The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 3-6-22

Posted on March 6, 2022March 1, 2022 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

The picture below is Freddie’s confused face. I know that he’ll be confused while you’re reading this because we’ll be away on vacation and the clowder will be relying on the catsitter to keep them fed and watered and their litter boxes clean. They’ll have each other for entertainment but we know that’s not the same. They’ll be missing us and we’ll be missing them but we’re still glad to be able to take a real vacation after two years. See you on the flipside!

Coming This Week:

Dirty Work by TA Moore (blog tour review)
Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop
Crowbones by Anne Bishop (review)
The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong (review)
Westside Lights by W.M. Akers (review)

Stacking the Shelves (486)

Posted on March 5, 2022February 25, 2022 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

Sometimes I pick books up for the author. Occasionally it’s for the cover. And every once in a while, it’s for the title. This particular stack has not just one or two but three titles that stuck so hard in my head that I had to get the book.

Whenever I see the title Don’t Cry for Me I start hearing the song from Evita in my head. So this one gave me an earworm even though this book has NOTHING to do with Eva Peron. The other two titles that just plain stuck with me are Hell Followed With Us because isn’t that an image? And then there’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches because really, how many of those words do you expect to find in the same sentence? Just how is a witch irregular? Because I’m sure that stewed prunes are not the cure for this kind of irregularity!

hell followed with us by andrew joseph white

up all night with a good duke by amy rose bennett

very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna

fake it till you bake it by jamie wesley

For Review:
A Black and Endless Sky by Matthew Lyons
Don’t Cry for Me by Daniel Black
Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley
The Family She Never Met by Caridad Piñeiro
The Fervor by Alma Katsu
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola
Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
Pollak’s Arm by Hans von Trotha
Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski
A River Enchanted (Elements of Cadence #1) by Rebecca Ross
The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett
Silk Fire by Zabe Ellor
The Splendid City by Karen Heuler
Up All Night with a Good Duke (Byronic Book Club #1) by Amy Rose Bennett
The Verifiers by Jane Pek
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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 2-27-22

Posted on February 27, 2022February 26, 2022 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

Galen’s Presidents’ Day post is a gem. We don’t think of the ‘Founding Fathers’ as being either witty or petty, but they were human and the info that Galen found certainly makes that point clear. Reading Washington’s comments made him laugh hard enough that I made him share. I figured that Monroe couldn’t have had an easy time of it as I knew he had not just one but two hard acts to follow in the persons of Benjamin Franklin AND Thomas Jefferson, but I didn’t realize it was quite that hard.

Speaking of unexpected things, It’s seems insane that March is not just around the corner – it’s practically here! I understand why the calendar had to be reconciled to the sun, but couldn’t they have just made January and March into 30 day months so that February was a respectable length? Seriously…

The Wish Big Giveaway Hop ends tomorrow (Monday) and the Lady Luck Giveaway Hop starts on Tuesday, March 1. I don’t know about where you are, but it sure seems like Spring has sprung here in the Atlanta area.

Speaking of things springing, this picture was taken just moments before George and Hecate sprang at each other and started a running rumble all around the house!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop (ENDS TOMORROW!!!)

Blog Recap:

Presidents’ Day 2022: Marginalia (by Galen)
Spotlight + Excerpt: The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery
A- Review: Sisters of the Forsaken Stars by Lina Rather
B Review: The Bachelor Betrayal by Maddison Michaels
A Review: Down a Dark River by Karen Odden
Stacking the Shelves (485)

Coming This Week:

A Matter of Death and Life by Simon R. Green (review)
Lady Luck Giveaway Hop
The Detective by Anna Hackett (review)
Lost Worlds and Mythological Kingdoms edited by John Joseph Adams (review)
Engines of Empire by R.S. Ford (review)

Stacking the Shelves (485)

Posted on February 26, 2022February 25, 2022 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

I’m a bit puzzled as to why this stack ended up being almost entirely at the front of the alphabet. I did not plan it that way.

All of these books look fascinating! Of course they do or I wouldn’t have picked them. But seriously, there are a couple I really want to highlight. First, literally as it was published first, The Black Company by Glen Cook. It’s part of the awesome Tor Essentials line. The Black Company is just the kind of gritty fantasy I usually like, but I bounced hard off it when I tried it way back when. Cook was a friend of a friend so I wanted to read his work and couldn’t get into it at the time. Now that it’s back out we’ll see.

