The Sunday Post AKA What’s on my (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 8-8-21

Posted on August 8, 2021August 7, 2021 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

At least this week I’m attempting to plan ahead. I’m reading a really long book that I really, really want to read, but it’s not due out for a couple of months so I can’t post the review for a while. So this is a week of mostly short books to make up for all the time I’m spending with this other book. If any of that makes sense. Sometimes books just call my name and I HAVE to read them to stop the little voice shouting “READ ME!!!) from driving me any more bananas than I already am.

Here’s George in his favorite place, the stairs! It’s the perfect position to keep his eye on the front door AND my office door. While he can’t SEE Galen’s office he can certainly hear if Galen leaves his office AND he forms a perfect kitty pediment to ensure that if Galen comes down the stairs he’ll have to acknowledge George’s presence – or trip over him as George takes up an entire stair tread when he wants to – as he usually does.

It is obviously very important to George that he keeps an eye or an ear or both on EVERYTHING!

Blog Recap:

A Review: Paper and Blood by Kevin Hearne
A- Review: What the Cat Dragged In by Miranda James
A- Review: The Godstone by Violette Malan
B Review: Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara
A Review: Mother of All by Jenna Glass
Stacking the Shelves (456)

Coming This Week:

Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker (review)
The Bookseller’s Secret by Michelle Gable (blog tour review)
After Alice Fell by Kim Taylor Blakemore (review)
Wait For It by Jenn McKinlay (review)
In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu (review)

Stacking the Shelves (456)

Posted on August 7, 2021August 6, 2021 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

I write these up the day before, and I have to admit that I’m having a TGIF moment this afternoon. Not the restaurant, rather the feeling that this has already been a week and a half for no particular reason and thank goodness it’s over. Some really fascinating books crossed the transom this week so I’m also glad it’s the end of the week because that gives me a couple of days to figure out what I’m reading next week.

A couple of these look like fun. They all look interesting, but some are clearly more serious than others. We’ll see which are which in the weeks ahead!

under lock and skeleton key by gigi pandian

finlay donovan knocks em dead by elle cosimano

magnificent lives of marjorie post by allison pataki

along the saltwise sea by a deborah baker

sea of tranquility by emily st john mandel

from the neck up and other stories by aliya whiteley

For Review:
Along the Saltwise Sea (Up-and-Under #2) by A. Deborah Baker
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
The Dating Playbook (Boyfriend Project #2) by Farrah Rochon
The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett
The Dishonored Viscount (Diamonds in the Rough #8) by Sophie Barnes
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2) by Elle Cosimano
From the Neck Up and Other Stories by Aliya Whiteley
God of Neverland by Gama Ray Martinez
The Guide by Peter Heller
The Ice Swan by J’nell Ciesielski
The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston
The Restoration by J.H. Moncrieff
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Under Lock & Skeleton Key (Secret Staircase #1) by Gigi Pandian
Until the Last of Me (Take Them to the Stars #2) by Sylvain Neuvel
What Might Have Been by Holly Miller

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 8-1-21

Posted on August 1, 2021July 31, 2021 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

I posted this oldie but goodie on this same day last year. It’s still true. It’s ALWAYS true.

Another month ends.
All targets met.
All systems working.
All customers satisfied.
All Staff eagerly enthusiastic.
All pigs fed and ready to fly.

And here’s Lucifer’s opinion of the whole thing:

Winner Announcements:

The winner of the Sip Sip Hooray Giveaway Hop is Merysa

Blog Recap:

A Review: The House of Always by Jenn Lyons
A- Review: Hacking Mr. CEO by Anna Hackett
B+ Review: Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman
B+ Review: Pirate’s Promise by Lisa Kessler
A Review: Hold Fast Through the Fire by K.B. Wagers
Stacking the Shelves (455)

Coming This Week:

Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne (review)
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams (review)
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (review)
Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara (review)
The Godstone by Violette Malan (review)

Stacking the Shelves (455)

Posted on July 31, 2021July 30, 2021 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

