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
I haven’t been as on the ball with my roundups these last few months, so today we have a lot of catching up to do – with about three weeks worth of new arrivals, to be exact! So many books! A huge thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
To start things off, a heartfelt thanks goes to Orbit Books for the following haul: ARCs of The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan, which has been getting a lot of praise from dark fantasy and grimdark fans already, and I’m really looking forward to it; A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy by Alex White, the sequel to A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe, which I still need to read (but am planning to, very soon); and The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft, book three in the Books of Babel series which kicked off with the runaway hit Senlin Ascends. Of course, I still need to catch up. Also from the publisher are the following finished copies: Someone Like Me by M.R. Carey, which is high on my priority list for this month, if I haven’t already started it by the time this post goes live; and Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson, who returns to space exploration with a novel about colonization and political revolution on the moon. I’m hoping I’ll have time to tackle this one for November Sci-Fi Month, so crossing my fingers.
Also my thanks to Saga Press and Wunderkind PR for An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris, which took a while to get to me due to some mail related issues, but I have a feeling the wait was worth it! I have been hearing great things, and I’m sure I’ll love it.
Up next, big thanks to Pyr Books for sending me an ARC of The Fall by Tracy Townsend, sequel to her amazing debut The Nine which blew me away last year. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into this one, and I look forward to revisiting this incredible, dazzling world.
And from the awesome team at Subterranean Press,, I also received an ARC of The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch. I’m honestly shocked I hadn’t heard of this one before it landed on my doorstep; I’m a huge fan of the author’s Peter Grant/Rivers of London series, and it appears this novella will be set in the same world but focusing on a yet-to-be-introduced character who works for the German equivalent of the Folly. At least, that’s what I’ve managed to gather from the limited info I could find online, but I’m excited to learn more as we get more details. Definitely reading this.
Speaking of Peter Grant, from the kind folks at Kaye Publicity and DAW, I also received a finished copy of Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch, book seven of the series. I’ve already read it, and surprise, surprise…I loved it. My review went up earlier int he week, so check it out if you haven’t yet.
More from Penguin Ace/Roc/DAW: Gates of Stone by Angus Macallan is a book that first landed on my radar because of that gorgeous cover, but this Young Adult crossover fantasy is making me feel more intrigued by the day. My thanks to the publisher for the ARC, as well as the following finished copies: Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey by Gordon Doherty is the official novel tie-in to the game, which I have yet to even get – and let’s face it, it’s gonna be a while, given all these other games on my plate – so I figure it wouldn’t hurt to read the story instead; and Breach by W.L. Goodwater is the first novel in a new Cold War fantasy series with a great premise to explore if I’m ever in the mood for a historical urban fantasy featuring magic and spies.
Also, I’m ecstatic over this growing trend of comic book tie-ins, and Titan Books has been releasing a lot of great ones as of late: Venom: Lethal Protector by James R. Tuck is the first of the publisher’s new series of original Marvel novels, and tells the story of Eddie Brock and his relocation from New York to San Francisco following his truce with Spider-Man. Of course, DC Comics gets some love too, with Harley Quinn: Mad Love by Paul Dini and Pat Cadigan. Harley Quinn has long been one of my favorite comic book characters, and this book is described as her definitive story, co-written by one of her creators himself. Really looking forward to checking out both of these.
Thank you also to Tor Books for sending me a finished copy of Zero Sum Game by S.L. Huang, a book I’m in the middle of now and so hopefully a review will be going up sometime in the next week or so. It’s been a wild and thrilling ride so far – a good one for Sci-Fi Month. From the publisher I also received a surprise ARC of Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons, an upcoming epic fantasy that has been on my radar for quite a while. A protagonist discovering that he is a long-lost prince isn’t exactly new, but what if the twist is that your family turns out to be a bunch of vile traitors? And what if, rather than being destined to save the empire, you were instead meant to destroy it? This definitely has potential.