Second book I want to push at people is Down a Dark River. I want to shove that into the hands of anyone who likes historical mysteries because it is AWESOME. It’s also currently on sale for $1.99 on Kindle, so if you’re looking to take a flyer at a book this weekend it’s both marvelous and cheap and I highly recommend it!

daughter of doctor moreau by silvia moreno garcia

black company by glen cook tor essentials

love in the time of serial killers by alicia thompson

august kitko and the mechas from space by alex white

dvaughn and kris plan a wedding by chencia c higgins

For Review:
All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space (Starmetal Symphony #1) by Alex White
The Berlin Exchange by Joseph Kanon
The Black Company (Chronicles of the Black Company #1) by Glen Cook
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Book Boyfriend by Kris Ripper
Bookish People by Susan J. Coll
Box 88 (Lachlan Kite #1) by Charles Cumming
Boys Come First by Aaron Foley
D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Detective (Norcross Security #7) by Anna Hackett
Down a Dark River (Inspector Corravan #1) by Karen Odden (Grade A REVIEW!)
The Final Strife (Final Strife Trilogy #1) by Saara El-Arifi
Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
Harlem Sunset (Harlem Renaissance Mystery #2) by Nekesa Afia
Icebreaker by A. L. Graziadei
Invisible Things by Mat Johnson
Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
Seasonal Fears (Alchemical Journeys #2) by Seanan McGuire

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 2-20-22

Posted on February 20, 2022February 17, 2022 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

I’m gearing up to be away for a week, and it’s already stressing me out more than a bit. I won’t have much internet access while I’m gone, so I’m trying to get everything done ahead of time – which means a LOT of non-stop reading. Which actually isn’t such a bad thing – nor is it all that much different from the rest of the time!

It is very nice to have giveaways again! Mama the Fox, who organizes giveaway hops every month on the 1st and the 16th, does a wonderful job of putting stuff out there, and I’m always happy to participate in her hops. But the calendar worked against me in January as both 1/1 and 1/16 were on the weekends. Things get MUCH better from here!

Speaking of things getting better, no Sunday Post is complete without a kitty picture. Here are George and Lucifer. I want to say they are cuddling, but that doesn’t seem to quite be it based on the expression on Lucifer’s face!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop is Molli

Blog Recap:

A- Review: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
B Review: Fires of Edo by Susan Spann
Wish Big Giveaway Hop
B Review: Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean
A+ Review: Sword and Shadow by Michelle Sagara
Stacking the Shelves (484)

Coming This Week:

The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery (Spotlight + Excerpt tour feature)
The House of Cats and Gulls by Stephen Deas (review)
The Bachelor Betrayal by Maddison Michaels (blog tour review)
Sisters of the Forsaken Stars by Lina Rather (review)

Stacking the Shelves (484)

Posted on February 19, 2022February 17, 2022 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

There are, as always, LOTS of interesting looking books on this week’s Stacking the Shelves. But the one I want to bring your attention to, especially if you are a science fiction and/or fantasy reader, is the one I picked up from Amazon this week. It’s the annual Some of the Best of Tor.com collection, and the ebook is FREE from the etailer of your choice. So if you like the things that Tor and Tor.com publish, this is a real treat – in more ways than one!

kalyna the soothsayer by elijah kinch spector

For Review:
Dirty Work (Dirty Deeds #1) by TA Moore
Eclipse the Moon (Starlight’s Shadow #2) by Jessie Mihalik
Eyes of the Void (Final Architecture #2) by Adrian Tchaikovsky
A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys
Kalyna the Soothsayer by Elijah Kinch Spector
The Knave of Secrets by Alex Livingston
The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope
One Foot in the Fade (Fetch Phillips #3) by Luke Arnold
Peril at the Exposition by Nev March
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Purchased from Amazon/Audible:
Some of the Best of Tor.com 2021 by G. V. Anderson, ‘Pemi Aguda, Elizabeth Bear, Kate Elliott, A. T. Greenblatt, Glen Hirshberg, Kathleen Jennings, Cheri Kamei, Jasmin Kirkbride, Matthew Kressel, Usman T. Malik, Sam J. Miller, Annalee Newitz, noc, Sarah Pinsker, Daniel Polansky, Peng Shepherd, Cooper Shrivastava, Lavie Tidhar, Catherynne M. Valente, Carrie Vaughn, E. Lily Yu

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 2-13-22

Posted on February 13, 2022February 11, 2022 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

This turned out to be a disappointing week on the review front. Two of the books I expected great things from fell flat – one just a bit flat and the other I only finished because I forced myself. Two I DNF’d altogether and went back to the drawing board. A frustrating week overall.

