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 Reading Reality.

 

It was another meh week. I started my new program at work. Really it was just sort of another orientation day. I suspect sometime this week we'll try getting into the nit and gritty of it where I meet with my mentor and team through Teams and whatnot and try to figure out how we want to do things. This first week was more about getting introduced and working on our personal action plans. So we'll see where this goes! I'm excited and apprehensive just because last year two of team members did this and got promoted, so I don't really think there's going to be promotions all around when we each take our turn at this because then what? I don't know. I'm trying to keep an open mind. The weekend was filled with a bit of woe since Apollycon was happening and all the instagram posts were just reminding me that I failed to get tickets. I was on the site super early, I was ready to click as soon as the clock struck and I was immediately ejected! I know the site was overloaded but man...this sucks. I've tried a few years now and have failed each and every time. So yeah, seeing all the posts is really giving me the KOMO. Then apparently other events were happening around the country this weekend and next, so it's just wave after wave of sadness. I did go to my favorite Indie bookstore for Indie Bookstore Day yesterday. I give the occasional glance around for the Audiobook Golden Ticket, but since I don't care for audiobooks, I'd rather someone who loves them finds it! I would just pass it onto a friend anyway! Lol. And naturally, my Tuesday releases that I preorder did not arrive on Friday. I do not know what B&N is doing these days and it is seriously driving me insane! I wish I knew who I could write to about this because this is absolutely ridiculous! I do my due diligence and preorder books for authors as that's always best, and yet, B&N is determined that I DO NOT GET THEM during release week. And this sucks!! And now, my bad luck is stretching out to other orders! I ordered something from Kohls last weekend online and ALL WEEK LONG it's been waiting for the carrier to pick it up! I was like are you kidding me?! It's not a book! I should have this already! So yeah, it seems USPS is working against me these days.

 

Anyway, here's what I got this week:

The Study of Magic by Maria V. Snyder--SIGNED keeper copy! I forgot to include in my notes that while I didn't personalization that I still would like the usual quote! I didn't think to do it honestly. I have been trying to do less personalized books lately unless I felt like I REALLY REALLY needed it personalized. Lol. I have so many personalized from Maria I thought I could do without one this time around but didn't think I needed to inclue "fun message" that Maria usually includes. Oh well.

Hunted by Bella Higgin--I still need to start this series but since this last book wasn't in HC I decided I better pick it up stat before it becomes too hard to find!
That's Not My Name by Megan Lally--this is what I picked up at my indie store as I couldn't find Higgin's book there. Sigh, I knew I should've called them last week but I didn't think they'd be totally out! But I did have "rewards" dollars so this only cost me like $3!

Then what I love about my favorite indie store is that they do the "blind date with a book" with every purchase on indie day. But as you know I HATE these kinds of things because I either get a book I have zero interest in or I get one that I already have! This year, sadly, it seems my store was giving even LESS hints. They just wrote genres on there and I was like oh crap. So basically if it just said YA, I said NO! I knew it would likely be a contemporary novel. I debated about a regular fantasy, but was squirming because I was thinking there's too many out there for adults! So I went back to looking at YA genres. I was debating about a YA fairy tale retelling and YA horror. I was almost leaning towards the fairy tale retelling but then felt too hesitant so I went with YA horror and here's what I got:

The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington (ARC)--I was seeing this one around a bit lately and kind of threw it on my backburner list. Like let's look at this if it ever comes up somewhere I am at kind of thing. Lol. I might try reading it before its release date as it says horror so hopefully it will live up to it!

Then I won a contest on Instagram from Maureen's Books! I was able to get a book of my choice so I went with this one as it was right at the top of my Goodreads list and I thought why not? This way I have the duology at the ready and can give it a binge!

Silence and Shadow by Erin Beaty

THANK YOU Maureen!

 

 

And then I got my cupcake pin from A Touch of Magic Designs! I think this was Narnia this time around! They're all so cute! I wish they could've put the title on the back of the pin to help with memory issues...like mine! Lol.

 

 

And that was it for me this week! What all did you get? Did you go anywhere for Indie Bookstore Day yesterday?

 

Review--Against the Darkness by Kendare Blake

 

This epic finale to the The Next Generation trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake ( Three Dark Crowns ) features the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil.

For generations, the Slayer was supposed to be the chosen, the one girl in all the world with the power to stand against the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness. When Willow used the scythe to call up all the potential slayers at once, it changed everything. For years, the slayers have been working and fighting together as a team.

