game officer, who hid behind our pickup to watch it, as the moose moved anytime it'd seen him prior.

The moose hiding behind a chainlink fence under a pine tree

As we live so far in the city, they decided to tranquilize the moose and move it back to a more appropriate habitat. The moose was scared into the house's backyard by a combination of my neighbors coming home from church (and not realizing there was a moose across the road), as well as the nearby railyard having sounds of trains clanking together (altogether unnatural sounding). Once the man with the tranquilizer gun arrived, the Fish and Game guy and he managed to get a shot of the moose. The moose ran a block before getting woozy and being taken back to the wilderness, where she belonged.

The moose getting agitated by the sound of the train nearby

Since summer is upon us again, I'm going to be annoying and re-iterate my wilderness tips:

     -Do not approach wild animals (especially bears, coyotes, wolves, deer, bison, and moose- the latter three can trample you with ease).

     -Do not turn your back to a wild animal to take a selfie (just not that great of idea, unless you have someone else take the picture and you're way far from the animal [with large obstacles between you and the animal], like I was).

     -If you're hiking in the wilderness, attach bells to you and your dogs (it's a good idea to keep dogs on leash for safety- if they charge an animal, who knows what will happen) and pack bear spray (and know how to use it). Always take more than you think you'll need as far as food, water, and protective clothing, as even experienced hikers get lost or have medical emergencies. If you plan on going hiking alone, tell someone where you plan to go and when you're coming back.

     -Know the fire restrictions for the area you plan to go to and respect them. Also, many/most campgrounds require dogs to be on leashes, so bring a long leash if you're camping.

If you want to see better pictures of moose and more rant-y wilderness tips, check out my Gone Camping post from 2015.

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

the-pile Additions:

None!

the-invisible-pile Additions:

NetGalley:

Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave
Expected Publication Date: July 11th
I got an email promoting this book and accidentally clicked the NetGalley link, which basically adds it to your pile on NetGalley. Although initially, I thought this was a light YA book, it appears to be written for adults and is about a woman losing her job and her husband in one day (from scandal because she's a YouTube star). I think it would be interesting to see what booktubers think of it, as it's being billed as "In a world where celebrity is a careful construct, Hello, Sunshine is a compelling, funny, and evocative novel about what it means to live an authentic life in an inauthentic age." I'm reading/reviewing it just to keep my perfect reputation on NetGalley, though I admit it does sound interesting.

Age of Swords (The Legends of the First Empire #2) by Michael J. Sullivan
Expected Publication Date: July 25th
I read Age of Myth last year not expecting much but being surprised by the strong heroines and a well planned out fantasy world. I'm excited to read this one and was glad when I got approved for it.

Currently Reading:

Nothing- but I need a palate cleanser after The Wrath & the Dawn.

Finished These Books:

The Wrath & the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

I wanted to love this one- I tried to make myself love it! I thought I was a-okay with most problematic heroes like Khalid, so Khalid would be no problem for me. Well, I was wrong. Because I didn't believe/feel the relationship between Shahrzad and Khalid, it pretty much ruined the book for me. And Shahrzad was my favorite until she kept being so strange. This was YA, which I didn't think would be a problem for me given the content, but it kind of was because I feel like teenage best friends are pretty much the most inseparable kind of best friend.

The Emperor's Soul (Elantris) by Brandon Sanderson (the Benevolent)

This wasn't "Diet Sanderson" like I felt Legion was, so I liked it better, but I prefer his big books. I feel like if I could choose between a 200 page book by Sanderson and an unedited 2000 page monster by Sanderson, I'd go with the 2000 page monster. It's just how I read.

A New/Old Challenge:

Rachelle @ Fortified By Books is hosting her Sci-Fi Summer Reading Challenge, again. If you like reading sci-fi, it's worth your while to join.

In My Life (A "High" Voltage SSEP):

I did my SSEP (Somatosensory Evoked Potential) test, which I was kind of anxious about due to not having that much info about it. Basically, they hook you up to EEG-like sensors (think stickers on your head) as well as nerve conduction type sensors on your arms and legs. For me, it didn't hurt much (it felt like I was being stuck with small push pins), though the tech was having trouble as they'd changed over to some type of newer system. The tech and her trainee eventually got my thumbs to twitch, but they were having an awful time trying to get my big toes to twitch, so they had to call in whoever knew how to work with electrically malfunctioning people like myself. As the original tech tried to adjust my sensor on my feet, she shocked herself and was a bit confused as to why I couldn't feel the electricity in my big toe (apparently I was on higher voltage).

