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 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.
Today we’re starting off with a parade of new sci-fi arrivals. Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio is something of a new discovery for me; I didn’t find out about it until this ARC landed on my doorstep. There hasn’t been much attention for it so far, but good reviews and several descriptions of it as being “The Name of the Wind in space” is making me curious to take a look. With thanks to DAW Books.
Next up, a couple of surprise ARCs from the amazing folks at Tor. There appears to be a recent uptick in sci-fi humor releases lately, and Gate Crashers by Patrick S. Tomlinson looks to be joining the trend. Based on the synopsis I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. And speaking of fun, The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams is described as an adventure-filled ride around a far-future galaxy in the tradition of Firefly and The Expanse. Let’s hope it delivers!
With thanks to Saga Press, I also received this hardcover copy of Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente. I didn’t even know this one had an HC edition, and it’s so pretty! And here’s my review in case you missed it earlier this month.
Also thanks to Simon & Schuster for a finished copy of The Completionist by Siobhan Adcock. The release date of this one snuck up on me quick. I still have plans to check out this near-future dystopian, so hopefully I’ll get some time next month to fit it into my reading schedule.
And of course, if you caught my review earlier this week, you’ll know how much I enjoyed Warlock Holmes: My Grave Ritual by G.S. Denning. I started the book practically the moment I got it, that’s how much I love this series. With thanks to Titan Books for sending me a review copy.
Next up, more goodies from Tor, in the form of several finished copies. In The Region of the Summer Stars by Stephen R. Lawhead was a surprise arrival, the first book of a new epic fantasy adventure series. Lawhead is an author I’ve seen popping up around a lot, but I’ve never read him, and I’m thinking his might be the perfect opportunity to try. With thanks to the publisher’s YA imprint Tor Teen, I also received these finished copies: Dive Smack by Demetra Brodsky is a book I actually hadn’t heard of before it arrived, but it looks to be a thriller. Reviews have been pretty positive so far, so I definitely want to take a look. And Guardian by A.J. Hartley is the third book of the Steeplejack series. I’m not caught up yet, but I did enjoy the first volume and I do have the second one on hand, so hopefully I will be soon.
With thanks to Lenny Books, I also received Providence by Caroline Kepnes, described as a supernatural thriller with a strong touch of Lovecraft. I actually wouldn’t have thought there would be anything Lovecraftian about this book, but I probably should have guessed from the title. I still know next to nothing about this one, but I’ve already seen a couple of amazing reviews from bloggers I follow, so I expect I’ll be reading this one very soon.
Earlier this month I also received an ARC of Driving to Geronimo’s Grave and Other Stories by Joe R. Lansdale from the awesome team at Subterranean Press. I’m not really into anthologies, but I may have to give this one a go anyway, because I still haven’t read anything by this author and I really really want to.
Finally, wrapping up this batch is The Memory of Fire by Callie Bates, the sequel to her debut The Waking Land. I actually finished this one recently, and I’m still not sure what to think about it, mainly because the focus has shifted to another character and in this case the POV change didn’t really work for me. I’ll be talking more about that in my review, which should be posted soon. My thanks to Del Rey for the finished copy.
Just a few new books in the digital pile this week. What’s this? Have I finally learned to show self-restraint? Eh, probably not, as the following are all from NetGalley where my TBR could still use a break from requesting. First up is Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst, whom I’ve become a big fan of since her Queens of Renthia series. I actually featured this one in a past Waiting on Wednesday post, so I was really excited to be approved, with thanks to Crown Books for Young Readers. I was also happy to snag an eARC of Redemption’s Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky, the first book in a new epic fantasy series. I’ve been wanting so badly to read more by the author, so this is perfect. Thank you, Solaris Books! Last but not least, last week I was sent a invite widget for The Raging Ones by Krista & Becca Ritchie, courtesy of St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books. After reading the book’s incredible synopsis and a few early rave reviews, it became impossible to resist. See, I told you I haven’t learned.