I think a big chunk of this stack is from the most recent Tor Books load into Edelweiss. I certainly stared at their titles long enough! I can’t resist at least looking at almost everything they publish! I’m really, really curious about Battle of the Linguist Mages just because of the title, although my favorite title on this list is definitely The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All because who wouldn’t love a title like that? It could be anything!

battle of the linguist mages by scotto moore

where the drowned girls go by seanan mcguire

great glorious goddamn of it all by josh ritter

For Review:
An Ambush of Widows by Jeff Abbott
Another Now by Yanis Varoufakis
Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore
The Bone Track (Alexa Glock Forensics #3) by Sara E. Johnson
The Cabinet by Un-su Kim
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Come with Me by Ronald Malfi
The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All by Josh Ritter
Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict
Her Perfect Life by Hank Phillippi Ryan
The Magician by Colm Tóibín
The Peculiarities by David Liss
Servant Mage by Kate Elliott
The Silence of Scheherazade by Defne Suman
Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
Truth of the Divine (Noumena #2) by Lindsay Ellis
Well Matched (Well Met #3) by Jen DeLuca
What if You & Me (Say Everything #2) by Roni Loren
Where the Drowned Girls Go (Wayward Children #7) by Seanan McGuire
The Year of Our Love by Caterina Bonvicini

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 7-25-21

Posted on July 25, 2021July 25, 2021 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

This seems to have been an A- kind of week, whatever that might mean, in spite of dealing with cars that were complaining that their tires just weren’t right. All fixed now but annoying while it’s going on. As car things often are.

Today’s cat picture is George, because he’s just so photogenic when he’s not being a clown. Like all cats, he likes to be in the sunshine getting his solar batteries recharged. Not that George’s batteries ever seem to lose their charge. After all, he’s just barely out of kittenhood! But there he is, in all of his orange striped tabby glory, being striped in the opposite direction by the sun shining through the blinds in Galen’s office.

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Sip Sip Hooray Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

B Review: The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente
A- Review: The Knight’s Tale by M.J. Trow
B+ Review: Into the Thinnest of Air by Simon R. Green
A- Review: The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie M. Liu
A- Review: One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Stacking the Shelves (454)

Coming This Week:

The House of Always by Jenn Lyons (audio review)
Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman (blog tour review)
Pirate’s Promise by Lisa Kessler (review)
Hacking Mr. CEO by Anna Hackett (review)
Hold Fast Through the Fire by K.B. Wagers (review)

Stacking the Shelves (454)

Posted on July 24, 2021July 22, 2021 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

This is a list that has a little bit of everything. When I read Slough House earlier this year, I wanted to read the earlier books in the series. Lo and behold, two of them turned up on Edelweiss. There are several books on this stack that I’ve been specifically waiting for, the new Lady Sherlock, the new Viola Shipman and the new Nnedi Okorafor. And then there’s the one I picked up for the title. Of course that would be The Cat Who Saved Books, because naturally I was curious. (My cats are more inclined to knock books over into one of their scattered water dishes) But the cover of this one is adorable and the story looks fascinating. We’ll see!

everyone in this room will someday be dead by emily austin

second life of mirielle west by amanda skenandore

thorn in the saddle by rebekah weatherspoon

far from the light of heaven by tade thompson

miss moriarty i presume by sherry thomas

For Review:
The Black Coast (God-King Chronicles #1) by Mike Brooks
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa
Dead Lions (Slough House #2) by Mick Herron
Dolphin Junction by Mick Herron
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
The Fallen (Outside #2) by Ada Hoffman
Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson
The Grandmother Plot by Caroline B. Cooney
Hacking Mr. CEO (Billionaire Heists #3) by Anna Hackett
The Hand of the Sun King (Pact & Pattern #1) by J.T. Greathouse
Miss Moriarty, I Presume? (Lady Sherlock #6) by Sherry Thomas
Noor by Nnedi Okorafor
Pearl by Josh Malerman
Reprieve by James Han Mattson
The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore
The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman
Slow Horses (Slough House #1) by Mick Herron
A Thorn in the Saddle (Cowboys of California #3) by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Purchased from Amazon/Audible:
Mother of All (Women’s War #3) by Jenna Glass (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 7-18-21

Posted on July 18, 2021July 17, 2021 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

Today’s picture is of a later session in last week’s boy cat convention. They seem to have resumed deliberation when the sun came out. I know the sunshine surrounding them makes them look like little angels, but I do believe they were planning a bit of deviltry during this discussion. Or at least the destruction of as many toilet paper rolls as they could get their paws on!