When the expert of SSEPs came in, he wanted to adjust the sensors again and had the original tech turn the voltage off. When he bent to adjust it, I warned him it was still on (it doesn't turn off immediately), but he touched the lead anyway, getting jolted just like the original tech. The trainee hopefully took note to wait awhile before touching the leads. The "expert" of SSEPs told me I was the perfect SSEP patient because I didn't tense up during the exam (I guess you can't be tense). In terms of nerve pain, the SSEP felt like an annoying fly, but not bad at all. I'm used to getting lightning pain in my arms and hands all the time, along with a fun burning pain that climbs my legs, so I guess I have learned to relax with pain because otherwise I would never relax.

Facebook Version

I planted almost everything from my "minion army" outside during the past weeks because we've had awesome weather. I also learned that I have seasonal allergies this year, which has only happened one year before a long time ago- my guess is the huge amount of snow and rain we've gotten has increased the pollen count for this year. Anyway, I can only be outside during specific times of the day, or I have a major headache and nose issues in addition to my glut of other medical issues. I'm hoping the SSEP results will lead to an answer rather than another series of tests, but who knows at this point.

If you read sci-fi, what's your favorite sci-fi book?

Year 2: The Sci-Fi Summer Reading Challenge

I joined this challenge, hosted by Rachelle @ Fortified By Books last year, and since I'm not doing any challenges yet this year, I decided to add one. Last year my goal was six books... but I ended up reading eleven! This year, I hope to read six sci-fi books during the challenge again, but not much more- I'm a bit slower at everything this year.

Challenge and Rules (From the Challenge Sign Up):

The challenge is from June 20th, the official first day of Summer, to the 21st of September (the day before the Autumnal Equinox).  Below are the levels:
  +Red Shirt – 1 to 5 books
  +Viper Pilot – 6 to 10 books
  +Jedi – 11 to 15 books
  +Time Lord – 16 or more books
Any book of at least 100 pages that is classified as Science Fiction, including any Sci-Fi subgenres, qualifies for this challenge.  That means audiobooks, physical books, ebooks, library books, free books, other borrowed books, anthologies, and graphic novels are all acceptable options.  You may also count any Sci-Fi book that counts towards another reading challenge.  The link-up for your reviews will open on June 20th and stay open until September 25th.

I actually started putting together lists of books I have yet to read in specific genres for this on Goodreads. In the case of science fiction, I made piled-scifi, a shelf with 34 books (although, I'm pretty sure I have more- I tend to not keep track of my book buying habits sometimes). In any case, I have plenty to choose from.

Which challenges are you participating in this summer?

Fortnightly Update #33: May Flowers and a SEP

Technically, this is more of a monthly update because I skipped my last Fortnightly Update, but nonetheless I'll call it that. I won't be tempted to skip again next time, given how much I had to type up in terms of my invisible-pile acquisitions and my finished books. However, I'm happy to be on a reading spree rather than a drought, as it seems that most of this year has been a bit of a dry patch in terms of reading.

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

the-pile Additions:

Both of these books were from the Dollar Tree

The Maid's Version by Daniel Woodrell
This is historical fiction which I'm currently reading. I was initially attracted by the cover art and the mention of the author having penned Winter's Bone (I saw the film but never knew it was a book). It's one of those stories where a grandmother is telling the history to her grandchild, and it's interesting so far.

The Rebel Pirate (Renegades of the American Revolution) by Donna Thorland
I wasn't sure whether this one was historical fiction or historical romance, but it had me at the title and cover. I like books with pirate themes- perhaps because I know so little about pirates, sailing, and the ocean that I can put down my critic's monocle and simply read for fun. From the reviews, it sounds more like historical romance.

the-invisible-pile Additions:

Sister Light, Sister Dark (Great Alta #1) by Jane Yolen
This is actually an older YA novel by Jane Yolen, who wrote Briar Rose. Since I liked Briar Rose, I picked it up to add to my hoard of older fantasy that features prophecies and the like.

Time and Again by Clifford D. Simak
A while ago, I read Way Station which impressed me enough that I'm on the lookout for more of Simak's work. Time and Again features sci-fi and time travel.

Traitor's Blade (Greatcoats #1) by Sebastien de Castell
About three years ago I wanted to read this book, but due to the Amazon/Hachette feud (remember that?) the price for the Kindle version was $27. I finally declared victory by snagging it as a Kindle Daily Deal.

The Rithmatist (Rithmatist #1) by Brandon Sanderson
This is a middle grade book by Brandon Sanderson. Of course I had to have it!