Reviews
A list of my reviews posted since the last update:
Wrath of Empire by Brian McClellan (4 of 5 stars)
Warlock Holmes: My Grave Ritual by G.S. Denning (4 of 5 stars)
Obscura by Joe Hart (4 of 5 stars)
Circe by Madeline Miller (4 of 5 stars)
All the Ever Afters by Danielle Teller (4 of 5 stars)
Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young (4 of 5 stars)
Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope (3 of 5 stars)
LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff (2 of 5 stars)
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s what I’ve managed to “unstack” from the TBR since the last update. I’ve only gotten a couple of them reviewed, so stay tuned for more.
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 
The Stars Now Unclaimed is a new one for me, but with a description like that I’ll have to take a look. I’m starting to have a few promising SF/ space opera type books in the pipeline, which is nice. Also In the Region of the Summer Stars- same deal. Hadn’t heard of that one either, but the title gets me. And Providence maybe… hmm. 🙂
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Space opera does seem to be a big genre this year, especially adventurous and humorous Firefly-type sci-fi. And I just started Providence, it’s interesting!
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It seems to me that there is a sort of revival for science fiction novels lately, since they appear in almost the same numbers as fantasy novels, where until some time ago the latter seemed the majority. That said, I’m fascinated by the first two titles you showcased, especially Empire of Silence: as I read the synopsis I thought about Dune more than the Kingkiller Chronicles, and then I saw that some other early readers had the same thought, which means I will want this one in my reading queue one of these days… 🙂
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Yes, it’s a great summer for sci-fi lovers! Empire of Silence is really calling to me. It hasn’t been receiving a lot of buzz, but the few reviews I’ve seen have been mostly positive. Might have potential to become a sleeper hit!
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If you do review the book by Stephen Lawhead, I’ll definitely be interested in what you think. I grew up with him, as an author I mean, not literally, and watched as his views and beliefs have changed and how that has changed what he writes. His last series, Bright Empire, really left me feeling like he was a completely different author than when I had started reading decades ago.
So it will be good to get an outsider’s viewpoint on his latest.
And I was all excited to see another series by Tchaikovsky, UNTIL I read the review by Liviu on GR. I used to follow him at the Fantasy Book Critic until he seemed to post there once a year but I found that I could accurately use him as a barometer for my own tastes.
So while his 4star rating gives me hope, his words in comparison to the Apt series gives me pause.
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I might give that Stephen Lawhead book a try, but usually when I hear comments like yours about an author changing their style, I get a little wary. I guess it depends on how an author’s views and beliefs have shifted and whether or not it greatly affects their writing, but from experience, when that happens it hardly ever a good thing, haha.
And I think I saw that review of Tchaikovsky’s book from Liviu too. It seemed he enjoyed it, but yeah, he and a few others also thought the world-building/development was not up to the standard of Shadows of the Apt. But, seeing that it’s the first book, maybe he just needs time 🙂
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The changes in his beliefs are going from a literal Creationist (ie, God made the world in 6 days) to a Theistic Evolutionist (ie, God set evolution going and let it happen) and the little bit I gathered is that he is rather bitter. It didn’t seem like a decision based on just fact but also based on how people of either beliefs acted. It doesn’t help that I’m a Creationist 😀
I’ve got so much of Tchaikovsky’s bibliography ahead of me that it’ll be years before I get to this latest series. By that time I can see how the series as a whole shakes out 😀
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Hmm, changes in an author’s religious beliefs tend to be worse if they leak into the writing. Yeah, I don’t know. If it stays out of the story/writing, maybe I’ll give this one a look. I’ll have to hunt down some reviews from some of his long time readers. Thanks for the info!
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Glad to help. Especially if it ends up helping me 😉
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I’ve still to try Steeplejack. I have quite a few books like that outside my comfort zone to take a look at and I need to start getting them read. My ereader is just about full and there are a lot of summer releases I want to grab!
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Steeplejack was awesome! But yeah, I can see how that would be outside of your usual genres 🙂
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Ooh nice! Providence sounds like an intriguing read! I still want to read Caroline’s first books that I already bought to see if I like her style before adding more! Need to break that habit of mine! Lol! Hope you enjoy all your new reads!
