Bookshelf Roundup 07/30/23: 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 Minotaur Books for:

• North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan, an upcoming thriller that has been getting a lot of buzz, but I hadn’t expected to receive a review copy. The children of a crime boss have gone into hiding from their murderous father, only to have their small plane transporting them crash land in the icy Montana wilderness. Now their aunt is fighting to save them, racing against an expert tracker hired by the mob.
• Deadlock by James Byrne was the other surprise arrival from the publisher this week, and it’s the second book of the Dez Limerick series featuring the retired mercenary on another dangerous mission to stop a corrupt death-dealing corporation.

With thanks to Subterranean Press for:

• The Senior Girls Bayonet Drill Team and other Stories by Joe R. Lansdale, the newest collection of short fiction written by the author over his long and distinguished career. For some reason, the title and cover of this book just fills me with glee.

With thanks to Tor Books for:

• Masters of Death by Olivie Blake, the re-released edition of her novel about a struggling vampire real estate agent who needs to sell a haunted house whose ghost won’t leave until the mystery of his murder has been solved. I wasn’t crazy about the last book I read by the author, but this one sounds way more my speed.

With thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for:

• Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto, a YA fantasy about a ghost-fighting warrior who seeks to win back her reputation and family’s respect by journeying into a haunted wasteland to rescue a kidnapped prince. 

With thanks to Macmillan Audio for:

• Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney, which will be my fifth book by the author, if you can believe it. Though Daisy Darker will be hard to top, I have faith she will deliver more exciting twists.
• The Guest Room by Tasha Silva whose protagonist is a host who just can’t help snooping on the lodgers staying in her late sister’s old room. She enjoys the thrill it gives her, until she finds the diary of her latest renter and the dark and disturbing things she reads in it.
• Dark Corners by Megan Goldin, the second book of the Rachel Krall series and the follow up to The Night Swim. The eponymous protagonist, a true crime podcaster, goes undercover at a popular influencer conference to investigate a missing woman connected to a suspected serial killer.
• Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree, a prequel to Legends & Lattes which tells the story of Viv back when she was still a mercenary. Taken out of action by an injury, her recuperation at a sleepy beach town turns interesting when a mysterious traveler turns up.

Reviews

• 3 of 5 stars to Star Bringer by Tracy Wolff and Nina Croft
• 2 of 5 stars to The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Recent Reads

Three books finished, and I even got in an August release! But the really big deal this week is the fact I think I just had my first DNF (which is not shown here). Ever since I started this blog, I have never started a book I didn’t finish–partly due to mild OCD, partly due to just sheer stubbornness. But something in me snapped this week. Life has been crazy and I was falling further and further behind on my summer TBR which was full of books I was excited to read, yet here I was still trying to force myself through this one total borefest which was doing absolutely nothing for me. I told myself I’d set it aside and get back to it later, but let’s face it, that’s probably not going to happen. And you know what? It actually feels pretty damn great to admit that. I look forward to doing more of it in the future.

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!