Happy weekend! It feels genuinely springlike at last here in the UK — sure, we’ve had our rainy days, but also some lovely sun. Hope everyone’s had a good week!
Books acquired this week
Unsurprisingly, after the spree of my London trip (documented over the last couple Saturdays!), I haven’t been looking to acquire new reading material this week. Still, predictably enough new reading material has found me. First up, two borrows from the National Poetry Library:
I picked up milk and honey because of this week’s Let’s Talk Bookish discussion topic (both my review and my answer to the topic are below in the roundup, if you’re curious!). Ambush at Still Lake was a random choice based on amusement at the pulpy cover; the brief excerpt of poetry I saw suggests I may well not enjoy this volume, but I do like trying random poetry anyway.
I also got a couple of review copies, excitingly — Del Rey sent me a link to get A Trade of Blood on Netgalley, woooo, while I have autoapproval from Tor so simply pounced on The Killing of a Chestnut Tree. I’d seen Tammy talk about it as an upcoming book a few weeks ago, and my interest was piqued, especially given the Holmes pastiche.
Finally… somehow, I’d left a book out of my posts about the London trip! I realised once I was finally getting everything properly shelved. I kinda can’t believe I’d forgotten it, because the title kinda tickles me:
I’m looking forward to digging into that one, too!
Posts from this week
First, as always, let’s round up the reviews I posted this week (though some of them have been written for months):
- Fantasy light novel: Solo Leveling, vol 1, by Chugong (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
- Fantasy: The Hedgewitch of Foxhall, by Anna Bright (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
- Mystery: Murder Offstage, by L.B. Hathaway (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
- Poetry: milk and honey, by Rupi Kaur (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
- Non-fiction: Domination: The Fall of the Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity, by Alice Roberts (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
- Romance manhwa: Tied to You, vol 4, by WHAT/Chelliace (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
And of course, the other posts:
- Fantasy with Friends: High or Low Fantasy
- Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles That Describe Me
- What Are You Reading Wednesday
- Let’s Talk Bookish: Poetry in the Age of Social Media
What I’m reading
I’m still having trouble settling down to read, finding myself more interested in messing around with casual games (currently doing a lot of hidden object games like A Park Full of Cats), but I did finish a few books this week anyway, so here’s a preview of what will (eventually) be coming up for review on the blog!
For this weekend, I have a few books targeted that I want to finish: Daedalus is Dead (Seamus Sullivan), A Palace Near the Wind (Ai Jiang), The Murder at Gulls Nest (Jess Kidd), and — even though I only just got it! — The Killing of a Chestnut Tree (Oliver K. Langmead).
Other than that, we’ll see. Maybe it’ll be mostly hidden object games. If so, that will be fine!
Linking up with Reading Reality’s Stacking the Shelves, Caffeinated Reviewer’s The Sunday Post, the Sunday Salon over at Readerbuzz, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? at The Book Date.
I also grabbed The Killing of a Chestnut Tree! I was offered A Trade of Blood too but since I still haven’t read the last book, I felt weird downloading it. Enjoy your spring weather!
Luckily I did actually get to the previous book in good time, for once, ahaha. So I was able to pounce on this one!
Oooh, third book in the Ana & Din series – I did not know that was coming, hurrah!
Do you have any hidden object game recommendations? I’m also a fan 🙂
calypte recently posted…Pretenders to the Throne of Gods – Adrian Tchaikovsky
I am very newly a fan of hidden object games, so I’m probably not playing anything you haven’t seen around! But just in case: the “Full of Cats” series is fun/cute and fairly short, and they have several free ones (usually with some paid DLC that benefits a cat shelter). Today I’ve been playing Find All and Find All 2: Middle Ages, which have some mechanics I like (especially the first one, where you get to pick what you search for next and there’s hints but they don’t show you exactly where the item is). Messy Recipe was a short fun one, but pretty simple.
For a longer one I enjoyed, Lost and Found Co was lovely, albeit I could’ve used a better hint system… or at least, better hints. The hints are in text, and sometimes they were easy to follow and sometimes it was very questionable.
(I have also played a free one with rabbits, HiddenRabbit, which only took 11 minutes to get 100% on, so I don’t so much recommend except that it’s free and can fill a small gap.)
Thank you! 🙂
calypte recently posted…Pretenders to the Throne of Gods – Adrian Tchaikovsky
I am obsessed with pulp covers. They’re so horrible and amazing and silly.
I am very curious why this poetry collection got a pulp cover, tbh!
The Killing of a Chestnut Tree sounds fabulous! I look forward to your thoughts on it, but until then I am putting it on my TBR!
I need to settle down this evening and read it, I am intrigued by the prologue! Very Holmesian.
It’s interesting for me to imagine what Ambush at Still Lake will be like, given that it is poetry! I listened to a wonderful book about the value of poetry during the Readathon, Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Ada Limón.
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz recently posted…The Sunday Salon: Little Women, Project Hail Mary, Shades of Gray, Spring Fling, Emily Dickinson, and Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon
Interesting, I’ll keep an eye out for that! And you can bet I’ll be reviewing Ambush at Still Lake and letting people know if it somehow lives up to that cover, ahaha.
We have had some nice weather. We went to Hastings yesterday and didn’t wear coats
Interesting looking books. It’s great when books find you
Have a great weekend!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2026/04/18/stacking-the-shelves-147/
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog recently posted…Sunday Post/Sunday Salon
I’ve still been wearing my trenchcoat when I go out for walks in the evenings, especially as I go into a rather wooded area that’s quite cool, but the sunny days have been lovely!
I’ve also got a copy of A Trade of Blood – as I’ve LOVED the two previous books in the series, this is one of my most keenly anticipated books of the year so far:)). And I love the look of The Killing of a Chestnut Tree. Have a great week:).
I’m very excited for both!
I hope your impulse buy based on the cover is as good as my last impulse buy based on the cover – Octopus Mimicus. City of the Sharp-Nosed Fish sounds intriguing. Great title!
Olivia recently posted…Review of Resilient by Allen Stroud
It’s definitely a fun title. It probably has a fairly mundane explanation, but… who knows?!
Del Rey sent me a widget for A Trade of Blood and I shrieked with joy. I have really loved the first two books and wish I could sit down and read this one right now but I have to finish up some current ARCs first. (which I am also excited to read).
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Same, ahaha.
Hope you have a good week!
Thanks!
I hope you enjoy your books. They look like good ones. Have a great week!
Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews recently posted…The Weekend Review – April 18th-April 20th
Thanks! I’ve had fun with them so far.
I like to read poetry, too, but always find myself wondering at the poet’s back story. Do you? When I read Milk and Honey I had to find out some of the details that led to so many traumatic experiences. I find myself sometimes not liking poems when I can’t figure that out. Sigh.
Anne@HeadFullofBooks recently posted…Sunday Salon — Updates on Hawaii and Readathon
Sometimes! Context can definitely help, especially with confessional type poetry.
I’m excited to read Trade of Blood, too! I really enjoyed the first two books! Have a great week!
Yeaaah, they were great. Definitely excited. Hope we both enjoy!
I’m very into cozy fantasy right now so The Killing of a Chestnut Tree sounds delightful. I hope you enjoy it
Thanks for sharing your week!
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: April Showers
I’ve already mainlined it and really liked it! Definitely a fun Holmes pastiche.
I totally get the reading funk. I have been more interested in listening to favorite series again and reading ARCs only when necessary. I am excited about A Trade of Blood, and was sent it as well, although I will listen along.
I’m having trouble finding the right thing to read to break the funk… but hopefully I’ll happen across it soon, haha.