But my new committee appointment came through, so that means taller stacks in Stacking the Shelves, and more great books to look forward to once we get our annual act together. So things are looking up. Especially as I’ve already finished two of the coming week’s books and I KNOW they are excellent. That’s always a plus!

I had a bit of a time looking for an appropriate cat picture for this week’s post, but in the end, I found one. Here’s Lucifer, soaking up the sun in one of his favorite sunbeam spots, with a look on his face that says “DO NOT DISTURB!” no matter how much we might need to open the front door.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop (ENDS TUESDAY!!!)

Blog Recap:

A- Review: The Starless Crown by James Rollins
B- Review: Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb
B+ Review: Love Code by Ann Aguirre
D+ Review: A Fine Madness by Alan Judd
B+ Review: In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
Stacking the Shelves (483)

Coming This Week:

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton (review)
Fires of Edo by Susan Spann (review)
Wish Big Giveaway Hop
Ten Rules for Marrying a Duke by Michelle McLean (blog tour review)
Sword and Shadow by Michelle Sagara (review)

Stacking the Shelves (483)

Posted on February 12, 2022February 11, 2022 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

After a certain amount of wailing and gnashing of teeth, I do have a committee appointment again this year. This will be my last year on the ALA Reading List Committee, otherwise known as the Overachievers Book Club. Quoting from the ALA website, “The Reading List seeks to highlight outstanding genre fiction that merit special attention by general adult readers and the librarians who work with them.” Which means we read a whole lot of fantasy, historical fiction, horror, mystery, relationship fiction, romance, science fiction and thrillers over the course of the year to winnow the list down to a winner in each category and four “honorable mentions.”

What that means for my Stacking the Shelves posts over the course of the next year is bigger stacks. Last year we requested over 800 books from publishers, and I tried to get as many as possible from Edelweiss and NetGalley. We don’t all read them all but we all read the ones that we personally request, and then all the books that get upvoted during the year. So I have a lot of books to look forward to! There’s not much of an affect on this particular stack as we haven’t officially started yet, but there will be in the stacks to come.

The book in this stack that I”M particularly looking forward to is Modesitt’s Councilor because I loved the first book in the series, Isolate, so much. And Audible had a sale, which I can never resist.

I think I’m going to need a bigger round tuit for this!

foundryside by robert jackson bennett audio

taste of gold and iron by alexandra rowland

beginners guide to murder by rosaline stopps

lost summers of newport by beatriz williams lauren willig karen white

prayer for the crown shy by becky chambers

For Review:
A Beginner’s Guide to Murder by Rosalind Stopps
Councilor (Grand Illusion #2) by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
A Family Affair by Robyn Carr
Last Exit by Max Gladstone (audio)
The Lawless Land (Sword and Honour #1) by Boyd and Beth Morrison
The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White
One for Sorrow (D.I. Callanach #7) by Helen Fields
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot #2) by Becky Chambers
Sand Dollar Lane (Moonlight Harbor #6) by Sheila Roberts
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
This Place of Wonder by Barbara O’Neal

Purchased from Amazon/Audible:
Foundryside (Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett (audio)
The Russian Cage (Gunnie Rose #3) by Charlaine Harris (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 2-6-22

Posted on February 6, 2022February 5, 2022 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

We had house company last week. This is George’s reaction for the entire visit:

He remained suspiciously watchful for the entire four days. Hecate thought it was great to have more humans to scritch her in the morning. Lucifer decided that she was an acceptable substitute human upon whom to tender his pre-meal gratitude. Freddie disappeared off the face of the Earth. George just watched. And watched. And WATCHED. He’s a very handsome boy but clearly VERY suspicious!

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

A Review: Strange Love by Ann Aguirre
Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop
A- Review: Marion Lane and the Deadly Rose by T.A. Willberg
B Review: A Lullaby for Witches by Hester Fox
A- Review: Four Thousand Days by M.J. Trow
Stacking the Shelves (482)

Coming This Week:

The Starless Crown by James Rollins (audio review)
Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb (review)
Out of the Blue by Allison Bliss (review)
A Fine Madness by Alan Judd (review)
Asking for a Friend by Andi Osho (review)

Stacking the Shelves (482)

Posted on February 5, 2022February 4, 2022 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

This week’s stack is just a bit shorter (smaller, less tall) than usual for this time of year. Normally I’m gearing up for a committee and getting a bunch of things that are going to be part of that work. Howsomever, at the present moment I’m in limbo, not certain which committee I’ll be on so not sure what books to be looking for/at yet. We’ll see what happens.