Then the Darkness came, killing many slayers and trapping the rest in an alternate dimension. And Frankie Rosenberg, the world’s first Slayer-Witch, found herself fighting evil alone. Sort of.

Sure, she has her new Scooby Gang, plus the help of her mom, Willow; Watcher, Spike; and even the brooding-but-hot Hunter of Thrace. But even though they have a master plan (obviously), the gang is more fragmented than ever.

So maybe it really is up to Frankie—and Frankie alone—to stand against the darkness. With Jake’s wild werewolf brother back in town, Dark Willow threatening to return, and the Darkness preparing for the final stage of their attack, now is not a great time to wallow in teen angst. After all, she’s the Slayer. It’s time to slay.

 

After a long, long, long and tremulous journey I finally had Kendare Blake's Against the Darkness in hand and ready to devour because omg, I could not wait to see how this book would end! This was yet another perfectly fitting addition to the Buffyverse and I was thrilled to read Blake's stories!

Having just wrote a post not too long ago about media-tie in books, it's something new when you come across series like this! Ones that contribute to a TV show you loved and adored, yet this is still something entirely new and different in your hands. Although, unlike another incredible YA author's duology that runs along the same lines as this one, Blake's story includes some of our OG Buffy characters a little more. To my recollection, that one might have just named dropped with maybe an occasional cameo appearance here or there, in this one, the OG characters are pretty tightly involved and I LOVED that! I loved seeing these characters I've know for years and years. While they are not at center stage of the story, they do play heavily on the stage and even have their own chapter moments too, so this truly is the BEST Buffy series addition ever!

Now, onto the story at large! Many things are going on when we start. We get bits and pieces of a recap, and luckily I had my notes, but I would not have minded a "previously on Frankie the Vampire Slayer" kind of recap! Lol. Anyway, Frankie and her Scoobies are somewhat separated, as Frankie's BFF, Hailey, is playing double agent and trying to get on Aspen's "good side" to get more details on what her actual plan is. The problem is that Hailey starts to think that Aspen truly just wants to have the power to choose or reject her Slayer powers and possibly return to a normal life. Frankie isn't convinced though and as you might imagine, this causes a bit of tiff between besties. I don't want to call it a "riff" as this angst doesn't last too long.

While Hailey deals with that, Frankie and the rest try to find a spell that could possibly bring Buffy and the other Slayers back. With the help of her witchy mother, Willow, and her awesome Watcher, Spike this isn't as hard as it would normally be. But when the super duper powerfully dark magic spell book they find is just a little too enticing for Willow, they might be getting themselves into deeper trouble rather than out of it.

I love that we continued getting so many different points of view in this one! It's not at all overwhelming, we largely get Frankie's point of view, but every once in awhile we switch to another character and it happens seamlessly like a scene change in a Buffy episode on TV. 

I guess I was a little forlorn that there wasn't as much romantic tension between Frankie and Grim this time around. It's still there for part of the story, but alas, it seems for this story arc of Frankie's, romance isn't at the top of her list, but it's still on the list! There were other reasons behind this that will be revealed as you read, but alas, I couldn't help but wish for something more. And to think at book 1, I was trying to puzzle out a love triangle with Frankie, Grim, and Jake! That went nowhere fast! Lol.

This was a well paced book! If I hadn't been so tired this week or busy, I might have finished it sooner! But yeah, I can't ignore the call of sleep like I used to! This book truly feels like an episode of Buffy: The Next Generation! Lol. I mean, we did get a whole new batch of Slayers at the end with new rules, so to speak. Blake really did her research and it doesn't hurt at all that she is a Buffy fan! Kind of comes with the criteria for writing a book like this, and it truly shows! We do get to see another Buffy alum make an appearance that hadn't been around in the last two books--if I recall correctly! So that was fun! I loved all these cameos it was just. So. Cool.

This is the series finale folks! I don't think Blake will be writing another "season" with these characters. It does seem fitting to give the book a good ending yet one with a few carefully placed loose-ends, should the door ever want to be opened again. Just like the Buffy series finale did. So while we had to say goodbye to the Scoobies of old and new, it was a nice run! A very nice run indeed! But honestly, if anyone writes any fan fiction of a sequel, hit me up because I saw all those tiny open door cracks! *wink, wink*

From start to finish this book and the trilogy at large was an action packed thrill ride! Buffy fans from casual to die-hard will want to read this series because it just soooo amazingly good and fits right into the Buffyverse! This was an incredible read and I am only sadden that it's over! Now if someone wants to write say, an Angel kind of Next Generation book, that would make my day! We all remembered how THAT one ended! Agh! But seriously, this is a book and series NOT TO BE MISSED! So do your vampire loving or vampire slaying heart a favor and pick this one up!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Book Blogger Hop #303

 

 

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

 

 

 

This week's question is: You are in a dilemma: stream your favorite TV show or movie, or read your favorite book. Which one do you pick? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) 

MY ANSWER: I know I am going to over-analyze this question, but I feel like I need more context! Like what night of the week is it? How tired am I? What time of the day is it for that matter?

