Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality.


Well this wasn't the best of weeks for me. I learned at the end of it that they are closing our office eventually and moving us downtown. I HATE downtown. Physically-literally HATE that place! I've attempted going there for interviews and it was a nightmare. Streets becoming one way, the place I need to be is nowhere near public parking...it's a nightmare. Plus traffic SUCKS, it SUCKS bad! My stepdad works down there and he's always getting home late because of the horrible traffic. So I'm reallllly hoping I can get a better job before we have to move. I really really really DO NOT want to drive that far everyday and sit in traffic every day. It's not going to be worth what they pay me.

Bookwise, this was a better week! I didn't really add too many new titles to my TBR stacks but I did get the rest of my special books I ordered that cost me insane prices with long distant shipping. So here we go...

I'm going in reverse order this time ;)


For review I received: 

#murderfunding by Gretchen McNeil (ARC)--I wished for it on Netgalley and it came true!! I didn't know they did that!! Because clearly none of my other wishes ever came true! Lol!!

THANK YOU Freeform!

I bought:

Perfunctory Affection by Kim Harrison--SIGNED Subterranean Press edition

I expanded my collection of Stephanie Garber's Caraval series!! Two of these were ones that arrived last week and were my mystery books, I think it was Legend (Turkish Legendary) and the Spanish Caraval that arrived!

From left to right we have the Turkish Caraval and Legendary, then the Serbian Caraval, the Spanish Caraval and the US paperback of Caraval.

If you haven't already figured it out, I consider myself a COLLECTOR of Stephaine Garber's books! LOL.

 

 

I also won a gift card to Amazon from Sandy at Somewhere Only We Know for the monthly check in point for the Series Enders Reading Challenge!

 

THANK YOU Sandy!!

Then I also received my March Fairy Loot box, I'll probably be posting a picture of that on Instagram this week since pictures have been going up already lately. I just hadn't gotten around to taking a picture yet.

I do love this purple box though!!

And then because I have no chill or self control when it comes to things Disney I bought this off the Disney website...and good thing too, it sold out after another day or so!

It's Madame Leota from the Haunted Mansion! I have nowhere to put this beauty at the moment, but I couldn't help myself. I have a problem...but luckily it only applies to Disney and books! Lol.

And that my friends is it! While my week wasn't so hot real life wise, it was pretty freaking terrific bookwise!! What did you all get?

 

Book Blogger Hop

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

 

 

This week's question is: When reading a series, do you re-read the previous books before reading the newly released book? (submitted by Angelica @ Paperback Princess)

 

 

MY ANSWER: I used to. A long, long, long time ago when I didn't have enough to read. I can't remember those days too well. Lol. Nowadays I don't have time for rereading, so I've taken to taking extremely detailed notes. Granted I still have a pile of series that I don't have notes for that remain unfinished that I will likely be in trouble with when the time comes to pick up the next installment, but I can sometimes find a series recap on those too! Luckily for most I've only read book 1, so finding the recap shouldn't be too bad.

 

Occasionally I will binge read a series too and oh that's a wonderful feeling! It's such a breeze and I realize I need to do this more often! Lol.

 

 

 

 

 

Random Thursday

Today is the last day for the Animals chapter in The Little Book of Answers by Doug Lennox! I'm actually really excited for the next chapter. I mentioned it awhile back, but I'll say it again, the next chapter is Beliefs and Superstitions and I can only expect goodness and oddities from that one!

(image borrowed from Pinterest)

The idea that a stork delivers babies came from Scandinavia and was prompted from the writings of Hans Christian Andersen. When storks nest it tends to be on warm chimneys, they'd also lift pieces of clothing then stuff that into their nest. To a child this looked like they were stuffing babies down the chimney. A stork is a very nurturing creature and protective of its young which makes it a symbol of good parenthood.

That's a rather interesting story behind the stork and its delivering of babies! I never knew the reasoning behind it!

(image borrowed from Southeastern Guide Dogs)

"Every dog has his day" has kind of a dark history behind it. In ancient times dogs didn't live the high life like they do now. ;) That's there was expressions like "it's a dog's life," "sick as a dog," and "dog-tired." "Every dog has his day" was first recorded as an epilogue for Euripides, a Greek playwright, who was killed in 405 BC by a pack of dogs.

(image borrowed from Local/The Onion)

"The hair of the dog" became known as a hangover cure around the Middle Ages. While this particular cure itself might not be that old, it was during this time that the medical logic from the Romans that basically says the cure for ailments can be found in its cause. Therefore, if you're hungover, have another drink of the same thing from the night before to cure your illness in the morning!

I still find this weird. But whatever! 

(image borrowed from Daily Mail)

The expression "frog in your throat" isn't from the actual illness of having a sore throat. It dates back to the Middle Ages as a treatment for throat infection. Doctors would basically put a frog head-first into the patient's mouth with the belief that the frog would inhale the cause of the hoarseness. 

