Mogsy’s Bookshelf Roundup: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every other weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I round up what I’ve read since the last update and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Received for Review
My thanks to all the publishers for the review copies received! For more details and full descriptions of the books, be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages.
Imprudence by Gail Carriger – For some reason I was unable to get into Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, but then last year I picked up Prudence, the new series starring the daughter of Alexia Tarabotti, and I loved it. I was really excited to receive this sequel, which is my current read right now and I’m really digging it. My thanks to Orbit Books for the ARC.
It Happened One Doomsday by Laurence MacNaughton – A finished copy courtesy of the kind folks at Pyr. I’m hoping to dive into this one later this month, and I’m really looking forward to it. In case you missed it, be sure to also check out this nifty guest post by Laurence, and you have until Friday to enter our international giveaway for a chance to win a copy for yourself, as well as a galena crystal!
Flying by Carrie Jones – This one’s new to me, but apparently it’s about aliens! I wouldn’t have guessed that from the cover, and it definitely sounds like a different kind of YA novel. I’m definitely interested in trying it. My thanks to Tor Teen!
Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine – This sci-fi novel has been on my radar for a while, but I admit I didn’t really know much about it until a copy showed up one day. The book’s description as well as a few early reviews I’ve read have really piqued my interest, so I’m going to have to make some time for it this summer. With thanks to Tor.
Red Tide by Marc Turner – Thank you Tor for also sending me book three in Marc Turner’s Chronicle of the Exile. I’m really starting to dig this series, and I can’t wait to continue!
Deadlands: Thunder Moon Rising by Jeffrey J. Mariotte – More awesomeness from Tor! Deadlands is based off the Weird West RPG of the same name. Even though I’ve never played the game, I love checking out all kinds of tie-ins and novelizations, so I’ll most likely give this one a shot. Plus, Westerns! This book is actually the second novel in the sequence, but I hope I can just jump right in. My thanks to the publisher.
Ghostbusters by Nancy Holder – Speaking of novelizations, I was delighted by this surprise arrival! I didn’t even know there was a book based off the new movie. If I don’t get the chance to see it for myself in theaters this summer, I’ll probably read this. Thank you, Tor!
Scary Out There edited by Jonathan Maberry – My thanks to Simon and Schuster for this horror anthology. It was an unsolicited ARC, but I know I’ll definitely read this! While I’m not a big reader of anthologies, its hook–a collection of short stories by authors of the Horror Writers Association writing about what they fear most–is just too good to resist.
Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan – I’ve heard some wonderful things about this fun adventurous sci-fi romp, and I couldn’t be more excited when this finished copy showed up in the mail. Thanks Tor Books, I can’t wait to read it!
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis – Finished copies, with thanks to Crown Publishing. I’ve been wanting to read Blake Crouch for a while, ever since his Wayward Pines series took off. Dark Matter is all set to be my next read, so by the time this post goes live hopefully I should be well into it. I’ve also been hearing some great things about The Wolf Road and I’ve got it on tap for later this summer, so hopefully I can get to it soon.
Dracula vs. Hitler by Patrick Sheane Duncan – What if Dracula were brought back to life to fight the Nazis? When I saw this book, I was like, is this for real? Yes! And it’s even written in an epistolary format like Stoker’s original Dracula. I don’t have much experience with the “horror mash-up” genre, but I’m really hoping this one will work for me. With thanks to Inkshares, I’m really looking forward to trying it out.
The Devil’s Evidence by Simon Kurt Unsworth – This surprise arrival was new to me, until I did some research and realized it’s the sequel to The Devil’s Detective, which I’m familiar with but have not read. I’ve had my eye on it for a while though, so maybe this is just the motivation I need to pick up the first book. My thanks to Doubleday!
The Dragon Round by Stephen S. Power – Finished copy, with thanks to Simon & Schuster! Last week I posted my review, so in case you missed it, see the link in my review roundup section below!
Ninth City Burning by J. Patrick Black – Alien invasions and post-apocalyptic dystopia! I’ve had my eye on this book for a while, and now into my e-reader it goes with thanks to Ace and NetGalley.
The Sword of Midras by Tracy Hickman and Richard Garriott – Audiobook, with thanks to Audible Studios. I’ve been following The Shroud of the Avatar game for years now, since its successful campaign on Kickstarter which I also backed. I was intrigued when I heard that game developer Richard Garriott was teaming up with Tracy Hickman to write a SotA novel, and I think it’ll be a really good book to listen to!
The Iron Beast by Andy Remic and The Lost Child of Lychford by Paul Cornell – My thanks to Tor.com for also sending over two more e-galleys this week. Both are sequels to novellas I still need to read, so looks like I need to get moving!
Reviews
Here is a roundup of my reviews since the last update. So. Many. Great. Books. I couldn’t choose just one to highlight this week, so I picked the three that really stood out for me.