Cards of Grief by Jane Yolen
Another book by Jane Yolen, but this one is a first contact story featuring aliens who center themselves around death and grieving. It won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for 1985.

Tales of Wonder by Jane Yolen
In one of the Amazon reviews, it was described as a book of fairy tales for adults. Who can resist that?

Latest Humble Bundle (which I now call humbly-bundly in my Goodreads tags):

Super Nebula Author Showcase
There are many books, novellas, and comics available in this bundle- as per usual, I chose the $1+ bundle. The most exciting thing to me in the entire thing was a cookbook (Ad Astra: The 50th Anniversary SFWA Cookbook) that featured a recipe for pineapple fried rice which Octavia E. Butler apparently liked. I love fried rice and pineapple, but I've never eaten pineapple fried rice before (which I'll soon be remedying). I won't be listing the titles but definitely check the bundle out if you're a fan of sci-fi and fantasy.

Currently Reading:

The Maid's Version by Daniel Woodrell

I'm not very far in yet, but it is interesting.

Finished These Books:

The Study of Seduction (Sinful Suitors #2) by Sabrina Jeffries

A lot of romance authors would've avoided or tastelessly dealt with one of the core, spoilery issues in this book, but somehow Sabrina Jeffries wrote it in such a way that I had no complaints. This is a bit darker than your average historical romance, so tread on to lighter books if you prefer them.

While the Duke Was Sleeping (The Rogue Files #1) by Sophie Jordan

This historical romance was on the verge of fantasy, but I liked it anyways. A shopgirl rescues a duke from death, which somehow leads to her inadvertently being assumed to be his fiancée. As you can imagine, some absurdities ensued.

The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients' Lives by Theresa Brown

I read the Kindle preview for this and kept reading it until I had to sleep, finishing it the next day. Though it was gripping, from a patient's perspective it was a bit... disconcerting. Both of my grandmas, and my cousin happen to be nurses at different points in their life, so although I do empathize with Theresa's perspective, I feel like she almost wanted to make herself out to be this absolutely fantastic nurse (the pinnacle of nursedom, perhaps?). Life in hospitals is so much different from the patient's perspective that seeing the nurse's take was a bit worrying (because she so obviously favored people, even though they didn't necessarily need her help- to the point she didn't tend to her core job of medical care). To add to that sour feeling, she tended to go off on literary tangents that I felt had little to do with the story itself ("X book had this to say about X, and here's why I dis/liked that"). Every chapter, I began to look for a reference to an obscure book, poem, story, or essay, almost as a game, because she usually did add one. I feel like if she took those out and relied on her own voice, it would've been a much better book. That said, she had a doctorate in English prior to becoming a nurse, so maybe that's why she felt the need to add those. And I found myself wondering why she became a nurse when she had such an education?

Nonfiction is not my strong point, but I felt this book could've been a lot better with more edits.

Never Trust a Pirate (Scandal at the House of Russell #2) by Anne Stuart

There was a spoilery issue I had with this that had to do with the hero's conduct early in the book... which pretty much made the rest of it not so good for me.

Justice Calling (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress #1)* by Annie Bellet

I wrote a review for this one, but basically I didn't feel like the author made the elements of urban fantasy her own in such a short book, and I didn't like the characters all that much.

Violet (V #6) by Jane Feather

A historical romance with a strong heroine who acts more like a fantasy heroine, Violet was right up my alley. Given that I felt tempted to skim at times and some of the set up for the sex scenes was a bit outrageous, I had to rate this one three stars instead of any higher.

The Mystery of the Yellow Room (Joseph Rouletabille #1) by Gaston Leroux

A mystery that was actually pretty good, but a bit on the long side of things. I was surprised at how much I guessed right, given how far out I thought my guesses to be. In other words, this is a bit nontraditional for a classic book.

Legion (Legion #1) and Skin Deep (Legion #2)* by Brandon Sanderson (the Benevolent)

I wrote a Twofer Review for these- basically, I prefer high fantasy Sanderson.

The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton

In a word, this one was trippy. It starts out like a normal mystery, but then devolves into pseudo-philosophy (which is not my strong suit). 

In My Life:

Oops.. phlox, not plox.

The weather has been up and down the thermometer lately- at the end of April, we had snow, which is unusual, and this Wednesday we are supposed to get more. I've been very impressed with the yard this year because although I haven't been able to do half of what I used to (trim hedges, fertilize roses, etc.). The fantastic PHlox has endured one snow shower without wilting, so we'll see how long it lasts.

