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!
With thanks to Saga Press and the awesome team at Wunderkind PR for sending me a finished copy of Barbary Station by R.E. Stearns. We currently have a giveaway running for this book, so if you’re a resident of the US and are interested in checking it out, be sure to head on over to this post to read an excerpt and enter for a chance to win!
Earlier this month I also received a surprise ARC of Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft, with thanks to Orbit. In case you missed the news, this novel was actually one of the contestants in last year’s SPFBO, and while it didn’t win, the book did go on to receive a ton of attention and praise through word of mouth, resulting in a contract with a traditional publisher. Success stories like these make me so happy, and they prove without a doubt that the buzz does help! I’m really looking forward to this one.
Up next is Seriously Hexed by Tina Connolly, the third volume in the Seriously Wicked series. I’ve only read the first book so I’m a bit behind, but I do recall having a good time with the story which was quite fun and very cute, so I’d like to continue if I can. My thanks to Tor Teen for the finished copy.
And courtesy of DAW Books: A Spoonful of Magic by Irene Radford is the first book of a new urban fantasy series about a kitchen witch and her magical family…which apparently also includes an asshole husband who cheats on her. I’ve been seeing a lot of mixed reviews for this one so far, which is kind of making me nervous and, if I’m to be honest, a little curious. Guess I won’t know how I feel until I try the book for myself, so wish me luck. Then there’s Terminal Alliance by Jim Hines, kicking off his new humorous and action-filled series about an alien race coming to Earth only to find that a mutant virus had wiped out half the planet, leaving the survivors in a feral, shambling state. How this is going to play out is anyone’s guess, but I do want to find out!
With thanks to Berkley, I also received a finished hardcover of Seventh Decimate by Stephen R. Donaldson. This is another title I’ve been seeing some mixed reactions for, but like I said, a new series from the mind who brought us the Thomas Covenant Chronicles is something I don’t want to miss.
From the generous folks at Simon & Schuster publicity I also got a surprise copy of The Empress by S.J. Kincaid. I haven’t read the first book, but I’ve always been curious about the series so this might just be the motivation I need to pick it up. Pretty sure my library will have a copy of The Diabolic readily available, and maybe even in audio.
Earlier this month, I also received a package containing the following November releases from Orbit: Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant is one I’m definitely going to be reading this fall, and if I can’t fit it in before the month is over, it’s going to be top priority for “Catch-up December”. I’m also very curious about The Rule of Luck by Catherine Cerveny, the first book of a new sci-fi series that appears to have both adventurous and romantic elements. More science fiction also comes in the form of Places in the Darkness by Chris Brookmyre, this one being described as a murder mystery/crime thriller set on a futuristic space station.
Next up are a trio of new arrivals from Tor: The Eterna Solution by Leanna Renee Hieber is the third installment in the Eterna Files sequence, and again to my shame, I’ve only read the first book. Not sure I’ll be able to catch up anytime soon, but at least this is the final volume so I can’t fall any more behind! I also received this ARC of The Midnight Front by David Mack, a novel set during World War II about a man who joins up with the Allies’ top-secret magickal warfare program in order to get revenge on the Nazi sorcerers who killed his family. And rounding up this batch is Black Goat Blues by Levi Black, sequel to Red Right Hand which was a rather grim Lovecraftian horror I read last year. It looks like a pretty quick read, so there’s a good chance I’ll be checking it out soon.
Finally, a huge thanks goes to Entangled Publishing for sending me Haven by Mary Lindsey which came along with a boxful of awesome goodies. I don’t know how I got lucky enough to land on their mailing list, but I was surprised indeed when this gorgeous package arrived carrying its precious cargo. The book was new to me too, so the first thing I did was research it, and to my excitement, I discovered that it is a dark YA paranormal fantasy tale featuring a unique take on Beauty and the Beast. Seriously, I have no idea why I’d never heard of this book before, but now I know I NEED to read it.
On to the digital pile! I know we’ve already covered the dangers of NetGalley auto-approval privileges, but I never learn. This time it’s Saga Press luring me into temptation, with The Tangled Lands by Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S. Buckell and Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel, both of which were on my watchlist so I just couldn’t resist. Then The Philosopher’s Fight by Tom Miller from Simon and Schuster caught my eye, and it just sounded so amazing (“an epic historical fantasy set in a World-War-I-era America where magic and science have blended into a single extraordinary art”). The “Read Now” option was available so I just went ahead and clicked it, because I am a weakling with no self control.
Thanks also to Harper Voyager for sending me an eARC of Sinless by Sarah Tarkoff, a dystopian set in a world where morality is physically enforced, so that those who are “good” are blessed with beauty while those who are not suffer disfigurement or even death. I decided to give this one a try because the premise sounds like it has potential.
And this week I received only one audiobook for review. For a while, All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault by James Alan Gardner was only peripherally on my radar, until I realized it was a superhero book. Yeah, that changes things. With thanks to Audible Studios.
Reviews
A quick summary of the reviews I’ve posted since the last update:
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson (5 of 5 stars)
A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge (4.5 of 5 stars)
All Systems Red by Martha Wells (4 of 5 stars)
Artemis by Andy Weir (4 of 5 stars)
Invictus by Ryan Graudin (3.5 of 5 stars)
Valiant Dust by Richard Baker (3 of 5 stars)
The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan (2 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Since it is Sci-Fi Month, I used this opportunity to bump up a lot of the sci-fi reads on my TBR. Here’s what I’ve “unstacked” from my shelves since my last roundup post. This weekend marks the end of a very busy time for me, so I should be catching up again 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 
Places in the Darkness looks cool (though I’m completely just judging it by the cover).
