Stacking the Shelves

Posted November 5, 2016 by Nicky in General / 8 Comments

Good morning! It’s been a weird week for me; kind of slow, but busy too, with class to catch up with and my wife not very well. All’s good now, though, and I’ve made a decent start on my reading goals for November. I’ve also made a list of the books I need to read to meet my challenge goals… yipes.

Anyway, here goes, the weekly roundup:

Received to review:

cover100991-medium-1

I’ve enjoyed Carrie Vaughn’s work before, so I’m hopeful about this, even just because it has her name on it.

New books:

Cover of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin Cover of How To Clone a Mammoth by Beth Shapiro Cover of Dark Sky by Mike Brooks

A bit of an odd mixture, perhaps! But it really is about time I read On the Origin of Species.

Books finished this week:

Cover of A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire Cover of This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin Cover of Predictably Irrational by Dan ArielyCover of The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer Cover of Natural Causes by James Oswald

Reviews posted this week:
Anthem, by Ayn Rand. If you’re going to read a book by Rand and you’re pretty sure you’re going to disagree vehemently with her politics, this is a pretty good choice. It’s nice and short. 2/5 stars
Whispers Under Ground, by Ben Aaronovitch. I still enjoyed this one, but it is a bit of a filler book. Nothing like the impact of the next one. 4/5 stars
Dinosaurs Without Bones, by Anthony J. Martin. This book is full of information on dinosaurs! And also jokes about all the sorts of traces dinosaurs have left. It doesn’t stop at coprolites — or at least, Martin hopes it doesn’t. 5/5 stars
In the Land of Invented Languages, by Arika Okrent. This is a fun read and also very informative about conlangs. I actually found myself wanting to give this to everyone. 4/5 stars
The Borgias, by Christopher Hibbert. Not as entertaining as I’d hoped; it’s not dry, exactly, but it’s very much a litany of facts rather than analysis. 2/5 stars
The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy L. Sayers. BBC radioplay. The casting makes it shine, of course; Ian Carmichael is (at least vocally) the perfect Lord Peter. 4/5 stars
Flashback Friday: The Winter Prince, by Elizabeth E. Wein. I found it an interesting and powerful retelling of the Arthurian story, though I wasn’t 100% a fan of the portrayal of the female characters. 4/5 stars

Other posts:
Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books if Your Bookclub Likes SF. More or less what it says on the tin.
ShelfLove November Update & TBR. My progress on my reading goals for 2016, plus a hopeful to-read list for this month.

Here’s hoping this is a good week for reading, for all of us!

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8 responses to “Stacking the Shelves

  1. I’m not really a space fan but the fact it is Carrie Vaughn makes me think I should investigate further. I had that Borgias book as well but I can’t remember if I read and reviewed it so it couldn’t have been too memorable if I did! Jeez, my memory! Hope your wife is feeling better soon…nothing worse than feeling totally off colour. And thanks again for picking me as your survey winner! I never win anything! *dances like a hippo*
    chucklesthescot recently posted…Stacking the Shelves #154My Profile

    • Luckily, it seems like my wife is better today! It’s a relief, as in the meantime I’ve been fending for myself. So much pizza… *grin*

  2. Oh, I am so curious about Martians Abroad! I’m being good though, and concentrating on what I have on my plate first. I’ve also never read Carrie Vaughn but I’m glad to hear you are such a huge fan. Looking forward to your review, and maybe I’ll check it out after all if I get my tbr under control by the time it pubs 🙂

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