Fortnightly Update #50: Let the Gardening Begin!

Due to a surplus of procrastination on my part, I've been putting off this update, though I did manage to get some books read and make progress on my minion army- I planted them two weeks ago and I now have tiny flower seedlings to show for it, along with meticulously pruned shrubs in my garden.

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

the-pile Additions:

None!

the-invisible-pile Additions:

An Untamed State by Roxane Gay
This novel follows a woman who is kidnapped for ransom while visiting her parents' home in Haiti. I read a few chapters in and it definitely keeps your attention.

Property Of: A Novel by Alice Hoffman
This is Hoffman's first novel, and one I didn't have in my collection. As one of my favorite authors, I tend to gather all of her books.

Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder
Something about this fantasy attracted me other than its price tag at the time, though I'm not sure what. The cover does look amazing, though!

Nimisha's Ship by Anne McCaffrey
I also tend to collect all of Anne McCaffrey's work, as she was a prevalent SFF writer in her day and I have enjoyed most of the books of hers that I've read.

Strange Practice (Dr. Greta Helsing #1) by Vivian Shaw
Between the cover art and synopsis on this one, I couldn't resist buying it. We'll see if it meets my expectations.

Currently Reading:

The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher

I have been pleasantly surprised at the depth of this historical fiction, which follows "Kick" or Kathleen Kennedy from her debut to her later years. Although I have read my share of Kennedy family stories (fiction and nonfiction), it's always nice to read something that seems fresh about them.

Finished These Books:

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Unfortunately, I saw the movie before I read it, so I'll never know my "true" first impression of it, but it was certainly one of the better past/present books I've read. I learned a bit more about Chinese culture too.

Chalice by Robin McKinley

Chalice is a sweet, feel good fantasy book with a simple, lightly romantic plot that likely qualifies as YA that I really enjoyed. It's also written by one of my favorite authors so it's a bit of a no-brainer that I'd like it. Though it can be a bit verbose at times, something about the story taking a bit longer to tell just added to its charm for me.

The Inimitable Jeeves (Jeeves #2) by P.G. Wodehouse

Ah, Jeeves. Wooster and he get into plenty of ridiculous situations in this edition of their adventures, but I would recommend starting with My Man Jeeves and reading from there to get the full picture. I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first book, but I did enjoy it enough to give it four stars.

In My Life:

This is likely my busiest time of year other than high summer when I must go around and water all of my potted plants twice daily. My dog Torrie (in the lower right of the collage above) is now 11 years old, and is currently on new supplements for her creaky joints. Leia also visited her vet, who took her off of the grain free diet she's been on since we got her and recommended omega 3 supplementation instead. So far, she's still her scratchy self, but that may change.

I've also began all of my seedlings, as stated in my initial paragraph, and I'm preparing my gardens for spring. I think we have 12+ rosebushes, so it takes me a while, especially given my limitations I've put on myself to remain functional from the waist down.

It has been almost a year since I started walking canelessly, and once you go caneless, you sort of want to remain there. On some level I've been more visible to a subset of the population- I am regularly approached by men who wouldn't have bothered me in my cane days. On another level, I no longer garner the sort of sideshow aura of walking bizarrely with the cane, and thus, I have less people noticing me for my disability, than for my dress. It's refreshing, but at the same time disheartening to realize how differently people treat those who rely on mobility aids.

Happy Spring!