The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 3-5-23

The week that was was a week for getting lucky. Not one, not two, but three giveaway hops! Think of it as a warm-up for next month’s annual Blogo-Birthday Celebration Week. Reading Reality is turning TWELVE!

Speaking of lucky, here’s a picture of Luna in all her glory celebrating just how lucky she is to be between her people in the big people bed. It’s a rare shot of her underside with all its tabby spots, so we were lucky to get the shot as well.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Lady Luck Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the For the Love of Reading Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Leaping Leprechauns Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter 2022-23 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Wish Big Giveaway Hop is Wanda

Blog Recap:

A Review: The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner
A+ Review: Nightwatch by M.L. Buchman
Lady Luck Giveaway Hop
For the Love of Reading Giveaway Hop
Leaping Leprechauns Giveaway Hop
Stacking the Shelves (538)

Coming This Week:

Dead Country by Max Gladstone (review)
The Sister Effect by Susan Mallery (blog tour review)
The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill (review)
Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace (review)
A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas (review)

Stacking the Shelves (538)

This week’s stack is just chock full of really pretty covers, especially, Under the Tamarind Tree, Where Peace is Lost and Where There Was Fire. Also two books I’m already planning to read at the first opportunity, Payback in Death (In Death #57) and most especially Thornhedge because T. Kingfisher. Honestly, everything looks fascinating and I want to start them all right away but that’s not humanly possible. Dammit.

For Review:
Brother & Sister Enter the Forest by Richard Mirabella
Built from the Fire by Victor Luckerson
Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo
Herald of the Black Moon (Dominion #3) by Stephen Deas
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
King of the Armadillos by Wendy Chin-Tanner
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 39 edited by Jodi Lyn Nye and Dean Wesley Smith
Las Madres by Esmeralda Santiago
Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur
Payback in Death (In Death #57) by J.D. Robb
Pulling the Chariot of the Sun by Shane McCrae
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Those We Thought We Knew by David Joy
Under the Tamarind Tree by Nigar Alam
Where Peace is Lost by Valerie Valdes
Where There Was Fire by John Manuel Arias


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 2-26-23

This week was just a damn good reading week. Next week should be fun for everyone as I’m giving stuff away more than I’m reviewing – which is rare. But it gives me a break to sink my reading teeth into something long and meaty which can be a bit difficult for me to pull off at times.

Speaking of something long and meaty – also large and round and meaty – here’s Tuna. This isn’t so much a case of ‘if I fits, I sits’ as it is ‘if I doesn’t fit, I sprawls’. The biggest cat in the house in the tiniest cat bed, looking just a bit bewildered because it works fine for everyone else!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop (ENDS TUESDAY!!!)
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter 2022-23 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the February Favorites Giveaway Hop is Rajee

Blog Recap:

Presidents’ Day 2023 (Guest post by Galen)
A+ Review: The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry
A Review: The Weight of Command by Michael Mammay
B+ Review: Full Exposure by Thien-Kim Lam
A+ Review: Where Shadows Dance by C.S. Harris
Stacking the Shelves (537)

Coming This Week:

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner (blog tour review)
Nightwatch by M.L. Buchman
Lady Luck Giveaway Hop
For the Love of Reading Giveaway Hop
Leaping Leprechauns Giveaway Hop

Stacking the Shelves (537)

This time around the covers are mostly more interesting than they are pretty. But they are VERY interesting indeed. The book I’m most looking forward to reading is The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis. Some of her early books are among my all-time favorites, especially Bellwether – which I still reread every now and again. This one is supposed to be a return to her more lighthearted work – like Bellwether as well as To Say Nothing of the Dog, so I have pretty high hopes for it. The proof, as always is in the reading.

For Review:
All the Knowledge in the World by Simon Garfield
Almost Brown by Charlotte Gill
An Amerikan Family by Santi Elijah Holley
Call and Response by Gothataone Moeng
Crook Manifesto (Ray Carney #2) by Colson Whitehead
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa
Disobedient by Elizabeth Fremantle
Flight & Anchor (Firebreak) by Nicole Kornher-Stace
I Meant It Once by Kate Doyle
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling
A Most Tolerant Little Town by Rachel Louise Martin
Paper Names by Susie Luo
The Rediscovery of America by Ned Blackhawk
The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis
Thinning Blood by Leah Myers
Tropicália by Harold Rogers
You Are Here by Karin Lin-Greenberg


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 2-19-23

Lucifer gave us a bit of a scare this week, so we took him to the vet yesterday to see what was up. Or down in this particular case, as he wasn’t quite his usual grumpy but bouncy self. He’s going on 12 so he’s getting up there, and he has arthritis and is slowing down a bit. Still, he worried us this week and that meant a trip to the V-E-T. Today’s picture of is of his rather disgruntled self while waiting for his exam.

He seems to have had an arthritis flare-up, as we do, and was just uncomfortable for a couple of days. We have meds for him now if it happens again. Of course, he’s still peeved about the whole experience – but that’s just normal catitude.

This turned out to be a damn good reading week. Never Too Old To Save the World turned out to be an especial favorite, and I’ve been referring to it – as appropriate – in quite a few reviews, so I’m glad to finally get its own review out into the world!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the February Favorites Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter 2022-23 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop is L Lam

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: Never too Old to Save the World edited by Addie J. King and Alana Joli Abbott
A- Review: The Scarlet Circus by Jane Yolen
A+ Review: Junkyard War by Faith Hunter
Wish Big Giveaway Hop
A Review: World Running Down by Al Hess
Stacking the Shelves (536)

Coming This Week:

Presidents’ Day 2023 (Guest Post by Galen)
The Weight of Command by Michael Mammay (review)
Full Exposure by Thien-Kim Lam (review)
Where Shadows Dance by C.S. Harris (review)
The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry (review)

Stacking the Shelves (536)

Fair warning, it’s looking a lot like the stacks are going to be getting bigger from here on out for a while. But the net will be cast wide over even more genres, so it should at least be interesting!

