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
Thank you to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received. For more details and full descriptions of the books, be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages!
The Genius Plague by David Walton – My thanks to Pyr Books for sending me an ARC! I’m really looking forward to this sci-fi epidemic plague novel about a fungus that infects humans and makes them…smarter. It’s anyone’s guess how things will turn out, but I’m sure it’ll be interesting.
An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard – I was so excited earlier this week when an ARC of this arrived, with huge thanks to Saga Press! I really enjoyed Howard’s gorgoues debut Roses and Rot last year and I’m looking forward to checking out her next novel.
The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera – I was pretty surprised when a mystery package arrived and it turned out to be this ARC, but seeing as this book’s VERY high on my list of anticipated titles this fall, I’m definitely thrilled. With thanks to Tor Books.
Also thanks to Berkley for these two finished copies. I simply cannot wait to dive into Lost Boy by Christina Henry, from the author who also brought us the dark Chronicles of Alice duology. This time we’re delving into the world of Peter Pan to look at how his once greatest friend ended up becoming his greatest nemesis. Seeing as I’ve been yearning for a good Captain Hook story since forever, I’m really hoping this will finally be the one I’ve been searching for. Next up is a finished copy of Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine. The book will conclude her Great Library trilogy, and I’m practically on pins and needles with my eagerness to find out how things will end.
Also a big shout out to St. Martin’s Press, as they’ve been spoiling me big time with surprise books in the mail lately. Some of them have fallen outside my usual genres, it’s true, but when Shark Island by Chris Jameson showed up, I was actually pretty intrigued. A gory thriller about some crazy shark action in Great White infested waters? Sign me the hell up.
The awesomeness of the kind folks at St. Martin’s Press continues with this arrival of Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff. The first book Nevernight was released to some pretty mixed reviews, but I found it a lot of fun despite its flaws. I could see myself continuing with the sequel, and now I definitely will be reading. I also received an ARC of In the Still of the Night by David L. Golemon, which I found out after some digging around is the sequel to a supernatural horror novel called The Supernaturals. I have not read the first book, but it looks interesting so I’m going to see if I can track it down before the second book’s release date rolls around. Next up is an ARC of What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong, the third volume in the author’s hit series John Dies at the End. Gah, I’m really hoping I can read this as a standalone, because it looks like so much fun. Finally, I received a finished copy of Unit 416 by J. Leon Pridgen II and A. John Vinci, a straight up military thriller described as The Dirty Dozen for the modern era. Not my usual kind of read, but it does sound like a rip-roaring good time. My thanks again to the publisher for all these lovelies!
And last but not least, my thanks to Subterranean Press for the following ARCs. I was beside myself when I received this copy of The Squirrel on the Train by Kevin Hearne, the next in the author’s hilarious Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries series starring Atticus O’Sullivan’s faithful Irish wolfhound from the Iron Druid Chronicles. What adventures will that pup be up to next? And finally, The Weight of Words edited by Dave McKean and William Schafer is a collection of McKean’s stunning and evocative artwork, presented along with narratives written by some of SFF most recognizable names.
Moving on to the digital pile, thank you to Tor.com for making my week once again with a trio of new e-galleys: Taste of Marrow by Sarah Gailey is the sequel to River of Teeth, which I actually just reviewed. It does feel great being caught up for once! That said, I also received A Long Day in Lychford by Paul Cornell and The Sisters of the Crescent Empress by Leena Likitalo, both of which are also sequels, and unfortunately I’m not so caught up there. Leena Likitalo’s The Five Daughters of the Moon is releasing later this month though, and I’d love to give that a read if I can fit it in, so I can jump right into the second one.
My NetGalley books were also looking a little lonely (according to me) so I also made a couple of requests this week. My thanks to Angry Robot for The Uploaded by Ferrett Steinmetz. I probably should have finished his ‘Mancer series first before jumping into this new one, but it just sounded too cool to pass up. Also thanks to Del Rey for The Core by Peter V. Brett. This series and I have a love-hate relationship, but I’ve always known that I will be seeing it through to the end. And from the wonderful team at Tachyon I was sent a widget of The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen, an anthology inspired by all my favorite fairy tales and fantasy classics.
