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

Once a year, the community hosts a massive used book sale to raise funds to support victims of violence against women and children, and I always make a point of going on the first day, paying the early bird fee because it’s for a good cause.

I picked up The Lost Labyrinth by Will Adams because I can’t pass up an archaeological adventure; The Covenant Rising by Stan Nicholls because it’s rare to find an epic fantasy saga I haven’t come across before; and Black Order by James Rollins because I love his Sigma Force thrillers with their brand of Indiana Jones meets Mission Impossible by way of Michael Crichton.

For Review

One new review title this week – Secret Lives of the Dead by Tim Lebbon, “A dark folk horror tale of a deadly family curse, crime and murder that is sure to turn your blood cold,” coming August 26, 2025 from Titan Books.

Currently Reading

The review titles have been more miss than hit lately with two DNFs and two grudging 2-stars, so I’ve been dipping into the TBR shelves. I expect to finish The Taking by Dean Koontz (an apocalyptic alien-invasion thriller) this weekend; I’m dipping my toes back into The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer (a weird, creepy, fascinating thriller ); and I’ve been going a lot to my ongoing comfort read, Raptor by Gary Jennings (a big, bold, sprawling, gender-bending fifth century historical drama).