Bookshelf Roundup 07/23/23: 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
With thanks to Tor Books for:
- Cassiel’s Servant by Jacqueline Carey, a novel from her Kushiel’s Legacy series which tells one of my favorite stories from the point-of-view of Joscelin Verreuil. The gorgeous hardcover landed on my doorstep as the release date is finally nearly upon us, and I’m excited to dive into this one sometime in the next week.
With thanks to Redhook for:
- Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs, a reimagining of Beowulf from the perspective of a female warrior. A book with Viking women and monster hunting epics, yeah you can just give it to me now.
With thanks to Orbit Books for:
- Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence by Rafal Kosik, a novel set in the world of the video game which I enjoyed despite some of the issues that plague it in its early days. The release of this book really snuck up on me but my interest is piqued especially since it’s been a while since I checked out a good media tie-in.
With thanks to Del Rey for:
- The Quiet Room by Terry Miles, the follow-up to the author’s mind-warping novel Rabbits which was based off the podcast of the same name. The first book was a wild ride so I’m curious about this sequel.
With thanks to Red Tower Books for:
- Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, described as Once Upon a Time meets The Office. A fantasy, romance, and humor mashup is definitely something I can get behind.
With thanks to Titan Books for:
- Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long, the author who also The Four Pillars series. This novel kicks off a new one called The Winter Sea, a swashbuckling maritime adventure about an ex-naval officer teaming up with a stormsinger to hunt a deathless pirate lord.
With thanks to Random House Children’s Books for:
- Defiant by Brandon Sanderson, the fourth book in his YA sci-fi series Skyward. I don’t check NetGalley that often these days, given the state of my TBR I hardly need any more temptation, but I did chance across this when I logged in to submit a review the other day. I couldn’t slam on that read it button fast enough.
With thanks to Listening Library for:
- The Narrow by Kate Alice Marshall. I loved her adult thriller What Lies in the Woods so I figured maybe it’s time to try out her YA.
With thanks to Hachette Audio for:
- Rook by William Ritter. I was always regretful for missing out on the Jackaby craze, so when this standalone set in the same world as the series popped up for review, I decided I wanted to give it a look.
Reviews
- 4.5 of 5 stars to The Block Party by Jamie Day
- 4 of 5 stars to The Malevolent Seven by Sebastien de Castell
Recent Reads
Between all my kids’ activities (which included tennis camp plus a horse show) and day trips to amusement parks and such, it’s been a busy summer so far and I have only been managing about two books a week in July which is putting me pretty far behind. It didn’t help that some of my recent reads have pretty big doorstoppers, but I did manage to finish Silver Nitrate which was a lot of fun, as well as Star Bringer which was okay but contained some of my romance genre pet peeves. I’ll have more details in my reviews of each, which I hope I’ll get to post in the coming week.
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 
Only 2 books a week? Oh no, you might not make it into the 100+ club this year 😉
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Haha you’re probably right I have nothing to worry about. Though the way this summer is going and the havoc it’s wreaking on my schedule, I wouldn’t place any hard bets, hoo boy.
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Ooh nice! I am excited for Kate’s new YA thriller. I still need to read last year’s book as well and her adult debut! I am so behind! Lol! I’m lucky when I get 1 book read a week! Let’s just say that my stats have changed greatly over the years with different jobs that came my way. Which I was totally prepared for!
Looking forward to your reviews of these two as I had my eyes on them but was hesitant! Not sure how much I will want to try Tracy & Nina’s book after that just because I had my own reservations over the book with its space setting. Those tend to be hit or miss for me. I did enjoy Mexican Gothic so I’m eager to try more of Silvia’s books! I do have last year’s release in my TBR as well! Lol!
Hope you enjoy all of the new reads!
Here’s my StS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
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Kate’s new thriller is so exciting! I’m not usually so keen on YA, but I know she’s got the talent to pull it off.
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I’m curious to read your review of Star Bringer, it’s getting such high ratings on Goodreads!
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Haha I didn’t love it, but I know I’m one of the minority.
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I enjoyed Shield Maiden and loved Dark Water Daughter so hope that you enjoy both of these. Defiant is definitely on my TBR list. It’s not on NG in the UK though so will have to wait until it’s published. Given the current state of my Net Galley shelf, that’s probably a good thing!
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Totally get that, I am the last person who needs more books from NetGalley 😂
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OMG you got Defiant!!!
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I was pretty excited to see it on NG!
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Happy reading 😀
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I need to read, “Silver Nitrate,” A.S.A.P.!!!
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It was wild and all over the place, but in the best way!!!
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So far so good on the Cyberpunk tie-in! I’ll let you know if it drops the ball, but hopeful so far!!
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I’ve finished this and quite liked it! I feel that if you’ve played the game and enjoyed it (which I know you have) you’ll probably enjoy the book:)
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EXCELLENT! I hadn’t accommodated it in my summer reading list because it was kind of a surprise arrival, but now I’m going to make the effort to fit it in. Thank you for your insights!
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I recently started Cassiel’s Servant and am really liking it so far.
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I just finished it and I really enjoyed it!
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I’m nowhere near finished but I’m so happy to have this bit of the story from Joscelin’s POV. So hooked!
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