Happy weekend! And here it’s overcast (at least for now) and cooler than it’s been in days. I planned a long weekend at somewhat the last minute, to give me chance to do a few tasks around the house and build my new bike storage, so the cooler weather works out well!
Anyway, to the books…
Books acquired this week
There are actually three ARCs in the mail to me, but they haven’t arrived yet, so I can only talk about this one. I got the email offering me this ‘read now’ on Netgalley and have rarely pushed a button so hard in my life; I love this series!
I’m very much looking forward to digging into this one. I had no idea I’d become as fond of Gabriel Ward as I have; in the first book, his introduction makes him seem stuffy and pedantic… but he’s also kind, and cares about justice, and I quickly came to love the character.
Posts from this week
It’s been a busy week on the blog, especially for non-review posts, so the usual round-up sounds like an excellent plan! Reviews first, as per usual:
- Non-fiction: The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries, by Marilyn Johnson (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
- Comic: Radiant Black, vol 1, by Kyle Higgins et al (2/5 stars, “it was okay”)
- Non-fiction graphic novel: Love and Desire in the Promised Land: The Private Lives of Israelis and Palestinians, by Salomé Parent-Rachdi and Deloupy (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
- Fantasy: Strange Animals, by Jarod K. Anderson (4/5 stars, “really liked it”)
- Historical fiction verse novel: The Home Child, by Liz Berry (3/5 stars, “liked it”)
As ever, these reviews are often for books I finished weeks or even months ago; I have all my reviews written, but hold them back to keep things a bit more varied! The books I’ve read this week will be in the section below.
Aaand the other posts:
- 20 Books of Summer: Progress Update #1
- Fantasy with Friends: Brandon Sanderson
- Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors to Try
- What Are You Reading Wednesday
- Book Blogger Hop: Do You Read Many Books At Once?
As I said, a pretty busy week, what with the 20 Books of Summer update and joining the Book Blogger Hop for the first time.
What I’m reading
I had some weird headachy/migraine stuff going on this week, so I didn’t read nearly as much as I’d have liked, but I did finish a handful of books! As usual, here’s the sneak peek of the ones I intend to review on the blog:
For this weekend, I want to start on some more of the new books purchased/received this year that are hanging around. I only let myself have 20 unstarted books bought this year at once, and the number’s been hovering at or around 20 for a while. I need some breathing room for my birthday!
That said, as I mentioned in the Book Blogger Hop post, I have a few too many books on the go at once, so I’d also like to work on those. Hopefully I can keep a balance! I suspect I’ll start A Case of Fear and Favour, and work on finishing volume two of The Wife Comes First, Carter Dickson’s The Magic-Lantern Murders, and Suzanne Palmer’s Ode to the Half-Broken. For a change of pace, I might also start Greer Stothers’ Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die…
But we’ll see. As always, it’ll be wherever my whim takes me, and that might mean somewhere else entirely. I’m reading to have fun, not to check things off a list!
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
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 will have to check out A Case of Fear and Favour, since you mentioned you love the MC. Can’t wait to see your book mail!
It’s not one of your usual genres, to be fair, but definitely a rec for mystery fans!
Sorry you were under the weather. I need to check out the Blogger Hop
Olivia recently posted…Weekly Reading Update 7-18-2026
Hopefully this week’ll be better for that, haha.
This week was my first participating, I decided it looked like a good way to do more visiting other blogs!
Yes the weather has cooled a bit here (Kent), but the sun is still hotter than I would like. There are so few clouds about!
This book looks interesting. Our postal service has been a nightmare. People are getting 2/3 weeks worth of post this weekend. We still have to have ours
I have read one book for my 20 Books of Summer Challenge. It’s therefore not going well
Have a great weekend!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2026/07/18/stacking-the-shelves-159/
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog recently posted…Stacking The Shelves
Yeah, we’re trying to build the shed today and it’s waaaay too warm — our garden is south-facing and catching all the sun. Please, some cloud cover! 🙁
Our post has been pretty regular here but we used to have nightmares at the old place.