I'm scheduled for a SEP, a Somatosensory Evoked Potential in about a week. I've done an EEG (a long time ago) and from what I read, this sounds similar, only trying to detect if signals/sensations from my feet/hands/etc. are being properly sent to my brain through my spine. It's another test they're attempting to rule out the syrinx with, but because I have so many unexplained symptoms from eyelash to toe (double vision, random muscle weakness, occasional tremor/spasms in my hands, and not to mention my fabulously unique walk), it may still take a while longer.

Happy Reading!

"Justice Calling (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress #1)" by Annie Bellet

I'm a sucker for Kindle freebies lately. And since this was a Kindle freebie, in one of my favored genres, with an author who knew to have a great cover for her book, I decided to give it a shot.

I know a bit about RPGs, board games that aren't Monopoly, and comic books, but I admit that in the grand scheme of things they aren't my favorite. Jade has a comic and game store in a small town, which also happens to be an attractive area for paranormal beings. Somehow, (perhaps through a surfeit of nerds in the area?) she makes a living, even though the local stores in my area in Idaho (and in a larger city) barely coast by. Being that this is urban fantasy, I wasn't too at odds with it, but when some of the minor inconsistencies that irk me started adding up, I began to question why I was reading this.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'Gamer. Nerd. Sorceress.
'Jade Crow lives a quiet life running her comic book and game store in Wylde, Idaho. After twenty-five years fleeing from a powerful sorcerer who wants to eat her heart and take her powers, quiet suits her just fine. Surrounded by friends who are even less human than she is, Jade figures she’s finally safe.
'As long as she doesn’t use her magic.
'When dark powers threaten her friends’ lives, a sexy shape-shifter enforcer shows up. He’s the shifter world’s judge, jury, and executioner rolled into one, and he thinks Jade is to blame. To clear her name, save her friends, and stop the villain, she’ll have to use her wits… and her sorceress powers.
'Except Jade knows that as soon as she does, a far deadlier nemesis awaits.
'Justice Calling is the first book in The Twenty-Sided Sorceress urban fantasy series. Readers who enjoyed The Dresden Files or The Iron Druid Chronicles will likely enjoy this series.'

One thing I enjoyed about this book was it did have some humorous moments, but there was a quote I found tasteless (not to mention other things):

He wears his hair in a long Mohawk and has enough piercings in his face that I joke I could peel his skin and use it to strain pasta.

            ~Justice Calling by Anne Bellet, 3% Kindle Edition (of the first three books)

At one point while reading this book, I'd just had enough. Because I like to finish all the books I start, though, I checked how many pages were left. Given I was more than halfway through, I decided to finish, even though I connected to zero of the characters and felt like most of the book was a rehash of urban fantasy things I'd seen before. Don't get me wrong- I can endure/adore a lot of vampire, werewolf, and evil magician rehashes, but the author has to make them their own. I'm not sure if it was the short length of the book or the way the author went about it, but I found myself not giving a crumbly cookie about what happened in Justice Calling or how it ended.

Justice Calling is urban fantasy that might appeal better to those who are deeper into the game side of nerd than I am. For me, it just didn't cut it. I'm tempted to read the next book in the series just to see if there's any improvement for me, but only because I got the first three books as freebies.

Rating: 2 of 5 Stars for an urban fantasy I just didn't care for.

Age Advisory: Ages 16+ for the occasional swear (including f-bombs), violence, and lines I wish I hadn't read.

Page Count: 119 pages

Month in Review for April 2017: Flowers and Snow Showers

Some of my minion/seedling army

April started out with mild temperatures and left with a few snow showers, which is unusual for my neck of the woods. After I had my May 2nd appointment with the neuromuscular neurologist, I was a bit put out to hear I'd need more testing and to have more doctors look at my case (particularly the way I walk, which the neurologist videotaped because it's unique). I wasn't really surprised, though, with the slow but steady pace that my diagnosis is proceeding. Anyway, I'm looking forward to more flowers in May.

Statistics:
 Total Posts: 8
  Total Critiques: 2
  Genres:
    Sci-fi: 2
    Part of a Series: 1

Most Popular Posts of the Past Month:
Three Cheers for Three Years! (And a Giveaway!)
Fortnightly Update #32: Feline Junk Food and a Rereading Spree
Fortnightly Update #31: A CT Myelogram and Back Again

Flashback Post (From a Previous Year):
"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

Pageviews for the Month: 1266
Comments: 23!

