Tag: TBR

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 7-21-24

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Last week’s cat pic was of Tuna and George on the stairs, so it seems fitting that this week’s picture be Luna, just being Luna – although she’s kind of wearing George’s concerned, serious face. (Luna contains multitudes)

Recent Stacking the Shelves posts have been rather short, but it sure looks like GIVEAWAY SEASON is in full swing. It’s sort of an Xmas in July thing all over the place! More encouragement – not that I need any – to stay inside out of the heat and READ!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Sip Sip Hooray Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Late Summer Giveaway Event
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the SUMMER 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of Reading Reality’s Early Summer Giveaway Hop is Elizabeth H.
The winner of the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop is Shelly P.

Blog Recap:

A- #AudioBookReview: Earthlight by J. Michael Straczynski
Sip Sip Hooray Giveaway Hop
Late Summer Amazon/Paypal Giveaway Event!
A- #AudioBookReview: The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee, translated by Sandy Joosun Lee
A+ #BookReview: Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair
Stacking the Shelves (610)

Coming This Week:

Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop by Emmeline Duncan (#BookReview)
Summers End by Juneau Black (#BookReview)
Star Trek: The Original Series: Lost to Eternity by Greg Cox (#BookReview)
More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa (#AudioBookReview)
In the Shadow of the Fall by Tobi Ogundiran (#BookReview)

Stacking the Shelves (610)

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Stacking the Shelves

Yet another short stack. ‘Tis the season, clearly. This is a stack that generates more curiosity and anticipation than it invokes pretty – at least for moi – but your mileage may vary. The two books I’m anticipating the most are Blood and Magic and The Hermit Next Door. The one that has my curiosity bump itching is Camp Jeff.

hermit next door by kevin hearne
heavyweight by solomon j brager
camp jeff by tova reich
blood and magic by lauren dane
boy with the star tattoo by talia carner

For Review:
Blood and Magic (Goddess with a Blade #8) by Lauren Dane
The Boy with the Star Tattoo by Talia Carner
Camp Jeff by Tova Reich
Heavyweight by Solomon J. Brager

Purchased from Amazon/Audible/Etc.:
The Hermit Next Door by Kevin Hearne (ebook and audio)

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page

Please link your STS post in the linky below:

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 7-14-24

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

The belly is not a trap. I say again, the belly – at least the Tuna belly – is not a trap. The George belly, however, most definitely IS a trap. In fact, the whole entirety of the George is a trap as George easily gets over-excited and turns pointy-side out in all directions at the drop of a hat. A hat which George would probably eat if it were a real hat instead of a metaphorical topper.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop (ENDS TOMORROW!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Early Summer Giveaway Event (ENDS TOMORROW TOOOOOO!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the SUMMER 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A- #BookReview: The Mummy of Mayfair by Jeri Westerson
Grade A #BookReview: Penric and the Bandit by Lois McMaster Bujold
A- #BookReview: This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour
B #BookReview: Daughters of Olympus by Hannah M. Lynn
A+ #BookReview: The Price of Redemption by Shawn Carpenter
Stacking the Shelves (609)

Coming This Week:

Earthlight by J. Michael Straczynski (#AudioBookReview)
Sip Sip Hooray Giveaway Hop
Late Summer Event Amazon/PayPal Giveaway!
Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair (#BookReview)
Yoke of Stars by R.B. Lemberg (#BookReview)

Stacking the Shelves (609)

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Stacking the Shelves

This week’s stack is short. Like really, REALLY short. Summer just isn’t a big time for new books. Two of the books in this stack won’t be published until 2025 – in the winter.

The two with the prettiest covers this week are also two of the creepiest – A Harvest of Hearts and Out of the Drowning Deep. OTOH, Dead in the Frame is the book I’m most anticipating as the Pentecost and Parker series is ALWAYS a treat!

harvest of hearts by andrea eames
out of the drowning deep by ac wise
hex sells by ta moore
sentinel security stone by anna hackett
dead in the frame by stephen spotswood

For Review:
Dead in the Frame (Pentecost and Parker #5) by Stephen Spotswood
A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames
Out of the Drowning Deep by A.C. Wise
Stone (Sentinel Security #7) by Anna Hackett

Purchased from Amazon/Audible/Etc.:
Hex Sells (Babylon Boy #2) by T.A. Moore

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page

Please link your STS post in the linky below:

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 7-7-24

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

As many Reading Reality regulars may already be aware, on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, our beloved Lucifer T. Cat left us to climb the Rainbow Bridge. My post from Wednesday, Bitter to Receive, celebrates a bit of his life with us and pours out the smallest measure of my grief – but I still feel as if I’m on the verge of tears most of the time.

The remaining members of the clowder, Hecate (now eldest as well as grumpiest), George, Luna and Tuna, all circled around and sniffed his carrier after we came home without him, but seem to be settling into their new normal. Their humans are still utterly unsettled.

