The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-1-23

Posted on October 1, 2023September 30, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Banned Books> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Today is the start of Banned Books Week, an event which has always called attention to the books that are challenged and banned in school and public libraries across the country. It’s an event that has become increasingly both important and fraught with meaning in this moment, as the number of challenges has increased exponentially in the last few years while the themes of those challenges have emerged as being ever more chilling as, no matter what the challenges may claim, the overall desire that emerges is the need of some to erase the voices of those who are different from themselves, with the goal of not merely erasing those voices, but ultimately, the people behind those voices.

This has all happened before. Banned Books Week does its very best to drag the issue out of the shadows and into the light, so that it doesn’t happen again.

I usually read a book from the Banned and Challenged list this week, but I decided to try something different this year. The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church by Rachel L. Swarns is not on the Banned and Challenged list YET because it was just published this summer. However, it is exactly the kind of book that will find itself on the list in years to come, because it challenges the traditional perceptions of people and institutions that are considered to be great which got to where they are by abusing the labor and the very persons of people of color. It reminds me a bit of The 1619 Project, which I absolutely considered for this week but wanted to listen to because I’ve heard great things about the audiobook version. So, I bought it instead and plan to plan a little better next year.

Stacking the Shelves (568)

Posted on September 30, 2023September 29, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

There are two books in this stack that I picked up just for the titles. Or rather, I picked up the first book in the trilogy, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon, just for the title, so I couldn’t resist getting books 2 and 3, That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf and That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human because I couldn’t resist them either. I’m expecting a good time without having to get drunk for it myself!

The book I’m honestly the MOST curious about is Jim Butcher’s new novella in his Cinder Spires series, Warriorborn. It’s been EIGHT WHOLE YEARS since the first book in the series, The Aeronaut’s Windlass. I remember liking it at the time, but thinking that it could have used an editor. It was A LOT. I have an eARC of The Olympian Affair, the second full book in the series, so I’m really hoping that Warriorborn will be enough to get me back in and caught up before I tackle that book to the ground. We’ll see.

dead take the a train by richard kadrey and cassandra khaw audio

that time i got drunk and saved a human by kimberly lemming

cautious travellers guide to the wastelands by sarah brooks

that time i got drunk and yeeted a love potion at a werewolf by kimberly lemming

For Review:
The Bitter Crown (Eidyn Saga #2) by Justin Lee Anderson
The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks
Daughter of Calamity by Rosalie M. Lin
The Dead Take the A Train (Carrion City #1) by Richard Kadrey and Cassandra Khaw (audio)
From the Forest (Saga of Recluce #23) by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Necrobane (Warden #2) by Daniel M. Ford
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Human (Mead Mishaps #3) by Kimberly Lemming
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf (Mead Mishaps #2) by Kimberly Lemming
When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

Purchased from Amazon/Audible/Etc.:
Warriorborn (Cinder Spires #1.5) by Jim Butcher (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 9-24-23

Posted on September 24, 2023September 23, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Today’s picture is Tuna again, this time in the midst of executing a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea. He’s standing on Galen’s desk, using one of his computer monitors for balance, attempting to reach the overhead fan. Which he can, as dangerous an idea as that sounds. Galen snapped the picture and then executed a Tuna extraction because otherwise the literal fallout was going to be epically bad and full of broken glass from the monitor.

Tuna is just big. He can stand on the kitchen table and bat at the light fixture over head – which he does. Unfortunately, especially for a cat, Tuna possesses the family grace, meaning that he is every bit as klutzy as the rest of the family – both human and feline. His pratfalls tend to shake the house. We may not be in an earthquake zone, but we are absolutely in a cat-quake zone.

As far as bookish and bloggy things go, tomorrow’s Fall Seasons of Books Hop technically starts today, but the organizers are very generous about giving people a few days to hop on board. So tomorrow. Giveaway Hops are the BEST way to start a week!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Holiday Kickoff Giveaway Hop (ENDS Thursday!)

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Hello Autumn Giveaway Hop is Piroska
The winner of the Summer Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop is Suzie

Blog Recap:

B Review: The Quiet Room by Terry Miles
A Review: Starter Villain by John Scalzi
A+ Review: Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo
B+ Review: The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan
A Review: The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
Stacking the Shelves (567)

Coming This Week:

Fall Seasons of Books 2023 Giveaway Hop
A Duke’s Introduction to Courtship by Sophie Barnes (blog tour review)
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub (blog tour review)
Osprey by M.L. Buchman (review)
Bad Blood by Lauren Dane (review)

Stacking the Shelves (567)

Posted on September 23, 2023September 22, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

This isn’t really a ‘pretty’ stack. It’s interesting. It’s thought provoking. Or at least I hope so on both counts. But pretty doesn’t seem to be in its wheelhouse AT ALL. Howsomever, titles like Parasol Against the Axe conjure up all sorts of images, don’t they? My curiosity bump itches something fierce over that one.

lady in glass and other stories by anne bishop

we were once a family by roxanna asgarian

denison avenue by daniel inness and christina wong

parasol against the axe by helen oyeyemi

saevus corax gets away with murder by kj parker

For Review:
A Flame in the North (Black Land’s Bane #1) by Lilith Saintcrow
Denison Avenue by Daniel Inness and Christina Wong
The End of August by Yū Miri
A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan
First Family by Cassandra A. Good
The Lady in Glass and Other Stories by Anne Bishop
Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi
Saevus Corax Gets Away With Murder (Corax Trilogy #3) by K. J. Parker
Serving Herself by Ashley Brown
We Were Once a Family by Roxanna Asgarian
Web of Angels by John M. Ford
Wolves of Winter (Essex Dogs #2) by Dan Jones

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 9-17-23

Posted on September 17, 2023September 16, 2023 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

After last Sunday’s picture of poor Tuna standing lonely on the inside of the house while Luna and George tease him from out on the catio, I had to post this picture this weekend to show that Tuna’s life is actually pretty darn good most of the time.

Seriously, is that a face, or is that a face? He’s adorable when he’s being a clown.

Also in reference to last Sunday’s Post, I did manage to actually finish ALL the books I’d planned on reviewing. I think it’s been a while since THAT happened. This week is looking pretty good too, because I’ve already finished the first three books and The Book Club Hotel is for a blog tour so that settles that. I’ve been really looking forward to The Last Devil to Die so I think I’m set but we’ll certainly see in the week ahead!