Badlands by Melissa Lenhardt – My thanks to Hachette Audio for granting my request for the third installment to the Laura Elliston series, which I’m totally pumped up for after what happened in the previous book Blood Oath. I love the narrator too, so I’m super excited about this listen.
The Epiphany Machine by David Burr Gerrard – This book caught my eye as I was looking through Penguin Audio’s titles. An alternate history novel about a tattoo machine that inscribes a person’s inner-most thoughts on their forearm, with irreversible consequences…like, whaaaat? It might or might not work, but it just sounded too bizarre to pass up. Crossing my fingers it will be good! With thanks to the publisher.
Reviews
Roundup time of my reviews posted since the last update. Highlighted spot goes to the uproariously funny A Study in Brimstone.
Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone by G.S. Denning (4.5 of 5 stars)
The Waking Land by Callie Bates (4 of 5 stars)
A Gathering of Ravens by Scott Oden (4 of 5 stars)
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss (4 of 5 stars)
Blood Oath by Melissa Lenhardt (4 of 5 stars)
The Witch Who Came in From the Cold created by Lindsay Smith and Max Gladstone (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Only Child by Andrew Pyper (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Ship by Antonia Honeywell (3 of 5 stars)
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey (3 of 5 stars)
Vanguard by Jack Campbell (2 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
These are the books I’ve “unstacked” from my shelves recently. Yay! Reviews for a few of these are up already, and the rest will be up soon!
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!
The BiblioSanctum 
I just started River of Teeth so I’m anxious to see how it turns out, and Taste of Marrow as well. The Tiger’s Daughter looks great, and Shark Island does too. Sharks lol!!
I hope Wilders was good because I have that on my list too. 🙂
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Wilders was okay, though it was probably the weakest of her books I’ve read so far. But I did just finish Shark Island and had a lot of fun with it! Couldn’t help it, it just called to me and I had to read it right away 😀
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I so wanna read lost boy
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I’m going to be starting that soon, hopefully within the next week!
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So many fascinating books! I feel like a kid in a candy store, and my teeth are not in danger! 😀 What more could I ask?
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I get that feeling, and I never know what to start next!
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A big fat yes to Shark Island! That is straight onto my wishlist! I so want The Squirrel on the Train! It’s way too expensive in paper format for my book budget though. I’ll be reading the Sarah Gailey books too when I get the chance!
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Yeah, unfortunately Subterranean Press is a specialty publisher and a lot of their books are collector’s editions and are pricey. Thankfully they always put out more affordable versions later on, and in ebook format.
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I have added the 2 Warlock Holmes books to my tbr. I’m hoping that by the time I get to them there will be a third one out as well…
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Oh me too! I really hope there won’t be a long wait – the author did drop a comment on my review the other day saying he’s working hard now on book three, so yay!
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Great news!
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Shark Island! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on that one. The last time I checked there was only one review on Goodreads. It was a 1-star review, but it was the kind of 1-star review that made me really want to read it. 😀
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Haha, I think I know the review you are talking about, the one talking about the outlandish and ridiculous scenario, the profanity and over-the-top blood and gore…I think those are features, not bugs 😀
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So many awesome books! I’m salivating over An Unkindness of Magicians, I’ve requested it, so hopefully I’ll have a copy coming my way soon. What the Hell Did I Just Read looks like fun, I’ve wanted to read David Wong’s series for a long time. If you read it, I’d live to know if it CAN be read as a stand alone.
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Hopefully your copy of Unkindness of Magicians will arrive soon! I’m really curious to see what Kat Howard has for us next! And I’m going to look into the David Wong series for you to see what I can find out, because I’d love to know as well.
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Great set of books you got there! I’m really interested in Lost Boy and Ash and Quill!
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I’m really excited about those too and I hope I can start them soon 🙂
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OOoh nice set of reads!! I got Lost Boy last week myself and read it asap! Lol! Loved it! A quick read it seemed but still so wonderful! I loooove fairy tale retellings! Especially ones that change the way you see the original one! It’s incredible! Happy Reading!
My STS will be up tomorrow, so stop by then if you can!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
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So excited to hear what you thought of Lost Boy! I’m really looking forward to it because I also love Peter Pan retellings, especially those about Captain Hook 😀
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Oh many great ones there! happy reading!
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Thanks, you too!
