Bookshelf Roundup: 08/28/21: 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.
Well, I’m back from my trip visiting the in-laws, and we actually left the day the storm rolled onto the east coast. Needless to say, the rain was coming down pretty hard and traffic was horrendous, but we managed to get home earlier in the week safe and sound, and I even got to take some nice shots of the beach where we were staying at on the evening before the weather turned bad.
Anyway, I’m still trying to settle back into a rhythm because there’s a lot of catching up to do (maybe I still have a chance to get back to my old schedule of pumping out four reviews a week? Ha, I can dream…) not to mention a bunch of new book mail to be picked up and sorted. Last Saturday’s roundup post got skipped because I was away, so this one will cover the last two weeks. I’m happy to say I did get quite a bit of reading done, mostly through listening to audiobooks while on the road (they do make the miles fly by) so now I just need to find time to write all these reviews! But first, let’s get to the new books…
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!
My thanks to Orbit Books for a review copy of Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee, third volume in The Green Bone Saga series. Okay, I’m just a little bit behind on this one, but I absolutely loved the first book and will be getting caught up ASAP. From the publisher I also received an ARC of Far From the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s The Wormwood Trilogy, and if this one is anywhere near as wild as those books, I think it will be very interesting!
And from Orbit’s sister imprint Redhook, I was also thrilled to received a review copy of Wildwood Whispers by Willa Reece. It’s beautiful, but I have a feeling it’ll be a bit on the quieter, slower side based on the reviews I’ve seen. Not sure I’m in the mood for that at the moment, but I definitely have plans to read this once I’m over the weird reading funk I’m in right now. With thanks also to the kind folks at 47North for an ARC of Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg. This was a new one to me, but I’m familiar with the author and I certainly won’t mind checking this out!
I also want to thank Subterranean Press for an ARC of Square³ by Mira Grant, which is the pen name under which Seanan McGuire writes horror and sci-fi. To be honest, I’ve not had much luck with her Mira Grant stuff, but this novella being so short and having such an intriguing premise, I might just consider picking it up! Also thank you to Del Rey for sending along a galley proof of The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik, the sequel of A Deadly Education. I don’t think I’ve ever received a review copy in this format, but I kinda like the bigger pages and text! Regardless, really looking forward to this one. And finally, with thanks to Angry Robot for a review copy of The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston. I meant to read this one while I was on vacation, but didn’t have enough time. You know how it is! Hopefully though, I will have it finished soon.
In the digital pile, I received listening copies of Revelator by Daryl Gregory and No One Goes Alone by Erik Larson, with thanks to the awesome team at Penguin Random House Audio. And with thanks to Hachette Audio, I was also happy to receive The Hawthorn Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, which is the sequel to The Inheritance Games, as well as The Body Scout by Lincoln Michel, a moody sci-fi noir tale that’s a bit of techno-thriller as well.
Reviews
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney (4 of 5 stars)
The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett (4 of 5 stars)
Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne (3.5 of 5 stars)
City of Iron and Dust by J.P. Oakes (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 
Like you, I have not yet gone beyond the first book of Fonda Lee’s Green Bone saga and must do all I can to remedy the situation, since the final volume is looming closer and closer on the horizon!
Very nice beach, by the way… 🙂
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Haha, yep, I have so many series I have finished the first book but not started the second. I really need to be better with that 😛
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The beach looks beautiful. At least you got to sneak in a getaway before all hell broke loose. 🙂
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Yeah that was a relief 😀
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OOoh nice new reads! Those are all new to me ones! I still need to read Naomi’s first book of this series! I fall so easily behind with my books! Lol. Hope you enjoy all the 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 know, this summer was busier than expected. I am already so far behind, I just became even more overwhelmed, lol!
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Such a gorgeous beach shot! I’m glad you made it home ok, I was following the path of Henri because it was headed right for my daughter in Boston at one point!
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Yep, I was in MA too, we were watching it closely! We came home in the middle of it going up the coast though lol!
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Ugh, sorry you had to drive through some of the storms, but glad you were able to get some enjoyment on vacation. Question for you, when travelling with the family do you play your audiobooks on the car stereo as a group or with headphones for just you? Just curious whether you actually have a group that’s into reading/listening to the same book. That’d be pretty cool, but it seemed less likely. Nice view of the beach in your photo! 🙂
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We play them on the car stereo, using the bluetooth. It’s really just my husband and I listening to the audiobook while my kids play on their tablets (though sometimes when we get some adult content in the book we get nervous, in case they notice, haha). We both like SFF but like to choose thrillers for these long car rides, because they tend to be more interesting, keeps us both awake 🙂
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Man that beach shot is stunning! What a perfectly liminal moment. I am fully invested in picking up Wildwood Whispers and Malificent Seven at some point, they both sound amazing.
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Thanks! And I am sad I haven’t gotten to either Wildwood Whispers and Maleficent Seven yet, but hopefully later this year there will be some time to catch up!
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Great beach photo! And I love that cover of Revelator.
And that’s good y’all made it back okay despite driving in the storm. I drove in a thunderstorm once (I’m a fairly new driver) and I never want to do it again. So scary. Couldn’t see a thing, and it was at night.
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It’s really scary! You can’t see anything and the noise of the pouring rain can be very disconcerting. We definitely drove slow, and there were many cars just stopped on the shoulder waiting the storm out.
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Love the beach pic! The Feeney book looks great to me, and I’m kind of the same with Mira grant- I have kind of mixed feelings but I do like her other stuff!
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Yeah, her horror is just…not my thing. Well, we’ll see if I have luck with this one 🙂
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I am glad you could escape the storm. And you got The last Graduate!!!!
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Yes, though it’s such a strange format, lol! Oh well, I can’t complain 😀
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Wow, your timing was spot on – sounds like you left just in the nick of time even if the drive back was a little tempestuous.
Lovely book haul. I like the look and sound of the Body Scout.
Lynn 😀
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Ironically the storm ended up missing where we were at! Everyone had the same idea to go home that day though, doh!
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I wonder about the magnificent 7!
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