For Review:
Biting the Hand by Julia Lee
Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
City of Bones by Martha Wells
A Darker Wilderness edited by Erin Sharkey
Dear Chrysanthemums by Fiona Sze-Lorrain
Driving the Green Book by Alvin Hall
The East Indian by Brinda Charry
A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung
The New Guys by Meredith Bagby
The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley by David Waldstreicher
Pomegranate by Helen Elaine Lee
Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein
Walk Through Fire by Yasmine Ali
Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin

Purchased from Amazon/Audible/Etc.:
Illuminations by T. Kingfisher
The Midnight Circus by Jane Yolen
The Weight of Command by Michael Mammay


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 2-12-23

I’m not quite sure whether to refer to Luna as “Sinkable Luna” or “Unsinkable Luna” in this picture. She’s in the sink but she’s not sinking. She’s still cute as a button no matter what we call her!

Speaking of sinking, however, I kind of sank my intended reading plan for this week. I shifted The Scarlet Circus because as soon as I started it I realized it was just a much better book for Valentine’s Day than I had originally planned. While just writing the review of Babel made me go running for a comfort read, leading me straight to The Cliff’s Edge. I’m still planning to read Firebreak, probably Presidents’ Day week.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the February Favorites Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter 2022-23 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

D Review: Babel by R.F. Kuang
B Review: Encore in Death by J.D. Robb
A- Review: The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde
A Review: The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg
B- Review: The Cliff’s Edge by Charles Todd
Stacking the Shelves (535)

Coming This Week:

Never Too Old to Save the World edited by Addie J. King and Alana Joli Abbott (review)
The Scarlet Circus by Jane Yolen (review)
Junkyard War by Faith Hunter (audio review)
Wish Big Giveaway Hop
World Running Down by Al Hess (blog tour review)

Stacking the Shelves (535)

This is a bit of an eclectic stack, particularly for being so short. I’ve had both Dual Memory and The Housekeepers for quite a while but the covers have just dropped. Also, in last week’s stack I included The Book that Wouldn’t Burn because I wasn’t sure whether the cover was final or not but figured that if I included it a final cover would be confirmed. Which turned out to be true so I’ve included the real cover here because it’s awesome.

I picked up Geometries of Belonging after finishing The Unbalancing this week because I really wanted more stories in the Birdverse – and there they all are! I grabbed My Roommate Is a Vampire because it just plain looks like fun!

For Review:
The Book that Wouldn’t Burn (Library Trilogy #1) by Mark Lawrence
Dual Memory by Sue Burke
Hiss Me Deadly (Cat in the Stacks #15) by Miranda James
The Housekeepers by Alex Hay
My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
A Right Worthy Woman by Ruth P. Watson
The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret (Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries #3) by Nev March

Purchased from Amazon/Audible/Etc.:
Geometries of Belonging: Stories and Poems from the Birdverse by R.B. Lemberg


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 2-5-23

First things first. The Terraformers was just incredibly awesome, so if you like science fiction at all it is so worth taking a look at!

Second thing – but clearly not any less important (because they’d never forgive me) – this week’s cat picture. This is George looking entirely too adorable. He also looks rather kittenish but the picture was taken just last week so he’s three and supposed to be out of the kitten stage. Which he clearly doesn’t think he is. Yet or possibly ever.

Third thing – I finished Babel Friday. I have thoughts. I have lots of thoughts. They are far from pleasant thoughts. You’ll see…

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the February Favorites Giveaway Hop
$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Winter 2022-23 Seasons of Books Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop is Rita W.

Blog Recap:

A+ Review: The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
B+ Review: Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen
Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop
February Favorites Giveaway Hop
A Review: The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly
Stacking the Shelves (534)

Coming This Week:

Encore in Death by J.D. Robb (review)
Babel by R.F. Kuang (audiobook review)
The Unbalancing by R.B. Lemberg (review)
The Scarlet Circus by Jane Yolen (review)
Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace (review)

Stacking the Shelves (534)

I’m not one hundred percent positive that the cover displayed for The Book that Wouldn’t Burn is the final cover. But I’m also not sure it’s not as it’s the one that’s been on both Amazon and Goodreads for several weeks. At the moment it’s the blandest bland, but it doesn’t say it’s not final, so we’ll go with it until something better comes along.

The book I can’t wait to start is Junkyard War by Faith Hunter to the point that I rushed through the end of the book I was listening to just so I could get it queued up over the weekend. I got into the series because the first book was Junkyard Cats and I was there for the cats. But I’ve stayed for Shining Smith and the harsh dystopia that made her and is trying to break her. And also for the cats.

For Review:
The Book that Wouldn’t Burn (Library Trilogy #1) by Mark Lawrence
Devil’s Gun (You Sexy Thing #2) by Cat Rambo
Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden
Flirting with Fire (Modern Love #3) by Jane Porter
The Jasad Heir (Scorched Throne #1) by Sara Hashem
March’s End by Daniel Polansky
Myriad by Joshua David Bellin
Nightwatch (Miranda Chase #12) by M.L. Buchman
The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
Something Spectacular (Something Fabulous #2) by Alexis Hall

Purchased from Amazon/Audible/Etc.:
Junkyard War (Shining Smith #3) by Faith Hunter (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: