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
In an effort to be more organized, I’m still in the process of cataloging all my new arrivals but I’m slowly but surely catching up. Here’s a batch of review copies that arrived in the first half of the month! Big thanks to the publishers and authors for the following books received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
First off, my thanks to Ace Books for sending me an ARC of The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast but from the perspective of the Beast himself. Off the top of my head I can’t remember if I’ve ever read a similar concept, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it has been done many times before. Still, I can never resist a B&tB retelling and this book has been on my watch list for a while.
Thanks also to the amazing team at Simon Pulse for The Devil’s Thief by Lisa Maxwell. I was immediately gobsmacked by the gorgeous cover, but was a little disappointed to discover later that this one is actually a sequel. Why? Well, because I haven’t read the first book yet! Still, glad to have the second book on hand if I ever get a chance to start her Last Magician series.
With thanks to Orbit, I also received Cold Iron by Miles Cameron. I totally missed out on the author’s Traitor’s Son Cycle, and that’s not a mistake I’m going to repeat. I hope to start this first book of his new Masters and Mages series later this month, and I can’t wait.
Also a big thank you to the kind folks at Wunderkind and Tor for sending me Game of the Gods by Jay Schiffman, described as a sci-fi thriller of political intrigue. It appears to be an adult novel but the blurb is full of comparisons to all the big dystopian YA franchises, so it’s hard to pin down knowing so little about it at this point. Due to some shipping issues, this one took a while to get to me, but hopefully I’ll have a chance to get to it this fall. From Tor also came this finished copy of The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi. I have already read it, and while I didn’t think it was as good as the first one, I still had fun. My review went up earlier in the week and I go into more specifics there, so be sure to have a look if you you’re curious about my full thoughts.
And my thanks also to Titan Books for Mycroft and Sherlock by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse, the second book in the Holmes brothers series created by the former NBA All-Star. I’ve been super curious about these books ever since I heard about them, and apparently this adventure can be read as a standalone, so this one’s going straight onto my reading list for later this fall.
And a heartfelt thanks to the generous Nightshade Books/Talos team for this next big haul of surprise arrivals! A Rival from the Grave by Seabury Quinn is the fourth volume in The Complete Tales of Jules de Grandin, a series of stories featuring the titular occult detective made famous by the pulp magazine Weird Tales. Next up, a finished copy of Trial by Treason by Dave Duncan, book two in the Enchanter General historical fantasy series featuring Saxon sorcerers and demons. I still haven’t gotten the chance to check out the first book, so this might have to wait a bit. This next one though, looks totally awesome: Pinnacle City by Matt Carter and Fiona J.R. Titchenell is described as “a superhero noir”, featuring an all-star powered team called the Pinnacle City Guardians. This feels very much like a throwback to the superhero comics of yesteryear, and I’ve had past experience with Matt Carter’s work to know this has a lot of potential. Hopefully I can fit it into my reading schedule before the end of the year.
I’m also intrigued by this ARC of Darksoul by Anna Stephens, the sequel to last year’s Godblind, an unbelievably violent and brutal grimdark debut. My feelings were a bit mixed on the first book, but I also admit I’m curious to see where the author will take the series, so I’ll likely give this one a read if I have time. Gotta love these covers, though! And for anthology lovers, Tomorrow Factory: Collected Fiction by Rich Larson is a collection of twenty-three stories of sci-fi mystery and adventure, featuring everything from cyberpunk to future-noir. Last but not least, The Silver Scar by Betsy Dornbusch is a new book from the author taking place in a rough post-apocalyptic future world where populations of different faiths are driven to feud against each other out of desperation and hopelessness. I had wondered what the author’s next project would be after her Books of the Seven Eyes trilogy and I guess I have my answer!
And finally, a quick shout out to the awesome folks at Simon Teen who surprised me big time earlier this week with a mystery package containing all kinds of wonderful goodies. As part of their #ShelfQueens hashtag celebrating tales of literary ladies who rule, I received a couple of cool buttons and the following ARCs: Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young, The Cold is in Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale, Slayer by Kiersten White, Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto, and Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody. A bunch of these books were already on my wishlist with a couple that I’m feeling beyond excited for, and so you better believe I’ll be reading all of them come the new year which is when they’re due out.
It’s been a relatively quiet week in the digital pile, and all audiobooks. My thanks to Macmillan Audio for a listening copy of I Am Behind You by John Ajvide Lindqvist, which is now officially released in the US. Thanks also to Serial Box for a review copy of the complete Season One of Dead Air by Gwenda Bond, Rachel Caine, and Carrie Ryan, the publisher’s first mystery-thriller serial presented with the intrigue of a true crime drama TV show. I mean, if that’s not enough to entice you, just look at that all-star creative team. And finally, with thanks to Hachette Audio, I downloaded an early listening copy of Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan, an Asian-inspired YA fantasy which I’ve been meaning to check out.
