Fortnightly Update #35: George's Obsession

I've had a fairly productive reading streak in the past two weeks, but apparently my book buying streak was more impressive because that took me much longer to put together. I usually don't feel compelled to buy books (and I'm usually very picky about what I buy), but there were some on sale that I simply couldn't resist.

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

the-pile Additions:

Marked in Flesh (The Others #4) by Anne Bishop
I ordered this because I noticed it was relatively low priced in paperback and I'm really excited to continue this series. My favorite of the Others series continues to be the first one, Written in Red, though.

The Innkeeper Chronicles, Volume One (Innkeeper Chronicles #1-3) by Ilona Andrews, Doris Mantair (Illustrator)
Earlier this year Ilona Andrews made pre-orders available for a special edition of The Innkeeper Chronicles that was signed and numbered and had exclusive illustrations in it. Since I've begun to collect special edition or signed copies by my favorite authors, I couldn't pass it up- I called it my third blogiversary gift to myself (I honestly still can't believe I've been blogging for that long!).

the-invisible-pile Additions:

Beauty (Folktales) by Robin McKinley
I think I've read this before, but I'm not completely sure- Robin McKinley wrote another Beauty and the Beast inspired tale that I read long ago, and my book memory pre-blog is a bit foggy. Anyway, I decided it would be nice to have it to read again.

The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick
I read one of Amanda Quick's historical romances before, and I enjoyed it, so hopefully I'll like this one just as much.

The Alabaster Hip (The Regency Romp Trilogy #3) by Maggie Fenton
I am a big fan of this trilogy (and I haven't even finished it yet!). This author started out self-publishing The Duke's Holiday, which got high marks from me early in my blogging career (and I do think I've reread it at least once). The trilogy was later picked up by a publisher. So far, my favorite is the first book, but this one could change that.

The Drowning Season by Alice Hoffman
Alice Hoffman is pretty much an auto-buy author for me (as long as it's cheap enough and I still have book money). This sounds similar to many of her other books- a family drama. But of course, you can't judge a book by its blurb.

The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost: A Memoir of Three Continents, Two Friends, and One Unexpected Adventure by Rachel Friedman
This sounded too much like a great summer book for me to pass on it- I can't recall reading any travel memoirs, so this one will be my first.

Sarum: The Novel of England by Edward Rutherfurd
Of course, though I've not read a 500+ page book this year, I had to buy another one- this is historical fiction. I hope it lives up to its ratings!

Graphic Novel/Comic Haul:

Marvel 1602 (Marvel 1602 #1-8) by Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert (Illustrator), Richard Isanove (Digital Painter)
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal (Ms. Marvel, Volume III & IV #1) by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona (Artist)
Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 (Black Panther, Volume III) by Christopher J. Priest
Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet, Book 1 (Black Panther, Volume VII: A Nation Under Our Feet #1) by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brian Stelfreeze (Artist), Laura Martin (Colourist), Joe Sabino (Letterer), Manny Mederos (Designer), Rian Hughes (Logo Designer), Jack Kirby (Writer, Artist)
I wanted to try out some superhero comics and I ended up buying 5 graphic novels (some of which I've already read). Apparently there was a special deal on Marvel comics, and I bought so many on Amazon that I qualified for a free one. For my freebie, I chose Black Panther by Christopher Priest- it sounds like the other Black Panther I bought (A Nation Under Our Feet) almost requires some Black Panther background reading, so hopefully that will get me more informed. In case you didn't know, there's a Black Panther movie coming out in 2018, and the trailer makes me want to see it in theatres:

Currently Reading:

I'm not sure what I'm going to read next, but I have The Fire's Stone on my Kindle's homepage and a book by Tanya Huff sounds like just what I need right now. 

Finished These Books:

Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave

Unfortunately, this one won't be getting high praise from me- although the plot kept me engaged and guessing, I felt like most other things were lacking, especially the ending. However, if you're a fan of contemporary fiction I wouldn't let my rating discourage you- I much prefer SFF and historical fiction to their modern day equivalent.

Mockingbird, Vol. 1: I Can Explain (Mockingbird (2016-) (Single Issues) #1) by Chelsea Cain (Goodreads Author), Kate Niemczyk (Illustrations)

Mockingbird, Vol. 2: My Feminist Agenda (Mockingbird (2016) #2) by Chelsea Cain (Goodreads Author) (Text), Kate Niemczyk (Illustrations), Joëlle Jones (Cover Artist)

I had a pretty big shock when I finished the second in this series, My Feminist Agenda, and rated it five stars- apparently, I've had no other books worthy of the rating this year. And no, I don't consider myself a huge fan of comic books, either. I feel a bit sad though- this series was cancelled, and when the second book came out initially, I recall the boy nerds throwing a tantrum because of the F word in its title. To be honest, the author presents the heroine (Bobbi) in the same manner many other of my favorite authors do- she's capable, she can take care of herself, and yes, she's human and makes mistakes. These two books showed me that yes, I can be a fan of comic books with superheroes in them.

Blood Rites (The Dresden Files #6) by Jim Butcher

Well, it seems like tradition that every summer I read a Dresden Files book, so I've already met my quota. I'm nearing the end of my stockpile, as I only have Dead Beat, the next in the series, on my Kindle, so I'm going to hold off on reading it until my Dresden Files stockpile is replenished. I always like to have an extra book by authors I like on hand just in case I want/need to read something by them.

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

This one is an inch away from five stars- it was that amazing. However, I did feel like some elements of the story, particularly the interpersonal relationships, were handled somewhat lightly, so that was the only reason I couldn't quite click the fifth star on Goodreads. Given that the relationships in this book were almost half of the plot, that mattered. Still, this is an intensely magical book that I highly recommend. I hope to get around to reviewing it, but if not- it's about half historical fiction and half fantasy, which makes it a heady combo for someone who loves both genres (AKA me).

In My Life: (George's Obsession)

There were no moose lingering near the house in the past two weeks, but I have been busy doing things outside- my mom bought a raised bed for us to garden in because we're both tired of pulling weeds out of the rather clay-like soil. Most of the flowers/minion army I planted in March are now blooming or beginning to bloom. The schizanthus is probably the most exciting (for me) to see, as I've never planted it before, initially thought I killed it, but now they're rather gorgeous. Schizanthus like cool weather and partial shade and according to garden websites, Canadians like them (due to cold hardiness, perhaps?).

I think our "blood thirsty roses" are actually climbing roses, but they have nothing to climb at the moment except passersby. Hence the blood thirsty-ness.

George, meanwhile, has become obsessed with our visitor- my grandma is visiting our house for the first time, and George is enamored with her. George has always been a friendly cat- he likes visitors, but he usually greets them, then runs off to nap or starts biting their hand (because he's true to the inexplicable nature of cats). When he met my grandma, he jumped into her lap and started rubbing against her- he was love-"mauling" her so much I had to ask if she was wearing catnip perfume (she wasn't). If Leia, Torrie, my mom, and I didn't like George so much, I'm pretty sure we'd send him back with my grandma, who lives in assisted living (and they allow pets, thank goodness). Apparently, almost-91 year olds are George's people. Sadly, this almost-25 year old is going to keep him from his true love.

Happy (Almost Summer) Reading!