And oof, good luck with catching up with 20 Books of Summer! I must admit I’m not doing as well with it this month.
I’m in the same boat – I’ve had several review titles offered to me that are in the mail, so as much as I’d like to celebrate them, it’s not quite time. 🙂
S.B. Milne recently posted…Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post
Hopefully our ARCs will all arrive soon, haha!
“I need beathing room for my birthday.” LOL! I hope you find it and can acquire more books for your collection! Have a great week!
Cindy’s Book Corner recently posted…Stacking the Shelves #217 Sunday Post #214 Sunday Salon #208
Here’s hoping! We’re going to go be going to so many good places for bookshops…
I love the sound of A Case Of Fear And Favour! I have to check out that series.
Oh, I hope you like it! I’ve really loved it, was so eager for the next book.
I tried to find A Case of Fear and Favour on netgalley but had no luck. Maybe not available to me. Hope the book met your expectations!
Harvee recently posted…Romantic, Gothic Suspense by Mary Stewart
Yeah, it’s Netgalley UK! If you haven’t read the previous books, though, definitely recommend.
It was rainy this week, and it dropped the temps by twenty degrees. It was fantastic. I hope the cooler temps you are experiencing help you get your task done, and I hope the headachy stuff goes away. Yes, we read to enjoy our books, not just to check off things on a list (although it does feel nice to check off things sometimes, too).
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz recently posted…The Sunday Salon: Visitors from Out of Town
Yep, managed a productive weekend! Lots of stuff sorted.
I hope you’re feeling better and that the headaches are behind you! It sounds like you have a wonderful mix of books lined up, and I love your philosophy of reading for fun instead of just checking books off a list. Good luck making room before your birthday—I know how tempting new books can be!
Happy Reading!
So far so good! And I’ve made a little bit of a dent in my owned-unread pile, hehe.
I hope that your headaches go away this week! Enjoy your reads, whatever you decide on!
Thanks! It’ll help if I keep my sleeping schedule steady, ahaha.
It sounds like you had a very successful reading week!
That ARC does sound intriguing so I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Ugh I very mush dislike the postal service and their wacky ways. We just lost our faithful mailman due to knee surgery and so we are having to get used to a new one. It can be a stressful experience.
Thanks for visiting my post!
Ashley Kittrell recently posted…Garbage Trend
Thanks!
To be fair, they were only dispatched on Friday, so I’m sure the ARCs will arrive in due time!
I’m glad you are enjoying some cooler weather.
I enjoy mysteries so I’ll have to look that one up.
Thanks for sharing your week, happy reading!
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out recently posted…It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #SundayPost #SundaySalon
I love the series, definitely recommend!
I debated about Strange Animals but haven’t read it yet. I love Suzanne Palmer and Ode to the Half-Broken. Yay for some cloudy and cooler weather. We are supposed to get some clouds and rain this week but the real feel will still be over 100!
Anne – Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
I enjoyed it more than I’d expected, though the start is definitely a bit horror-y.
Hope you get some genuinely cooler/comfortable weather soon!
Glad to cooler weather helped your weekend plans! We finally opened the windows this morning after a week of heat and wildfire smoke. Hope your headaches are better this week.
Oof, I’m glad we at least haven’t had to contend with smoke! Hope the weather’s nice for you (and the air free of smoke) this week.
We’re migraine twins this week. I know exactly how you feel. I hope you are doing better. My headaches come and go all week. Hopefully this will be a better week for both of us.
Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews recently posted…The Weekend Review – July 18th-20th
Often the prodome is worse for me than the actual migraine — I get really dizzy, I hate it. But so far so good with doing better; one of my major triggers is disturbed sleep, and I think I’ve been doing better with that.
Building your own bike storage sounds interesting! How’d it go?
Jinjer recently posted…Perfume, Clothes, Wheels
It was a flat packed pre-manufactured thing, so it was just a matter of following instructions! My arms weren’t long enough at times, but with some modifications and my wife’s help, we got it done, haha.