Bookshelf Roundup: 07/24/21: 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!
The amazing folks at Subterranean Press were extremely good to me this week, with this trio of new arrivals: A Twist of Fate by Kelley Armstrong, the second book in the author’s gothic paranormal time travel mystery series, A Stitch in Time. Next up is another exciting sequel, Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold which is ninth in the Penric and Desdemona sequence. Luckily for me the books are mostly standalone because I’m definitely not caught up with all of them, but I love these characters. And finally Belladonna Nights and Other Stories by Alastair Reynolds is the fourth collection in his long career of publishing short fiction, and features much sci-fi including some tales from his Revelation Space universe.
With thanks to Redhook, I also received an ARC of The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess by Andy Marino, a horror thriller about a woman’s spiral into madness as she wakes up in the hospital after a traumatic event that everyone seems to remember differently than her. It’s sounds absolutely harrowing and intense.
And speaking of horror, last but not least thank you to Inkshares for an ARC of The House of Dust by Noah Broyles, a haunting southern gothic blending mystery and spooky small-town folklore. Releasing in late September, this one will be just in time for the creepy season, and I can’t wait to read it!
Another light week for the digital pile. With thanks to Penguin Audio, I picked up a listening copy of Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger, an action thriller about an astronaut who risks it all aboard the International Space Station to save what matters to her most.
And from Audible, I was super excited to receive Nolyn by Michael J. Sullivan, the first book of the Rise and Fall trilogy that takes place in the Riyria universe but is a standalone tale. From the publisher I also received Lux by Brandon Sanderson and Steven Michael Bohls, technically the fourth book in The Reckoners series, but it too appears to be separate from the original trilogy and can be read as a standalone. This one wasn’t even been on my radar until an email hit my inbox on release day, I love being surprised like that!
Reviews
Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena (3.5 of 5 stars)
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (3.5 of 5 stars)
Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep (3 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 
OooOooOooOoo I’d never even heard of Lux! And the Reckoners really needed a fourth after the hurried disaster that was Calamity. Okay so maybe it wasn’t that bad, but it was definitely the weakest in the series by far. And I STILL haven’t read Nolyn 😅
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Actually I looked into it, and I don’t think Sanderson actually wrote that. He just brain-childed it, then his friend wrote it. I’m a bit less excited now. Hope it’s still good, though!
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Ugh, that’s disappointing! I thought he co-authored it but you’re right, his name is likely there simply because it’s based on his idea. Still, I agree that Reckoners needed a follow-up after the not-so-stellar Calamnity. I love Sanderson, but he’s kinda terrible with endings 😛
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I keep hoping that Sullivan will go back and write another Riyria Chronicles book and he just keeps disappointing me. I guess he’s done with that series 😦
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I think I read somewhere that he is – I know that he won’t write anymore Hadrian Royce sequels, but he’s open to prequels and “chronicles” tales, but looks like’s moved on from that as well 😦
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I was afraid of that. I was just hoping for 6 Chronicles books to match the 6 Revelations.
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It is definitely coming, it will be called Drumindor. He plans to start writing it in September which will take about 6months. I believe he is planning to release it after Rise and Fall (which is 3 books, he had already finished writing it) but I can’t find his email about that atm.
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Thanks!!!!!!
I stopped getting his emails because they started to feel like spam/promotion more than updates. I guess I should probably think about getting them again, as I’m guessing he’ll do a kickstarter and I definitely want a hardcover.
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Im mainly getting them for the kickstarters yeah 😋
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Oooh nice new reads! Some new to me ones and it reminds me that I still need to start Kelley’s series here!
My StS will be up tomorrow, so stop by then if you can!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
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Yep, I need to start the Kelley series too!
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Nice haul! The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess & The House of Dust definitely caught my attention.
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Yup, I need some chilling reads for the fall season!
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I’m really curious about House of Dust, and I’m hoping my copy of The Seven Visitations shows up soon😁
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Hope it shows up soon! And House of Dust really caught my attention, because I’m interested in southern gothic!
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Excuse me, just off to add Belladonna Nights and House of Dust to my ever-growing pile of Goodreads tabs I need to comb through.
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I’m glad those books caught your attention! I don’t know if I’ll read Belladonna Nights because I’m not really one for collections, but House of Dust is definitely on the list!
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Aye, writing short stories is quite different to writing full-length novels, some are great at it, some a little less so. I’ve been kinda fascinated by what short fiction has to offer, lately!
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I wonder about Nolyn, his previous series was not for me, but his first was awesome so…
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I’d really like to try Lois McMaster Bujold one of these days. And I know Alastair Reynolds is hit or miss for many folks but (knock on wood) so far I’ve enjoyed the majority of what I’ve read of his, though most has been in novel form. There’s something about that cover for The House of Dust that I really like.
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LMB is great! Admittedly I’m not that much into her sci-fi, but her fantasy is some of the best I’ve ever read. Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls…perfection! 😀
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Fantasy books are generally better than science fiction because they’re easier to write. Science fiction requires a fully realized “other world” and is a tiring exercise in world-building. Fantasy just unrolls from a few simple magical premises and there you have it. The dragon soars in the sky, the magic user casts a fireball spell. Simple to visualize, simple to write.
— Catxman
http://www.catxman.wordpress.com
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I should think about getting my hands on The Past is Red — Cat Valente’s books are usually a good time!
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Yes, they’re always very unique!
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I hope you’ll enjoy Nolyn 😁 Although officially it can be read as a standalone, it does rely very heavily on nostalgia for his previous series.
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I’m glad to hear that! I fell a bit behind on his Legends of the First Empire series, but I’ve read all the rest!
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Nice haul – I also have House of Dust and I’m looking forward to it.
Lynn 😀
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