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Yeah, I love the “atmosphere” of it. I hope to get to it soon! My husband is reading it now though, I’m waiting eagerly to hear what he thinks of it 🙂
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I am waiting on pins and needles for Terminal Alliance — it sounds insanely hilarious and I am almost afraid it won’t hold up to how good it sounds lol
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It’s been a while since I read one of his books (which was Libriomancer). Really looking forward to his sense of humor again!
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*trains bunnies to come steal your ARCs*
I mean. Me? Innocent, me.
Uh. Enjoy! 😀
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Smart plan. No one ever suspects the bunnies! 😛
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OOh nice! I can’t wait to read Haven! Broke down and bought myself a copy after seeing so many gift boxes of it going around! And ooh, The Empress was good! I got a tad overwhelmed with the politics but still can’t wait to see how it will all end next time!
My STS will be up tomorrow, so stop by then if you can!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
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Ooh, I actually like political intrigue, so that’s good news about The Empress! 😀
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Man, 7 reviews WITH Oathbringer. I’m kinda jealous actually. I feel like I’ve been spinning my wheels so far this month and with Thanksgiving coming up, it isn’t going to get any better.
But after reading your post, it does encourage me to keep on plugging away. Thanks.
And while Haven is not something I’d ever read, getting a whole box of “stuff” along with the book is just plain cool. I like that mug. I’m a real sucker when it comes to mugs…
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Seven reviews spread over two weeks, not too bad, but it basically left me with nothing up the pipeline, and you know how much I like to have everything written and scheduled ahead of time 🙂
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Hahahaha, yeah, you and your 2 week+ buffer 😀
Is Thanksgiving going to be busy for you, or some time off to catch back up?
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It shouldn’t be any more busy, we’ll mostly be staying home. And the cooking and cleaning should actually give me more time with my audiobooks, so I might in fact see an increase in my “reading” 🙂
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* thumbs up *
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Into the Drowning deep is my next read, and Places in the Darkness sounds great! A murder mystery on a space station? Yes please!
Also the gregory Manchess book looks nice, I like his art.
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Manchess is such an incredible talent! I think you’ll really like his paintings in Above the Timberline 🙂
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That Haven package is cool! I’d never heard of it either until I noticed lots of bloggers sharing this promotional mailing, so I guess it’s working! I’ve also requested Senlin Ascends which I’m looking forward to. I had no idea it was in the SPFBO! How cool! And me too, I went crazy with the “read now” Saga titles on NetGalley!
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Yeah, Senlin Ascends is one of those success stories I saw first hand, it’s really amazing how a book’s popularity can explode once word gets out! 😀
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I should have a finished copy of Senlin Ascends on the way sometime in December. Really looking forward to that one. The box of Haven goodies looks awesome – YA books always come with such cool promo merchandise.
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They do, and they’re also so creative with their packaging! I’ve seen some really clever promotion for adult books, but they’re usually nowhere as cool as it gets in YA 🙂
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I wish adult SFF got awesome promo merch! I’d actually get some of it then :p
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Pride and P, eeeeeeek
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Haha, that one has your name all over it!
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I’ve already got a copy of Barbary Station, otherwise I’d be entering the give away!
I DNF’ed on Spoonful of Magic. The best I can say for it is that it’s possibly bad in an entertaining way? I could see someone hate reading it for fun.
I’m avoiding your review of Oathbringer until I get the chance to read it myself. I’m planning on starting it pretty soon though.
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After all the funny negative reviews for Spoonful of Magic, I’m definitely a little curious to see how bad it is! I guess if it’s so bad it’s entertaining, that’s a silver lining at least! 😀
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Them Orbit books look quiet interesting.
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Totally. Orbit always puts out cool stuff 😀
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I have Senlin Ascends and really hoping to read it in December. I’ve wanted to pick it up since the SPFBO! I want to read Pride and Prometheus so look forward to your thoughts on that one. And Haven -not heard of that but if it’s got Beauty and the Beast retelling vibes I’m intrigued.
Lynn 😀
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I’m so happy for Senlin Ascends and the author, so glad it got a shot even though it didn’t move to the finals. There’s another book from last year that scored a contract with a traditional publisher too, Song of Blood and Stone, I think.
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That’s so cool about the Haven package! What else came with the book? I can see a mug, a note from the publisher, and maybe a tote bag(?), but it’s hard to tell what’s in the cellophane-wrapped goodie next to the note.
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Yep, it was a mug, tote bag, book, and I think it’s just a bag of potpourri, with a couple stickers 😀
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Sounds like a busy book week! I do love those! I’m wading through Amazon boxes at the moment…fun!
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Oh, new box of books are always fun! 🙂
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Both “Barbary Station” and “Places in the Darkness” have already caught my eye (I’m in a mood for space-based SF recently…) and I can’t wait to read your review for them! 🙂
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I’m looking forward to reading both! Maybe Places in the Darkness slightly more, but it’s because I love mysteries 🙂
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