Oh. My. God. I did not know that this was actually a practice instead of an ailment!

(image borrowed from Wall Street Journal)

The difference between a "flock" of geese and a "gaggle" of geese is pretty much nothing. Any group of birds, goats, or sheep is referred to as a "flock." Though there are other names for specific types of birds. Quail are called a "bevy," hawks are a "cast," sparrows are a "host," swans are a "herd," and peacocks are a "muster." Geese as you might guess are a "gaggle," but only when they are on the ground, if they are flying they are called a "skein."

I honestly never knew any of this! It's a revelation to know that basically saying "flock of geese" or "gaggle of geese" is the same thing! Unless they're flying! ;)

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

 

 

A startling, fiercely feminist re-imagining of Cinderella from the bestselling, award-winning author Jennifer Donnelly.

Isabelle should be blissfully happy – she’s about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn’t the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince’s heart. She’s the ugly stepsister who’s cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella’s shoe ... which is now filling with blood.

When the prince discovers Isabelle’s deception, she is turned away in shame. It’s no more than she deserves: she is a plain girl in a world that values beauty; a feisty girl in a world that wants her to be pliant.

Isabelle has tried to fit in. To live up to her mother’s expectations. To be like her stepsister. To be sweet. To be pretty. One by one, she has cut away pieces of herself in order to survive a world that doesn’t appreciate a girl like her. And that has made her mean, jealous, and hollow.

Until she gets a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.

Evoking the darker, older versions of the Cinderella story, bestselling author Jennifer Donnelly shows us that ugly is in the eye of the beholder, and uses her trademark wit and wisdom to send an overlooked character on a journey toward empowerment, redemption, and a new definition of beauty.

 

 

I love me a good fairy tale story and getting the villain's point of view should prove to be interesting! I know I read Gregory Maguire's stepsister book a long time ago and enjoyed it, so this one should prove to be very entertaining!!

 

 

TITLE: Stepsister

AUTHOR: Jennifer Donnelly

PUBLISHER: Scholastic
GENRE: Fairy Tale Retelling

RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2019

 

 

'Tis the season in the apocalypse! The Scooby gang finds a moment to recover after narrowly escaping a harrowing battle, but when they wake up on Christmas morning, they find two members of their gang are no longer with them!

You've never seen the Mystery Inc. gang like this before, as Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo seek answers in a world of monsters!

With tensions having reached their breaking point, the gang is forced to face the consequences of their actions and try to once again find a glimmer of hope in this monstrous apocalypse. And in our backup story, Secret Squirrel's mission to save the world continues as he meets his enemy face to face!

From legendary author Keith Giffen comes the next chapter in this epic tale! Collects issues #26-31. 

 

 

Awhile back I decided it would be more frugal to buy my comic book series in its compilation form. It would save me more money and take up less room! So I've been agonizingly waiting for the volumes to catch up on the last comic I bought...which I still need to read. So hopefully soon!

 

 

TITLE: Scooby Apocalypse: Volume 5

AUTHOR: Keith Giffen

PUBLISHER: DC Comics
GENRE: Comic Books

RELEASE DATE: May 28, 2019 

 

 

 

 

 

Books I'll Probably Never Read Tag

I saw this tag over at Fiction No Chaser who originally saw it over at Hot Shot Headlines and once again thought it looked like an interesting and fun tag to do! I borrowed this image above from Fiction No Chaser as there didn't seem to be an "original" picture for it and I wanted one with the tag name in it! :)

A REALLY HYPED BOOK YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN READING

This seems like a really popular series lately but for whatever reason I just can't get into it. Having an overwhelming TBR pile as it is might also play a role in my decision too! Lol.

SERIES YOU WON'T BE STARTING/FINISHING

This is a series that doesn't seem to be losing its popularity ever. I gave the first a book a try but didn't like it and decided I'd never read the rest of it despite everyone tell me it gets better.

A CLASSIC YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED IN

Jane Austen's books seem to be one of the popular choices in terms of classics, but the stories never really grabbed at my attention even before my paranormal days.

A GENRE YOU NEVER READ

I think we all pretty much know that I stay far away from contemporaries no matter the attended age!

A BOOK ON YOUR SHELVES YOU'LL PROBABLY NEVER ACTUALLY MAY OR MAY NOT READ

Usually if it's in my TBR pile, it means I want to read it. Some books though I might have lost my excitement over after time and most are just buried so deep I forget which ones I have! I'm not saying I won't ever actually read this one, but right now it's still one I am hesitant about. I bought it all whimsical like at a signing last year. I had read so many DNF reviews on it that have me slightly terrified I won't like it, but it combines two of my favorite things, fairy tales and vampires, so I do still want to give it a try at some point. But let's just say it's not quite at the top of my TBR pile at this point.