Red Queen by Christina Henry (4 of 5 stars)
The Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells (4 of 5 stars)
Hope and Red by Jon Skovron (4 of 5 stars)
Borderline by Mishell Baker (4 of 5 stars)
Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters (4 of 5 stars)
Tracer by Rob Boffard (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Dragon Round by Stephen S. Power (3 of 5 stars)
The Transference Engine by Julia Verne St. John (3 of 5 stars)
Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn (2 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
Author Spotlights
My thanks to Laurence MacNaughton who stopped by The BiblioSanctum with a guest post last week!
Guest Post: “Creating Crystal Magic” by Laurence MacNaughton
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s some of what I’ll be reviewing at the BiblioSanctum in the next few weeks, minus the reviews that are already up, so stay tuned!
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? Nothing makes me happier than sharing my love for books, so let me know what you plan on checking out. I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Until next time, see you next Roundup!
The BiblioSanctum 
Darcula vs Hitler….*thinking* I am actually intrigued
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That was my first thought too…how intriguing. 🙂
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oh that’s great! many books! happy reading!
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Thanks! I am looking forward to checking them out.
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Dracula vs. Hitler sounds crazy. I wonder if it’s good.
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I know! I’m curious to see what it’ll be like.
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So many cool books…your copy of Red Tide is reminding me to get back to reading Dragon Hunters…I stopped (or should I say “took a break”) because I just couldn’t get into it. But the author sent me a copy so I feel like I need to finish it. It’s just so darn freakin’ long…
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It’s a common challenge with those long books! With the amount of epic fantasy I read you would think I’m used to it, but lately I find I’ve been relying on audiobooks more and more for those 500+ pagers 🙂
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I’ll join the club of those who are curious about Dracula vs. Hitler! 🙂
The closest book I read on this kind of subject was Robert McCammon’s “The Wolf Hour”, with a werewolf as a main character, and a successful spy against the Nazis.
I’m curious to hear what you think of this new one!
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Haha, it just sounds so bizarre! But I also find myself intrigued, despite myself 🙂
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Fab haul as always my friend! I’m most interested in how you’ll make out with Ninth City Burning because it sounds brilliant to me!! Happy reading! xx
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Really looking forward to that one as well! I love alien invasion stories 🙂
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Dracula vs Hitler?!
I have to admit that I’m intrigued. Very intrigued.
I believe The Iron Beast is the third one in a series of novellas by Remic, I don’t know to much about those except that the cover are creepy. I have a copy of Dragon Engine by Remic on my shelf, have you read it? I’ve heard mixed things about it but the cover is absolutely stunning so I will probably end up reading it 🙂
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I know, right? When I saw Dracula vs. Hitler, I was like, I don’t know about this, but damn, I’m very curious now!
And no I haven’t read The Dragon Engine, but I wish I had, after all the great things I’ve heard about it. I remember passing it over at the time because my review load was just too heavy, but it’s on my list! I’ve read his other Angry Robot book The Iron Wolves though, and the sequel is on my list too, lol.
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Great haul! Hope you enjoy all of these!
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Thanks, I’m excited to check them all out!
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Awesome haul, as usual! I’ve picked up Hope and Red, thanks to you, though I don’t know when I’ll get round to it…
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Ooh, I hope you’ll enjoy when you get the chance to read it! I had a lot of fun with it 🙂
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Great haul! I’m really curious about Arabella of Mars.
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I really want to read that one too! Going to try hard to fit it in this summer.
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Dracula verse Hitler caught my eye right away! Lol What an interesting concept. Also curious about Arabella of Mars.
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Haha, looks like that book is getting all kinds of attention! Inkshares is a great little publisher with a very interesting publishing model, regardless of how Dracula vs. Hitler turns out, I’m really glad that their books are getting noticed.
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Have I ever mentioned that this is one of my favorite posts that you do? Well, it is! It helps keep me up to date on all the cool stuff coming out soon that I would otherwise miss!
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I’m so happy I’m helping folks discover new reads! Yay! 🙂
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The only one of these I’ve read is the Alcatraz book. I wasn’t very fond of the writing style in #4, but am really looking forward to #5.
Sunday Summary #11
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Yeah, I have to agree book 4 was probably my least favorite (but still good). Really excited to start 5!
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I’m intrigued by these books !
Happy reading !
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Happy reading!
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Looking forward to your review of Paper & Fire. I’m about 2/3s of the way through it now, so we can compare notes come then. 😉
The only book I’ve bought since your last post was The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton. I think it’s YA magical realism, sort of along the lines of Anna-Marie McLemore’s The Weight of Feathers (which I think you reviewed last year?). I’d seen it at the grocery store every week for the past several weeks, and when a friend highly recommended it, I knew I needed to check it out.
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My P&F review should be up this weekend! I would love to compare notes 🙂 I enjoyed it, but I didn’t like it was much as the first book. It certainly wasn’t Ink and Bone levels of mind-blowing 😉
And yes! I’ve read The Weight of Feathers (or listened to it, since it was an audio copy). Neat that you found a book similar to that in style 🙂
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I’ve got about 3 chapters to left of P&F right, and so far I agree with your general sentiment. Will check out your review when I get a chance. (This is a Cape-bound weekend for me, so I’ll be away from blogging for a couple days.)
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