And finally, rounding out this batch are a couple of gems I received from the amazing folks at Harper Voyager. I was excited when an ARC of Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik showed up earlier this week, a sci-fi space adventure which promises an intense mix of action and romance. Next is Roar of Sky by Beth Cato, which was a surprise arrival. However, I’m definitely no stranger to the Blood of Earth series, of which this is the third installment. I’m so far behind on this trilogy (as in I haven’t even started yet), but it’s one I’d love to read at some point.
In the digital pile, a couple new acquisitions from good old NetGalley, always providing me with new temptations. With thanks to Redhook for Heresy by Melissa Lenhardt (yay for a Western starring an all-female bandit gang) and Del Rey for The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden, the third and final book of the Winternight trilogy which I can’t wait to read.
From the generous publicity team at Tor.com, I also received an eARC of Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett. Any kind of story described as a “parable” tends to make me wary, but I love the author and I’m willing to give anything he writes a try.
Earlier this week I also downloaded a few e-galleys from Edelweiss. The Lost Puzzler by Eyal Kless is sci-fi dystopian debut that caught my eye from Harper Voyager list of upcoming releases. I was also immediately intrigued by The Raven’s Tale by Cat Winters, following my discovery that it’s YA historical story about Edgar Allan Poe, so thanks to Amulet Books for approving my request. And with thanks to Angry Robot, I also received an eARC of The Fall of Io by Wesley Chu, the sequel to The Rise of Io.
Just one new audiobook review copy this week. Last but not least, with a huge thanks to Audible Studios, I received a listening copy of Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. Anything by Sanderson is always a blast, so I hope to be starting this one real soon.
Reviews
A list of reviews I posted since the last update:
Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch (4 of 5 stars)
Dracul by Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker (4 of 5 stars)
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa (4 of 5 stars)
Occupy Me by Tricia Sullivan (3.5 of 5 stars)
Slender Man by Anonymous (3.5 of 5 stars)
Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean (3 of 5 stars)
Street Freaks by Terry Brooks (3 of 5 stars)
Interviews & Guest Posts
Here’s to the authors who stopped by The BiblioSanctum this week!
Guest Post: “Five Weird Books of the English West Country” by Aliya Whiteley
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s what I’ve managed to “unstack” from the TBR since the last update. I’m actually surprised I managed to read this many books, considering how the last couple weeks were so busy with Halloween and all my kids’ social and academic events. I also had…other distractions:
But here are the books I finished. Reviews are up for a few and more 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 
A Bad Deal for the whole Galaxy is one I need to take a look at- I’m not familiar w/ that series! Zero Sum Game I think looks good, and I have high hopes for Polaris Rising (crossing my fingers that that one ends up being as fun as it looks).
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I still need to read the first book to A Bad Deal, but the few reviews I’ve seen for it give me a lot of hope it will be good! Need to check out the series soon too.
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Gaaah, what a haul. The October Man! I hadn’t even heard of that yet either.
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That one was a huge surprise to me. At first I thought it was Aaronovitch launching something new, but a new character in the world of Rivers of London is awesome too!
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I would like to read Red Moon as well for SciFi Month but I don’t knw if I’ll have the time… 😥
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That’s where I am right now too. Looks fascinating though! I hope I can find some time to sneak it in 😀
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OOoh very nice! Lots of new to me reads! Though I am curious about Charlaine’s new book! But I am making myself finish her Midnight trilogy before I allow myself to get a copy! 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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I loved Charlaine’s new book! I didn’t start her Midnight trilogy because I heard some mixed things about that, but I’m so glad I gave An Easy Death a chance. It was awesome 😀
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I’m looking forward to your review of We Sold Our Souls. And I’m drooling over your copy of Polaris Rising, which I requested but haven’t received yet. Hopefully my name is still on that list😁
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I hope you get your copy soon! Contact publicity again, I’m sure if she got your original request, you should get one…might just take a reminder 🙂
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I just put Zero Sum Game on my tbr. I hope this re-release of it works…
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Well, by now you’ve seen my review…the book was probably more polished than it would have been pre-Tor/when it was self-pubbed, but I was still a little taken aback by the clunkiness here and there.
