Stacking the Shelves & The Sunday Post

Stacking The Shelves (Reading Reality) and The Sunday Post (Caffeinated Reviewer) are both blog memes about sharing the books we’re adding to the shelves and sharing news of the week ahead.

New Purchases

A whole stack of used book purchases this week. I grabbed the two Exiles books by Melanie Rawn for a vacation reread in April – and, who knows, maybe that’ll bring some literary mojo to make the long-awaited third book a reality! Since I started reading The Uncrowned King as part of my read Canadian pledge this month, I also picked up the next 2 Sun Sword books by Michelle West. And, finally, to feed my longing for more classic/high fantasy, I grabbed Black Trillium and Blood Trillium, the first two books in the shared Saga of the Trillium world by Bradley, May, and Norton.

For Review

A few review titles this week, starting with a physical copy of Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race, “A captivating epic fantasy filled with dragons, court politics and sapphic yearning, perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and House of the Dragon.” Like I could possibly resist that pitch!

On the digital front, I also landed copies of Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd by Delilah S. Dawson (which I actually grabbed the day before Dawson was announced as the inheritor of Shannara, simply because I’ve always loved the D&D Ravenloft setting) and Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti (drawn by the lure of a Regency romance with swoony, steamy, sapphic love between Gothic novelists).

Currently Reading

Still reading all Canadian this month in a show of solidarity against the giant orange troll and his Nazi sidekick. If you missed it, I posted my review of Direct Descendant by Tanya Huff earlier in the week.

I’m progressing well on The Uncrowned King by Michelle West, but it is a thick, complex read that demands undivided attention, so I’m balancing it with easier reads. The Revenge of Captain Vessia by Leslie Allen has been my walking read for the week (since we’ve got some Spring-like temperatures), and I’m entirely captivated by its blend of piracy and vampires.

I’ve also got Magic Casement by Dave Duncan (the first of his traditional/high fantasy series, A Man of His Word) and The First Collected Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach by Steven Erikson (the shorter novellas of his Malazan saga) on hand for paperback portability.