Bookshelf Roundup: 05/22/21: 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!
From the awesome team at Subterranean Press, this week I received The Night and the Music by Lawrence Block, a collection of the author’s Matthew Scudder short stories. Also included in this volume is the story “One Last Night at Grogan’s” which was written especially for this collection.
I’d also like to thank Inkshares for sending me a review copy of Smithy by Amanda Desiree, an epistolary horror novel about a group of researchers attempting to study the psychology of primates by teaching American Sign Language to a gifted chimpanzee. Set in a rundown mansion in the 1970s, in particular, this sentence in the blurb gives me chills: “As the summer deepens and the history of the mansion manifests, the messages signed by their research subject becomes increasingly spectral.” I haven’t read anything from Inkshares from a while, but they always publish good horror, so I’m intrigued!
And thanks also to Minotaur Books for an ARC of The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones, a suspenseful thriller about three couples arriving at a gorgeous cliff-side villa for a weekend full of adventure and fun. Of course, everyone’s having a great time…until they don’t. This will be my third Sandie Jones novel and I can’t wait to read it! Her thrillers are always a blast.
In the digital haul, with thanks to Penguin Audio for an ALC of Shutter by Melissa Larsen, a mystery thriller about a young woman who agrees to star in a filmmaker’s latest project, but soon realizes the movie is nothing like she expected.
Reviews
The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman (4 of 5 stars)
The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda (3.5 of 5 stars)
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!
The BiblioSanctum 
Ooh nice! Those are new to me ones. I hope you enjoy them all!
My StS will be up tomorrow, so stop by then if you can!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
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Thanks, and happy reading!
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That really is a great blurb for Smith!
Bit of a light week for you, eh? Hope you enjoy it 😁
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Yes these days I’m trying to cut down on the audiobook requests, so light weeks are good! 😀
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I’ve got to check out Smithy, that one’s new to me and it sounds really good!
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Yes, it sounds insane! And I love epistolary horror novels!
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Ok, LOVE that Lost in the Never Woods cover. Love the colors.
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I love the cover too! Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the book much 😛
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I don’t believe I’ve ever read anything by Lawrence Block, which seems like a shame given all he’s written. I like the cover to the book, as well as that for Shutter.
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Todd, many years ago my friend Dave Van Ronk realized that he was the only person he knew or knew of who had never eaten at a McDonald’s. He decided that he could never go, because nothing they could provide could possibly equal the distinction he bore of never having been there. You might want to consider this before giving up the distinction of never having read anything of mine.
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Love this 😀
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I absolutely love that perspective, certainly one I’d not expected. And though I’ll consider maintaining this distinction I do find myself even more curious to read one of your books now. Job well done! 🙂
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I like the sound of Shutter, I recall seeing it somewhere, must go and check it out again I think it would be my type of read.
Lynn 😀
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I’ve had it on my watchlist for a while, not sure when I first heard about it. It sounds like something I’ll enjoy 😀
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Happy reading!
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Thanks, you too!
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Oh some little intriguing things there! Happy reading!
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Smithy and Shutter are definitely going on my TBR. Sorry I’ve been so MIA. I’ve missed visiting and am trying to push my way back into things. Looks like you’ve done some great reading! I’m actually craving romance reads which is scary, I think it’s because they go quickly and don’t require too much thought,
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