And again, the session broke up when I tried to get in closer. I’m obviously NOT supposed to hear whatever Freddie and Lucifer are whispering in each other’s ears!

I’ve pretty much arranged things so that I have all short books this week. I have two “secret” books that I have to finish and write reviews of, so I’m kind of squished. I am eternally grateful to Tordotcom because there are weeks – like this one – where I don’t know what I’d do without their marvelous novellas.

So many books, so little time!

Coming This Week:

The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente (review)
The Knight’s Tale by M.J. Trow (review)
Into the Thinnest of Air by Simon R. Green (review)
The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie Liu (review)
Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman (blog tour review)

Please link your Virtual Nightstand post in the linky below:

Stacking the Shelves (453)

Posted on July 17, 2021July 15, 2021 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

This particular stack includes three books I’ve been waiting for and one that I’ve already read. Not that they ALL don’t look interesting! This list isn’t quite as eclectic as last week’s, either, as more of these books are either in genres or series that are near and dear to my heart. Which ones will turn out to be the cream of the crop? That’s anybody’s guess. But it sure will be fun finding out!

observations by gaslight by lyndsay faye

in every mirror shes black by lola akinmade akerstrom

kaiju preservation society by john scalzi

For Review:
Abandoned in Death (In Death #54) by J.D. Robb
At Summer’s End by Courtney Ellis
Buried Memories (Ishmael Jones #10) by Simon R. Green
Closing Costs by Bracken MacLeod
Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau
Electric Idol (Dark Olympus #2) by Katee Robert
Faithless by Hunter Shea
The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville
In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström
Isolate (Grand Illusion #1) by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
The Liar’s Knot (Rook & Rose #2) by M.A. Carrick
The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke
Observations by Gaslight: Stories from the World of Sherlock Holmes by Lyndsay Faye
The Reluctant King by K’wan
Shadows Have Offended (Star Trek: The Next Generation) by Cassandra Rose Clarke (REVIEW!!!)
Sistersong by Lucy Holland

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 7-11-21

Posted on July 11, 2021July 10, 2021 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

I think I started five different books before I finally got stuck into Shadows Have Offended. I’ve been looking for comfort reads, and re-reading a LOT of fanfiction, so I finally just gave in and picked up some of the licensed variety – as that’s what media tie-in novels feel like to me. YMMV. Also, between playing Mass Effect: Andromeda and loving both Project Hail Mary and A Psalm for the Wild-Built last week, I’m still in an SFnal kind of mood.

This week’s cat picture looks like all the boy cats decided to have a convention in the front hallway – or at least a terribly serious meeting about something. And probably something that the humans in the house should worry about. A lot. (Sorry the picture is small. When I tried to get closer, the convention broke up. I guess they really didn’t want me to learn what they were plotting!)

Current Giveaways:

$10 Gift Card or $10 Book in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop

Blog Recap:

(Not Exactly the) Fourth of July
B Review: Books Promiscuously Read by Heather Cass White
A- Review: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
A Review: M, King’s Bodyguard by Niall Leonard
A+ Review: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Stacking the Shelves (452)

Coming This Week:

Shadows Have Offended by Cassandra Rose Clarke (review)
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (blog tour review)
While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory (review)
Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig (review)
Sip Sip Hooray Giveaway Hop

Please link your Virtual Nightstand post in the linky below:

Stacking the Shelves (452)

Posted on July 10, 2021July 9, 2021 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

Well, this is certainly an eclectic stack of books! I think the one I’m most curious about is Deadly Summer Nights. It’s the concept. The idea of a cozy mystery series set among the Catskills holiday resorts in the 1950s is intriguing, to say the least. Maybe the author was wondering what kind of a story Dirty Dancing would have been if it had been a mystery instead of a drama. I’m not at all sure about the whole idea, but I’m certainly willing to find out!