You see? Over-analyzing!

I guess in theory I would rather read a book! It says favorite...but let's be realistic, I don't usually re-read because I've 500+ books I need to read for the first time around!

Books from the Backlog #80

 

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. This is a fun meme hosted by Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books.

 

 

Here we go again …

Just when it seems life at Mythos Academy can’t get any more dangerous, the Reapers of Chaos manage to prove me wrong. It was just a typical night at the Library of Antiquities — until a Reaper tried to poison me. The good news is I’m still alive and kicking. The bad news is the Reaper poisoned someone else instead.

As Nike’s Champion, everyone expects me to lead the charge against the Reapers, even though I’m still hurting over what happened with Spartan warrior Logan Quinn. I’ve got to get my hands on the antidote fast — otherwise, an innocent person will die. But the only known cure is hidden in some creepy ruins — and the Reapers are sure to be waiting for me there…

 

 

 

I want to say that Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep was the only book in the series I did not receive from RT conventions! Lol. I can't readily recall, but I obtained it possibly in September of 2015 which is when I marked it as to read, but that would've be after the convention and what would be last convention before it ended for good. This is still a series I really want to read as it sounds like fun and just like my kind of read. So many RT books I acquired are still on my TBR that I am a bit ashamed. I blame the need for sleep!

 

 

 
 

Can't Wait 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.

 

 

From the author of How to Survive Your Murder comes a propulsive thriller about two teens who return to the site of the famous murder case that sealed their fates.

Most people’s births aren’t immortalized in a police report—but Olivia was born during the infamous Camp Lost Lake murders. Seventeen years later, Olivia’s life looks pretty perfect . . . until she discovers the man she calls dad is not her biological father. Now she wants answers about her bloodline, and the only place she knows to look is Camp Lost Lake.

Most people don’t spend their formative years on the run with an alleged murderer—but Reagan did. In the court of public opinion, her mom was found guilty of the deaths at Camp Lost Lake, and both of them have been in hiding ever since. But Reagan believes in her mother’s innocence and is determined to clear her name.

Luckily for Olivia and Reagan, Camp Lost Lake is finally reopening, providing the perfect opportunity to find answers. But someone else is dead set on keeping the past hidden, even if it means committing murder.

 

If it's Danielle of the Many Names I am totally in! I love her books, especially her thrillers! I still need to finish her fantasy series and read her adult debut but it's safe to say she's pretty much an autobuy author for me now!

 

TITLE: Two Sides to Every Murder
AUTHOR: Danielle Valentine
PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
GENRE: YA Thriller
RELEASE DATE: June 4, 2024

 

 

 

 

 
 

Let's Discuss: Missing the Author Cons

 

So as the internet prepares for Apollycon, an event I soooo wanted to go to but failed to get tickets--again, I found myself in a spiral of mini depression. I miss the big multi-author events like book conventions. Don't get me wrong, I realize that they are still out there, but alas, every time I look them up, I see maybe 1 or 2 authors I read in attendance! I'm all for learning about new authors, but with steep convention fees, adding travel and food expenses...I feel like there needs to be a greater attendance of "my" favorite authors there in order for me to justify going.

Missing the Author Cons

I am deeply in remorse for the loss of Romantic Times Booklovers Convention! These were so incredibly fun and was always devastated at their disbandment. Every year the convention would be held in a different city, so you'd get to go somewhere new and the ones I attended were always fun! I loved the panels and learning more about the craft. I loved seeing sooo many authors I read all in one place! It was a fantastic time.

Perhaps nowadays it's that my favorite authors aren't into attending the big cons anymore and I can get that. I get running them is super expensive too, which is why it always cost 6 arms and 4 legs to attend (and again that's including all the costs! Convention fees, hotel fees, travel fees, food costs...it's a LOT!). But I loved being able to meet so many authors in one place! It kind of made up for not being able to see them on individual tours.