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I think the big publishers are desperate. The indie market is making inroads, bad grammar, bad writing and all 😦
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It did seem like they cleaned up the grammar and typographical errors, etc. because I didn’t spot any there, but yeah, my experience with self-pubbed to traditional books has taught me that they don’t usually mess around too much with the author’s writing style or structure. Though I’ve seen in a case or two where huge chunks of the story have been different or rewritten, but I can’t speak to that here because I can’t read ZSG in its original form 😛
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A Big Ship At The Edge of the Galaxy has been in my TBR Stack for a while, better read before the sequel comes out! You’ve got a lot of good things in your haul!
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Same here, I need to read A Big Ship!
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wow many books there! I’m really curious of some! Happy reading!
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Thanks, happy reading to you too!
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I totes want the missing prince one!!!!!
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That one sounds good!
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OMG looking at your post is like entering a library Mogsy!!!!
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I feel the same way looking at everyone’s StS posts on the weekends 😀
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Wow, looks like you have a lot of great reading in your future! I really loved An Easy Death, hope you enjoy that one as well.
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I just finished it this weekend, and I LOVED IT! Review is going up later this week 😀
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Woot!
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Oh gosh, Skyward was phenomenal!! I have my review up tomorrow 🙂
I also just got a sample of ‘Senlin Ascends’ and the first part of the Ben Aaronovitch series. Now that it’s actually concluded, I will give it a chance 🙂
I am also pretty curious about ‘The Ruin of Kings’. That DOES indeed sound different & could be a hit if done right.
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I had so much fun with Skyward! Hopefully I’ll get my review up later in the week 😀
And Ruin of Kings does sound really interesting. I wasn’t crazy about the cover, but that description though! 😀
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I’m looking forward to your thoughts on Red Moon. I’m going to read my first Kim Stanley Robinson next month (2312).
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I think I’ve read a couple by him. Didn’t read 2312, but it was a generation ship book I that read…I think Aurora, it was called.
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The MR Carey one does catch my interest a bit so I’ll probably read it at some point. SciFi month has ground to a halt with a bit of a slump but maybe next week will be better!
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Currently reading the MR Carey now! It’s bizarre, but pretty interesting so far!
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Gates of Stones looks and sounds promising – I am trying to be careful at the moment though – which is boring but I’m playing catch up.
Lynn 😀
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I should take a page from your book and work on my self-control lol! At least I don’t request much these days, but I do get a lot of unsolicited books that look good and tempt me. Not complaining too hard, mind! 😀
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I love how Wiinter of the Witch is coming out during the winter. It’s the season that fits that series best! 🙂
The only new book I’ve gotten in the past couple weeks is Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao. Or, I *will* have it once UPS delivers my package…
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Oh I hope you get your books soon! Dao’s name sounds familiar, but I don’t know if I recall Blazing Phoenix. Probably a sequel of a first book I wanted to read, but didn’t get to, lol!
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Julie Dao wrote Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. I’m not sure if you’ve read that one yet…? If not, you should. 😉 I think you’d like the fact that it’s the origin story of the woman who becomes the villain of Book #2 of the series.
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Oh yes, that’s why she sounded familiar. I haven’t read Thousand Lanterns, but it’s on my list!
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What a great haul and I see some here I have to check out.. I’m excited for the M.R. Carey book and think it will go on the Christmas list. I also HAVE to get Mad Love as Harley Quinn is my favorite anti-hero. Looks like you have a lot of good reading ahead.
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Currently reading both Someone Like Me and Harley Quinn: Mad Love right now! I think you’ll like them 🙂
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I love the cover of Mad Love! That is a super cool way to show Harley ❤ I hope you like it 😀
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Currently reading Mad Love now, and it’s fascinating to find out more about the childhood and life of her character!
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