Posted January 24, 2015 by in General / 14 Comments
Haven’t bought any books this week! I know, it’s shocking. I do actually owe myself a book from finishing my second OU textbook, and I think I know what I’m going to get, but I seem to be holding out on myself. (I’m probably going to get Owl and the Japanese Circus, by Kristi Charish. They actually approved me for an ARC of that on NG and immediately, literally seconds after, archived it so I could never have downloaded it anyway, though, so I’m a liiiittle bit cranky about that. No fair teasing like that!) Anyway, I have got some library books and it’s starting to get to the point where my pull list means I get at least one comic every week, woo.
Library books
Yep, that ol’ nature reading interest again.
Comics
Eee!
So how’s everyone else been doing? Still sticking to your resolutions? (I posted a bit about mine here just this week, if you’re interested!)
Tags: books, comics, Marvel, non-fiction, Stacking the Shelves
Posted January 17, 2015 by in General / 34 Comments
I seem to have acquired some books this week! Though I’ve still been relatively conservative — my purchases were a novel and a novella, and the other book was bought for me by the wonderful Lynn. I’m still pretty much hanging in there with my resolutions: I’ve read some ARCs, I’m not buying anything on the spur of the moment, and I’m well within my budget. Woooo.
Bought/acquired
I’ve already read two of the three, too! And I’m a good chunk of the way into California Bones. Good choices, so far. But then maybe I did also purchase a lot of comics…
Lady Thor, Peggy Carter as a heroine, and the new Captain Marvel — how could I resist?
Library
I didn’t actually find any fiction I wanted this week at the library. Shocking, I know! I’m especially interested in The Lucifer Effect, as I recently reviewed another book by that psychologist (The Time Paradox), and this promises to discuss his most famous and controversial work, that of the Stanford Prison Experiment.
For review
Eeeee. That’s all I have to say about Shadow Study. Nalo Hopkinson will be good, of course; Will Grayson, Will Grayson should be fun.
Freebie
I haven’t actually read anything I already have by M.C.A. Hogarth yet, but this was free on the Kobo store, so I thought I’d grab it while I could.
What’s everyone else been getting? Broken your resolutions yet?
Tags: books, comics, Marvel, N.K. Jemisin, Stacking the Shelves
Posted January 10, 2015 by in General / 16 Comments
First full week of 2015; first chance for us to break all our resolutions and buy a load of books. How’s everyone else been getting along?
Comics
Late Christmas present from my dad. <3
Library books
At my parents’ place again for most of January, so this is what I got out of the library to keep me amused — as if I needed anything more than what’s on my ereader and on my shelves from their generosity at Christmas! Ahem…
Anyway, so far this year I’ve avoided buying any new books; I’ve finished the first book in my Open University course already, so I feel like maybe I deserve one, but I can’t choose. I do now have an Amazon wishlist which I’m trying to keep updated. If nothing else, it’ll serve as a list of ‘approved’ books when I do want to get something, and I’ve saved stuff I haven’t preordered yet onto there too.
Tags: books, comics, DC, Gail Simone, Stacking the Shelves
Posted January 3, 2015 by in General / 28 Comments
With my book-buying resolutions just coming into force, this might be the busiest Stacking the Shelves post you’re gonna see from me in a while. On the other hand, I am now in charge of acquiring books for my library, so surely it won’t count if I just buy one or two or three for them…
Okay, okay, I’ll be good.
Library books
My usual odd mix — I’m not sure why I’m so drawn to nature writing at the moment, but hey, I’ll go with it.
Fiction
There were sales! And I still had a voucher! And it wasn’t January yet!
Non-fiction
Pretty much all of these were bought with gift vouchers. I’ve read bad things about The Ancient Paths now, but it might be interesting anyway.
Awesome
Gift from my aunt for Christmas. <3 Look at that pretty cover! I had no idea this was even coming out until just before Christmas, but it’s Carol Ann Duffy, soooo. Yeah. Happy.
What’s everyone else been getting? Been breaking your 2015 bookish resolutions already?
Tags: books, Carol Ann Duffy, non-fiction, Stacking the Shelves
Posted December 27, 2014 by in General / 24 Comments
Or, Stacking the Shelves: The Christmas Edition! I think I’ve probably had similarly large hauls before, but still… I had a very good Christmas, and if I could just tear myself away from my new game (Final Fantasy Theatrhythm: Curtain Call), I’ll show you all the details. Plus my giant literary giraffe, a gift from my dad.
His name is Charles Parker, after Lord Peter’s best friend.
He turns up when you least expect it.
Turn around…
So yeah, that was a Christmas. And this is a haul…
Comics
The first four are from Mum and Dad — and don’t worry, I know it’s the first two feature Cassandra Cain as Batgirl, and the third Barbara Gordon — and the two Saga volumes are from my little sis. <3
Non-fiction
One of you lot recommended me The Trouble with Physics, and Dad got me that and the book on Lucy. The other three came from the Kindle sale.
Pure geekery
Little sister knows me well! Or, you know, remembered what I did some of my master’s work on.
Fiction
That’s a real mix of gifts, sales and randomness.
Audiobooks
I had credits to spend.
I also got a £20 Waterstones gift card, which I’ll be spending today, so watch out for next week’s haul, too… What’s everyone else been getting?!
