Bookshelf Roundup 12/31/23: 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.

Wishing everyone a fantastic New Year’s Eve as we bid farewell to 2023 and usher in the promise of a brand new year! Who knows what 2024 will bring, but may your celebrations be filled with joy, laughter, and cherished moments with loved ones. Happy New Year to all!

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 Silverblood Promise by James Logan (Tor): I love the sound of this one. The premise is giving me strong Lies of Locke Lamora vibes, and as we’re likely not going to see a new Gentleman Bastard book for a long while, I could really use some more thieves and magic in my fantasy. Besides, I’m so shallow, I would have picked this up based on the epic cover alone.

Heroes by Alan Gratz (Scholastic Press): I put in a request for this one because my daughter is a huge fan of the author and has learned so much from his World War II novels. Still, he’s a pretty big name in MG fiction so I didn’t actually think I was going to get a copy, so imagine my surprise when an ARC showed up! My kid’s excited reaction made me feel like mom of the year. Once she reads this, I’ll probably make her guest review it.

Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan (Orbit): A siren story inspired by East Asian mythology and British folklore? I very much like the sound of this fantasy debut and was very excited to receive an ARC of this first book of the Drowned World series.

Reviews

• 4 of 5 stars to Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch
• 3.5 of 5 stars to Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

Recent Reads

On the bright side, I finally got to The Temple of Fortuna which was one of my goals before the end of the year, and the ending of the Wolf Den trilogy was everything I’d hoped it would be. The bad news is, I had wanted to get more of my early 2024 books started, but I only managed to finish Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands this week. My verdict is that it’s not as amazing as the first book but still quite good.

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!