My STS will be up tomorrow, so stop by then if you can!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
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Nice, before this I’d never heard of Caroline Kepnes. I might have to check out her other books now though, as I just started Providence and it’s pretty awesome so far!
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I’ve been seeing really good reviews of Providence as well, so I’ll be looking forward to your review. I just got an invite for the Gate Crashers blog tour, so I hope to read it too. It sounds really funny!
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I just started Providence and it’s a bizarre read so far, but in the good way – lots of questions, weird happenings, etc. I’m very curious! And I also got an invite to that Gate Crashers tour!
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Ooooo so many interesting ones in this roundup! I’d quite like to check out Providence in the very near future as I’d heard good things, too! x
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I hadn’t even heard of Providence until a few weeks ago, and suddenly it seems the book is everywhere, lol! But it’s a good thing. I just started it and I’m really enjoying it so far 🙂
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*pets all the pretty books*
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*purrrr from the pretty books* 😉
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I almost went hunting for a copy of Empire of Silence, but was still a bit hesitant about it. I’ll be looking forward to its review from you now. I didn’t know Adrian Tchaikovsky had a new series in the work. Definitely curious about it now. Sooooo many awesome books you got your hands on. Hope you enjoy them all! 😉
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Yeah, I don’t know if I would have requested Empire of Silence if a surprise copy hadn’t shown up – I think I would have waited for more reviews to get a feel for it before taking the leap. But it seems that even though the response has been limited so far, most of it’s been good!
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I remember being pretty happy with the sequel to Steeplejack when I read it last year. The main conflict wasn’t as personal to the heroine, but I still enjoyed it. So I hope you get around to it soon so we can both see what happens the series closes out with Guardian. And I have a feeling this last book will be the one where the racial themes and social unrest will reach a tipping point.
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I might need a refresher course on Steeplejack before tackling the sequels, lol! I do remember enjoying the protagonist a lot though. And that the story took place in South Africa, was it? Glad to hear that the series develops nicely!
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Yes, and no. 😉 Bar Selehm (sp?) is based on South Africa in terms of history and racial diversity, but with an industrial / steampunk vibe.
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Ah, that’s right! I had forgotten that it was a secondary fantasy setting…but at least I got the inspiration part of it right! 😀
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I had no idea Providence was a Lovecraftian thriller! From the cover alone I thought it was a scifi, so now I’m kind of interest. 😀 And I’m somewhat surprised Empire of Silence isn’t getting much attention. From the reviews I’ve seen so far, I think it’ll appeal to Red Rising fans, but there’s so little buzz around it.
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I’m currently reading Providence right now, and yes, there are some mild allusions and references to Lovecraft! I just wonder how far these will go, though. Regardless, I’m really enjoying it so far!
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I am eyeing the new Tchaikovsky’s book though I prefer his science fiction works to his fantasy stories but still, I want it! 🙂
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I’ve only read his sci-fi so far (Children of Time) so I’m kinda curious about his fantasy now! 😀
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Providence! 😀 I hope you like it as much as I did. Def go in not knowing too much about it.
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Your review got me so excited! I actually just started, and I’m really enjoying it so far!
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Awesome! 😊
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As ever, an awesome haul of books. I hope you love them all. I’m looking forward to the Tchaikovsky book too.
Lynn 😀
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I hope we’ll both enjoy it! After the amazing time I had with Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time, I have high hopes for this one 🙂
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Did you hear they are making a Space Opera movie? I’m really looking forward to Providence by Caroline Kepnes. I didn’t realize it was Lovecraftian either, but yeah… the title should have been a clue! 🙂
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I did not hear about the Space Opera movie! How cool! It would make a good fun film 🙂 And I just started Providence, there are references to Lovecraft’s works already. I am curious where the author will take this 😛
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Can’t wait to jump into Warlock Holmes when I’m in the mood! Also, I just read a rave review on Bring Me Their Hearts, so I’ll be checking that out as well. Great wrap-up! 🙂
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Warlock Holmes is so much fun! I hope you enjoy! And I’m so happy to see rave reviews for Bring Me Their Hearts too – I agree with a lot of them! 😀
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