Tags: Alastair Reynolds, books, Brian Vaughan, comics, DC, J.R.R. Tolkien, Marvel, non-fiction, Stacking the Shelves
Posted December 13, 2014 by in General / 12 Comments
It’s been a quiet week, despite the great temptation caused by people’s end of year lists. Like Tor’s Reviewer’s Choice, oh man. I gave myself a limit, though, and I stuck to it.
Ebooks
Daughter of Mystery and The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet were from best-of lists — possibly even the Tor one I linked. Legion: Skin Deep, I actually picked up two or three weeks ago but forgot to include back then. Mea culpa.
For review
A somewhat random choice from Bookbridgr!
Library
Someone in my book group said they wouldn’t rest until I read more of Brubaker’s work, so, tahdah. I thought I’d make sure they could rest. Crow Country was a somewhat random choice between that, Badgerlands and Otter Country; I feel in the mood at the moment to read about Britain’s indigenous species.
Anyway, that’s it for me. Anyone else been getting anything exciting? Or are you saving all the excitement for Christmas?
Tags: books, Brandon Sanderson, comics, SF/F, Stacking the Shelves
Posted December 6, 2014 by in General / 29 Comments
I’m doing really well and not buying books at the moment! But that doesn’t stop me going to the library (dun dun dunnn) or picking up comics. Though honestly, I picked these issues up a couple of weeks ago and forgot to include them then, so I thought I’d drop them into this post.
Review copies
I haven’t actually read anything by Kate Elliott yet, so this seems like a good place to start! As for H is for Hawk, I keep getting curious about it, but not curious enough to buy it… and then lo and behold, I get it on Netgalley. I’m quite interested to get round to reading it ASAP.
Library fiction
Rachel Aaron and Adam Christopher have actually been on my TBR for ages, but that’s in ebook form, and sometimes I’m not in the mood for that. So I thought maybe getting from the library would kickstart me. As for the others, they come recommended by various people, and Emily of New Moon by my love of Anne of Green Gables, though I gather Emily’s a bit more saccharine than Anne.
Library non-fiction
I think a friend read Ladies of the Grand Tour recently, and The Galápagos has an obvious draw for me…
Comics (single issues)
Jessica Drew is awesome.
That’s it for me, and you may well add that that’s plenty for one person. What’s anyone else been getting their hands on?
Tags: Adam Christopher, books, comics, Marvel, Rachel Bach/Rachel Aaron, SF/F, Stacking the Shelves
Posted November 29, 2014 by in General / 24 Comments
This week looks quite busy, but I have excuses, I promise…
Library
I’ve been meaning to pick up Bitter Greens for a while, and my sister loves Elizabeth Moon, so that’s why those two — and the non-fiction, well, they were fairly random picks from the library non-fiction section. I do love having random non-fiction to read.
Bought
This looks fairly busy, but I spent less than £5 myself — a friend from a book group bought me Native Tongue, after a discussion went pretty nasty in the group, which picked my mood up greatly. The Terrorists of Irustan was a rec that came out of that, too. And then I spotted Damaged Worlds, which contains those four books plus a short story by Cecilia Tan for under £1. So I thought I might as well give them a go.
So, not a bad haul for me, and pretty cheap too! What’s everyone else been grabbing?
Tags: books, Stacking the Shelves
Posted November 22, 2014 by in General / 10 Comments
This week has been a library week…
Fiction
I don’t think I actually ever got round to reading The Hollow Hills, so I’m looking forward to it after enjoying The Crystal Cave more than I used to. I do actually own the whole trilogy, but it’s a massive hardback, so I got the library book for reading convenience. The Savage Knight sounds interesting; I think Abaddon books probably deserve a prize for the fake manuscript-provenance story around the story, which has seemingly caught some other reviewers out. Arthuriana, yay! Tooth and Claw, The Hero and the Crown and Labyrinth are rereads of varying quality; my brain seems to need something familiar right now.
Poetry
Padel is a great-great-great granddaughter of Darwin, so this was an interesting read, even if I didn’t love it. And I liked the idea of Carol Ann Duffy’s anthology, too — modern poetry in conversation with older. I’d been meaning to grab these for a while.
Non-fiction
Not exciting in the traditional way, perhaps, but it is nice to be preparing myself…
Tags: Stacking the Shelves
Posted November 15, 2014 by in General / 6 Comments
This week, I have been super restrained. No, I really mean it!
Review copies
I didn’t even request Brood — I’m not sure why Bookbridr sent me it, because it sounds like it might be a bit too gory for me. Maybe I clicked something by accident? But I’m glad to have an ARC of The Wicked + The Divine; I actually have a pre-order for the TPB anyway, but now I get to read it sooner.
Bought
I’m guessing I’m going to see a lot of Foxglove Summer around in the next couple weeks; it just came out on Thursday. I’m excited! And Do No Harm was something I spotted in the bookshop and ended up getting with what I had left of a book token: it’s all about brain surgery, which both icks me out and fascinates me. I can’t see myself as a brain surgeon, but neurology is fascinating…
Comics
Captain Marvel #9! I’m not caught up at the moment, but hey, it’s nice to support the Carol Corps.
What’s everyone else been getting?
Tags: Ben Aaronovitch, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Marvel, non-fiction, Stacking the Shelves
