Stacking the Shelves

Posted February 4, 2017 by Nicky in General / 20 Comments

Happy Saturday! Not that it’s the end of the work week for me. Big project to be doing, which means a surprising amount of money and hopefully a correspondingly large number of books. Also, class.

But still, I managed quite a bit of reading this week!

Received to review

Cover of The Heart of What Was Lost by Tad Williams Cover of The Regional Office is Under Attack Cover of Masquerade by Laura Lam Cover of Final Girls by Mira Grant

Hee! I need to reread The Dragonbone Chair, stat — I’ve been meaning to for a while anyway, but now this is extra motivation. I’m not sure if The Heart of What Was Lost stands alone, but it sounds like it comes after the series?

Bought

Cover of p53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code by Sue Armstrong

It’s fine, Mum, it cost £1.49, and besides, it’s always a good thing for me to read about things that scare me. Knowledge is power, etc.

Finished reading this week:

Cover of Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf Cover of Martians Abroad by Carrie Vaughn Cover of Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor Cover of Passing Strange by Ellen Klages

Cover of Final Girls by Mira Grant Cover of Birthright by Missouri Valin Cover of Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear Cover of p53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code by Sue Armstrong

Not a bad week, as you see! And five of them were ARCs. Hurrah me. And the ratings sneak peek:

4 stars… p53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code, Final Girls and Passing Strange.
3 stars… Proust and the Squid and Birthright.
2 stars… Martians Abroad, Binti: Home and Maisie Dobbs.

Reviews posted this week:

Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas. A reread, which I once again found solidly enjoyable. I don’t expect great literary merit from Maas, just a fun time, which maybe helps. 3/5 stars
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers. A lovely space opera adventure, full of characters you get to know and love. Just one criticism: the vaguely episodic feel to each of the events. Everything feels like it gets wrapped up very quickly, with only the bare bones of a larger plot. 4/5 stars
Weird Dinosaurs: The Strange New Fossils Challenging Everything We Thought We Knew, by John Pickrell. Very enjoyable, and not always just for the dinosaurs but also for the people — almost characters — caught up in their story. 4/5 stars
The Return of the King, by J.R.R. Tolkien. I still love this, but my review this time poked at some of the flaws. 5/5 stars
The Sense of Style, by Steven Pinker. If you’ve encountered academic technobabble, and particularly if you’re allergic to it, this makes a good antidote. 4/5 stars
Gutenberg’s Fingerprint, by Merilyn Simonds. More of a memoir than I’d thought going in. Some interesting stuff, but… meh. 2/5 stars
Strangers in Company, by Jane Aiken Hodge. Mystery, politics and romance, in the vein of a Mary Stewart novel. Fun, though not mindblowing. 3/5 stars

Other posts:

Top Ten Tuesday: Graphic Novels. A rundown of my favourites!
What are you reading Wednesday. Another update from my neverending assault on Mount TBR.

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20 responses to “Stacking the Shelves

    • I’m looking forward to finally reading the whole Pantomime / Shadowplay / Masquerade trilogy — the covers do look so great. Thanks for dropping by!

    • Yes, I’m so glad Laura Lam managed to find a way! Not that I’ve read the first two yet, but I’ve followed her career since early Strange Chemistry days.

    • It helps that I have a whole bunch of reviews scheduled through to mid-March, haha. Though I am a fast reader, too! Thanks for returning the visit/following!

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