No books bought this week! Wow. And this week started off quite slow, reading-wise, but I got quite a bit packed into the last couple of days and have plenty to show off in my fourth Unstacking post ever! We did briefly have the excitement of having a wedding date, but now we’re having to change it… ah well, at least now we have the paperwork all sorted?!
Books finished this week:
Reviews posted this week:
–Finn Fancy Necromancy, by Randy Henderson. I wasn’t really won over by this. I thought it was trying too hard to be the fantasy version of Ready Player One, in terms of references, and the characters didn’t strike me as being particularly mature or interesting. 2/5 stars
–Ashoka: The Search for India’s Lost Emperor, by Charles Allen. This really is more about the search, and the searchers, than the lost Emperor himself. There’s a lot of interest, though if you’re sensitive to colonial issues you might not be comfortable with the fairly uncritical praise Allen has for the people who ruled colonial India and, coincidentally, did some work on Sanskrit and excavating Indian temples. 4/5 stars
–Rosemary and Rue, by Seanan McGuire. This is perhaps the best answer to Jim Butcher’s urban fantasy I’ve found: female driven, complex mythology, and it’s not all about who sleeps with whom. The main character isn’t always smart, but she is at least sympathetic. 4/5 stars
–Spider-Gwen: Most Wanted? by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez. This is very much a getting-up-to-speed issue, and it’s a bit goofy at times, but I do enjoy that someone has made Gwen Stacey the hero. Not so keen on the treatment of MJ, though. 3/5 stars
–Dreamer’s Pool, by Juliet Marillier. Solidly entertaining, although with some themes people might find themselves very uncomfortable with. The side characters are engaging enough to carry a lot of the book, while the main characters’ story is set up for the future. I’m looking forward to reading more. 4/5 stars
–A Companion to Wolves, by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear. Deals seriously with the issues of soul-bonding to animals a la the dragons of Pern, except there’s also a solid fantasy story with wolves and trolls as well. It’s mostly about the interactions of the wolfheall, and the difficulties the main character has in adjusting to his role, but there’s an intriguing world in the background too. 4/5 stars
–Flashback Friday: Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline. Fun and nostalgic, though a bit gimmicky in execution with all those pop-culture references. The main character can be a bit of a creep at times, but then, he is meant to be a teenage boy. 4/5 stars
Other posts:
–Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Reasons I Love Fairytales. A somewhat lyrical celebration of these really old, really new, endlessly adaptable stories.
How’s everyone been? Anything exciting? Anything I just have to read?
I think I’ve resigned myself to never doing an Unstacking the Shelves post! I have no self control and I haven’t read a book in weeks! I am determined to correct this outrage tonight while the football is on! May your shelves be light and your reads be exciting!
chucklesthescot recently posted…Stacking the Shelves #136
Haha, not necessarily a bad thing if you’re happy! And good look with getting some reading done.
I wish I could get some reading done. I had to DNF a book that I was so looking forward to. You are lucky. I hope you love what you are reading.
Grace @ Books of Love
Aw, man, that’s not a nice feeling! I hope you find something good ASAP.
I enjoyed Saga Volume 1. I hope to continue with it at some point. I hope you enjoy your new books.
No new books this week! When I do Unstacking the Shelves, it’s always displaying books I’ve read during the week ’cause I managed not to buy anything.
Yay, a Saga binge! I still need to read the latest volume, must get to it before my preorder of the next one arrives next month 🙂
Where is it even up to? My partner and I have up to volume 5…
New Google+ follower. I’m curious….what is Unstacking the Shelves? Is it just reading what you have instead of buying more books? I would love to know more! Also, the Saga books look really interesting! Love your blog! I will definitely be back 🙂
Yep! If I get through a week without buying any books, I get to showcase what I’ve been reading instead. It happens… rarely, ha.
Planning a wedding is challenging, but fun. We had to change the venue of our wedding three months before the event due to a problem with the facility. I had a mini panic attack over it. But it all worked out for the best. have a wonderful week.
Haha, we only got our wedding date at all three months in advance, so we’re even more pushed! But it’s going to be a tiny event at City Hall.
Fun reads this week! 😀
Hopefully the wedding will go more smoothly after this!
Yes, it’s been a good line-up! So much so that I’m finding it difficult to pick my next reads… the urge to just read Saga is high.
Well, we’ve got the replacement date that theoretically everyone can attend. *crosses fingers*
So many books!!! I hope you enjoy them all 🙂
Sofia @ SofiaLovesReading recently posted…STACKING THE SHELVES #83
I did! My Unstacking the Shelves posts are for showcasing books I read in weeks where I didn’t get any new books.