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Love everything you are doing with the blog! Don’t know
how you do it all! Keep up the great work, all the best !!
Sending good vibes & sunshine from Miami 🌈 🌞 ⛱️
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Thank you so much, and happy reading 😀
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So many good books I wouldn’t know where to start. I’ve been super curious about The Unkindest of Magicians and In the Still of the Night. I’ve been on a shark movie kick this summer and I have a copy of Shark Island I want to get to in July. Lost Boy too. Hope you have a wonderful week.
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I just finished Shark Island! I actually had a whole lot of books I needed to read first, but I just couldn’t help it, the book was just too tempting! Can’t remember the last time I read a good old fashioned creature feature horror type book, so I just said, screw it, and dove right in. It ended up being excellent fun, just as I expected, so I hope you enjoy it!
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O m g physical copies of An Unkindness of Magicians and The Tiger’s Daughter :O They are so pretty!! I’m really looking forward to know what you think of them!! 😀
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Both of them are really high on my most-anticipated releases list for this fall! I can’t wait 😀
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I hate to break it to you, but The Great Library series has been extended to 5 books (I wasn’t particularly pleased by this news, I admit, but hopefully it won’t feel like the story is getting unnecessarily stretched).
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Yeah, I found out this news earlier this weekend on Twitter. I’m kinda torn actually. On the one hand, it’s hardly ever a good sign whenever a series needs to extended. On the other, yay, more Great Library and Rachel Caine! I guess I’ll reserve judgement until after I finish Ash and Quill 😀
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Yeah, there are a few of these on my shelves and a few I would really like. I won a copy of Lost boy and I’m looking forward to that. I would love a copy of the Krisfoff book too.
I still haven’t started the Rachel Caine series although I think I won two – need more time eh!
Well done with all your reading – how didi you get on with Godblind – I’m about to start that one. I’m also reading a Kiss Before Doomsday -so far it seems to have bolted out of the stalls.
Lynn 😀
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I finished Godblind the other day and honestly it took me a couple days to really get my thoughts about it in order. It’s not a bad book, but it just feels very obvious that it’s a debut, if you know what I mean! 😀
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I’m drooling over Godsgrave! What a pretty ARC. I loved Nevernight. I posted my review of Ash and Quill today – I enjoyed the book! I’m sure you will love it. Nudge me when you post your review. 😀 I hope you enjoy all of your new books!
Have a great week. Mogsy. =)
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
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I read your review of Ash and Quill and I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s a good sign, seeing as I was a little wary that she decided to extend the series!
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Oh I really, really, REALLY hope you enjoy The Tiger’s Daughter, just because the story and the Mongolian-inspired setting sound fantastic. Tor had also posted some excerpts from the book recently on their website, and after the first one I decided that I might have to read the whole thing. 🙂
Btw I finished The Waking Land last week. Really good, and in hindsight I pretty much agree with your review of it. I wonder if there will be a sequel, as the ending certainly leaves room for it…
No new books for me since your last update. But I’ve rented some books from the library recently, if that counts? I really enjoyed Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, and Anna-Marie McLemore’s When the Moon Was Ours is next after my current read.
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I’m really hoping I’ll enjoy The Tiger’s Daughter as well! Though already I’ve come across some mixed reviews mentioning slow pacing and purple prose, but I believe she’s a debut author, so I guess some hitches are to expected 🙂 At least now I’ll temper my hype and be more prepared for them!
And I’m glad to hear you enjoyed The Waking Land! I hope you’ll be writing a review, even if it’s just a short one on Goodreads because I’d love to hear what you think!
And library books totally count! I hope you’re having fun with McLemore’s book! Is When the Moon Was Ours her latest?
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Yes, I did write a review on Goodreads. 😉 I think it went up last week. Or a few days ago. I can’t remember. *lol* Would you like the link?
Yes, When The Moon Was Ours is McLemore’s second and latest. I just started it today, so I don’t have any real opinion of it yet. But gosh, do I love her prose.
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I went and read it after I saw your comment, thanks! And I agree with a lot of what you wrote, at the end of the day it was a very fun book 🙂
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Aaaaaah, Taste of Marrow! I wants it, precious!
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Me too, I can hardly wait!
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Best title : “What the Hell Did I Just Read”
Lol!
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That series has the best book titles 😀
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