Reviews
A list of reviews I posted since the last update:
The Winters by Lisa Gabriele (4 of 5 stars)
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (4 of 5 stars)
Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep (4 of 5 stars)
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab (4 of 5 stars)
Lies by T.M. Logan (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams (3.5 of 5 stars)
Mystic Dragon by Jason Denzel (3.5 of 5 stars)
Dare You To Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch (3 of 5 stars)
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi (3 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. More reviews coming 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 
Game of the Gods… hmm. The cover didn’t grab me but your description kinda did… I’ll have to take a peek. Pinnacle City and Tomorrow Factory both look like something I’d like.
Dare You To Lie looks good to me too…
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I read Dare You To Lie and unfortunately it didn’t really blow me away. Great mystery, but ugh, the main character was so irritating, lol!
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I look forward to reading Consuming Fire. The first book was one of my favourites last year ❤ I read on other blogs too that the second one wasn't as good, but still… i can't wait to meet the characters again 😀
I also need to continue with the Ben Aaronovitch books. Have them all up to #6, but only read the first one.
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Yeah, I didn’t like the second Interdependency book as much as the first
But oh my goodness, the new Rivers of London/Peter Grant book is so good. I hope you get to continue the series soon 🙂
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I’ve had Cold Iron in my sights for a while now, and only too many… “reading distractions” 😀 have kept me from it, but I hope to start it soon: it’s quite promising, and the fact that you heard great things about the author’s previous works is quite an incentive….
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I hear ya. I’ve been meaning to get to Cold Iron for a while now too, but like you, I got “distractions” 😉
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I have Exit Strategy and Dracul on my ereader waiting for my tired brain to feel ready to read!
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Yay, hope you enjoy them! Go Murderbot!
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Very nice! I need to get going on my copy of The Beast’s Heart! Soooo behind! I think I am aiming to get that one in two reads from now! LOL! Hope you enjoy all your lovely 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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Haha you’ll probably read The Beast’s Heart before me then. I hope you enjoy it!
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Ooh, Seabury Quinn. I have the first two volumes, and I still need to read them.
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These volumes were totally new to me! Glad you’re looking forward to them 😀
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I got the #ShelfQueens box too! I was pretty surprised, and also excited that they are all books I want to read😁
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Same here! The only one that wasn’t on my watch list already was Sky Without Stars, but it is now!
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Such an awesome mystery package you received!
Fab round-up, I love seeing them all together like this, it’s so more-ish for my book-loving brain 😀
xx
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Yeah, I love seeing all the books laid out like that, but it’s also a bit overwhelming. Reminds me how behind I am, lol!
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Lots of great looking books in your haul! I’m curious about a few of them. Looking forward to your thoughts on the Julie Kagawa book.
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I have to say it was one of the better YA books I’ve read recently. Haven’t had much luck with the genre lately though, to be honest, lol!
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Very good to know, a lot of people seem to be enjoying that one.
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That new Miles Cameron looks good, and some of those at the bottom too
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Yeah, I can’t wait to check out Cold Iron. It’ll be my first book by Cameron!
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I really enjoyed Cold Iron, hope you do as well. And I’m curious about Girls of Paper and Fire, may have to check that one out. And I love the cover for I am Behind You
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I really need to read Cold Iron soon! Your review made it sound very promising, and I’m excited!
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Is it bad if I don’t remember whether any of these books are on my radar? XD I think some of the Simon Teen books were on there, though, like Crown of Feathers and Sky Without Stars. Is the former about phoenixes, btw? I hope so, given the title and the fact that a phoenix is featured on the cover art.
I’ve also heard of Girls of Paper and Fire, though the reviews I’ve seen of it so far have been pretty mixed…
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No it’s not bad, there are just so many releases this year, and towards the fall, the titles tend to blend together for me too, lol! And yes, Crown of Feathers is about phoenixes…and phoenix riders! I’m so psyched for it!
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Another great haul! I’ve always been interested in that Holmes series, Can’t wait for your thoughts. That’s a great haul from Simon Teen!
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Yeah, I’ve had my eye on the Holmes series for a while! If I like this one, I may go back and read the first.
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I really enjoy Larson’s short fiction so I’m excited about this anthology! 😀
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Never read him, but this collection looks interesting! I like the variety 🙂
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Wow you got a lot of books! Great haul! 🙂 I received a copy of Shadow of the Fox and am looking forward to reading it 😀
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Hope you enjoy it! I had a good time with it 🙂
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Again, I just don’t know how you keep up with all these books. It’s staggering. Enjoy all your haul though. I’m cutting down the review books for Nov/Dec so that I have some time to catch up with everything.
Lynn 😀
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Just started Consuming Fire – very jealous of you getting a full copy! 🙂
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