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.
So I’m back home from my vacation and still settling back in, so please bear with me as I slowly get back into the rhythm of things, which includes catching up on my huge TBR, posting reviews (because I actually managed to finish several books while I was away), and checking out everyone’s blogs! There was also a lot of activity in my mailbox during my absence, so I’m gradually sorting out new arrivals as well. Here’s what I’ve got to feature today though, and my thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received. Be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
Received for Review
First off, a huge thanks to Orbit Books for sending along an ARC of Ghoster by Jason Arnopp. You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve been looking forward to this one! Ever since reading The Last Days of Jack Sparks (now one of my favorite books ever) I have been waiting to see what the author will write next, and the time is finally here.
Thanks also to Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers for this finished copy of Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim. I already read this book and really enjoyed it, and you can check out my full review here.
Also my thanks to the kind folks at Ace/Roc/DAW for the following new arrivals: an ARC of Revolution by W.L. Goodwater, which is the sequel to the Cold War fantasy Breach; a finished copy of Lies of Descent by Troy Carrol Bucher, an intriguing debut epic fantasy; an ARC of Walk the Wild with Me by Rachel Atwood, a whimsical fae-inspired adventure; and a beautiful hardcover of The Gossamer Mage by Julie E. Czerneda, which I really excited to check out.
I also arrived home this week to a package from across the Atlantic, with thanks to Penguin Books UK for Minecraft: The Lost Journals by Mur Lafferty. I’m so thrilled they got the author to write for this world, and since I’ve read and enjoyed the last couple of official Minecraft novels, I’m definitely going to read this one too.
With thanks also to 47North and the amazing team at Wunderkind PR the for sending me a copy of Aftershocks by Marko Kloos, the first book of a military sci-fi space opera series called The Palladium Wars.
A while back I also first discovered a book called What’s Bred in the Bone by Jan S. Gephardt from Barb over at Booker T’s Farm. Cyber-enhanced police dogs in space? Color me intrigued! So when I was contacted and offered the book for review consideration, I jumped at the opportunity. My thanks to the author and to Beverly Bambury Publicity.
Courtesy of Subterranean Press, I also received the following ARCs: A Very Scalzi Christmas by John Scalzi is a collection of fifteen short takes (stories, poems, articles, etc.) related to the holidays; The Sky Done Ripped by Joe R. Lansdale is another new SFF adventure from the acclaimed pulp novelist and creator of Ned the Seal; and My Beautiful Life by K.J. Parker is a fantasy novella about a dying narrator who looks back on his eventful life (not surprisingly, the title is supposed to be ironic).
I’d also like to thank Titan Books for the following books received for review: The Record Keeper by Agnes Gomillion is a near-future dystopian novel which you may have heard about when The BiblioSanctum took part in the tour for it last month, and I’m looking forward to read it now that it’s in my hands; Sweet Dreams by Tricia Sullivan is the new novel from the author who also wrote the mind-bending Occupy Me, which makes me very curious to see what she’ll have in store next; and Gears of War: Ascendance by Jason M. Hough is the official prequel novel to the upcoming video game Gears 5, picking up the story immediately after Gears of War 4. Having played all of these games, I am soooooo psyched! You can bet I’ll be playing the new game, and I’m sure this novel will tide me over during the wait.
With thanks to Minotaur Books, I also received Sunrise Highway by Peter Blauner, a thriller about one young cop’s hunt for a serial killer. The publisher has never really sent me books before, so this was a nice surprise, especially since I’m really into the genre these days. This is one I’d like to check out later this summer.
Big thanks also to Inkshares for this surprise ARC of Violet by Scott Thomas. I loved his book Kill Creek and was so happy to discover that he will have another horror novel out this fall, just in time for Halloween season.
And wrapping up the batch, my thanks to Dey Street Books for sending me a paperback copy of Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee, described as a biographical portrait of John W. Campbell, Robert A. Heinlein, and L. Ron Hubbard.
In the digital pile this week, we have a few new audiobooks. With thanks to: Hachette Audio for a listening copy of The Last Astronaut by David Wellington, already finished and reviewed; and Penguin Random House Audio for Star Wars: Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn, the third Thrawn novel, and Lost You by Haylen Beck, a psychological suspense thriller.
And I know I probably shouldn’t have, but I also requested a couple books from NetGalley. Both were worth breaking my self-imposed NG ban though. The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman is a supernatural horror that I’ve been eyeing for a while now, and a big thank you to Quirk Books for granting my wish. And do I really have to explain why I immediately jumped on the download for Turning Darkness into Light by Marie Brennan? I loved her Memoirs of Lady Trent series and I cannot wait to return to the world. Thank you to Tor Books.
Reviews
Here is a quick summary of my reviews posted since the last update (three weeks’ worth!):
The Philosopher’s War by Tom Miller (5 of 5 stars)
Three Laws Lethal by David Walton (5 of 5 stars)
The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson (4.5 of 5 stars)
Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O’Keefe (4 of 5 stars)
Someone We Know by Shari Lapena (4 of 5 stars)
Salvation Day by Kali Wallace (4 of 5 stars)
Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep (4 of 5 stars)
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim (4 of 5 stars)
The First Mistake by Sandie Jones (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Last Astronaut by David Wellington (3.5 of 5 stars)
Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes (3 of 5 stars)
Roundup Highlights:
What I’ve Read Since the Last Update
Here’s what I’ve managed to “unstack” from the TBR since the last update. You’d think I would have read more, considering it’s been three weeks and I was also on holiday with plenty of beach reading time, but no, not really! I had a difficult time concentrating with this as my view (yay for the waterproof Kindle):
Anyway, that’s it for now. 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 
Ooh, didn’t know there was a new KJ Parker! 🙂
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Yeah we usually have to wait a while for his novels, but I find sometimes he’ll have the odd novella or short story just popping out randomly out of nowhere 😀
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Some good looking books there. I need to get The Last astronaut, and Astounding looks kind of interesting too!
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The Last Astronaut was fun!
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What’s Bred In The Bone looks interesting-no surprises that Barb is all over it! Looks like a stunning holiday view!
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Yeah, thanks to Barb for introducing me to the police dogs in space book!
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yay many interesting things there! Happy reading!
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Thanks, you too!
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Man, how do you deal with all the arcs? I mean, the sheer amount of them and the space required…
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Yeah, space is a problem. Books are everywhere, stashed in linen closets, stacked in towers, packed in boxes in the basement…I really need to organize my books one day, send some off to be donated to make room for more…
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Do libraries take arcs, or “can” they? That’s how I’m planning on getting rid of most of the books I no longer want. Dump them at the library….
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OOh nice new reads! Those are pretty much all new to me ones! I hope you enjoy each and every one of them!
My StS will be up tomorrow, so stop by then if you can!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
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I saw your new books and swag! Happy reading!
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The record keeper sounds great!
x The Captain
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I’m looking forward to reading that one!
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I had just heard about Gears of War from Jason’s newsletter, but I’m not sure whether I’ll enjoy it or not since I’m not a gamer. But I’m dying to read something else from him since I read and loved Zero World several years ago!
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Yeah, I loved Zero World! I was really excited when I heard he was writing a Gears book, I bet you can get into it without having played the games!
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Looking forward to your thoughts on Gossamer Mage, that definitely caught my eye! I just ordered my copy of Thrawn Treason, should get to it in the next few weeks. 🙂
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I’m hoping to get to Thrawn next! Wanted to get to it by the end of the month, but looks like it’ll be August.
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Eeeek the new Brennan!!!!
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I know, so excited!
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I like the look of the Gossamer Mage but don’t think it’s over in the UK yet. Will have to wait.
Can’t wait to see what you made of Sorcery of thorns.
Your vacation looks like a little slice of paradise.
Lynn 😀
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Really loved Sorcery of Thorns!
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I’d really like to try some of Julie Czerneda’s work. The Gossamer Mage sounds really interesting to me.
Where’d you go for vacay? That water looks like the Caribbean.
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Yup, we went on a cruise and that was taken at Half Moon Cay, which is one of the Carnival islands in the Bahamas!
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Oh cool!! That’s a nice cruise. Never been but have heard good stuff about it.
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“enhanced police dogs in space” – that sentence, together with the cover image, makes me beyond curious! I don’t believe I ever read anything with that kind of concept at its core, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of it! 🙂
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I know, doesn’t that sound like so much fun? I can’t wait to check it out either 😀
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Gotta finish racing through my reread of the last Lady Trent book and get onto the new book. Aaaah. *bounces* Are you frontloading it on your stack? 😀
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I think I will be! I think it’s so cool that you are rereading the Lady Trent books in preparation for it!
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I have such trouble reading at the beach or on vacation. I’m off to check out Ghoster!
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Yeah, vacations are never as relaxing as I want them to be, especially having to run around after the kids 😀
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The Last Astronaut looks fantastic, and I’m super excited for more Marie Brennan!
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Same here, I am so looking forward to returning to the Lady Trent world with her granddaughter!
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There are so many great looking books here and a lot I want to read as well. I’ll be reading Bred in the Bone in August for Dog Days of Summer and the lovely author is even providing a guest post. Looking forward to the reviews of many of these!
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Great haul, lots of things to look forward to. I hope you have a wonderful vacation, that water looks gorgeous. 🙂
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