I’ve been reading ahead a lot these last couple of days, as well as re-reading a whole bunch of comfort reads. It’s one of the ways that I deal with things. Galen’s been playing a good but kind of creepy game, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, and now I’m playing it too. It’s a game about dealing with ghosts, and isn’t that a bit on-target right now – at least for this household?

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Early Summer Giveaway Event
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Christmas in July Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the SUMMER 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop
B+ #BookReview: Better Living Through Algorithms by Naomi Kritzer
A- #BookReview: Guard the East Flank by M.L. Buchman
Bitter to Receive
#GuestPost: July 4th 2024
Christmas in July Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (608)

Coming This Week:

The Mummy of Mayfair by Jeri Westerson (#BookReview)
Penric and the Bandit by Lois McMaster Bujold (#BookReview)
This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour (#BookReview)
Daughters of Olympus by Hannah M. Lynn (#BookReview)
The Price of Redemption by Shawn Carpenter (#BookReview)

Stacking the Shelves (608)

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Stacking the Shelves

Occasionally, Amazon’s attempts to match something-a-likes to whatever you’re searching for gets a bit, well, odd. The first entries for a search for Lightfall by Ed Crocker, I searched for “Lightfall Crocker” figuring that would be enough. The top entry for that search is a The Betty Crocker Cookbook. I get the “Crocker” part but can’t figure out where the “Lightfall” comes in.

Mr. Crocker’s not-a-cookbook aside, the prettiest covers in this week’s stack are The Bones Beneath My Skin and Remember When, and, as usual, they’re both pretty but not pretty the same at all. The books I’m most intrigued by are Earthlight and When Women Ran Fifth Avenue – of course for entirely different reasons.

Galen is particularly curious about The Elements of Marie Curie. I heard the author, Dava Sobel, speak at the ALA Conference last weekend, so I was interested, but when I told him about the book he was REALLY intrigued.

And the two books I’m most definitely looking forward to – and one of those immediately – are Penric and the Bandit and Shoestring Theory. I adore the Penric and Desdemona series, and Shoestring Theory, well, there’s a cat.

remember when by mary balogh
trajectory by cambria gordon
shoestring theory by mariana costa
lightfall by ed crocker
wooing the witch queen by stephanie burgis
jackpot summer by elyssa friedland
bones beneath my skin by tj klune
penric and the bandit by lois mcmaster bujold
earthlight by j michael straczynski audio
when women ran fifth avenue
before we forget kindness by toshikazu kawaguchi
elements of marie curie by dava sobel

For Review:
Before We Forget Kindness (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #5) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune
Earthlight by J. Michael Straczynski (audio)
The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel
Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland
Lightfall (Everlands #1) by Ed Crocker
Remember When: Clarissa’s Story (Ravenswood #4) by Mary Balogh
Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa
Trajectory by Cambria Gordon
When Women Ran Fifth Avenue by Julie Satow
Wooing the Witch Queen (Queens of Villainy #1) by Stephanie Burgis

Purchased from Amazon/Audible/Etc.:
Penric and the Bandit (Penric and Desdemona #13) by Lois McMaster Bujold

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page

Please link your STS post in the linky below:

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 6-30-24

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

It was a very ‘B’ week, with one notable exception. Ivy, Angelica, Bay by C.L. Polk was exceptional, as was the podcast of St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid, the short story that sets it up. Which also led to my discovery of the podcast Levar Burton Reads and now I’m totally hooked.

As you read this, I’m in San Diego for this year’s American Library Association Conference, no doubt adding to the height of my already towering TBR pile. The cats are being taken care of – but we know they still miss us based on how clingy they are when we get back. And we certainly miss them.

But none of us are missing the kitty interloper (kittyloper?) on the outside of the catio screen in this picture – and the number of screen patches has quadrupled since this was taken! Clearly this cat can see that our clowder has a good thing going and he wants to be part of it!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Early Summer Giveaway Event
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the SUMMER 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

B+ #BookReview: A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas
B #BookReview: Unexploded Remnants by Elaine Gallagher
B #BookReview: Pets and the City by Amy Attas
A+ #BookReview: Ivy, Angelica, Bay by C.L. Polk
B #BookReview: Requiem for a Mouse by Miranda James
Stacking the Shelves (607)

Coming This Week:

Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop
Better Living Through Algorithms by Naomi Kritzer (#BookReview, #HugoReview)
Guard the East Flank by M.L. Buchman (#BookReview)
July 4th 2024 (Guest Post by Galen)
Christmas in July Giveaway Hop

Stacking the Shelves (607)

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Stacking the Shelves

All of the books in this stack will be published in August. I’ve been saving this list for a bit, because, well, August. But I haven’t picked up much this week, so it seemed like a good time to add all of these books – and naturally their covers – to the official stacking.

The two prettiest covers in this batch – at least this time IMHO – are The Singer Sisters and Transgenesis. The books I’m most curious about are Einstein in Kafkaland, because graphic novel, and A Promised Land because the American Revolution is one of those eras that has always fascinated me.