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"Fate, you cruel SOB. I hope something ganks you." Kindle loc. 38%*

*Quote comes from the eARC, therefore it and its location are not final.










TITLE: The Evil Queen
AUTHOR: Gena Showalter
PUBLISHER: Inkyard Press
GENRE: Fairy Tale Retellings
RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: Outrageous Things I’ve Done for the Love of Books (submitted by Aggie’s Amygdala)

10. MIDNIGHT RELEASE PARTIES--mostly for Harry Potter of course, I woke up SUPER early to go to BORDERS to get in line to get a line ticket kind of thing and was always richly rewarded with a number that was in the top 15 or so!

9. DROVE FAR FAR AWAY--the record ROAD TRIP was 985 miles to Savannah...with a pit-stop in Charleston for some sightseeing. The author event I wanted to attend (signing day only) was the Authors After Dark. I'm only sad that it disbanded before I could attend the full event.

8. FLYING FAR FOR SHORT VISIT--I once flew to Pittsburgh for essentially a day! I was still young and kind of afraid to travel alone, so I asked my mom if I paid for our airline and hotel fare if she'd come along and she said yes of course! The event? RT 2008 (signing day only). I was desperate to meet Maria V. Snyder so I surprised her with a visit! It was an added plus that I got to meet other authors too!

7. BOOKSTORE HUNTS--a weird way of saying it, but basically somewhat related to roadtripping except with the express purpose of going to different bookstores to find those magical books!

6. KILLED MY BACK--so those BIG events I attended, like RT Con? On signing day I pretty much killed my back loading it down with books. My poor shoulders were sore too from the extra shoulder bags. I guess in a way I was building muscle? Lol.

5. GAVE UP SLEEP--in my early days I should say. I would stay up late into the night reading my books dying to finish one.

4. GONE BROKE--I think we've all done this for the love of books! I have a shirt that says: "When I have a little money, I buy books...and if I have any left I buy food and clothes." So true! Lol.

3. PAID INSANE PRICES--something I am ashamed to admit that kind of goes in hand with the above, but this is usually more in regards to the shipping charges to get my most coveted books! There has been at least 1 book I paid triple digits for and I never regretted it!

2. GAVE UP MY SANITY--I believe I was sane once...I'm not sure when. Then somewhere along the lines I lost my sanity to reading! The love of reading, the cliffhangers that surrounded me, the ABSOLUTE PURE AGONY when a favorite series was CANCELLED with CLIFFHANGERS!!! And having THAT happen multiple times...yeah...I probably need to see a doctor too for heart stress!

1. BOUGHT MULTIPLE EDITIONS--I never once thought I'd be the reader who'd buy multiple copies of the same book...deliberately! Lol. Why buy the same book when I can buy so many new ones? But then I fell in love with certain authors and their works. Then publishers changed beautiful covers to sometimes gorgeous covers and I fall victim to cover lust and needing them all. So yeah, I've bought the same book many a time!

Disney Song Book Tag

I saw this fun tag over at JennReneeRead and knew I had to do it!! They originally saw it over at The Book Nut. The image above was borrowed from Medium and the below images I borrowed from Jenn and Ash's blog! I'm only wondering how I never seen this tag before?!

PART OF YOUR WORLD: What book world would you change yourself for so you could be a part of that world?

Going with the classic for this one! It's so hard to choose one. The majority of my reads are based in this world here but with characters other than human. Otherwise they tend to be fantasy worlds that I can't say I'd want to live in because of harsh environments and government systems! Lol.

LET IT GO: What book did you not want to finish because you loved it so much?

I'm predicting the future on this one! I am planning to re-read the entire series before finishing this one! Yes, I plan to RE-READ a book! Two in fact!

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: What book do you think is/will be timeless?

Since books like Harry Potter are already timeless, I'd like to think that Caraval will be among the other timeless classics of my generation. Then of course, there are the books I consider timeless for myself that are probably unheard of books for other people, so really I feel like this question can have many answers!

SO THIS IS LOVE: What book were you hesitant to read at first but ended up loving?

I was first hesitant to pick this one up since BORDERS stocked it in the romance section. I had been burned by other books that were on those shelves that weren't what I was expecting, but I decided to take a chance on this series since I saw at least 2 other authors I enjoyed quoting on the cover giving the book its praises. And in the end I LOOOOVED this one and became a fan of pretty much everything Rachel would write!

FRIEND LIKE ME: Which character would you like to be your best friend?

I'd think Katy and I would be great friends! We like a lot of the same books and who doesn't want to have a best friend with the same reading tastes and is a fellow blogger?

REFLECTION: What book really made you think/changed the way you view things?

This one really makes you look at what makes a "monster" and what makes a "human" differently.

COLORS OF THE WIND: Who do you tag?

Anyone and everyone who wants to join in!