But alas, it's like conventions are a thing of the past. Yes, again, I know we do still have some around! And believe me I look at nearly all of them! I check the author listing and while I usually find 2-3 authors I'd love to meet, plus maybe 1 or 2 I have met in attendance, when I add up estimated costs for travel and such...I just can't justify it for the maybe 3 total authors.

I truly, truly long to attend Apollycon at least once. I had always held out on hope that it would "travel" to new cities like they originally said it would. But then they made DC the permanent home. I had then hoped the one and done Origin event could've taken off more as the "mini-Apollycon" that would happen annually and be the one that "traveled." But even that didn't take off like I had hoped. True, I would've loved a longer event, but at least the big meet and greet of authors was a fun time!

Anyone else attend the only twice ever NOLA Story Con? I attended the first one and it was amazing! I wanted to go the following year, but alas I couldn't convince my parents for a return trip just a year later. It just worked out that one year that my stepdad wanted to meet up with one of his Coast Guard buddies who was in NOLA at the time. That was a fun weekend! We're talking mini RT levels! I got to meet a handful of new authors and see ones I hadn't seen since my last RT that was actually in NOLA as well! Lol. Fun times! Truly FUN TIMES!

It's these large events that I love the most! You get to see the most authors and you get to meet so many other readers. But it's becoming more a thing of the past I guess. Again, yes, there are still tons of other cons, but they too are rightfully costly. I just wish there were more of the authors I read (whether trad or indie) in attendance that it would help to justify the cost. Sadly, most of the ones I've been eyeing don't even have day passes so I can't even go for a day...which would still be rather costly since flights are so expensive leaving St. Louis. It's like the city doesn't want you to leave! Lol.

Anyone else miss these larger author conventions? Or events? Did you ever attend any? I can remember so many other "cons" or "large events" as well that are no longer in running or if they are, the attendance is filled with totally new to me authors, so once again, can't justify the several hundreds of dollars it would cost to fly and hotel stay for totally new to me people. If they were local, it would be a different story of course, but tragically, nothing like that ever happens in St. Louis. Although we did get one teen author event that has ran for 2 years now. Hopefully this year will bring more authors I know to make it a fun day. We'll see I guess!

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.

 

"'You said you wanted to get him alone.'

'Yes, but did you not think he should be wearing clothes?'

Podaxis looks from me to Dorian. 'He's wearing trousers.'" p 180

 

 

 

 

 

 

TITLE: Kiss of the Selkie
AUTHOR: Tessonja Odette
PUBLISHER: Crystal Moon Press
GENRE: NA Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: December 21, 2021

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: Top Ten Unread Books on my Shelves I Want to Read Soon

*in no particular order
**fun fact, my teaser pick was originally on my draft list for this post!
***hopefully I can get to these soon...ish
****dates given are when I marked them "to read" on Goodreads which is usually around when I bought them...unless I "wishlisted" them.

10. COLD HEARTED by Serena Valentino--always behind in this series but it's one I love to return to again and again! Luckily each book stands on its own so my gaps in between don't hinder me too much. 7/3/21
9. KING OF SCARS by Leigh Bardugo--yes, I STILL need to read this one! I told myself I had to wait until both books were in hand...but then they were so deliciously long that I just never found time for them! 2/2/19
8. NINTH HOUSE by Leigh Bardugo--I have no excuses. 8/9/19

7. LAIR OF DREAMS by Libba Bray--another series with deliciously long books...they can be so daunting these days in adulthood! 8/29/15
6. DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY by Terri Garey--one of the last books I bought from Borders...*moment of silence*...and also the first book I marked "to read" on Goodreads. 6/11/11
5. NIL by Lynne Matson--I so so want to read this series! I keep meaning to pick it up because it sounds creepy good, but here we are. 9/22/14

4. WILD CARD by Rachel Vincent--I loooooved the original Werecats series and I LOOOVED this spinoff of other characters from the world! I still have her newest book from that world to read too! But I want to read this last one before the newest one...which isn't so new anymore! 1/30/18
3. SANCTUARY BAY by Laura J. Burns & Melinda Metz--read one of their other series they wrote together and this one sounds amazing too! 1/23/16
2. EVERLAND by Wendy Spinale--if it's a Peter Pan retelling of sorts, I'm usually in! 5/21/16

1. THE RETURN by Jennifer L. Armentrout--I swear this makes my list every year where I say I will read it...and yet things happen and it keeps getting pushed further down my list! I am still dying to read it! Why must I need to sleep?! I could get so much reading done if my body didn't need to sleep! Lol. 3/5/15