What are your thoughts and what did you add to YOUR stack this week?

singer sisters by sarah seltzer
life after kafka by magdalena platzova
eugene nadelman by michael weingrad
promised land by adam jortner
globetrotter by mark jacob
einstein in kafkaland by ken krimstein
simone weil by robert chenavier
once upon argentina by andres neuman
tablets shattered by joshua leifer
transgenesis by ava winter
uncommon allies by alan m shore

For Review:
Einstein in Kafkaland by Ken Krimstein
Eugene Nadelman by Michael Weingrad
Globetrotter by Mark Jacob and Matthew Jacob
Life After Kafka by Magdalena Platzová, translated by Alex Zucker
Once Upon Argentina by Andres Neuman
A Promised Land by Adam Jortner
Simone Weil: A Life in Letters edited by Robert Chenavier and Andre A Devaux
The Singer Sisters by Sarah Seltzer
Tablets Shattered by Joshua Leifer
Transgenesis by Ava Nathaniel Winter
Uncommon Allies by Alan M. Shore

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page

Please link your STS post in the linky below:

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 6-23-24

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

This week’s books turned out to be good to excellent! And Galen did one of his guest posts and a blog hop started this week so it was a bit of an easy week – also good!

Speaking of good, I’ve been going through this year’s Hugo nominations and picking one nominee per week that I hadn’t already read to read and review. Between Library Journal and Reading Reality it turned out that I’d read a fair number of the novels and novellas during the year, but I don’t read a lot of short fiction unless it’s in a collection – and that usually happens well after the fact.  So far, the short stories and novelettes have ranged from OK to great, so I’m just making my final selections more difficult even if they will be better informed!

The above picture is a combination of “if I fits I sits” – writ rather large – and “possession is 9/10ths of the cat”. There are three cat beds on top of my dresser – as shown above. Lucifer has firm possession of the heated bed on the right as he glares at anyone who even thinks about ousting him from it. The middle cushion is only used when Lucifer doesn’t have possession of HIS bed, so he has a comfy place from which to glare at the interloper. That’s Tuna on the left, the biggest cat in the house in the smallest bed. Because he wants to be Lucifer’s buddy and Lucifer is barely tolerant of that fact. And because Tuna seems to enjoy overflowing his sleeping spots – as his other favorite bed is equally under proportioned to his generous purrson.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book PLUS EVENT-WIDE AMAZON/PAYPAL PRIZE in the Early Summer Giveaway Event
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the SUMMER 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Spring 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop is Lisa

Blog Recap:

Grade A #BookReview: The Year Without Sunshine by Naomi Kritzer
A- #BookReview: The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear
Guest Post by Galen: Juneteenth 2024: Ron’s Piece
Summer 2024 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop
B #AudioBookReview: The Most Human by Adam Nimoy
Stacking the Shelves (606)

Coming This Week:

A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas (#BookReview)
Unexploded Remnants by Elaine Gallagher (#BookReview)
Pets and the City by Amy Attas (#BookReview)
Ivy, Angelica, Bay by C.L. Polk (#BookReview, #HugoReview)
Requiem for a Mouse by Miranda James (#BookReview)

Stacking the Shelves (606)

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Stacking the Shelves

IMNSHO (In my not so humble opinion) – at least when it comes to book covers, there are two sets of pretty covers here. One set consists of The Lost Bookshop and The Story Collector, because they are both pictures of very pretty fictional libraries, and well, if we didn’t all like books we wouldn’t be here to talk about them. The other set contains the outer space covers, How to Steal a Galaxy and Rumor Has It. Not only are they both pretty science fiction covers, but they are both parts of really good series that I can’t wait to get back into!

And I’m curious as all get out about Death of the Author, because I love the author and the book sounds like it’s going to be really meta. So I’m hoping for good things but I also have my fingers crossed because meta can go all sorts of places and not all of them work for me. I’m worried it’s going to be like Magpie Murders for me, a story within a story where I adored the story within but wasn’t nearly so thrilled with the framing story wrapped around it. We’ll see.

story collector by evie woods
how to steal a galaxy by beth revis
at the fount of creation by tobi ogundiran
cabinet of curiosities by aaron mahnke
sound of a thousand stars by rachel robbins
gates of gaza by amir tibon
adrift in currents clean and clear by seanan mcguire
rumor has it by cat rambo
death of the author by nnedi okorafor
lost bookshop by evie woods

For Review:
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children #10) by Seanan McGuire
At the Fount of Creation (Guardian of the Gods #2) by Tobi Ogundiran
Cabinet of Curiosities by Aaron Mahnke
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
The Gates of Gaza by Amir Tibon
How to Steal a Galaxy (Chaotic Orbits #2) by Beth Revis
Rumor Has It (Disco Space Opera #3) by Cat Rambo
The Sound of a Thousand Stars by Rachel Robbins
The Story Collector by Evie Woods

Purchased from Amazon/Audible/Etc.:

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page

Please link your STS post in the linky below: