Bookshelf Roundup: 04/10/21: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every 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 summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week 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, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
With thanks to Saga Press for an ARC of Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace, yet another sci-fi dystopian with a gaming angle–which means yup, I wants this precious! The story centers on a pair of women gamers and friends working together to expose a terrible secret in the popular VR game run by a corporation that controls every aspect of their lives. Very excited to sink my teeth into this one.
Also thank you to Titan Books for a review copy of Birds of Paradise by Oliver K. Langmead. Earlier this week I was honored to be a part of the blog tour for this book, featuring a guest post that the author kindly wrote for us. In case you missed it, you can check it out here!
My thanks also to Tor Books for a finished copy of The Helm of Midnight by Marina Lostetter. I am intrigued by the description of this being a “Silence of the Lambs meets Mistborn” fantasy-thriller about a city stalked by a serial killer. Sounds like my kind of story!
In this week’s digital haul, I received a listening copy of Malice by Heather Walter, with thanks to Random House Audio. From the kind folks at HarperAudio, I was also thrilled to snag an ALC of The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers! Words cannot describe how excited I am to start listening. And from the team at Nightfire, Tor Book’s new horror imprint, I received a NetGalley widget of The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. Of their new titles releasing this fall, this is the one I’m probably most excited about!
Reviews
Near the Bone by Christina Henry (3.5 of 5 stars)
Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay (3.5 of 5 stars)
Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison (3 of 5 stars)
Guest Posts
“A Decade of Drafting” by Oliver K. Langmead
What I’ve Been Playing
It was my birthday earlier this week and my husband got me a Playstation 5 (though it was actually I who helped him secure one from a retailer drop after he was having no luck…I have lightning fast fingers 😉 ) which means I have been diving back into console gaming. While I did also pick up a couple PS5 releases including Marvel’s Spider-man: Miles Morales and Sackboy: A Big Adventure, those are games my kids like to watch me play/play co-op with me, so I decided to fire up something from my massive PS4 backlog instead.
Ghost of Tsushima is an action-adventure game set in feudal Japan during the first Mongol invasion, and you play a samurai on a quest to protect your island and its people. I’m not very far into it yet, but already the story is incredible and the PS5 patch makes everything look so good and play so smoothly.
The other game I’ve been dabbling in is the enhanced PS5 edition of Spirit of the North, an indie game I picked up for its chill gameplay and beautiful visuals. You play an adorable red fox journeying across a vast world inspired by Nordic folklore, finding connections with ancient spirts and solving puzzles. I find I’m really enjoying the game right now, simply because it’s such a relaxing experience. It’s also got a gorgeous soundtrack.
What I’ve Been Reading
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 
Yeah, I’ve heard Ghost of Tsushima is amazing, I hope you like it! I saw you enjoyed Fugitive Telemetry, and I’m waiting impatiently for your review 😜 but I thought you were going to put it off to savour it…?
LikeLike
Yeah, it plays a lot like Assassin’s Creed – which is a good thing! And I LOVED Fugitive Telemetry, my favorite so far, probably. Review soon 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really only liked the last few AC games. I also LOVED Fugitive Telemetry too! But that price tag is ooof…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m jealous. PS5. 😩
LikeLike
LOL I’ve drooled over one since Christmas but I knew I could wait…I could have waited even longer, but somehow by some miracle I managed to snag one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Turn the knife in the wound!
I so wanted to preorder that beast in all its glory. But Sony made that ugly stunt. I probably wouldn’t have gotten one anyway.
LikeLike
I think it was a chip shortage all across the board because it was the same with the new Xbox and certain cell phones. Can’t imagine they don’t want to sell as many units as they can! 😀
LikeLike
It was the same with PS4, though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah I think I remember a shortage then too, but I don’t think it was as long. Six months and counting! Plus, damn scalpers take a lot of the blame. 😦
LikeLiked by 2 people
It sounds like you are living the dream… PS5 (I’m going to tell my grandson that I have a friend who’s got one, it will considerably raise my stock with him…) AND acquired Fugitive Telemetry AND an arc of The Galaxy and the Ground Within. Now if you could just wave a hand and make this covid business go away, please??
LikeLike
Of course, now the PS5 and book pile are competing for my time, lol! And your comment about raising stock with your grandson made me chuckle 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s something of a challenge to impress a rather world-weary 11 year-old, these days…
LikeLiked by 1 person
OOh nice ones! Mostly new to me one but hearing a lot of buzz over Malice! Hope you enjoy all of the new reads!
My StS will be up tomorrow, so stop by then if you can!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks! Happy reading!
LikeLike
Happy birthday Steff! Lol I love that you bought your own birthday present😁
LikeLike
LOL, my husband still bought it for me, but yes I was the one who copped it! And thanks! 😀
LikeLike
The latest Becky Chambers book looks more inviting at every new mention I encounter: I will have to read the two before it soonest, because “Galaxy” seem like the kind of story I like very much 🙂
LikeLike
I’ve enjoyed every single one so far, I hope this one will be a winner too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m still drawn to that cover of Birds of Paradise. And it seems Becky Chambers keeps taunting me with new books, knowing I’ve yet to try any of those I’ve already bought. Happy-belated Birthday!
LikeLike
Haha, I’m just glad she’s keeping those books coming! 😀
LikeLike
Nice, congrats on getting a PS5! I’m going to try and track one down later this year, once some more releases come out that justify the purchase. Enjoy Miles Morales, that was a fun one!
LikeLike
Yeah, I’m looking forward to a lot of new releases this spring and summer! Hopefully the supply will be better by then, and you can get one more easily!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ohhh pretty books
LikeLike
😀
LikeLike
I’m reading Firebreak right now!
LikeLike
Hope you’re enjoying it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll look up this Spirit of the North. I just got a PS4 from a friend (he just got a PS5) since I kept talking about how much I love the music from Skyrim. The PS4 is blowing my mind. I haven’t used a Playstation since the early 1990s when the first one came out.
LikeLike
Oh if you enjoy the music from Skyrim, the Spirit of the North soundtrack is for you! And yes, the Playstation 4 is great, even though I’ve upgraded to the PS5, a lot of the games play on the PS4 almost as smoothly and they’re graphically just as stunning!
LikeLike
Oh wow! I’m already stunned by the PS4 graphics. I can’t even imagine how much greater they can get.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, my husband gifted himself a PS5 – as soon it was available, preordered and waiting not so very patiently. He does love it.
I enjoyed the Last House on Needless Street. It’s a bit shocking and not at all what I expected in some ways.
Lynn 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person