Reading Stats:

Books read this Month: 7

Book Stats:
Rereads: 3
First Time Reading: 4
Has a Diverse Main Character: 7
Doesn't Have a Diverse MC: 0 (Yikes!)
Female Main Character: 0
Male Main Character: 3
Pair and/or Group of Female/Male Main Characters: 4
Genre:
 Historical Romance: 1
 Paranormal Romance: 3
 Urban Fantasy: 2
 Classics: 1
Published in 2017: 0
Published in 2000-2016: 6
Published in 1900s: 1
Self-Published, Small Press, or Other: 2
Traditionally Published: 5
Series Books: 6
Standalones: 1
Ebook Version: 7
Paper Version: 0
Favorite of the Month: Bound by Flames (Night Prince #3) by Jeaniene Frost because there is a particularly hilarious revelation at the end of the book.
Least Favorite of the Month: Skin Deep (Legion #2) by Brandon Sanderson (the Benevolent)- because I have very high expectations of this author (as one of my faves), and this was a big letdown.
Most Interesting of the Month (or Book I Learned the Most From): The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton because this book is set in a period of time in which anarchy and its supporters is the big fear, and I quite frankly didn't know much about anarchy as a political movement before reading this. I gave it two stars because it ended very strangely in a pseudo philosophical way that I didn't appreciate.
From the-pile: 0
From the-invisible-pile: 0
Recently acquired: 4
Added to the-invisible-pile: 2
Books bought: 2

Ratings:
5 Stars: 0
4-4.5 Stars: 3
3-3.5 Stars: 2
2-2.5 Stars: 2

Author Stats (1 = 1 book read by x author):
Male: 3
Female: 4
Male/Female Team: 0
Diverse: 0
Not-so-Diverse: 7
Living: 6
Deceased: 1

Planning to Read This Month:

So far, I've already read 5 books in May (which surprised even me!). I need to read more diverse books, as those tend to make my ratings go up. As you may have noticed, save for my 3 rereads (which were the three 4 Star books), my ratings have been rather flat of late. I'm hoping with the increased rate of reading, I'll be able to find some excellent books again!

Happy Reading!

SFF: The 5 Books That Remind You of Star Wars

Sunday Fun Five #75:

#66: The 5 Times You Found the Right Book at the Right Time (Or Did It Find You?)
#67: The 5 New-To-You Authors of 2016 You Wish You'd Read Sooner
#68: The 5 Characters You Won't Soon Forget That You Read About in 2016
#69: The 5 Books You're Excited to Read in 2017
#70: The 5 Vintage Sci-fi Books You Recommend (For Vintage Sci-fi Month!)
#71: The 5 Excuses for Buying New Books You Use on Yourself
#72: The 5 Books You Wouldn't Have Read If Not For Blogging
#73: The 5 Things That Keep You Book Blogging
#74: The 5 Picture Books You Loved as a Kid
#75: The 5 Books that Remind You of Star Wars
For the 21st of May: #76: The 5 Books You Read When You Require a Complete Reality Escape

A Countdown of

The 5 Books That Remind You of Star Wars

5. Kesrith (The Faded Sun #1) by C.J. Cherryh
Initially, I put this near the top, but somehow I remembered thinking it was more Star Trek-esque than Star Wars-esque. One must be a vigilant geek and distinguish betwixt the two. Still, the alien flavor of this book reminds me greatly of a galaxy far, far away.

4. Clean Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles #1) by Ilona Andrews
This book contains a section that reminds me of the market and Cantina scenes in Star Wars. Though the overarching theme isn't to save the world, somehow this innkeeper helps to keep the whole "aliens on Earth" thing under wraps.

3. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
This one has plot elements I cannot disclose (AKA spoilers) that make it like Star Wars. If you've read the entire series, you'll probably know what I'm talking about, but suffice to say, it's on this SFF list for a reason.

2. The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive #1) by Brandon Sanderson
Though not rooted in space travel, this epic fantasy features an alien world and customs that harken back to the first three episodes of Star Wars (for me, at least). Also, the characters are robust as those you'd find in Lucas's universe.

1. Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin
Spaceships? Check. Intergalactic travel? Check. Strange beings? Check. Cats? Err... plenty.
To me, this one feels the most like Star Wars because it's fun, it involves saving the world(s) (albeit not from the Empire), and has all the expected trappings of a sci-fi set in space. Alas, there is no badass female in this book. Really, though... there's only one Princess Leia. And she happens to be a year old terrier mix.

Which books remind you of Star Wars?